30 Low-Res Bits of Classic TV Trivia That Come in Great When You Squint

TV that came in great on a 19-inch screen in a 2-tonne wooden box
30 Low-Res Bits of Classic TV Trivia That Come in Great When You Squint
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Back in our day, a 50-inch screen could only be found in a rich person’s house. One of them fancy schmancy flat-screens was like 15 grand in the ‘90s, so you kids (well, mainly your parents) better be grateful you were born into this era.

We did luck out with the content, though. Of course, we didn’t call it “content” back then. We called it “programming.” So it’s not all complaints today, because as you’ll see here, we had some pretty phenomenal “programming” back then.

 

Fonzie’s Motorcycle

Fonzie rode a motorcycle because that was the only way he could wear a leather jacket. Network executives thought a leather jacket made the wearer look like a shady character and wouldn't allow it, so creator Garry Marshall had to sell them on it by saying it was safety gear for Fonzie's motorcycle. Which meant he had to give Fonzie a motorcycle, of course. CRACKED.COM

The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis

The Scooby Gang was based on the characters in a 1960s TV show. It was called The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, and it was a teen sitcom that the creators of Scooby-Doo basically just lifted the main characters from. CRACKED.COM

Real Life

ALBERT BROOKS PREDICTED REALITY me TV IN 1979. FILMING THANKSGIVING His mockumentary film Real Life featured an obnoxious, intrusive camera crew trailing a family and deliberately stirring up conflict. It was meant as a sendup of a PBS documentary series, but with the twist that most of the drama was generated artificially by the producer. CRACKED.COM http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/real-life-1979

Another World

The first abortion mention 1964 ANOTHER WORLD CRACKED.COM Soap opera Another World had a storyline where a woman's abortion drives her to illness, madness, and murder. Not exactly progressive.

Dick Van Dyke

ALAN BRADY showed off the staff DICK VAN DKYE SHOW X X GRAGKED.COM One of the first shows-within-a- show, the 'Alan Brady Presents' Christmas episode allowed the cast to show off their many singing and dancing talents. Fast-forward through Richie Petrie mangling Little Drummer Boy.

The Tonight Show

Joan Rivers THE TONIGHT SHOW CRACKED.COM Joan Rivers was a permanent guest host on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show... until she launched a competing show, The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers, on FOX. Her ban lasted until Jimmy Fallon invited Rivers back on in 2014 to play Karaoke Pictionary or whatever.

Premiere

The First Color Broadcast Guhson Epiphage Marshall A 1951 variety show called Premiere finally validated anyone who, for whatever reason, bought a color TV before TV was in color. CRACKED.COM

SCTV

A Canadian comedy show that ran from 1976-1981 called Second City Television (better known as SCTV) turned second rate actors into first rate actors in a short time. PROTEIN PURCHASE I OR COLOR Eugene Catherine Harold Levy Ramis O'Hara CRACKED.COM Rick John Andrea Moranis Martin Candy

The Adventures of Champion

The Adventures of Champion 1955 CRACKED.COM The first TV show spin-off was based on The Gene Autry Show, with the titular Champion being Gene Autry's horse.

Candid Camera

Candid Camera 1948 Candia Camela CRACKED COM The show (originally a radio show called Candid Microphone) was the first televised reality show, featuring regular members of the public as its stars.

Mr. Rogers

Speaking Freddish Two writers on the show called the show's required precise language Freddish and went on to create a parody pamphlet detailing the lengthy process to write for Rogers. The pamphlet's 9 steps are below. CRACKED.COM

The Andy Griffith Show

The Andy Griffith Show CRACKED.COM The world was introduced to Andy Griffith in an episode of The Danny Thomas Show. Thomas takes time off from being a good comedian and terrible father to get arrested in the small town of Mayberry.

Gilligan’s Island Reboot

CRACKED.COM Gilligan's Island was almost rebooted in the '90s (with more cannibalism). According to James Gunn, Charlie Kaufman managed to get a Gilligan's Island reboot greenlit, with the starving castaways killing and eating each other. The project was nixed by Gilligan's creator Sherwood Schwartz.

