|
Andy Griffith It would be wonderful if every town sheriff was like Andy Griffith. But then, not every town is like Mayberry. Can you imagine Andy Griffith being sheriff of Los Angeles or New York City? Settle in for some relaxing nostalgia as you cruise the Net looking at Web sites for The Andy Griffith Show. What a lovely break from the real world. Web:
Brady Bunch I was visiting Christopher Barnes (Greg Brady in the Brady Bunch movies). We had just finished our dinner, and we were sipping our tea and talking politics. Suddenly, I realized what a totally cool thing I was doing. Imagine sitting at the dinner table with Greg discussing the world and how to fix it. The only thing better would be to get the whole family together and go on a trip to the Grand Canyon. Is there any family in television history that has captured our hearts and minds so effectively as the Brady Bunch? What a wacky, lovable bunch of characters: the kids (Greg, Peter, Bobby, Marcia, Jan and Cindy), their parents (Mike and Carol), and their housekeeper (Alice). Who says it's a fantasy? On the Internet, you can not only live in the past, you can live in a perfect past, where everyone has fun, gets along, and solves all their problems within a half hour. Or, as Carol puts it: "You know, money and fame are very important things, but, well, sometimes there are other things that are more important -- like people." Web:
Usenet:
Dick Van Dyke Show The Dick Van Dyke Show is my all-time favorite television show. In fact, I challenge any of my friends to ask me a Dick Van Dyke question I can't answer. If you enjoy watching the adventures of Rob, Laura, Buddy, Sally, Mel, Jerry, Millie, Alan Brady, and that obnoxious little kid Ritchie Rosebud, pay a visit to these Web sites, where you can re-live your hours of Dick Van Dyke watching (until it's time for the next rerun). Web:
Honeymooners There are not many TV shows that are worth watching again and again and again. The Honeymooners is that good. The Honeymooners stories revolve around the relationship between Ralph Kramden (played by Jackie Gleason) -- a temperamental Everyman with a propensity to get himself into trouble -- and his long-suffering wife, Alice. Ralph is a 40-year-old bus driver, who lives with his wife Alice in a small, one-bedroom apartment in Bensonhurst, a neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York. Their best friends, Ed Norton and his wife Trixie, live upstairs. For many years, the Honeymooners was presented a segment on one of Jackie Gleason's variety programs. However, the episodes that everyone loves are the classic 39 shows that were filmed on their own in 1955-1956. I have these shows on video, and I have watched them more times than I can remember. Web:
I Love Lucy Is there anyone on our entire planet who does not love Lucy? The I Love Lucy show is the most popular situation comedy of all time, being in continual reruns with no signs of stopping. I have watched every I Love Lucy episode from "Lucy Thinks Ricky Is Trying to Murder Her" (#1) to "The Ricardos Dedicate a Statue" (#179). (And I don't even like TV.) But I am not alone in my love for Lucy. There are diehard fans all over the world and all over the Net. Web:
Leave It To Beaver Leave It To Beaver features Beaver Cleaver (his real name is Theodore), Beaver's brother Wally, and his parents Ward and June. The basic premise is that Beaver is a dumb, but cute, kid who means well. However, no matter how hard he tries, he just can't seem to stay out of trouble. (Beaver: "Sometimes when a grown-up is mad at you, you can get in trouble just by saying hello.") Wally and Beaver have a number of friends, the most memorable of which is Eddie Haskell, the quintessential wise-guy. Eddie makes a point of sucking-up to adults ("Good morning, Mrs. Cleaver, that's a very pretty dress."), while doing his best to cause trouble when he is alone with the guys ("This is vacation. Your parents aren't allowed to make you work all the time. It's a state law".). Of all the television shows I loved as a kid, this one brought me the most comfort. The reason is simple: Leave It to Beaver portrays a pleasant family in which, no matter how much trouble the kids get into, everything always turns out right. (My sister, who is 10 years younger, feels the same way about The Brady Bunch.) Web:
MASH From 1972-1983, the world had a love affair with the inhabitants of the 4077th MASH (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) Unit, part of the American military medical corps during the Korean War. Every week, millions of people would follow the adventures of Hawkeye Pierce, B.J. Hunnicut, Frank Burns, Margaret (Hot Lips) Houlihan, Radar O'Reilly, Father Mulcahy, Corporal Klinger, Frank Burns, Colonel Blake, (and later) Colonel Potter, Trapper John McIntyre and Charles Winchester. How successful was MASH? Although the actual war was only 3 years (from June 1950 to July 1953), the comedy/drama series lasted 11 years, almost four times as long. MASH touched its viewers in a way that few series ever have. Tell the truth now. In the very last scene, when Hawkeye takes off in a helicopter, looks down over the deserted camp, and sees the "Good-bye" message left by B.J., did you not feel like crying? Web:
Usenet:
Ozzie and Harriet The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet was a family TV series that ran for 436 episodes (from 1952-1966), during television's Age of Innocence. The series featured the real-life family Ozzie Nelson (1906-1975), Harriet Nelson (1909-1994), David Nelson (1936-) and Ricky Nelson (1940-1985). The genesis of the series was a radio show, that debuted in 1944, in which Ozzie and Harriet Nelson played a married couple with two young boys. At first, the sons were played by actors, but in 1949, young David and Ricky took over their own parts and, for the next 22 years, the boys grew up in front of America. Where else, but in the Nelson residence, would you find a mother and father who never had a serious fight? Or two eternally polite brothers who not only got along with their parents, but with one another (well, most of the time). My favorite episode is the one in which Ricky -- who later became a popular singing star -- first sang on the show. The episode was #165 "Ricky the Drummer", April 10, 1957. (Ricky sang the song "I'm Walkin'"). Web:
Seinfeld Seinfeld, the self-styled "Show About Nothing", ran for 9 years, from 1989 to 1998. The show centers around the social misadventures of Jerry Seinfeld (a stand-up comedian), George Costanza, Cosmo Kramer and Elaine Benes. How do you describe a show about nothing? Well, it's mostly about relationships: Jerry and George, Jerry and Cosmo, Jerry and Elaine (an on/off odd couple), Jerry and a long string of girlfriends, Elaine and a long string of boyfriends, and so on. What else can I tell you? Jerry's biggest fear is falling in love with someone his parents like. My favorite scene is the one in which Jerry and Elaine are at a piano recital and Jerry puts a Pez dispenser on Elaine knee. (I told you it was a show about nothing.) Web:
Usenet:
Simpsons If you ever get a chance to visit Springfield -- somewhere in the United States -- be sure to drop in to Evergreen Terrace and call on the Simpsons: Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie. (The street number is either 94, 59, 723, 742 or 1094, depending on which episode you're watching.) This achingly pathetic but irresistibly endearing cartoon family has developed a worldwide following unique in the history of television. There are many, many Simpson fans on the Net and more Web sites than you can shake a stick at. (Actually, I tried once and all that happened was the stick broke). By the way, if you do decide to drop by Evergreen Terrace, you may want to call first. The phone number is 555-6528 (according to Principal Skinner's rolodex card). Web:
Usenet:
|
© All contents Copyright 2005, Harley Hahn
Full trademark and copyright information