Saturday, March 02, 2013

Television Then....and Now



Hi everyone!  I found this video (1930 Vintage Ford Commercial) and it made me feel nostalgic.  I was wondering:  for those of you who grew up in the 1960's and earlier, did you prefer television as it was back then...or how it is today...and why?  

As for myself, I kind of miss the old television shows and TV ads.  If I am not mistaken, the commercial breaks were much shorter back then than they are today.  Television commercials themselves were longer, but the actual commercial break was shorter.  Rather than seeing 4 commercials or more, (like we do today), you would see one or two back then.  These are my memories, anyway, but I look forward to hearing your memories and thoughts on television...then and now.

Thank you all so much for visiting me here!  I really appreciate and enjoy reading your thoughts, which you are always welcome to share by clicking on the 'comments' link at the end of my post.

16 comments:

  1. We don't watch much mainstream TV if that tells you anything.

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  2. I agree with you about today's commercials. It sometimes seems as if there are more minutes of commercials than there are of show. I fondly remember some of the old TV programs -- today's don't seem nearly as good.

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  3. I like commercials, Linda, good ones than !
    But I do'nt watch tv for the last 2 or 3 years, except when I am somewhere and I have to...
    Lie(f)s.

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  4. Not only do we see more minutes of commercials but we see them over and over, sometimes withing the same TV program. They put me to sleep!

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  5. We had a new 1957 Ford that looked much like this. Didn't run well, though, so we traded it for a 1955 Chevy.

    I prefer today's TV's if not today's shows. Commercials I generally dislike and mute them immediately when they come on! :)

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  6. I LOVED Highway Patrol and still get a kick out of old Broderick Crawford movies.

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  7. If we're talking about commercials, you're right. I watch a lot of old tv shows via Netflix, and an episode of the Mary Tyler Moore show, for example, lasts about 25 minutes, whereas newer half hour shows only last about 21. They also used to make a lot more new episodes of a show per season than they do now. Some of my favorite cable shows only have six shows! No sooner do they "premier" then they are already to the "finale"!

    As for the shows themselves, I'm torn. I like the realism of newer shows, but only to a point. Sometimes the gruesome aspects of the crime shows I like are way too much for me. But then, I can't watch reruns of the Dick Van Dyke Show anymore, because it is all so unbelievably sexist. For a while, I was watching Gunsmoke reruns on cable, and I was struck by how nobody reacts to someone being killed. They're all like, oh well, too bad for Pa. I better go fix supper. Huh?!? Sometimes those old shows are unintentionally funny. On one Gunsmoke episode, a man slams the door of the jailhouse, and the "brick" wall shakes visibly. He must have been awfully strong!

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  8. I got to thinking about the old Highway Patrol show recently. I couldn't remember the actor's name, so thanks Birdman! I remember also Dr. Hudson's Secret Journal and discovered that you can actually watch full episodes online. I'll check for Highway Patrol episodes.

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  9. Some commercials are really well done, some are extremely dumb, but all are too long. I too find myself falling asleep due to the length of the commercial and missing the rest of the show. Thank goodness we generally record it.

    And I too like to hear the old TV announcer... it's nostalgic.

    What I noticed in this particular car commercial was the amount of clothes the models wore. You don't see this today.

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  10. I don't watch the television anyway, so I can't help you Linda.

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  11. Hi Linda, I miss many of the old shows too. The old variety shows were so good and many of the comedies (much better than things these days).

    Loved the old commercial too.
    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  12. I have found two great tv channels that show nothing but old 1950's and 1960's tv shows. The first is called "Antenna TV" and the second is called "METV" which stands for "Memorable Entertainment TV". I have Time Warner Cable so I don't know if it is just something they offer or if you can get it with other providers. You can probably go online and research these two channels to see if you get it. They show things like "Father Knows Best", "The Donna Reed Show", "My Three Sons", "Dragnet", "Adam-12", Emergency". It's great.

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  13. I plain and simply despise TV today. Network and cable. It's not family friendly. That is to say it smutty, violent, idiotic in a brainless sort of way. The news is often not important only sensationalistic. Comedy is a joke and not in any sense funny. I could go on but I'll stop there....:(

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  14. Of course I miss the old kind of TV programs, but I think I prefer the TV of today, even if I really hate when they put commercials sometimes. Especially in the nighttime. But for a film I prefer it to be with commercial breaks, 'cause I don't like to sit still for a long time.
    Have a wonderful week!
    ☼☼☼

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  15. Of course I like the TVs a lot better today but I liked the shows back then a LOT better.

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  16. Thank you all so much for your comments! I really appreciate it!

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