Late To The Party: Obvious Things About Shows You Realized Embarrasingly Late

[GaT]

3 hours ago, Rockstar99435 said:

Not a tv show, but I must have watched Dirty Dancing 100 times in 3rd and 4th grade and it wasn't until I rewatched in my late 20's that I realized why Penny needed a doctor.

Just curious, why did you think she needed one when you were younger?

[Anela]

On 9/17/2018 at 8:53 PM, Sandman87 said:

Don't feel bad forumfish. When I was very small, I used to think that all shows were being performed live, even when they were reruns. Even the cartoons.

I did, too. not the cartoons, but other shows. We were watching The Streets of San Francisco, one evening (I didn't watch much adult TV at that age), and I remember asking mum why someone would take a job, if they knew they were going to die. She had to explain to me that they were still alive, their families hadn't lost them. 

[Crs97]

Just realized last night that Dick Wolf shows end with the howling of a . . . wolf.  Not gonna lie, this one hurts me a little.

[theredhead77]

14 hours ago, Rockstar99435 said:

Not a tv show, but I must have watched Dirty Dancing 100 times in 3rd and 4th grade and it wasn't until I rewatched in my late 20's that I realized why Penny needed a doctor.

Same! I just never put it together.

[Blergh]

On ‎9‎/‎17‎/‎2018 at 6:28 PM, forumfish said:

As a little girl watching PBS, I thought "Viewers Like You" was the name of a corporation that supported the station.

 

Actually, I originally thought it meant that the viewers LIKE you (actually ME since I was the one watching it). As in, 'hey all these organizations support our station/program AND the viewers LIKE you personally!'. I guess that was a rather mild effect after watching Mister Rogers say that he liked me for just being me!

[Rockstar99435]

16 hours ago, GaT said:

Just curious, why did you think she needed one when you were younger?

I just thought she was sick. I grew up pretty poor and was familiar with people putting off going to the doctor either hoping that the issue would clear up on its own or trying to save up money until they could afford the doctor. I remember thinking that the back alley guy she went to turned out to be a fake doctor who stabbed her in the belly and that's why she was so excited at the end that she could still have children. 

[GaT]

2 hours ago, Rockstar99435 said:

I just thought she was sick. I grew up pretty poor and was familiar with people putting off going to the doctor either hoping that the issue would clear up on its own or trying to save up money until they could afford the doctor. I remember thinking that the back alley guy she went to turned out to be a fake doctor who stabbed her in the belly and that's why she was so excited at the end that she could still have children. 

LOL, that's some serious kid-think.

[theredhead77]

3 hours ago, Rockstar99435 said:

I just thought she was sick. I grew up pretty poor and was familiar with people putting off going to the doctor either hoping that the issue would clear up on its own or trying to save up money until they could afford the doctor. I remember thinking that the back alley guy she went to turned out to be a fake doctor who stabbed her in the belly and that's why she was so excited at the end that she could still have children. 

That's probably what I thought too. I had no idea what abortion was and "knocked up" probably went over my head at the age I was watching Dirty Dancing. Now, why parents let me watch Dirty Dancing at that age is a whole other question.

Daisy Duke being related to Luke and Bo went right over my head and I always wanted her to get together with Bo. Yes, I know they all called Jesse Uncle Jesse and called each other cousin. I have no idea why it went over my head but I was 8 when she show ended so let's go with that.

Edited October 14, 2018 by theredhead77

[janie jones]

17 hours ago, Anela said:

I did, too. not the cartoons, but other shows. We were watching The Streets of San Francisco, one evening (I didn't watch much adult TV at that age), and I remember asking mum why someone would take a job, if they knew they were going to die. She had to explain to me that they were still alive, their families hadn't lost them. 

I don't know anything about this show (besides what I just skimmed on Wikipedia).  I don't understand what you mean about people taking jobs if they're going to die soon.  As in, the characters who were about to be murdered on the show?

[rur]

On 10/12/2018 at 8:30 PM, Rockstar99435 said:

Not a tv show, but I must have watched Dirty Dancing 100 times in 3rd and 4th grade and it wasn't until I rewatched in my late 20's that I realized why Penny needed a doctor.

