1970s Classic Television On DVD Bring Variety
Stars Like Sonny And Cher Back To Fans
Author: Ben Anton
Stars Like Sonny And Cher Back To Fans
Author: Ben Anton
Imagine a family, all sitting around the TV, possibly the only
TV in the house. Dad is holding the remote control, which
everyone refers to as "the clicker." The remote has only two
functions. One of the functions turns the TV off and on. The
other changes the channels, all 7 or 8 of them, with a click of
a button. Now try to imagine what that family is watching. Are
you imagining them watching one of the classic TV shows from the
1970's?
In the 1970s most families had one, maybe two televisions in
the house, and the second television was usually stashed away in
mom and dad's room where they could watch the classic shows that
the kids couldn't watch yet like Maude or Soap. The televisions
in the house might have even shown the programs in black and
white.
What kept families glued to these televisions that had only a
handful of channels, an ancient clicker, and frequently no
color? The classic TV shows from the 1970s, of course. There
were so many family-friendly shows in a variety of genres.
For families that enjoyed comedies, the 1970s had some of the
most memorable sitcoms. The families in the `70's learned all
about families in the 1950's by watching the wildly popular
Happy Days and its equally popular spin off Laverne and Shirley.
Happy Days also launched the career of comedian Robin Williams
who went on to star in another spin off of the show – Mork and
Mindy.
Other family friendly classic television shows of the 1970's
include The Partridge Family (with teen hearth throb David
Cassidy), the show that introduced us to John Travolta, Welcome
Back Kotter, One Day at a Time, Chico and the Man, The Odd
Couple, Good Times, WKRP in Cincinnati, What's Happening,
Three's Company and The Jeffersons.
Families with older children enjoyed comedies with a social
conscience like All in the Family, Maude, Barney Miller or Mash.
These classic 1970s sitcoms dealt with the social issues of the
day in poignant yet comedic way.
Families also had several variety shows to choose from for
their viewing pleasure. Classic variety shows such as The Donny
and Marie Show and The Sonny and Cher Show had music, comedy
sketches and popular guest stars each week. The Carol Burnett
Show brought together some of the 1970's funniest comedians each
week and The Muppet Show combined the genius of Jim Henson's
fantastic creations with musical and comedy guest stars sharing
the stage with Kermit, Miss Piggy and Animal.
There were plenty of one hour family dramas, too. Eight is
Enough, Little House on the Prairie, and The Waltons were just a
few of the classic television dramas that brought families
together in front of the television each week.
There was also room for crime fighting and action heroes in the
classic 1970s TV shows. The world learned what bionics was in
The Six Million Dollar Man and its spin off The Bionic Woman.
Each week families would tune in to see how Lee Majors and Jamie
Sommers would use their bionic eyes and ears. CHiPs gave us a
glimpse into the life of California Highway Patrol officers.
Starsky and Hutch chased bad buys in their hot rod and BJ and
the Bear tracked down bad guys in an 18 wheeler.
Two other classic television shows from that era that can't be
defined by any of these other genres were The Love Boat and
Fantasy Island. These shows were the place for the stars of
yesteryear and the stars of the current era to make guest
appearances, several at a time. For years, families stayed home
on Saturday nights just to see who would get off the plane onto
the island or turn up Julie the Cruise Director's guest list.
In today's modern times, there are hundreds of channels on each
of the four or more TV sets in most homes. Yet, there seems to
never be anything to watch, especially something that the whole
family can enjoy together. Many of these classic TV shows from
the 1970's are now on DVD and can be bought or rented either
online or at a store. Why not consider getting a classic TV DVD
for your family this Friday night instead of the usually family
movie?
~Ben Anton, 2007
About The Author: If you enjoyed reading this article, you can
read more about classic tv at
http://www.classictelevisionblog.com
TV in the house. Dad is holding the remote control, which
everyone refers to as "the clicker." The remote has only two
functions. One of the functions turns the TV off and on. The
other changes the channels, all 7 or 8 of them, with a click of
a button. Now try to imagine what that family is watching. Are
you imagining them watching one of the classic TV shows from the
1970's?
In the 1970s most families had one, maybe two televisions in
the house, and the second television was usually stashed away in
mom and dad's room where they could watch the classic shows that
the kids couldn't watch yet like Maude or Soap. The televisions
in the house might have even shown the programs in black and
white.
What kept families glued to these televisions that had only a
handful of channels, an ancient clicker, and frequently no
color? The classic TV shows from the 1970s, of course. There
were so many family-friendly shows in a variety of genres.
For families that enjoyed comedies, the 1970s had some of the
most memorable sitcoms. The families in the `70's learned all
about families in the 1950's by watching the wildly popular
Happy Days and its equally popular spin off Laverne and Shirley.
Happy Days also launched the career of comedian Robin Williams
who went on to star in another spin off of the show – Mork and
Mindy.
Other family friendly classic television shows of the 1970's
include The Partridge Family (with teen hearth throb David
Cassidy), the show that introduced us to John Travolta, Welcome
Back Kotter, One Day at a Time, Chico and the Man, The Odd
Couple, Good Times, WKRP in Cincinnati, What's Happening,
Three's Company and The Jeffersons.
Families with older children enjoyed comedies with a social
conscience like All in the Family, Maude, Barney Miller or Mash.
These classic 1970s sitcoms dealt with the social issues of the
day in poignant yet comedic way.
Families also had several variety shows to choose from for
their viewing pleasure. Classic variety shows such as The Donny
and Marie Show and The Sonny and Cher Show had music, comedy
sketches and popular guest stars each week. The Carol Burnett
Show brought together some of the 1970's funniest comedians each
week and The Muppet Show combined the genius of Jim Henson's
fantastic creations with musical and comedy guest stars sharing
the stage with Kermit, Miss Piggy and Animal.
There were plenty of one hour family dramas, too. Eight is
Enough, Little House on the Prairie, and The Waltons were just a
few of the classic television dramas that brought families
together in front of the television each week.
There was also room for crime fighting and action heroes in the
classic 1970s TV shows. The world learned what bionics was in
The Six Million Dollar Man and its spin off The Bionic Woman.
Each week families would tune in to see how Lee Majors and Jamie
Sommers would use their bionic eyes and ears. CHiPs gave us a
glimpse into the life of California Highway Patrol officers.
Starsky and Hutch chased bad buys in their hot rod and BJ and
the Bear tracked down bad guys in an 18 wheeler.
Two other classic television shows from that era that can't be
defined by any of these other genres were The Love Boat and
Fantasy Island. These shows were the place for the stars of
yesteryear and the stars of the current era to make guest
appearances, several at a time. For years, families stayed home
on Saturday nights just to see who would get off the plane onto
the island or turn up Julie the Cruise Director's guest list.
In today's modern times, there are hundreds of channels on each
of the four or more TV sets in most homes. Yet, there seems to
never be anything to watch, especially something that the whole
family can enjoy together. Many of these classic TV shows from
the 1970's are now on DVD and can be bought or rented either
online or at a store. Why not consider getting a classic TV DVD
for your family this Friday night instead of the usually family
movie?
~Ben Anton, 2007
About The Author: If you enjoyed reading this article, you can
read more about classic tv at
http://www.classictelevisionblog.com
