TV Guided: The Golden Age of Sitcoms?

 

 Redartz: It wasn't too long ago that some folks claimed the sitcom to be dead. Turns out they were wrong; there are quite a few comedies on network tv worth the viewing in 2021. But as this is "Back in the Bronze Age" and not "Here in the Netflix Age", we're looking at some earlier programming (so as not to give the impression that I'm totally lost in the past, I think one could make a good argument that we are currently in a Golden Age of television drama, but that's another tale for another day).

Back to the sitcoms (or Situation Comedies, for those sticklers among us). Our title above mentions a Golden age; to what does that refer? Well, in my  humble opinion, to the 1970's. Granted, every decade has had it's share of enjoyable, popular, even classic comedies. You might well choose to argue that my claim for the 70's misses the mark. Well, that is the crux for our topic this week. But I'm getting ahead of myself. 

Consider the decade that opened with "The Brady Bunch", "The Partridge Family", and "The Odd Couple". 

 

 Basically played for laughs, and those were found in abundance. But as the decade progressed, the comedies got more...socially conscious. More introspective. More biting. Think of "All in the Family" and "Maude". 

 

 And the comedies got more diverse; with "The Jeffersons" and "Chico and the Man". 

 

But the world of 70's sitcoms also had it's lighter fare. Nostalgia was a big draw, with "Happy Days" and "Laverne & Shirley". 

 

 So were 'urban comedies' such as "Taxi" and "Barney Miller". 

 

 And of course the decade ended with the sheer wackiness of Robin Williams in "Mork and Mindy".  Obviously the decade offered a wide choice of comic material...

 

As further evidence, I bring your attention to the CBS schedule for Saturday nights in the 1973 season. "All in the Family", "M*A*S*H", "The Mary Tyler Moore Show", "The Bob Newhart Show", and "The Carol Burnett Show" . Even granting that that last program was technically a variety show, that still must qualify as the greatest single night of televised comedy in broadcast history. Whatta lineup...

Anyway, the sheer abundance of strong comedies (and I have only scratched the surface here) in the 70's pretty much settles my case. Golden Age of Sitcoms? I'm going with the decade of Hawkeye Pierce, Rhoda Morganstern and the Fonz. 

You still disagree? Excellent; that's where our topic gets juicy. What decade, or era, would you say qualifies as a 'Golden Age' of comedy? If you agree with me, fine; why? And if you've other thoughts, then by all means convince us otherwise! 

And for our UK contingent: certainly don't intend to leave you out. Your BBC and ITV certainly offered some comic viewing, what were the best schedules? The best shows? Was there a particular era that stood out for you, programming-wise? The table is wide open to discuss the Greatest Eras of Comedy...

Chew the Fat: Inspired by Evel Knievel!

Martinex1: Growing up and in grade school in the 1970s, there was a brief period of time that I was highly influenced by the stunts and antics of Evel Knievel.  And I am sure others were too.  Whether jumping cars or buses on his motorcycle, or attempting to leap the Snake River Canyon in the steam powered Skycycle X-2, the stuntman had the world at attention.  Well, at least he was the talk of the schoolyard.

Looking back at it, the man who broke countless bones acting out his adventurous schemes, really did capture the American spirit as we headed toward the Bicentennial.  And it surely impacted the pop culture of that decade.

Television shows, books, toys, collectibles, and comics were all suddenly enamored and emblazoned with the wild stunts of the well known daredevil.  When I was in the fourth grade, I desperately wanted the Evel Knievel Stunt Cycle (I received roller skates instead and had trouble hiding my disappointment).  For a handful of years Evel Knievel had a cottage industry based on toys made in his likeness and branded with his name.  He was an international hit by any standard.



I am not sure when Evel Knievel branched out to exploring but he sure captured the imagination.

Knievel was everywhere.  For the comic-loving fans, it was hard to miss the advertisements.  Can you remember which books in your collection featured the back covers depicted below?

On television, it would take a lot to convince me that he didn't influence Happy Days or the television Captain America!  The Fonz jumped fourteen garbage cans (unsuccessfully) on the sitcom, and that costume and those wheels for Cap surely owed something to "The King of the Stuntmen." 

There was even a 1974 Saturday morning cartoon, Devlin, that leaned on the Knievel mystique quite obviously.  Check out the show opening in the link here.  

I guess I can give Marvel and Steve Rogers a bit of a break, as the character was riding motorcycles many years prior to the showman's fame but I suspect the addition of the bike to the television show and its increased use in comics had Knievel influences.   On the other hand, nothing can excuse Team America; not only was it late to the party but it was horrible.

More close to home, who didn't envy a kid with the Evel Knievel lunchbox?   And who didn't try to build a ramp to try out with a Schwinn Stingray?   I still have some sore ribs from a failed attempt (Disclaimer: That is not young Martinex in the photo)! 

