THE TRUMAN SHOW

There’s a terrific movie which my wife and I have watched several times. “The Truman Show,” starring Jim Carrey; (and filmed in Seaside Florida).

The fictional tale surrounds a young man, “Truman Burbank,” who grows up on an idyllic island named, “Seahaven.” And unbeknownst to Truman, he was chosen from birth to be the object of a lifelong reality 24 hour a day television program. (One can only assume “The Truman Show” was awarded custody of the orphan infant boy from Day 1).

During the course of the program, “Truman” goes about his daily business; waking up, eating breakfast, driving to work, interacting with fellow employees, driving back home, greeting his wife.
Speaking of his wife, she is a paid actress whom the studio has manipulated into Truman’s life, along with a fabricated father and mother. As a matter of fact, every man, woman, boy and girl on the fictitious island are actors. (And as I previously implied, the star of the program is the only unsuspecting participant among multiplied hundreds who appear on the television series).

Interestingly enough, film cameras are strategically placed in the recesses of walls, garbage cans, knotholes in trees, and even the dashboard of Truman’s automobile. The film footage is immediately retrieved and broadcast to millions of homes by what might be referred to as a “studio in the sky.”

For you see, the entire island city, along with the beaches, and surrounding ocean are contained in a vast man-made sphere, and the master control booth is mounted high in the ceiling; (or what appears to be the sky). Even the clouds, sun, moon and stars are reproductions of the real thing; and replicate the daily passage of time in the exact same manner as the originals.

Pt. 2

One especially humorous feature of the movie were the commercial breaks.

For you see, from time to time, Truman’s wife, “Meryl” lapses into a convenient product placement diatribe about a particular brand of coffee, trash bag, or picture frame.

Lifting the item up to chest level, and smiling broadly towards the hidden camera lens, she exclaims,

“Hey Truman, have you tried Hershey’s new chocolate chip cookies? I just happen to have a bag of them, uhmmm, oh, right here. They are not only less expensive than the other popular brands, but they are just so fresh and tasty. They will literally melt in your mouth!”

Of course, Meryl’s exhaustive (and exhausting) verbal rendition never ceases to tickle Truman’s suspicious sensibilities, and he responds with,

“Meryl, what are you doing? Making a commercial?”

(or)

“Hey, hey what’s going on? Do you hear yourself? I mean, do you hear yourself?”

However, even the commercials are absolutely captivating to Truman’s adoring fans. An elderly man in a bathtub chuckles to himself, and mutters beneath his breath. A young lady, with whom Truman once experienced an all too platonic fling, stares poignantly into her television screen, a couple of policemen exchange a joke related to Truman’s banter with his wife.

Pt. 3
In recent months, my wife has been shopping at a discount warehouse-style grocery store. One especially interesting characteristic of the store, (and which contributes to its ability to cut costs) is the lack of bag boys. Customers are required to bring their own bags, and do their own bagging.

And since there are no paid baggers, there are a couple of rows of grocery carts outside the store; which requires the installation of a quarter in a slot in order to release the cart. When the grocery conveyance is returned, the quarter is refunded.

At any rate, my wife has been extremely pleased with the quality of merchandise, and prices at Aldi’s. And hearkening back to, “The Truman Show,” and Meryl’s product placement ads, lately Jean has shared her surprise and satisfaction with the store and its foodstuffs, i.e.,

“Honey, do you know what I paid for a dozen eggs at Aldi today? I paid a whooping $1.49, and they come in a nice, strong cardboard carton. None of that styrofoam stuff. $1.49. I kid you not. We’re saving like a dollar on a dozen eggs.”

(or)

“Baby, do you know I got a large box of frosted flakes for $2.39? Amazing. The carton has the same color and design as Kellogg’s, and I know they must produce this cereal. I just opened the box and its exactly the same stuff. No difference. Do you realize what a large box of frosted flakes costs these days?”

And without fail I have continued to respond with,

“You sound like Meryl on The Truman Show!”

(or)

“Hey, hey! I’m onto you. Where’s the camera?”

(or)

“How much are you being paid for the commercial?”

Afterward

Of course, my ongoing responses to Jean’s enthusiastic characterizations of her comparatively inexpensive merchandise riles her a bit.

The last time I responded in this manner, she replied,

“You better be careful. You may wake up one morning, and find yourself living on Seahaven Island, and discover your name is Truman Burbank!”

In the movie, our hero managed to escape from that humongous film studio which was disguised as an island. And here my wife is conjuring the thing in reverse. She would transfer me from reality and put me on the fictional island.

You know, come to think of it, I always wanted to break into movies.

“Tell me again, Jean, how much did you pay for those frosted flakes?”

by William McDonald, PhD. Excerpt from (Mc)Donald's Daily Diary. Vol. 84. Copyright pending

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