That's OK. I was probably in my 30s when I finally realized what the audience was being obliquely told when Maria was sitting in her bedroom with Tony in her slip in West Side Story. Before that, I'd just always thought it was an odd scene and waited impatiently for the next song. 

[Blergh]

2 hours ago, rur said:

That's OK. I was probably in my 30s when I finally realized what the audience was being obliquely told when Maria was sitting in her bedroom with Tony in her slip in West Side Story. Before that, I'd just always thought it was an odd scene and waited impatiently for the next song. 

Somewhat along those lines, it was not until adulthood that I FINALLY got why Gloria was SO upset with Mike for getting especially turned on seeing her in a black fun wig she'd gotten and the fact that Mike was acting more interested than usual via that wig - and why Archie was downright disgusted at seeing Edith flaunt the very same wig at the tag of that All in the Family episode!

[SVNBob]

5 hours ago, theredhead77 said:

Daisy Duke being related to Luke and Bo went right over my head and I always wanted her to get together with Bo.

Well, the show was set in Appalachia...

[Joe]

The first pro wresting magazine I ever read admitted that it was fake. But I was a dumb kid, it didn't really sink in. So I remember an article in another magazine talking about how Jake the Snake Roberts had no business in the ring because he was blind, and I really was concerned. IIRC the angle was with Rick Martel. A few years later, I finally saw the match. Both wrestlers ended up fighting with bags over their heads. But by then, I'd smartened up a bit. I could watch and enjoy the ridiculousness.

[Katy M]

On ‎9‎/‎17‎/‎2018 at 8:53 PM, Sandman87 said:

Don't feel bad forumfish. When I was very small, I used to think that all shows were being performed live, even when they were reruns. Even the cartoons.

I used the think that the people were actually in the TV.  I wanted to open up the TV and let them out.  Luckily my mom stopped me from trying.

[Sandman87]

On 10/18/2018 at 11:50 AM, Katy M said:

I used the think that the people were actually in the TV.  I wanted to open up the TV and let them out.  Luckily my mom stopped me from trying.

I probably would have thought that too, but for the fact that my grandfather let me "help" him pull the tubes out when they needed testing.

Yes, I'm old enough to remember a time when large stores often had tube-testing machines at the front which customers could use to see if they needed to buy any new TV or radio tubes.

[Orillia]

I remember that whenever the TV repairman had to come over, us kids were told that if we acted up he wouldn't put the cartoon tube back in. Needless to say, it worked every time. Four kids on their best behavior. We knew what was important.

[ParadoxLost]

This is about a movie rather than TV, but I just now realized that Pet Cemetery is Pet Sematary.

[HunterHunted]

Reading through these makes me realize that I was a preternaturally savvy kid. I suspect it's because I had family and friends who worked in the industry. Even still, I didn't know everything. I remember how irritated I'd be when President Reagan would interrupt a broadcast with some sort of announcement or address. I can recall yelling about how dumb he was to interrupt cartoons because no one watching cartoons could vote. I would later learn that the decision to preempt was done on a station by station basis.

[proserpina65]

On ‎11‎/‎05‎/‎2018 at 4:30 PM, HunterHunted said:

Reading through these makes me realize that I was a preternaturally savvy kid. I suspect it's because I had family and friends who worked in the industry. Even still, I didn't know everything. I remember how irritated I'd be when President Reagan would interrupt a broadcast with some sort of announcement or address. I can recall yelling about how dumb he was to interrupt cartoons because no one watching cartoons could vote. I would later learn that the decision to preempt was done on a station by station basis.

I was an adult in 1985, but I was still very pissed at ABC interrupting the London Live Aid broadcast to talk about Reagan's polyp surgery.  Which might very well have just been the Baltimore ABC station's decision.  (If I remember correctly, it was during Sting's set, and I loved Sting back then.)

