Sell By Date Expiration: Old Shows That Don't Stand Up To The Test Of Time

[xaxat]

On 2/8/2018 at 7:44 PM, Pippin said:

What makes it ironic is that Endora, who was portrayed as a right bitch and Generally Awful Person is actually a liberated woman (does not allow her husband to dictate to her, does her own thing, calls Darrin on his constant and consistent suckery) whereas submissive little housewife Samantha is held up as the right role model.

As a kid watching the show, I thought she was awesome. Probably my first exposure to a TV character that DNGAF.

Hogan's Heroes has been mentioned several times, for good reason. A comedy about a prison camp during Nazi Germany? A couple of weeks ago, I watched a an episode of a vintage game show that featured celebrity couples as contestants. Bob Crane (who played Hogan) and his wife went up against two other couples. I didn't recognize one of the husbands, so I googled him. It turns out that before he became a celebrity doctor, he was a WWII airman whose plane was shot down and  he became a POW in real life. 

That must have been kind of awkward behind the scenes. 

[Constant Viewer]

Hogan's heroes is even weirder when you realize one of the stars was actually a Holocaust survivor. The guy who played the Frenchman was in Buchenwald.

[Moose135]

Werner Klemperer, who played the camp commander, Colonel Klink, was a German-born Jew, and his family escaped to the United States in the 1930s.  He had one demand when he took the role ''I had one qualification when I took the job: if they ever wrote a segment whereby Colonel Klink would come out the hero, I would leave the show.''

John Banner (Sgt. Schultz) and Leon Askin (General Burkhalter) were both Jews born in Austria who came to the US as WWII was breaking out.  All three served in the US military during the war, Klemperer in the Army, and Banner and Askin in the Army Air Forces.

[xaxat]

That show was even more messed up than I thought.

[Pippin]

20 hours ago, xaxat said:

That show was even more messed up than I thought.

And then consider what happened to Bob Crane and it really goes off the deep end of messed up.

[Blergh]

Yep, the terrible irony of Hogan's Heroes was that those playing the cardboard villains were actually heroes in real life while Bob Crane who played the title hero seemed to have been a nightmare to have  been acquainted with (but even so didn't deserve to be murdered). Also, it was produced by Bing Crosby who himself had quite a few contradictions re his onstage and offstage personas.

[Lugal]

I remember reading that originally, Hogan's Heroes was supposed to be set in a contemporary prison and Hogan was a scam artist type convict who played off the guards and came to run the prison himself.  But the Higher-ups thought that concept might be too disturbing so they switched it to a POW camp instead.  WTF?

Edited February 18, 2018 by Lugal
Difference between a POW camp and a Concentration camp

[WritinMan]

2 hours ago, Lugal said:

...switched it to a concentration camp instead. 

POW camp.

Not that a POW camp is party joint or anything, but there is a difference.

[ratgirlagogo]

4 hours ago, Lugal said:

But the Higher-ups thought that concept might be too disturbing so they switched it to a POW camp instead.  WTF?

That actually does make sense in a way, since of course every American viewer would be sympathetic to American POWs in a Nazi camp.   Criminals in a regular prison, probably not so much. :)

And of course plenty of people DID object to the show anyway, for all the obvious reasons.  To quote myself from an earlier post in this thread:

Quote

Even in the 1960's many people had a problem with Hogan's Heroes - WW2 itself was only twenty years previous (!).  In fact one of the complaints about the show that  I remember the most vividly from my childhood was this one, from  MAD Magazine:

https://scans-daily.dreamwidth.org/1713137.html

 

On 2/15/2018 at 9:55 AM, Blergh said:

Yep, the terrible irony of Hogan's Heroes was that those playing the cardboard villains were actually heroes in real life

I have thought a lot about this, actually.  I understand why 60's TV had a hard time with the Holocaust but in a way I don't really understand they also had a hard time with the whole WW2 experience - it wasn't  just the hugely unpopular war going on at the time, it was something about talking about their own past (I mean the writers, etc.).   

