What Was The First "Retro" TV Show...?

Site Notices

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - What Was The First "Retro" TV Show...?

Posted: 10/3/2005 8:49:59 PM EDT

Near as I can tell it was "Happy Days" ( 1974-1984).

The show debuted in the 70s but depicted life (or at least a romanticized version of it) in the 1950s. Arguably the next "retro" show was "Laverne & Shirley" (1976-1983), another Garry Marshall production (which explains how Penny Marshall aka "Laverne" got the job) but as it was a spin off of Happy Days it doesn't really count. And there was "Joanie Loves Chachi" (1982-1983) which would have been a 60s show but it was also a spin off and seems to have wanted to remain set in the 50s despite the characters all being about 10 years older.

The next retro show, again near as I can tell, would appear to be "The Wonder Years" (1988-1993) which was set in the 1960s and seemed to grab a truer depiction of the times.

And currently we have "That '70s Show" (1998-Present) which seems to be more or less the Happy Days formula but set 20 years later.

So will there be an 80s show one day?

Posted: 10/3/2005 8:54:27 PM EDT

[#1]

Quoted:
So will there be an 80s show one day?

In the name of all things holy, I hope not.

Posted: 10/3/2005 8:56:14 PM EDT

[#2]

Quoted:
Quoted:
So will there be an 80s show one day?

In the name of all things holy, I hope not.

Think of all the material. Flock of Seagulls hairdos, parachute pants, mall chicks with Farrah hair or Madonna clones.

Posted: 10/3/2005 8:57:18 PM EDT

[#3]

"That 80s Show" was short lived.

Posted: 10/3/2005 8:58:33 PM EDT

[#4]

Quoted:

So will there be an 80s show one day?

There was a "That 80's Show", and it was god-awful.

Posted: 10/3/2005 8:59:30 PM EDT

[#5]

What about F-troop? That was out in the late 50s and was set.....in the old west.

Talk about retro!

There is also the Rifleman that predates Happy days doesn't it?

Any western is retro.

Posted: 10/3/2005 8:59:42 PM EDT

[#6]

Ummm what about all the westerns?

Edit: AFMAN beat me by 12 seconds.

Re-edit: At least I beat Subnet by 21 seconds LOL

Posted: 10/3/2005 9:00:03 PM EDT

[#7]

Hey, what about Rawhide? That was filmed in the 50's and took place in the mid to late 1800's, right?

Posted: 10/3/2005 9:06:15 PM EDT

[#8]

The Lone Ranger came out in 1949. What was a TV western before that?

Posted: 10/3/2005 10:14:05 PM EDT

[#9]

Quoted:
Quoted:

So will there be an 80s show one day?

There was a "That 80's Show", and it was god-awful.

Apparantly, I never heard of it.

Posted: 10/3/2005 10:17:12 PM EDT

[#10]

Quoted:
What about F-troop? That was out in the late 50s and was set.....in the old west. Talk about retro!

There is also the Rifleman that predates Happy days doesn't it?

Any western is retro.

Yeah, but I think those would be more correctly "Westerns." They are kinda their own genre like "Historical Drama." Obviously you are technically correct but shows like that and "Wild Wild West", which is another example, aren't quite a "retro" show in the same vein as the ones I cited above.

Posted: 10/3/2005 10:27:20 PM EDT

[#11]

Quoted:
Quoted:
What about F-troop? That was out in the late 50s and was set.....in the old west. Talk about retro!

There is also the Rifleman that predates Happy days doesn't it?

Any western is retro.

Yeah, but I think those would be more correctly "Westerns." They are kinda their own genre like "Historical Drama." Obviously you are technically correct but shows like that and "Wild Wild West", which is another example, aren't quite a "retro" show in the same vein as the ones I cited above.

Fair enough. You bring up a good point though. They seem to always need things to make into shows and they can't find anything so they just make reality shows.

They need to do some shows about the 80s and 90s. Hell, I would watch them.

Posted: 10/3/2005 10:36:38 PM EDT

[#12]

Tour of Duty.

Posted: 10/3/2005 10:49:23 PM EDT

[#13]

Quoted:
Tour of Duty.

Oh, yeah? Combat!!!

These don't really count, though.

What about "Petticoat Junction"? Weren't they all 'retro?'

Posted: 10/3/2005 11:08:43 PM EDT

[#14]

Happy Days was supposed to be set in the 1950s. But they weren't very faithful to the fashion trends of the period. I didn't know it was supposed to be set in that decade until a few years ago.

Galland

Posted: 10/3/2005 11:18:55 PM EDT

[#15]

The funny thing is they are all retro now even if they weren't originally. I sat here tonight and watched the Twilight Zone and Quantum Leap.

Posted: 10/3/2005 11:21:52 PM EDT

[#16]

Hogan's Heroes?

Posted: 10/4/2005 3:20:35 AM EDT

[#17]

Quoted:
Hogan's Heroes?

I regard HH as more of a historical parody than a show that relies on nostalgia. Nobody has nostalgia for their time spent in a prison camp. I liked HH but it was another shining example of historical inaccuracy. The costume designer seemed to specialize in sewing German insignia upside-down and backwards. I think they did it on purpose. Remember Major Hochstetter's SS uniform? It was a train wreck of unrelated and inauthentic features- very funny looking to the trained eye.

