Comments on: Julian Fellowes and an American Downton Abbey?

By: tyouth

tyouth — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 20:56:45 +0000

Consider “Little House on The Prarrie”, a long-running TV serial (based upon a series of books)that depicted a family farming on the western plains berofre the turn of the century.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_House_on_the_Prairie

By: Whitehall

Whitehall — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 16:58:42 +0000

“Akron – the Rulers of Rubber” would be a good title and setting.

Have the Firestones and the Goodyears and the Goodriches battle it out commercially and socially.

By: grey eagle

grey eagle — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 03:57:13 +0000

The problem with America is that peasants, fresh off the boat & don’t even speak English or French, discover oil, or trap furs, invent something or write a program and get richer than God.

But they have no breeding and no class. They are just former serfs and the ruling classes think they really ought to return to serfdom and they should never act like lords.

There was a TV comedy series about these people, a movie called Giant, and a few articles in Wired.

The Progressives are determined to make sure that only people with good breeding and connections may have the ammenities currently usurped by vulgar peasants.

America may never produce a Downton Abbey but we have produced the Beverly Hillbillies, Elvis and Governor Blogojevich.

By: Sgt. Mom

Sgt. Mom — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 20:27:47 +0000

Basing an historical family saga strictly on Edith Wharton and Henry James though … that will have all the edge of your seat thrills and chills of watching paint dry. Ah well, I can dream…

By: Robert Schwartz

Robert Schwartz — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 19:52:52 +0000

Fellows has used the restraint of the British and the constraints of their class system to good effect in Downton. Whether he can do something similar in an American setting is another question. There is a great deal of literary material available for the writers to work with such as Edit Wharton and Henry James.