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From: ins_avrd@jhunix.UUCP (Victoria Rosly D'ull)
Newsgroups: net.tv
Subject: Re: Meta-humor on TZ Feb 14 [and TZ in general]
Message-ID: <2080@jhunix.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 3-Mar-86 23:53:44 EST
Article-I.D.: jhunix.2080
Posted: Mon Mar  3 23:53:44 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 5-Mar-86 06:22:18 EST
References: <120@factron.uucp> <4330@ut-sally.UUCP>
Organization: Johns Hopkins Univ. Computing Ctr.
Lines: 32

> In article <120@factron.uucp>, bruce@factron.uucp (Bruce Barnett) writes:
> > 
> > A Great episode of TZ on Feb 14.
> > 
> > Title:		Personal Demons
> > Synopsis:
> > 		Opens up with the camera panning over the cover sheet of
> > 	some old TV scripts. Shows like _The Mod Squad: "Fink on Ice"_
> > 	etc. Camera pans to writer typing. Friend comes in and chats.
> > 
> 
> Acutally, this story starts out a *lot* like a story by Harlan Ellison
> (sorry, can't remember the title or collection).  In Ellison's story
> a TV and SF writer afflicted by terrible writer's block is approached 
> by demons that give him a lot of trouble, but ultimately help him.  In
> Ellison's story, the demons tell the writer parts of the history of
> their parallel universe and he sells it as fantastic fiction.  Also
> had some funny twist at the end that I can't remember.
> 
 "Working With the Little People", from _Strange_Wine_ (an Ellison collection
 dealing largely with the evils of mass entertainment).  The gremlins come
 only to help him, since before his writer's block he had been very effective
 in keeping belief and interest in the gremlins' sort of world alive.  They
 write new stories in his name, and then at the end, he starts writing about
 them...

 Ellison has always been a fanatic about keeping firm control on any project
 designated as "his" (note what happened to his involvement with TZ), so it
 doesn't seem too surprising that the episodes made while he was still around
 bear a distinctly Ellisonian touch.....

						--the littlest orc