Seemingly no one remembers HBO's "The High Life," but I think it was one of the boldest, most impeccably produced television shows of the 1990s. Directed by (the now justly appreciated) Peyton Reed, every show was positively beautiful to look at, (sort of like "The Man Who Wasn't There" as a sitcom.) The scripts dealt with problems of the 1950s, (the Ku Klux Klan, McCarthyism), which are often overlooked in a haze of nostalgia. This is to say nothing of the fact that the show was very funny. The cast was excellent, picking up the mannerisms and cadences of the 1950s perfectly. I guess viewers couldn't handle a period sitcom, so HBO cancelled it after a few episodes. Still, I'd love to see these shows turn up on DVD some day, as they are uncommonly lush and good-hearted in nature.
5 Reviews
The High Life--A forgotten gem !!
NickKitt18 May 2007
I have all the episodes on video because I just happened to record it in it's original run but there might be some unaired episodes.It was a brilliant show!! I am amazed it is so forgotten and that it was cancelled so quickly,especially by HBO!! It starred Mark Wilson and Robert Joy as Earl and Emmett, two guys just scamming their way thru the Fifties running a storage business in Pittsburgh,Pa. As well as being funny,it tackled McCarthyism, the Klu Klux Klan, and even the Davy Crockett craze when Earl & Emmett try to sell unlicensed Crockett hats. Filmed in glorious black and white to capture that Fifties sitcom feel,the series is truly a forgotten gem !!!! The show was made by Worldwide Pants which,of course, is David Letterman's company. The show was truly unique because even though it was about the Fifties,it was way ahead of it's time. Try to think of "The Honeymooners" with a much more satirical and shaper edge !! A DVD release is a must !!!!!
The High Life on HBO
robnance23 February 2008
I was thinking about this really cool and quirky 50's based sitcom and am glad to see that I am not the only one that found this show hilarious! I was disappointed at how fast HBO pulled the plug on this show. ( On this note, I was also dismayed about Mind of the Married Man getting the ax as well.) Earl and Emmett were always getting into mischief that fit the day. One of my main memories of the show was the "carnival" that I believe Earl set up for a birthday. I remember Earl asking the "carnival" owner how he was so successful at these type of shows and him telling Earl, "I just bring out a pony, tie a monkey to a tree and see what happens." (Or something to that effect.) It floored me! I am old enough to remember a few cheesy carnivals in the late 60's, early 70's that weren't much more than what they described in the show. I also remember the "sickle and hammer" cake design and Earl accused of being a commie because he liked Russian vodka and they had some "great f'in borscht!" It really hit on the absurdity and innocence of the day. HBO dropped the ball in canceling this one.
Laugh-out-loud comedy
ruttshut24 September 2018
How this did not develop an audience is beyond me. Adam Resnick found his element here as a writer on other fantastic series like The Larry Sanders Show and writing for The Late Show with David Letterman. This needs of come out on DVD, and NickKitt, if you read this, please contact me so that I can get copies of your video set!
A Sort of Retro-Honeymooners, set in '50's with today's perspective.
redryan643 July 2005
"The High Life" lasted about 4 episodes. It was a look at the 1950's, but using the values and judgment of the of the '90's. Oh, that is not to say that it was politically correct, for all sorts of subjects and settings are used in a most politically incorrect manner.
The episodes are often set in part in their local gin mill, and the main characters who are a sort of middle class Kramden & Norton, are always conniving to launch some get rich scheme or other.They do so while consuming their share of hard liquor and while SMOKING cigarettes! The episodes are shot in glorious black & white, which only serves to enhance the episodes. B&W was, after all, the medium of '50's TV and is little used and under-appreciated today. (One has only to look at two theatrical releases, PAPER MOON (1973) and YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN (1974) to see how good the look of these productions is. Black & White has a certain beauty of its own that lasts. Some color processes just do not.
The series also made use of a sort of stock company of actors who wold take various roles in succeeding episodes. Perhaps this was a sort of tribute to Mssrs. Gleason & Carney & Company.
The episodes are often set in part in their local gin mill, and the main characters who are a sort of middle class Kramden & Norton, are always conniving to launch some get rich scheme or other.They do so while consuming their share of hard liquor and while SMOKING cigarettes! The episodes are shot in glorious black & white, which only serves to enhance the episodes. B&W was, after all, the medium of '50's TV and is little used and under-appreciated today. (One has only to look at two theatrical releases, PAPER MOON (1973) and YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN (1974) to see how good the look of these productions is. Black & White has a certain beauty of its own that lasts. Some color processes just do not.
The series also made use of a sort of stock company of actors who wold take various roles in succeeding episodes. Perhaps this was a sort of tribute to Mssrs. Gleason & Carney & Company.
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