Meeting of Minds

Steve Allen has accomplished an outstanding way to make history fun and understandable, providing a framework to explore morality and serious philosophical subjects. He brings together improbable groups of historical characters of such stature as Emily Dickinson and Gengis Khan, in a lively person to person discussion at the present time. Profound but not boring, funny and touching, it makes you appreciate the beauty of opposing points of view and to discover the basic humanity of seemingly antagonistic positions. This is most certainly the best US television series EVER. At the end of each chapter you feel richer and much more tolerant, ready to appreciate and sympathize a little more your with fellow human beings. I am terribly sorry it did not continue for many years.

I remember watching this show on PBS in the late '70s / early 80s. It is without doubt one of the most fascinating, educational, entertaining shows ever put on TV (I rank it with Carl Sagan's Cosmos).

I have volumes #1 - #4 on VHS; It was pure luck that I saw Steve Allen's office address in a magazine in the 80s. I wrote to him and his assistant responded with an order form for the tapes. Although approx. $15 / tape, I could only afford those 4 volumes (I often kick myself for not grabbing the entire series).

I certainly will vote on the website to request they be released on DVD. They should be required viewing in all high schools / colleges. What a shame that shows of this caliber are so rare.

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.

This really was a great show. For those of you not familiar with this show, imagine if you will a round table talk show consisting of famous people from history. One show might include as guests Christopher Columbus and Emily Dickenson and Mata Hari with Steve Allen acting as host. Usually Jane Meadows (Steve's wife in real life) would guest star along with other well known and lesser known celebrities. The guests had "read up" of course on the character they were portraying so the show was an excellent opportunity to see history come to life in an interesting and dramatic fashion. Keep in mind that the guests would never break character throughout the show. The guests were indeed the famous people in history they were portraying. Highly imaginative television and available in VHS format!

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!