TV and Movies

[reiki604]

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@proudlyfromNJ wrote:

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@SharkE wrote:

Mostly trash on TV nowdays.

Can you believe the people on Dr. PHil nowdays ?

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@SharkE  I agree with the trash. Soap operas being number one in the trash category.

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I think the soaps share the number one trash position with realityTV.

[daisyk]

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@Ms tyrion2 wrote:

It's fine to dream about the fantasy worlds portrayed in the old sitcoms. Just remember it was fantasy then too.  Robert Young was an alcoholic. Many of the children were treated poorly and went on to have tragic lives. There was no diversity. People of color were portrayed as servants or criminals .

The shows were not "godly". They were fairy tales.

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Billy Gray who played "Bud" on Father knows Best has always been very vocal about the fantasy aspect of the show and that it was not true to life. I enjoy the show, but I take it for what it is. 

[Nataliesgramma]

I agree...I would like to go live in Mayberry...

[Oznell]

Every product of Hollywood is to some degree fantasy, and the product of some writer's imagination-- from the German Expressionist-influenced film noir that I so enjoy, to the most frivolous comedy.  That's a given.

Each person can determine for him/herself to what genre or type of entertainment they gravitate.   There's nothing intrinsically wrong with gravitating to early TV family portrayals, based on the values of love, family team work, learning from life's bumps along the way, the value of humor in facing tough situations, etc., that they espoused.  These are universal values. 

Incidentally, the show in question, "Father Knows Best",  did not portray a "perfect" family.  The many episodes devoted to poor "Bud's" foibles,  Kathy's insecurities, Betty's vanity, etc. etc. are testament to that.  And the parents did, like fallible human parents everywhere, make mistakes.

It's a falsehood that there was no addressing of the problems of the poor, or minorities, or other cultures, as a matter of fact.  Off the top of my head,  "Father Knows Best's" harried Dad,  "Jim Anderson", was involved in an episode very thoughtfully helping a Hispanic man who had run afoul of the law, with lessons in compassion for the whole town as a result. 

There were a number of episodes that dealt with the hurtful ways that we discount others solely because of "appearances" or "differences",  that are timeless;  they're as relevant today as when they were made.  

[bikerbabe]

All I can say is that I was abused as a child by my stepfather and sometimes those picture perfect family shows of my childhood just made me more depressed. I cried because my life wasn’t like that. So no, I don’t wish for all TV to be like Father Knows Best. Plus, there’s all the sexism from those days. I like vintage TV just as much as the next person and I’m not promoting trash reality TV but I don’t wish for a return to a time that NEVER existed in the real world.

[Oznell]

Ah, @bikerbabe, it is one of the great tragedies of this world that evil exists in the way you had to experience and suffer as a child--  a very great evil and I believe one of the worst.

"Father Knows Best" was not the portrayal of a perfect family, as I outline above.  It's true, it did not depict parents who abused their children, or behaved in other abased and horrible ways.   Where I depart from your thinking, though, is, that I don't believe that it shouldn't have existed, or shouldn't have tried to portray the values it did.   I personally believe those values are beneficial to many, whether we individually come from similar situations, or from vastly different ones.

[FancyPhillyshopper]

I am older than you and grew up with television but I certainly never watched it for the moral value.

Television is just another form of entertainment.  Movies in the 20s were also quite racy but after WWII everything seemed more toned-down. Advertisers want to showcase products to a select audience that can buy.

Whatever sells and is popular, that is what is produced. Game shows have been around forever!

Mainstream television is losing out to specialty channels and live streaming.  

I really enjoy all the current dance shows and singing shows, and the HGTV house buying shows.  My DH likes action shows like NCIS and Hawaii 5O. 

Yes, there are still plenty of great programs to enjoy!

[DiAnne]

I am a regular patron of the library because there is nothing to watch on TV.

[jellyBEAN]

I was never a big fan of 'Father Knows Best'.  I was more into 'The Patty Duke Show', 'Leave it to Beaver', 'Dennis the Menace', 'Mr. Ed', 'Hazel', 'I Love Lucy', 'The Honeymooners', 'Ed Sullivan', etc.  It was such a different time then.  Women wore dresses and gloves, men wore nice hats and overcoats.  People got dressed up when they went somewhere.  People acted with decorum and didn't have to yell and scream and curse to get their point across. 

I've now become terribly addicted to reality TV.  There was a post the other day about someone being addicted to watching Dr. Phil.  I had given him up, but who did I watch today?  I tuned in to Dr. Phil and the woman addicted to Adderall acting like a maniac and not wanting to live her life w/o it.  Yes, times sure have changed. 

[Catiele]

We are who we are not because of what we see or hear on TV. Our upbringing, school and friends have much more of an impact on our lives. Our minds will will make our decisions. Things have happened in my life that could have made me react in a very negative way. I chose to try my best to be ok. It works most of the time.