Do you have kids? If you do, you probably have about the same reaction to half of the junk that’s on television as I do.
It might be a good idea to not have any televisions in your home if kids are present.
Television programming for kids used to be either humorous, educational or both. Now it is heavily dependent on special effects and good writing, well-defined characters and plot lines are part of a bygone era. Today’s television programs for kids feature lead characters who I wouldn’t want my kids associating with until they are college age, and even then I would hope they would use better judgment when selecting their friends.
At the risk of giving my age away, I am going to ask whatever happened to the smart toons like Crusader Rabbit and George of the Jungle? Remember Gilligan’s Island and Happy Days? There were plots and characters then. Now we have reality shows that have little to do with reality and cartoons where every toon character is beating up on the next.
And…Hollywood Movies are Just as Bad
It used to be a celebratory event to take the family to a movie. To commemorate a family member’s birthday much poring over the entertainment section had to take place to decide on the perfect movie outing. The anticipation was great, not only for the movie itself but for the popcorn, candy and cokes that were so much a part of the celebration.
Now, the movies are listed just as before but who wants to spend two or three hours watching a badly scripted movie rife with blood and guts? Not me and not my kids.
What if we could rewind? Show our kids the same crazy classic films we cut our teeth on? In their vintage form, no less, not these half-hearted remakes floating around out there?
There are actually businesses out there that understand the wonder of the classic movies coming into the public domain and are offering them once again to an audience eager for excellence in entertainment. There was a time when those great classics were copyright protected making them too expensive for showing in movie houses or streamed to your TV set. This is no longer true and some of the best movies ever made are lurking in the public domain.
Now classic film aficionados and companies can find the best (and the worst) of the classic films and put them on their websites to be accessible by anyone who cares. These films are in the original form, not remakes or altered in any way.
What If…?
Imagine the possibilities presented by scooping these flicks up out of the public domain. The next time you want to have a movie night with your kids, you don’t have to slog down to Blockbuster and take your pick out of the best of the worst. You can watch as classic stories that didn’t have any special effects to save their bacon come alive in front of your eyes.
You have rescued your kids from thinking that all Hollywood does is make meaningless movies, full of special effects without plot, characters or entertainment.
If you were interested in the above post, it is possible to go check out additional similar writing at Loving the Classics or this Loving the Classics Reviews Website.
Ten Film Idol Obituaries From Ten Years Ago.
Wednesday, May 19th, 2010It is common to hear people declare that time flies and it is true. I have put together a list of screen idols who passed away ten years ago. When I began composing this list of screen idols’ obituaries, I was flabbergasted to read who had died and how old they had been when they died. I have sorted them by date. Doesn’t time fly?
Hedy Lamarr: 86, Viennese born film star, whose seductive beauty tempted all the male stars of the 1920′s and 30′s. Credited as co-inventor (with composer George Antheil) of a patented device for radio-controlled missiles. Old age, Orlando, Fla., Jan 19, 2000.
Durwood Kirby: 88, Kentucky born TV personality, announcer and foil to Garry Moore. Host of ‘Candid Camera’. Cause undisclosed, Fort Myers, Fla., March 15, 2000.
Claire Trevor: 91, Brooklyn-born film actress. The brash moll in ‘Stagecoach’ and the Oscar-winning alcoholic singer in ‘Key Largo’. She played in nearly 70 films. Of respiratory disease, Newport Beach, Calif., April 8, 2000.
Douglas Fairbanks, Jr: 90, U.S. actor and producer. He created a motion picture career despite being under his father’s shadow. Best known for ‘Gunga Din’ and ‘The Prisoner Of Zenda’ in the 1930′s. Cause undisclosed. New York, May 7, 2000.
Sir John Gielgud: 96, legendary British actor. Long time star of stage and screen in the UK and US. Remarkable Shakespearean actor. Won an Oscar for ‘Arthur’. Old age, Aylesbury, UK, May 21, 2000.
Walter Matthau: 79, U.S. actor. Best known as Oscar Madison in the ‘Odd Couple’. He was everybody’s favourite grumpy old man. Of a heart attack, Santa Monica, Calif., July 1, 2000
Sir Alec Guinness: 86, renowned British actor. Best known for Oscar-winning performance as the mad colonel in ‘Bridge Over The River Kwai’ and Obi-Wan Kanobi in ‘Star Wars’. Very versatile actor. Old age, West Sussex, UK, Aug. 5, 2000.
Loretta Young: 87, U.S. movie star from Hollywood’s golden age of the 1930′s and 40′s. Oscar winner for ‘The Farmer’s Daughter’ (1947). Emmy winner for ‘The Loretta Young Show’ (1954-63) on TV. Of ovarian cancer, Los Angeles, Aug. 12, 2000.
Richard Farnsworth: 80, U.S. actor. In films for 60 years, first as a stunt man, then at 57 as an actor. Twice nominated for an Academy Award including ‘The Straight Story’. Suicide, Lincoln, N. Mexico, Oct. 6, 2000.
Steve Allen: 78, U.S. comedian, entertainer and songwriter, who pioneered the late-night TV show format of the. He wrote over 5,000 songs, including ‘This Could Be The Start Of Something Big’ and ‘Impossible’. An apparent heart attack in Los Angeles, Calif. Oct. 31, 2000.
Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with custom wall calendars If you have an interest in calendars, organizers or promotional calendars, please go over to our website now at Promotional Desk Calendars
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