Shows You Loved at one time (1 Viewer)

[Charles Ellis]

For me it would be Good Times. As a kid I loved it- the Evanses were practically the only family of color on TV, and Jimmie Walker was the "it" guy of the time. Now I see it as unrelentingly depressing- let's face it, the title was a misnomer, a cruel pun. Why on earth should I sit through 30 minutes of misery on the ghetto- I'd rather be with The Jeffersons in their "deluxe apartment in the sky" as George schemes to become even richer and more socially prominent each week. At least he tried hard to make life better for himself and Weezy! Besides, it's a much funnier show.

 

[Gary OS]

Funny, because the three shows mentioned at the outset of this thread are three that I've enjoyed on dvd. And I'm with Bert on the entire tvondvd issue too. The ability to watch these shows minus the irritating, eardrum busting commercials is a huge plus.

The only shows I've found to be less interesting to me, and I haven't bought any of these series but have rented one or two discs each from Netflix, have been some of the 70's and early 80's comedies that I used to watch as a kid. Shows like "The Jeffersons", "Good Times", "All in the Family" and "Sanford & Son" have done nothing for me. Glad I only rented them, or I would be have been disappointed.

Gary "give me stuff from the 50's and 60's and I'll generally be happy; give me stuff from the 70's or early 80's and I might be happy; give me stuff from the 90's to the present and I can all but guarantee you that I will NOT be happy" O.

 

[Bob Hug]

Gary, great quote!!! I'm a comrade-in-arms (with a few exceptions in the 90s).

 

[RobinO]

And this is the reason why I have not bought, rented or watched Here Come the Brides. I loved that show when I was young and think of it fondly now. Am hesitant to attempt to watch it for fear my memories will be ruined. Boy how I wanted Candy and the youngest brother to get married!

Little House on the Prairie was another show that I lived for when I was young and now can't even watch it on tv without cringing at the smaltz factor. Especially the later years.

Sigh.

Robin

 

[Joe-Frietze]

Have to go with the cartoons from the 80's as well - GI Joe and Transformers mainly. Haven't bought the dvds, but I remember when they started showing GI Joe on 'Toon at midnight, and my friend Chris started his mantra "Please don't let it suck now" about ruining our childhood memories. It didn't work.

And the A-Team, of course.

Now someone needs to start the "shows better than you remember" thread.

 

[Doug^Ch]

Robin, I have to agree with you on Little House. I loved that show at one time, but it is now unbearable. I just recently watched the first season of Here Come the Brides and absolutely loved it, but I also have to say that it was my first time having seen it. Who knew that Bobby Sherman could act?
By the way, DVD Talk gave Here Come the Brides a rating of highly recommended, which inspired me to give it a try. I don't think that you would be disappointed by it not holding up.

 

[RobinO]

Doug,

Thanks for the tip on Here Come the Brides. I am sure I will break down soon and watch it since I did love it as a kid. Glad that you liked it and yes Bobby Sherman can act and does a mean stutter.

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

Wells Fargo Days was a 1944 film, so between that and Death Valley Days you can see where somebody might have become confused.

Regards,

Joe

 

[Ethan Riley]

Another show that died on dvd for me was "What's Happening?" That was another one I loved as a preteen, but omg, try to watch it at age 40. It was childish, and on the level of "Saved by the Bell." I couldn't watch it for the most part, although I did love the episode with Shirley at the tv studio. But all in all, it seemed hilarious at age 12 but totally stupid now. I never bothered to buy season two and three. Actually, I could make a longer post about shows that I loved as a child that seem as good or better today. HR Pufnstuf seemed absolutely wonderful when I saw it on dvd, after 30 some years of not seeing a single episode. Hart to Hart seemed smarter and more entertaining. Same with the Jeffersons and All in the Family. Green Acres also seemed more satirical to me now. Really, I've shied away from classic dvds that I have a feeling won't sit well with me nowadays. I haven't bought "The Facts of Life" because I think it'll seem like a kids' show.

 

[Lynda-Marie]

All things considered, those of you who have sets that no longer "do it" for you can cross someone off your holiday list. If they ask why it isn't sealed, tell them you wanted to make sure it was a complete and working set!

