James D.
The Great American Dream Machine more than likely inspired Saturday Night Live and maybe the direction National Lampoon and films like The Groove Tube went into. This show created by PBS’s own Alvin H. Perlmutter what a very thought provoking and at times funny variety show that only lasted from 1971 to 1972. Who would have guessed at one time PBS was so daring to air a show like this. This show seems to remind me of The Daily Show, it has a humor to it but it also has such an odd way of getting its point across. The show has an earnest feel but yet at times seems to struggle with fully getting its point exactly out there without some comical moment that feels thrown in. There are no 2 episodes that are like each other. This show has such an unpredictability that you are not even sure what they are going to throw at you.
The show is very uneven and at times come across as a cluster, but the fascination really provides the base that people could be invested in what is happening. This show does a great service at showing us how this country was at the time, where we meet people like an Evil Knievel or a Mel Torme. This film is also a mixture that works to an extent of music, personal opinion pieces, performance art and short films.