When you were growing up, watching TV back in the 60's , 70's.an 80's who did you root for?

[WCGreen]

Did you view Ben Cartwright as a benevolent pioneer who carved out his fortune from the virgin land, well to American White folk, at least?

Or did you see Ben and his boys as rawhide Mafiosos who would do whatever they could to keep that iron fist of rule over their valley?

Why was it that every week someone from the past would suddenly appear and yet another part of the story was added to help explain the kindness, the benevolence of th Cartwright's preserved.

Or was it the land and water rights held so Cos to the close Crime family that made us all still believe that capitalism could be benign and that capitalism was

[Taverner]

1. What movie am I watching then? Red Dawn or Chinatown?

[WCGreen]

3. In Chinatown the plot was evil...

In the Ponderous, the owners and capitalists were kind and thoughtfull...

[Recursion]

2. I read somewhere that coyote/roadrunner is a big generation gap

the 40+ crowd identify with the roadrunner and the younger folk identify with the coyote.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

4. That is completely fascinating. nt

[gkhouston]

9. They want to blow stuff up? They want to see the Roadrunner killed?

They don't get the irony of "Acme Products" always being utter crap?

[Recursion]

28. We feel like we're chasing impossible moving goalposts

And that luckier (older) people keep running ahead of us and making us fall off cliffs no matter how earnestly we try.

[gkhouston]

32. An interesting viewpoint, although a lot of older people are also chasing moving goalposts. n/t

[XemaSab]

63. I wouldn't say that older people represent the roadrunner

just that in some respects we're all hamsters on a wheel.

[izquierdista]

10. Then the under 40s are in deep doo-doo

And they know it.

[damntexdem]

17. But nobody identifies with the Acme Company -- how sad.

All those anvils, and safes, and sticks of dynamite, so generously sold to the coyote so he could take care of that evil bird.

[Biker13]

72. Coyote V. Acme

Well, they were sued....!

http://beebo.org/smackerels/coyote-v-acme.html

[dmr]

82. Now that is fun & funny

Welcome to DU!

..... Mr. Coyote states that on December 13th he received of Defendant via parcel post one Acme Rocket Sled. The intention of Mr. Coyote was to use the Rocket Sled to aid him in pursuit of his prey. Upon receipt of the Rocket Sled Mr. Coyote removed it from its wooden shipping crate and, sighting his prey in the distance, activated the ignition. As Mr. Coyote gripped the handlebars, the Rocket Sled accelerated with such sudden and precipitate force as to stretch Mr. Coyote's forelimbs to a length of fifty feet. Subsequently, the rest of Mr. Coyote's body shot forward with a violent jolt, causing severe strain to his back and neck and placing him unexpectedly astride the Rocket Sled. Disappearing over the horizon at such speed as to leave a diminishing jet trail along its path, the Rocket Sled soon brought Mr. Coyote abreast of his prey. At that moment the animal he was pursuing veered sharply to the right. Mr. Coyote vigorously attempted to follow this maneuver but was unable to, due to poorly designed steering on the Rocket Sled and a faulty or nonexistent braking system. Shortly thereafter, the unchecked progress of the Rocket Sled brought it and Mr. Coyote into collision with the side of a mesa.

Paragraph One of the Report of Attending Physician (Exhibit B), prepared by Dr. Ernest Grosscup, M.D., D.O., details the multiple fractures, contusions, and tissue damage suffered by Mr. Coyote as a result of this collision. Repair of the injuries required a full bandage around the head (excluding the ears), a neck brace, and full or partial casts of all four legs.

Hampered by these injuries, Mr. Coyote was nevertheless obliged to support himself. With this in mind, he purchased of Defendant as an aid to mobility one pair of Acme Rocket Skates. When he attempted to use this product, however, he became involved in an accident remarkably similar to that which occurred with the Rocket Sled. Again, Defendant sold over the counter, without caveat, a product which attached powerful jet engines (in this case, two) to inadequate vehicles, with little or no provision for passenger safety. Encumbered by his heavy casts, Mr. Coyote lost control of the Rocket Skates soon after strapping them on, and collided with a roadside billboard so violently as to leave a hole in the shape of his full silhouette. ......