Edited February 18, 2018 by ratgirlagogo
syntax

[Raja]

20 hours ago, ratgirlagogo said:

That actually does make sense in a way, since of course every American viewer would be sympathetic to American POWs in a Nazi camp.   Criminals in a regular prison, probably not so much. :)

And of course plenty of people DID object to the show anyway, for all the obvious reasons.  To quote myself from an earlier post in this thread:

 

I have thought a lot about this, actually.  I understand why 60's TV had a hard time with the Holocaust but in a way I don't really understand they also had a hard time with the whole WW2 experience - it wasn't  just the hugely unpopular war going on at the time, it was something about talking about their own past (I mean the writers, etc.).   

The "good war was a popular subject during  the beginning and middle of America's Vietnam War era, Besides Hogan's Heroes there was McHale's Navy, The Rat Patrol, The Wackiest Ship In The Army, Combat and 12 o'Clock High. Going into the Vietnam War cease fire period you had Roll Out about a segregated Black unit in the Red Ball Express, a movie concentrated on a non segregated truck company, and Baa Baa Black Sheep/Black Sheep Squadron on US TV.

[Chaos Theory]

I think shows like Bewitched and I Dream Pf Jeanie both stand the test of time and don’t.  They are actually fairly well written and acted but the male/female dynamic is downright offensive in today’s world.  

[andromeda331]

3 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

I think shows like Bewitched and I Dream Pf Jeanie both stand the test of time and don’t.  They are actually fairly well written and acted but the male/female dynamic is downright offensive in today’s world.  

I agree. But for me the hardest part of watching I Dream of Jeannie is seeing Larry Hagman playing Tony. Its really weird to see Jeanine living with and later marrying J.R. Ewing.  

[SmithW6079]

18 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

I think shows like Bewitched and I Dream Pf Jeanie both stand the test of time and don’t.  They are actually fairly well written and acted but the male/female dynamic is downright offensive in today’s world.  

I think the key words are "in today's world." The dynamic was different back then, and to a certain extent, you can't judge shows from then with today's sensibilities. In any event, the men in those shows are almost always portrayed as buffoons,  outsmarted and outmaneuvered by the women in their lives.

Any show with really abrasive characters don't stand the test of time with me. I used to like "Cheers" and "Scrubs," but I can't stand them now because of Carla and Cox, respectively. Their mental abuse of their coworkers isn't funny. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

14 hours ago, andromeda331 said:

But for me the hardest part of watching I Dream of Jeannie is seeing Larry Hagman playing Tony. Its really weird to see Jeanine living with and later marrying J.R. Ewing.  

Not for me. For one thing, I was wondering why JR looked sooooo familiar to me! And then I realized, when I was wee, I used to watch I Dream of Jeannie, and that's where I remembered him from. And the two characters are so diametrically opposite, that I can love Tony Nelson, but love to hate JR Ewin', the ORIGINAL MAGNIFICENT BASTARD!

[hoosier80]

I've seen several episodes recently of Too Close for Comfort.   I used to enjoy that show somewhat when it was on air.  It wasn't Masterpiece Theatre, but an ok show. 

When I watched it recently, boy is it bad.  Even for the times when it originally aired, very sexist.  Oh Dad is super protective of the "girls" who are in their 20's from the looks of it.  Plus, they live right down the stairs, so it's not likely they're having all night orgies or bong parties.   Then, the parents had a baby, and Dad is all opposing the Mom going back to work, even though she got a great job offer.  He relents, but it's incompetent Dad and Monroe (loathed that character even back in the day - very one note) trying to take care of the baby.  

I had to look and see what happened to the other actors on the show, and then I saw that it had been restructured at about season 4 or 5 (which I vaguely remember).  I think the show ended up being syndicated first run in the later seasons after having been cancelled by one of the big 3 networks.  The restructured show sounded even worse.  

I didn't realize the blonde daughter was a descendant of Harriet Beecher Stowe.  

[magicdog]

On 2/20/2018 at 4:31 PM, hoosier80 said:

I've seen several episodes recently of Too Close for Comfort.   I used to enjoy that show somewhat when it was on air.  It wasn't Masterpiece Theatre, but an ok show. 

When I watched it recently, boy is it bad.  Even for the times when it originally aired, very sexist.  Oh Dad is super protective of the "girls" who are in their 20's from the looks of it.  Plus, they live right down the stairs, so it's not likely they're having all night orgies or bong parties.   Then, the parents had a baby, and Dad is all opposing the Mom going back to work, even though she got a great job offer.  He relents, but it's incompetent Dad and Monroe (loathed that character even back in the day - very one note) trying to take care of the baby.  

