# Would you choose to live in a classic era sitcom world? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 12, 2017, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-choose-to-live-in-a-classic-era-sitcom-world/786462 "2017-05-12T16:55:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Princess\_Perfume](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/princess_perfume/32/16518_2.png) [@Princess\_Perfume](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princess_Perfume)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2017, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-choose-to-live-in-a-classic-era-sitcom-world/786462/81 "2017-05-28T08:45:26Z")
Be interesting living as a character through a movie’s transitions and montages. I explored that in my fiction piece where a husband and wife experience The Blue Lagoon with the tech malfunctioning and the husband having to live through the movie as Emmeline. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2017, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-choose-to-live-in-a-classic-era-sitcom-world/786462/82 "2017-05-28T13:02:44Z")
> [@Reluctant\_A](#): > > I don’t recall many “classic” sitcoms having many black people. So, hard pass. Well there was **Julia**. Show started in 1968 so I think it counts. It was still following older classic pre-_Mary Tyler Moore/All in the Family/MASH_ sitcom style. Also \*\* Hogan’s Heroes\*\*. Though Hogan’s Heroes was not a place to be. Damn, there weren’t even black domestics on sitcoms in the 60s, were there? Too bad \*\*I, Spy \*\*doesn’t count as a sitcom, it was a humorous action show but not a sitcom. ---
**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:** [May 28, 2017, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-choose-to-live-in-a-classic-era-sitcom-world/786462/83 "2017-05-28T15:51:24Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Damn, there weren’t even black domestics on sitcoms in the 60s, were there? Danny Thomas had one, I think. A woman. I forget her name right offhand, and whether she was a cook or a maid (probably both). Jack Benny had Rochester, of course. And going way, way back, there was Beulah. At the other end of the ethnic scale, there was Sammee Tong on _ **Bachelor Father** _. Not “ethnic,” but not 'Merican neither, were the two Mr Frenches on _ **Family Affair** _. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2017, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-choose-to-live-in-a-classic-era-sitcom-world/786462/84 "2017-05-28T16:42:55Z")
> [@Reluctant\_A](#): > > I don’t recall many “classic” sitcoms having many black people. So, hard pass. Well, there was _Amos ‘n’ Andy_ (1951-1953), but I’m assuming that’s an even harder pass. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2017, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-choose-to-live-in-a-classic-era-sitcom-world/786462/85 "2017-05-28T16:50:52Z")
> [@Mudshark](#): > > The Golden Girls version of the 1980s. I mean Blanche only works 12 hours a week and look at all the clothes and sex she had. We could go to The Rusty Anchor and hit on the guys. > > Mary Tyler Moore had it pretty good too. So did Murphy Brown. Yes! Forgot about these. Golden Girls had it MADE. Just one of them had more charm, energy, excitement, and fun than I’ve had in decades. Loves the girls! ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2017, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-choose-to-live-in-a-classic-era-sitcom-world/786462/86 "2017-05-28T18:03:58Z")
“Would you choose to live in a classic era sitcom world?” Do I get to kiss Laura Petrie? Then yes. ---
**Author:** ![Reluctant\_A](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/839c29/32.png) [@Reluctant\_A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reluctant_A)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2017, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-choose-to-live-in-a-classic-era-sitcom-world/786462/87 "2017-05-28T18:46:51Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Well, there was _Amos ‘n’ Andy_ (1951-1953), but I’m assuming that’s an even harder pass. You assume rightly. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2017, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-choose-to-live-in-a-classic-era-sitcom-world/786462/88 "2017-05-28T18:51:19Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > “Would you choose to live in a classic era sitcom world?” > > Do I get to kiss Laura Petrie? Then yes. Only if I get tired of it! {I won’t get tired of it.}🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2017, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-choose-to-live-in-a-classic-era-sitcom-world/786462/89 "2017-05-28T19:56:25Z")
I read somewhere that Andy Griffith wanted black characters on _Andy Griffith_, but southern networks said that they wouldn’t air the show if there were. Still managed to sneak a few into crowd scenes, and one color episode had a black guest star (a football player, who I’m assuming was a famous real-life football player of the time.) ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2017, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-choose-to-live-in-a-classic-era-sitcom-world/786462/90 "2017-05-29T01:33:00Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > I read somewhere that Andy Griffith wanted black characters on _Andy Griffith_, but southern networks said that they wouldn’t air the show if there were. I think you meant southern “network affiliates”. ---
**Author:** ![Princess\_Perfume](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/princess_perfume/32/16518_2.png) [@Princess\_Perfume](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princess_Perfume)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2017, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-choose-to-live-in-a-classic-era-sitcom-world/786462/91 "2017-05-29T01:40:51Z")
Yeah, “black-free” edits of tv show episodes that feature blacks were available for stations in the South in the 50s and 60s. ---
