The Good Old Days: The Things We Miss In the Modern TV Era - And The Ones We Don't

[tearknee]

Modern end titles:

Thousands of names, that endless roller now adds a good 10-12 minutes to the running time of a film. I suppose there's a few people who still sit there until the very end...I suppose they might like the music, but then usually the music runs out halfway through & you get a pop song or silence.

Which is in stark contrast to the old days, the old old days I mean (1950s-60s and earlier in general terms) when all you got was “The End” and maybe “Filmed at Pinewood Studios”, or wherever, then fade out, all in about five seconds from the last frame of the movie. In fact, it was often superimposed over the last few seconds of the last scene. Sometimes you may have got one quick "page" of credits listing the leading actors.

[Anduin]

1 hour ago, tearknee said:

Modern end titles:

Thousands of names, that endless roller now adds a good 10-12 minutes to the running time of a film. I suppose there's a few people who still sit there until the very end...I suppose they might like the music, but then usually the music runs out halfway through & you get a pop song or silence.

Which is in stark contrast to the old days, the old old days I mean (1950s-60s and earlier in general terms) when all you got was “The End” and maybe “Filmed at Pinewood Studios”, or wherever, then fade out, all in about five seconds from the last frame of the movie. In fact, it was often superimposed over the last few seconds of the last scene. Sometimes you may have got one quick "page" of credits listing the leading actors.

Marvel has trained moviegoers to sit through the credits. I laughed when they didn't have anything for Endgame, though. These days I always sit through the credits, at least on first watch. If I go a second time, knowing there's no stinger, I'm out the door ASAP.

Old movies get around the problem by having smaller casts and crew, and putting the credits at the front.

[Raja]

Of course for syndication networks suddenly having to deal with mid and post end credits after they were able to speed up the credits and split screen them with advertisements, or worse the precredits sequence of the next show would see their business loss even more market share.

[Affogato]

1 hour ago, Anduin said:

Marvel has trained moviegoers to sit through the credits. I laughed when they didn't have anything for Endgame, though. These days I always sit through the credits, at least on first watch. If I go a second time, knowing there's no stinger, I'm out the door ASAP.

Old movies get around the problem by having smaller casts and crew, and putting the credits at the front.

I think old movies didn’t put all the people in the credits. Now being in the credits is an important part of your resume. 

[Palimelon]

Quote

Marvel has trained moviegoers to sit through the credits.

It even kind of started long before Marvel started making their own movies. X-men: The Last Stand from 2006 possibly had one of the first post-credit scenes, but because they weren't a thing back then, most people missed it...even though it was very important as it hinted that Professor X could still be alive.

 

[merylinkid]

3 hours ago, tearknee said:

Thousands of names, that endless roller now adds a good 10-12 minutes to the running time of a film. I suppose there's a few people who still sit there until the very end...I suppose they might like the music, but then usually the music runs out halfway through & you get a pop song or silence

Thank you unions.   I mean that sincerely.   Those credits are part of the union contracts so the workers on a film - not just the big names - get the proper credit AND pay for working on the film.  

The old way was a way to discredit (literally) and underpay.

[Raja]

1 hour ago, Affogato said:

I think old movies didn’t put all the people in the credits. Now being in the credits is an important part of your resume. 

Not as many people but the opening credits were longer 

[Lugal]

9 hours ago, tearknee said:

Thousands of names, that endless roller now adds a good 10-12 minutes to the running time of a film. I suppose there's a few people who still sit there until the very end...I suppose they might like the music, but then usually the music runs out halfway through & you get a pop song or silence.

I used to sit through the credits, not just for post credit scenes, but also by the time they're done, the crush is gone and the lobby and/or bathrooms were usually clear.

6 hours ago, Palimelon said:

It even kind of started long before Marvel started making their own movies. X-men: The Last Stand from 2006 possibly had one of the first post-credit scenes, but because they weren't a thing back then, most people missed it...even though it was very important as it hinted that Professor X could still be alive.

It started before that, with Ferris Bueller in 1986

 

[Palimelon]

Yeah but wasn't a plot twist or set-up for another movie.

[Raja]

8 minutes ago, Lugal said:

I used to sit through the credits, not just for post credit scenes, but also by the time they're done, the crush is gone and the lobby and/or bathrooms were usually clear.

It started before that, with Ferris Bueller in 1986

 

The key with the early MCU was the post credit was story related. Sure a fan would have found out about long before what the scene pointed to hit the theaters. But sites like this one made the post credits fair to talk about with friends 

[Lugal]

17 hours ago, Palimelon said:

Yeah but wasn't a plot twist or set-up for another movie.

