Binge Watching- Late 1970s

Part I - background.  In the 1970s and 1980s several networks ran miniseries, usually based on a book by a famous author. These were generally historical novels. The authors were experts as interweaving history with fictional characters.  

if you love history, specific industries,and vibrant characters, these books can be excellent reads.  And you may learn some history you did not know or about an industry you closely follow.  

Examples of historical novels converted to a miniseries are Captains and Kings; Roots; Shogun; Lonesome Dove; Rich Man,  Poor Man; The Winds of War; North and South; The Moneychangers; Backstairs at the White House, Washington: Behind Closed Doors; and Kane and Abel. 

Authors of historic novels included Arthur Hailey, Alex Haley, Taylor Caldwell, Jeffrey Archer, and Irwin Shaw.  These authors and others painstakingly researched specific eras and industries to give the reader a realistic picture.  

If you read the book, part of the fun was seeing who was cast in roles and did the casting make sense.  The other part was seeing how closely the miniseries followed the book.  Generally, from the books I read and the miniseries I watched, the writers and directors did a very good job keeping the the spirit of the book. 

Many younger actors actresses got a firm start in a miniseries. Several actors and actresses became miniseries stars, like Peter Strauss, Robert Vaughn, Lois Nettleton, and Richard Chamberlain.  Actors you recall from earlier movies and TV shows may show up in a miniseries cast in role you could not picture them in but each one carried it off superbly.   


Some miniseries were highly anticipated and watched by a lot of people. I recall that my dad would pick up my friend and me from Boy Scouts on a Monday evening so my friend's mom could watch each episode of Roots in its entirety.   

To young people this might sound odd. But back in the 70s and 80s taping shows could be a challenge and cable just gave you more channels.  So if you wanted to watch a specific miniseries, you had to be home when the show on at the advertised time to watch it.  

Part II - binge watching. Starz is running all of the Centennial episodes over two days. I have not seen any episode of the miniseries in decades.  So I am binge watching.  

Centennial is one of my favorite miniseries and book. The book is by James Michener. He was one of the best historical fiction writers to me. I read several of his books, including Centennial.  

The last binge watching I did was with my wife and we watched Ken Burns Civil War all day on a Sunday at least 20 years ago.  We even had popcorn. 

Oddly enough, I remember major parts of Centennial like it was yesterday. I am not sure if it was because I loved the book so much or the miniseries followed the book very closely.  I watched the miniseries with my parents.  

A fun piece of trivia, one of the key characters in Centennial played James Bond several years later.  You could see why in the miniseries.

The miniseries runs 12 episodes and starts with Indian tribes in Colorado and ends present day (when the novel was written). The miniseries was over 20 hours.  It ran over 4 months.  It has been a fun and different way to spend a weekend. 

Link to background on the book:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centennial_(miniseries)

The Impact of Unintended Consequences

In 2001 I was fortunate to be nominated as an attendee to the South Carolina Executive Institute.  This program was for up and coming leaders in state government.  It was sponsored and administered by the South Carolina Budget and Control Board (BCB). BCB is responsible for developing a budget and selected administrative jobs for state government.  The primary teaching vehicle was case studies. It required a lot of reading and analysis, but it was well worth it. 

BCB recruited faculty from all over the U.S..  Faculty came from the University of Washington; University of Tennessee; Baruch College; and the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.  Each class had approximately 50 students and the eight sessions were held across the state. 

Facilitated by an outstanding faculty, discussions were lively and educational.  Each member brought his/her own experience and knowledge. You always left a class smarter than when you went in.

Of all the issues I recall and of all the discussions, I most remember the phrase and concept of “unintended consequences”.  It basically means an action may result in outcomes not foreseen or anticipated. 

The example I recall from class was the deregulation of the airline industry in 1978. The US government through the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) determined fares, routes, and market entry of new airlines.  President Carter appointed Alfred Kahn chairman of the CAB. Dr. Kahn was asked what will be the impact of deregulation.  (I am paraphrasing).  He responded lower fares and an increase in productivity.  He also noted a few unintended consequences.  The number of airlines will decrease to 4-5 majors.  A raft of mergers will take place.  Some airlines will fail.  Service to rural areas will decrease. 

I remember all of this.  My reason for posting this is an intro to the following article.  New York City raised its minimum wage to $15 per hour.  It promised several benefits like reducing income inequality. However, other impacts also appeared and were mostly negative in its impact.  This excellent article in the Wall Street Journal highlights a few of the unintended consequences. 

https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-york-city-businesses-struggle-to-keep-up-after-minimum-wage-increase-11565035475?shareToken=st4aa1c2aac454439a9f849c413391a190

I post this because any new legislation should be examined and analyzed to include unintended consequences.  As we know from a history of government programs and laws, once a bell is rung, it is almost impossible to unring it.

An Entrepreneur and Fine Man

One of the advantages of working in economic development is the amazing people you meet.  One man who I met was a leader in the oil industry, a true pioneer and entrepreneur.

I met him twice. Both times with potential investors. I was not one, but at the Chamber we were helping him with two groups that came to the area looking for investment opportunities.  More on this later.

After reading his obituary, I learned even more about this unique individual. His name is Marvin Gearhart and he co-founded Gearhart Industries.

Gearhart Industries made wire logging tools used by the oil industry when drilling for oil.  However, he came up with a digital tool that could feed data into a computer, leapfrogging competitors still using an analog system.  Now this small oil service provider competed with large industry leaders. like Schlumberger.  

This is a fairly common story today. A small, innovative firm develops a new technology and jumps ahead of the industry leader.  Except this was done about 45 years ago. 

Two notes of interest.  The first one, I went to the Fort Worth article in Wikipedia.  In section 11 it lists famous people who were born or lived in Fort Worth for a period of time. Marvin Gearhart was not listed.  That is a significant oversight in my opinion.

The second one.  He was giving a tour to potential investors on a bus. We were driving around the Gearhart Industries property.  We would get off, see a part of the operation and get on.  He would always as the bus driver to go to the next stop by saying "Mr. NAME, please take us to..." That always impressed me. From his obituary it sounds exactly like him. 

Link to article:  https://www.wsj.com/articles/marvin-gearhart-applied-digital-technology-to-oil-drilling-11564756202?shareToken=stce8e3cc5610b4fa8bf4d2cce3e04cd90