Were They Really the Good Old Days?

Lori Alexander laments the loss of The Good Old Days:

In the 60s, when I was growing up, we watched shows like the Dick Van Dyke Show. In Rob and Laura’s bedroom {the couple the show revolved around} there were two separate beds. When they were sitting on the bed together, they had to have one foot on the floor. This was mandated back then. Oh, how far we’ve come.

The Dick Van Dyke Show is definitely one of my favorites, but though the cultural decline was less visible in that time, it had already begun.  Look at how Richie is dealt with in that show, how his dad always has to bring him something home, his dad (in one of my favorite episodes!) has to prove that his job is something to be proud of, instead of looked down on compared to his classmate’s dad who is a fireman.

When you’re in the entertainment medium, you have to find things people want to see, you have to tell a story, and you have to get people to care about the actors.

The other interesting perspective here is Laura Petrie’s Capri pants.  They really wanted to show off her legs, and the people at the time didn’t want her to, so she was only allowed one scene a show to wear the capris instead of a skirt/dress.  You see, even at the time the shows were attempting to push the boundaries to see what they could get away with.

What I’ve found most interesting is that when movies and shows came out back in the 20s and 30s there was actually must more risque stuff on then than now, and they had to force the studios to police themselves to remove all the filth that was on when television first started.  The temptation to sin and use mediums for the spread of that sin knows no age, it is just that sometimes the just can put enough pressure to restrain it and sometimes they cannot.