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Reviews
The Twilight Zone: Time Enough at Last (1959)
Make Time for "Time Enough At Last"
"Time Enough At Last" is probably the single best half-hour of episodic television ever produced. When I saw "Time Enough At Last", as a young boy, it struck a chord that resonates with me even now. Henry Bemis cannot engage in his love of reading, because of all the demands that his life puts on him, but he finally has the opportunity to indulge in his heart's joy after his hometown is devastated by a nuclear blast. The cruel irony of it all is, he'll never be able to enjoy his passion for reading without the people he's been trying so hard to get away from. Burgess Meredith gives a bravura performance as the put-upon bookwork who finally gets his time, and for whom "The Twilight Zone" has the most dastardly surprise of all. "Time Enough At Last" is from the landmark first season of "The Twilight Zone", and is highly recommended for anyone who enjoys intelligent, thought-provoking television.
$100,000 Name That Tune (1984)
Balloons Galore!
The game play on The $100,000 Name That Tune, though a bit dated today, was actually quite fun to watch. Melody Roulette (10 points), the first of the front games, was played for cash--up to $2,000 cash by the time the run was finished. Tune Topics (10 points) was typically played for a VCR. But Bid-A-Note (20 points) was most tense, as the contestants had to apply some strategy in order to win. The survivor of the front games went on the play the Golden Medley, a chance to guess 7 tunes in 30 seconds. Winning the Golden Medley meant returning for the monthly Tournament of Champions. And that's where The $100,000 Name That Tune got really exciting.
During the tournament, only Melody Roulette involved any prizes, and that was the cash load-out of the normal game. Prizes weren't given for Tune Topics and Bid-A-Note during the tournament. But the Golden Medley, instead of being a one-player final, pitted two contestants against each other, to see how many tunes they could name between them in 30 seconds. The winner received 40 points (the value of Melody Roulette, Tune Topics and Bid-A-Note combined), which could set up some interesting playoffs.
The champions on The $100,000 Name That Tune received cash and prizes valued at over $100,000, including a lovely jewel-encrusted necklace, $10,000 in cash, and a new Pontiac Fiero--all three of which were presented during the victory celebration after the championship final. And what a celebration it was! Balloons galore were dropped onto the stage and into the audience, followed by showers of confetti. Although it was only on for one season, The $100,000 Name That Tune has to hold the record for most balloons used on a game show.