I had to look and see what happened to the other actors on the show, and then I saw that it had been restructured at about season 4 or 5 (which I vaguely remember).  I think the show ended up being syndicated first run in the later seasons after having been cancelled by one of the big 3 networks.  The restructured show sounded even worse.  

I didn't realize the blonde daughter was a descendant of Harriet Beecher Stowe.  

Same here.  The show was likable when it first aired, but having caught reruns on LOGO, it hasn't aged well.  It's a shame since Ted Knight was a fantastic actor (and VA - he voiced the intros for Fantastic Voyage and the original Superfriends show), and was capable of both drama and comedy.  I do remember one episode however which took place shortly after the girls moved into the downstairs apartment.  They had thrown a wild party which had both their parents up all night and being visited by bikers and such! 

You're right about the re-structure.  Suddenly it became, The Ted Knight Show, with his character and wife moving to a Northern California enclave and tangling with a co-worker/neighbor played by Pat Carroll.  I think it was to run a small town newspaper.

[Blergh]

Agree that the show wasted the talents of the late Mr. Knight and also I wondered if Nancy Dussault  truly thought it had been worth leaving Good Morning, America for this?!  Oh, yeah,  the character Munroe Ficus ranked with Urkel re annoying sidekicks that seemed to be there that only producers and studio audiences were known to like but no one seemed to know anyone else who liked said characters (like Kardashian fans).

   One of the tiny positive notes re the show was that Muriel Rush's mother was played by the legendary Audrey Meadows while the late downstairs tenant's sister was played by the funny Selma Diamond but the audience barely saw them. Too bad, I don't recall these characters ever meeting because had they spun off to their OWN show and ditched this mess, it would be great!

[DrSpaceman]

On ‎2‎/‎20‎/‎2018 at 7:31 PM, hoosier80 said:

I've seen several episodes recently of Too Close for Comfort.   I used to enjoy that show somewhat when it was on air.  It wasn't Masterpiece Theatre, but an ok show. 

When I watched it recently, boy is it bad.  Even for the times when it originally aired, very sexist.  Oh Dad is super protective of the "girls" who are in their 20's from the looks of it.  Plus, they live right down the stairs, so it's not likely they're having all night orgies or bong parties.   Then, the parents had a baby, and Dad is all opposing the Mom going back to work, even though she got a great job offer.  He relents, but it's incompetent Dad and Monroe (loathed that character even back in the day - very one note) trying to take care of the baby.  

I had to look and see what happened to the other actors on the show, and then I saw that it had been restructured at about season 4 or 5 (which I vaguely remember).  I think the show ended up being syndicated first run in the later seasons after having been cancelled by one of the big 3 networks.  The restructured show sounded even worse.  

I didn't realize the blonde daughter was a descendant of Harriet Beecher Stowe.  

I noticed this was playing on Logo over the weekend, along with Three's Company, Alice and some other late 70s/early 80s ones.  I taped some episodes of TCFC to watch, will see what I think

I was actually not a huge fan of the show but do remember watching it. 

I wish someplace would play Bossom Buddies reruns.  Maybe Tom Hanks just uses his power to keep it from happening

I did watch some of the Three's company episodes and was actually surprised at how much I still enjoyed them.  I mean its not ground breaking, emmy winning stuff.  The line from Friends where Chandler comments "This is the episode where there is some sort of misunderstanding" pretty much sums it up, every episode.  And there is the just very cliche outdated gay jokes.  Still, its enjoyable to watch

What actually surprised me though was John Ritter must have been rather pudgy or more overweight than I remember.  He wasn't fat, not saying that, but season one watching him it was obvious even in his clothes he didn't have a great physique.  Yet he was supposed to be a sort of ladies man.  At least he never had a shortage of dates. 

[Bort]

3 hours ago, DrSpaceman said:

I did watch some of the Three's company episodes and was actually surprised at how much I still enjoyed them.  I mean its not ground breaking, emmy winning stuff.  The line from Friends where Chandler comments "This is the episode where there is some sort of misunderstanding" pretty much sums it up, every episode.

That sums up a lot of Friends episodes too, so that was a high horse they got shoved off of, as it turns out.

