I ran across a copy of this special in a box of old recorded-from-television videos and thought I'd give it another viewing before tossing it. For the next 2 1/2 hours, I was enthralled.
I can't think of a beloved movie that was missed and every entry was placed against the backdrop of American history. It's all there -- film noir, cheesy '50s sci-fi, musicals, romance movies, westerns and war films. And there's a special tribute to the touchstone year of movie making: 1939. It ends, of course, in 1972 when Life stopped publishing, but it does a great service to the movies to that point. Well worth the time if you ever have an opportunity to see it.
I can't think of a beloved movie that was missed and every entry was placed against the backdrop of American history. It's all there -- film noir, cheesy '50s sci-fi, musicals, romance movies, westerns and war films. And there's a special tribute to the touchstone year of movie making: 1939. It ends, of course, in 1972 when Life stopped publishing, but it does a great service to the movies to that point. Well worth the time if you ever have an opportunity to see it.