This course will take us back to television’s “Golden Age,” when every night it transported us from our work-a-day world to a realm of unequaled entertainment. Drawing on Vaudeville roots, early television gave us laughs and thrills from such iconic performers as Milton Berle, Jackie Gleason, Sid Caesar, Lucille Ball, Groucho Marx, Phil Silvers, and the comedy duo of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. This trip down memory lane will focus on the variety shows, the great comedians and singers, as well as the wonderful personalities who entertained us during the first quarter century of television. From The Ed Sullivan Show to The Hollywood Palace, we’ll feature video highlights that will bring back memories of an unforgettable era. 

Instructor: For five decades (and counting), Steve Barri has been a major force in popular music spanning the decades as a successful producer and songwriter and being one of the more enduring music makers of the 1960's. His name is associated with some of the most beloved and heavily played records of that decade though his credits and successes trail outright to the new century: Barry McGuire, Johnny Rivers, Three Dog Night, The Grass Roots, The James Gang, Steppenwolf, Jim Croce, Rufus, Steely Dan, Tommy Roe, The Four Tops, Bobby Bland and B. B. King are just a few of the performers for whom Barri's abilities as a judge of talent or his own talent as a producer or songwriter has proved essential at various times. 

Steve continues to create and is presently enjoying sharing his extensive knowledge of music and the music industry by giving lectures for UCLA’s Osher Program, Skirball Cultural Center, and other venues across southern California.

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