[cpcathy]

On ‎3‎/‎5‎/‎2018 at 10:01 AM, DrSpaceman said:

I wish someplace would play Bossom Buddies reruns.  Maybe Tom Hanks just uses his power to keep it from happening

 

I'm so glad I have both seasons of Bosom Buddies on DVD. Not a perfect show, but damn, Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari were funny on that show. I doubt Tom has an issue with reruns, he's poked fun at himself being on that show and hopefully he knows people still love it.

[magicdog]

Peter Scolari also has no problem revisiting his Bosom Buddies days as seen in this Kimmel sketch.

[TigerLynx]

On 8/28/2017 at 6:30 PM, Chaos Theory said:

I think Quantum Leap is better then alot of the current crop of time travel shows <Cough> Timeless <Cough>.  Yes it got a bit preachy at times but no more then alot of shows do.  I loved the episode where Sam leaped into a army cadet who may or may not have been gay the storyline was more about Al coming to terms with his own homophobia.  The episode never did answer the question if the guy Sam leapt into was gay or not.  It's basic answer was "does it matter?"    

Of course this was highly episodic so not sure if it would work in todays world but then again there are alot of episodic shows on tv and alot of shows that have "lesson of the week" feel to them.  I am not exactly sure if it would work but I am not sure it wouldn't either.  The storylines themselves still (for the most part) work for me.  

 

On 12/5/2017 at 1:23 PM, RedheadZombie said:

Wasn't there an episode in which Sam saved a Pulitzer winning photographer in Vietnam, then discovered he missed the opportunity to save POW Al?  I *think* the photographer's winning photo was of a restrained Al being led away by the Viet Cong.

I also loved the episode in which Sam lands in the new time period and realizes he's landed back in his hometown.   It would always take him a moment to figure out where he was, but he sprinted through the corn fields to see his own reflection in the glass door of his parents' home.

I still like watching Quantum Leap.  I liked the episode where Sam leaps in a few days after a woman has been murdered, and he's angry because he thought he should have leaped sooner, and been able to save her.  It turned out Sam needed to find out who killed her.  At the end Sam's wondering to Al if he did any good at all with this leap, and Al tells him he did.

On 2/12/2018 at 2:46 AM, magicdog said:

I don't think it was so much that as the fact that the core members of the team were Vietnam vets and women would not have been in a combat role (certainly not tried or imprisoned together) with the men.  Any women in the military during that era would have been working in offices (or as doctors and nurses in medical units) not slogging in rice paddies with Hannibal et al.

There was Amy in early seasons who was a reporter who detailed their adventures for her newspaper and try to help them prove their innocence.  It never bothered me (as a woman) that this wasn't a woman centric show.

Amy (Melinda Culea) was written off the show because that's what George Peppard and Dirk Benedict wanted.

On 2/19/2018 at 1:53 PM, SmithW6079 said:

I think the key words are "in today's world." The dynamic was different back then, and to a certain extent, you can't judge shows from then with today's sensibilities. In any event, the men in those shows are almost always portrayed as buffoons,  outsmarted and outmaneuvered by the women in their lives.

I saw an interview with Larry Hagman once where he said Jennie may have called Tony master, but she always did what she wanted.

Edited March 9, 2018 by TigerLynx

[theredhead77]

On 2/12/2018 at 3:46 AM, magicdog said:

I don't think it was so much that as the fact that the core members of the team were Vietnam vets and women would not have been in a combat role (certainly not tried or imprisoned together) with the men.  Any women in the military during that era would have been working in offices (or as doctors and nurses in medical units) not slogging in rice paddies with Hannibal et al.

There was Amy in early seasons who was a reporter who detailed their adventures for her newspaper and try to help them prove their innocence.  It never bothered me (as a woman) that this wasn't a woman centric show.

When I was a kid The A-Team was one of my favorite shows. While it sucked to learn what went on behind the scenes it never bothered me either and I will watch re-runs on an endless loop if I had an opportunity.

This sums up my childhood. I would credit it but at this point I have no idea where I found it.

 

[CoderLady]

@theredhead77: That. Is. Adorable.

