Here’s a blog post that seems to ask all the right questions: Who Invented the Television? Ask that question to anyone today and there is a good chance that you will be met with blank stares. Yet, ask people who invented the light bulb or the radio and the answers will come far more easily. […]
Who Invented Television? Read More »
…somebody didn’t exactly enjoy their night at the theater: The Farnsworth Invention commits more than the mere mortal sin of being exposition heavy. It is almost emotionally fraudulent. When Sorkin wants you to feel a little something for one of the people in the piece, he throws in Cossack soldiers and dying children like he’s
I guess that’s that: The new Aaron Sorkin play The Farnsworth Invention, which explores the battle for the patent for the invention of television, will play its final performance at Broadway’s Music Box Theatre March 2.
Philo, We Hardly Knew Ye Read More »
Every now and then somebody else comes along who sees it pretty much the way I do: Quickly the story moves on to debates regarding the legal issues of patents and intellectual property rights, both important topics, but science is relegated to a secondary consideration. Bizarrely, though Farnsworth won his first courtroom patent battle with
Murky History of Television Gets Murkier | LiveScience Read More »
According to Variety, Broadway box-office grosses slip this time every year, but apparently "The Farnsworth Invention’s" box-office drop could be construed as more than just "seasonal." The seasonal slowdown on Broadway continued last week, with B.O. slipping by around $1.2 million to an estimated $14.3 million for 31 shows on the boards. Receipts dropped for
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…who said "never let the facts get in the way of a good story" ? Case in point: Here’s an excerpt from an otherwise reasonably balanced appraisal of The Farnsworth Invention by By Walter S. Ciciora, Ph.D., a self-professed "Recognized Industry Expert on Cable and Consumer Electronics Issues" from the Feb 1, 2008 editio of
Wasn’t It H.L. Mencken… Read More »
From The Huffington Post, here’s an account that gets the big points right: Farnsworth is a nuanced, albeit largely fictional account of its controversial genesis. Still, it raises the ultimate question: Who owns the means of production? If you guessed the big, bad corporation, you win. The question remains, of course, why was it necessary
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Warren Beatty’ likes the play: WARREN Beatty was so impressed with Hank Azaria’s turn as TV pioneer David Sarnoff in Broadway’s "The Farnsworth Invention," he rushed backstage to greet him after a performance last week at the Music Box. Azaria was shocked to see Beatty and his wife, Annette Bening, standing there, our spy reports:
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I don’t know why we (?) are even having this debate about Farnsworth -v- Sarnoff, RCA, Zworykin, etal, when anybody who is even remotely familiar with the subject knows that Scotsman John Logie Baird really invented television, as this clip clearly demonstrates:
Link: Science Friday Archives: The Farnsworth Invention. In this segment, Ira talks with Des McAnuff, director of the play ‘The Farnsworth Invention,’ with Jimmi Simpson, the actor who plays the role of Farnsworth in the play, and with Hank Azaria, who plays the role of David Sarnoff. And here’s a link to the audio archives
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