Classic Television
By Morley Hunt
@Morleyhunt (21737)
Canada
January 19, 2017 8:39am CST
My husband and I do not have a television antenna.....we don't subscribe to cable and don't watch a lot of television.
We have an old VHS player and a shelf full of VHS movies. We own a simple (8 year old) DVD player as well as a beautiful large screen television.
We watch about 45 minutes of classic television at night before heading to bed.
We have watched all of M.A.S.H., all of Little House on the Prairie, Gilligan's Island, I Dream of Jeannie, Andy Griffith, Gomer Pyle, Leave it to Beaver.......
Currently we are working our way through Gunsmoke.
One thing we find amusing is how many actors and actresses appear in these old television shows. Some we recognize, some we spot their names in the credits and then say, ahh, that's why they seemed familiar.
So far on Gunsmoke we have encountered a young Angie Dickenson, Chloris Leachman, Barbara Eden. Those are the ones that come to mind immediately.
Last night it was a voice I found familiar. The name didn't ring a bell, other than maybe seem familiar. Jeanette Nolan......I googled the name.....yes, now I know why.
My grandkids love to watch The Fox and the Hound......the old woman, Mrs Tweedy, is voiced by Jeanette Nolan.
Do you ever watch classic television and spot actors who made a name for themselves?
20 people like this
18 responses
@LadyDuck (458233)
• Switzerland
19 Jan 17
I am so glad to know that we are not the only two to do the same. We do not have a dish, an antenna or a cable TV. We have a double player (VHS and DVDs) and plenty of movies on DVDs and VHS. We only watch the TV in the evening, never more than about 50 minutes. There are beautiful old movies free to download from YouTube. I usually download them to my computer and then I burn the movie on a DVD so we can watch it on our TV.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (458233)
• Switzerland
19 Jan 17
@Morleyhunt We have a TV Box that comes free with our Internet, but the Internet connection is upstairs and our TV is downstairs, so we never use it.
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
19 Jan 17
I bought a cable so I could watch directly from the Internet to my television. We used it at Christmas to provide us with a fireplace and instrumental Christmas music.
2 people like this
@PatZAnthony (14752)
• Charlotte, North Carolina
19 Jan 17
This is just a good idea many should think about. Many we know pay more for TV viewing than we pay for all of our utilities combined.
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@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
19 Jan 17
Whenever we are travelling we turn on the television. Usually it is quickly turned off...there is simply very little on that's worth watching....and the commercials are constant.
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@pumpkinjam (8540)
• United Kingdom
20 Jan 17
Yes, often. I love classics. I keep meaning to get around to watching so many but then forgetting about them or getting into something else!
Recently, we've been watching things. Not classics, but more recent things, and recognising actors. It's a regualr occurrence for us to say 'wasn't he in Doctor Who?' We've also just finished watching Warehouse 13 and there were regular cries of 'that's so and so from Star Trek'. I guess the Doctor Who actor thing is because we're British and, as I'm sure you know, we keep our 12 actors in a cupboard and bring them out when we make good shows!
As for the other shows, I guess it's because of the shows they are (actually, I think many are Canadian. Does Canada have the same idea as Britain with its 12 actors in a cupboard?)
I guess this is all the opposite way round to you. Although, I do remember rewatching Harry Potter and noticing David Tennant, who I had not known before he was Doctor Who. We've also been watching Star Trek TOS so, of course, there are few famous faces who weren't quite so famous back then.
@pumpkinjam (8540)
• United Kingdom
20 Jan 17
@Morleyhunt There are a few iconic actors I wouldn't have recognised a couple of years ago. Some really popular ones like Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, and Bruce Willis. I think I've watched more TV and films with my other half than in my entire life before I met him! Now, I don't watch loads but I've discovered quite a lot that I like.
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
20 Jan 17
We Canadians have some iconic actors. Not watching (never having watched ) excessive amounts of television I'm not current on who plays in what.
1 person likes this
@Marilynda1225 (79769)
• United States
19 Jan 17
I do watch classic movies on cable network and it's funny to see some of those old characters so young. I was always a fan of all the classics you mentioned
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@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
19 Jan 17
No cable, no satellite, no antenna. We watch DVDs. Some are on loan from our local library...some we have purchased...some have been gifts.
@MarshaMusselman (38659)
• Midland, Michigan
20 Jan 17
I have noticed that before, but it's been a very long time since I've watched any of those classics. Now we may be in the same boat since we disconnected our cable for the tv because they raised our price. They wanted to bring it back to where it was before once we decided to cancel, but they couldn't bring it back to the rates they give brand new people, so I said no.
I'm trying to do a bit of streamlining before my surgery next month since I've no idea how much extra I'll get from my short-term disability at my job. It's about 70% of my pay, but my medical takes a large portion and it may only cover that.