 

17 hours ago, Raja said:

The key with the early MCU was the post credit was story related. Sure a fan would have found out about long before what the scene pointed to hit the theaters. But sites like this one made the post credits fair to talk about with friends 

True, but the whole scene of what happened with Rooney played out over the credits.  Call it an early evolution, or a proto-post credit scene.

[andromeda331]

I miss being able to see credits at the end of the shows when I'm trying to get the name an actress or actor. They still have it but it's becomes a small square while commercial or the next show starts. They don't always list everyone in the beginning especially all the guest stars and they don't put them in the info below the show that displays actors and actresses. I hate having to go to the show/episode and try and figure out which is which. The thumbnail picture doesn't always help. 

[tearknee]

Many Hollywood stage names have happened because of prejudice. As late as the 1980s, Anastasia Sagorsky had to use one --well, more than one, because the production team of "My Two Dads" told her (rather rudely and sexistly according to her) that her existing "Anastasia Love" stage name "sounded like a call girl" and so, "Staci Keanan" was born.

 I doubt that Kaley Cucuo or Mayim Bialik could have been the actresses they were under their real names in the Golden Age of Hollywood. They'd likely both have to be names such as Catherine Carr and Mary Burke.

[Palimelon]

These days "Anastasia Love" could be the name of a contestant on Drag Race.

[proserpina65]

On 8/31/2024 at 9:21 AM, Anduin said:

Marvel has trained moviegoers to sit through the credits. I laughed when they didn't have anything for Endgame, though. These days I always sit through the credits, at least on first watch. If I go a second time, knowing there's no stinger, I'm out the door ASAP.

Old movies get around the problem by having smaller casts and crew, and putting the credits at the front.

I started doing this long before Marvel movies.  You should always sit to the end of the credits for a Jackie Chan movie because that's where the blooper reel is, and that's always worth watching.

On 8/31/2024 at 6:00 PM, Palimelon said:

Yeah but wasn't a plot twist or set-up for another movie.

Still was a post-credit sequence, though.

[Anduin]

12 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

I started doing this long before Marvel movies.  You should always sit to the end of the credits for a Jackie Chan movie because that's where the blooper reel is, and that's always worth watching.

Still was a post-credit sequence, though.

What I meant was, that while there have been stingers around for a long time, they were rare. Marvel put them on every movie. By now, audiences have come to expect them and stay for the credits.

[Raja]

I guess when a syndicator stretches a two hour movie into a three hour time slot they might as well play the paid music placement as the credits roll.  But they don't as the advertiser will pay more to get the 3/4ths of the split screen 

[Palimelon]

Quote

Still was a post-credit sequence, though.

But you weren't really missing anything if you missed out on those credits.

With Marvel, you started getting plot twists, spoilers, and previews for other movies which added to the big picture of the whole experience.

[Raja]

When TV seasons lasted half of the year and the choice of three shows everyone knew that they couldn't hide JR dying on Dallas. I can't remember if it was organic or CBS pushed "who shot JR?" into the  national obsession. 

[DearEvette]

On the other side to end credits, I miss a good opening fun theme song.  Actual songs with words that you could sing along to, like The Jeffersons, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Gilligan's Island, the OC, Friends etc.

There are still some out there, I think Ted Lasso had a theme song with words, but it wasn't very sing-along friendly. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

1 hour ago, Raja said:

When TV seasons lasted half of the year and the choice of three shows everyone knew that they couldn't hide JR dying on Dallas. I can't remember if it was organic or CBS pushed "who shot JR?" into the  national obsession. 

The plan to shoot and maybe kill JR was because Hagman was in negotiations about getting a pay raise. He played hardball, and the show shot scenes of EVERYONE-Even Jock and Miss Ellie! shooting him. Then Hagman went to Europe, and it was the best kept cliff hanger ever. We didn't learn who shot him until the fifth episode, I think? But that's the year ratings shot up, and Larry Hagman, as JR Ewin' was the ORIGINAL MAGNIFICENT BASTARD. No show without him. It was organic. No pushing necessary, as far as I'm concerned.

53 minutes ago, DearEvette said:

On the other side to end credits, I miss a good opening fun theme song.  Actual songs with words that you could sing along to, like The Jeffersons, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Gilligan's Island, the OC, Friends etc.

And Psych! They not only had the original, by the Friendly Indians, but a version by Boyz 2 Men, in Spanish, a horrible rendition (the words were soooo wrong) in Hindi, a twist on Twin Peaks, Clue, and Comics! And it's so catchy!

And how could you NOT mention The Brady Bunch? The Partridge Family? Along with Dallas (Original Recipe only, thankyouverymooch), my all-time favorite non-lyrics opening and closing theme is original Hawaii Five-0! Tell me you don't bop to that theme @DearEvette! Also Who's the Boss? and Smallville! (Don't JUDGE ME!)

