When I was growing up, I didn't have many hobbies. I didn't play sports. I wasn't in many clubs. There was Boy Scouts and I played the cello in my school orchestra and in high school I got involved in the drama club. But otherwise I watched TV. Tons of it.
Every night of the week. My life revolved around the TV listings in the newspaper (We didn't get TV Guide growing up but I did subscribe to it as an adult).
I've discussed in some of my earlier blogs my love of television and my lifelong obsession with it. And I still love it. I love the technology. But to be truthful I miss old school network TV. For me, that is real TV. In my opinion, streaming and pay cable and all the other various outlets are not TV. I'll say that again. Streaming. Is. Not. TV.
There I said it. Call me old fashioned. Call me an old timer who can't accept change. But I believe that the only real TV is still the broadcast networks. TV is on a schedule. A show airs at a specific date and time and that is when you watch it, or record it.
Growing up we just had the Big Three networks, ABC, CBS and NBC. CBS being the king of them all! And the Emmys for me were an annual ritual where I could see all my favorite TV stars. It was fun and entertaining. There were only the 3 networks and PBS and some syndicated shows. Five nominees in each category. Sometimes less. The only awards given out were for Comedy, Drama, Movies and Mini-Series and Variety Shows. And the categories were Show, Directing, Writing and Acting. That was it.
Now there are so many awards given out they have separate ceremonies for the creative arts and technical awards and the guest stars, etc etc etc...
And there's reality show categories, competition and lifestyle and here's my biggest qualm...first they added cable TV and now streaming and as a result the networks are being shutout! And I don't know any of these actors. They're all from the UK or Australia or they're movie stars! And the ceremony is really long and really boring.
I don't care about them at all anymore. I want to root for my favorite shows but they're not even invited to the party these days. And the ratings go down every year. This year was the lowest rated Emmys ever! Granted, all broadcast TV shows go down year after year after year because of the fractured world of modern TV. None of the big events get the ratings they used to get when there were just three channels, (except the Super Bowls). Seriously, remember when Miss America and Miss Universe were a big event? Not even on broadcast anymore. Or all the Bowl games and parades on New Years Day? Where are they now?
But also, the people watching broadcast TV don't know see any of their shows represented.
Look. I love streaming as much as the next guy. I have Netflix, Hulu and Amazon. But even I barely watch the tip of the iceberg in their original programming because there is just too much of it. If I ran the TV industry, (which let's face it you know I should!), I would have separate awards shows for streaming, cable and broadcast. The Emmys belong to the broadcast networks. How much longer do you think they will continue to broadcast the Emmys if they're not even represented at the awards show?
I want my TV back the way it was. I used to look forward to the Emmys every year. Not anymore. Its just not TV. :(
Showing posts with label sitcoms. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sitcoms. Show all posts
Thursday, September 20, 2018
Saturday, May 21, 2016
Why I love the classic TV series Green Acres
In one of my first blogs, I spoke of my love for classic TV. I may have mentioned i collect complete TV series season sets on DVD. I just bought two new sets this week, Maude Season 4 and Newhart Season 5. This past week, I finished watching Designing Women Season 4. I now own 120 different TV series season sets.
I am currently in a show (How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying at Glendale Centre Theatre See link below for tickets). I share a dressing room with another actor the same age as myself. Last night we spoke of the shows we grew up watching and the lineups of the various nights of the week. As good as TV is now, its not the same. I long of the days of good old broadcast network television (ABC CBS and NBC). We all watched the same programs together as families. Each network had something for everyone. They didn't each cater to a different audience. They all shared one big audience together.
Glendale Centre Theatre Tickets
But I digress. Today, I would like to talk about one particular classic television series. And state my case for why I love it. That show, wait for it, is Green Acres. Yes, you heard me right Green Acres, Not Mary Tyler Moore, Seinfeld, Lucy, MASH, Cheers, All in the Family., Dick Van Dyke, Friends, Fraser. Green Acres.
