# Mild cursing in old timey TV (The Real McCoys: Grandpa's Birthday (1958) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 21, 2026, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mild-cursing-in-old-timey-tv-the-real-mccoys-grandpas-birthday-1958/1032462 "2026-08-21T01:38:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2026, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mild-cursing-in-old-timey-tv-the-real-mccoys-grandpas-birthday-1958/1032462/1 "2026-08-21T01:38:45Z")
Plot revolves around a despondent Grandpappy because the family has forgotten his birthday. Being a comedy, all’s well that ends well, but it was a little jarring when he finally gets his cake and he says something like “I just want a piece of that damn cake!” I thought they way he said “gol-darn” was pretty strong for the time, but that surprised me. Not what I had expected. And if you’re not familiar with or have forgotten this TV program, some trivia about “The Real McCoys:” The family was from (fictional) Smokey Corners, West Virginia. A relative in California died and left their farm to the WV McCoy family. Although we don’t know anything about them, apparently they were of pretty modest means, and the inherited farm would be a step up. Grandpappy Amos was raising his orphaned grandchildren. We don’t know anything about the parents since they were never mentioned. The older son was “Luke” and the younger son was “Little Luke.” (Apparently the parents had forgotten they had already used that name.) Grandpappy and his shenanigans were the focus of most of the comedy. Somewhat reminiscent of “The Beverly Hillbillies,” in that their fortunes had apparently gotten better, but not super rich, so it lacked the “fish out of water” theme. Coincidentally, Raymond Bailey (Mr. Drysdale) was in one of the first episodes. The show was created by one NYC born and raised and Irving Pincus, who had a pretty thin resume otherwise, and I’m sure he probably knew lots about rural WV. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2026, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mild-cursing-in-old-timey-tv-the-real-mccoys-grandpas-birthday-1958/1032462/2 "2026-08-21T03:01:10Z")
I always wondered if the first time “Hell” was said on TV was in _The City on the Edge of Forever_. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2026, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mild-cursing-in-old-timey-tv-the-real-mccoys-grandpas-birthday-1958/1032462/3 "2026-08-21T03:06:34Z")
I’ll bet he said “gol dang”. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2026, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mild-cursing-in-old-timey-tv-the-real-mccoys-grandpas-birthday-1958/1032462/4 "2026-08-21T03:09:20Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > The older son was “Luke” and the younger son was “Little Luke.” (Apparently the parents had forgotten they had already used that name.) From distant memory, I thought Luke McCoy was married to Kate (Kathleen Nolan) and that Little Luke was their son. (I didn’t like that show much, it seemed to me as a kid watching it that Grandpa was always not only wrong but unreasonable, and would never admit it or change. I had enough of that at home without watching it on TV.) eta: I looked up the first episode on IMDb, and there is a page of dialog in Quotes that proves that you are exactly right. So, well, never mind. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2026, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mild-cursing-in-old-timey-tv-the-real-mccoys-grandpas-birthday-1958/1032462/5 "2026-08-21T03:15:15Z")
> [@mixdenny](#): > > I’ll bet he said “gol dang”. Unless @Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker just recently saw the episode (rather than operating from memory), I suspect that you are right. Various online sources cite that the first known use of “damn” on a scripted U.S. television show was on _My Favorite Martian_ in 1965 (i.e., 7 years later). > **[Bleep This: A Brief History of Profanity on Television](https://www.mentalfloss.com/entertainment/tv/profanity-on-television-history)** > > Whether scripted or spontaneous, expletives have been making their way on to the air for decades. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2026, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mild-cursing-in-old-timey-tv-the-real-mccoys-grandpas-birthday-1958/1032462/6 "2026-08-21T03:30:06Z")
Tough crowd! Age does a number on the hearing, but it sure sounds like ‘damn’ to my ears. [Link](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hemjctHBHv4) Starting at about 19:50. > [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Unless @Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker just recently saw the episode And, yes! Just earlier today, hence the query. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2026, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mild-cursing-in-old-timey-tv-the-real-mccoys-grandpas-birthday-1958/1032462/7 "2026-08-21T03:35:00Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > but it sure sounds like ‘damn’ to my ears. I agree, it sounds that way to me, too. I might guess that the script said “dang” or the like, so it got past the standards and practices folks, and Walter Brennan said “damn” during the actual shooting, so it snuck in. Given that there doesn’t seem to be another known instance on American scripted TV until 1965, I suspect that it was not something which was generally permitted at that time. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2026, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mild-cursing-in-old-timey-tv-the-real-mccoys-grandpas-birthday-1958/1032462/8 "2026-08-21T04:44:09Z")