Edited September 3 by GHScorpiosRule

[Shannon L.]

24 minutes ago, DearEvette said:

On the other side to end credits, I miss a good opening fun theme song.  Actual songs with words that you could sing along to, like The Jeffersons, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Gilligan's Island, the OC, Friends etc.

There are still some out there, I think Ted Lasso had a theme song with words, but it wasn't very sing-along friendly. 

I don't watch a lot of sitcoms anymore, so I don't know when this stopped being a thing. The last sitcom I remember watching that had a singable (if you could keep up) theme song was The Big Bang Theory.  Sing along opening songs were fun.

Whenever I go to a movie, if I have time, I'll sit through the credits because it's a way to acknowledge everyone who worked on the movie and sometimes, you notice fun stuff in there.  For example, Inside Out had listed the names of all the babies born to cast, crew and production while they were working on the show.

If anyone is interested in finding out if there's mid or after credit scenes in movies, without getting spoiled, there's an app called Run Pee that I absolutely love.  Not only will it give you good pee times for the movie, but it will tell you if there are mid or post credit scenes.  If it's mid credits, they'll tell you how long after the credits start that it appears.  If they can do so without spoiling it, they'll give you a general idea of what it is (ex. for Deadpool and Wolverine, it states that about 30 seconds in, there is a montage of outtakes from previous X-Men movies that lasts about 2 minutes.) It will also tell you how long the credits run.  I love this app. 

[tearknee]

You got about 24-25 minutes of say, YCDTOTV or Family Ties. Now Price or Goldberg would be lucky to get about 20. No time for long theme music, let along a theme with lyrics.

[GHScorpiosRule]

4 minutes ago, tearknee said:

You got about 24-25 minutes of say, YCDTOTV or Family Ties. Now Price or Goldberg would be lucky to get about 20. No time for long theme music, let along a theme with lyrics.

The lyrics for Family Ties were cut in syndication airings. Like, only the first two lines, and then the chorus. Boo!

[tearknee]

1 minute ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

The lyrics for Family Ties were cut in syndication airings. Like, only the first two lines, and then the chorus. Boo!

They haven't reduced it to "La!"? ^_^

[Palimelon]

Quote

my all-time favorite non-lyrics opening and closing theme

The X-files and ER had good ones too. Alias as well.

Quote

and Smallville!

"Somebody saaaaaave meeeee..."

[tearknee]

4 minutes ago, Palimelon said:

The X-files and ER had good ones too. Alias as well.

"Somebody saaaaaave meeeee..."

"Mister Goldblum? This is Mr. Kent. I only could list to the answering machine after Ms. Lane went home".

[tearknee]

4 hours ago, Palimelon said:

These days "Anastasia Love" could be the name of a contestant on Drag Race.

Miley Cyrus sounds like a rare neurological disorder.

[Tiffany] Brissette sounds like a cheap knock-off razor brand.

[andromeda331]

1 hour ago, tearknee said:

They haven't reduced it to "La!"? ^_^

Not yet.

[GHScorpiosRule]

D'OH! Another one that is an earworm: The Facts of Life. Love that theme song. From Charlotte Rae's singing in the first season, to the rest. Did anyone mention Happy Days? Laverne & Shirley?

[tearknee]

20 minutes ago, andromeda331 said:

Not yet.

Thank you by the way -- i was worried no one would get my joke about the end of the FT theme being "Shah La La La!".  

[Raja]

I hate the cut down version of TV themes in the remakes. They cut out the best part of the Magnum PI theme and emphasized the intro for an example 

[tearknee]

For those under 40, College Humor's Turn and Smile was very much real as you can see from Small Wonder:  

[DearEvette]

5 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

And how could you NOT mention The Brady Bunch? The Partridge Family? Along with Dallas (Original Recipe only, thankyouverymooch), my all-time favorite non-lyrics opening and closing theme is original Hawaii Five-0! Tell me you don't bop to that theme @DearEvette! Also Who's the Boss? and Smallville! (Don't JUDGE ME!)

I mean I could have done a huge list.  One of my favorites is Wonder Woman. I still love that campy ass song. 

"In your satin tights,
Fighting for your rights
And the old Red, White and Bluuuuueee-ooooh'

The piano trills, the background vocals... that song was fire!!

But there are so many more... Welcome Back, Kotter, The Greatest American Hero, LaVerne and Shirley....

 

 

[ElleryAnne]

6 hours ago, DearEvette said:

I miss a good opening fun theme song.  Actual songs with words that you could sing along to

My Two Dads and Perfect Strangers were always my favorite opening songs.  And Twin Peaks, for instrumental.

 

[Raja]

42 minutes ago, DearEvette said:

I mean I could have done a huge list.  One of my favorites is Wonder Woman. I still love that campy ass song. 

