WE LEARNED LONG ago with the earliest days of this series that OMNIBUS (Ford Foundation, 1952-61)means all encompassing. We can testify from first hand experience that it was, indeed that. In a typical season, it covered Classical Music, theatre, film, history, scientific discoveries, technology, biology, archeology and paleontology. And that's just what we can recall from our own memory.
THE CREATIVE FORCE behind the program was Brit, Alistair Cooke. His mark is clearly evident throughout the series varying episodes. No matter the subject, there was no doubt that it was his version.
THIS WAS DEFINITELY Mr. Cooke's show, stem to stern and it showed. The British born journalist (in the best tradition and sense of the word) would later become a naturalized American citizen. Inspite of a very cultured and "high class" sounding accent, his pedigree originated in the Bourgoise Middle class with his folks running a bed & breakfast (no doubt a sort of FAWLTY TOWERS of its day).
AS WE HAVE previously stated, we believe that this Ford Foundation Sponsored creation may well have been the inspiration for the Public Broadcasting System. There does indeed appear to be some very convincing evidence to support our assertion. And this was long before the creation of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Corporation for Wasting Taxpayer$ Money.
NO SCHULTZ, NOT insertion!
