I've been doing a ton of transferring of tapes to DVD over the last few months. And its amazing to find things here and there that were taped long ago as "filler" to use up the whole six hours on a blank tape that take on added significance as the years go by.
Case in point is the early 90s AMC show "Reflections On The Silver Screen" from the days when AMC was a quality channel. You had film scholar Richard Brown doing a half hour interview with some of the great legends in film history, talking about their careers and getting them to reveal some fascinating anecdotes as well as their insights into the whole craft of acting.
I've just started assembling all of the ones I taped back then onto DVD and it strikes me how almost all of the ones interviewed are gone now. George C. Scott; Charlton Heston; Audrey Hepburn; Dorothy Lamour. There are probably a few others I still haven't found (Angela Lansbury is the only one I've got who is still with us). 15 years later, the long-term value of a show like this to history really proves itself and it makes it all the more fascinating to watch and revisit now.
"Reflections On The Silver Screen"
I felt the same way when I unearthed his interview with Alice Faye at the tail end of a tape I was going to re-use. I've since made a couple of back- up copies of this, as Ms. Faye remains one of my favorite stars from the 1930s. I also had some random episodes of "The Lot," but eventually erased those. (And what ever happened to Bob Dorian, one asks?) I guess today's counterpart to "Reflections" would be Osbourne's "Private Screenings" on TCM. He's done some terrific interviews. You're right, Eric - it's amazing what turns up on these old tapes.