Meanwhile, in our local paper--- in the city where Dan Curtis was born and grew up and later made a couple of TV movies about--- there were only 3 measly paragraphs in the bottom right-hand corner of the obituary page, the first three of the AP obit. The gals whose obits mentioned their passions for bingo and knitting, and the dudes whose compelling interests included ESPN got more space. Oh well, at least the paragraphs mentioned the WW2 minis and "the offbeat soap opera" DS.
When I recall that in the days of WINDS OF WAR, this same paper gave him like an entire page and 1/2 article (which I am now so sorry I didn't clip and save!) it's rather sad. Dan Curtis could be seen as the modern equivalent of P.T. Barnum (whom this paper is always printing articles about, over 100 years after his death) but more gifted and who, thanks to TV, made a bigger national splash in his heyday, yet with some real messages to impart. A true showman in point of self-promotion, but SO much more--- there was much worthwhile besides just entertainment, thought there was plenty of that too.
Even in the growing world of the Internet, I don't believe there are that sort of driving force anymore--- that kind of individual just doesn't seem to be out there. The "freedom" of the 'net more or less eliminated the need for mavericks (a word often used in refernce to Mr. Curtis) or pioneers. And, granted, television fare has become more sophisticated or profane, depending on your PoV, perhaps due in part to Mr. Curtis's contributions. But face it, unless one not only is paying for cable, but also extra for Showtime, HBO, etc., immediate access is limited to those willing to pay for it (or run up their credit cards.)
The height of the miniseries era was still accessible to anyone who could afford a regular TV set with the 3 major networks. When they showed the highlights of WAR AND REMEMBRANCE at last year's convention, I was reminded for the first time in many years how really GOOD it (and WINDS OF WAR) was (IMO, many of their flaws were largely due to the original books upon which they were very faithfully based), and available, back in the day, to anyone willing to put in the time. Dan Curtis spent the better part of a decade on the WW2 minseries projects, a television achievement untried before then, and probably not equalled since. Between that and the ongoing popularity of DS in all its incarnations, while not as ubiquitous as the "Star Trek" franchise--- he left a fine legacy of having having created and fostered these, and some other "good stuff"... Well OK, not everything he ever did was a masterpiece, but so what? Win some, lose some, but when he did win, Dan Curtis won BIG.
