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Conference noted::sf

Title:Arcana Caelestia
Notice:Directory listings are in topic 2
Moderator:NETRIX::thomas
Created:Thu Dec 08 1983
Last Modified:Thu Jun 05 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1300
Total number of notes:18728

112.0. "Spielberg's Amazing Stories on NBC-TV" by NACHO::LYNCH () Tue Jul 31 1984 13:02

From the Boston Globe, Tuesday, July 31, 1984:

 
                    Spielberg and NBC . . . 'Amazing'

By Ed Siegel
Globe Staff

NBC has announced what could be a major programming coup. The network
yesterday announced that Steven Spielberg, the most successful director
in the United States, will be the executive producer of "Amazing Stories",
which will join the NBC lineup in the fall of 1985.

Details were sketchy, but it is assumed that "Amazing Stories" will be a
half-hour adventure or suspense series and Spielberg will write or direct
one or more of the episodes.

In a prepared statement, Spielberg said, "I feel good returning to the medium
which gave me my first opportunity to direct. I am hopeful that 'Amazing
Stories', besides being entertaining, will also serve as a forum for the
introduction of new and talented directors and filmmakers."

Before becoming a theatrical filmmaker, Spielberg directed episodes of such
programs as "Night Gallery" and "Columbo" and also made a television film
considered by many to be the most artful TV-movie ever made. That 1971 film,
"Duel", starred Dennis Weaver as a businessman on the road who's being
harassed by a bewilderingly motivated Diesel truck.

Spielberg's first theatrical film was "Sugarland Express" in 1973. After that
he went on to direct four of the top 11 film rental leaders in history --
"E.T." (1), "Jaws" (5), "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (6), and "Close Encounters
of the Third Kind" (11). His latest film, "Indiana Jones and the Temple of
Doom", will most likely make the list. Spielberg also has a good track record
as a producer, with "Gremlins" and "Poltergeist".

It is commonplace practice for American directors to eschew TV after establish-
ing themselves in theatrical films because of the amount of time, budget, and
creative restrictions for television productions. For example, it was reported
that Mike Nichols refused to direct the film "Silkwood" until ABC agreed to
make the film theatrically instead of for TV.

This is the first time, in fact, since "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour" went off
the air in 1965 that TV has been able to lure a prominent American filmmaker
back (unlike Europe, where even Ingmar Bergman and Federico Fellini work
regularly for TV).

Spielberg's return also restores a little more credibility to NBC's claim as
the quality network. There's little on next season's lineup to suggest the
second coming of "Cheers" or "Hill Street Blues".

Grant Tinker, NBC's chairman of the board, said yesterday, "Steven Spielberg
has proved time after time he can entertain the world...It's a proud moment
for network television that Steven decided to devote his energies to this
project and this medium and all of us at NBC are delighted that he has brought
it to us".
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name		DateLines
112.1AKOV68::BOYAJIANWed Aug 01 1984 03:039
(1) I'm sure that the title is going to change, once TSR (the publishers of
the sf magazine AMAZING STORIES) hears about this one.

(2) Another Spielberg tv production of interest to sf fans is that he was
the director of the sf episode of THE NAME OF THE GAME, "L.A. 2017", written
by Philip Wylie, in which the Gene Barry character seems to pull a Rip Van
Winkle bit and wakes up in a fascist, underground, future Los Angeles.

--- jerry
112.2NACHO::LYNCHWed Aug 01 1984 11:425
From today's Globe:

Steven Spielberg's agreement with NBC calls for 44 episodes of the anthology
series "Amazing Stories", which means that the program will run at least two
years.
112.3PARROT::BLOTCKYFri Aug 03 1984 03:178
re: .1

It seems quite possible that NBC has/will pay the publishers for the right
to use the name. A few years back, when NBC happened to pick as their new logo
(the red and blue "N") a logo that was already being used by Nebraska ETV,
they paid several million for the rights.

Steve
112.4VIKING::MCCARTHYFri Aug 03 1984 09:0410
Re:  .3
Didn't NBC also have to change that logo a little in order to use it?
I seem to remember they also put the peacock in front of the "N", and
the reason was they couldn't use just the "N" by itself.  Also, I seem
to remember that most of the money that NBC spent was just to develop
the logo in the first place; then they find that this rinky-dink TV
station which had probably only spent $14.95 on its development effort
was already using "their" logo!

