Frontier House (1 Viewer)

[DennisHP]

If you didn't see it last night on PBS, try and check it out tonight. It's a 3 part series running 3 nights in a row with last night being the first.

It's basically three volunteer families who are put back in the 1880's, given 160 acres each in the same Montana valley, had to drive a horse-drawn wagon to get there, and have to live in period style (NO modern convieniences) for 6 months. This is real "survivor" where if your cow gets sick and dies, you don't have milk, butter, cheese etc.. You sleep in a tent until you get your cabin built. Wipe your arse with a rag or leaves (no TP), run out of food and you starve etc... I found it totally engrossing.

 

[CharlesD]

I saw it too (yay! for PBS HDTV!) and found it very interesting. It's well worth watching and gives a fascinating insight into the tough lives of the settlers.

 

[Quincy]

I saw it also, was pretty interesting. Only problem I had was that as the show went on I found myself hating the clunes more and more. I mean can you get any more materialistic?

 

[Scott DeToffol]

Yeah, it was very interesting. I was feeling slightly guilty sitting on my counch laughing at how pitiful the Clunes seemed. It looks hard! But the makeup thing was just ridiculous.

 

[JeromeS]

Yes the Clunes made me feel embarassed that they're from California. OTOH they're from Southern CA and I'm up in Northern CA.

 

[David Williams]

I have never heard so much whining in all my life.. but I do give them a *little* credit for leaving their lush lifestyle to go back to 1883 in the first place. That's more than 99% of your Malibu mavens would have done.
I am also a little bothered with the Glenns, especially when Tracy(?) was so cold milking their runaway cow and Mark Glenn never offered to help them or bring them inside and let them warm up a bit before making the half mile trek back to their house in 9 inches of snow. Whether the Glenns have a beef with Adrienne and Gordon or not, I wouldn't have taken it out on the kids. Kudos go to Nate Brooks for helping them get back safely.
I think both families need to work more at getting along, especially since they will be stuck together for such a long time. Hopefully the Clunes get less whiny and the Glenns less judgmental in tonight's two episodes. Only Rudy and Nate Brooks seem to have that sense of community that Karen keeps talking about.
Outside of the families, I've found this show to be equally as interesting as their freshman effort, 1900 House.

 

[Chris Lock]

I heard this was #1 in Amish households.

 

[BrianB]

Outside of the families, I've found this show to be equally as interesting as their freshman effort, 1900 House.

1900 House was a British production by Channel 4. There's another good series like this with a similiar concept, putting a number of familes back in the Bronze Age. The 'group' in that falls apart even faster. BBC America were broadcasting it over Christmas, I'm sure it will be repeated.

 

[David Williams]

1900 House was a British production by Channel 4.

Yes it was, and now they're back with a joint production with WNET for Frontier House. See pbs.org and the really fine print in the end credits for details.
This thread has been far kinder to the families on the show than the show's own forums at PBS.org. Talk about your eye-openers....

 

[Scott Leopold]

I missed last night, but I really enjoyed it this evening. While I was disappointed--okay, disgusted--with the Clunes for visiting the modern world, I did appreciate their ingenuity with the moonshine. The Brooks appear to be the most likable, and of course, least shown of the bunch. The only one on the show I find myself really disliking is Mrs. Glenn. Her holier-than-thou attitude toward the Clunes (and the Brooks, actually, with her comment about her "blue-blood" lady neighbors) amused and annoyed me, especially considering the terrible way she acts toward her husband. Having disagreements is one thing, but encouraging the children to ridicule him is another.

 

[David Williams]

The only one on the show I find myself really disliking is Mrs. Glenn.

