great news! long lost show found!

[Maine-i-ac]

All 208 episodes of "General Electric Theater" with host Ronald Reagan have been found in NBC/Universal's vault. I've only seen three public domain episodes and thought they were pretty neat. Now if a broadcast outlet can be found.

Full story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100317/ap_en_ot/us_reagan_tapes

 

[therealjm12]

I always wondered what happened to that show. I doubt we'll see it on any TV channel. Maybe DVD.

 

[DToTheJ]

Incidentally, I have started to hear ads on the radio (during Hannity's show, among others) supporting Ronald Reagan... and the ads are from GE. Ironic, since GE owns NBC, which apparently is for everything folks like Hannity is against, but that's for another thread for a different board... Anyway, I wonder if these new ads have anything to do with this discovery.

 

[LKellerIII]

Incidentally, I have started to hear ads on the radio (during Hannity's show, among others) supporting Ronald Reagan... and the ads are from GE. Ironic, since GE owns NBC, which apparently is for everything folks like Hannity is against, but that's for another thread for a different board... Anyway, I wonder if these new ads have anything to do with this discovery.

What do you mean, ads "supporting Ronald Reagan?" For what - President of Heaven? Or are they bringing up Reagan's name in support of some conservative cause? That would make sense. Reagan is the conservative Republican touch-stone - his name is invoked often, just like JFK's used to be invoked for liberal causes.

I've recently seen a few snippets of the film Reagan narrated in the mid 1960s (before he was Governor of California) condeming "socialized medicine." With the health-care bill being debated, it's not surprising that this film has been resurrected.

As for GE's politics - GE is a corporation and doesn't take political stances per se. Neither does News Corp, Fox News' parent company. Fox News is skewed to the right because it's their brand, and it makes them money. Murdoch saw a need and he filled it. But the Fox entertainment divisions are not political. If anything, the Fox network pushes the envelope of good taste in ways that probably disturbs many conservatives - at least the evangelical Christian kind. Fox Searchlight Pictures makes avant-garde independent films and probably employs all sorts of left-wing types.

And by the way...if you really think the GE Corporation doesn't have conservative commentators on their networks, you haven't watched CNBC lately. Check out Larry Kudlow some time. And don't forget Joe Scarborough on MSNBC - a former conservative Republican Congressman.

 

[ricksegers]

The GE ads and contribution to the museum are all part of the centennial celebration of President Reagan's birth next February.

 

[LKellerIII]

The GE ads and contribution to the museum are all part of the centennial celebration of President Reagan's birth next February.

Yes - if anything, GE has a history as a conservative leaning corporation. Let's not forget that Ronald Reagan was considered basically a "has-been B Movie actor" that was way past his prime by the mid-1960s. It was his experience as a spokesperson for GE that made Reagan realize he had a potential career in politics.

A lot of Hollywood liberals thought Reagan's political aspirations were a joke. Governor Edmund G. ('Pat") Brown - father of once and possible future Gov. Jerry Brown - famously said - "Remember - John Wilkes Booth was an actor." . There was no laughing when Reagan kicked Brown's a** in the 1966 election for Governor. Brown was no slouch, having beat Richard Nixon in '62, but he was no match for Ronald Reagan.

 

[Studio20]

I'll step close to the line of "take it outside", but I don't see too many conservative politicians on todays political landscape who could compare themselves to the former President, and not generate laughter amongst both sides of the aisle.

Ronald Reagan, whatever you may think of his philosophies, was a civil man. He didn't cry (on cue, or otherwise), nor did he slander or defame his opponents. In fact he brokered deals with many Democrats. He didn't put himself before America...

 

[ricksegers]

I'll step close to the line of "take it outside", but I don't see too many conservative politicians on todays political landscape who could compare themselves to the former President, and not generate laughter amongst both sides of the aisle.

Ronald Reagan, whatever you may think of his philosophies, was a civil man. He didn't cry (on cue, or otherwise), nor did he slander or defame his opponents. In fact he brokered deals with many Democrats. He didn't put himself before America...

The only I would change is there are no politicians, conservative, liberal, Republican or Democrat who could compare themselves to President Reagan without a snicker.

 

[Hal Erickson]

The GE ads and contribution to the museum are all part of the centennial celebration of President Reagan's birth next February.

Yes - if anything, GE has a history as a conservative leaning corporation. Let's not forget that Ronald Reagan was considered basically a "has-been B Movie actor" that was way past his prime by the mid-1960s. It was his experience as a spokesperson for GE that made Reagan realize he had a potential career in politics.

Politics aside, this has to be addressed. Reagan was denigrated as a "has-been B movie actor" and "a cowboy actor" primarily by his enemies, not by filmgoers. After 1950, his films were not technically B pictures but "programmers", just like the films of Randolph Scott and Joel McCrea. They weren't expensive, but they weren't cheap either. He worked primarily for independent producers like Pine-Thomas and Benedict Bogeaus, who were affiliated with major studios and thus able to get good bookings in small or medium-sized cities. It may be fashionable to run down films like TENNESSEE'S PARTNER and HONG KONG as crap, but they were well received and made good money when they came out, particularly on the neighborhood-theater and drive-in circuit. Even his much-maligned HELLCATS OF THE NAVY was given top-of-the-bill bookings in certain markets, and could boast the participation of Admiral Chester Nimitz, who was definitely no lightweight.

 

[Corky Marlowe]

"Remember - John Wilkes Booth was an actor."

And Pontius Pilate was a governor.

 

[Al Timiter]

Well, back to the thread. If those shows are in the NBC/Universal vault, RTV (Retro Television) should have access to them. They have access to pretty much all the older NBC/Universal stuff. In fact, it's almost all they run. It would be cool if they would run that instead of crap like "The A Team" and "Airwolf" and "Black Sheep Squadron." eeeeeccck.