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

[Hollywoodaholic]

I've actually thought about that a lot. I think the "special guest star" designation was probably in lieu of paying them as much as the regular guest stars, who were usually more famous.

Probably right. I was a feature writer who wrote some material for an HBO TV series and my sketches were singled out in the credits as "Special Material By" which I thought was so cool at the time, but of course it just meant my agent negotiated a better credit in lieu of any additional or 'special' payment.

 

[JohnMor]

You know even Lassie and Flicka were blinded for awhile!

Lassie even had amnesia in a 4 episode arc that lasted all of January 1970. Seriously upset me as a child, as I thought she'd never find her way back home.

 

[Hollywoodaholic]

Albert Salmi as the misunderstood potential criminal deviant with a good heart

 

[EdG]

One of the characters needs help from a "celebrity" who just happens to be around to solve a situation.
A con artist who is up to no good but becomes friends with the characters by the end of the episode.
The kid who sees everything but can't tell anyone or no one believes them for some reason or another only because they are a kid.
Characters getting into a situation involving a teen idol or groovy band.
The quirky relative(s) show up for a visit.
A baby is found and or needs taken care of by someone who has no experience with babies.
The old flame returns and leaves by the end of the episode.
Something important is going on and a character gets sick with a cold, fever or laryngitis.

 

[Jack P]

Albert Salmi as the misunderstood potential criminal deviant with a good heart

Which is a rather perverse irony in light of how he ended up.

 

[MishaLauenstein]

Drama:
A Boxer
A Black Girl (Kelly: Hey Scotty, I've got a weird feeling this one's going to be more into you than me.)
Kid Joins a Gang
African Prince
South American Dictator
A Girl Doing a Man's Job
Chinese Actor Playing a Japanese Character (James Hong)

Comedy:
Stray Dog
Precious thing in a cheap artifact
Secondary character's spouse mistakenly thinks main character's spouse is having an affair

 

[Jack P]

Another cliché of the 60s:

Whenever a story centers on an Asian male as the subject of the drama, he will be played by either a Caucasian or James Shigeta.

 

[JohnMor]

Another cliché of the 60s:

Whenever a story centers on an Asian male as the subject of the drama, he will be played by either a Caucasian or James Shigeta.

Which reached an absurd apotheosis with Richard Haydn, a terrific actor in any event, playing a Japanese client of McMann and Tate named Mr. Mishimoto on Bewitched. (He had a love of the "oriental" gourmet dish Hong I Wong Goo Rosh.)

 

[Vic Pardo]

Another cliché of the 60s:

Whenever a story centers on an Asian male as the subject of the drama, he will be played by either a Caucasian or James Shigeta.

Ummm, I think James Hong, Victor Sen Yung, Richard Loo, Philip Ahn and Sessue Hayakawa would like to have a word with you.

 

[Hollywoodaholic]

Which is a rather perverse irony in light of how he ended up.

Yikes, had to Wikipedia that. Looks like he typecast himself (and his wife) to death.

 

[Rob_Ray]

Ummm, I think James Hong, Victor Sen Yung, Richard Loo, Philip Ahn and Sessue Hayakawa would like to have a word with you.

And if there's a nightclub involved, you call Jack Soo.

 

[JohnMor]

And don't forget Benson Fong.

 

[Peter M Fitzgerald]

Casting cliches:

James Best as the borderline-psychotic hothead!

John Fiedler as the meek, mousy guy who still has an opinion!

Harry Townes as the devious, uptight sophisticate!

Jeanne Cooper as the fading beauty who's been around the block a few times!

Ed Begley, Sr. as the overbearing bigwig!

Billy Mumy as the creepily precocious kid who's a little too smart for his own good!

John McGiver as the stuffy, sardonic blowhard!

J. Pat O'Malley as the befuddled codger!

Jack Weston as the pudgy, small-time schemer!

Kim Darby is the freshly-scrubbed young thing with relationship problems!

Suzanne Pleshette as the earthy love interest who ultimately can't be had!

Ken Lynch as the abrasive associate authority figure!

Vera Miles as the persecuted lady who's out of your league!

Joe Flynn as the world-weary fussbudget!

Cyril Delevanti as the fragile geezer!

Lee Marvin as big trouble!

 

[Jack P]

Ummm, I think James Hong, Victor Sen Yung, Richard Loo, Philip Ahn and Sessue Hayakawa would like to have a word with you.

I was referring more to "star" turns. There were certainly Asian male actors then, but very seldom, with the exception of Shigeta, did you see them get widespread exposure as *lead* guest stars in these programs in which they are the focal point of the story and not just window dressing for the minor parts. Soo for instance, appeared on just two TV shows in the 60s, guesting as himself in a Jack Benny show because of his performance in "Flower Drum Song", then he was a regular on the short-lived series "Valentine's Day" where he played valet to series lead Tony Franciosa, so that wasn't a focal point role, and then he had a guest shot on "The Wackiest Ship In The Army", where I also doubt it was a lead type guest shot. When the decade also gives us William Shatner as "Mong Tu" on a "Naked City" you can tell that they didn't think the depth chart was great for "leading man" type Asians of which Shigeta was pretty much a stand-alone.

 

[Jack P]

The ultimate 60s casting cliché:

Paul Lynde as.........Paul Lynde.

 

[Gary OS]

Another cliché of the 60s:

Whenever a story centers on an Asian male as the subject of the drama, he will be played by either a Caucasian or James Shigeta.

The next thing you know, someone is going to try and tell me Warner Oland wasn't Asian.

Ummm, I think James Hong, Victor Sen Yung, Richard Loo, Philip Ahn and Sessue Hayakawa would like to have a word with you.

A please don't forget #1 son, Keye Luke.


Gary "you guys have done great work in this thread" O.

 

[Frank Soyke]

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.

 

[Rob_Ray]

The ultimate 60s casting cliché:

Paul Lynde as.........Paul Lynde.

Which reminds me of Alice Ghostley as the timid housekeeper or clerk.

Both she and Paul are veterans of the New Faces revue and Paul admitted to stealing her shtick. So it's funny how the same routine can come across as timid when done by a woman and anything but when done by a man.

 

[Peter M Fitzgerald]

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.

Vito Scotti is the J. Carroll Naish of 1960s television.

 

[Peter M Fitzgerald]

James Whitmore as the once-respected honcho who hasn't yet grasped that his time has passed!

Olan Soule as the sober lab technician and erstwhile hotel desk manager!

Madeleine Sherwood as the vindictive, sharp-tongued harpy!

J.D. Cannon as the relentlessly hardass jerk!

Rita Shaw as the huffy, hefty battleaxe!

John Larch as the slightly-pugnacious everyman who didn't realize things would go this far out of his control!

Theodore Marcuse as the serene, calculating, vaguely-androgynous thug!

Susan Oliver as the intelligent, experienced looker, consigned to the inevitably bittersweet conclusion!

Ellen Corby as the sharp granny!

Bruce Dern as the passive-aggressive psycho!