Let That Be Your Last Battlefield
- featured a guest star that folks endlessly point out “hey did you know a famous COMEDIAN once starred in a ST episode? That’s right, it was Frank Gorshin”
- in typical ST fashion, the episode’s moral message was heavy handed
- the episode was originally rejected by the teevee execs
- was the final story written by Gene Coon
Quintessential thing Americans are criticized for around the world
Nothing can possibly TRUMP our current President
-Has made us the World’s laughingstock
-Embarrass us daily with his tweets
-Sends us back to the day of the rich, white, Christian man having all the power
-Too much daily news about this man
-They wonder how this man got into office
-Absolute idiot, pure and simple
Quintessential thing Americans are praised for around the world
Jazz music
- we invented it
- nobody has ever done it better than us
- hear it in a movie and you can be sure it will be played over an American scene
- many different varieties, so just about everyone can find a kind he or she likes
Quintessential classical composer
Though the obvious answer is Mozart, I’m going with Beethoven
- Wrote the Fifth Symphony, the opening of which every single person on the planet knows and can identify
- Went deaf, yet still continued to compose – totally badass
- Doubly famous as Schroeder’s favorite composer
- That Ninth Symphony ain’t too bad neither
Quintessential 20th-century American novel
Gotta go with Steinbeck’s ‘The Grapes of Wrath’
- Is it too soon to call the book a classic? No, it’s not too soon!
- Story is set against the backdrop of that quintessentially American event, the Dust Bowl
- Shortly after publication, the story was turned into a successful movie directed by John Ford…can’t get much more quintessentially American than that!
Quintessential 1980’s pop music icon
Madonna (of course!)
-Came to prominence in 1982
-Easily the most recognizable performer of that era
-Sold billions of records, CDS, etc.
-Has maintained popularity for half a century
-Still going strong
-She is great!
Quintessential 1980’s pop music group
Duran Duran
- hits spanned the 80s from 1981 through 1989 and beyond
- instantly recognizable (Rio, Hungry Like the Wolf, The Reflex, I Don’t
Want Your Love)
- actual songwriters and musicians
Quintessential 1950s television series.
I Love Lucy
- Created the template for the three-camera sitcom still followed today
- First show to ever be re-run. Think of that: “I Love Lucy” invented the rerun
- Lucille Ball had one of the finest business minds in Hollywood
- “Waaahhhhhhh!!!”
Quintessential John Wayne performance
Rooster Cogburn - True Grit
- Had the iconic look: tough, older cowboy with an eye patch
- Wayne’s last huge commercial success
- He reprised the role for the movie Rooster Cogburn
- Won Best Actor in Leading Role for it in 1970.
Next: Quintessential lie parents tell children.
Quintessential lie parents tell children
Santa Claus is real
-They have plenty of television specials and Christmas carols to point to
-Some parents keep up the lie by wrapping presents or putting hidden presents under the tree at 3 o’clock in the morning on Christmas Day
-They have their children leave out milk and cookies, which the parents eat
-Misbehavior is punished by the words “Santa’s watching!”
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Quintessential American working-class profession
Janitor
- don’t need an advanced degree
- lots of them around
- important but unappreciated
Quintessential hoity-toity job
Lawyers
- they’re always driving around in their big black limousines looking down on us little people and lightin’ their ceegars with $100 bills!
- the profession is associated with not only wealth, but also power
- they’re ‘them’, not ‘us’. Can’t get much more hoity-toity than that, ya know.
Quintessential summer blockbuster film
The original Star Wars
-Considered the first summer blockbuster film
-Special effects were amazing, and long before the day of computer special effects
-Gave the world several catch phrases
-Led to a franchise that will last forever
Quintessential summer mixed drink
Long Island Iced Tea
- Cool and refreshing
- Appropriate in all social settings (you’re not gonna order a Sex on the Beach in a fancy country club)
- Will put you nicely on your ass, if that’s your goal
Quintessential silent comedy
The General
- The movie stars Buster Keaton
- paper thin story serves as a vehicle to incorporate lots of slapstick and sight gags
- frequently included on lists of ‘greatest silent films’
Quintessential Steven Spielberg film
E.T.
- Pretty much owned the early 80s. E.T. was so big even Michael Jackson wanted in on it
- Once cited by Spielberg himself as the most personal of his films, along with “Schindler’s List”
- Superbly crafted sci fi-drama-comedy-love story, and one of the best family films ever made
Quintessential Elvis Presley Song
“It’s Now or Never”
-Elvis’s biggest selling single of all time
-Based on the Italian classic song O Solo Mio
-Hit #1 in 7 countries
-Barry White credited this song as his inspiration for changing his life and becoming a singer following his release from prison
Next up: Quintessential Barry White song
“I’m Gonna Love You Just a Little More”
- First-ever single
- His first #1 R&B hit, and #3 on the pop chart
- Includes a recitative section, where Barry seduces you directly in that signature bassy growl
- Arranged and produced by Barry as well as written and sung by him
Next: Quintessential 1960s TV series
The Beverly Hillbillies
- began broadcast in black and white and later transitioned to color
- enjoyed top ratings throughout the entire course of it run through the decade ('62 - '71)
- many episodes have topical humor specific to the era, including thinly veiled (or open) allusions to hippies, drugs, and Viet Nam
Next Quintessential 1980’s stand up comic