[Snow Apple]

On 3/7/2018 at 2:36 PM, cpcathy said:

I'm so glad I have both seasons of Bosom Buddies on DVD. Not a perfect show, but damn, Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari were funny on that show. I doubt Tom has an issue with reruns, he's poked fun at himself being on that show and hopefully he knows people still love it.

MeTV ran it several years ago but they changed the opening theme song which was incredibly disappointing. I guess Billy Joel (or whoever) didn't extend the rights.

[cpcathy]

The song isn't even on the DVDS! They've replaced it with some dumb song.

[DrSpaceman73]

On ‎3‎/‎10‎/‎2018 at 11:33 AM, cpcathy said:

The song isn't even on the DVDS! They've replaced it with some dumb song.

That is appalling

 

Back to Three's Company........I still enjoy the ones I have watched, which surprises me.  John Ritter was so funny and did great slapstick. 

A couple things that haven't aged well though and that I didn't pick up on with the original :

So.........Mr. Roper was obviously meant to be a closeted homosexual, right?  Never wanted to have sex with his wife and just blatantly homophobic. 

And wow, talk about changes over time with dating and sexism.  Attempted date rape is basically treated as a pretext for jokes and comedy in SEVERAL episodes involving Chrissy and Janet. 

[Blergh]

On 3/10/2018 at 10:33 AM, cpcathy said:

The song isn't even on the DVDS! They've replaced it with some dumb song.

Did Mr. Joel somehow think the song would get LESS interest and potential current buyers by refusing to permit its use than had he simply let them keep it? Of course, I think Bosom Buddies would have been better had they just skipped the whole  Hanks& Scolari in drag subplot and just let them carry on as regular male characters!

[HoboClayton]

I remember watching Evening Shade once in a while when it was originally airing. I didn't remember much about it except that it starred Burt Reynolds. Recently, I have caught a few episodes and have been left absolutely perplexed as to how this show has such a high rating, and how it lasted 4 seasons. It's a talented, diverse-ish cast, but.. What I have seen, makes absolutely no sense to me. It's almost physically painful to sit through. What am I missing? How on Earth did it last 4 seasons to begin with? So many shows from that time were pure cheese. But, this isn't even that. I don't know how to explain it.. How?? Why?? 

[xaxat]

On 3/9/2018 at 8:51 PM, Snow Apple said:

MeTV ran it several years ago but they changed the opening theme song which was incredibly disappointing. I guess Billy Joel (or whoever) didn't extend the rights.

There are a number of shows from the seventies and and eighties that are in a music rights limbo.

Quote

For most modern shows, these negotiations include all possible uses of the song — initial broadcast, reruns, syndication, DVDs, international, and online streaming. (This isn't always the case. NBC's Parenthood, for instance, has a different theme song on DVD than Bob Dylan's "Forever Young," which is what is used on TV.) The problems usually come from older programs, which were produced in eras when it was thought that TV shows were unlikely to ever come to home video, because there were so many episodes per season.

This means that some older TV shows used incredibly expensive music no one could get the rights to today, simply because no one thought anyone in 2014 would want to watch the show in the comfort of their own homes. WKRP's most famous episode, "Turkeys Away," for instance, uses the song "Dogs" by Pink Floyd in one of its biggest scenes. However, the song has been removed from Shout's release of the show, because it's impossible to get Pink Floyd music for a DVD release nowadays.

[DrSpaceman73]

21 minutes ago, HoboClayton said:

I remember watching Evening Shade once in a while when it was originally airing. I didn't remember much about it except that it starred Burt Reynolds. Recently, I have caught a few episodes and have been left absolutely perplexed as to how this show has such a high rating, and how it lasted 4 seasons. It's a talented, diverse-ish cast, but.. What I have seen, makes absolutely no sense to me. It's almost physically painful to sit through. What am I missing? How on Earth did it last 4 seasons to begin with? So many shows from that time were pure cheese. But, this isn't even that. I don't know how to explain it.. How?? Why?? 

I can't explain it either.  I remember the show existed but literally remember nothing about it other than the fact that it was set in the south and had Burt Reynolds as a star.  Its not like I have once in the last 25 years been dying for a network to do reruns of Evening Shade. 

