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This is probably a bit of an “I don’t know how to Google” question. Since imbibing a few podcasts and shows about MLMs, I’ve become interested in Amway, the MLM that seems to have really broken big and gotten the system to ignore such pyramid schemes. Is there a good book / film / podcast / radio show / anything about the history of Amway?
posted by Going To Maine on Mar 25, 2022 - 5 answers

In April of this year, my mom emailed me to say that she'd been watching "the most recent episode" of Call the Midwife, in which there were two little girls playing together near a dollhouse, which she believes to be the same model as her childhood dollhouse (she lived in England as a young girl in the 1950/60's). I'm curious to see this dollhouse, but I can't quite figure out which episode she was watching. Does anyone have an idea?
posted by unknowncommand on Dec 21, 2020 - 5 answers

Dearest MeFites, I have been searching for a documentary I saw on TV some years ago that I am hoping our hive mind might help me track down. It was about historical re-enactors in or around York, England. They had a small village in which they portrayed villagers in the Viking era. The documentary showed various technologies being employed: blacksmithing, woodworking, animal husbandry, textile crafts and so on, as people carried out their period-appropriate lifestyles. Can you point me to it? [more inside]
posted by darkstar on Oct 18, 2018 - 13 answers

I am looking to settle into a nice, weekly marathon tele night where I can binge on one or two episodes of a riveting historical drama series or mini series... [more inside]
posted by pinkacademic on Sep 9, 2016 - 19 answers

Hey Brilliants, I hope you are all enjoying the beginning of spring! I am researching a new project on secession and am looking for examples in literature, film, tv, etc. of stories that are about a US state or city trying to secede from the union. I'm somewhat aware of Texas' ability to secede but am wondering if anyone has written anything about what would happen if another state or city tried to secede. Thanks so much :) [more inside]
posted by sunnyblues48 on Mar 23, 2016 - 17 answers

I've always been more of a TV person than a movie person. Now I think I'd like to get more serious with my interest, and really delve into the history and theory of television, both in terms of the shows themselves and the industry behind them. Help me get started with this! [more inside]
posted by showbiz_liz on Oct 22, 2015 - 13 answers

So I met a guy who used to work on a few of the celeb shows of the 1970's - the Bert Convy, Jamie Farr, Young Betty White years. He was telling some stories that were equal parts shocking and hilarious. I was wondering: IS there some sort of oral history of the shows and all their craziness at the time BESIDES Confessions of Dangerous Mind? I'd love to read about it.
posted by rileyray3000 on Oct 30, 2014 - 6 answers

I've been scouring the internet for a way to pick a certain date and time in modern history and see what was being broadcast at that moment, but so far no luck. Does anybody know of an archive of this information, or any clever ways to repurpose any other existing data?
posted by excitementMD on Jul 7, 2014 - 7 answers

Where do I find Nitpickers Guide to The Tudors? Or something like that. [more inside]
posted by The corpse in the library on Jan 5, 2013 - 2 answers

Are there any good drama series from the eighties available streaming online? [more inside]
posted by Sara C. on Jan 4, 2013 - 25 answers

What is the story behind the pop-cultural trope of the "Japanese Houseboy?" [more inside]
posted by Miko on Sep 22, 2012 - 12 answers

Need sources on the media build-up to the premiere of The Mary Tyler Moore Show. [more inside]
posted by glenngulia on Apr 22, 2012 - 6 answers

Can anyone identify this TV show about historical weaponry I saw in the late '90s/early 2000s? Basically, every episode featured the host learning how to use a different weapon. [more inside]
posted by gueneverey on Jan 1, 2012 - 3 answers

Emperor Wang Gun. It is one of the best TV shows you have never seen. Unfortunately, I have only seen parts of it. Is there any way I can purchase this show at a reasonable price? All I can find is a heartbreakingly priced $300 DVD set.
posted by furiousxgeorge on Dec 15, 2011 - 3 answers

Help me make a list of must see costume dramas/period films/tv. I love costume dramas and period films/tv and I'd like to see more of them. Recommendations please? [more inside]
posted by katyggls on Feb 3, 2009 - 50 answers

Does anyone know where (or even if) I can get hold of a copy of the 1980's SABC (South African TV) series 'The John Ross Story: An African Adventure', made and set around the same time and locations as their excellent 'Shaka Zulu' series? I know it exists but I can find no mention of its availability in any format, or even at the IMDB... Thanks in advance!
posted by timpollard on Jan 1, 2009 - 1 answer

Help me figure out the TV show and episode I saw on the history of handguns (or specifically the revolver). [more inside]
posted by doctorcurly on Sep 12, 2007 - 7 answers

Watching "Assume The Position, Mr. Wuhl" on HBO made me hungry for more debunking of legends and myths that we often accept as fact and history. My problem is, I'm not sure what to search for in seeking such material. [more inside]
posted by weirdoactor on Apr 5, 2006 - 16 answers

Inspired by the question about publicly available news footage: Is it possible to download somewhere all 7 (?) parts of Frank Capra's WWII series "Why We Fight"? I know it's in the public domain, having been produced with taxpayer dollars, but all I can find is people selling it on DVD and VHS, with the exception of the final title, which Prelinger has. Are there MPEG-2 or avi versions of the other titles somewhere?

Also, if I could sneak in a twofer -- Where do Jon Stewart, SNL, etc. get the video and stills they use in their news parodies? I know parody is protected, so they probably don't have to clear rights, but do they just copy it down from regular programming? Or is there some kind of archive they're tapping? Does CBS, for instance, just give you this stuff if you ask for it?
posted by stupidsexyFlanders on Dec 16, 2004 - 8 answers

As a lay...very lay...student of Roman Republic and Empire, and anticipating the upcoming HBO/BBC series Rome with relish, I'm reading everything I can get my hands on about both Republic and Empire. Currently I'm reading an abridgement of The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire I just inherited. What next? [insert Latin for "more inside" here].
posted by WolfDaddy on Sep 2, 2004 - 18 answers