**Author:** ![Princess\_Perfume](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/princess_perfume/32/16518_2.png) [@Princess\_Perfume](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princess_Perfume)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2017, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-choose-to-live-in-a-classic-era-sitcom-world/786462/92 "2017-05-29T05:14:26Z")
Of course the fuss over Amos and Andy is why blacks had to wait until the eighties for a Cosby Show. ---
**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:** [May 29, 2017, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-choose-to-live-in-a-classic-era-sitcom-world/786462/93 "2017-05-29T05:46:25Z")
> [@Princess\_Perfume](#): > > Of course the fuss over Amos and Andy is why blacks had to wait until the eighties for a Cosby Show. I tried watching that once, back in the '80s. It was so sickeningly sweet, I needed a shot of insulin afterward. :mad: What about all those series in the '70s, where blacks were junk dealers and lived in public housing? I find those far more insulting than _ **Amos ‘n’ Andy** _, which was well-written and featured brilliant comic actors. It was a hilarious series, regardless of the ethnicity of its players. ---
**Author:** ![Princess\_Perfume](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/princess_perfume/32/16518_2.png) [@Princess\_Perfume](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princess_Perfume)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2017, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-choose-to-live-in-a-classic-era-sitcom-world/786462/94 "2017-05-29T05:48:56Z")
Oh, i agree. It’s like Song of the South… people who condemn people for holding common beliefs of the time - it’s like condemning people for drinking water. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2017, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-choose-to-live-in-a-classic-era-sitcom-world/786462/95 "2017-05-29T12:24:51Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > I tried watching that once, back in the '80s. It was so sickeningly sweet, I needed a shot of insulin afterward. :mad: > > What about all those series in the '70s, where blacks were junk dealers and lived in public housing? I find those far more insulting than _ **Amos ‘n’ Andy** _, which was well-written and featured brilliant comic actors. It was a hilarious series, regardless of the ethnicity of its players. No love for \*\*The Jeffersons \*\*then? ---
**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:** [May 29, 2017, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-choose-to-live-in-a-classic-era-sitcom-world/786462/96 "2017-05-29T13:55:35Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > No love for \*\*The Jeffersons \*\*then? Hey, who can resist a black bigot who moves up to the East Side? (They had a black servant, too!) 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Princess\_Perfume](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/princess_perfume/32/16518_2.png) [@Princess\_Perfume](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princess_Perfume)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2017, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-choose-to-live-in-a-classic-era-sitcom-world/786462/97 "2017-06-10T15:04:25Z")
David should have stayed in Pleasantville where he had a teenage cheerleader for a girlfriend which i doubt he has in reality given his geekiness and love of ancient tv shows. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2017, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-choose-to-live-in-a-classic-era-sitcom-world/786462/98 "2017-06-10T15:20:20Z")
> [@Princess\_Perfume](#): > > David should have stayed in Pleasantville where he had a teenage cheerleader for a girlfriend which i doubt he has in reality given his geekiness and love of ancient tv shows. Or maybe he realized he would rather find a girl who shared his love for old TV and geeky things and had more going for her than a big set of pom-poms. ---
**Author:** ![DrForrester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8edcca/32.png) [@DrForrester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrForrester)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2017, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-choose-to-live-in-a-classic-era-sitcom-world/786462/99 "2017-06-10T16:22:59Z")
Nobody’s mentioned Northern Exposure or The Greatest American Hero yet. They would both be interesting universes in which to live somewhere adjacent to the action. To be strictly speaking a sitcom, I think I would like to spend some time in the Night Court universe. You’d never know what was going to come through the door… but it was probably going to be weird. ---
**Author:** ![Princess\_Perfume](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/princess_perfume/32/16518_2.png) [@Princess\_Perfume](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princess_Perfume)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2017, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-choose-to-live-in-a-classic-era-sitcom-world/786462/100 "2017-06-11T07:13:00Z")
Be interesting to live in sitcom universes where the supporting characters were played by actors who later became famous for other things. Take Night Court where Brent Spiner guested before becoming Data on Star Trek: NextGen. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-choose-to-live-in-a-classic-era-sitcom-world/786462.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-choose-to-live-in-a-classic-era-sitcom-world/786462.md?page=6)