[Blergh]

On 11/5/2018 at 3:30 PM, HunterHunted said:

Reading through these makes me realize that I was a preternaturally savvy kid. I suspect it's because I had family and friends who worked in the industry. Even still, I didn't know everything. I remember how irritated I'd be when President Reagan would interrupt a broadcast with some sort of announcement or address. I can recall yelling about how dumb he was to interrupt cartoons because no one watching cartoons could vote. I would later learn that the decision to preempt was done on a station by station basis.

This somewhat reminds me of the Watergate days in which the proceedings were broadcast for hours.  I was a kid and it had been announced that that day's session would start at  8:30 AM local time but I turned on the set at 8:00 AM to watch Captain Kangaroo and it was on so I felt relieved and starting watching. Anyway, during one of the 'live' comedy bits between the Captain and Mr. Green Jeans at precisely 8:30 AM- came the 'We Interrupt This Program to Bring You. ..' then, natch the hearings started again. Man, was I MAD. They didn't even let the Captain finish his sentence so Mr. Green Jeans could tell him the punch line.  To keep this relevant to the thread, back then I thought that the Captain and Mr. Green Jeans were waiting to come back on to finish the skit and watched for about an hour hoping they'd get out of 'suspended TV animation' but that didn't happen. It wasn't until years later that I learned they'd taped those shows well in advance but I can't imagine that the late Mr. Bob Keeshan wasn't upset that they only broadcast HALF of his program but I guess it was better than The Price Is Right not being broadcast at all. 

Edited November 10, 2018 by Blergh
I's didn't quite have it

[tribeca]

When we were kids mom didn’t like the violence in cartoons so she let us watch old TV shows instead.  I use to love The Patty Duke show and really believed Cathy and Patty we’re twins. 

[Katy M]

3 hours ago, tribeca said:

When we were kids mom didn’t like the violence in cartoons so she let us watch old TV shows instead.  I use to love The Patty Duke show and really believed Cathy and Patty we’re twins. 

I thought they were really twins on The Parent Trap.  Which I saw on TV so it totally counts. 

[ratgirlagogo]

9 hours ago, Katy M said:

I thought they were really twins on The Parent Trap.

That was Hayley Mills in The Parent Trap.  Though now that you said it occurs to me that the movie WAS the inspiration for Patty's show.

Edited November 12, 2018 by ratgirlagogo

[bmasters9]

One other thing I realized over time: on The NFL Today on CBS w/Brent Musburger, Phyllis George, Irv Cross and Jimmy "The Greek" (this being the one I grew up around in the 80s), the title banner in the background in Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York did not read CBS The NFL Today as I always assumed it did from my childhood (with "CBS" in the eyeball of the eye device [although that version of the title was always used in the opening for Don Robertson's billboard]), but rather had a simple, plain CBS eye and The NFL Today title.

The same was true for college football coverage w/Jim Nantz in Studio 43: the title banner in the background on that did not read CBS College Football Report (or CBS College Football in 1986), with the CBS lettering in the eye device, but, like The NFL Today, had a simple, plain CBS eye device for both versions.

Here are the different versions of the Studio 43 setup in New York, for Brent's NFL coverage and Jim Nantz's college football coverage...

Edited November 12, 2018 by bmasters9

[MissAlmond]

Back when the majority of TV series were stand alone episodes, I used to wonder why character's relatives/friends would constantly change.  I remembered how Guest Star A would appear and said to be the main character's BFF only for later episodes to say Guest Star B was now the BFF.  I used to ask myself, wait, what happened to Guest Star A?  I thought that was their BFF.  There were siblings who appeared only to disappeared, birth orders rearranged, vacations to cities that happened, only to later never have been visited.  It was all very confusing because I remembered it all! 

Of course, I'm the same person who started watching a certain soap opera as a young girl because a major character had a life threatening medical condition.  The operation was thought to be successful, but the doctor warned it could return.  I spend years wondering if there would be a reoccurrence.   It took years to finally realize in the soap world, serious, life threating medical conditions are forever forgotten once a plotline has run its course.   BTW - the soap opera in question has been off the air for years now, yet still I remember.  