Now, I know the tendency is to lump this show with the 1960s CBS rural comedies, Beverly Hillbllies and Petticoat Junction in particular since they were all from the same producers and crossed over with one another. In fact, Green Acres was a sort of skin off of Petticoat Junction taking place in a neighboring town and sharing a couple of supporting characters. Beverly Hillbillies, as popular as it was in its day, and it was HUGELY popular. Its ratings still rank among the all time highest ever for episodic TV. It does not continue on in syndication like Lucy, Seinfeld, Andy Griffith or The Golden Girls. And its not that great. I'm not a fan. And Petticoat Junction never did anything for me. Its kind of lame.
But Green Acres is a different. And I recently converted a friend after having this conversation. There are sone great running gags. And the show was kind of ahead of its time. You heard me right. Ahead of tits time. Why? They broke the fourth wall. There were inside jokes. That was not common on TV shows in the 1960s. Its common now. There episodes that start with the characters noticing the opening credits floating in front of them. There's one where the written by and directed by credits are spelled out on the pancakes (or as Lisa called them, hotcakes) that Lisa is cooking on the grill.
In another one, Eb is lip synching to Eva Gabor singing the opening theme song as he goes about his chores.
In another running bit, every time Oliver starts to wax poetic about the American farmer and working the land, there's patriotic music playing underneath and the men in Drucker's Store comment on the fact that there is music coming from somewhere.
In addition, the show has a real absurdist sense of humor to it. Things work backwards. The house is never finished. The phone is on top of a telephone pole. Only a couple of kitchen appliances can be plugged in at one time and you can't mix up the outlets. The Ziffels pig Arnold is treated like their son and in one episode goes off to Hollywood to be a movie star.
My favorite characters: Mr. Haney and his shyster ways. Somehow always having for sale exactly what the Douglases need when they need it and for a price. The carpenters, the Monroe Brothers Alf and Ralph (who is actually a woman but they are afraid they won't get any business if they call themselves brother and sister. Talk about sexist!) who never get the job done. Mr. Kimball and his constantly going off course in the middle of a sentence and forgetting what he was saying in the first place is probably my favorite character of all.
And then there's that theme song. I mean c'mon. Who hasn't sung that theme song? Its right up there with Gilligan and The Brady Bunch.
I'm telling you have to give this show another shot. Its better than you may remember. I think it ranks close behind Get Smart in its humor. So there you have it. I love Green Acres. I own the first three seasons on DVD. Unfortunately, they stopped with three. We need the remaining three! C'mon Shout Factory or MPI. Do like you did with so many other classic TV shows that the studios stopped releasing. Pick up the rights to Green Acres and give us the full six seasons.
I am currently in a show (How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying at Glendale Centre Theatre See link below for tickets). I share a dressing room with another actor the same age as myself. Last night we spoke of the shows we grew up watching and the lineups of the various nights of the week. As good as TV is now, its not the same. I long of the days of good old broadcast network television (ABC CBS and NBC). We all watched the same programs together as families. Each network had something for everyone. They didn't each cater to a different audience. They all shared one big audience together.
Glendale Centre Theatre Tickets
But I digress. Today, I would like to talk about one particular classic television series. And state my case for why I love it. That show, wait for it, is Green Acres. Yes, you heard me right Green Acres, Not Mary Tyler Moore, Seinfeld, Lucy, MASH, Cheers, All in the Family., Dick Van Dyke, Friends, Fraser. Green Acres.
Now, I know the tendency is to lump this show with the 1960s CBS rural comedies, Beverly Hillbllies and Petticoat Junction in particular since they were all from the same producers and crossed over with one another. In fact, Green Acres was a sort of skin off of Petticoat Junction taking place in a neighboring town and sharing a couple of supporting characters. Beverly Hillbillies, as popular as it was in its day, and it was HUGELY popular. Its ratings still rank among the all time highest ever for episodic TV. It does not continue on in syndication like Lucy, Seinfeld, Andy Griffith or The Golden Girls. And its not that great. I'm not a fan. And Petticoat Junction never did anything for me. Its kind of lame.