[Manifestor_of_Light]

86. That's the funniest damn legal humor I have ever read.

It was originally published in The New Yorker, written by Ian Frazier, sometime in the early 80s.

It was reprinted in the Texas Bar Journal in Judge Jerry Buchmeyer's column.

"Plaintiff has been unable to pursue his usual occupation as a predator...."

[Orangepeel]

23. If you can remember where, I'd be very interested in knowing

[Recursion]

27. It was an op-ed in the Washington Post, around the turn of the millenium.

I'll see if I can find it more specifically.

(Sudden horror in the pit of my stomach as I realize that was a decade ago.)

[Capn Sunshine]

34. probably another Peggy Noonan piece of crap.

She's always pontificating on imaginary divides

[Recursion]

44. No, it was a professor at College Park

He brought it up in the context of a class he taught there. And it may have been the style section.

[Recursion]

30. Meanwhile, here's a more recent survey that finds a racial divide as well

Go figure.

http://stanfordpress.typepad.com/blog/2009/09/who-do-yo...

[Orangepeel]

76. I wonder if there is a liberal/ conservative divide?

(That fits with the article you linked to). I can't imagine anyone identifying with the coyote. He's stupid and mean. The roadrunner is just going along, minding his (or her?) own business and that damn coyote tries to kill him (the more I think about it, the more I'm thinking she's a she)

Wow. I'm invested in this!

[Recursion]

87. What? No!

The coyote is just trying to eat. If the roadrunner just escaped that would be one thing, but he keeps taunting this poor guy. Nothing ever goes right for him but he keeps on trying. I like that about him, as opposed to the roadrunner who has life handed to him on a platter.

[CTyankee]

35. You could look at it both ways. The roadrunner is admirable because he/she is smart.

The coyote is a sympathetic character because even if he comes up with boneheaded schemes, he's out there trying. After a while the roadrunner comes off as being cruel, even tho most of the time coyote brings it totally on himself...

[csziggy]

51. You can really see that in action on "Man vs. Cartoon"

Where engineering students try to build working models of Wiley Coyote's gadgets - and cheer wildly when they take out the Roadrunner. It's fun to watch them construct the gadgets, but they are cheering the wrong critter. Too bad they only made six episodes, though.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_vs._Cartoon

[Recursion]

52. "The wrong critter"?

Nah, they're right. The roadrunner is every irresponsible preppie jackass who got to skate by while the rest of us were trying to keep our heads above water.

[hfojvt]

56. "Poor little roadrunner never bothers anyone ..."

You sorta reminded me of the one with the Sheepdog and the Coyote. They would both punch in and say good morning to each other and then the Sheepdog would proceed to pummel the coyote as the coyote tried to get to the sheep. Until they both punched out for the day.

The roadrunner did sorta seem like a cocky smarta$$, but so was Wile E., who bragged of his own genius. Even as circumstances continually proved that he wasn't.

[rebel with a cause]

61. I'm in my sixties and always hated the roadrunner.

I rutted for the coyote to catch and eat that irritating bird. My little brother watched the show or I never would have because I hated that bird.

As far as Bonanza is concerned, I hated that show. Couldn't stand Ben Cartwright or his sons although I kind of did like Little Joe. (I was a young girl you know.) My favorite cowboy in my youth was probably Cisco Kid (1950-56) although I know that he and Pancho were stereotypes and caricatures of types. I preferred Tonto over the Lone Ranger. I preferred Trigger and Bullet over Roy Rogers. Heck, I probably preferred Nellie Bell over Dale Evans. I was not a capitalist in my youth and have not became one with age.

[csziggy]

67. I only watched the Westerns for the horses

Trigger, Buttermilk, Champion (Gene Autry's horse), Fury, Silver, etc. I felt sorry for Hoss's horse, having to carry that big man. I hated the way that the Cartwrights treated Hop Sing - even as a kid I considered that demeaning. And most of the Western "heroes" did not treat women, Native Americans, and Hispanics any better, so that pissed me off even more.