Edited November 12, 2018 by MissAlmond

[Katy M]

2 hours ago, MissAlmond said:

Of course, I'm the same person who started watching a certain soap opera as a young girl because a major character had a life threatening medical condition.  The operation was thought to be successful, but the doctor warned it could return.  I spend years wondering if there would be a reoccurrence.   It took years to finally realize in the soap world, serious, life threating medical conditions are forever forgotten once a plotline has run its course.   BTW - the soap opera in question has been off the air for years now, yet still I remember.  

I hope you weren't afraid/hopeful that one day you would wake up and suddenly be 15:)

[DrSpaceman73]

On ‎10‎/‎12‎/‎2018 at 8:30 PM, Rockstar99435 said:

Not a tv show, but I must have watched Dirty Dancing 100 times in 3rd and 4th grade and it wasn't until I rewatched in my late 20's that I realized why Penny needed a doctor.

I realized why penny needed a doctor and what had happened. 

However re-watching Dirty Dancing a few months back and seeing what kind of "dancing" they were really doing at those parties all the camp workers went to........yeah, they were just dry humping, that was not dancing. 

I side with the parents now.  I'd out Baby in a corner rather than letting her go to one of those parties. 

[MissAlmond]

2 hours ago, Katy M said:

I hope you weren't afraid/hopeful that one day you would wake up and suddenly be 15:)

No. But I thought of the money parents could save if a kid went straight from being a toddler to a fully grown adult with a job.  

Edited November 12, 2018 by MissAlmond

[blueray]

I was just watching a random episode of Gilmore Girls. Jess and Rory just got together and were kissing outside by a gas station. Anyhow, Jess said something like "well at least we know that works". And when I first saw the episode as a teen, I didn't get what he meant. I think I thought it  meant them kissing "worked". But now that I'm older I get that there was something else he was referring too ;).

Edited November 24, 2018 by blueray

[Blergh]

OK, here's another one from my childhood and this 'obvious' thing only got dispelled when I saw it in person: on my local station, the Bozo Show featured a 'prize machine'  which was a painted cardboard poster of Bozo that when our local Bozo would hit the nose, would have prizes shoot out the mouth that would give the in-studio kid-winners assorted toys. Anyway, thanks to the sound effects, I thought it was a REAL machine until I got to be a 'guest kid' then I saw in person that it was actually a prop man behind the box throwing the toys out the mouth upon the local Bozo's hitting the poster's nose. OK, I was eight at the time. However; even then I felt   smarter than another kid who whined (upon seeing a gap with actual skin and hair on the local Bozo's wrist between his cuff and glove) that this proved 'he wasn't a REAL clown'- as if clowns are   supposed to be a separate humanoid species that naturally have fright-wig  hair and bizarrely colored skin! 

[bmasters9]

Another thing that I did not know (and I don't know if I said this one here or not): on the 1981-87 opening of NBC's hit daily serial Another World, this circular monstrosity that looked like a frilly-edged something or other came forward, and I went through it (in a manner of speaking); I think I was only about 3 or 4 when I saw it for the first time.

Seeing it again some years later, I discovered that it was AW's trademark wreath of interlocking circles, 80s style, and that it left a tunnel trail behind it that the viewer went through; also, I thought that the tunnel came forward as one unit, but it wasn't like that-- rather, it stretched out as the wreath came forward, and then retracted as we went out the other end (similar to the opening of Sunday Morning on CBS w/the great, late Charles Kuralt then [and by extension, the daily Morning show that was on weekdays], where the same thing was done w/CBS' Eye Device).

Attached are screencaps of both openings.

 

Edited November 27, 2018 by bmasters9

[Oosala]

On ‎10‎/‎5‎/‎2018 at 3:10 PM, cpcathy said:

It's not TV, but having to do with radio. When I was little, I thought that the bands would come into the studio and play a song, then they would leave and another band would come in, and so on.

SO DID I.  I thought they had all of the bands lined up in separate small studio rooms and then they'd go down the line with microphones and each band would play their song.  I made the mistake of telling this to my son and he's laughed about it ever since.  Now I can show him that someone else thought the same thing.  Plus, back off.  I was probably 4 years old, listening to my transistor radio with one earphone after lights out.

