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It's About Time...Finally (1 Viewer)

Neil Brock

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I have to admit I have one of those "Homemade" sets. A date hasn't been announced, but I do plan to get it, and gives the boots THE BOOT! :laugh:

I gave mine the boot when I was able to record it perfect quality from Antenna TV last year. I did however use the credits from the film transfer set as Antenna now butchers them.
 

Neil Brock

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There was no season 2. Boss and Clon were left behind in episode 20 when the series was retooled in an effort to boost ratings, which saw the astronauts going home along with Shad, Gronk, Mlar, and Breer, to modern (1967) LA. It didn't work. Those last half dozen episodes reversed the premise and were similar in style to The Beverly Hillbillies with the cavemen encountering modern times and being the fish-out-of-water.


When the format changed, the show improved from abysmal to at least pedestrian.
 

dhammer

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Leave It To Beaver wasn't reality even back then. TV is a beautiful lie.
Interesting. One of the main differences between yesterday and today is the old shows presented an idealized version of people and society. Today's shows go the opposite way pointing out the ugliness of the human condition. If the former was a lie than so is the present.
 

bigshot

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Interesting. One of the main differences between yesterday and today is the old shows presented an idealized version of people and society. Today's shows go the opposite way pointing out the ugliness of the human condition. If the former was a lie than so is the present.

Back then, they ignored their wounds. Today, we pick at our scabs. The end result is the same.
 

dhammer

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Back then, they ignored their wounds. Today, we pick at our scabs. The end result is the same.
So true but another interesting question is what effect has either type of programming had on our culture? The age old riddle of what came first, the chicken or the egg. In this case does TV influence culture or does culture influence TV? Both are true but I believe uplifting shows make us better. We have seen how powerful certain movies are and the effect it had on us. Certain disturbing TV can really negatively effect us as well.

When I watch old TV everyone seems to interact normally (for the most part). Their actions are normal and expected. Watching modern shows sometimes everyone is acting inhuman like shows with morbid scenes and unnatural responses. An example would be the difference between Quincy and CSI. Quincy was empathetic and passionate.His emotions were appropriate to the story. CSI is intentionally cold and indifferent. You see the most horrific scenes and the cast is like no big deal, all in a day's work. I find their responses to be unnatural.

Modern Batman movies compared to the series could not be more different. Adam West's portrayal was of a highly moral person continuously calling us to be the best person or citizen we can be. It was happy and cheerful. Modern Dark Knight movies are often morally ambiguous. They are dark and gloomy. When I think of Gotham City in the 1966 Batman it was a happy, well-ordered society. The depressing, apocalyptic atmosphere of modern Batman movies makes you envy the characters that are killed off. At least thy are getting out of that hellish city and movie. I guess I am just rambling.
 

Joe Lugoff

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I totally agree about the old TV shows (and movies). The characters seem to be relatable human beings. I stopped watching present-day "entertainment" years ago, but when I see segments of it I feel as if I must live in a different Universe.

About "Leave It to Beaver": It's true that it generally presented a "too good to be true" view of life.

However, there's one thing it showed in quite a negative light, and it unfortunately was something very true to life. And that's that all of Beaver's and Wally's friends were jerks who took delight in getting them in trouble. Eddie Haskell was certainly true to life -- a phony, insecure bully who only felt good when he was bragging about himself and putting other people down.

Oh, could I say something political now, but I won't.
 

Regulus

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William Hughes
Its been a decade since I gave up on today's programming. My signature says it all. There's no such thing as "Nothing good on TV tonight". I fire up my player, insert a disk and set back and relax, knowing I won't be seeing anything that insults me (This includes the commercials). Just good clean family fun.
 

bigshot

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I love old TV shows, but I'd never give up on current TV. There's too much good stuff being made now. It's just in different genres. Sitcoms were better back then. Crime shows, mysteries and documentaries are as good now as they ever were... in some cases, better.
 

dhammer

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You guys have absolutely figured out why they make TV: so people can use it 50 years later to hide from progress and reality!
You must be a young person who unfortunately hasn't lived in better times. Progress and reality? Is being immoral, irreligious, obscene, vulgar, unpatriotic examples of progress and reality? Not in my world.
 

dhammer

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I love old TV shows, but I'd never give up on current TV. There's too much good stuff being made now. It's just in different genres. Sitcoms were better back then. Crime shows, mysteries and documentaries are as good now as they ever were... in some cases, better.
It is all subjective, there is something for everyone. One of the things that bothers me about today's shows, particularly police/detective shows is how unrealistic today's shows are. With very few exceptions every character is an anorexic, 22yr old with a perfect build and wearing expensive designer clothing. If you look at these kind of shows from a few decades ago you will see people who are older who look like real people and act like real people (Cannon, Kojak, Barnaby Jones, Mannix, and many more)
 

Mr. Handley

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I've got a huge collection of old TV shows and spend most of my time with them, but there is some great TV being produced today. Some of my all-time favorites (Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Boardwalk Empire, Dexter, Game of Thrones) are from recent years. You just have to sort thru the garbage to find the gems.
 

Regulus

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There's a lot more garbage than gems, if something catches my interest, more often than not it will become available on home video in a few months If you are willing to wait a few more months a title will be in a retailer's bargain bin. If you are patient to wait a few years, you may find a set being offered at someone's yard sale. (A few years ago I picked up four Star Trek Sets (The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager and Enterprise) for $25.00 each at a yard sale. :D
 

bigshot

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One of the things that bothers me about today's shows, particularly police/detective shows is how unrealistic today's shows are.

The best of the lot was probably Columbo, and how realistic was that? How realistic was I Dream of Jeannie and I Love Lucy? Realism is overrated.

Lately, I've been shopping at amazon.co.uk for TV shows I've never heard of. I look through the reviews and ratings and look for unknown gems. There's a lot of great stuff out there, both old and new. But in order to find the good stuff, you have to crawl out of your nostalgia box and seek out something different and new.
 

Neil Brock

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You must be a young person who unfortunately hasn't lived in better times. Progress and reality? Is being immoral, irreligious, obscene, vulgar, unpatriotic examples of progress and reality? Not in my world.

Agree, except for the irreligious part, which we don't discuss here anyway. Maybe TV is more realistic now but I don't necessarily think that makes it better. East Side West Side was realistic yet it was so downbeat and depressing that it barely limped through one season and even then they had to change the format 2/3 of the way through. Not that I don't love the show, but I'm still glad I grew up on Leave it to Beaver, My Little Margie and other 50s and 60s reruns and dopey comedies.
 

Stephen Bowie

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You must be a young person who unfortunately hasn't lived in better times. Progress and reality? Is being immoral, irreligious, obscene, vulgar, unpatriotic examples of progress and reality? Not in my world.
Ha. You must be a straight white guy or you wouldn't be in such a hurry to set your time machine for 1950.
 

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