EERIE AIRWAVES

Amazingly, one of the most popular shows on prime-time TV in the 1950s was Life Is Worth Living. It consisted of Catholic bishop Fulton Sheen delivering half-hour lectures on religious and political issues. Sheen spoke often of the evils of the Soviet Union, particularly its “state religion” of atheism. In a February 1953 episode, Sheen read from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, with the names of the corrupt ancient Roman rulers replaced with the names of modern-day Soviet leaders. (Joseph Stalin stood in for Caesar.) The segment ended with Sheen ominously booming, “Stalin [Caesar] must one day meet his judgment” … implying he would pay for his political actions with death. About a week after that episode of Life Is Worth Living aired, Stalin suffered a stroke and died.

Muppet Babies was based on a dream sequence in The Muppets Take Manhattan.

tags: trivia