I thought maybe it was tied with a strong lead in, but it was an 8 PM on Monday show timeslot most of the years it existed (Started out on Fridays)  And it was a top 30 show its entire run.  They even tried a SPINOFF of the show, though it failed.  I have no recollection of that at all. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evening_Shade

The best explanation I could give is it was produced by Linda-Bloodworth Thomason, the same group that made the more popular, and memorable, Designing Women, so maybe just benefited from being a similar southern based show on during the same time frame? 

I though maybe it was just a time slot thing too, no competition at 8 PM on Mondays......but no, it consistently beat out The Fresh Prince of Bel Aire, no Emmy quality but still a pretty popular show at the time.  And for two years it was going against MacGyver AND The Fresh Prince, and it won the time slot against those two both years. 

So in other words.......I can't explain it. 

[SVNBob]

11 hours ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

Mr. Roper was obviously meant to be a closeted homosexual, right? 

You're not the only one to think that.

A while back, Jenny McCarthy (before she became a controversial twit for non-Playboy reasons) had a sketch comedy show on MTV.  One episode had an opening sketch which was basically Three's Company: The Next Generation.  (Might even have been called that.)  Jenny was playing Chrissy's daughter, and was living in what looked like the original apartment with two roommates, one male and one female brunette.  Mom was coming over and Jenny wanted her roommates to use the same cover story as the original cast.  So she told the guy to pretend he was gay.  He said "I am gay."  Jenny: "Good!  Just like that."  Suzanne then entered to an ovation and the two Snow women shortly left the set.  The guy then told the Janet expy that his boyfriend was coming over, and there was a knock on the door.  It was Norman Fell dressed like a leather daddy, accompanied by another big ovation.  The two men made out, at which point both Jenny and Suzanne popped their heads back in the front door to exclaim "Mr. Roper!" in that tone Chrissy always used.  End of sketch, start of opening credits.

I wish I could find the video of it; it's funnier than how I described, and one of the last times I laughed with Jenny McCarthy.

[Blergh]

18 hours ago, HoboClayton said:

I remember watching Evening Shade once in a while when it was originally airing. I didn't remember much about it except that it starred Burt Reynolds. Recently, I have caught a few episodes and have been left absolutely perplexed as to how this show has such a high rating, and how it lasted 4 seasons. It's a talented, diverse-ish cast, but.. What I have seen, makes absolutely no sense to me. It's almost physically painful to sit through. What am I missing? How on Earth did it last 4 seasons to begin with? So many shows from that time were pure cheese. But, this isn't even that. I don't know how to explain it.. How?? Why?? 

 Ironically, it was the OTHER cast members that appealed to me. Most notably Hal Holbrook (as his father-in-law), Ossie Davis (as the cafe owner and narrator), Charles Durning (as the town doctor),  Ann Wedgeworth (as the doctor's flaky wife) and Elizabeth Ashley (as his aunt-in-law). In fact, I think if Mr. Reynolds's character and those of his nuclear family had just left town and let these others be the focus, it would have actually been a funnier, more clever show!

  Still, having lived in the Southeast US, I have to admit that having a somewhat idealized small town depicted with a good number of eccentrics was a bit refreshing for me (even though that had to take a back seat Mr. Reynolds's spotlight hogging).

[Bort]

On 3/26/2018 at 3:11 PM, xaxat said:

There are a number of shows from the seventies and and eighties that are in a music rights limbo.

Quote

For most modern shows, these negotiations include all possible uses of the song — initial broadcast, reruns, syndication, DVDs, international, and online streaming. (This isn't always the case. NBC's Parenthood, for instance, has a different theme song on DVD than Bob Dylan's "Forever Young," which is what is used on TV.) The problems usually come from older programs, which were produced in eras when it was thought that TV shows were unlikely to ever come to home video, because there were so many episodes per season.

This means that some older TV shows used incredibly expensive music no one could get the rights to today, simply because no one thought anyone in 2014 would want to watch the show in the comfort of their own homes. WKRP's most famous episode, "Turkeys Away," for instance, uses the song "Dogs" by Pink Floyd in one of its biggest scenes. However, the song has been removed from Shout's release of the show, because it's impossible to get Pink Floyd music for a DVD release nowadays.

 

The show Cold Case has still never seen the light of day in a DVD release or streaming.

[AntiBeeSpray]

1 hour ago, kariyaki said:

The show Cold Case has still never seen the light of day in a DVD release or streaming.

