# What do you miss about old school tv? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 8, 2014, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-miss-about-old-school-tv/700747 "2014-10-08T11:20:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-miss-about-old-school-tv/700747/21 "2014-10-08T15:20:53Z")
Saturday morning cartoons. ---
**Author:** ![Eddie\_F](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/22d042/32.png) [@Eddie\_F](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eddie_F)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-miss-about-old-school-tv/700747/22 "2014-10-08T15:30:51Z")
I miss the fact that the Big Three broadcast networks were rife with Christmas specials (and not just Christmas specials, but Halloween specials, Thanksgiving specials, Valentine’s Day specials, and Easter specials; heck, there actually exists an entertainment called **It’s Arbor Day, Charlie Brown** ). Now the vast majority of the Christmas stuff is relegated to the vast basic cable wastelands that are the Lifetime, Hallmark, and ABC Family channels. Yes, the broadcast networks do show a few Christmas (and Halloween, and - to a much lesser extent - Thanksgiving) specials. But it’s always the same four or five shows, with the two (admittedly well-deserved) 800 pound gorillas of the genre (_Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer_ and _A Charlie Brown Christmas_) being aired multiple times. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-miss-about-old-school-tv/700747/23 "2014-10-08T15:32:48Z")
> [@Eddie\_F](#): > > heck, there actually exists an entertainment called **It’s Arbor Day, Charlie Brown** ). Isn’t that the day all the ships come into the 'Arbor? ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-miss-about-old-school-tv/700747/24 "2014-10-08T15:36:32Z")
I grew up in the St. Louis area in the 70’s -80’s. Channel 11 used to play an old movie every night at 7:00, and three movies back-to-back-to-back on every Saturday starting at noon (Sundays too, I think). And not just bad movies. They played some _great_ old movies, many of which I recorded to VHS once we got one in the late 80’s. I miss being able to turn on Channel 11 on any given night or lazy Saturday and stumble onto _Cool Hand Luke_ or _I am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang_ or _The Shootist_. I think Channel 30 did the same thing (at least on weeknights), but my recollection was that they played more cheesy action movies, while Channel 11 played more serious drama. But I may be misremembering. Of course in the 80’s, a lot of those movies got bumped by Cardinals or Blues games (since KPLR carried them too), but that was fine. I watched a ton of Blues games back then. So I guess I miss sports on broadcast TV too. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-miss-about-old-school-tv/700747/25 "2014-10-08T15:48:49Z")
I miss 1. Cartoon shorts on weekday afternoons. Not just Warner and Hanna-Barbera, but Terrytoons and others as well. 2. Non-holiday primetime cartoon specials, especially Dr. Seuss. 3. When networks used to show failed pilots during the summer. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-miss-about-old-school-tv/700747/26 "2014-10-08T16:34:09Z")
You guys looking for random old shows, cartoons and bad movies: do yourself a favor and unplug the cable box and plug in an antenna. If you’re lucky you’ll get between 10 and 50 channels with all sorts of weird programming like that! I spent most of August watching a lot of broadcast TV and saw all matter of crazy things! ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-miss-about-old-school-tv/700747/27 "2014-10-08T16:44:12Z")
Funny. That had honestly never occurred to me. I do have a TV in the basement not hooked up to the cable… ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-miss-about-old-school-tv/700747/28 "2014-10-08T16:44:28Z")
Johnny Carson ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-miss-about-old-school-tv/700747/29 "2014-10-08T17:03:16Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > You guys looking for random old shows, cartoons and bad movies: do yourself a favor and unplug the cable box and plug in an antenna. If you’re lucky you’ll get between 10 and 50 channels with all sorts of weird programming like that! I spent most of August watching a lot of broadcast TV and saw all matter of crazy things! If you \*do \*have cable, those channels are usually there as well, buried in the low-def channels. We get MeTV, AntennaTV, etc. Probably even more I don’t know about. They are in the 80-90s on our cable lineup. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-miss-about-old-school-tv/700747/30 "2014-10-08T18:20:44Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > If you have High-def, you can get the equivalent with Me-TV and other similar channels today. JFTR, you don’t need a hi-def set to pick up those channels. You just need an antenna and a digital tuner, and in most places they’re also on cable. I can pick those up on an analog set with a digital converter. Those subchannels are usually in 480i anyway. Much digital content is still in standard definition. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-miss-about-old-school-tv/700747/31 "2014-10-08T18:24:51Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > How’s this for old-fartness: I miss changing the channel, and having the channel instantly change, instead of waiting for a second or so for the picture, and THEN the sound, to catch up. That was my first thought. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-miss-about-old-school-tv/700747/32 "2014-10-08T18:32:01Z")