[rebel with a cause]

70. You and me too.

I also hated the way Hop Sing was treated and I always thought it was funny that the Cartwright boys always had these romances where the women died and they were still living at home with their dad and filling the child role even though they seemed old to me.

I use to joke about the fact that all a Latino needed to know how to say for the westerns was "They went thatta way." and "Manana" because that was the lines they were given. And the fact than any white man could be a Native American if you put dark makeup and an ugly black wig on him, and any white woman could play a Native American as long as her face/figure was good enough. Donna Reed played one!

Yeah, give me the horses, dogs and other critters that cowboys had for friends. Hoss should have rode a Clydesdale. Where was Peta back then?

[csziggy]

79. Hoss' horse, Chubb was part Quarter Horse, part Thoroughbred

HORSE OF THE WEEK..."Chubb"

Several actors came and went on the long 14 year run of “Bonanza” and many horses did too, but one started at the start and ended at the end and that was “Chubby” or Chubb as he was affectionately called by his one and only rider Hoss. Reported to be only 15.3 hands high (a hand is 4 inches and the .3 is 3 inches therefore a 15.3 hand horse is 15 hands high plus 3 inches or 63 inches high at the top of the shoulder) any one who knows horses and how their height is measured knows that this can not be true. A 5.2” woman looks fine on a 15.3 hand horse however a man who is 6’4” and weighs up to 300 pounds at times would not fit on a 15.3 hand horse. He would mash it. So the reports of this horse being small (15.3 is small, 5 inches shorter is considered a pony!!!) where erroneous. All you have to do is look at a photograph or watch a single episode and you can see that Hoss was very comfortable on “Chubb”. Let us say he was a big black horse with a long white blaze and three white socks who effortlessly carried a big strong man. He was reported by one source to be ½ thoroughbred and ½ quarter horse. Several other references have him listed as a part Morgan. The Morgan is a small horse; the thoroughbred quarter horse cross looks and seems more likely. The Fat Jones Stables owned “Chubb”; a rental company that supplied horses to the movies and television studios throughout the heyday of the western. ‘Chubb” was often referred to by name, as was his co-star Cochise, in a loving and caring way by Hoss. He once pulled a man out of a well as Hoss assisted down in the ground while a little girl guided him from the saddle. Hoss shouted up commands from down below and emphasized how well he was trained. There were numerous occasions in “Bonanza” for Hoss to show his love and affection for “Chubb”. The most famous real life incident involving the horse also involved his co-star “Sport.” While filming one of the episodes in the spring of 1962 on location Chubb was part of a very serious and well-documented accident. The weather had been very wet and the scene called for both “Chubb” and “Sport” to canter down a hill with their riders. The ground was very wet, muddy and slippery from exceptional heavy winter rains and “Chubb”lost his footing and fell literally head over heals. “Sport” who was traveling close behind slipped and landed on top of the falling animal. Fortunately neither horse was hurt, however Dan Blocker, “Chubb’s” rider suffered a broken collarbone and dislocated shoulder. Pernell Roberts who was mounted on “Sport” landed hard also and suffered a severe sprain to his neck. There were several episodes after this time in which Dan blocker could be seen wearing a black sling on his arm and Pernell Roberts could be seen painfully and slowing walking about the ranch house and yard. Everyone happily recovered and “Chubb” was one of the few horses to continue from the beginning of the series to the end. He was of advanced age when Dan Blocker passed away and the show was subsequently canceled and his services no longer needed. It is hoped that he lived out his remaining years in a well-earned retirement.

http://www.bonanzaworld.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&th...

The notes about the size of the horse to rider are not all that correct; the proportions of the horse make a big difference. My husband is not quite 6'3" and his last riding horse was a short mare, only 14.3 hands, but very wide built. When hubby was standing next to her, she looked too short for him, but she was so broad across the barrel he had trouble stretching his legs around her and his feet did not hang down below her body.

I had a little mare about the same height, but not as solidly built. Even though I am a foot shorter than hubby, my legs hung to about the same point on that horse's body as hubby's did on his mare. From the side, the mares looked like a matched pair - same color, same height. From the front or rear, my mare looked half the horse his did!

