First things first: Thank you all so much for 50,000 views! I won't say that I never imagined it, because I
am prone to flights of fancy; but I
never thought it would
actually happen!
And thank you all for your comments in response to my latest update!
Nce update though I was hoping for a different route for ttl's Happy Days. Still hope to see it, though.
Thank you. And in this age of Moonshot Lunacy and optimism for the future, nostalgia for the 1950s - that most repressive of decades, a very hard sell to the enduring hippie movement - won't be catching on without the right catalyst.
I don't have much to add to the 1972-73 season, although it is nice to see more television, but I did want to point out that Regenesis IOTL is one of the fairly few excellent Canadian TV shows ever made (including a pre-Juno Ellen Page in the first season).
Though I'm obviously aware of the program, I've never actually seen it or really have any idea what it's about. I had a feeling that you might, though. Glad to see that I'm right. And I thought the name had a little more punch than the OTL
Genesis II.
Electric Monk said:
Out of curiosity what's going on in foreign television and movies? I'd love to see some butterflies resulting in, say, a French New Wave influenced TV show leading to an American remake of it
.
That's an excellent question, although most adaptations tended to be movies, based on existing pictures. This has always been an oddly common trend among French films, with prominent OTL examples including
Three Men and a Baby (the #1 film of 1987, directed by one Leonard Nimoy), and
The Birdcage (adapted from
La Cage Aux Folles, a veritable institution). That said, if you (for that matter,
any of you) have any suggestions or links to potential ideas, please feel free to provide them. My comprehension of the French language is good enough that I should be able to get the gist of it (at least, better than those meddling executives would!).
Electric Monk said:
Edit: Whoo! Top of page 18. A small request: can you include the That Wacky Redhead wiki page in your signature or in posts? It was faster to scroll through page 17 to find the link than it was to search it and I like having a handy reference guide around… obviously, given that I made the original directory
.
Done and done. And thanks again for blazing the trail. I built the directory on the wiki page from the template you sent me, adding the few additional entries I've written since then. And though I was forced to delete that great Falkenburg quote (sorry about that, Falkenburg), I even have room in my signature for links to any other wiki pages for
That Wacky Redhead which have yet to be created...
Ah good. A nice bite of an update to go with the drink
Well, if you're watching "The Bob Newhart Show", I imagine that you must be drinking an awful lot
The Professor said:
Is it me or is US TV in this era starting to get good?
American television definitely hit its stride in this era, ITTL
and IOTL, yes.
No Happy Days probably means no Wonder Years, China Beach, That 70s Show or Everyone Hates Chris.
And, needless to say, no "Laverne and Shirley", no "Mork and Mindy", and no "Joanie Loves Chachi" (not to mention the long-forgotten "Blansky's Beauties" and, arguably, "Out of the Blue")... to say nothing of the
many atrocious
cartoon spinoffs. And probably no "Family Matters", either. That show was essentially "Happy Days" for the 1990s. Indeed, much of what would eventually become the Miller-Boyett/TGIF lineup would suffer greatly. That show may have been even
more influential than
All in the Family
Kalvan said:
So, is Burce going back to school to learn the Seven Animal Styles, or are they going to go with Wing Chung to start with (Despite it not being any sort of temple style in the mid-Ninteenth Century) and have Kwai Chiang Caine "develop" Jeet Kun Do over the course of the show?
[FONT="]
Lee's character will employ the martial arts that he himself developed, though I'm on the fence as to whether he'll have been "taught" them at some fictional, mystical school, or whether he adapts the techniques he was taught in response to the challenges of the Wild West. I definitely see them remaining as vague as possible on his abilities and skills, to avoid writing themselves into a corner.[/FONT]
Kalvan said:
What about the "last gasp" of broadcast Westerns including Father Murphy, Gunshy, and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers?
The Western isn't totally dead; like the Variety show about a decade later, someone will periodically attempt to resuscitate the genre. But NBC was the last network to have a major "block" of Westerns, all of which (including "Bonanza", the longest-running primetime show on the air at the time, and #1 for three straight seasons in the mid-1960s) were cancelled simultaneously. This collective abruptness allows for the sense of "the end of the Old West" to emerge. (It should also be noted that both "The Virginian" and "The High Chaparral" have actually run longer ITTL than IOTL, and they'll likely do better in syndication as a result).
I'm mildly surprised that Happy Days doesn't get going in this TL. I don't know if the '50's nostalgia craze was sparked by the show or vice versa, but the Baby Boomer generation is probably going to want to see some shows about its childhood years (and then the next generation will, and so on), so I should still expect a series of "nostalgia" shows in the years to come. Also, considering that OTL both Ron Howard and Henry Winkler have become noted directors/producers, how will the non-existence of Happy Days impact their careers? (I already knew there probably wouldn't be a Laverne and Shirley, at least not in its OTL format, as Penny Marshall already has commitments.)
You make some very salient observations, as usual, and I'll respond to you as if "Happy Days" were going ahead without a hitch ITTL. For one thing, you're very right that there would not be a "Laverne and Shirley", expressly created as a vehicle for Penny Marshall (Garry Marshall's sister) IOTL. But as for Henry Winkler... I've mentioned before that casting is the most ephemeral aspect of television production, and we're now more than five years out from the POD. I can say with certainty that Winkler
will not be involved with "Happy Days", in whatever form it might take ITTL. I expect a backlash. Swapping out Nixon for Humphrey is one thing, but getting rid of the Fonz? Like I said, I'm not writing a utopia
joea64 said:
And by the way, people wanting to express in a pithy fashion the moment at which an entertainment franchise has reached its sell-by date will have to find a new phrase, since Fonzie will probably never jump that shark...
