Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.3 4.3bsd-beta 6/6/85; site caip.RUTGERS.EDU Path: utzoo!lsuc!pesnta!pyramid!ut-sally!topaz!caip!Bakin.SSID From: Bakin.SSID@HI-MULTICS.ARPA Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers Subject: Re: Harlan Ellison quits.... Message-ID: <807@caip.RUTGERS.EDU> Date: Sat, 21-Dec-85 20:59:44 EST Article-I.D.: caip.807 Posted: Sat Dec 21 20:59:44 1985 Date-Received: Sun, 22-Dec-85 01:47:58 EST Sender: daemon@caip.RUTGERS.EDU Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J. Lines: 100 From: Jerry Bakin As a professional writer, I abhor censorship. However, there is a great difference between censorship and maintaining some level of good taste, especially in a collaborative medium like television. . . . Even if the resolution of the episode had proved otherwise, the mere asking of the question may have been inappropriate to ask in prime time. . . . Consider, for instance, an episode from actor/director/child star Jackie Cooper's autobiography. A director wanting boy-actor Jackie to cry his heart out on camera told Cooper that his pet dog had just been killed. Cooper did indeed cry to the director's satisfaction. Afterwards, the director revealed it had all been a "harmless" joke and Jackie's dog was fine. The question: was it (either Ellison's raising the question of whether St. Nick likes visible minorities or the director's suggesting the dog was dead) justifiable? Or are some ideas, especially those relating to and (given TZ's timeslot) targetted at children, best left unspoken? . . . RJS in Toronto Posted c/o Tom Nadas I think that whomever this RJS is, this letter is very unfair to Mr. Ellison. My thoughts -- jumbled because of the brevity in which to write this. Nackles (sic?), a story by Donald Westlake, was a story to have been directed by Harlan Ellison. I understand that the story has been around awhile, yet this letter seems to imply that Ellison wrote the story. Producer DeGuerre has sided with Ellison on this issue. Maintain your own good taste on TV, exercise the off switch. Censors should not maintain my good taste for me. Since when has good taste had anything to do with TV. Commercialism, genericism, and blandism is the normal criteria for judging TV scripts. Since when has TZ been a kiddy show? If you are upset about kids viewing it, two solutions: move it later in the evening, present a notice about parental guidance is suggested. The analogy of a director lying to Jackie Cooper about a real dog has nothing to do with Harlan presenting a story on televison. All in the family was presented at 8:00 at night on the same station for a lot longer than the new TZ will be around. Do children think the A-Team is real? Do the networks think it is alright to show children that violence and retribution is ok? It's the same thing, in any media, if the viewers cannot discern between truth and fiction, should we ban that story? Does RJS understand the difference? If you are afraid some viewers cannot understand the difference then stick a disclaimer in the front. But I assume it is not an issue, since I see no disclaimers on other CBS shows. Dallas is on right after TZ on the same channel (I think) Talk about tasteless shows! Talk about values? Hey kids, what do you think of J.R's sexual proclivity? Hey isn't that great how J.R. can plot and scheme so well. And J.R. gets away with it. I suspect Ed Asner and Nackels were going to have a run in by the end of the show. Ellsion (sic) has walked off virtually every long-term commitment he has ever had and bitched about virtually every short-term media project that has ever come to fruition. It was predictable that he would leave TZ in a huff. It was only a matter of time. I, too, think he has a wonderful way with the English language, but he is hardly irreplacable. C'est la vie. Present some facts along with your interpretation. Present some cases where Harlan has walked off a long term commitment in which you can say he was wrong. Present the short-term media projects. Yuor implication is that Ellison does this merely as a ploy to exit contracts. I want some evidence. I think Ellison does it to protect something that as a writer you might find some use for too: his ethics. Yes, I was afraid that sooner or later, Ellison would leave TZ. I suspected that sooner or later, probably sooner, the networks would screw him JUST LIKE THEY SEEM TO HABITUALLY SCREW ANY CREATIVE PERSON. The fact that Harlan takes exception to this is laudable. Harlan has not been the only writer to comment on Hollywood. Read "Chandler Speaks" (I think). Raymond Chandler has several things to say about what Hollywood does to artists. Look at Hammett's career to see what effect Hollywood can have. Talk to Terry Gilliam about Hollywood. Many people at many times have discussed the problems in Hollywood. Many people have problems in many fields. We don't need screeds like RJS's which assume guilt. RJS will have a wonderful time in Hollywood, I think they are looking for spineless irrationals. And sign your letters. Jerry Bakin