5 ms·

When nostalgia fails: a dad rewatches the TV of his childhood

18 points by nkurz 9y ago

FreeFull 9y ago
It's hard to disable my adblocker for the correct domain if the anti-adblocker message redirects to a different domain.
- pwg 9y ago
  Running NoScript in default deny javascript mode (so no JS runs at all) there was no anti-adblocker, no redirect, and the entire text of the article was readable.
- Sir_Substance 9y ago
  I noticed this too! Here's a convenient link to bypass the terrible coding: https://archive.fo/ZSzL5 https://archive.fo/ZSzL5
truculation 9y ago
Rainbow theme music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJsaujSs7Fw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJsaujSs7Fw
coldtea 9y ago
>It looks like everything that’s ever been said about the 60s, 70s and 80s is true. What a bunch of savages we were Or, you know, what a bunch of prudish crybabies you've become... Post is more about trying to be funny and find ways to fault the old shows than about making its case.
- mcphage 9y ago
  Post isn’t really trying to make its case, it’s just trying to be funny.
cocacola1 9y ago
Dunno if it's just me, but I just can't watch old TV shows like I can movies. They just feel off somehow.
pjc50 9y ago
> In kids’ shows back then, there were no missiles loaded with sexual references - or clever deconstructions of TV itself - aimed above young heads As soon as I got to this bit I knew either the author was deeply wrong or pretending to be so for the sake of the article; so much British kids TV had a surreal, occasionally dark tone to it in the 80s. Danger Mouse was a fourth-wall breaking spy parody. The Magic Roundabout was overtly trippy. Especially regarding sexual references: this is Britain, home of innuendo culture. Where Kenneth Williams had a whole series of running sketches full of gay sexual references on primetime radio at a time when homosexuality was illegal - relying on the censors and censorious not understanding Polari. It would be surprising if people didn't sneak innuendo into kids TV. Then there's an entire section of American cartoons that won't be broadcast any more; I remember seeing the wartime Disney propaganda Donald/Mickey output, which was both extremely dark and by current standards extremely racist. Someone in 80s programming had evidently decided to stick cartoons on an afternoon without paying attention to the content. (Polari example: https://telescoper.wordpress.com/2014/08/28/round-the-horn-antenna/ https://telescoper.wordpress.com/2014/08/28/round-the-horn-a... )
- tyingq 9y ago
  Yup. Lots of old, dark cartoons. Here's a Tom & Jerry that's pretty bleak: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3xxbmn http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3xxbmn Or, if you're rushed for time, Google "cartoon suicide reel".
- gaius 9y ago
  He-man interestingly featured generally realistic women (Teela and The Sorceress) and men with wildly unrealistic steroid-fuelled physiques. Same with Thundercats. That definitely doesn’t fit modern narratives. I grew up on shows like Blake’s 7 and Sapphire & Steel...
RichardCA 9y ago
If you want to understand why early 70's educational TV was important, watch this clip. Also spend some time reading the comments. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kojxgL3nf0Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kojxgL3nf0Y
triviatise 9y ago
my kids are watching shows like backyardigans, creative galaxy, daniel tiger etc. There is no violence and they are filled from top to bottom with (boring) wholesome lessons. The shows I watched (tom and jerry, loony toons, brady bunch etc) were filled with violence and pretty much had no redeeming qualities. I wouldnt worry if my kids watched the shows I watched, but I agree with a previous poster that there is no way the author actually believed the shows of his childhood were wholesome and pure.
agumonkey 9y ago
Very often I like watching old shows. I find many new ones to be overloaded with style and cuts. I feel that it only appeals to new generation that buy into it. When I run into a Columbo episode, I'm so liking the slow pacing, the simplicity, the filming; even with the shallow bits at times. Also there's a format thing, the only way they could decorate shows was with freeze and a bit of thrill jingle. I kindof like this way. There's also the spirit of the day. 70s to 80s shows were often sunny forever life style. It's soothing. Even supercars shows, with highly disturbingly bad effects [1] have a stupid simple formula that I find honest, even if it's often dumb. It's just entertainment, I find it less pretentious in a way. [1] be ready for a shock if you ever watch Knight Rider again.
- dingaling 9y ago
  For amusement I recently started watching a French 1960s series called Les Chevaliers du Ciel, there are loads of episodes on YouTube. With my five-year-old, instead of kids' programming. As well as lots of aeroplanes I have found the same as you; gentle pacing, lingering scenes, no snarkiness, no real swearing. It is very refreshing how drama used to be filmed. I might try the Littlest Hobo soon, if I can avoid crying during the title song!
  - agumonkey 9y ago
    That's the kind of thing that I feel "modern" times forgot. Tech allows for toying, so people optimize that thinking it's better when it's actually very very very relative. I do believe part of my appreciation for that is due to nostalgia imprinted in my brain. But it's not all. There's a form of simplicity/intent ratio that is higher in older times. You didn't artificially inflate everything to make them pop more, you just let them emerge slowly.
teh_klev 9y ago
This is a wee bit disappointing in its analysis. If you fancy a better background read into some of the dystopian TV series of the 70's (I'm 51 so this is the era of UK TV I grew up watching as a child) then get a copy of "Scarred For Life Volume One": http://www.lulu.com/gb/en/shop/stephen-brotherstone-dave-lawrence/scarred-for-life-volume-one/paperback/product-23116461.html http://www.lulu.com/gb/en/shop/stephen-brotherstone-dave-law... I've got a bit of a 70's hauntology thing going and this book scratches that itch somewhat.
- DanBC 9y ago
  Yes. He never mentioned Mr NoseyBonk. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87NHueHBHwY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87NHueHBHwY There were some good things, like Vision On (a programme for deaf children, that included very early Aardman animation work) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyWKcgmHwpo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyWKcgmHwpo
  - teh_klev 9y ago
    Hoo boy, I'd forgotten about Mr Noseybonk (and his dildo farm O_o), though by the time that was aired I was ~13 and kids TV was less of a thing for me. I did like Vision On. A real favourite was Mr Benn, I used to love his adventures: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7goleREp884 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7goleREp884
lolive 9y ago
I have a complete opposite feeling about 80s shows on (french) TV. I was very fond of The Mysterious Cities of Gold, Once Upon a Time... Life, Ulysses 31, the (old school) SpiderMan cartoons, Tom Sawyer, Barbapapa. And (for something completely different) The Twilight Zone. 35 years later, I rewatch them with my kids, and the magic is definitely still present.
cortesoft 9y ago
I grew up in the 80s. All of my shows were just product placement for toys.
- newnewpdro 9y ago
  This is how I feel about nearly every modern "blockbuster" style film or television show I see, though not specifically toys. It seems like we're headed towards a future where there are no overt commercials, because the content is a composite of commercials. Or maybe there will always be easily defeated overt commercials - it helps hide the in-content commercials in plain view. Much of the youtube content I encounter is already rife with commercial influence, and youtube lets you skip ads - so you can get on with watching your ads.
- tyingq 9y ago
  Hill Street Blues was decent. Maybe not kid friendly, but well done. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hill_Street_Blues https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hill_Street_Blues
CommieBobDole 9y ago
It seems like a lot of people here are assuming a level of seriousness on the part of the author that doesn't seem to be there. Seems like he's just taken the premise "man, I watched a bunch of shows I grew up with and that shit was way weirder than I remember" and stretched it to article length. I don't see any real commentary, actual or attempted, at all.