[rebel with a cause]

80. You definately know more about horses than I do.

What you posted explained a lot about Dan Blocker and the horse he rode.

The only time I rode anything horse like was when I was about four and it was a pony ride. My family still tease me because as a child I swore I could ride a horse but I thought I could because of my staying astride that pony as we went around in circles.

[csziggy]

81. I've owned horses since I was fourteen, bred them for 25 years

One of the mares I now own is the fifth generation that I bred and raised. I've had to stop riding because of health problems (bad knees, bad back, bad shoulder and so on) but I just can't give my girls up. Here is my favorite mare and a filly of hers that has gone to the stallion owner - I kept a full sister to that baby:

[dmr]

83. I was in love with the Virginian

I would have preferred to watch Patty Duke, but dad didn't.

I liked Trampus, too.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

93. Yes, and they explained why the Cartright "boys" didn't look alike

with flashback stories about how they were the product of Ben's three marriages. Ben had terrible luck with wives, because they all died.

[ensho]

95. I'm in my 70s and never like the coyote either.

and I too preferred Tonto. couldn't stand Roy Rogers.

[alphafemale]

69. I'm over 40...by a handful. And identified with Wile E. as long as I can remember.

I also always hoped that Sylvester would one day make a snack of that annoying, yellow, tattle-tale, ass-kissing, big-headed bird.

[TheKentuckian]

5. Ponderosa was dullesville. I was on Lauren Greene's side against Cylon tyranny though.

I will admit that I sided with Fess Parker as both Daniel Boone and especially Davey Crockett but they were portrayed as the little guy surviving against the odds and power.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

6. Cattle Star Galactica

[Manifestor_of_Light]

71. Abu ben Cartwright?

[asjr]

7. I fell in love with Rowdy Yates.

[Skidmore]

8. In the 80s I was rooting for the Resistance to take

out that evil lizard vamp, Diana. And before that, I rode the deck of the Starship Enterprise and boldly travelled the universe maintaining the prime directive.

And then there was roller derby.

[TlalocW]

11. I rooted for KITT over the General Lee

That help?

TlalocW

[xxqqqzme]

12. I rooted for the prisoner

to escape the island; but was always disappointed when he trusted his escape plans to the one person you knew would betray him.

I liked Captain Kangaroo, Mr Green Jeans, Soupy Sales, Pinky Lee and Ernie Kovaks. We watched Maverick (my dad wouldn't miss it, thus my lifelong crush on James Garner) not so much the Cartwrights but I favored the oldest brother - so old Ben was married 3 times but all the separate mothers of his sons were all dead by the time we meet them. I always found that highly unlikely.

[tjwash]

13. Bonanza...native americans were savages, or at best intruders that had childlike mentalities.

It was masterful brainwashing too. As a kid, I really did believe that it was their fault too; them being on our land before we got here and all that. I also liked how every bad stereotype of Chinese people were present in Hop-Sing as well.

It got a bit distracting how blatantly low-budget the show was. Little things, such as no matter where they went, the campfires they built always looked the same, and, the funniest damn thing; the stagecoach had that one wheel that never turned.

[damntexdem]

21. One of the worst was Wyatt Earp -- a police constable who was fired for horse stealing.

Who then moved on and got into a gang shootout that he 'won.'

[blm]

25. and mothers, wives and girlfriends were all.....REPLACEABLE.

.

[dmr]

84. You always knew a love interest would die in the end

or be unstable, or move to San Francisco, or whatever.

Imagine the uproar if Ben had been a woman who had 4 sons by 4 different men!

Women could never be human on these shows either - geez, even poor Miss Kitty never got to snuggle with her Matt.

[NRaleighLiberal]

14. I rooted for Gilligan to not screw up for once so they could get off the island!

I also rooted for Ginger to have a coconut malfunction, but what do you expect from an early teen boy?!

[Echo In Light]

29. I always leaned toward MaryAnn, just as I did Bailey, on WKRP

[pipi_k]

40. I had this strange crush on the Professor

He seemed kind of naive and innocent in certain matters. Well, maybe less than Gilligan did, but Gilligan was just too goofy for me to get all hot on.