My brothers and I have an unofficial exchange program in place, wherein if one of us buys a DVD (TV show or movie) that we disliked, we check with the other two first, to see if they want it. Baby Bro just bought The Little Mermaid, remembered after viewing it once that he disliked it, and sold it to me for 10 bucks, giving me a "family discount."

I have not yet run into the problem of a TV show on DVD that lost its magic - though I'm sure I am overdue for just such a phenomenon.

 

[Gary OS]

Thanks Bob. I have to admit, there are one or two shows from the 90's that I enjoyed. For instance, I thought the Animated Batman series was fantastic. But for the most part I'd still say, for me, the statement holds true.

Gary "dang - there are still so many untapped goldmines from the 50's and 60's" O.

 

[HowardPaul]

There is a show that aired in the early 1960s and/or late 1950s. I THINK it was on Saturday nights. (It might have been Friday) The host was a guy dressed up much like a vampire from what I recall and he played classic old horror films. I loved the show and found the hosts comments entertaining.
Sadly, I've forgotten the name of the program.
Does anyone remember?
How

 

[David Von Pein]

Sounds like the late-night "Shock Theatre" host on WTTV in Indianapolis -- "Sammy Terry".

There was also this "Shock Theatre" as well (1957-1959):

http://imdb.com/title/tt0390768/

 

[Steve Meil]

This is a great topic as I have a number of shows that didn't hold up.
1. Lost in Space- bought Season 1 and have only watched about 14 episodes
2.The A Team-one of my favorite shhows of the 80's. I barely got through the first season
3.Moonlighting Season 1 + 2 Got to about 8 episodes
4. Wonder Woman- Bought the entire series. Still somewhere at the beginning of season 2
5.Remmington Steele. Can't get past the first few episodes of Season 1
6.Earth 2
7.War of the Worlds
8. The Early Avenger Epidodes
9.Charlies Angels- Got bored in the middle of Season 2
I'm sure I could think of a few others but really have to take a look before commiting to any shows, for example shows that I passed on
1. Knight Rider
2. Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
3. Starsky + Hutch
4. Dallas

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

John Zacherley's show ran on WABC Channel 7, the ABC owned-and-operated station in New York, in off-network hours. He had at least one local competitor and a great many imitators across the country. Like many such shows it was a kind of early MST2K except that the host goofed on the movies (and indulged a taste for horrid puns) in the breaks instead of talking over the films themsevles. There was a lot of schlock in those packages that the local stations bought, as well as many films that couldn't remotely be considered horror, unless you were talking about the quality of the film-making.

In addition to Sammy Terry in Indianapolis, there were hosts with names like Jeepers Creepers, Sir Graves Ghastly and Dr. Shock in other parts of the country, not all of them men. Vampira in Los Angeles is an acknowledged inspiration for Elvira and may have influenced Warren comics Vampirella, who began as a host who introduced stories in an anthology magazine, much like Uncle Eerie and Cousin Creepy (both frankly modelled on the Crypt-Keeper and other characters from EC's 50s horror comics) did in the Warren mags named for them. She only became a character within the stories when fans demanded to see more of her - as it were.

In addition to showing dreck, these horror hosts gave an generation its first taste of genuine classics like the Universal Frankenstein, Bride and Dracula, which didn't play much on more "mainstream" shows. So we all owe them a debt of gratitude for the part they played in keeping interest in these movies alive.

Regards,

Joe

 

[Steve_Pannell]

There was a show on Saturday nights in the Memphis/Mid-South area called Fantastic Features on WHBQ. The host was called Sivad (Davis backwards).

 

[Dan Keefe]

Doogie Howser. I guess when you are a kid its cool to be able to envision yourself in his shoes. When you are 38 you cannot see an ounce of reality in the show.

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

Starting with the title, since there isn't a teenager in America who would still let his parents or anyone else call him "Doogie" in public.

Regards,

Joe

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

As noted above, pretty much every local market had at least one station featuring a similar show. Tennessee seems to have had more than its share.

In addition to numerous websites devoted to the phenomenon (search "TV horror hosts") there is at least one book that profiles more that sixty ghouls, ghosts and creepy creatures from the days when it was still the style to have a host introduce the show and chat with the viewer after each commercial break.

Regards,

Joe

 

[HowardPaul]

OMG! That's him! Zahcerley! (I always thought it was Zackerly)
I remember that name vividly! I loved the guy! And, yes, I grew up in the NYC area.
Thanks so much for the great memory!
How