18 points by nkurz 9y ago

FreeFull 9y ago

It's hard to disable my adblocker for the correct domain if the anti-adblocker message redirects to a different domain.

pwg 9y ago
Running NoScript in default deny javascript mode (so no JS runs at all) there was no anti-adblocker, no redirect, and the entire text of the article was readable.
Sir_Substance 9y ago
I noticed this too! Here's a convenient link to bypass the terrible coding: https://archive.fo/ZSzL5 https://archive.fo/ZSzL5

truculation 9y ago

Rainbow theme music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJsaujSs7Fw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJsaujSs7Fw

coldtea 9y ago

>It looks like everything that’s ever been said about the 60s, 70s and 80s is true. What a bunch of savages we were Or, you know, what a bunch of prudish crybabies you've become... Post is more about trying to be funny and find ways to fault the old shows than about making its case.

mcphage 9y ago
Post isn’t really trying to make its case, it’s just trying to be funny.

cocacola1 9y ago

Dunno if it's just me, but I just can't watch old TV shows like I can movies. They just feel off somehow.

pjc50 9y ago

> In kids’ shows back then, there were no missiles loaded with sexual references - or clever deconstructions of TV itself - aimed above young heads As soon as I got to this bit I knew either the author was deeply wrong or pretending to be so for the sake of the article; so much British kids TV had a surreal, occasionally dark tone to it in the 80s. Danger Mouse was a fourth-wall breaking spy parody. The Magic Roundabout was overtly trippy. Especially regarding sexual references: this is Britain, home of innuendo culture. Where Kenneth Williams had a whole series of running sketches full of gay sexual references on primetime radio at a time when homosexuality was illegal - relying on the censors and censorious not understanding Polari. It would be surprising if people didn't sneak innuendo into kids TV. Then there's an entire section of American cartoons that won't be broadcast any more; I remember seeing the wartime Disney propaganda Donald/Mickey output, which was both extremely dark and by current standards extremely racist. Someone in 80s programming had evidently decided to stick cartoons on an afternoon without paying attention to the content. (Polari example: https://telescoper.wordpress.com/2014/08/28/round-the-horn-antenna/ https://telescoper.wordpress.com/2014/08/28/round-the-horn-a... )

tyingq 9y ago
Yup. Lots of old, dark cartoons. Here's a Tom & Jerry that's pretty bleak: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3xxbmn http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3xxbmn Or, if you're rushed for time, Google "cartoon suicide reel".
gaius 9y ago
He-man interestingly featured generally realistic women (Teela and The Sorceress) and men with wildly unrealistic steroid-fuelled physiques. Same with Thundercats. That definitely doesn’t fit modern narratives. I grew up on shows like Blake’s 7 and Sapphire & Steel...

