One of our favorite childhood shows was In Search of..., hosted by actor Leonard Nimoy from the original Star Trek series. If you had an active imagination and a lively curiosity, this show lit up some serious sparks inside you. There was no phenomenon or unexplained event they didn't touch upon, be it historical mystery, pop cultural happening, or monster siting, from different sectors of society.
This was right up our alley. Plus, the shows were really well-researched and produced. And what a voice! Nimoy goodness, totally. This episode delved into tales and accounts of a Canadian lake monster, with roots in Native American lore. Cool!
No stone was left unturned in their quest. The team took on the big myths and reasoned out possible conclusions. Nimoy the narrator, famed for playing the character "Spock" from Star Trek, portrayed a master logician. No more frightful nights or monsters lurking under the bed. Here was a show that would query your childhood fears, flush them out into the clear light of day, and expose them for the chimeras they so typically are, embedded deep within our collective psyches. The show took a scientific approach, applying a high level of scrutiny upon the bugbears of human culture. My fevered nightmares about vampires were soothed by the balm of inquiry:
Cultural frenzies were also examined. The show explored shark attacks, a subject whipped into a froth by audiences terrified from the movie Jaws. I know people, to this day, who have inhibiting fears about swimming in relatively shark-free waters because of this film. Such is the power of fear-mongering. The slight chance of death (or possible maiming) by a fictional, genetic freak of a shark, heightened by tension-building music, stamped itself onto the minds of those with weaker constitutions, back when the movie was released:
Fascinating, isn't it? They were savvy producers, too, delivering the audience to the Nimoy denouement of Part III. Many of the shows were split into two and three part specials to draw viewers back for the conclusion, with answers and observations about the data collected during filming. The Nimoy summation was a key component to the shows drama, delivered expertly with flawless timing. I wish a show with such a tone existed for today's children. It would help a lot more than a night light.
Sweet dreams.