Absolutely true. I still miss that site. There were some really great observations on there. Can't even get to it from archive.org either, because of the nefarious "robots.txt". But don't get me started...
People may be assuming too much about ttl's Happy Days - so far this is very parallel to otl for Happy Days. Could still gain repreive after Love,American Style showig ala OTL. I was just hoping for a direct greenlight from Desilu, but they can't produce everything.
Way to let the cat out of the bag, Glen. Yes, you guys, he's right. Worry not; there's still a definite chance for "Happy Days" to find a place on the television landscape at this point
Glen said:
Speaking of which - having Lee in The Warrior may butterfly his early death...
I wouldn't bet against it. It'll be interesting, seeing an older Bruce Lee. Dying young, as is so often the case, really preserved his mystique.
Very interesting. Kung Fu could have been loaded with a lot of commentary about the invisible but key role the Chinese laborers played in the Intercontinental Railroad getting built, etc.
Good to see you again, txcoatl! You can definitely expect railroad workers to play a key role in the series.
Also glad that you think my plot developments are "out of left field". At least I'm keeping
somebody on their toes!
TxCoatl1970 said:
Maybe. There is definitely the sense that Lee is going to have to tailor his martial arts and philosophy to American tastes, and create a more "syncretic" or "fusion" style. Hong Kong and Taiwanese audiences are going to watch "The Way of the Warrior"
anyway, so the desire to appeal to them will not be quite so strong as you might be hoping. But there's certainly no reason
not to engage them.
Oh heck yes. Great way to start an update. I practically grew up on
Newhart.
When you say that, do you actually mean "The Bob Newhart Show", the 1970s sitcom in which Newhart plays a Chicago psychologist in an office surrounded by quirky clients? Or do you mean "Newhart", the 1980s sitcom in which Newhart plays an innkeeper in a small town in Vermont, surrounded by quirky townspeople? Or do you mean
both? Because that was really vague and confusing
vultan said:
Hmm... along with me wondering where this goes, I wonder what happens to Roddenberry's myriad of other ideas that he had for TV shows back in the day (you know, the kind of stuff that became Andromeda and Earth: Final Conflict).
Don't you worry, we'll be following Roddenberry's exploits; he, too, has to escape the long shadow cast by
Star Trek.
vultan said:
Also, Bruce Lee getting his own show is all kinds of cool. Keep it up, Brainbin!
Thank you very much. I'll do my best
"Happy Days" very much plays into nostalgia for their teen years. Being the biggest demographic... (It's also why pony cars & muscle cars sold so well.
)
The 1970s were also the last hurrah of drive-in restaurants and movies.
phx1138 said:
I'd say they'd both be less successful in the '70s, but Howard was well-established after "Andy Griffith", so he won't disappear. Does this mean he gets the "Eat My Dust" deal sooner? (Hopefully with a better script?
)
Yes, he was - as a
child actor. Even in the early 1970s, the success rate of child actors transitioning into adult careers was perilously low.
phx1138 said:
IDK about Winkler; could be he never makes it.
He won't. Sorry
phx1138 said:
If he doesn't, this means his production company may not (doesn't?) get started, which IIRC impacts "MacGyver".
(Don't butterfly it out!
Tho if you can persuade Richard to keep doing the VO, you'd make me happy.
{Using his full name is a PITA.
Unless you don't know he's not worth $6 million.
})
All right, phx, this is where I have to put my foot down. Everyone is required
by law to refer to him as Richard Dean Anderson, in full, at all times. I don't want anyone to snitch on you, but I can't be held responsible for their actions
phx1138 said:
It also means no "Joanie Loves Chachi".
(Nor the Korean fail.
)
Apparently that was grossly exaggerated, and invented by some wag who happened to notice the similarity after the fact.
phx1138 said:
It suggests Morita doesn't do "Karate Kid"
...unless he works "Warrior".
Pat Morita wasn't really involved with "Happy Days" for very long IOTL
anyway. He left after one season and then
stayed gone for almost the entire run. He only
came back right before
The Karate Kid anyway. On the whole, I would call that a wash.
If Bruce Lee is obligated to 'The Warrior', what effect does that have on his films?
Tough question. He could always make movies during the off-season, but his primary responsibility from mid-1972 onward is going to be to "The Way of the Warrior". It's nothing new for Lee, who has television experience, and obviously he was willing to make the sacrifice IOTL.
Falkenburg said:
My concern is not primarily because of Lee but because it would, perhaps, stall Jackie Chans' association with Golden Harvest.
Maybe Lee could ensure that some Hong Kong performers gain preference for the stunt work on 'The Warrior'?
Well, there's certainly a large enough Asian-American community living in Los Angeles. Bringing stunt people in from Hong Kong will be difficult to justify. And Lee might compromise - as long as Asian-Americans are getting work, why quibble and
insist on actual Asians? In fact, I imagine that doing such a thing might result in complaints from the local Asian-American communities.
The next update - our final look at
Star Trek for quite some time - will be ready in a few days.