Yep and it's such a shame. It's a good show. I'd snap it up in a heart beat.

[biakbiak]

I am so pissed that Homefront has never been on DVD or streaming, it isn't the music rights because its nearly all in the public domain!

Edited April 1, 2018 by biakbiak

[Enigma X]

I am hooked on Barney Miller reruns and think they hold up well. Yes, cop  comedies/dramedies are more flashy these days, but Barney Miller still hits all the right spots.

[Tanichka]

1 hour ago, Enigma X said:

I am hooked on Barney Miller reruns and think they hold up well. Yes, cop  comedies/dramedies are more flashy these days, but Barney Miller still hits all the right spots.

Absolutely!  I loved it back in the day, I still watch now when I remember.  Dietrich killed me!

[RedheadZombie]

On 2/8/2018 at 7:44 PM, Pippin said:

Bewitched.  Dear God.  What can I say? Fucking Darrin.  What did Samantha ever see in that domineering, chauvinistic, obnoxious creepazoid?  You don't even have to be a feminist to cringe.

Why Samantha never turned this turd into a toad (don't mean to insult toads; useful creatures, unlike Darrin) is beyond me.

What makes it ironic is that Endora, who was portrayed as a right bitch and Generally Awful Person is actually a liberated woman (does not allow her husband to dictate to her, does her own thing, calls Darrin on his constant and consistent suckery) whereas submissive little housewife Samantha is held up as the right role model.

Dialogue that still makes me grind my teeth:  "Look [Darrin], I've got dishpan hands!"

Why in hell should Darrin complain about how she does the housework?  It's no skin off his obnoxious ass.

And to think when I was a kid, I really liked this show.

(PS: Although it'd be nice to be a witch.  (Think of the savings in travel alone!  Broomstick vs. airline!)

It never bothered me much as a kid, because the other rerun I watched was I Dream of Jeanie.  At least Samantha didn’t bow at Darrin’s feet nor call him Master (gag).  And Samantha defied Darrin when she really wanted to. 

Didn’t Samantha put up with all that crap because she yearned to be “normal”?

[MerBearHou]

I Love Lucy.   Lucy was worried when she bought an expensive new dress that Ricky might hit her. Creeped me out when I saw it recently.

[bmasters9]

10 hours ago, MerBearHou said:

I Love Lucy.   Lucy was worried when she bought an expensive new dress that Ricky might hit her. Creeped me out when I saw it recently.

And things like that are why I haven't been much of the fan of I Love Lucy!

[Blergh]

20 hours ago, RedheadZombie said:

It never bothered me much as a kid, because the other rerun I watched was I Dream of Jeanie.  At least Samantha didn’t bow at Darrin’s feet nor call him Master (gag).  And Samantha defied Darrin when she really wanted to. 

Didn’t Samantha put up with all that crap because she yearned to be “normal”?

Which is rather poignant. However; it should be noted that while Jeannie called Major Nelson 'Master' , there was no doubt who was TRULY running things in that household. Also, Samantha had TWO masters - Darren and Endora who she spent far too much time  vainly trying   to get them to be civil to each other (and, yes, I think Darren was the worse of the two re being needlessly antagonistic). I always wished there'd been an episode in which Samantha realized that life would be better if she just let them stew in their own rather than constantly trying to get them to play nice. 

[Snow Apple]

On Jennie, Tony just didn't want her to get caught. I felt he truly liked her and didn't want her to totally stop using magic. It's part of who she is.

I'm mostly ok with first Darren even though there were some problems, but I felt the second Darren hated Samantha sometimes. I know. It's the actors and not the show; but still.

[Macbeth]

On 2/13/2018 at 11:34 PM, Moose135 said:

Werner Klemperer, who played the camp commander, Colonel Klink, was a German-born Jew, and his family escaped to the United States in the 1930s.  He had one demand when he took the role ''I had one qualification when I took the job: if they ever wrote a segment whereby Colonel Klink would come out the hero, I would leave the show.''

John Banner (Sgt. Schultz) and Leon Askin (General Burkhalter) were both Jews born in Austria who came to the US as WWII was breaking out.  All three served in the US military during the war, Klemperer in the Army, and Banner and Askin in the Army Air Forces.