It sounds like “dad-burn” to me. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2026, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mild-cursing-in-old-timey-tv-the-real-mccoys-grandpas-birthday-1958/1032462/9 "2026-08-21T09:36:06Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > always wondered if the first time “Hell” was said on TV was in _The City on the Edge of Forever_. Holy cow! I just did a quick web search looking for a citation and, get this, _this very thread_ appears as a source. At any rate, [here is what Wiki says on the issue](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_City_on_the_Edge_of_Forever). > [@](#): > > Kirk’s final line in the episode, “Let’s get the hell out of here”, caused problems for the crew as the network did not want the word “hell” to appear in television episodes. Both Shatner and Roddenberry fought for the line to remain, with Roddenberry claiming to NBC that no other word would be suitable to be used instead. The studio executives agreed that it could be left in, and it was one of the first occasions in which the word “hell” was used as [profanity](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Profanity "Profanity") on television. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2026, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mild-cursing-in-old-timey-tv-the-real-mccoys-grandpas-birthday-1958/1032462/10 "2026-08-21T11:37:57Z")
> [@mixdenny](#): > > I’ll bet he said “gol dang”. Nope, he clearly says, “I just want a piece of that motherfucking cake!” ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2026, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mild-cursing-in-old-timey-tv-the-real-mccoys-grandpas-birthday-1958/1032462/11 "2026-08-21T11:43:36Z")
I listened to it again, and it’s more like, “I just want a motherfucking piece of that motherfucking cake!” ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2026, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mild-cursing-in-old-timey-tv-the-real-mccoys-grandpas-birthday-1958/1032462/12 "2026-08-21T11:53:16Z")
Grandpappy did have a way with words. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2026, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mild-cursing-in-old-timey-tv-the-real-mccoys-grandpas-birthday-1958/1032462/13 "2026-08-21T11:55:47Z")
“The barn, Luke! The motherfucking barn!” ---
**Author:** ![XOldiesJock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ec9cab/32.png) [@XOldiesJock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XOldiesJock)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2026, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mild-cursing-in-old-timey-tv-the-real-mccoys-grandpas-birthday-1958/1032462/14 "2026-08-21T12:01:46Z")
He probably said “Gol-durn” or something like that. Walter Brennan was notoriously racist. Considering that, I’ve often thought it ironic that in the opening theme song, Grandpappy Amos is referred to as the “head of the clan.” No wonder “Pepino” had to sleep in the barn. Late one night I couldn’t sleep, and remembering that show from childhood, viewed the first episode. It’s utterly unwatchable. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2026, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mild-cursing-in-old-timey-tv-the-real-mccoys-grandpas-birthday-1958/1032462/15 "2026-08-21T12:12:43Z")
Walter Brennan received three Academy Awards. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2026, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mild-cursing-in-old-timey-tv-the-real-mccoys-grandpas-birthday-1958/1032462/16 "2026-08-21T12:16:24Z")
I recall being shocked as a kid when I saw an episode of the show _Combat_ from October 1963. It was entitled “Doughboy”, and its plot was pretty off-the-wall. The American troops encounter a sniper, but it’s not a German sniper – it’s an American “doughboy” from WWI who thinks he’s still fighting the first World War, and mistakes Sgt. Saunders (Vic Morrow) for a German soldier (in part because of the helmet). His first words are “Dirty Heinie!” Shocked, I was, not knowing that “Heinie” (derived from _Heinreich_) was slang for a German soldier, equivalent to “Kraut”. I’d never heard the word on TV before. The Doughboy, by the way, was played by a pre-_Green Acres_ Eddie Albert. They reportedly got his uniform and equipment exactly right. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2026, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mild-cursing-in-old-timey-tv-the-real-mccoys-grandpas-birthday-1958/1032462/17 "2026-08-21T13:48:18Z")
“Say ‘cake’ one more godamned time.” ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2026, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mild-cursing-in-old-timey-tv-the-real-mccoys-grandpas-birthday-1958/1032462/18 "2026-08-21T13:59:19Z")
You folks make it damnear impossible to drink anything in front of yer computer! Keep up the good work! ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2026, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mild-cursing-in-old-timey-tv-the-real-mccoys-grandpas-birthday-1958/1032462/19 "2026-08-21T14:39:39Z")
When **Network** was first shown on network TV, Peter Finch got to holler “bullshit.” **Schindler’s List** ’s first TV showing left in at least one “fuck” (or variant) in 1995 (‘96?). ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2026, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mild-cursing-in-old-timey-tv-the-real-mccoys-grandpas-birthday-1958/1032462/20 "2026-08-21T22:16:00Z")
Something about cursing: When _Annie Hall_ was first on network TV, Woody Allen insisted that not cut anything. This was a problem because there was a line when Joey Nichols told Alvy how to remember his name, Alvy said, “What an asshole.” The network put extra operators on duty to handle the complaints. And they did get a lot. None of them complained about the word “asshole.” The complaint was that they were showing the movie out of order. The structure of the film jumps for past to current to past. People didn’t understand the non-linear narrative. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mild-cursing-in-old-timey-tv-the-real-mccoys-grandpas-birthday-1958/1032462.md?page=2)