Author Topic: Who Do You Think You Are?  (Read 10550 times)

Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: Who Do You Think You Are?
« Reply #10 on: November 21, 2014, 11:51:31 am »
Has anybody seen any of the "celebrity genealogy" programs with Henry Louis Gates on PBS?

I've only caught one episode, but I thought it was quite good. Rather than focus on one celebrity's ancestry, as was done on Who Do You Think You Are?, apparently Gates does several celebrities' ancestries per episode based on a theme. The episode I saw concerned the Jewish experience in American, and family histories explored were those of Carole King, Paul Rudnick, and Allen Dershowitz.
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.

Offline southendmd

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Re: Who Do You Think You Are?
« Reply #11 on: November 21, 2014, 01:35:48 pm »
I saw that one too, Jeff.  (BTW, that was not Paul Rudnick, it was Tony Kushner.)

As much as I like the concept, I found the show to be too much like reality TV.  Too silly, manipulative.  "Would you please turn the page now."  Ugh. Cue the tears.

Also, for example, Dershowitz asked "where did you find that?" referring to some document, and there was no answer given.  No comment on the research, etc. that would have made it more interesting, to me, at least.

Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: Who Do You Think You Are?
« Reply #12 on: November 21, 2014, 02:49:35 pm »
I saw that one too, Jeff.  (BTW, that was not Paul Rudnick, it was Tony Kushner.)

Thanks. I knew Paul Rudnick didn't sound right!  :laugh: I'm always confusing the two of them!  :laugh:

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As much as I like the concept, I found the show to be too much like reality TV.  Too silly, manipulative.  "Would you please turn the page now."  Ugh. Cue the tears.

Well, this I disagree with, but let be, let be.

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Also, for example, Dershowitz asked "where did you find that?" referring to some document, and there was no answer given.  No comment on the research, etc. that would have made it more interesting, to me, at least.

Interesting point. May be what comes of covering three subjects in a one-hour show? As much as I am aware of some people who didn't like Who Do You Think You Are? (e.g., "Who cares about a celebrity's genealogy?"), with only one subject to cover in each episode, that show did go more into the research and documentation.
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.

Offline southendmd

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Re: Who Do You Think You Are?
« Reply #13 on: November 21, 2014, 06:28:42 pm »
Well, this I disagree with, but let be, let be.

No problem.  I dislike pretty much all reality TV, but let be!

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Interesting point. May be what comes of covering three subjects in a one-hour show? As much as I am aware of some people who didn't like Who Do You Think You Are? (e.g., "Who cares about a celebrity's genealogy?"), with only one subject to cover in each episode, that show did go more into the research and documentation.

OK, I never saw WDYTYA? but maybe I'd like it better. 

Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: Who Do You Think You Are?
« Reply #14 on: November 21, 2014, 10:55:51 pm »
No problem.  I dislike pretty much all reality TV, but let be!

I do, too, and maybe because I never watch it is why I don't see the Gates program as "reality TV."  :laugh:

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OK, I never saw WDYTYA? but maybe I'd like it better.  

Some of the previous posts on this thread would give you an idea of some of what I thought were the best episodes. But even I think it went downhill toward the end. Not enough interesting story and way too frequent commercials for Ancestry.com. But they did get into the documentation, e.g., the warrant to arrest Sarah Jessica Parker's 10th great-grandmother on a charge of witchcraft in Essex County, Massachusetts, in 1692.
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.