Link Removed

 

[Craig Robertson]

although I wouldn't have given hard liquor to the kids or encouraged their participation in something clearly illegal

i wouldn't have them participate either. i don't have a problem with an adult choosing to break the law in such a fashion, and potentially face the consequences, but i don't think it's a good idea to be so blatant about it in front of kids.
after hearing the kids ask for some at the table when he's trying it out, i watched pretty carefully but did not see any of them actually drink any.
Karen Glenn was awful the first episode and worse on the second. she got off to a bad start with me during the training portion when they were discussing contraception and has only gone downhill from there.
i'll also miss Rudy.:frowning: perhaps the Brooks don't get as much airtime 'cause theres less conflict in there house?

 

[DennisHP]

Ditto about Rudy. How about the difference in wedding cakes! Mrs. Clune can really bake while the pitiful, in comparison, thing that Mrs. Glenn tried to make looked like bricks. Did Mrs. Clune have anything negative to say about it? No. But you can bet if it was the other way around Karen would have said something hurtful. I'd leave her in an 1883 minute. Wouldn't that be about 2 days?

 

[Ashley Seymour]

I am jealous of anyone who is able to watch this in HDTV. My over the air antenna reception in non-HDTV is still stunning. I am glad this location was chosen. It is a beautiful setting and is such a juxtaposition with the hardships of the homesteaders who get exhausted and rip up their hands on scythes, face hunger, endless work and little recreation.
What is really impressive is the frank presentation of the friction between and within the families. For all the criticism of reality TV, one of the benefits is an identification of the viewer with the people. This thread has the posters picking sides and offering frank evaluations about the people. This show sets the bar higher than other reality shows though.
I will check the forum discussion at PBS.org. I read the ABC forum for The Bachelor and found it wild and very insightful.

 

[John Berggren]

I do wonder when they'll rerun this. I didn't catch it. I have a hard time keeping up with what's on PBS stations.

 

[CharlesD]

The HDTV picture looks to be up-converted. In some shots there is a great deal of detail, but it tends to lack the "Oh wow!" factor of native HDTV content.

 

[Ed O]

The Clunes breaking the rules was an interesting event. Regardless of the neighbors being in the 21st century, the idea of bartering for goods remains true to the concept of the program. I think there would have been more than two other families in the vicinity with whom to trade. I think it was a minor infraction. If I were Adrienne, though, I would have made the kids NOT watch TV.
She traded for meat products, which would have been available to settlers because of the ability to hunt. I think it is one of the show's weaknesses. I don't think the "settlers" should be hunting on the program, but perhaps the producers could have given the families a limited supply of meat obtained by "hunting".
Even with minor flaws the show is very interesting AND entertaining.
The alcohol still was funny...even if the kids tried it. Which parents haven't let kids try a drink, even when very young? I don't see a problem with the still. Maybe they should have a "settler sheriff" make a bust and confiscate the still and put Gordon in "settler jail" for added realism.

 

[David Williams]

Which parents haven't let kids try a drink, even when very young?

I, personally, would draw the line between a few sips of merlot and a few sips of moonshine. But that's just me.

Another interesting edit was in Kristen's video diary entry on cooking pancakes, they edited out when she said 'fuck' instead of just bleeping it out. I'm guessing you could lip read it?

Adrienne's cake was gorgeous! Of course, I'd expect nothing less from woman with a food science degree from Trinity College.

 

[Craig Robertson]

Quote:

even on my crappy analog set, there is quite a range of PQ between scenes. from stunning landscape shots down to the everyday scenes and further down to the "real world" style camcorder shots done by the participants.
John Berggren, looks like it will be re-run in my market this weekend, you can do a listings search on tvguide.com.

 

[DennisHP]

The next "Celebrety Boxing Match" 1883 style...
Gorden Clune vs. Karen Glenn Gordon's corner man could be Mark Glenn!
I don't know if I agree with the judges that the Clunes would not have made it thru the winter. Although they certainly did not have enough wood or hay, I believe Gordon would have bargained his Chokecherry pop for about anything he needed. They are definately making it in the 2000's though. What a house!
While I've tried to watch the other "survivor" shows and couldn't, I was sad to see this series end.