The other day I was doing the dishes and listening to the TV in the background. It was an infomercial for a DVD set of The Dean Martin show, a fixture of 60′s – 70′s American television. I paused for a moment to watch a clip from the 40 year-old show and smiled at the iconic faces which flashed on the screen. John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, Ella Fitzgerald, Gene Kelly.
Johnny asked of the man dancing with the umbrella, “Mama, who is that?”
As I looked at my son I realized…this sort of television would now be utterly laughable. When I was a child families gathered to enjoy programs like The Waltons, Gunsmoke, The Andy Griffith Show and The Carol Burnett Show. When I came home from school my mom might be watching The Mike Douglas Show or The Dinah Shore Show and I remember sitting with her and listening to music from people like Tony Bennett, Cass Elliot, Jose Feliciano or Gladys Knight. The family was glorified in television programming, as were honor and duty and chivalry. Marshall Dillon did the right thing and Sheriff Andy was gentle and wise.
Today we have programs which glorify death and the depravity of man. Decaying flesh and rotting corpses. Murder and conspiracy, rape and incest. Vampires were once a thing of horror. Now they’re sexy and desirable. Infidelity and sex are entertainment.
So, I answered, “Honey, that’s a very famous dancer named Gene Kelly. He choreographed and danced one of the most famous scenes ever put on film. Would you like to see it?
“Yes, mama, I would,” he replied. And, we sat down together to watch Singin’ in the Rain.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Oooh, oooh, oooh. Me, too.
I’ve only heard so much about this movie…and I couldn’t help but smile as I watched that short clip. TV is definitely different now then it was than! I LOVED the Carol Burnett show. She was hilarious. I Love Lucy was another favourite of mine (or rather my Mom’s)
Beautiful!