FEATURE FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2nd EDITION

     Labor Day, like many holidays here in the Prozac Nation, has largely been hijacked by the Cultural Marxists. The American political Left fancies itself the defenders of the working man. Very few of the Liberal leadership has ever engaged in productive work in the private sector, they are supported mostly by the historical reputation of the late 19th to mid 20th centuries---when the Democratic Party actually did work in the interests of Labor.

      For this extended weekend, we recommend a television series about a tough man with three tough jobs: I Led 3 Lives. The series was syndicated on independent stations from 1953-1955, and is one of the few television series ever based on an autobiography. I Led 3 Lives also has the distinction of being the first popular and highly-rated espionage dramas on television. For reasons that will become obvious, the Postmodern Cultural Marxists in the media have an especial dislike for this series and it's rarely ever seen on television today.

      I Led 3 Lives is based on a best-selling 1950 autobiography of Herbert J. Philbrick of the same title. Philbrick was a married owner of a small advertising business and a local leader, which gave cover for his double life as a mid-level member of a Communist cell group engaging in various plots against the United States. That in turn gave cover for his triple life: a special operative for FBI Counter-Intelligence. The stories and character follow the book fairly closely. The real-life Philbrick was part of the late 1930s anti-war movement, who became intrigued about Communism after hearing some speeches. He joined a Communist cell, but being an honest and intelligent man, the scales soon fell from his eyes, and he saw Communism for what it really was. A devout Christian, Philbrick was disgusted with the Communists' intolerance for religion; hatred for the traditional family; and contempt for democracy and the rights of the individual. He exposed their activities to the FBI; and an agent---called Jerry Dressler in the series---enlisted Philbrick's services as a counterspy. Philbrick served his country in this capacity until 1948.

       Needless to say, a series which portrays the Far Left in its true colors is not going especially well-received among today's media elites. One does not have to watch too many episodes of I Led 3 Lives before some very uncomfortable comparisons start becoming quite apparent. The Communist leaders in this series are, in their words, behaviors, and attitudes, so closely parallel to the modern Politically-Correct Left that it's somewhat frightening. For example in one episode, Philbrick meets an attractive female courier, who in turn reports him to the Party for "seeing her as an attractive woman and not a fellow-Communist". Philbrick gets a scolding and a reprimand that there is no gender difference in Communism. 

      A scenario which sounds all too familiar in today's PC social climate.

      Even more troubling are the various Communist plots Philbrick breaks up---which aim at infiltrating and spreading Communist social values in the schools, media, and churches. (Again, does this sound familiar?) In many ways, I Led 3 Lives has a strangely prophetic tone about it.

       There's also a lot of traditional espionage in this series: breaking up spy rings, intercepting secret plans, and preventing assassination attempts---all based on real-life stories. As was true of Golden Age espionage dramas in general, I Led 3 Lives relied heavily on realism and Philbrick has to operate on his own initiative and by his wits continually. Other than Agent Dressler, only Philbrick's wife knows of his secret identity---though she appears infrequently in the series, she stands by her man like a true heroine. 

       Like the espionage series Blue Light, which we reviewed here earlier, the realism in I Led 3 Lives, shows an especial emphasis upon the real-life impact the activities that the forces of evil and haters of human liberty has on real people. I Led 3 Lives, though not as violent a show as Blue Light, nonetheless does not glamorize the subject or mitigate in the slightest the truly evil nature of those who hate---and wish to destroy---the traditions and freedoms we collectively used to respect. 

        From the perspective of 2016, I Led 3 Lives is the portrait of an era where men and women were fighting to prevent our culture from turning into what it, unfortunately, largely has turned into. There's probably no other series that runs so counter to the modern politically-correct myth that the so-called Progressives represent long-standing American historical traditions. I Led 3 Lives shows these people for what they did, what they are now doing, and what they intend to do---with no obfuscation of the truth.

        Watching a captivating and engrossing series based on real-life adventures---and  aggravating the PC Left at the same time---what better way to spend a long weekend? Better still, most of the series is available for free viewing on Youtube, and available on DVD as well. The quality of the episodes are all very well-preserved.