Conference ljsrv1::tv_chatter

    I don't think that was Lloyd Bridges.  I just saw him (LB) on the
    Sunday night movie "Sins of the Father" or some such title and
    he looked different from the actor who played Edgar Halcyon.
    
    I read all six books in the "Tales" series just recently and
    really looked forward to someone picking this up from the BBC.
    I was pleasantly surprised with the show. I liked the casting.
    Olympia Dukakis is perfect for Anna even though I felt Anna 
    would be a stockier Madrigal (woman). ;^)
    
    I sure hope the BBC takes on the other books in the series.
    
    I grew up in the San Francisco area in the 60-70s and really
    loved the 'time capsule' feel of the book/s.  I've been to 
    all the nightclubs and many of the other sites mentioned in the
    book and really began to feel part of the 28 Barbary Lane 
    family.  I felt the series lost its charm in the later books
    but I read them anyways just to complete the series. 
    
    Can't wait to watch tonight.
    
    Jodi-

  I managed to stay awake through the entire 2 hours and while there were some
really good moments, in general it was all soap. It is advertised as the story
of a city but all they discuss is the romantic lives of a very small clump of
people that could have been living anywhere at any time. All of the things
that bind them to S.F. in '76 are purely cosmetic.

  All that talk about Cleveland v. San Francisco and not word one about the
1954 World Series. That's the one where Willie Mays made "the catch" off Vic
Wertz. 

  I was disappointed. I doubt that I will watch any more.

  I almost switched to Northern Exposure at 10. I wish I had.

  **,
  George

    That wasn't Lloyd Bridges...His name is {mumble} Moffet.
    
    Check the credits tonight!
    
    ****

    Halcyon is played by Donald Moffat (not positive on the spelling of
    either name!); he's done a lot of supporting roles, of which the only
    one I can recall at present is the android on the "Logan's Run" TV
    series.
    
    Re the show: I agree with most of the preceding comments. That is, the
    settings and local color are great (and are making me want to pay a
    visit to San Francisco), the performances are good, but the story seems
    to be little more than a summary of who's sleeping with whom. (I don't
    object to skimpy story lines if there's something else to back them up,
    and in this case the performances are supplementing the story well, by
    suggesting all sorts of intriguing character background that never
    actually gets talked about. I'd prefer it if it didn't feel so much
    like a clockwork plot - turn the handle and see who winds up with whom,
    who's turn it is to get depressed, etc. But while I haven't found it
    riveting, I've enjoyed it, and will watch the finale as well.)
    
    I did have to smirk at all the hype. There's the "may contain offensive
    material" warning at the beginning, which includes references to the
    historical setting of the '70s, probably to defuse complaints about the
    amount of casual drug use that goes on, but compared with the typical
    behavior in any prime time cop show, it seems pretty tame. And I
    noticed several overdubbed lines in the first episode, mostly to
    replace the "F word" - which strikes me as terribly funny when it's
    clear that most of the characters are "F-ing" whenever they get a
    chance... 
    
    It feels like "'70s life in the city, lite" to me, despite the
    undercurrent of chronic depression and escapism - even the nicest
    characters seem to be busy escaping from _something_.
    
    -b

    And I confess..... I love the sound track!!!!! oh the memories those
    tunes conjure up :^)))
    
    Jt

    Yes, Edgar Halcyon is played by Donald Moffat (I think he played
    Tom Hanks' father in "Bonfire of the Vanities").
    
    I can see where people unfamiliar with the book find the movie
    a bit thin, but the book was pretty thin too. In that light, the
    movie is doing an excellent job off recreating the characters and
    situations, with the music and styles of the mid-70's in all their
    glory ;-).
    
    I understand that there were two versions offered to PBS stations:
    uncensored, and "censored", the latter having "naughty bits"
    blurred and "expletives" overdubbed.  Boston's Channel 2 is
    showing the uncensored version; it would be interesting
    to see what NH's Channel 11 is showing (it starts on Ch 11 later
    this week).
    
    Richard

    Re .6: Well, channel 2's version isn't blurring the "naughty bits"
    (mostly t's and a's, so far), but it did include the overdubs I
    mentioned; maybe somebody got their editing signals crossed...
    
    The "fun with 'Vertigo'" scenes in last night's segment were very
    entertaining. "Who's Kim Novak?"
    
    -b

    LA must be getting a third version Richard.  Naughty bits are
    welcome but naughty words are not.  They overdubbed the f-word
    twice in a ten second time span but didn't blur any bare butts
    or breasts.  That's just fine with me. ;^)
    
    Jodi-

    According to the LA Times, there are three versions, the British
    original and two American versions. No one is seeing the original on
    PBS. In LA we're seeing the least censored of the American versions. A
    few words have been overdubbed, but otherwise it's intact. The other
    version "audio-wipes" a lot more words, that is, you see the actors
    mouthing the words, but there's no sound. In that version, the nudity
    is also "pixilated" into a blur.
    
    John