And Werner always said - He would quit the show if even one episode had the Nazis winning.

[Chaos Theory]

On 3/28/2018 at 10:02 PM, kariyaki said:

The show Cold Case has still never seen the light of day in a DVD release or streaming.

StartTV plays the show now.  Not on every network but I have been watching it.  

[Bort]

9 minutes ago, Chaos Theory said:

StartTV plays the show now.  Not on every network but I have been watching it.  

The music rights that they originally negotiated for Cold Case covered syndication. So it’ll still air. But DVD and Netflix/Hulu/Amazon? Nope.

[methodwriter85]

On 2/8/2018 at 5:45 PM, Blergh said:

Anyhoo, I don't know how this show lasted eight years, let alone one. It's so, so, so, SO BAD. Now its spin off, The Facts of Life, was much better, though that also just became bad around season six; it's up to season seven now, and YEESH! It's horrible--from the auto-tuned change of the opening and closing credits, to the stupid ass lame plots. Not even the cuteness of Mackenzie Astin saves it. And dorkey George Clooney was just that. Dorkey. But I'm a masochist and so will watch till the bitter end. Though the show should have been cancelled when Charlotte Rae left. Because as much as I like Cloris Leachman, her character, Beverly Ann, Mrs. Garrett's sister, annoyed the ever livin' crap out of me.

See, around 2006 or so, my OnDemand channel starting putting up episodes of The Facts of Life and I was actually pretty surprised at how well the show actually held up, especially seasons 2 through about season 5/season 6. They tackled a lot of issues in a surprisingly nuanced way for a 22 minute 1980's sitcom- the double standard that people have about girls and boys when it comes to sex, the way girls are forced to be sexualized even when they're not ready to be, the struggles to pay for a private and later college education if you're not rich, how money gets allocated by schools towards their sports programs to the detriment of other programs, the condescending way people with mental handicaps can be treated, etc etc.

Edited November 17, 2018 by methodwriter85

[Blergh]

methodwriter,

 

 I don't know how it happened, but the quoted part of your most recent text was actually authored by GH ScorpiosRule rather than myself. It's not that I don't agree with the sentiments expressed within  but I didn't write it. 

Edited November 17, 2018 by Blergh
full name

[Bastet]

@Blergh, that happens a fair bit -- it just means the text being quoted was pulled from your reply that also quoted it, rather than from her original post.

[DrSpaceman73]

On ‎11‎/‎17‎/‎2018 at 1:10 AM, methodwriter85 said:

See, around 2006 or so, my OnDemand channel starting putting up episodes of The Facts of Life and I was actually pretty surprised at how well the show actually held up, especially seasons 2 through about season 5/season 6. They tackled a lot of issues in a surprisingly nuanced way for a 22 minute 1980's sitcom- the double standard that people have about girls and boys when it comes to sex, the way girls are forced to be sexualized even when they're not ready to be, the struggles to pay for a private and later college education if you're not rich, how money gets allocated by schools towards their sports programs to the detriment of other programs, the condescending way people with mental handicaps can be treated, etc etc.

Yes at least earlier in the shows run, when they were still in school and were not all living together in a tiny little room in the attic and running a bakery (looking back, WTF was that about?  I know, just keeping them all together for the show), they did quite a few episodes like that.  They also did a few on rape/date rape. 

But that was kind of an 80s staple of these family sitcoms, which is kind of crazy looking back at them.  All the big family sitcoms did these "very special episodes".  Family Ties did a famous one on alcoholism staring Tom Hanks and also one I didn't recall until I watched it recently where a co-worker of the dad makes a sexual move on a teen age Mallory.  Growing Pains did the famous one with Matthew Perry where he dies drunk driving and one where Mike ends up at a party and is offered cocaine.  And the one I always remember is Different Strokes where Gordon Jump tries to molest Arnold and Dudley.  There were others, but those are the most memorable ones. 

All those VSEs kind of fell out of favor, at least in sitcoms, I think post-Seinfeld, where they took the approach of just avoiding any serious topic.  In fact they make light quite often of very serious topics.  I've mentioned it on other threads, you ever consider how often people die on Seinfeld and how many funerals they attend?  Not just George's fiancé susan either, started long before then.  They even joke about Jerry being molested by his dentist/Bryan Cranston.