But Green Acres is a different. And I recently converted a friend after having this conversation. There are sone great running gags. And the show was kind of ahead of its time. You heard me right. Ahead of tits time. Why? They broke the fourth wall. There were inside jokes. That was not common on TV shows in the 1960s. Its common now. There episodes that start with the characters noticing the opening credits floating in front of them. There's one where the written by and directed by credits are spelled out on the pancakes (or as Lisa called them, hotcakes) that Lisa is cooking on the grill.
In another one, Eb is lip synching to Eva Gabor singing the opening theme song as he goes about his chores.
In another running bit, every time Oliver starts to wax poetic about the American farmer and working the land, there's patriotic music playing underneath and the men in Drucker's Store comment on the fact that there is music coming from somewhere.
In addition, the show has a real absurdist sense of humor to it. Things work backwards. The house is never finished. The phone is on top of a telephone pole. Only a couple of kitchen appliances can be plugged in at one time and you can't mix up the outlets. The Ziffels pig Arnold is treated like their son and in one episode goes off to Hollywood to be a movie star.
My favorite characters: Mr. Haney and his shyster ways. Somehow always having for sale exactly what the Douglases need when they need it and for a price. The carpenters, the Monroe Brothers Alf and Ralph (who is actually a woman but they are afraid they won't get any business if they call themselves brother and sister. Talk about sexist!) who never get the job done. Mr. Kimball and his constantly going off course in the middle of a sentence and forgetting what he was saying in the first place is probably my favorite character of all.
And then there's that theme song. I mean c'mon. Who hasn't sung that theme song? Its right up there with Gilligan and The Brady Bunch.
I'm telling you have to give this show another shot. Its better than you may remember. I think it ranks close behind Get Smart in its humor. So there you have it. I love Green Acres. I own the first three seasons on DVD. Unfortunately, they stopped with three. We need the remaining three! C'mon Shout Factory or MPI. Do like you did with so many other classic TV shows that the studios stopped releasing. Pick up the rights to Green Acres and give us the full six seasons.
Sunday, November 22, 2015
Arsenic and Old Lace and other classic comedies
Last night I saw Arsenic and Old Lace at Glendale Centre Theatre. A friend of mine was in the show and as it turns out a few friends were in the audience as well.
I first discovered Arsenic and Old Lace via the movie version on TV when I was around college age. It was my introduction to Cary Grant. Love him in this movie. So damn funny. I like the play too. Not as much as some of the other classic Broadway comedies of that era but I still like it quite a bit. I tend to like the older plays from the mid-20th century (Kaufman and Hart's plays, Neil Simon's a couple of decades later). So many great plays.
So many plays that were standards in community, stock, college and high school theaters all across the country for decades. But these days, maybe not as frequently performed, although still done on occasion. Now I sometimes hesitate when I go to see productions of this era these days. Afraid they may not stay true to the era they were written by modernizing some references or clothing styles.
I am happy to report this production did not disappoint in that department. There was one joke in the second act that referenced Judith Andersen, and I had to process it. Mortimer says to his aunts who are dressed all in black for a funeral service, that they look like Judith Andersen. And then I thought to myself. Judith Andersen. Older actress, British Dame. Known for Medea. Oh! And the Alfred Hitchcock movie, Rebecca where she played Mrs. Danvers who was obsessed with the first Mrs. de Winter and is dressed all in black throughout the movie. Oh. Yeah. Funny! I wonder how many people in the audience got that. I'd say none based not he fact that it didn't get a laugh.
But back to the play. The pacing was good for the most part. There was one actor in the opening scene who did not have good pacing. I liked the actor playing Mortimer. He reminded me A LOT of Danny Thomas. I'm guessing if I told him that he would have no idea who Danny Thomas was. My one quibble with him was that he was considerably younger than the two actors playing his brothers. Both were also quite good as were the two aunts. What great parts!
The actor playing Jonathan was great. He looked scary and moved kind of like Boris Karloff in Frankenstein, (which is the main gag for his character). But he really had it down. He was funny.
The reason I'm going on about this is that about 10 years ago saw a production of Arsenic and Old Lace that was not good. And I saw it because I knew several people involved in it. In fact, they closed it down, re-cast a couple of roles and re-opened it. It was definitely better the second time around. But man, the first version. Yikes! I felt like the lead actors didn't get it. They didn't get the style at all. And this brings me to my point.
