My little one, Jordynn–nearly 11, loves classic TV. She’s rather watch I Love Lucy than just about anything TV has to offer today. However, a scene we viewed together last week left her a little perplexed.
See, Ricky and Lucy were having an argument. It began in their living room, Ricky slipped into his infamous Spanish (or, as Jordynn says, “He’s speaking Cuban again!”) tirade, and Lucy turned on her heel and headed for the bedroom. Anything to get away from the crazy Cuban.
Ricky was not far behind her, still speaking his native tongue at about 500 MPH. In front of their twin beds the two continued their argument until Lucy said something adorable and Ricky couldn’t resist her cuteness. They laughed. They peck-kissed, then wrapped each other in a hug.
Cut to commercial.
Jordynn sat up straight and gave me a look. “I don’t get it,” she said. “Aren’t they married?”
“Yes. When this show was on, they were married in real life and on television.”
“Then, I don’t get it,” she repeated.
“What don’t you get?”
“They are sleeping in separate beds,” she said.
I smiled. Yes, this I could answer. I had written a book about how media had changed from the good ole days where married couples slept in separate beds to today when same-sex couples make jokes about something God prohibits and then viewers actually laugh along with them. What would have shut TV down in the 50s and early 60s we don’t blink at anymore. (But don’t get me started….)
So, I explained it to her. I briefly told her about the Hays Commission and the rules of the day. She nodded in understanding. Then she said, “I still don’t get it.”
Well, my goodness. WHAT is not to get??? They couldn’t show couples sleeping in the same bed. Period. Lucy and Ricky, Rob and Laura, Alex and Donna, Mr. & Mrs. Cleaver…they all slept in separate beds because there were rules. “Get it?” I asked her.
“Well, yeah,” she said. “I get that. But don’t Lucy and Ricky have a baby? If they sleep in separate beds, how did they get the baby?”
Well, good grief!
I’ll bet you are wondering how I answered this one, aren’t you. Simple. I said, “Well apparently someone got out of his or her bed and joined the other one.”
To which Jordynn replied, “Eweeee….”
The joy of watching classic TV is that we don’t have to abuse our senses with garbage. We can simply enjoy a half hour or an hour of television. Amazingly, the classics are just as popular today among kids as they were in our day. Why? Because everyone loves GOOD comedy or drama without the filth. Anyone who demands the filth is just…well…nutz.
This is why shows like I Love Lucy, The Andy Griffith Show, The Brady Bunch, Donna Reed, Leave it to Beaver, That Girl, and The Dick Van Dyke Show continue to thrive on the airwaves. Of course, these are just the comedies. Don’t get me started on shows like Bonanza, High Chapperal, The Big Valley, and Gunsmoke.
What about you? Did you have a favorite show as a youngster? What was it and why was it your favorite? Do you still watch it today?
11 Comments
Don’t forget Gilligan’s Island and The Brady Bunch
I did mention the Brady Bunch. But not Gilligan’s Island. When I was a kid I watched it, but later on I asked myself, “HOW STUPID CAN 7 PEOPLE BE???” LOL All those wasted chances to get off the island. I say they WANTED to be there! LOL
But, you mentioned it Cheryl! So…why was it one of your favorites!?
I agree with you, Keri. There are times that I’m frustrated by my choices, which are many. I really do love the writing of Grey’s Anatomy, but I have made a choice not to watch it because of the content. I’m dismayed by the upcoming new TV show which focuses on couples “swinging”. Our media really does shape culture - and gives a younger person the idea that this is the norm–especially considering that their life span is short and this is all they have seen. I’m really angry that they keep “pushing the envelope”.
Keri??? Um…this is Eva, Suze!
E
Eva, I don’t really remember why we watched Gilligan’s Island so much. Maybe just because it was what was on after school or possibly because it was just so-o-o silly. And of course, there’s the theme song!
Kerri. Eva. They are almost spelled the same, right? Umm. Wrong. Sorry, Eva. Brain cramp. It happens after forty, I hear.
Oh how I love the Waltons! My husband and I have all the seasons on DVD, and we often sneak away to our bedroom, snuggle under the covers, pull up my lap top, and drift away into a world that we long to be apart of. The life lessons are rich. And we love the big family thing–seven kids.
Brain cramp after 40! Thank you, Suzie! I’m going to use that one frequently.
I stopped watching TV about a year ago. One of the best things I’ve ever done for myself. But I’ve never been really big on TV, so it wasn’t much of a sacrifice.
Favorite growing up? Speed Racer. My mom wouldn’t let us watch it because it was anime, but I found ways to watch anyway. I was a bad girl.
This is so funny that you should post about this. I just posted about the I Love Lucy show in my fourms at http://www.boomerwomenspeak.com and it was this exact topic.
I had seen about ten minutes of the show the night before and noticed the twin beds and that they slept separately. I also posted about Lucy getting a delivery of groceries and it was only $3.00 and odd change. You should have seen the box of groceries!
You already mentioned Leave it to Beaver. That’s my all time favorite. I recall one summer when it was on at 9:00AM. I’d watch it and then run out the door to play for the entire day. My friend did the same at her house. If we spent the night at one another’s homes, we watch together and then run out the door. She lived right up the street. We’re still best of friends.
Thanks for the memories.
Thank you Dotsie for sharing that memory with us. Thank all of you for sharing the memories!
Right now the Lucy reruns where we live are the “California Here We Come” ones. Loving it!
Eva
I loved Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie. No wonder I’ve developed eye and nose twitches as a boomer babe.