The Rural Purge

CRACKED COM In the early 1970s, CBS cancelled all its shows set in the country. Rural shows like Green Acres and The Beverly Hillbillies made up the bulk of CBS's programming - but their audience skewed old, and execs wanted their network to be young and hip. So they cancelled the lot of them-a move that went down in history as the Rural Purge.

Gilligan’s Island

GILLIGAN'S ISLAND You can see a flag at half-mast in the intro sequence. MINNOW CHARTER P-FREE LUNCHES President Kennedy was assassinated just before they filmed it. CRACKED.COM

Mister Ed

MISTER ED They smeared peanut butter around Mr. Ed's mouth to make him speak. Не also had a rider of 20 pounds of hay and a gallon of sweet tea per day. CRACKED.COM

Charlie’s Angels

CHARLIE'S ANGELS The show would have been Alley Cats if it weren't for Frank Sinatra. CHARLIE'S ANGELS While brainstorming less awful names, someone looked around the room and saw a painting of angels, previously owned by Sinatra. CRACKED.COM

The Love Boat

THE LOVE BOAT Those aren't paid actors or extras in the background. They're regular people who paid up to $8,000 to take a highly restricted cruise in the viscinity of celebrities. CRACKED.COM

The Andy Griffith Show (Again)

THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW Andy's maps are upside-down. Weirder still: why does a sheriff in North Carolina need maps of Idaho and Nevada? CRACKED.COM

Mork & Mindy

MORK & MINDY Mork's jumpsuit was originally a Star Trek costume. It's from The Savage Curtain, the third-to-last episode in the series. CRACKED.COM

The Rifleman

THE RIFLEMAN The Rifleman uses a rifle from the future. The Rifleman Не uses a Winchester 1892, but the show takes place in the 1870s and 80s. CRACKED.COM

The Brady Bunch

THE BRADY BUNCH The Bradys' back door has no glass. Producers needed to avoid glare, so they pulled the old glasses-with-no-lenses trick. CRACKED.COM

Batman

DID YOU THINK ADAM WEST WAS THE FIRST LIVE-ACTION BATMAN? BLA 1943 SERIAL WILSON, VERSION OF N BATMAN. LEWIS THE (PLEASE IGNORE THE EARS) CRACKED.COM

Diahann Carroll

DIAHANN CARROLL was the first Black actress to be cast in a role other than a servant in 1968. She was also the first Black actress to get her own TV show. GRACKED COM

SNL

GILDA RADNER was the very first hire for Saturday Night Live. The actress was the first to be cast in SNL in 1975. She stayed for five years. GRACKED GOM

Happy Days

CRACKED HAPPY DAYS RALPH MALPH Не originally dated cheerleaders and dressed more hip. In only the 4th episode of Season 1, he lost his slight Fonzie-esque traits and became the nerd he'd be for the next 250 episodes.

Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes doesn't always win. The Great Detective usually solves the mysteries, but not always in time to prevent a crime or catch the bad guy. Не admits to a prospective client, I have been beaten four times-three times by men, and CRACKED.COM once by a woman. /

Howdy Doody

Bart Simpson wasn't the first to shout COW ABUNGA HOWDY DOODY CRACKED.COM techn Today, it's used to express goods a delight, but Howdy Doody writer Eddie Kean originally made up pn the word for Chief Thunderthud to shout when he was mad or frustrated. Even though the word was co-opted by 1960s surfers, it's still a little bit racist.

Marilu Henner

Marilu Henner has an extraordinary memory. The actress from the sitcom Taxi is one of the few people in the world who have hyperthymesia. The condition allows her to recall almost every day of her life, in vivid detail. But most importantly, it really comes in handy when reading scripts. CRACKED.COM

Mister Ed

Mister Ed won a Golden Globe for Best Television Series - Comedy in 1963. The show about a talking horse and his owner, Wilbur, has aged like milk. What was once amusing, now comes off as a gimmick. CRACKED.COM

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