TV Posts Tagged as '1950s'
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My Little Margie (1952 - 1955)

Ridiculousness is the charm that keeps you glued to seeing horrible people fail. The father thinks that by treating his adult daughter like a wife that she will outgrow her conniving ways. Yes, it's a Lucy wannabe. The daughter Margie is an unscrupulous Lucy in her 20s. The protagonist is adept at mimicking voices and throwing a punchline but she wasn't Lucy. The character is hard to like. It is structured as a last minute idea. Somebody wrote a porn script for fun, they couldn't meet a deadline so they repurposed it for television. Margie is everything the modern woman is blamed for. Woman domination is irrefutable. Single dad that looks great in shorts is raising an over-teen. He is so overwhelmed by her antics/lunacy that he employs his boss and "girlfriend" to sabotage her. The boss is especially inappropriate. Holy crap! They had a black elevator man that entered apartments and canoodled with the white folks in the building. He was allowed to touch them! He was funny. The old neighbor was a hoot dressing up in drag and joining forces with Margie to scam people. She was no Mrs. Trumbull. My favorites almost always involved hillbilly or Hindu disguises, etc. Romantic relationships never evolved. They acted and reacted like spouses and weren't ashamed. The lead actress worked hard and had perfect pitch but I wanted a slushie thrown in her face. I'm surprised it made it to classic but more amazed that it still stirs. 18-Jan-2025
Rifleman, The (1958-1963)

A postwar generation that fought the enemy to insure that cell phones and toilet paper made it to the future. Respect for the law and its protection kept western towns reposed and progressive. Strangers would stop by with stories of city worlds, vast education and diversity. The contemptible came to cause a ruckus, crush everyone's dreams and takeover. Guns were a man's best friend because it was a contemptible's only friend. Death was also scientific in a world with very little of it. The rifleman assisted the Marshall by keeping people in line with threats, assistance, charm, height, beauty, and death. Death was an acceptable occurrence to be respected and expected. Even, the kids were savvy to it. You kill an animal for necessity, not sport. Death happens esp. in this town. Daddy longlegs was a widower, a rifle expert with a sweet boy whose devotion to daddy went beyond the screen. They heightened the father/son duo by being super. Connor was classic cowboy. The rifleman had gun skills, was a jean god, made money after every kill and was a fair man that allowed no one to fuck with his kid. They tell stories beyond the shooting. It had a contemporary mindset and there were plenty of useful life-lessons. Responsibilities of gun ownership included, when to point, shoot, run or put them down. 09-Nov-2023
Ozzie and Harriet (1952- 1966)

S1-8. There were no constant reruns of this classic for me to add it to my American history library but I heard it was corny and wholesome as fuck. Its claim to fame was family hierarchy, whining, beauty and pimping. As the parents' talents/fame wavered the prettiest twinks on television began to ascend. Rick was the teenage dream with dead eyes impersonating a musical talent. David's personality was pleasantly approachable and glistening. Ozzie was a grumpy Seinfeld who worried about everything and complained about nothing that mattered. In the beginning Ozzie had a buddy named Thorny. He lived next door but they never showed his family. I wouldn't want to be associated with that name either. Harriet's hair rarely moved but she had impeccable taste and versatility. She performed her chores like she lived them. She conveyed dismay with sarcasm, was not lovey dovey and enjoyed watching her husband suffer. The cast changes were inevitable and sometimes fun. It was nostalgic seeing some of Lucy's posse rippling for someone else. It's run lasted way longer because of the the adoration that horny teens lavished on pretty Ricky. He was on top of the world with daddy grasping the strings. 10-Oct-2023
Danny Thomas Show, The (1953-1965)

There seems to be silence on the legacy of this classic sitcom. It started as Make Room For Daddy and mushroomed into The Danny Thomas Show. I saw all of the latter and only a handful of the other. The actress playing his wife, in the first half, had disdain for the man and it showed. Her composure did not scream nurturing, romantic or in love. Wrong place for the wrong actress. Danny played a version of himself. He was a singer/comedian who worked nightclubs. Jabbing at Danny's Lebanese culture was open, respectful and knowledgable. Lucy & Desi were his parents (friends) and Dick Van Dyke was his cousin (spin-off.) The show was blessed with energetic ideas, comic genius and non-stop showmanship. Danny must have learned how Lucy did it because he found his cute and sarcastic wit. Second wife was glamorous, vindictive, funny and hot. Marjorie Lord went shopping with Lucy Ricardo, cooked in fashion, got him in the mood and plotted her revenge in a very elegant and comical manner. The son is a scene stealer. Even when he made a mistake he diverted it with more funny. His adorability peaked in his tweens and crashed in his teens but he had a memorable run. Funny as fuck. The daughter was a prime teen that left before her character became unbearable. She had her moments. Louise was the household maid that was played by two elder pros. She got to hug white children, gossip with the wife, celebrate as a family member and sass the boss. A proud black woman. She isn't in all the episodes but the character remained til the end. The guest stars were numerous. The writers succeeded in incorporating them into strong storylines. The topics were basic, like feminism, how men can't do anything right, a woman can do anything men can do, a gift abolishes snarls and make-up sex is her way of accepting an apology. Penny from Lost In Space enters as a cute sister moppet that was supposed to bring adorability and sunshine. She was a work in progress. She laughs during line readings and when Mr. Thomas is doing his thing. She's cute and annoying. He was a great teacher, though. He hands a season to his working buddy and his domineering wife, played by the original Ursula from the Little Mermaid. It was an odd experiment giving supporting players full reign. They had to fill really big shoes and were no longer the sitcom air freshener. Ursula flopped around like she was getting paid to play charades on land. She was a bit too much. Danny was a ham. He sang in almost every episode. He shoved it down our throats but was so adamant and easy going that we learned to accept it and stopped praying that he didn't sing in the next episode. They had minorities galore and a successful run from the 50s through the 60s. Well-written, comical, consistent and timeless. One of a kind. Why don't we ever celebrate it? 06-Jun-2023
Donna Reed Show, The (1958-1966)

