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Television then and now
As the presidential election that refuses to die drags on, I’ve been giving the old remote control a real workout. How many analyses of what Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg really meant by a particular question during the Bush-Gore contest can a soul endure?
The other night I caught something fascinating on the Catholic cable network EWTN. It was an episode of Bishop Fulton J. Sheen’s program, Life Is Worth Living, which first hit the air almost 50 years ago.
It was a reminder of how far we’ve come in just a few decades. In an era when religious people, if they’re portrayed at all on TV, are usually shown as narrow-minded, dangerous hypocrites, Bishop Sheen’s show would never make it.
The bishop would walk on stage before a live audience, make a courtly bow, and thank viewers "for letting me come into your home again." Sheen was in his late 50s when the program started, but was still an impressive figure in his skullcap and floor-length cape. More notable were his oratorical skills. With nothing more than a chalkboard as a prop, the bishop would – without notes or a teleprompter - fill his half hour with penetrating moral observations targeted for everyone, not just Catholics.
The early days of television saw four networks, the three that still survive, and another named DuMont. It was on the latter network that Bishop Sheen’s program premiered in February of 1952. Running opposite Milton Berle, who was known as "Mr. Television" and supposedly was responsible for selling more TV sets than any ad campaign, the bishop’s show was expected to attract a fairly small audience.
That’s not what happened. DuMont began receiving thousands of letters a week about its new program. Life Is Worth Living made a sizeable dent in Uncle Miltie’s ratings. In early 1953 Bishop Sheen won an Emmy for being TV’s most outstanding personality. He made the covers of TV Guide and Time.
Particularly memorable was a program in which the bishop read the burial scene from Julius Caesar. He replaced the names of Caesar and others with those of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin and his sidekicks. "Stalin," intoned the priest with his piercing gaze, "must one day meet his judgment." Within days of this, Stalin was felled by a stroke and died a week later.
Life Is Worth Living was sponsored by the Admiral Corporation, which moved the show to ABC. Very soon the program attracted an audience of 25 million.
In addition to television, Bishop Sheen wrote dozens of books. Time claimed that his some of his writings "were designed for the middle-brow reader." His show, a combination of anecdotes, small jokes and morality lessons, also appealed to common folks. Although the bishop was a recognized scholar with impressive academic credentials, he spoke and wrote in easily understood terms.
Easily understood by the adults of a couple of generations ago, that is. Imagine what many people of today would do if confronted by this:
"America, it is said, is suffering from intolerance. It is not. It is suffering from tolerance: tolerance of right and wrong, truth and error, virtue and evil, Christ and chaos . . .. The man who can make up his mind in an orderly way, as a man might make up his bed, is called a bigot; but a man who cannot make up his mind, any more than he can make up for lost time, is called tolerant and broad minded."
What would they do? Ignore it? Scratch their heads in befuddlement? Turn back to Oprah for some genuine intellectual guidance?
Bishop Sheen died more than two decades ago. Some are working to make him a saint in the Roman Catholic Church. Wouldn’t that be something – an Emmy award-winning saint?
As I said earlier, seeing his show was a reminder of how far we’ve come in what we want on television. Or, more precisely, how far we’ve regressed.
Thanks for the post!
Bishop Sheen was famous for his penetrating gaze; I feel as though he's speaking to me personally.
I have found the Bishop Sheen program also. Watching it shows that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
I find EWTN an oasis in a desert of mindless drivel.
Wasn't his earlier program "The Christophers"?
It opened with a flame..."If everyone lit just one little candle, what a bright world it would be...."
BTTT!
I don't believe so. Of course, I've been known to be wrong. There was that time in '68 . . .
Very telling that there is nary a mention of him in any retrospective shows that look back at the cultural life of the 50's.
I am in my 30's and have never heard his name mentioned on main stream anything (TV, RADIO, NEWSPAER, ETC).
I happened to catch his show 2 weeks ago on EWTN and was also flabergasted by his stunning abilities.
Click Here For Streaming Link to Bishop Sheen on TV
LIFE IS WORTH LIVING (30:00) - SUPERMAN AND CHRISTMAS
EWTN presents the late Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen as he discusses the real meaning of Christmas.
Friday
December 22
9:00PM
Monday
December 25
6:30PM
Click Here For Catholic TV & Bishop Sheen
This a realaudio audio/video link. Tune in when Bishop Sheen is scheduled.
Ironically, Bishop Sheen was so inspirational that there was an actor with a Hispanic name that took Sheen's name when trying to make it in Hollywood.
Ironic because the actor's first name is Martin.
TS
What happened then?
1/1 CAV Americal RVN '68-69
Last night my daughter put on some videos of old Red Skelton shows. She is 13 and cannot stand the kind of implicit, explicit and subliminal trash that ALL of television has become. Probably because I advised her in her childhood that TV is a window to an unreal world. It is so true how degenerate our society has become since those who chose to entertain us decided titilatlion made larger profits. Our children give birth to bastards because a whore on tv or in the movies does it. Even if they can afford to birth bastards, the kids who see all this usually cannot. Thank GOD for the VCR/DVD!! There is a lot of quality entertainment to rent and absoulutely nothing available over the air nor cable.
BTTT
It is because of posts such as yours that I'm on this forum and am compelled to spread the word about Free Republic. I cant help it, but reading your post brought tears to my eyes and I wonder how many others are being deeply touched by your words. I know I was. A simple, but powerful message of hope that we may retake our country back from the anti-cultural forces of deconstructionism.
May the good Lord bless you and your children.
Thank you JimRob and God bless Free Republic.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
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