Meeting of Minds
Meeting of Minds, produced by Steve Allen, ran on PBS from 1977 to 1981. The show has famous guests. Guests would discuss philosophy, religion, history, and science with host Steve Allen. Conceptually, it was similar to Arthur Voronka's Witness to Yesterday, which aired three years before Meeting Of Minds. Steve Allen played George Gershwin on Witness to Yesterday a year before Meeting Of Minds aired. Nearly all of the historical figures' words were used. The show was scripted, but the scripts gave the appearance of spontaneous discussion among historic figures. Guests included Plato, Socrates, Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, Cleopatra, Marie Antoinette, Florence Nightingale, Thomas Paine, Francis Bacon, Thomas Jefferson, Voltaire, Karl Marx, Charles Darwin, Daniel O'Connell, Catherine II, and Oliver Cromwell. Typically, each episode was split into two parts, broadcast separately, with most or all guests introduced in the first and discussions continuing in the second. Total episodes: 24.