Nostalgia and the Film and Television industry compliment each other perfectly. Writers, directors, and producers love taking a stab at recreating the past. Who can blame them? Almost everyone likes to look back and say, "Man, those were the days," even if they weren't alive during the time period in question. For film-makers and film historians, the era often looked at is the glitz and glamour of post-WWII Hollywood. Apparently, USA Network is not immune to this.
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| After AMC's success, I guess USA figured they'd throw their hat in the period drama ring. |
Thanks to a particular UCLA film class, I was one of nearly fifty people who listened in-person to Alex Sepiol (the head of scripted series development at USA Network) share his experiences in the television business. While interesting and very insightful, the best part occurred at the very end. With the instructor's cooperation, he showed us a clip of a new show in development,
Paradise Pictures. It couldn't have been more than five minutes, but the idea screams with potential.
The late 1940s Hollywood is brought to life very nicely. Then the characters and a glimpse of the conflicts are revealed. It's not a nice, everybody's smiling world reminiscent of the sunshine musicals starring Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, or Bing Crosby. No, the arena is much more sinister. Fake smiles and false fronts hide the noir-ish elements, chiefly ruthlessness.
At this point, of course, there's no guarantee the show will reach screens. Networks are notoriously fickle with risky ideas, like a period drama. Still, as an avid fan of the black and white cinema of the silver screen, I hope the series does pan out. It will be interesting to see what bits and pieces they extracted from the era that brought us
The Big Sleep, The Best Years of Our Lives, and
It's a Wonderful Life.
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| Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall in The Big Sleep. |
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