MeTube

I posted this 1-minute scene from “Taxi Driver” as a sort of in-joke for a friend. The reason I’m embedding it here is because in the process of uploading it I gleaned an insight into YouTube’s new monetizing practices.

The copyright check came up immediately, but it said the holder granted permission… with advertising. Now I see that the revised monetizing program is a good thing, because it gives copyright holders an incentive to allow content that would otherwise be refused.

Previously, if you tried to post something determined to have a copyright, you were given a “three strikes and you’re out” warning. Having the opportunity to see if a video passes a smell test, rather than being sent immediately to the penalty box, is definitely better. So bring on the ads! (Did I just mix sports metaphors by smell?)

The TV Tripler

My three favorite classic TV series, dating me very clearly as a prime Baby Boomer, are The Adventures of Superman, Leave it to Beaver, and Star Trek (TOS). Only Beverly Washburn appeared in all three of those shows, as I told her a few years ago at Trekconderoga. (This year’s event is in progress right now, with special guest George Takei.)

Those three shows were on TV before streaming, before the DVR, before DVD, before VHS and LD, and before cable. A couple of weeks ago, Beverly was on the Creature Features channel on YouTube.

https://youtu.be/n_OSHWkoGb4

Svengoolie will be showing Blood of Dracula on MeTV tonight, on standard definition station 5.2 here in Boston. As I await the arrival of ATSC 3.0 NextGen TV, YouTube channels like Creature Features have me wondering if broadcast television has much of a future.

Here, This Will Make You Sad!

If there is a better film about adult relationships than this one, I don’t want to know it. Brief Encounter is perfect for me as it is.

If Leslie Howard had been alive I suppose he would have been given the lead opposite Celia Johnson, and been ever so wrong for the part. Trevor Howard played the role deftly, allowing the sublime and subtle Celia to carry every scene. She is utterly convincing as a conflicted, middle-aged married mother who has fallen deeply in love, possibly for the first time in her life.

Now that I’m embedding this complete copy of the film that somebody has made available, and my site is once again being indexed by Google, I suppose this video will soon disappear. So if you’ve never seen it, watch now before it disappears.