>I was appalled not only with Mr. Vila's cavalier attitude
>towards the furnishings and other artifacts in the museums he visited,
>but also with his often equally cavalier attitude towards the people who
>were showing him around.  He frequently cut them off in mid-sentence and
>generally made it readily apparent that he often wasn't listening to what
>they were saying.  This was particularly obvious in his treatment of the
>guides at the Ace of Spades house in Texarkana and at one of the houses
>in Natchez.  It was very clear that his tours were very rushed  - he
>often appeared to flit from one piece of furniture to the next - fondling
>everything in sight - with little or no focus to his activities or to his
>presentation.

  I'd add that I find this to be a criticism which might be aimed at _all_
of Vila's television presentations.  He's just as rude to the builders and
homeowners he meets in his other series.  I find that his rushed, often
disjointed and superficial treatment makes it nearly impossible to watch
and learn anything from his TV work.  I can't imagine that many homeowners
learn enough about the various projects he presents to actually accomplish
anything in their own homes.

  All this is too bad.  The basic idea of developing a TV series around
visits to museum/historic house settings is a good one.  Bob just "dropped
the ball."  We should all be relieved that he didn't drop anything else!

Chris Geist
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Christopher D. Geist                        Phone: (419)372-2981
Chair, Department of Popular Culture        FAX:   (419)372-2577
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, OH  43403                    E-Mail:  [log in to unmask]

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