My New Favourite Old TV Shows:
Hey guys! sorry i havnt uploaded in a while, ive been very busy with school lately and i havnt had time to manage my blog properly, but i come back fresh with a special post, over the last few weeks i have been getting into a few older shows, I’m not quite sure why i have gotten into them so much but who cares, the fact is to understand Television you need to investigate all different times of shows. This said, I hearby give you a glimpse at some of the shows that I have been getting into, im giving a brief summary and what i like about it, please feel free to comment.
The Partridge Family: (1970-1974)
The Partridge Family was a successful American television sitcom about a widowed mother and her five children who embarked on a music career. The family lived in San Pueblo, a small fictional town in Northern California. The series was originally broadcast on ABC from 1970 to 1974. The family included mother Shirley Partridge played by Shirley Jones, eldest son 16 year old Keith Partridge played by then teenage hearthrob David Cassidy, 15 year old Laurie Partridge played by Susan Dey, trouble maker and overall fiancial adviser 10 year old Danny Partridge played wonderfully by Danny Bonaduce, two youngsters 7 year old Chris Partridge played first by Jeremy Gelbawks in the first season and later played by Brian Forster from the second season till the end of the show and 5 year old Tracy Partridge played by Suzanne Crough, and who could forget the hilarious Reuben Kincaid played amazingly by Dave Madden.
I recently got into the partridge family and its actually a funny story as to how I stumbled across it, during lunchtime at school one day a few weeks ago I was looking up an actor called Katie Cassidy (you may know her as the awesome Ruby in Supernatural). Anyway i was looking at her bio on imdb and I saw that her father was actor and singer David Cassidy, and I was all like, WHAT! and then i got over it and went into his profile on imdb, i scrolled down and saw that he was in a TV show called The Partridge Family for 4 years, so I went into it and BAM! i liked it.
The Partridge Family is a sitcom that is somewhat corny, but that is what shows were about in the 1970s, overall i think its great, I love the songs, the story lines, the chemistry and especially the actors. its was an example of a modern day family and yes it was a little unrealistic but it is fun and entertaining to watch. The interaction between the siblings and family in general is really amazing, but i think the funniest interaction of the show was the one between characters Reuben and Danny, it was HILARIOUS, Laurie was a well written character, she seemed an intelligent female for the day. “The Partridge Family” came along at the right time, when people needed it–needed to BELIEVE IN IT. The show does have great appeal, and the familial relationships have a lived-in feel(when Laurie and Danny kid Keith about his non-existent bald spot, they wink at each other as Keith goes mad with the hairbrush, and mom Shirley watches from the sidelines, no doubt enjoying the prank). I think it is a show that i will always relate to and enjoy for a long time.
Happy Days:
Happy Days is an American television sitcom that originally aired from 1974 to 1984 on ABC. The show presents an idealized vision of American life in the 1950s and early 1960s America. Happy Days centers on the life of a middle-class family, the Cunninghams of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The family consists of Howard, a hardware store owner, Marion, his homemaker wife, and the couple’s teenage children, Richie (who has an optimistic if somewhat naïve outlook on life), Richie’s sweet and beautiful but feisty and clumsy younger sister Joanie, and Richie’s older brother Chuck (a character who abruptly disappeared during the second season). Most of the early episodes revolve around Richie (often with his best friend Potsie); as the series progressed, more and more stories were written to revolve around Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli, who was originally portrayed as a local dropout but soon befriended Richie and family, and became a huge hit with viewers. The focus would also occasionally shift to other additional characters, such as Fonzie’s cousin Chachi, who became a love interest for Joanie Cunningham. The long-running show also spawned several spinoff shows, some of which were highly successful in their own right, including Laverne & Shirley, Mork & Mindy, and Joanie Loves Chachi.
I only recently got into this show although i have known about for quite some time, you know that feeling you get when you know about a tv show but you dont really know know what its about, yeah thats how i felt about Happy Days. When i finally looked into the show i found out that it was actually an interesting show. At the moment ive only seen some of the 1st season but what ive seen so far is preety good. This is a wonderful nostalgic series, Ron Howard is perfect as the fresh faced, squeaky clean boy next door, Richie Cunningham. All the family roles are cleverly cast. It is so refreshing by contrast with modern programming to see a traditional TV family where the parents are portrayed as well intended, caring individuals.
Of course the real star of the series is the Fonz, i.e. Arthur Fonzerelli, a greasy high school drop out who is the coolest guy in town. He acts like a big brother to Richie & his pals and eventually moves into an apartment over the Cunningham’s garage. Fonzie’s ‘office’ is the men’s washroom at Arnold’s, the local burger and soda hangout where these teenagers gather after school. Of course all the pretty girls flock to him at the snap of his fingers! In my opinion, Fonzie’s legendary popularity emerged because beneath that cool & tough exterior is a heart of gold and a genuine integrity. Henry Winkler is positively brilliant in the role. Later Fonzie’s nephew, Chachi, joins the series and has a romance with the now more mature Joanie.
Oh, that TV had programs like this today. There’s a genuine warmth to the show and a heartwarming affection between these characters that seems sadly missing these days. Happy Days is a classic comedic slice of teenage Americana and a nostalgic look back to growing up in the 1950’s.
My Three Sons:
My Three Sons was a situation comedy about a Scots/Irish-American family (Douglas/ O’Casey), that ran from September 29, 1960, to August 24, 1972. My Three Sons chronicles the life of an aeronautical engineer and widower Steve Douglas, played by Fred MacMurray, and his three sons. This seemingly simple premise was a huge hit and a cornerstone of the CBS lineup in the 1960s. With 380 episodes produced, it is second only to The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet as television’s longest running (live-action) family sitcom.
I started to watch this show a few weeks ago when i was looking into shows that have ran for a long time, this show as I mentioned ran for 12 years. I really enjoyed the dynamic of it. There have been many wonderful shows, but My Three Sons have to be one of the best. Fred MacMurray, did such a wonderful job as the father in this show. When had those special scenes in which he was advising his kids or explaining something to them, he would come across as someone who was caring and very attached to his kids. I know some fathers in this world who have trouble at being interested let alone caring.
Today, this show might seem dated, but there is a lot we can gain from watching this show. The ideas of making a family that will work together and see things through, is a good example of one thing that we can gain from this. Television today doesn’t have very many shows that will show a family working together as a unit. That is why this one is so rare, although i have only seen a few of the first season’s episodes i hope to see more, although this is hard as the 1st season is yet to be released on dvd, and we all know when it does, it will take ages to get to australia.
Eight is Enough:
Eight is Enough The show is centered around a Sacramento, California family with eight children (from oldest to youngest: David, Mary, Joanie, Susan, Nancy, Elizabeth, Tommy, and Nicholas). The father Tom Bradford (Dick Van Patten) was a newspaper columnist for the fictional Sacramento Register. His wife Joan (Diana Hyland) took care of the children. Hyland was only in four episodes before falling ill; she was written out for the remainder of the first season. Hyland died only 12 days after the first episode aired, and the second season began in the fall of 1977 with the revelation that Tom had become a widower.
I Started to enjoy this show after i located a few episodes online, it has a good message and I think it is a great show because it incorparates both Comedy and Drama within it. I watched a few episodes as I said and one was quite a funny episode involving 14 year old Nicholas and another one was about the eldest son David and how he deals with a friend’s death. I just really wish that they would put it on dvd because at the moment it is almost impossible to find.
