Mooning The River
When you watch an old movie, you notice things that no one noticed when it was first released, due to how times have changed.
The most obvious difference in countless movies is how everyone smokes. But recently, watching Breakfast At Tiffany's, something else struck me. As you may recall, there's a scene where Buddy Ebsen follows George Peppard through Central Park.
Ebsen buys a Cracker Jack, tears off the lid and throws it away--right on the ground, no garbage can in sight. Soon after, George Peppard picks out the prize, tears it open, and throws the paper on the ground without giving it a thought.
It was a time when tossing garbage anywhere was apparently not a big deal. I'm not saying it doesn't happen any more, but people at least look for a garbage can first. (Why worry about garbage? There were so many cigarette butts on the ground who'd notice?) The whole country must have looked like a movie theatre floor.
Not surprising, considering it was 1961, a decade before this:
posted by LAGuy @ 11:01 AM
6 Comments:
That was one of the great Mad Men moments, too. The family was having a picnic, and they stood up to leave and pack up. What you are expecting is for them to pick everything up, but what Don does is grab the blanket and give it a big shake, throwing trash and paper in every direction. It's jarring.
It's one thing for us to see, but I wonder if it's more or less upsetting for those younger, who were never exposed to casual litter and the sea change.
Except in Mad Men, that was the point.
Damned Hollywood writers. Manipulate people worse than the Clintons.
How about this one: As "The Shaggy Dog" opens, Wilby is working in the basement when he accidentally shoots off a rocket. Next scene is Fred MacMurray patching the hole in the roof, and he calls out from the top of the ladder, "Wilby, take those chemicals and bury them in the backyard."
Watch early episodes of My Three Sons and you will see an America that is hardly recognizable sometimes.
Why early episodes? Do they go full Ricky Nelson in the later ones?
My Three Sons was on from 1960 to 1972. American went through a big change in those years. Even a conventional sitcom couldn't help but reflect that.
And if you want to find out about Ricky Nelson, I suggest you watch The Adventures Of Ozzie And Harriet, which lasted longer, though it went through less change since it stopped in 1966.
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