Link: Top 100 most influential people in History # 28 Nicolas Copernicus # 29 Socrates (just because of his reputation) # 30 Philo T. Farnsworth (invented electronic television that most closely resembles contemporary ones) And BEFORE Moses, no less (#32).
Just behind Copernicus Read More »
Link: ‘Farnsworth Invention’ Hits Best Week Yet at Music Box Broadway’s The Farnsworth Invention celebrated its best week yet at the Music Box Theatre. The new play by Aaron Sorkin grossed $346,739.00 for the week ending December 30, 2007. For those in the cast and crew, this is certainly good news. But, then, in light
A “Second Life” for Farnsworth? Read More »
Yeah, I know, it’s "just a play." But like I keep saying, too many people — like this one — leave the theater thinking what they’ve just seen is an accurate portrayal of history, and then arrive at all kinds of wrong conclusions based on what they’ve just seen: What brings Philo T. Farnsworth down,
Do We See The Problem Yet? Read More »
Lying On The Beach Talks Fact Vs. Fiction Behind Aaron Sorkin’s Broadway Play “The Farnsworth Invention”. Did Emmy-Award winning scribe Aaron Sorkin stick to the truth or play fast with the facts in his Broadway play, “The Farnsworth Invention” about the invention of TV and the patent war that ensured? Lying on The Beach gets
And Now… the Podcast! Read More »
Silicon Valley columnist Vindu Goel recently saw The Farnsworth Invention, and offers some intriguing suggestions why the play is pertinent for today’s tech-revved audiences: Although Sorkin’s fictionalized account distorts some important historical facts – shame on him – it’s great fun to watch. (Imagine the witty dialogue of "West Wing" coming out of the mouths
The Lessons of “Farnsworth” Read More »
One writer puts The Farnsworth Invention on his "best" side of his best/worst 2007 theater ledger: 8. The Farnsworth Invention Okay. Historical liberties aside, Aaron Sorkin’s play about the patent race on television is both inspiring and compelling. Of course, I can’t help but comment: if he thought the play was "both inspiring and compelling,"
Better Than Poke In The Eye Read More »
Link: The Farnsworth Invention, by James E. O’Neal. Granted, it’s all very "technical," but this might be one of the most comprehensive blog entries I’ve read yet that explains all this teeth-gnashing over a Broadway play: In taking issue with a particular chamber of commerce’s version of the landing of the Mayflower, Will Rogers once
Oh, Those Pesk Details Again Read More »
Like me, this blogger came to the show as an avid fan of Aaron Sorkin’s previous work. I, too, always felt a twinge of sadness at the final fade-out of a West Wing episode. "That’s it?" I’d wonder. "It’s over? Now what am I gonna do?" Turning of the TeeVee was usually the best solution
It never dawned on me that when the David Sarnoff character says in his opening speech that "the ends do justify the means," that he was talking about the play itself…Link: Show Showdown: The Farnsworth Invention. The Farnsworth Invention is a clever, well-written, exciting piece of semi-fiction. Those expecting it to be more are clearly
Ah, So That’s What He Meant Read More »
Now for something completely different. At the heart of this whole "Farnsworth -v- Sarnoff" story is the American patent system, which has changed considerably in the 200+ years since the Constitution first authorized Congress to protect the rights of "authors and inventors." Now there is legislation brewing that would make the already crippled patent system
Patent Deform, Anyone? Read More »