I miss having station breaks long enough to go to the can and back (and maybe even grab a snack in the kitchen) at the end of each show. Now, one show segues immediately into another, and you pray your bladder doesn’t burst before the theme music comes on, because you don’t want to miss a minute of the teaser! :mad: ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-miss-about-old-school-tv/700747/33 "2014-10-08T18:41:31Z")
Locally produced TV, and static. The challenge of trying to get a station from the next burg over, which would work sometimes better than others depending on the weather. It sort of held the promise of treasure, or that if you got really good at it you could pick up signals from years ago that had gotten stuck swirling around in some depression somewhere. Recovering something lost. ---
**Author:** ![CT\_Damsel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CT\_Damsel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CT_Damsel)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-miss-about-old-school-tv/700747/34 "2014-10-08T18:47:22Z")
Ron Popeil’s Pocket Fisherman 😃 That is all ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-miss-about-old-school-tv/700747/35 "2014-10-08T18:50:27Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > Oh, I still miss the local hosted Creature Features they used to show on Saturday afternoons and Saturday nights. We had The Baron, a klutzy vampire, hosting the awful old black and white sci-fi and horror movies, and that man (a local newscaster) was the biggest celebrity in the city for years. (He also made a hit record and hosted a kiddie show featuring Flash Gordon serials, and a weekly ‘dance party’ at the TV station.) There was also a James Bond spoof guy at the height of the Bond mania who hosted a weekly spy movie. Not to mention the syndicated shows, like Commander USA and Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, and Up All Night with Gilbert Gottfried. These people were quite often the best part of watching the movies. Growing up in western Pennsylvania, we always tuned in to channel 11 from Pittsburgh, WIIC as the station was known then on Saturday nights. They had live [studio wrestling](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Studio_Wrestling) with old WWWF stars such as Bruno Sammartino, Gorilla Monsoon, and George “The Animal Steele” and hosted by [Bill Cardille](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Cardille). Later in the evening, Cardille hosted a thriller/horror movie show called [Chiller Theater](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiller_Theatre_(Pittsburgh)) in which Cardille presented himself as “Chilly Billy” and was aired from a cheesy castle set. He had a group of regular players who would perform skits with him, including an “Elvira”-like character who never spoke, called “Terminal Stare.” Joe Flaherty acknowledges Cardille as his inspiration for his “Count Floyd” character on SCTV. Cardille is 85 and still active on the radio in Pittsburgh. > [@DCnDC](#): > > High-number UHF channels that ran exclusively syndicated shows from the previous decade and just random content, like really terrible kung-fu movies. There was an element of chance and surprise to just turn the dial and see what came up (yes, TVs used to have dials, kids). Also, if your TV had a UHF knob, it didn’t click. It was a continuous tuner like in a radio. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-miss-about-old-school-tv/700747/36 "2014-10-08T19:27:37Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > At least you HAD programming. Our TV went off the air. We got the National Anthem and then static until 5-5:30 am. > > Come to think of it, I prefer that to infomercials! Well, good news citizen. Here in the future you have a third option. There is stuff on tv other than infomercials during the night. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-miss-about-old-school-tv/700747/37 "2014-10-08T19:32:37Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > JFTR, you don’t need a hi-def set to pick up those channels. You just need an antenna and a digital tuner, and in most places they’re also on cable. I can pick those up on an analog set with a digital converter. Those subchannels are usually in 480i anyway. Much digital content is still in standard definition. Depends on where you live. The conversion to digital made over the air broadcasts unavailable where I live. We used to be able to pick up broadcasts from 2-4 cities with a tall enough aerial. Now - nothing. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-miss-about-old-school-tv/700747/38 "2014-10-08T19:44:10Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > Saturday morning cartoons. Not just the cartoons, but all the educational filler programming that they squeezed in between the shows. Such gems as Schoolhouse Rock, HELP! (Dr Henry’s Emergency Lessons for People), the Dough Nuts, or the weird thing in the tophat hankering for a hunk of cheese. Also, from the 70s, after school specials with shows aimed at kids and their problems. I vaguely remember Helen Hunt on LSD and Scott Biao as a teen alcoholic. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-miss-about-old-school-tv/700747/39 "2014-10-08T19:47:55Z")
Having drama series not polluted by season or many season long plot threads Good example now being discussed is Castle, which was a lot more fun just solving mysteries with a bit of sexual tension. If Columbo were on today there would be a plotline about wheeling and dealing back at the department or a hidden master killer as smart as Columbo. Bleah. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-miss-about-old-school-tv/700747/40 "2014-10-08T19:50:43Z")
I grew up watching Candlepin Bowling. It’s still on once in a blue moon, but not enough. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-miss-about-old-school-tv/700747.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-miss-about-old-school-tv/700747.md?page=3)