[StephenGrossman]

“Scorpion” is a new TV series (Mon, CBS) about a company of nerdy young, scientific geniuses/misfits led by a Steve Jobs-type character. Like “Halt And Catch Fire,” it’s a Pragmatist mess, with elements of superficial comic book heroism, Leftism, fascism and attention-grabbing romantic inspiration. We’re not talking Gary Cooper/Patricia O’Neal/Raymond Massey grown-up seriousness here but it’s better than zombies and Kardashions. The pilot episode had a 220 mph Ferrari speed underneath a jet for a laptop handoff so it can’t be all bad. Again, like the Atlas Shrugged movie, this is current culture’s personal best re explicit rational values. I just saw the second episode and it’s bad, with the business element replaced by pop culture, altruist heros. But its Pragmatist and could change again. Its worth a look.

Peikoff describes some artistic characters as useful for learning about evil. Barbara Stanwyck’s 1933 “Babyface” is a extremely dramatic romance about sexual manipulation. She rises in business by using men and because, according to co-worker, John Wayne(!), she’s “head and shoulders above the other girls in intelligence,” which Stanwyck powerfully projects. But, like Keating, she (mostly) values work for its social element, which, in her case, is very coldly seducing men for money and position. With her (perverse) mind/body integration, and no explicit sex, Stanwyck here makes today’s near-porno actresses seem tame. There seems a social naturalist motive near the beginning but Stanwyck’s character is so powerfully self-conscious and self-willed that it becomes romantic.

“Babyface” was the immediate cause of the Production Code which voluntarily, in response to a threatened Catholic boycott, ended the glorification of or, perhaps neutrality towards, sex, violence. corruption and evil in movies for many years. TCM is showing many of these and other, later movies.

Excepting a weak ending, the plot is extremely tight, with something important to the plot and powerfully presented at every moment. It makes obvious the dragged-out plot, with their filler, of most other movies. Even “Some Came Running,” with Tony Curtis and a young Debbie Reynolds, had much weak dialog leading up to important plot points. The integration needed for good drama is rare and, presumably, difficult to create. TV’s, “The Rockford Files,” is very dramatically tight. Many new TV dramas seem like the extreme naturalist, Andy Warhol, is the director. Even the lead characters fade into the background, with no powerfully projected values to identify them as individuals. 

[RobertBarnes]

Thanks the heads up, I will avoid it.

[KenDouglas]

Some Came Running starred Frank Sinatra,  Dean Martin and Shirley MacLaine. The only movie offhand that I know starred Tony Curtis and Debbie Reynolds was The Rat Race.

[StephenGrossman]

>Tony Curtis and Debbie Reynolds was The Rat Race.

That’s what I meant. 

[Author]

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