Meeting of Minds

I was first turned on to "Meeting of Minds" by my high school Humanities teacher during my senior year in 1977, the year it debuted. I'd had some interest in history and historical figures for a few years but NOTHING I'd ever seen before (or have seen since) brought history to life quite like this show. It's one thing to read about the likes of Socrates, Thomas Aquinas, Thomas Jefferson, Karl Marx, Teddy Roosevelt, et al., but to actually see them as characters in a talk show/interview format was simply incredible. There has never been a TV program like this one.

It's borderline tragic that this series has never been issued in a DVD format because it's a terrific learning tool and if I was a history teacher, you'd better believe I would incorporate "Meeting of Minds" into my in-class curriculum). Thank goodness several episodes are viewable on YouTube, but it really deserves to be available as a set and I don't know why PBS or Steve Allen's estate (whoever owns the rights) has never issued a boxed set. Some things deserve to be considered beyond rights fees and this series is one of them.

if only this show was available for purchase. i was an avid viewer when i was in junior high. the "interviews" with historical figures were a real impetus for me to learn more about these people. steve allen's manner of chatting and questioning had the viewer forgetting these were actors dressed like paganini or voltaire. in the same manner that someone might see a musical artist on some TV show today and buy their cd, i was watching this show and then going to the library to check out books and records. i am a bertrand russell fan to this day. i believe schools could benefit from owning copies of these shows and incorporating them into their curriculum. totally engrossing.

Simply put, the general intellect and ability to listen to other points of view are all but no-existent today. Sadly, most people wouldn't even know who these historical personages were, let alone be engaged in an imaginary discourse with them. Mass / social media has succeeded in dumbing down our society. There is no going back.

There are volumes 1 & 2 available now for Meeting of Minds at the Steve Allen Store Front....I believe the Volume 2 has them all? I remember watching it around high school age even...initially our Dad had us watch it first with him before we we able to see the program we wanted. But it did make history more interesting to learn about...it made you curious...to go on further and find out more.....I believe even the children in school today would enjoy seeing a few...it might peak their curiosity....to learn more...children are like sponges...it might give a little twist for the better on history...I couldn't believe that I remembered watching them after all these years!

If all the songs Steve Allen wrote are forgotten, if nobody remembers that it was he who invented the late night talk show, and if nothing else he did makes a difference, Meeting of Minds is the one thing Steve Allen should be remembered for. It is television at its best: entertaining, yet also intellectually stimulating and educational. It doesn't sacrifice entertainment for education, or education for entertainment: it combines the two in a way that creates a whole that is infinitely greater than the sum of the parts. It must never be forgotten.