Name A 60's TV Story Cliche (1 Viewer)

[David Deeb]

Son doesn't want dad to come to "Father Day" at school because Dad's occupation is too dull.

 

[JohnMor]

A beloved parent or revered family head is coming for their first visit, and due to years of lies told through letters to them, the leads have to pretend to be married/unmarried/have children/practice some other profession, etc.

 

[LeoA]

How about the one where a couple discovers something was wrong on their marriage certificate years later and that they're possibly not legally married? I can think of at least 2 or 3 examples off the top of my head for that one and bet that there's more.

 

[Frank Soyke]

Meeting the former school bully as an adult.

 

[Rob_Ray]

The domineering wife demands that the more timid husband ask his boss for a raise.

 

[High C]

'City slickers' try to corrupt rural guy but he eventually chooses the country lifestyle after all.

 

[Rob_Ray]

Family member, neighbor, co-worker or household servant gets the chance for an exciting new job elsewhere, but finally decides that:

a) happiness is staying close to Our Family (the usual outcome)

b) I'm sooo outta here! (the actor is getting his own show or a movie deal or can't stand working with the nominal star of the show).

 

[Professor Echo]

Can't remember if this has been mentioned already, but once beloved relative or family friend, legendary in everyone's memories, shows up after a long absence and winds up disappointing everyone by not living up to their legend. Fate intervenes with a situation for said relative or friend to prove that they are legendary after all, but perhaps in different ways than what was expected. Everyone is happy again!

 

[Peter M Fitzgerald]

The series' lead encounters and tries to help a 'special needs' person, with a parent or guardian who is either overprotective, an exploiter or abusive, and whom the local community often misunderstands or fears. The episode title is usually just one word, the first name of the person in need, like "Joby".

 

[bryan4999]

And when all else fails in casting any ethnic strereotype, we can always call on the ever reliable Nehimiah Persoff. If he's not available, Vitto Scotti is waiting in the wings.

It always startles me to see Vitto Scotti in The Godfather. I just knew him so well from sit-coms that it was distracting. (Sorry, Vitto, don't mean to pigeonhole you!)

 

[John Karras]

I've come across 4 examples of a lead character, without any previous mention of an iota of musical ability, get up and "jam" on the sax with a band-and play like a seasoned pro.

 

[Vic Pardo]

It always startles me to see Vitto Scotti in The Godfather. I just knew him so well from sit-coms that it was distracting. (Sorry, Vitto, don't mean to pigeonhole you!)

I never knew he was in THE GODFATHER. I never spotted him and I was certainly familiar enough with him from all the sitcoms that I think I would have. I'm guessing he played a very different character than usual and blended in with the film's fabric so well that it never occurred to me it was him. Now I have to see it again just to look for him. Who did he play?

 

[Jack P]

A promising boxer who has a devoted wife/girlfriend has some kind of affliction/condition that will make it too dangerous for him to continue but he persists and at the last moment before the critical fight, he will realize the risk is not worth losing his family so he promises to give up the ring.

 

[Rob_Ray]

A promising boxer who has a devoted wife/girlfriend has some kind of affliction/condition that will make it too dangerous for him to continue but he persists and at the last moment before the critical fight, he will realize the risk is not worth losing his family so he promises to give up the ring.

In other words, a re-working of "The Set-Up." So many of these familiar plots are 30 or 60 minute reworkings of classic stories of the past from "Random Harvest" to "Dracula."

 

[bryan4999]

I never knew he was in THE GODFATHER. I never spotted him and I was certainly familiar enough with him from all the sitcoms that I think I would have. I'm guessing he played a very different character than usual and blended in with the film's fabric so well that it never occurred to me it was him. Now I have to see it again just to look for him. Who did he play?

He is very prominent on the bandstand in the wedding scene at the very beginning. IMDB states his character name as "Nazorine".

 

[bryan4999]

One plot device that always bugs me is when a character (usually a second banana) behaves in a way totally inconsistent with their established character as a conceit to create the "situation". For example, in some "I Love Lucy" episodes, Ethel will say something to Lucy like, "Are you sure Ricky was working late at the club last night?" in a very accusing tone and that sets Lucy off. Ethel would go along with Lucy's schemes, but she was never the instigator - except in those instances where the writers used her that way. This kind of scenario pops up in many series and it just seems lazy to me.

 

[Rob_Ray]

One plot device that always bugs me is when a character (usually a second banana) behaves in a way totally inconsistent with their established character as a conceit to create the "situation". For example, in some "I Love Lucy" episodes, Ethel will say something to Lucy like, "Are you sure Ricky was working late at the club last night?" in a very accusing tone and that sets Lucy off. Ethel would go along with Lucy's schemes, but she was never the instigator - except in those instances where the writers used her that way. This kind of scenario pops up in many series and it just seems lazy to me.

Ethel *was* an instigator in several early episodes like "Numerology" and "Be a Pal." She could be quite a troublemaker and Lucy was very gullible. Rather than being simply inconsistent, the characters evolved over time.

However, there's one episode that really rankles me with the inconsistency: When, in season four, each character has an annoying habit that get's on their spouse's nerves, they display a habit we have never EVER seen before (with a possible exception for Ethel, who eats noisily). Ricky taps his fingers on the table, Lucy stirs her coffee ad nauseum and Fred jangles his keys whenever he stands still. ONLY in this episode!

 

[David Weicker]

Lest we forget John Marley as the perpetually crabby guy with great hair. And don't know if this has been mentioned, but whenever a good guy is wounded he shows up in the last scene with his arm in a sling.

Even when he was shot in the leg.

 

[Frank Soyke]

I've come across 4 examples of a lead character, without any previous mention of an iota of musical ability, get up and "jam" on the sax with a band-and play like a seasoned pro.

Somewhat off topic, I thought it was just a little bit odd that Cliff Huxtable seemed to be friends with every major black musician in music history.

 

[Vic Pardo]

I saw this on Dick Van Dyke once, but it must have been used in other sitcoms: The parents suddenly get obsessed with the notion that their child had been switched with another at the hospital when the mother gave birth--years ago!