August 13, 2010

Hart to Hart, Fantasy Island, The Golden Girls...


We expanded our cable TV package a couple of months ago, and now have dozens more channels, lots of house and garden stuff, cable music, more news and faux news, time shift on the network stuff, and way more.

We get b-grade science fiction stuff and z-grade movies nobody has every heard of. And for some wonky reason we get The View five times a day. Yes, five times. I counted. Bite me, Sherri Shepherd.

There is tons of new stuff for us to watch. And yet once you push through the summer reruns, biographies of people such as Paula Abdul (uh...why?) and repeats of Extreme Makeover Home Edition, so much of it is crap. Total crap.

So in trying to avoid the crap fests, there are two stations new to us that I find myself watching a lot - Deja View and TV Land. So yes that means I am watching serious reruns of "classic" TV. There is some dreck I am not going to readily admit to (that's you, Facts of Life), and some stuff I wish had held up better (Who's The Boss), then there are these five shows I am watching and watching and watching:

Golden Girls: Instant classic, loved it then, love it now. Dorothy is my role model. Rose: "Can I ask a dumb question?" Dorothy: "Better than anyone I know".

All in the Family: This was not one I watched when it was first on, as was on after my bedtime. Almost forty years later this is still bold brave television tackling issues like racism and women's rights, and it's funny as hell --- I cringe and laugh at the stuff Archie Bunker says, from words like "Chink" to jokes about Jews and Nixon and VD.

Maude: Another one I didn't watch in its prime. Yes, cuz I am that young (that's my story). Maude's strength and sass will make you laugh and cheer. "God'll get you for that, Walter."

Fantasy Island - Darker than I remembered, this is trying to be more than The Love Boat on a tacky Gilligan's Island set. Some bold topics on people trying to escape their past, the dark side of fame, the cost of selling your soul for money. Unfortunately that good stuff is undone by cheesy writing and crappy acting. Some shows age well; this is not one of those shows.

Hart to Hart: My new old favourite. The glamorous rich couple solving mysteries as a hobby works because the actors are charming, the characters are in love, and even when the weekly plots blow, the show is still fun to watch. And their house is awesome. And don't cha love the pic above? Freeway the dog reminds me of you know who...

19 comments:

marymac said...

ZE PLANE! ZE PLANE! lol
Thanks for coming by to visit while I was away at or annoyingly overly blogging about the conference.
You should plan to come next year- San Diego!!
xoxo
m

Juli Ryan said...

OMG, I used to LOVE Fantasy Island.

Elly Lou said...

I completely forgot about Hart to Hart. That shit was like crack to me. *scurries off to youtube forgetting all the other shit she's supposed to do today*

Ray's Cowboy said...

I have to say I loved Fantasy Island. Ricardo , HOT Man, I had fantasies about him allot. Rath Of Kahn. Got a hard on me real quick.
Loved Hart To Hart, and Charlies Angles. (think about a dark handsome Man talking to you on the phone and never knowing what he looked liked..UMMM?
Love Golden Girls.
Ray

Penny Lane said...

Golden Girls is beyond a classic. Some of the best one-liners ever. I used to watch Hart to Hart when I was little (I, too, am ridiculously young) but don't remember the creepy looking old guy. Who is he? All I remember about Fantasy Island is the plane business. Thanks for the trip down Memory Lane!

Michael Rivers said...

Golden Girls has always been one of my all time favorites. I have all 7 seasons on DVD. Classic 100%.

And please--The Facts of Life?! Don't even get me started on how much I love that show!

I loved watching Hart to Hart. I wanted to be Stephanie Powers.

Nicki said...

Golden Girls is one of my faves! I love them all but Dorothy rocks the boat! All I can think of when I hear Fantasy Island is "Da Plane, Da Plane!" I guess I was too young to know what it was really about. There was a Saturday Night Live skit that reminds me of it too. "Quien es mas macho? Fernando Lamas o Ricardo Montalbannnnnnn?" I am going with Fernando Lamas.

madtexter (corey james) said...

Love, love, love The Golden Girls. Hands down, it's my all time favorite show, and I can answer any trivia question about the show!

Funny you mentioned All in the Family. I never watched that show until years later. We weren't allowed to watch it when we were kids because my parents considered it to be 'dirty'. And I never heard of Maude until I found out about the Bea Arthur/Golden Girls connection.

Don't even tease me with Hart to Hart. I was addicted to that show back in the day. Must have been something to do with the matching Mercedes roadsters. Even Max had a Mercedes wagon to go shopping with. How rich!

Linda Medrano said...

I really liked Fantasy Island. Yeah, it was "camp" but fun! But, Darling, I also like the Love Boat because I'm high brow like that! Frazier is another one that is great! Seinfeld has always left me cold.

Mrsblogalot said...

I watched all of those...shhh...yes, even the facts of life...scary. But Fantasy Island was definitely one of my favs. (-:

Saucy B said...

ah memories... Many of those were regular TV viewing for me too. Let's see, I wanted to look like Blair but have Jo's 'tude and Fantasy Island scared the crap out of me.

Wonder Man said...

loved Hart to Hart

Gigi said...

Oh my hell! You are making me feel VERY old here! Although, if the truth were told, I was but a young (very young) child when some of these were on. And although, I may not remember just how dark Fantasy Island was or how un-PC some of these were (All in the Family) it is certainly far better than the dreck (and no, Facts of Life CANNOT be considered dreck! I loved that show, I alternatively pictured me as Jo or Blair - depending on what day it was) that is on television today. With all that being said, I'm only 29. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Brahm (alfred lives here) said...

hee hee - I love EllyLou scurrying off to youtube to watch Hart to Hart. Love that show! And the old dude is Max, who was I guess their geriatric houseboy - chauffeur, cook, etc. Kind of a fun character, good heart, until the episode with his flirty ex-wife turned up. Love Stefanie Powers. What the hell ever happened to her?

I too like Frasier a lot! Did like Seinfeld a lot at the time, it does nothing for me in repeats.

Lauren said...

I get the View in every time zone across Canada. Woot... agreed about Sherri. I actually just saw that episode of the Golden Girls the other day! I watch it on TVtropolis. I never got into All in the Family, though I do get the Family Guy reference. I'm a fan of Hogan's Heroes and MASH. History major... sue me.

Brahm (alfred lives here) said...

Ooh, Hogan's Heroes --- used to watch that every day after school, along with Gilligan's Island! Good choice!

injaynesworld said...

Well, I'm old enough to have remembered them all as first-runs. You could never make All In The Family these days. And Maude totally rocked. The Golden Girls -- such a good show -- and I was totally into the glamorous Hart To Hart. Yep, they just don't make 'em like they used to. Welcome to my world.

Rick Modien said...

Yup, I remember all of these the first time around. Some were not my favorites ("All in the Family," "Golden Girls"), and I rarely watched them, but others I watched avidly ("Maude," "Hart to Hart") and looked forward to them every week. Oh, the memories.... Sure makes me feel like I'm getting older.

bmat10 said...

I am probably going to be enemy number one but I have to say it, I didn't like Golden Girls, nor did I like Maude, I just never really was a B Author, same reason I didn't like Maude, I watched because I liked the supporting actors, I loved Walter. I loved All In The Family, but not the ones with Maude. I watched Fantasy Island, it was kind of like The Muppets, in that anyone who is anyone appeared on that show, (same as the Love Boat. Liked Hart to Hart, loved the dog.

What is interesting I missed this blog of yours, yet posted one (as you know) quite similar after you posted this. Coincidence? Fate? Devine insperation? Perhaps I'll just stop typing now.

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