This is an American take on a British TV format (we’ve had the Victorian House, Edwardian House, and Country House) in which modern day families are put into the environment of another era with the approapraite technology and resources for that era to see how they would get on.
It is a fascinating way of comparing our lives with those of our, recent, forebears.
In the US version the three families are transported to Monatana to live the lives of pioneers. They have had to get to Montana in wagons; build log cabins, tend livestock; plant crops; cook and otherwise survive with the impliments and resources of 1880s America.
The three families are quite a contrast one are quite down to earth southerners, there’s a father and son who are very competent (and the son gets married) and a family from California who are a bunch of berks.
So far in the UK we have only had three episodes and the CA family are griping non stop. Mind you so far their 7 year old son has been mauled by a dog, nearly killed by a runaway wagon and is slowly starving to death. They’re not taking it well.
I am amazed that in the litigious environment of the US that these people have been allowed to take such very real risks.
I find the whole process absolutely engrossing. Of course, being a man, I think I could do it standing on my head.
The programme was made by PBS, so I don’t know how widely shown in the US it would have been.
The 3-episode series is 2/3 of the way through its second run in the Rocky Mountain region.
I think it is sufficiently popular that we will eventually see “Frontier House II” and so on.
Please define “Berks”. Yes, the Californians are complaining a lot. I would too! I think the Californians got the most out of it from a personal growth perspective.
Things would be different (better) if they were allowed to hunt.
My hometown’s near the valley this show was filmed in. I just happened to be back visiting the summer this show was being filmed. The snow storm (In AUGUST! Stupid Montana…) that wrecked havoc on the Frontier families pretty well inconvienenced everyone in the “real world” too.
I’ve watched this show with some “outdoorsy” type friends. They get WAY into the onscreen action, becoming very violent when it comes to some of the families’ stupidity.
OUTDOORSY FRIEND: You can’t build a log cabin out of THOSE logs! You have to remove the bark, or else the sealent will NEVER work! %$(@##@!!!
I don’t have a clue what he’s talking about, but it’s damn funny.
Not in the UK which is where owlstretchingtime hails from.
I’m really enjoying the show. I sometimes want to scream at the TV when they moan about no makeup, lack of food etc. What did they expect? Where they not fully briefed that the show was taking itself as serious as possible.
Felt sorry for the kids when they had to go get their cow in the show. The black dude handled the situation very well IMO. Actually he and his father are the people I would most like to stay with if I was on the show. Wonder what the other half will be like when she arrives(I don’t what to be told in this thread BTW )
Frontier house was shown here in the US several months ago. I was hooked by the comercials alone. Small spoilers in the post.
I thought Papa Clune to be a sharp guy, but entrely too sure of himself. He went into this thinking it will be a bonding experience with his children.Mamma Clune just whined, she seemed entirely too happy to leave. They were having a new house bulit as the show filmed. Gawd they are spoiled rich folks.
Mamma Glenn needs slapped. I liked her less and less as the show went on. By the time it was over I was fed up with her idea
of “Competing with the Clunes”. It was absolutly no wonder she and Papa Glenn were not in the same room when reciving thier grade.
The Brooks’! I could go on about this marvelous family. Papa had a killer smile. Nate cracked me up with his ‘Zen Wood Chopping’. Brother who showed up to help build the house was a gentleman. It was absolutly of no wonder to me why Cristen wanted to marry into that family! Nate and Chris seem to be the only of the three famlies who will carrry anything away with them.
BTW (not tooting but) yes, there was a thread about this show. I started it. If you want to do the search, IIRC it was titled “PBS ventures into reality TV with Frontier House”. I tried a search, but guess the hamster gave up. It’s in Cafe Society but I don’t remember when it was started.
Man, I just wish that they had spread it out a little! It was over much too soon. I would have tuned in every week for a season. It would have been interesting to see more details about how they did everything.
We had the latest instalment last night here in the UK. Number 4 I think.
It was great! the Clunes broke the rules by trading with the “real” world. This seemed a bit unfair to me. Surely the occasional trade with people outside the " bubble" would have happened in 1880 eg Indians, Trappers, passing wagon trains etc.
Then old man Clune got his still going. Smart bloke. He mananged to clear all his debts with the moonshine.
I thought mama Glenn was a pious prig about the moonshine.
It actually looked like they were all starting to have some fun.
I agree the restriction on hunting is unrealistic.
I watched it when it was on months ago, so I might not be remembering correctly, but didn’t they go into the air-conditioned house of the people they traded with and watch TV for a while? I remember the niece mentioning watching MTV and justifying it by saying they needed to trade to save her uncle’s life. More happens in later episodes that just confirms their asshole-ishness. There’s one thing in particular at the very end when they’re being “graded” by the historians on how well they did that really made me hate them.
Was this the episode where they had a doctor come look at Mr. Clune? If not, didn’t they (the Clunes) think he was starving to death? The doctor basically said he was suffering from dehydration, NOT malnutrition. He was getting enough to eat, but wasn’t drinking enough water. The creek was something like 150 feet away, and they were just too lazy to walk there everyday and get fresh water. Ugh. That family made me sick.
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Yeah, that did seem unrealistic, but IIRC, they were on protected lands and legally were not allowed to hunt.
Could this not have been got round? Eg they could have been given the bodies of animals that had been killed elsewhere so they would still have to skin them etc.
That does seem like a good idea. I thought they should have had to shoot at targets, and then be given meat based on how well they did at that. I don’t remember if that was explained in earler episodes or not. I do remember seeing a deer (?) slaughtered very early on and the meat was distributed to the families. I don’t know how they got meat later in the show, other than from their own chickens. They did kill their own chickens.
Not actually hunting gives the fathers a lot of free time. Wouldn’t going out hunting take a whole day, at least?
I’m looking forward to the reruns! We built a privacy fence this week. I must have called the R.M. “Papa Glenn” at least a half dozen times.
A local Native American Chief brought them a deer. I guess the Natives are allowed to continue hunting on the land. A wonderfull gesture to the Homesteaders. Of course the hunting restriction could have been gotten around, anything can be gotten around, but as is the usual with the Gov’t, it wasn’t.
The pig killing before the fall fair was precious. If you read the previous thread then you know how the Dopers reacted to it.(A second thread can be found on just this scene IIRC correctly, it was titled ‘Frontier house can kiss my ass’) I found it rather silly.Killing animals for food was such a hum drum thing back then there wouldn’t have been a second thought about it. But it offends our city-modern mentality. If Mama Glenn wanted to spare her son the hardship, she should have done as the boy himself suggested and send him over to the Brooks’. Great lesson: You kill to eat. (something NOT learned by the hunting restriction.)
It was so disapointing to see the Families return to modern life. The Glenn boy went right back to the Nientendo, and the Clunne girls complaing about being bored with going to the mall.Papa Clunne went back to his 24/7 job.Obviously, Mama Glenn was quite happy to go back to her ‘Controled world’
The Clunne Girls seemed to take a shine to working the land and tending the animals. I was kind of hoping they would take that love and skill back with them and use it for a garden or something similar. Surely somewhere these rich spoiled girls learned what satisfaction comes from working the land and preparing the food for oneself.
I’m sure the local Constabulary knew of Papa Clunes still. I kept hoping the local “Revenooer” to show up and give him a hard time about it. Maybe give him a real dose of 1883 and demand some graft for ‘protection’.
Tell those BBC punks to get on the stick and get those other three “Houses” on American TV. These programers here could learn a few things about “Reality TV!” PBS needs to get on the j-o-b. We already had 1900 House. (Teacher wife & Soldier husband with the Twins) I want to see the others! You SPOILED Limeys!
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