Things You Learn from Vintage TV
Just give me the car, and no one gets hurt...
I’ve discovered an excellent way for young people to study modern history.
Vintage TV.
The old shows, especially adult shows from the 1950s to the 1960s, depict a way of life that is no more. The smokers, the drinkers, the old cars, the pearls, the light traffic, and the skinny women, all this, and more, is a part of the past. These old shows give us the opportunity to see the past in motion.
If only this could be done with the Middle Ages.
What I've noticed is that even the skinny women are a bygone thing. Note the big and beautiful models that currently are used to sell product. Not since the Early Modern Era has big and beautiful been so conspicuous.
Let’s look at a few of those lessons that I will give to students.
1-Smoking - Did people smoke that much? Some did, but not everyone was a smoker. A couple of the famous smokers are Humphrey Bogart and John Wayne. Both died of cancer related to smoking. Good lesson for a young person to learn, yes? You can be rich and famous, but cancer don’t care, honey. Sure, it looks cool when Bogey (Bogart’s nickname) puffs. But it is Bogey that is cool, not the ciggies.
2-Drinking - Did people drink that much? As in the smoking, some did throw a lot of whiskey or bourbon down their throats. A few were alcoholics. The others knew when to stop. However, lesson to be learned is that there was not the awareness to the health hazards of alcohol like there is today.
3-Cars! Those of you who love classic cars, this is a lovely classroom! Especially the older shots of traffic in Los Angeles one finds in Perry Mason. The films that depict the freeway and the center of the city are older clips that were taken in the early 50s. Mason was shot in the mid 50s, so car lovers are treated to a span of 20 years of automobiles, along with the cityscape of Los Angeles before all those tall buildings were built. Another vintage show with a great car is Bergerac. It's a cop show from the 1980s. Bergerac drives a 1947 Triumph Roadster. Oh what a car! That car makes all the silly plots worth sitting through.
Just give me the car, and no one gets hurt....
4-Skinny women. It is thought that the super thin woman is a creation of the swinging 60s. Nope. She made her debut with the pencil skirts and suits created by a bevy of designers who were into tailoring. Many eras throughout history have given us his and her versions of clothing, however, the 1950s is the era of the tailored suit for both men and women. And what suits they were! The women of the 1950s were quite sophisticated in their bespoke suits, plus hats, plus gloves. It is a pity that there are so few opportunities for us to wear such an outfit. Oh, I am so teaching this in my Dressing for the Ages class. It’s not only about the clothing, but about the people and their demeanor. And their pearls.
5-Food and restaurants. Food, like clothes and art, goes through fashion phases. Right now, the rage is veganism. Before that, keto, and before that, Mediterranean with its high carbs, and before that, meat, potatoes and a bourbon. Restaurants change too, when it comes to decor and presentation of the food.
6-The lack of color in people. There is an occasional appearance by a person of color in small roles. Nonetheless, for the most part, early TV portrayed the world of the whitish middle and upper classes. I say whitish, because whites do come in a variation of hues. That's the lesson. How America and the world changed its attitude toward the acceptance of all people. We've come a long ways, we have a ways to go.
When I teach history the goal is for students to see what it looked like, hear what it sounded like, and, if possible, taste it. Old recipes can be had. However, they cannot be adapted to vegetarian or vegan versions. If you want to know what the past felt and tasted like, you will have to be willing to be uncomfortable and make a choice to eat stuff you wouldn’t ordinarily eat. Just drown it with a martini, and the food will go down better.
That’s it from the History Desk.