#vintage television

[possessedpasm]

"Television: it never lies. It never dies. AND IT KNOWS EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW."

[Retro commission for @modmad ]

You can read the comic here!

[gameraboy2]

Lucy Lawless behind the scenes on Xena: Warrior Princess (1995)

[youre-dreaming-302]

[thegroovyarchives]

70′s/80′s/90′s Local Television New Year’s Station IDs/Bumpers Part 4 1. KNXT-TV, Los Angeles, California, 1972 2. WGN-TV, Chicago, Illinois, 1977 3. WMBB-TV, Panama City, Florida, 1984 4. WPVI-TV, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1984 5. WCCO-TV, Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minnesota, 1985 6. WGBS-TV, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1989 7. WVTV-TV, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1990 8. WCBS-TV, New York City, New York, 1990 Part 1 (x) Part 2 (x) Part 3 (x)

[vizreef]

Hitachi K-88 // Portable Television  (Japan, 1978)

via

[gifs-of-puppets]

McGarry's Sausage Commercials (1965-1968)

[citystompers1]

Spider-Man (Japan, 1978), "The Onion Silver Mask and the Boys' Detective Group"

[ichayalovesyou]

Why Do Old-School TV Duos Have SUCH MLM Vibes?!

I think there’s something very specific about the formula and writing style of non-serialized/semi-serialized shows from the 60s to 80s that featured two grown men going on wacky dangerous adventures that makes my gay little literary analysis brain go absolutely off the wall bonkers. I’m trying to figure out why!

I’m writing this on my Trek blog because I don’t think this pattern in people actually shipping these types of relationships the way they do if fandom as we know it wasn’t born via TOS in syndication. That being said! I also think it has to do with the way these shows are designed that makes myself and others OBSESSED with a specific character dynamic that feels (to me) damn near impossible to replicate in modern television. In a way that’s more than just fandom, it’s in the way TV like this was written at the time!

Further explanation under the cut!

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I think what it usually boils down to is this. There’s a charming protagonist whom without the series could not operate, frequently top billed or the title character! (See: Wild Wild West, Starsky & Hutch) BUT he doesn’t have anyone to play off of! So what do they do pretty much every single time? Give Mr. Idealized Vision of Time-Period Masculinity For Genre a second guy to rhyme with!

See but the other guy has to play opposite but parallel to our hypermasculine protagonist. So what frequently ends up happening is that in order to play off our “normal” guy, even though he’s also a white dude, is that he’s still somehow Other.

They’re always perfect for each other, and they always get into scenarios that would be written, shot and interpreted by conventional audiences as romantic IF either one of those characters were a woman! Especially at the time these shows were made in.

If the one is aggressive, the other is gentle. If the protagonist is violent, his counterpart is intellectual. If the one is stoic, the other is emotional. Which (while one size def doesn’t fit all) usually makes the second guy come off as much more queer-coded (and sometimes other minorities like neurodivergent/disabled etc) than the other because of the traits associated with masculinity vs gayness at the time! Our prime examples in these gifs are Spock, Hutch, Artemus, and also *BJ!

*(M*A*S*H is a bit of a unique case since the show flirts with queerness more openly in ways that people more into the series have explained better than me but I think it still fits the formula I’m discussing.)

Here’s the thing though right? We’ve got two best friends, and the show NEVER really feels right if one of them is missing unless the focus of the story is how A & B operate without each other while trying to find the other one. They stick with and rescue each other unfailingly in scenarios that might destroy a regular friendship.

Hell, there’s often stuff that would emotionally/physically destroy a regular person/character in modern media. But because it’s not serialized they always seem to pull through seemingly through the power of friendship alone or dealing with it off-screen! Emotional consequences? Yuck! (Unless it’s M*A*S*H or Starsky & Hutch, like I said, not monolithic)

Here’s the thing that some people might say throws a wrench into the interpretation I’m discussing. What about the absolutely non-stop parade of conventionally attractive women the main protagonist (and less frequently the supporting man) goes through?

I would reply: how many of those female characters actually emotionally impact our protagonists as characters long term?

The answer is of course, because it’s NOT serialized, almost none! Kirk can watch Edith Keeler get killed by a car accident and still be making eyes at Spock the next episode. Hawkeye can have a “life changing” romance with a Vietnamese humanitarian woman, then share a blanket with BJ next episode like she never existed!

The Doylist explanation of course is not just the fact it wasn’t serialized but also just, constant, blatant 20th century sexism. Which SUCKS!!! As well as not wanting a long term love interest to throw off the character dynamic of our duderagonists. It’s the 20th century tv equivalent of bros before hoes.

However the Watsonian explanation always seems to result in no love interest EVER being more important than what the two protagonists have no matter whether you think they’re queer or not. No attractive woman could make our reputed babe-hound protagonist abandon his buddy. There’s no earnest romance our more queer-coded supporting man doesn’t end (or get ended for him) often for the protagonist’s sake.

Now some of these women are incredibly well written and straight up GOOD matches for our guys. So why wouldn’t they get involved in something long term UNLESS!! They were in love with each other the WHOLE time?

What if protagonist (frequently the babe hound) doesnt know he’s queer, or knows but doesn’t know he’s in love with his bestie, or any number of similar fruity explanations? The supporting man also runs into this explanation but people tend to believe he’s already aware that he’s queer but either also doesn’t know he’s in love or is keeping it to himself because time-period homophobia and/or thinking (probably not unreasonably) that babe hound is straight?

Between the inherent closeness of being narrative foils. The regularly scheduled life or death drama creating sometimes insanely romantic (in the narrative if not a literal sense) drama between the two. The revolving door of weekly women they never seem to get attached to enough to leave one another. The non-serialized nature resulting in sparse personal information/history about the protagonists as a result.

I think between the very NATURE of the way tv shows were written at the time. Plus the way fandom was shaped by a dynamic that has rippled through how media works and is interpreted by fans for decades upon decades. It’s not hard to imagine getting really emotionally invested in the possibility of the protagonists being in love is a fantastic way to enjoy the media!

In conclusion, it’s really fun and easy to go “these bitches gay! Good for them good for them!”

[possessedpasm]

You can't miss it!

[Retro commission for Foxokles]

[gameraboy2]

Lynda Carter in Wonder Woman (1975), "Wonder Woman Meets Baroness Von Gunther"

[conspiracytocrochet]

the exact image I had in mind when I dragged my pink chair and newly crocheted television set outside to take pictures.

tapestry pattern test for @thecrochetho freehanded into a pillow by muah

[thegroovyarchives]

1965 Philco Portable Television Advertisement Detail From the October 16th, 1965 issue of TV Guide. (via: archive.org)

[gifs-of-puppets]

La Choy Chow Mein Commercials (1965-1967)

[cravinganescape]

Early 80's KTV in Clear [ 1 | 2 ]

[citystompers1]

Godzilla (1978), "Attack of the Stone Creatures"

[stone-cold-groove]

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