October 2, 1960 (1960-10-02)– January 21, 1985 (1985-01-21)
Insight is an American religious-themed weekly anthology series that aired in syndication from October 1960 to 1983.[1]Insight holds a unique place in the history of public service television programming.[2] Produced by Paulist Productions in Los Angeles, it was an anthology series, using an eclectic set of storytelling forms including comedy, melodrama, and fantasy to explore moral dilemmas.
The series was created by Catholic priest Ellwood E. "Bud" Kieser, the founder of Paulist Productions. A member of the Paulist Fathers, an evangelistic Catholic order of priests, he worked in the entertainment community in Hollywood as a priest-producer and occasional host, using television as a vehicle of spiritual enrichment. Many of the episodes of the series were videotaped at Television City Studios and then Metromedia Square.
Early episodes were produced at CBS Television City. They were largely videos of Kieser speaking, similar to Fulton J. Sheen's East Coast program. By the second season Kieser switched to dramatizing stories; the approach was more humanist, than strictly Catholic. Actor Patrick McGeehan narrated several episodes. Actress Lola Lane sold the Paulists a property on Pacific Coast Highway that had previously belonged to her late husband, director Roland West.[3]
Typically shown on Sunday mornings or late night, the program aired nationally for well over two decades. Often stations aired Insight in order to meet the Federal Communications Commission's public interest standard for broadcast television. In its heyday Insight was played in syndication on over 195 stations. Occasionally it was even broadcast at prime-time in major markets as "holiday specials".[4]
Contributing artists
The anthology format and the religious nature of the program attracted a wide variety of actors, directors and writers to work on the series, drawn by the show’s reputation for consistently stretching the creative boundaries of television.[2] In many cases they donated their talents and time.
Offbeat and experimental by design, the series won numerous Emmy Awards and received critical praise for addressing social issues.[2]Insight was nominated for the Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Religious Programming in 1972 and 1973, and won the category every year from 1981 to 1984.
In 2003, UCLA Film and Television Archive became custodian of Paulist Productions’ physical inventory of Insight videos and films. "'Insight' represents something that doesn’t exist anymore: faith-based, scripted, quality TV programming, delivered free to television stations for broadcast,” said Father Frank Desiderio, Kieser's successor at Paulist Productions.[3] Episodes are available for purchase from the Paulist Press.
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