Cold Case 8-3: World's Fair

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So that is what I have of the original season 8 episodes.  As I stated, I started writing these at episode 8-6, so I don't know weather to just post what I wrote or keep looking for the last two.

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I recently learned how to create audio files in PowerPoint, so I am now in the process of upgrading my Cold Case episodes. Unfortunately, these Power Points are too large to attach here. If anyone is interested in these audio files, please send me a private message with an e-mail address.

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So, it seems demand for these audio presentations is not exactly skyrocketing. Let me state here once and for all that I do not charge for these presentations. I make no money off of the Cold Case Virtual Season 8; I never intended to make money off of this. This is just a passion that I have had for several years because I thought the show deserved a better ending. Even if I wanted to make money off of this, I would most likely face serious copyright claims due to the amount of music and background audio that I use.

The audio presentations consist of my slightly adlibed narrations of the five acts of each episode. Flashback sequences also play featured music just like in the show or I use selections from the Cold Case Soundtrack. I also treat listeners to a brief commentary after each episode. I suppose I could just post those After the Show segments here as messages, but I just thought the audio component would be a nice addition.

I thought about learning how to post these presentations on YouTube, but, once again, copyright laws.

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AFTER THE SHOW

This was a particularly interesting episode for me to review again.  One of the things that I always wondered about when it came to Cold Case, particularly with older cases such as this, was just how true to life the episode actually was.  I have read this episode a few times now and was always impressed with the amount of detail that it contained, but I had never actually heard of Philadelphia actually holding a World's Fair before.  But I had heard of World's Fairs before and had some idea of what they were, so I figured the episode had to be based on a World's Fair that happened somewhere.  However, I did not actually research this until now.  World's Fairs (World Fairs, World Expos, International Expos, International Exhibitions) are grand gatherings intended for nations all around the globe to show off their histories and achievements.  The tradition goes as far back as 1791 when Prague (then in the nation of Bohemia) chose to mark the coronation of King Leopold II with the First Industrial Exhibition.  However, the term World's Fair does not appear until the 1851 Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations in London, England; most refer to this as the first true World's Fair.  This tradition still continues today but by another name; the next 'World's Fair' will be called Expo 2019 and will be based in Beijing, China.  Dubai, United Arab Emirates is scheduled to host Expo 2020.

As for the episode itself, do not be fooled by the disclaimer.  There actually was a Sesquicentenial International Exhibition held in Philadelphia in 1926.  Many of the details noted in the story were in fact part of the actual fair including an 80-foot lit up Liberty Bell, a Forum of Founders that featured colonial-styled homes, a Gene Tuney/Jack Dempsy boxing match, and an amusement park area that was meant to resemble Treasure Island.  Also much like the fair in the story, this World's Fair also had to deal with lousy weather, did not get the attendance numbers that the developers thought it would, and ended up with approximately $20 million of debts.  So it turns out that this episode was very true to actual history.  The only thing I can't find is a story about an executive who went so far as to commit suicide upon realization that the fair had gone bust.  Perhaps this is where history and fiction deviate, but I honestly can't say for sure.

I also have a few notes regarding some organizations that were mentioned in the story.  The "Temperance Union" mentioned in the story refers to the Women's Christian Temperance Union which was a driving force behind the enactment and maintenance of Prohibition in the 1920s.  As for the "Great Fraternal Order", the little research that I was able to do on this name suggests that this is a reference to the Freemasons which have been in existence for hundreds of years.  Beyond that, I found many organizations that call themselves "Fraternal Orders", but none with that actual name.