Reprise

Interesting device used on tonight’s Boston Legal episode. William Shatner’s character, Denny Crane, is confronted by someone affected by Crane’s first trial back in 1957. We periodically see flashbacks going through Crane’s mind. The flashbacks are, in reality, old black and white TV footage of Shatner playing an attorney in The Defender that actually aired in 1957. In some ways it seems like cheap production device. But think about it; as an actor how cool (or melancholy) would it be to have work from 50 years ago incorporated into a current, and very successful effort. It was..I don’t know…neat.