S2E26. Donna overhears her gorgeous husband grazing the last great eligible bachelor's marriage announcement. The men think he's fucked, the wives can't understand why. Donna becomes so enraged that she reads a book about male toxicity. Doctor becomes bored because his idol dick has shrunk with alopecia. Donna's imagination has daddy doc fucking all sorts of french maidens. That was the realistic part. 11-May-2022
S2E4. A bully is identified by his nurture. No one is as gentle and well mannered as the Stone boy. The gorgeous doctor and Donna are flabbergasted that their scathing, disruptive asshole of a son is considered praise worthy by the town parents when karma should have fucked him up a long time ago. Jeff's misconduct excuse is self defense. His friends, on the other hand, do it on purpose and are evil monsters. Jeff is a lucky good boy because he is allowed to walk all over his parents. Jeff behaves at other parent's houses because he is deathly afraid of them. You only shit where you live. There is a monster child in the perfect town mix and Donna needs to reform it. He's making her boy look bad. How can a parent tactfully tell a mother she sucks? Donna knows! Invite her over and pie her by showing her how it really works whilst insinuating that she's an abusive cunt. 03-May-2022
S2E3. Donna is bullied into buying an expensive dress for a town wedding. No husband wants to be bamboozled into a buying his wife a new dress when Donna, the epitome of wifedom, has worn the same red dress on seven occasions and manages to look fresh and youthful every time. The wives think Donna needs an expensive makeover and a new dress of their own. Donna would rather spend the extra money on her children. She only sucks one part of daddy dry. Women dress for each other. Fashion exploits the expensive non-sex boredom that lays dormant in a progressive couple. Bitch Donna returns to turn modern cunts to stone. 02-May-2022
S2E1. Mary encourages a special needs boy to audition for a dancing showcase she is participating in. Daddy doctor suggests special needs kids are pretending to be abnormal to gain attention. Mary is excited to support the embarrassment until he is assigned as her dance partner in the show. She panics. She can't be seen dancing with a short and chubby wreck. What will the town think? That she's not a hypocrite, maybe. Donna is not feeling right that a boy is being made to believe that he is something he isn't because he's fat, short and stupid. Heels are in, girdles are out. 01-May-2022
S1E16. Daughter Mary is running for vice-president of her class. Her campaign manager is a pushy lesbian that wants to win, not share opinions. The only reason Mary was chosen to compete was her looks, the boys, some of the girls and her agreeableness. Nobody expected her to fix anything. Mama doesn't enjoy seeing her daughter transform into a made-up sex bomb to win a seat she is not qualified for. The lesbian knows Mary is a poor choice but doesn't want the other girl to win because she's blah. They were voting her out for being too studied and repellant. Mama unleashes by rubber hosing the lesbian. 29-Apr-2022
S1E25. "Donna is so sweet" becomes the town refrain. Donna becomes a bitch to stop being victimized by modernity. Everyone takes advantage because she keeps picking up their slack. The more a woman liberates herself the less people will do for her. Bitchy Donna is played for laughs but the pudding is in the gesture. The only way to get anyone to do anything is to rage. The children cried for mercy, service got snippy, the husband didn't give a fuck because he was gorgeous and a doctor and he didn't want to have to listen to a thing she had to say. Things are getting done but nobody likes her. The episode acknowledged how cheesy it was by burning itself. 29-Apr-2022
Hey! That's me! 24-Apr-2022
Being the son of a gorgeous father, feminist mother and slutty sister makes him a dork. 24-Apr-2022
Being the daughter of a gorgeous doctor and a feminist mother automatically makes her a slut. 24-Apr-2022
S1E15. Marrying a gorgeous doctor automatically grants a woman feminist status. 24-Apr-2022
I've Got A Secret (1952-1967)

You know you are hooked on greatness when the picture looks crappy but the content is gold. 23-Mar-2022
I Love Lucy Christmas Special (2017) in Color

Woman empowerment is obtained by walking forward while doing it "your" way. Lucy created a path... whether you walked behind her or beside her...we should have surpassed her by now. No one has.
The color is candy. 15-Dec-2018
Color only adds adornment to an American sweet as we celebrate more classic detail. 23-Dec-2017
Wagon Train (1959)
"The Elizabeth McQueeny Story"
You'd think of nothing exciting when you hear Bette Davis and cowboys, unless she was pulling them (as she becomes one of them.) This episode is meant to be kind to her and she returns it. She's the guest star to a series that brandished established talent and they lent her the lens so she could show it off. It is vexing to realize that what the pioneers fought for is what we for today. Betty wins because she touches upon the art that made her great, serving up concoctions and fragrances that we celebrated and adds a new spin from a grander woman. She even dances for us and enjoys it. 29-Apr-2017
Dennis the Menace (1959 - 1963)
Dennis never endears himself to us and its either meant to be or North had one too many elocution lessons. It's not easy to binge-watch as there are way too many episodes. There is a time when the kids take a backseat to satiate the antics of Mr. Wilson. It is a good history lesson. I found out that immigrants actually didn't take jobs away from adults because those were chores assigned to boys to keep them out of trouble. Retired men spent all their time growing flowers, ignoring their wives, fishing and playing with little boys. 23-Feb-2016
Leave It To Beaver (1957-1963)
Family fantasy. 21-Jul-2017
I Love Lucy (1951-1957)

Comfort Food 21-Jul-2017