I feel that many actors who are a decade or more younger than me, don't get plays and TV shows from before the 1980s. Seriously. Like they don't know how to play comedy at all. And I'm talking about really good well-trained actors who are serious about their craft. And maybe that's my problem. Not that I don't take these plays seriously. But to me there is a whole style of acting that has gone out of favor. And its the kind of acting that I like. I feel like a relic.
I feel this type of play falls into the sitcom category as well. There were many plays on Broadway around the 1960s or so (like the Neil Simon plays) that come from the same type of humor...sitcom. Setup. Setup. Joke. Guaranteed laughs. But I think so many actors today don't grow with that so they don't get it. They try to dissect and analyze and approach it like a serious piece. And they miss the beats, the rhythms. Because all great comedy has a rhythm, a pacing, a style. You need to know this and feel it in addition to all the other acting research.
So I am happy to say that Arsenic and Old Lace at Glendale Centre Theatre got it right. It was a delight.
I first discovered Arsenic and Old Lace via the movie version on TV when I was around college age. It was my introduction to Cary Grant. Love him in this movie. So damn funny. I like the play too. Not as much as some of the other classic Broadway comedies of that era but I still like it quite a bit. I tend to like the older plays from the mid-20th century (Kaufman and Hart's plays, Neil Simon's a couple of decades later). So many great plays.
So many plays that were standards in community, stock, college and high school theaters all across the country for decades. But these days, maybe not as frequently performed, although still done on occasion. Now I sometimes hesitate when I go to see productions of this era these days. Afraid they may not stay true to the era they were written by modernizing some references or clothing styles.
I am happy to report this production did not disappoint in that department. There was one joke in the second act that referenced Judith Andersen, and I had to process it. Mortimer says to his aunts who are dressed all in black for a funeral service, that they look like Judith Andersen. And then I thought to myself. Judith Andersen. Older actress, British Dame. Known for Medea. Oh! And the Alfred Hitchcock movie, Rebecca where she played Mrs. Danvers who was obsessed with the first Mrs. de Winter and is dressed all in black throughout the movie. Oh. Yeah. Funny! I wonder how many people in the audience got that. I'd say none based not he fact that it didn't get a laugh.
But back to the play. The pacing was good for the most part. There was one actor in the opening scene who did not have good pacing. I liked the actor playing Mortimer. He reminded me A LOT of Danny Thomas. I'm guessing if I told him that he would have no idea who Danny Thomas was. My one quibble with him was that he was considerably younger than the two actors playing his brothers. Both were also quite good as were the two aunts. What great parts!
The actor playing Jonathan was great. He looked scary and moved kind of like Boris Karloff in Frankenstein, (which is the main gag for his character). But he really had it down. He was funny.
The reason I'm going on about this is that about 10 years ago saw a production of Arsenic and Old Lace that was not good. And I saw it because I knew several people involved in it. In fact, they closed it down, re-cast a couple of roles and re-opened it. It was definitely better the second time around. But man, the first version. Yikes! I felt like the lead actors didn't get it. They didn't get the style at all. And this brings me to my point.
I feel that many actors who are a decade or more younger than me, don't get plays and TV shows from before the 1980s. Seriously. Like they don't know how to play comedy at all. And I'm talking about really good well-trained actors who are serious about their craft. And maybe that's my problem. Not that I don't take these plays seriously. But to me there is a whole style of acting that has gone out of favor. And its the kind of acting that I like. I feel like a relic.
I feel this type of play falls into the sitcom category as well. There were many plays on Broadway around the 1960s or so (like the Neil Simon plays) that come from the same type of humor...sitcom. Setup. Setup. Joke. Guaranteed laughs. But I think so many actors today don't grow with that so they don't get it. They try to dissect and analyze and approach it like a serious piece. And they miss the beats, the rhythms. Because all great comedy has a rhythm, a pacing, a style. You need to know this and feel it in addition to all the other acting research.
So I am happy to say that Arsenic and Old Lace at Glendale Centre Theatre got it right. It was a delight.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)