Kevin
112.5HACKER::FOLEYFri Aug 03 1984 17:046
re:  The NBC logo

	Saturday Night Live did a whole bunch of stuff on that a few
	years ago. (What does this have to with SF??)

						mike
112.6PARROT::BLOTCKYSun Aug 05 1984 16:1916
re .4

I knew people at that time who worked for Nebraska Educational Television.
They have about a dozen educational stations (Nebraska is large), as well as
the largest TV studios outside of NY and LA.  They came up with their "N" logo
for about $15.  When NBC realized theay their logo, which had cost several
million to develop was already in use, they offered Nebraska ETV $$$$$$$$
worth of equiptment as well as some cash, to change their logo.  Nebraska
took the money, and proceeded to change their logo - they rounded of two
of the corners of the N.

The peacock was supposed to die with the introduction of the N, or at least
saved for specials. I think they started putting it back in front of the N
hoping that it would improve their image/ratings.

Steve
112.7EARTH::MJOHNSONMon Aug 06 1984 18:563
re:.5

The answer to your question - "Nothing".
112.8SUPER::KENAHTue Aug 07 1984 11:2611
re .5 & .7: This is the way NOTESfile evolve. The digressions are 
often as interesting as the original topic. 

A friend of mine worked for the company that researched the NBC logo.
They informed NBC that there was another logo that might conflict with 
the new one. NBC ignored the notice, and paid the price.

Incidentally, Nebraska Public Television has done some nice stuff 
recently.... amazing how helpful lots of bucks can be.

					andrew
112.9NACHO::LYNCHMon Aug 13 1984 11:3952
Some Spielberg and other movie news from the USENET:


Steven Spielberg, besides attending the Opening Ceremonies for
the Olympics, has made a series of announcements recently
signaling the direction his film company Amblin' Entertainment
will take in the future.

Although Spielberg hasn't officially announced his next project,
he has told Army Archerd in Variety that his next two films would
be the third and final "Indiana Jones" film and the long-rumored
"Peter Pan." He said that Michael Jackson would definitely _n_o_t play
the title role; it will be portrayed by an 11 or 12-year-old.

Warner Bros. announced that Spielberg and Richard Donner
will make an adventure film, "The Goonies," which will roll this
fall and be a major release for the company next summer. Donner,
who directed "Superman" for Warners, will direct and coproduce
with Harvey Bernhard. Chris Columbus (writer of "Gremlins") will
do the screenplay, which is based on Spielberg's original idea.

Terry Semel, an executive with the studio, said only that "The
Goonies" is "a young person's adventure film for persons of all
ages."

Amblin' Entertainment will also make a foray into network
television. "Amazing Stories" will premiere on NBC's Fall 1985
schedule. Spielberg will executive produce this series, which is
intended to give new writers and directors a showcase to strut
their stuff. NBC has tried to sell the project as only a distaff
relative to "The Twilight Zone" and "Night Gallery" but was hard
pressed to describe what kinds of differences would be involved.
The show is supposed to present the kind of Amazing Stories "that
only Steven Spielberg" can do.

Meanwhile cross the pass, Paramount will pit a new film by Joe
Dante against "The Goonies" in the summer of '85. Dante will
direct "Explorers" from an original script by newcomer Eric Luke.
Luke wrote the screenplay while working at "The Change of Hobbit"
bookstore in Santa Monica. Paramount held an open casting call
the 1st of August for boys 12 to 14 years old. The film concerns
a group of young boys who share a "collective dream" that leads
them on a "fantastic adventure" (Is that vague enough for you?).

MGM/UA rolls the latest James Bond film, "From a View to a Kill,"
with location work in Switzerland, Norway and (!) San Francisco
this month. The huge 007 stage at Pinewood Studios was to have
housed sets for this film, but a fire occurred in June which
destroyed the building. John Glen will direct from another script
by Michael Wilson and Richard Maibaum. Christopher Walken will
play the villain this time around. Tanya Roberts and Grace Jones
also star.
112.10NUHAVN::COSTLEYMon Aug 13 1984 14:0516
	to 1 of 9 re: (2) THE NAME OF THE GAME, "L.A. 2017"
	I'd wondered who did that one; it certainly went beyond any other
THE NAME OF THE GAME prior to that; it's surprising that Philip Wylie
wrote it; had he written any other T.V. scripts?
	The concept of buying share of citizenship in America, Inc. goes
back to THE SPACE MERCHANTS by Pohl & Kornbluth (prev. GRAVY PLANET)
where The Senator from DuPont objects on the floor of the senate against
Fowler, Schocken Assoc. (Mad.Ave.agency) getting an exclusive on the
Mars Project (i.e. packaging all of Marrs, from now until Doomsday.)
	Of course, It Can't Happen Here (Sinclair Lewis, 1936)!
	Or has it? Anybody catch Nightline's break-into the Olympics
Finale re: Reagan's little goof on his radio-speech yesterday?
	" Ladies & Gentlemen, Russia has been outlawed. The missiles
will be launched in 5 min. " (nearly verbatim).
	It was his off-air warm-up. Just practicin' folks.
	-Bill Costley