Weird Stuff In Black and White TV Shows [vanity]

radiodiscussions.com ^ | Oscar Madison [a poster on the linked site]

[foreverfree]

Doctors smoke.

Drivers get into cars on the passenger side and slides across the front seat instead of walking around. Exception: A male driver with a female passenger. They both get in on the drivers' side. She gets in first but only slides halfway across.

Cops shoot fleeing unarmed suspects. If a civilian is shot during a pursuit, the cop doesn't bother stopping to render aid or call an ambulance; they keep chasing the suspect (of course, assumed to be guilty).

To make sure everyone knows his or her place, formal and familiar modes of address (and reference) are rigidly used.

Black people are always servants and servile (except on Amos 'n' Andy).

When "stuff" happens, women scream. A guy has to handle it for them.

Busy signals.

Convertibles with the top down in apparently cold weather (people bundled up or wearing heavy coats and hats).

Western marshals don't make arrests; they have duels with bad guys and given them the chance to draw and fire first. Cops aren't much better; they approach armed suspects without drawing a weapon, allowing the suspect fire at them so they can have a dramatic shoot-out.

Despite the fact that Roman Catholics are less than a quarter of the US population, about 90 per cent of TV clergy are priests.

You seldom see a TV in the homes of TV families.

It only takes a quick kiss or peck on the lips to make teenage boys happy.

TV homes have table radios with future technology (they don't need to warm up). And when turned on, a news story or announcement relevant to the plot is heard immediately.

Doctors make house calls. Nobody worries about the cost of health care.

Wives are younger and better looking than their husbands.

Women can't walk by themselves; guys must grab an elbow and steer them.

Bathrooms don't have toilets.

People drink coffee with every meal. (You'd think they'd need those toilets.)

Any others?

[foreverfree]

I came in on the tail end of B&W TV days (my family got its first color set when I was about 6, in 1967), but I'm sure other FReepers can reminisce.

And no, "Oscar Madison" is not my handle on that mb. Neither is "foreverfree".

ff

[Vermont Lt]

Ahh.....the days of polio, small pox, air raid drills, segregation....those were the days.

[kearnyirish2]

Parents are married.

Hobos are all white, and every town has a bridge on the outskirts that provides shelter for them.

Few people are fat, and those are normally older people.

[DoodleDawg]

All married couples sleep in single beds.

[for-q-clinton]

What’s the dirtiest thing ever said on TV?

“Ward, don’t you think you were a little hard on the beaver?” (on the Leave it to Beaver show)

[Celtic Conservative]

The reason why a lot of the sets and uniforms on “Star Trek” were bright primary colors are because NBC was a big sponsor of one of the companies that sold color TVs.

CC

[Russ]

There always one in every crowd...yes, despite those things, those WERE the days.

[PlateOfShrimp]

Fathers solve all problems by stroking their chins and then saying “I think you will know what to do, son”

[muir_redwoods]

In the final episode of “The Fugitive” a cop stays to tend a wounded cop while the doctor chases the shooter.

[fatnotlazy]

I remember tv wives and mothers at home always dressed up — a dress, high heels and pearls. I kept wondering how do they scrub the floors in those get-ups. I didn't look that good when I went to work.

Mary Tyler Moore's character on the old Dick Van Dyke show departed from that stereotype when she wore stretch slacks.

[SnuffaBolshevik]

Slightly OT but I always get a kick out of the scene in “It’s a Wonderful Life” where George is running away from the cop in the crowded town square (at night) and the cop pulls his revolver and rips off a few shots at him.

Don’t think that would happen in this day and age.

[fivecatsandadog]

Compared to the crap on tv now, and the liberal/progressive attitude running rampant through the public schools and churches, I’ll take the good old days back in the late 50s.

[freedumb2003]

People order or are offered drinks, take one sip, then leave.

People give gifts all wrapped up, then tell the recipient the contents.

[Excellence]

Timmy actually understood what Lassie was saying.

[freedumb2003]

>>Slightly OT but I always get a kick out of the scene in “It’s a Wonderful Life” where George is running away from the cop in the crowded town square (at night) and the cop pulls his revolver and rips off a few shots at him.

Don’t think that would happen in this day and age.<<

#Georgeslifematters

[Dr. Sivana]

Drivers get into cars on the passenger side and slides across the front seat instead of walking around.

That's because cars had proper bench seats with no huge consoles in the middle! People didn't like getting out in traffic.

On those same shows, though, the driver NEVER turns off his headlights when he gets out of the car at night, even if he's going into the house. Must have something to do with camera lighting.

[DocRock]

Desperate beds for husband and wife.

[DocRock]

Desperate = separate

[sneakers]

We were watching the Avengers last night. All black and white. Mrs. Peel dressed in pants a lot too. I always loved her cool wardrobe! And boy could she fight the bad guys!

[Dr. Sivana]

Nobody worries about the cost of health care.

Health care was cheaper, MUCH cheaper then. Less insurance for regular stuff in general, and fewer lawsuits meant less expensive care. (They also couldn't do nearly as much for you.)



Wives are younger and better looking than their husbands.

Women then were more slender and much more feminine. Men generally married somewhat younger women in real life. Compared to men, women were far more concerned with appearance (with an Italian exception). Women in general look better than men. And of course, modern color programming is filled with drop dead gorgeous 25 year olds who are surprisingly easy for the color TV version of regular joes. That stuff sells.