[frogmarch]

15. Well, back when I watched Bonanza,

I felt sorry for the three brothers. I was sure the Cartwright family was cursed, because every time Adam, Hoss or Little Joe fell in love with a woman and the two planned to marry, she died.

I saw the Cartwrights as good. I didn't get analytical about the show or the characters. It was just something entertaining to watch.

[WCGreen]

38. And yet the women would take their chances at a piece of that pie,

[Bunny]

45. You're damn right they would.

Four very good looking men, all of them as rich as God? Hell yeah, I'd have gone for it. I was always sweet on Hoss:

[hfojvt]

57. interesting that that show fits into the Hollywood anti-marriage theme

I sorta saw the same thing in Star Trek. None of the characters has a spouse - ever, although Kirk had his interstellar romances, it was the Enterprise - or the job/career, that was farm more important than love or family. The same thing was true of the Love Boat, where every episode brought two or three couple together or back together, but none of the crew ever had a romance that lasted more than one episode. I am sure there are other examples, but those two sorta stick with me, partly because they constantly had romances or even marriages that did not last.

[SoCalDem]

58. We called it the Cartwright kiss of death

[damntexdem]

16. It was just another western to me back in the 50s and 60s.

By the 70s and 80s it was in reruns if aired at all.

But by the 60s, I was rooting for the Indians over the cowboys in movies and TV shows.

[parasim]

18. I wanted to be Caine from Kung Fu

I totally identified with that character.

Also, when playing Cowboys and Indians I always wanted to be an Indian.

[lumberjack_jeff]

19. It always amazed me how a pacifist needed to do so much ass-kicking. n/t

[NYCGirl]

20. Never watched Bonanza. My favorites were Star Trek and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

I rooted for the Federation and U.N.C.L.E.

[Individualist]

26. Those were two of my favorites along with Laugh In and the Smothers Brothers show.

[NYCGirl]

33. Loved those, too! NT

[PassingFair]

22. All I know is that it was NEVER safe to date one of the Cartwrights...

They always wound up on the wrong side of one of these:

[TexasProgresive]

24. Emma Peel

But then as an uberhormonal adolescent I doubt I thought much about the politics of the Avengers.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

75. I wondered why I couldn't meet nice British gentlemen like John Steed.

Mrs. Peel, we're needed!!!

And later, I wanted to meet a much younger version of Alistair Cooke. Such wonderful accents and manners!




However, this guy, Adam Troy, was my very first celebrity crush. I was five or six when "Adventures in Paradise" was on TV:



My father looked somewhat like Lorne Greene. A British neighbor of mine said that Lorne Greene looked like a typical Welshman. So maybe I'm part Welsh too.

[Brother Buzz]

31. The underdog, Maverick

And James Garner, as Bret Maverick, was the quintessential underdog.

Jack Kelly as Bart Maverick was OK and Roger Moore as Beau Maverick was a stretch, but James Garner played the personality I could genuinely relate to.

[WCGreen]

36. They were like the anti Cartwrights...

The guys who would take on Ben and the Boys ad get same real justice.

Ben owned all the justice in te land

And those kids of his, helli onion spawns of a collection of harlots with hearts of gold but not that well in the ticker department.

Ben sowed his seeds...

[Brother Buzz]

55. Maverick: As my pappy used to say...

Son, the best time to get lucky is when the other man's dealin'.

[AngryAmish]

37. Or Freebirds v. Von Erichs

I was a Freebirds man myself.

[chat_noir]

39. I rooted for Murphy Brown over Dan Quayle

Dan Quayle vs. Murphy Brown

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,975627...


A New York Daily News headline set the tone: QUAYLE TO MURPHY BROWN: YOU TRAMP! Switchboards at the White House and on TV and radio talk shows lit up with callers, pro and con. Carl Rowan, a liberal black columnist, sided with Quayle, while Hillary Clinton, wife of the Democratic presidential contender, panned him as typical of "an Administration out of touch with America" and its growing ranks of single mothers.

