On this Tuesday, the broadcast from the stars was
sponsored by Harvey's, the national men's clothing chain. Harvey's
advertising department preferred discussion-type shows, because
differences of opinion in the shows proper led so neatly into their
tag-line. "You can disagree about anything but the quality of a Harvey
suit! That's Superb!"
Therefore the broadcast after the landing of the ship on the volcanic
planet was partly commercial, and partly pictures and reports from the
Spaceways expedition, and partly queries and comments by big-name
individuals on Earth. Inevitably there was Dabney. And Dabney was
neurotic.
He did his best to make a shambles of everything.
The show started promptly enough at the beginning. There was a
two-minute film-strip of business-suited puppets marching row on row,
indicating the enormous popularity of Harvey's suits. Then a fast minute
hill-billy puppet-show about two feuding mountaineers who found they
couldn't possibly retain their enmity when they found themselves in
agreement on the quality of Harvey suits. "That's Superb!" The
commercial ended with a choral dance of madly enthusiastic miniature
figures, dancing while they lustily sang the theme-song, "You can
disagree, yes siree, you can disagree, About anything, indeed
everything, you and me, But you can't, no you can't disagree, About the
strictly super, extra super, Qualitee of a Har-ve-e-e-e suit! That's
superb!"
And thereupon the television audience of several continents saw the
faded-in image of mankind's first starship, poised upon its landing-fins
among trees more splendid than even television shows had ever pictured
before.
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