Having seen "The Bard" in a TV edited version back in the mid-80's, I only felt it fair to try it again. Having just finished a complete viewing, I regret to say that my initial impressions were confirmed: "The Bard" is as hopelessly padded, deadly dull and lethargic in its pacing, and UNFUNNY as just about anything I can recall watching.
Were all of the script revisions in the summer of '62 responsible for it's utter lack of focus? Each of Serling's scenes goes on FAR too long for its material. Did director David Butler even attempt to liven things up, or did he just phone it in? Or was Serling, in the final analysis, just NOT a comedy writer? (Of all his TZ comedies, only "Showdown with Rance McGrew hits the mark; it is truly funny in its whimsical way).
Like "Rance McGrew", one would expect Serling's relationship with TV's corporate mindset to explode, not merely dribble, across the screen. The satirical element--the skewering of the TV industry--- is certainly present in the script, and the overall concept is rich in possibilities. But the final product is so painfully slow and contrived. What a wasted opportunity.
Even the great Fred Steiner contributed to the fiasco--- the brilliant musical mind that could create the "Perry Mason" theme and the beautifully elegiac score for TZ's "The Passersby", to name just a few (as well as "Rance McGrew's" goofy Western violin/guitar theme), only made things worse in "The Bard" with his silly Mickey Mouse-style musical buffoonery. I guess you can't blame him; I'm sure that's what Serling and company demanded.
The THREE highlights for me: 1.) The performance of Henry Lascoe as Mr. Hugo, who manages to deliver a restrained and deftly characterized performance, while all those around him are significantly over-the top. This is all the more remarkable (and ironic) since Mr. Lascoe had a lengthy stage career---and it's usually the theatrical actors who overdo it in front of the camera. 2.) Burt Reynold's excellent send-up of Brando and all that he represented as an actor in the '50's, 3.) the scene on the bus, which was filmed on location and neatly documents the feeling and look of the times.
One of the very worst, and an unfortunate way to bury TZ's half-hearted 4th season. LR
Were all of the script revisions in the summer of '62 responsible for it's utter lack of focus? Each of Serling's scenes goes on FAR too long for its material. Did director David Butler even attempt to liven things up, or did he just phone it in? Or was Serling, in the final analysis, just NOT a comedy writer? (Of all his TZ comedies, only "Showdown with Rance McGrew hits the mark; it is truly funny in its whimsical way).
Like "Rance McGrew", one would expect Serling's relationship with TV's corporate mindset to explode, not merely dribble, across the screen. The satirical element--the skewering of the TV industry--- is certainly present in the script, and the overall concept is rich in possibilities. But the final product is so painfully slow and contrived. What a wasted opportunity.
Even the great Fred Steiner contributed to the fiasco--- the brilliant musical mind that could create the "Perry Mason" theme and the beautifully elegiac score for TZ's "The Passersby", to name just a few (as well as "Rance McGrew's" goofy Western violin/guitar theme), only made things worse in "The Bard" with his silly Mickey Mouse-style musical buffoonery. I guess you can't blame him; I'm sure that's what Serling and company demanded.
The THREE highlights for me: 1.) The performance of Henry Lascoe as Mr. Hugo, who manages to deliver a restrained and deftly characterized performance, while all those around him are significantly over-the top. This is all the more remarkable (and ironic) since Mr. Lascoe had a lengthy stage career---and it's usually the theatrical actors who overdo it in front of the camera. 2.) Burt Reynold's excellent send-up of Brando and all that he represented as an actor in the '50's, 3.) the scene on the bus, which was filmed on location and neatly documents the feeling and look of the times.
One of the very worst, and an unfortunate way to bury TZ's half-hearted 4th season. LR