[Katy M]

38 minutes ago, Oosala said:

SO DID I.  I thought they had all of the bands lined up in separate small studio rooms and then they'd go down the line with microphones and each band would play their song.  I made the mistake of telling this to my son and he's laughed about it ever since.  Now I can show him that someone else thought the same thing.  Plus, back off.  I was probably 4 years old, listening to my transistor radio with one earphone after lights out.

Speaking of radios, we were in New Jersey (not the state where we lived) on my b-day and a relative gave me a small radio.  When we got home, I thought it would pick up NJ, and only, NJ stations because that's where it came from.

[BookWitch]

Game show players. When I was little I thought they flew home after every episode and just kept coming back if they kept winning. Now I know they shoot multiple episodes a day and are supposed to bring changes of clothes. 

[ParadoxLost]

I apparently didn't connect things in mind as clearly as I thought.

Despite knowing all about Thor, Asgard, and Norse mythology, I saw that Marvel was doing an Asgard comic and thought "Marvel and Stargate SG-1 crossover".  My google search kicked in faster than my brain did.

Edited November 27, 2018 by ParadoxLost

[Joe]

7 hours ago, ParadoxLost said:

I apparently didn't connect things in mind as clearly as I thought.

Despite knowing all about Thor, Asgard, and Norse mythology, I saw that Marvel was doing an Asgard comic and thought "Marvel and Stargate SG-1 crossover".  My google search kicked in faster than my brain did.

That would be a really fun crossover!

[theredhead77]

23 hours ago, ParadoxLost said:

I apparently didn't connect things in mind as clearly as I thought.

Despite knowing all about Thor, Asgard, and Norse mythology, I saw that Marvel was doing an Asgard comic and thought "Marvel and Stargate SG-1 crossover".  My google search kicked in faster than my brain did.

 

15 hours ago, Joe said:

That would be a really fun crossover!

I would watch the crap out of that crossover!

Things I just realized, today. will.i.am (rapper) is William. d'oh!

[DearEvette]

So we just happen to watch the last little bit of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. 

My 15 yo after making light fun of the animation said: "Well I do have to give them credit for showing the Aurora Borealis in the sky at the North Pole. "

Me : "huh."

Him: "What did you think it that was?"

Me:  "I dunno, snow fog?"

[DrSpaceman73]

On ‎11‎/‎27‎/‎2018 at 9:17 PM, DearEvette said:

So we just happen to watch the last little bit of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. 

My 15 yo after making light fun of the animation said: "Well I do have to give them credit for showing the Aurora Borealis in the sky at the North Pole. "

Me : "huh."

Him: "What did you think it that was?"

Me:  "I dunno, snow fog?"

I never realized that is what it was either

[Blergh]

I can recall being a child thinking regular TV shows and, especially commercials, were shot in the homes of actual people! NOT that I thought that the performers enacting the shows and ads lived there but I had this idea that camera crews would tell the home dwellers to go into another room while the shots were being shot.  I wonder how many contemporary kids think the same thing -especially with the proliferation of 'reality' TV (and how many parents attempt to explain the differences between sets and actual homes). 

[SmithW6079]

On 11/24/2018 at 3:38 PM, Blergh said:

as if clowns are   supposed to be a separate humanoid species that naturally have fright-wig  hair and bizarrely colored skin! 

They are. That's why they're evil.

[Snow Apple]

I remember watching an episode of Married With Children where Steve and Al took Marcie's doll to sell. Marcie found it missing and threatened to hammer the thief's toes one by one, and if the thief is a man ("and I know it's a man!"), she threatened to turn the hammer around. The audience reacted as you think they'll react.

i had no idea how that would harm anyone worse than the medal end of a hammer until years later. Eek.