So let's Chew the Fat!  What were your daredevil memories?  Did you gather with the neighborhood kids and try out some wheelies and jumps?   Were you mesmerized by the Wide World of Sports stunt spectacular?   How much did you pester your parents for the coveted toys?   Share all of that and anything else that comes to mind as today we discuss Evel Knievel and all of his influential impacts.



Sound and the Fury: Bands Jumpin' The Shark!

Martinex1: Our friend Doug shared some thoughts recently about bands and musicians that outlived their welcome and perhaps jumped the shark. "Jumping the shark" of course refers to the point at which a concept was stretched to its limit, used some type of gimmick or changed tack to generate interest, and headed from that point in a negative trajectory.  The origin of the term refers to the episode in the fifth season of Happy Days in which Fonzie (Henry Winkler) clad in a leather jacket and on water skis actually jumped a shark.  That show steadily went down hill after that ludicrous episode culminating with cast changes and horrible spinoffs.  It took seven more seasons for Happy Days to go off the air, but for many the show ended with that jump.  For your enjoyment take a look at the seminal moment from September 20, 1977.

Wow!   Here at BitBA, on occasion we will explore our favorite cultural phenomena and when they "jumped the shark."   Thanks to Doug's insightful suggestion, lets start with bands!

Here are some edited excerpts from Doug's comments from his email that explain his particular feelings regarding Starship and some of their songs from the 80s:

Doug:  While fixing dinner this evening my wife and I were listening to a local radio station that plays 50s to 80s tunes. "Sara" by Starship came on and my ears began to bleed. (Regarding the singer Marty Thomas) - about the time he arrived is when that group jumped the shark. I can take "Jane" because it is a rocker.  But when "We Built This City" comes along I want to puke. But the Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship had a lot of really good music.   So when did a given band suddenly begin to fail with you?  And was it due to a personnel change or simply the passage of time or changing of the market?

Martinex1:  Hilarious.   I have the same reaction to the kind of overblown excessive manufactured enthusiasm of "We Built This City."  Just so we can all enjoy the same ear-bleeding, vomit inducing track that actually reached #1 on the U.S. charts in November of 1985, here is the video promoting the song and album Knee Deep in the Hoopla.

Martinex1: I just have to say that if he really meant that "Marconi played the mamba..,"(a mamba is a large fast-moving venomous snake), I have a much greater appreciation for the song.  Or are we mis-hearing that?

For my "shark jump," I am going to head down a slightly different path.   I was a big fan of The Who during my high school years. But when the album It's Hard arrived in 1982, it was obvious something had drastically changed - and not for the better.  When did they jump the shark?   I am not particularly sure exactly but it definitely happened.  Keith Moon died shortly after the release of Who Are You so that had a definite impact on the band.  I liked  the following album Face Dances with Kenney Jones on drums, and with songs like "Another Tricky Day," "You Better, You Bet" and "Don't Let Go the Coat." it had not gone totally downhill - or had it? 

Somewhere during that timeframe from 1978 with Who Are You until 1982's It's Hard, the band changed drastically.   To exemplify that, take a look at videos from the two albums a mere four years apart.

Of course, Moon's attitude and energy helped the band, but beyond that it is obvious the participation went from a sense of enjoyment to the slog of a job.   The second video even seems to highlight the business and behind the scenes "work."   So they jumped the shark in the early 80s. The Who continued for decades without many new releases, but were never even a shadow of what they had been.  The song "Eminence Front" even seems to indicate that its all for show now, and that may be the best song on the album.  They seem tired and aged, and yet believe it or not the members were only about 38 years old around the time of that release (they suddenly seemed ancient to teenage me).

I also want to point out that the band members' solo albums were mostly in decline around the same time.  Pete Townshend had a couple of average releases, but John Entwistle's Too Late the Hero from 1981 was a shocking misfire. The title song was a far cry musically from "Boris the Spider;"  it was bland and lackluster.   And the song "Talk Dirty" could have easily fit into Spinal Tap's lyrical repertoire. 

I think there were a combination of catalysts to their slow demise, but when you see a band become more "corporate" it is a bad sign. 

So those are some starting thoughts for our discussion today.   I am sure you all have many examples to share of bands you love and bands you despise.   When did U2 stop being rebellious rockers and become stadium showmen; did they jump the shark?   When did Billy Joel stop being a piano man, or did he?   When did the Stones lose their edge?   Who retained their untouchable iconic status?   Who quit before they jumped the shark?  Who played until nobody listened and when did they jump the shark?  Does fashion and style have anything to do with the perception?  Were the 80s just bad?  Did all the great 60s acts jump the shark in those days trying to convert to a new style?

Share your thoughts; we are curious what you have to say and what examples you will choose.  Here is to hoping that BitBA hasn't jumped the shark yet!  Cheers!