RichardCA 9y ago

If you want to understand why early 70's educational TV was important, watch this clip. Also spend some time reading the comments. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kojxgL3nf0Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kojxgL3nf0Y

triviatise 9y ago

my kids are watching shows like backyardigans, creative galaxy, daniel tiger etc. There is no violence and they are filled from top to bottom with (boring) wholesome lessons. The shows I watched (tom and jerry, loony toons, brady bunch etc) were filled with violence and pretty much had no redeeming qualities. I wouldnt worry if my kids watched the shows I watched, but I agree with a previous poster that there is no way the author actually believed the shows of his childhood were wholesome and pure.

agumonkey 9y ago

Very often I like watching old shows. I find many new ones to be overloaded with style and cuts. I feel that it only appeals to new generation that buy into it. When I run into a Columbo episode, I'm so liking the slow pacing, the simplicity, the filming; even with the shallow bits at times. Also there's a format thing, the only way they could decorate shows was with freeze and a bit of thrill jingle. I kindof like this way. There's also the spirit of the day. 70s to 80s shows were often sunny forever life style. It's soothing. Even supercars shows, with highly disturbingly bad effects [1] have a stupid simple formula that I find honest, even if it's often dumb. It's just entertainment, I find it less pretentious in a way. [1] be ready for a shock if you ever watch Knight Rider again.

dingaling 9y ago
For amusement I recently started watching a French 1960s series called Les Chevaliers du Ciel, there are loads of episodes on YouTube. With my five-year-old, instead of kids' programming. As well as lots of aeroplanes I have found the same as you; gentle pacing, lingering scenes, no snarkiness, no real swearing. It is very refreshing how drama used to be filmed. I might try the Littlest Hobo soon, if I can avoid crying during the title song!
- agumonkey 9y ago
  That's the kind of thing that I feel "modern" times forgot. Tech allows for toying, so people optimize that thinking it's better when it's actually very very very relative. I do believe part of my appreciation for that is due to nostalgia imprinted in my brain. But it's not all. There's a form of simplicity/intent ratio that is higher in older times. You didn't artificially inflate everything to make them pop more, you just let them emerge slowly.

teh_klev 9y ago

This is a wee bit disappointing in its analysis. If you fancy a better background read into some of the dystopian TV series of the 70's (I'm 51 so this is the era of UK TV I grew up watching as a child) then get a copy of "Scarred For Life Volume One": http://www.lulu.com/gb/en/shop/stephen-brotherstone-dave-lawrence/scarred-for-life-volume-one/paperback/product-23116461.html http://www.lulu.com/gb/en/shop/stephen-brotherstone-dave-law... I've got a bit of a 70's hauntology thing going and this book scratches that itch somewhat.

DanBC 9y ago
Yes. He never mentioned Mr NoseyBonk. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87NHueHBHwY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87NHueHBHwY There were some good things, like Vision On (a programme for deaf children, that included very early Aardman animation work) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyWKcgmHwpo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyWKcgmHwpo
- teh_klev 9y ago
  Hoo boy, I'd forgotten about Mr Noseybonk (and his dildo farm O_o), though by the time that was aired I was ~13 and kids TV was less of a thing for me. I did like Vision On. A real favourite was Mr Benn, I used to love his adventures: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7goleREp884 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7goleREp884

lolive 9y ago

I have a complete opposite feeling about 80s shows on (french) TV. I was very fond of The Mysterious Cities of Gold, Once Upon a Time... Life, Ulysses 31, the (old school) SpiderMan cartoons, Tom Sawyer, Barbapapa. And (for something completely different) The Twilight Zone. 35 years later, I rewatch them with my kids, and the magic is definitely still present.

cortesoft 9y ago

I grew up in the 80s. All of my shows were just product placement for toys.

newnewpdro 9y ago
This is how I feel about nearly every modern "blockbuster" style film or television show I see, though not specifically toys. It seems like we're headed towards a future where there are no overt commercials, because the content is a composite of commercials. Or maybe there will always be easily defeated overt commercials - it helps hide the in-content commercials in plain view. Much of the youtube content I encounter is already rife with commercial influence, and youtube lets you skip ads - so you can get on with watching your ads.
tyingq 9y ago
Hill Street Blues was decent. Maybe not kid friendly, but well done. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hill_Street_Blues https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hill_Street_Blues

CommieBobDole 9y ago

It seems like a lot of people here are assuming a level of seriousness on the part of the author that doesn't seem to be there. Seems like he's just taken the premise "man, I watched a bunch of shows I grew up with and that shit was way weirder than I remember" and stretched it to article length. I don't see any real commentary, actual or attempted, at all.