Edited December 9, 2018 by Snow Apple

[GaT]

I don't know why I suddenly remembered this, but it just popped into my head. I was a full grown adult before I realized that James Doohan (Scotty on Star Trek), wasn't actually Scottish & didn't have a Scottish accent IRL. I guess it never occured to me that he wasn't Scottish when I was a kid, & I never questioned it growing up. I remember it was an eye popping moment when I saw him on some talk show, & there was no accent.

[Blergh]

5 hours ago, GaT said:

I don't know why I suddenly remembered this, but it just popped into my head. I was a full grown adult before I realized that James Doohan (Scotty on Star Trek), wasn't actually Scottish & didn't have a Scottish accent IRL. I guess it never occured to me that he wasn't Scottish when I was a kid, & I never questioned it growing up. I remember it was an eye popping moment when I saw him on some talk show, & there was no accent.

  Don't feel too bad. I was quite grown up when I saw Lucy Lawless on a talk show- and was shocked at her speaking in her natural Aussie accent instead of Xena's flat US American one. Now why they thought a flat US accent would be more apt for a quasi-  Ancient Greek character instead of an Aussie one, I have no idea! 

[Katy M]

44 minutes ago, Blergh said:

  Don't feel too bad. I was quite grown up when I saw Lucy Lawless on a talk show- and was shocked at her speaking in her natural Aussie accent instead of Xena's flat US American one. Now why they thought a flat US accent would be more apt for a quasi-  Ancient Greek character instead of an Aussie one, I have no idea! 

Probably because everyone else had American accents and that way they all at least matched.

[Joe]

2 hours ago, Blergh said:

  Don't feel too bad. I was quite grown up when I saw Lucy Lawless on a talk show- and was shocked at her speaking in her natural Aussie accent instead of Xena's flat US American one. Now why they thought a flat US accent would be more apt for a quasi-  Ancient Greek character instead of an Aussie one, I have no idea! 

As much as I'd like to claim her as a fellow Aussie, she's actually from New Zealand. I can see how you'd get confused, though. There's degrees of the Kiwi accent, and some sound almost identical to Aussie.

[Blergh]

4 hours ago, Joe said:

As much as I'd like to claim her as a fellow Aussie, she's actually from New Zealand. I can see how you'd get confused, though. There's degrees of the Kiwi accent, and some sound almost identical to Aussie.

     Well, I suppose to folks in your corner of the world, it's not so easy to tell US American accents apart from Canadian accents.  Anyway, to keep this ontopic, I now realize it's possible that they 'Americanized' the Xena casts' accents since the major potential market was the US rather than solely  Australia and New Zealand.  Am I embarrassed that I didn't realize this until just now?

[MissAlmond]

Once, when reminiscing about (cartoon) Speed Racer as an adult, it dawned on me all those little sounds Speed always made sounded like something else . . . 

Edited December 17, 2018 by MissAlmond

[Blergh]

1 hour ago, MissAlmond said:

Once, when reminiscing about (cartoon) Speed Racer as an adult, it dawned on me all those little sounds Speed always made sounded like something else . . . 

 Don't feel too bad. I used to watch it as a teen and wonder how it was that the car seemed to (almost?) NEVER run out of gas!  Now I realize that they simply went to the gas station during the commercial breaks! LOL

[ParadoxLost]

On 11/12/2018 at 11:22 AM, MissAlmond said:

Of course, I'm the same person who started watching a certain soap opera as a young girl because a major character had a life threatening medical condition.  The operation was thought to be successful, but the doctor warned it could return.  I spend years wondering if there would be a reoccurrence.   It took years to finally realize in the soap world, serious, life threating medical conditions are forever forgotten once a plotline has run its course.   BTW - the soap opera in question has been off the air for years now, yet still I remember.  

I can one up you on this.  The soap I refer to is still on.  I have no idea if the character still lives.  But if she doesn't or when she doesn't, I would greatly appreciate it if the reading of her will revealed that she was practically destitute and left behind only a crippling debt.  I always thought it should have been a major issue in her marriage.  It wasn't. But I can never forget that the fiscally irresponsible Felicia Scorpio-Jones bought her share of he Outback with credit cards.  Credit cards.  The moron.