[Jennicut]

47. So did I, at 16.

[pipi_k]

41. There were a few Westerns on when I was a kid...

Wagon Train...Rawhide...Broken Arrow...Bat Masterson, etc.

Along with many Western movies


I always rooted for the "innocent" white guys being attacked by the "red savages". I was a kid and didn't know any better, unfortunately. When I got older and learned some things it came as a disappointment to me that I/we were lied to by Hollywood.

Then came "Tarzan" and "Jungle Jim", both starring Johnny Weismuller. Of course we had to root for him against the cannibals, crocodiles, quicksand, and other dangers of the jungle.

And then there was Godzilla v Mothra. I was up in the air about which one I liked.

[mitchum]

42. I wanted to be Paladin...dress in black, read Keats, and shoot people

That's the life for me

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

43. I loved those warm family moments when Little Joe led Hoss into the barn

and currie-combed him, after which he changed his straw and put on his feed bag with oats.

[Lars39]

46. I watched more Wild Wild West than Bonanza.

With the Cartwrights it was their way or the highway a lot of the time.

[TheKentuckian]

74. Wild West is super underated chronic

Dare I say near Star Trek in goodness?

[Lars39]

78. Oh, yeah....fueled my inner geek a bit, too. :^)

[WI_DEM]

48. No, I enjoyed watching Barbara Stanwyck prove she could be as tough as any man on "The Big Valley"

she would have kicked Ben Cartwright's ass.

[LisaM]

49. LOL - I was thinking "Family Affair", "Brady Bunch", Bob Newhart

We NEVER watched westerns, except for re-runs of "Big Valley" because it was all run by women.

[notadmblnd]

50. UNDERDOG!

[Canuckistanian]

53. Batman

He was the real superhero.

He could probably kick Superman's ass.

[Ichingcarpenter]

54. I rooted for Cat Woman and the Penguin in the old Batman series

Penguin: Plenty of girls and bands and slogans and lots of hoopla, but remember, no politics. Issues confuse people.




But damn Batman and the boy wonder.

Robin: Maybe you can bully an aging mogul, but not me, Catwoman!

Batman: I'm just going to hang around the bar. I don't want to look conspicuous.

[Greyhound]

59. Barney Miller. n/t

[Lance_Boyle]

64. I rooted for Wojo.

And then, when Silver Spoons came around, I rooted for the train.

[Greyhound]

66. I never liked Wojo, he was too Republik for me, even then.

He did get better as life happened to him later. Barney was like most of the cops of the day, before the militarization of police forces, always looking for a solution rather than a confrontation.

[Brigid]

60. I rooted for the Riddler and the Joker.

My favorite villains from the old "Batman" series.

[Blue_Tires]

62. I rooted for the CHiPs, the A-Team and Miami Vice...

and for Sam Malone to get up in as many asses as humanly possible!

[XemaSab]

65. I always thought Oscar the Grouch

was the most sympathetic dude on Sesame Street.

[slackmaster]

68. Mary Ann

[Arugula Latte]

73. Laura Ingalls vs. Nellie Olson

Go, Halfpint!

[ThatsMyBarack]

77. Contestants on the following game shows:

The Price is Right
Tic Tac Dough
The Joker's Wild

[Touchdown]

85. Catwoman! Her car was way cooler than the batmobile.

With those wisker tire feelers and that tail...pipe.

[Romulox]

89. My sweet lord!

[Romulox]

88. Rollo Larson. nt

[NoPasaran]

90. I could never figure out

Why I, a ten year old, could see that Doctor Smith was an evil traitorous bastard but none of the Robinsons ever wised up. Find the nearest planet of molten lava and push that mofo out the door, guys!

[dysfunctional press]

91. the cubbies.

[el_bryanto]

92. I watched very little tv in the 1960s not having been born yet.

in the 80s I rooted for the Dukes of Hazard and the A Team.

Violence and cool cars solve everything.

Bryant

[ensho]

94. I grew up in the 40s and 50s and I found the Cartwright TV show silly

my kids never watched it either.

or that other one. little house on the prairie. that was beyond silly.