Mark Bussler – MRQE

The American Experience:: The Johnstown Flood (TVE)

Fri, 05 Sep 2025 04:00:00 +0000

On a stormy day in May of 1889, the South Fork Dam impounding Conemaugh Lake exploded, unleashing a 40-foot wall of water. The bustling industrial city of Johnstown, PA, in the valley below was reduced to a wasteland, killing more than 2,200. This heavily dramatized documentary reviews the factors that led to the dam’s collapse, while dramatic reenactments and survivors’ personal testimonies detail the horror.

EXPO: Magic of the White City (V)

Fri, 05 Sep 2025 04:00:00 +0000

Explore the world of 1893 through a cinematic visit to Chicago’s Columbian Exposition. Many of the world’s greatest achievements in art, architecture, science, technology and culture are unveiled there. The grounds were designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, famous for his design of New York City’s Central Park, and constructed under the supervision of Daniel Burnham. The Fair was an engineering marvel. On opening day, President Grover Cleveland depressed a golden telegraph key which sent the first courses of electricity throughout the Fair powering fountains, machines, electric railways and thousands of lights. It was the first use of electricity on such a massive scale. Nearly 28 million visit the “White City,” which inspires future innovators like Henry Ford, Walt Disney and Frank Lloyd Wright, and debuts the Ferris Wheel and Cracker Jack.

Westinghouse (V)

Fri, 05 Sep 2025 04:00:00 +0000

American engineer George Westinghouse revolutionized the American electricity system in the late 1880s with his endorsement of AC power distribution. This historical documentary chronicles Westinghouse’s legendary rivalry with Thomas Edison and the birth of his many inventions, including the rail-road air brake.

Classic Game Room: The Rise and Fall of the Internet’s Greatest Video Game Review Show (V)

Mon, 25 Aug 2025 04:00:00 +0000

Early adaptors and die-hard gamers no doubt remember Mark Bussler and David Crosson’s short-lived online video game review series Classic Game Room, and though the cult series may have run its course fans can now find out just what became of the internet’s first video game review show. The Internet was still in its infancy when Bussler and Crosson first debuted their gleefully irreverent series back in 1999. Armed with little more than a single camera, a green-screen, a fifty-dollar per show budget, and an unwavering love of video games, this inventive duo set out to make a video game review show that would keep gamers laughing. Though the series may be no more, fans of the hilariously unhinged program can finally find out the truth about the rise and fall of Classic Game Room. Classic reviews of such games as *Frogger, *Duck Hunt, and *Yar’s Revenge highlight this nostalgic look back at the beer-soaked Internet start-up series that never took itself too seriously.