The TV thread

I get a lot of "on this day 20, 30, 40 years ago X TV show premiered" or whatever on my Facebook page. Amazing how may classic shows featured all-white casts. And we're talking about shows like MASH, Mary Tyler Moore (yeah, Gordie I know, but really), Happy Days, even shows in the '80s like Murphy Brown, Dallas, Cheers, etc. Just saw one for Taxi as well. TAXI!!! Seriously? Everyone was white? Shoot, even the West Wing is guilty of it - they shoehorned Charlie in early in the run, but a Democratic administration?

 

Louie's assistant Jeff was black.

 

You have to put it in context a bit, Italians (er Dagos) and Polacks were considered minorities then.

 

I think Fitz was black.

 

Well, yes - there were ocassional characters who weren't white, but it is surprising how many shows had an all-white cast, and it seems jarring to notice now, thow was unnoticeable at the time. Most shows now include at least one person of color if only to let people know that the white characters aren't racists.

 

Kennedy Center Honors happening this weekend, taped for later broadcast. Honorees are George Clooney, Gladys Knight, U2, Amy Grant and Tania Leon. I guess Grant had a big impact in Christian Contemporary music, but she in gets before Sandi Patty? Hell, before Vince Gill?

 

I don’t like other people performing their songs
I like them performing their songs

 

What, the early-season black MASH character named Spearchucker doesn't count?

 

There were quite a few people in the early episodes who didn't make the cut. Loudon Wainwright III; the dentist/guitar player; Spearchucker. In fact, those first few episodes had more of a bohemian feel, more like the movie.

They never really filled the Bud Cort character from the movie; I guess they figured Radar's presence covered that dynamic. The Jo Ann Pflug character sort of became a revolving door of nurses.

 

True. But the guy doing the hiring was from New Hampshire.

 

I read the producers of "Survivor" said all CBS reality shows need 50% "people of color" casted going forward.