The original UM: nostalgic, compelling, and disturbing

[Latka Gravas]

I was first introduced to UM via the great 6-part re-imagined?! Netflix series this past summer. Great show. And, this led me wanting to see the original series (which I had never seen). So, I promptly started watching this not long after seeing the Netflix show.

Now, I've seen the first two UM original seasons (w/Robert Stack) & some of the 3rd. I also saw three early specials w/Raymond Burr & Karl Malden as narrators - all from 1987.

Wow. This is truly an amazing series - very gripping. I'm appreciating this more now that I'm watching it 30+ years later than I would have in watching it on it's original release. A lot of this is because of my nostalgia for the late '80's/'90's. And - going along with this, it's interesting to see these episodes in the context of when they came out & realizing how much things have changed in society & with technology since they first aired. Some comments:

-The music is excellent. Very moody, eerie, and atmospheric. This definitely gives the show an intentional "noir-ish" feel/vibe/tone. Going along with this, Robert Stack is a great choice as the narrator/host of the show - I can't imagine anyone else doing as good of a job here. Though Burr and Malden are great actors, I don't see that they would have been as effective as the long-term narrators for the series.

-The crimes the show covers are extremely disturbing, chilling, and in many cases baffling. It's obvious that the advances we've seen in technology (since the '80's/early '90's) such as cell phones/cell phone cameras, more widespread & sophisticated security cameras, etc. would have helped the victims in many of these cases - if these crimes had happened today.

-As a kid growing up in the '80's (I was a pre-teen & teen throughout that decade), I clearly remember being aware that crimes like this were occurring. And, as a pre-teen especially, I was especially careful when I was out on my own/with friends, etc. I also feel that the '80's was one of the first decades when public awareness increased in regards to crimes like kidnapping, assault, murder, robbery, home invasions, etc. I attribute this awareness to increased news exposure (both in print & TV news), shows like "America's Most Wanted" & of course UM, etc.

-I find the reenactments that the show features to be interesting in some cases & funny in others. It's obvious these are amateurish, which isn't a criticism. The big hair/mullets, cars & fashion that are featured here are unintentionally amusing in many cases - and are another reason I find this show very nostalgic.

[Latka Gravas]

To continue from my last post:

Another element of the show I really appreciate is "Lost Loves", in which people are trying to find long-lost parents, foster parents, siblings, friends, etc. Two of the most poignant ones (so far) were:

1) The hearing-impaired woman who was trying to find her biological father. Her parents had split up when she was a child. And, she remembered her father trying to see her numerous times when she was growing up, but being prevented (from spending much time with her) by her mother & step-father. Thankfully, due to this segment in the show she was reunited with her father. Very touching, especially the ending when they met each other for the first time in years.

2) The woman who was trying to find a friend she made in the hospital years before, when they were both small children. She kept in touch with her for a while, but then eventually lost track of her. Their reunion years later (due to the segment on this show) was very nice to see.

It's evident that if someone is trying to track another person/people down these days (who wanted to be found) they could probably go online - since I'm sure there are lot of resources for this type of thing. But in the late '80's/early '90's pre-Internet days, these people wouldn't have had much of a chance of finding those they were looking for - if it wasn't for this show.