"In your satin tights,
Fighting for your rights
And the old Red, White and Bluuuuueee-ooooh'

The piano trills, the background vocals... that song was fire!!

When I see Gal Gadot , Linda Carter's theme starts playing in my head 

[Ceindreadh]

7 hours ago, DearEvette said:

On the other side to end credits, I miss a good opening fun theme song.  Actual songs with words that you could sing along to, like The Jeffersons, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Gilligan's Island, the OC, Friends etc.

There are still some out there, I think Ted Lasso had a theme song with words, but it wasn't very sing-along friendly. 

I miss the opening credits where they used to show clips from the show.  I remember watching Magnum P.I. (original) and the first episode of each season I loved to see what new clips they included and if they'd kept my favourites from previous seasons. 

[Shannon L.]

You are all bring back memories.  How about Cheers, Green Acres, Different Strokes and The Greatest American Hero (which you can still hear on oldies stations from time to time)? 

And since we are talking about movie credits, sometimes I miss a good movie theme song either over the opening or closing credits.  Kenny Loggins sure struck gold doing that in the 80s.

[Raja]

Could the theme from M*A*S*H   be actually used today since Google would allow the lyrics to be known and banned in many media sites?

[tearknee]

Hopefully Courage could also use that to stick it to Roddenberry ;)

Edited September 4 by tearknee

[EtheltoTillie]

Did anyone say Beverly Hillbillies?  

[proserpina65]

22 hours ago, Palimelon said:

But you weren't really missing anything if you missed out on those credits.

With Marvel, you started getting plot twists, spoilers, and previews for other movies which added to the big picture of the whole experience.

Oh, you'd be missing a hell of a lot if you missed out on the credits/post-credits sequence of Jackie Chan movies.

[Palimelon]

It depends what you consider missing out. Unless it was essential to the plot, I'd be ok with missing out on it.

[proserpina65]

2 minutes ago, Palimelon said:

It depends what you consider missing out. Unless it was essential to the plot, I'd be ok with missing out on it.

Not everything entertaining is about the plot, but whatever works for you.

[Palimelon]

It does indeed.

[Raja]

The key about the MCU was that individual movies could be considered like an episode of a TV series. Something that the fandom would discuss until the next episode. A blopper reel was more like the extras added to DVDs to get us to upgrade our VCRs

[Thomas Crown]

On 8/31/2024 at 6:00 PM, Palimelon said:

Yeah but wasn't a plot twist or set-up for another movie.

The earliest one that I can remember with a post credit scene is "Young Sherlock Holmes " from 1985 where the post credit had both a twist and set-up for a sequel which unfortunately never happened.  A great movie from the 1980s imo. 

[MissAlmond]

Televison:

1) Theme music so good, they went beyond their respective shows to become jazz classics. Henry Mancini's Peter Gunn and Lalo Schifrin's Mission Impossible are the first that come to mind, but I know there are others.

2) 30+ episodes per season. Yesterday's television shows that only made it to two seasons are the equivalent of today's four.

3) Streaming services really should offer creators the chance to do fully realized "miniseries" instead of cancelling a series after one year. 

4) OTOH, syndication seems to have made writers (hopefully) more aware of not only continuity but not repeating the same line episode, after episode, after episode. As much as I love original recipe Perry Mason, you could play a drinking game every time his client whispered, "They were dead when I got there."

Films:

I'm thrilled after the Fox News/Fox Entertainment split, Alfred Newman's fantastic 20th Century Fox Fanfare survived. 

 

 

Edited September 5 by MissAlmond

[Mabinogia]

7 hours ago, MissAlmond said:

Lalo Schifrin's Mission Impossible are the first that come to mind, but I know there are others.

That one is my alarm for getting up in the morning, because some mornings it feels like an impossible mission. 

 

20 hours ago, Raja said:

Could the theme from M*A*S*H   be actually used today since Google would allow the lyrics to be known and banned in many media sites?

Ah, the sad state the world is in when just using a word can get one banned. The M*A*S*H theme song is one of my all time favorites and if I'm in the right mood, can make me cry. 

RE: End credits. Even the MCU ones aren't actually important to watch. They're just teasers/ads for the next movie. I only stick around for them if I've read that they are funny. If they contain anything truly useful for future movies I can just read about it on the internet or figure it out at the beginning of the next movie. 

[meep.meep]

On 9/3/2024 at 8:34 AM, DearEvette said:

On the other side to end credits, I miss a good opening fun theme song.  Actual songs with words that you could sing along to, like The Jeffersons, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Gilligan's Island, the OC, Friends etc.

What We do in the Shadows has a great theme song!  Lyrics and a catchy tune.