Fascinating time capsule from 1959: Mike Wallace interviews Rod Serling, arguably the greatest television writer in history.
Several things come to mind: the eloquence of both men's speech; The ever-present cigarettes in their hands.;The stripped-down style which has been adapted by Charlie Rose, but forgotten by the rest of TV journalists. The topics of conversation: censorship, rascism (Serling's use of the word "Negro," as opposed to "Black" or "African-American"), and the still-young medium of television and where it was heading, particularly when discussing Serling's "new" program, The Twilight Zone, which remains a touchstone as one of television's finest hours.
Serling died at the tender age of 50 in 1975. Mike Wallace is still going strong at age 91. God bless 'em--magnificent originals, both.
--Alex Simon
Dhanyavaad.
ReplyDeleteThat's hindi for 'thanks'. And it's all the way from India.
A BIG BIG thanks for posting this video of one of my favourite writers of all time, a legend, an inspiration. Am sending it to all the TV execs in India that I know. Maybe someone will let a 'They're tearing down Tim Riley's bar' get through...