@MarshaMusselman (38659)
• Midland, Michigan
20 Jan 17
@Morleyhunt My husband does watch a lot of tv especially since his last surgery two years ago when he was off work for six months and limited hours until recently. But, with the cost of everything else, and he does get books on his nook and kindle and reads a lot too, I just didn't want to pay the extra for the time being. I'm sure we'll have the service again down the road.
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
20 Jan 17
@MarshaMusselman our local library is a good source for DVDs.
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
20 Jan 17
We had a good antenna and could get a lot of stations. When we moved we did connect briefly to satellite but the cost, because we watch so little television was ridiculous. It's been more than ten years since we have connected our television to any outside source.
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
20 Jan 17
No current television shows....no binge watching....just 45 minutes of classics on DVD or VHS in the evening. No commercials and we watch what we want, when we want.
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
20 Jan 17
@Marijn I'm cheap....if I have to pay for it....I don't use it.
1 person likes this
@rebelann (111189)
• El Paso, Texas
19 Jan 17
Yep, I have. I get the biggest kick out of watching the same thespian playing different characters in more than one episode. One that comes to mind on Gunsmoke is Ken Curtis. He played villains and victims before he became Festus.
Come to think of it there were those I'd see being used the same way on Bewitched. I wonder if that would fly with this new generation watching what ever their shows are .... I don't watch cable stuff, just the shows that I can stream via Netflix or Amazon.
@rebelann (111189)
• El Paso, Texas
20 Jan 17
I never watched the waltons but I know I saw the actor who played the mom on one of Gunsmokes episodes in an early season @Morleyhunt even saw Charles Bronson in one episode. So many famous actors participated in the first 5 seasons of the show, I loved seeing what some of the older ones looked like when they were really young.
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
20 Jan 17
We see different actors with recurring appearances. Last night we got to see Miss Mamie from the Waltons fame.
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@arthurchappell (45002)
• Preston, England
19 Jan 17
yes frequently and I often watch the credits closely for any names and faces I missed
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
20 Jan 17
Yes I have and actually I remember seeing them the first time around lol
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
20 Jan 17
My father inlaw enjoyed watching Gunsmoke, so my husband has seen some episodes.....my parents couldn't stand westerns so they are all new to me.
1 person likes this
@DWDavis (25812)
• Pikeville, North Carolina
20 Jan 17
We have cable and sometimes I wonder why. 350 Channels and we probably regularly watch 6 to 8 of them. We also have Netflix and Amazon Prime.
I do love watching classic television shows now and then, but is seems I've watched most of them so often I know the episodes by heart.
@DWDavis (25812)
• Pikeville, North Carolina
20 Jan 17
@Morleyhunt These days my missus and I usually watch maybe one episode of a series on either Netflix or Amazon Prime in the evening during the week, and a movie or two on the weekend. There is just so little of the new offerings on television that are any good at all.
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
20 Jan 17
I guess that would be why I limit the number of hours I watch television.
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@JudyEv (325818)
• Rockingham, Australia
20 Jan 17
This sounds like our kind of television! We rarely watch any now apart from the news and weather which is usually on while we have dinner.
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
20 Jan 17
I check the earth on my phone or computer...the news...I avoid.
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@JudyEv (325818)
• Rockingham, Australia
20 Jan 17
@Morleyhunt Sometimes we think we should too. :(
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@JohnRoberts (109857)
• Los Angeles, California
19 Jan 17
I am a big Gunsmoke fan and watch much classic TV. That era of TV is interesting for guest casts comprised of aging actors from Hollywood's movie era and young actors who would go on to better things. Remember Rawhide with Clint Eastwood?
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
19 Jan 17
We've seen so many familiar faces....sometimes it takes us a few minutes to identify the actor/actress.
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
20 Jan 17
Tonight we got to see Miss Mamie from the Waltons.
1 person likes this
@Telynor (1763)
• United States
20 Jan 17
I like -some- of the comedy that was made in the late 60's-70's. M*A*S*H and the Bob Newhart Show come to mind, as well as All In the Family, which woke me up to the bigotry and ugliness in our country as a child.
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
20 Jan 17
As a teenager I remember the show "Brigit Loves Bernie". Irish Catholic and a young Jewish man.....the parents were so unhappy.
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
20 Jan 17
I've never really watched the highway to heaven series...I'll add that to my list .
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@hostessman (11871)
• Tucson, Arizona
19 Jan 17
we have several channels that carry the old ones and I do watch them a lot. I think they are better than what is on today
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
20 Jan 17
I have enjoyed several seasons of NCIS which we have borrowed from our local library.
@just4him (306349)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
20 Jan 17
Yes I have and it's always fun to see where they might have gotten their start. I was watching Rawhide a couple days ago and saw a very young Jack Nicholson. It was his voice first, and the face kept going at my brain until I figured it out after I turned it to something else. I don't like watching programs from the middle.
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
20 Jan 17
We own a lot of classic movies, but rarely sit long enough to watch one. The grandkids regularly watch one of our Disney collection.
