Brooks on Books: Tetris: The Games People Play by Box Brown

I am no "video game guy," but I have loved playing Tetris for years. I had no idea reading about it would be so much fun or that the addictive puzzle game had such a fascinating backstory. Box Brown, who earlier produced an outstanding biography of Andre the Giant, delivers another fantastic graphic novel with this enthralling story of the game.

Brown starts with a brief illustrated history of games in general--how they started, why they appeal to people, and so forth. It's a fine beginning that provides context and sets the stage for the tangled account of Tetris itself.

The deceptively simple-looking game of the falling puzzle pieces was created by Soviet software developers. How it made its way to the USA and around the world is an incredible story you have to read to believe. It involves bureaucracy, geopolitics, foreign intrigue, corporate chicanery, and so much more.

I really don't want to give anything away, but just know that Brown's skillful rendering of the story draws you right in and doesn't let go. He manages to make the human "characters" stand out, and the real-life twists and turns of this saga have a big impact due to the quality of the storytelling.

I figured that reading this would make me want to go play some more Tetris again. What I didn't know was just how much I would love this book. I highly recommend Brown's brilliant adaptation of a surprisingly complex real-life story of business, one told against a backdrop of the timeless appeal of playing games.

Streaming Video Power Rankings Week #65 (Special "Wait, can I retire now, or do I have to work till I'm 80?" edition)

1) Netflix: Despite a rare glitch (at least for me) earlier this week, Netflix done good. It debuted Moana and the GLOW series. I was never a fan of that particular brand of wrestling, but you combine Alison Brie with pro wrestling, and I am gonna give it a shot.

2) Hulu: After catching up on Gotham, I saw The Brady Bunch Movie before it expired at the end of the month. It's amusing, but I remember being surprised by it and enjoying it so much when it appeared in theaters. That moment will never return, I suppose. SIGH. Thanks for making me all SAD, Hulu!

Also, the Disney 1999 Tarzan is now on Hulu, which makes me wonder yet again what the deal is with that Netflix/Disney deal that was supposed to give us all that good catalog stuff.

3) PIX 11: I am enjoying the recent diversity in the archive offerings. It must be Jeffrey Lyons month, as they posted a retrospective on John Wayne he hosted, plus his original reviews of The Blue Lagoon and The Blues Brothers.

4) MLB TV: I was just remarking how amazing it was that on a given weekday, I could watch any baseball game being played if I wanted to, and how not so long ago I wouldn't even have the option.  I still complained about the Pirates losing, mind you, but it was nice to relax and see it happen.

5) YouTube: Just when I despair that all the good stuff is yanked from YouTube, I find a dozen other things I didn't even know were there. I still have to ask, hey, Don Henley, why don't you let someone post the video for "Not Enough Love in the World"?

6) Shout! Factory TV: It added a few horror movies to fill out a paltry June update, but no matter because I am still enjoying the afterglow of that Dr. Ruth/Burt Reynolds show I mentioned last week.

7) Pub-D-Hub: I really miss the old commercials when a week's update doesn't have them, but there is plenty of other stuff to watch--most of it old, cheap, and maybe slightly bizarre.

8) HBO: I no longer have HBO, so I know again what it is like to miss it. Farewell, this season of Veep. SIGH. Hey, these rankings are not supposed to bring me down so much.

9) TuneIn: Hey, eighties station, didn't Cliff Richard have more than one song? And on a related note, the joy of discovering a rare song dissipates when you play it again at the same time the next day.

10) The CW: Well, I had to go here to see the Supergirl season finale, so on one hand, good for CW's streaming channel for existing. On the other hand,

TODAY on Battle of the Network Shows!

Today on Battle of the Network Shows, we finally talk about the series that inspired our title, one of the most era-ish shows of the BOTNS era!

Check it out right here. Don't ya dare miss it!

TV Promo Theatre #3: Teenage America: The Glory Years

In this series, we've looked at ABC and NBC, so I thought I'd give some love to CBS. I believe this 1986 promo is voiced by longtime Tiffany Network voice man Mark Elliott:

But let's talk about the special itself, which aired in 1986.   It actually looks kind of annoying.  Isn't it kind of quaint, though? Can you picture a broadcast network doing something like this today? Maybe we'd get Millennial Mayhem or something, but a show about the rise of the teenager in American culture?

Of course, the success of Back to the Future surely helped inspire this. I do not remember this one at all. I certainly don't remember John Ritter dressed as "Wild One" Marlon Brando:

Talk about an idiosyncratic choice to host!

OK, I talked myself into it: I want to see this now.

Special thanks to the great Sean Mc for uploading this.

And Now...a Word fromTHEIR Sponsor

(NOTE: This is a cross-post with Battle of the Network Shows, where you can grab the latest episode of our podcast, in which we discuss game shows Sale of the Century and Face the Music)

It's not difficult to envision Jim Perry as a consummate pitchman. He's so polished in all  his game show work, and his Sale of the Century stint indicates he is comfortable pushing product. One of my favorite YouTube uploaders, Bionic Disco, just posted an early Perry commercial that throws me a bit, though. He just looks so...young in this one. Check it out:

At first, I am taken aback by the haircut, but as I settle in and get past that (OK, it may have taken me a few watches), I am THERE. I want that salt.  I mean, I want that salt he has right there in the ad. I want to take that little jar and chug that Morton's Lite Salt. If this were Sale of the Century, I'd throw away $10--the value of two questions--just for a heaping portion of salt. He wouldn't even have to sweeten (or salt?) the deal by throwing in a set of shakers.

The poise, the delivery, the confidence--even in the 1970s, Jim Perry was the man.

'Mooners Monday #17: Our first DANCE CONTEST!

Yes, folks, as we examine "Mama Loves Mambo," one of my favorite episodes, it's time to play Dancing with the 'Mooners with our talented cast. Winners will be determined by a combination of reader feedback, chatter from the squirrels in the park, and my own judgment.

First up: the alluring Angelina Manicotti:

 

And 4 other lovely ladies in the contest:

 

IMDB says that's Mrs. Stevens from the Xmas episode second from the right.

Don't forget the men, though! Of course there is the mambo teacher himself, Carlos:

 

And Mr. Manicotti, keeping up quite well with his wife:

Finally, how about a hand for Ralph and Ed, who can mambo with the best of them:

Next week's 'Mooners Monday will announce the winner of our first dance contest!