Fame and Foible

"Famous for 15 Minutes" Andy Warhol's prescient remark in 1968 that "everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes" has come to encapsulate two aspects of our lives today, our increasingly short attention span, and the power of television to create instant fame around the world. This looks at the "footnotes to history", the basically insignificant people in this century who nonetheless helped shape great events. "Mad, Mad Century" For much of this century, people relied on newsreels for film of news and other events from around the world. This explores the funny face of the newsreels and the inside story of the people who made them. The program features the humorous clips and eccentric oddities which were added to spice up more serious newsreel stories. Two cameramen who filmed all over the world in the most difficult of circumstances, and an editor, recount their most interesting tales from the front. Two tape set - 48 minutes each.