Posted: 10/4/2005 3:24:11 AM EDT

[#18]

The Flinstones.

Posted: 10/6/2005 10:12:54 PM EDT

[#19]

What about rural depression-era nostalgic show "The Waltons"?

That was on before "Happy Days".

There was also "Little House On The Prairie" but that came later.

Quoted:
Quoted:
Hogan's Heroes?
I regard HH as more of a historical parody than a show that relies on nostalgia.

Along the sames lines was McHale's Navy, MASH and Baa Baa Black Sheep.

Posted: 10/6/2005 10:16:57 PM EDT

[#20]

Quoted:
What about F-troop? That was out in the late 50s and was set.....in the old west. Talk about retro!

It was made in the mid 1960's.
Season 1 was B&W; Season 2 was in color.

Posted: 10/6/2005 10:28:26 PM EDT

[#21]

Quoted:
What about rural depression-era nostalgic show "The Waltons"?

arrgh, that guy with the moldy coco puff stuck to his face.

Couldnt watch of All Quiet on The Western Front because of him.

Posted: 10/6/2005 10:44:31 PM EDT

[#22]

Quoted:
Quoted:
What about rural depression-era nostalgic show "The Waltons"?

arrgh, that guy with the moldy coco puff stuck to his face. Couldnt watch of All Quiet on The Western Front because of him.

The original 1930 version was better anyway.

Posted: 10/7/2005 12:12:16 PM EDT

[#23]

Quoted:
Quoted:
Hogan's Heroes?

I regard HH as more of a historical parody than a show that relies on nostalgia. Nobody has nostalgia for their time spent in a prison camp. I liked HH but it was another shining example of historical inaccuracy. The costume designer seemed to specialize in sewing German insignia upside-down and backwards. I think they did it on purpose. Remember Major Hochstetter's SS uniform? It was a train wreck of unrelated and inauthentic features- very funny looking to the trained eye.

Your right about the show making fun of the Nazis. This was done on purpose(very,very post war propaganda) to make them look like stupids idoits. In fact,I think "Shultz" means dumb/stupid in German? It wasn't made to be historically accurate.It was produced to poke fun at the Nazis and get a little pay back. At least on some emotional level anyway and I say more power to them.

There wasn't near enough Nazis hung by their necks or sent to Siberia for my taste. If fact why did the Nazi hunters have to hunt down over 900 of them! They never should've gotten out of Germany in the first place. Many of them had alot of help from all the wrong people including our very own government.Rant Off.

There is a documentary of sorts about the show that is very interesting. If you get a chance to view it please do.

Posted: 10/7/2005 12:15:39 PM EDT

[#24]

Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Hogan's Heroes?

I regard HH as more of a historical parody than a show that relies on nostalgia. Nobody has nostalgia for their time spent in a prison camp. I liked HH but it was another shining example of historical inaccuracy. The costume designer seemed to specialize in sewing German insignia upside-down and backwards. I think they did it on purpose. Remember Major Hochstetter's SS uniform? It was a train wreck of unrelated and inauthentic features- very funny looking to the trained eye.

Your right about the show making fun of the Nazis. This was done on purpose(very,very post war propaganda) to make them look like stupids idoits. In fact,I think "Shultz" means dumb/stupid in German? It wasn't made to be historically accurate.It was produced to poke fun at the Nazis and get a little pay back. At least on some emotional level anyway and I say more power to them.

There wasn't near enough Nazis hung by their necks or sent to Siberia for my taste. If fact why did the Nazi hunters have to hunt down over 900 of them! They never should've gotten out of Germany in the first place. Many of them had alot of help from all the wrong people including our very own government.Rant Off.

There is a documentary of sorts about the show that is very interesting. If you get a chance to view it please do.

Useless trivia - The actors that played Col. Klink and Gen. Burkhalter were both Jewish.

Posted: 10/7/2005 12:32:40 PM EDT

[#25]

Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Hogan's Heroes?

I regard HH as more of a historical parody than a show that relies on nostalgia. Nobody has nostalgia for their time spent in a prison camp. I liked HH but it was another shining example of historical inaccuracy. The costume designer seemed to specialize in sewing German insignia upside-down and backwards. I think they did it on purpose. Remember Major Hochstetter's SS uniform? It was a train wreck of unrelated and inauthentic features- very funny looking to the trained eye.

Your right about the show making fun of the Nazis. This was done on purpose(very,very post war propaganda) to make them look like stupids idoits. In fact,I think "Shultz" means dumb/stupid in German? It wasn't made to be historically accurate.It was produced to poke fun at the Nazis and get a little pay back. At least on some emotional level anyway and I say more power to them.

There wasn't near enough Nazis hung by their necks or sent to Siberia for my taste. If fact why did the Nazi hunters have to hunt down over 900 of them! They never should've gotten out of Germany in the first place. Many of them had alot of help from all the wrong people including our very own government.Rant Off.

There is a documentary of sorts about the show that is very interesting. If you get a chance to view it please do.

Useless trivia - The actors that played Col. Klink and Gen. Burkhalter were both Jewish.

John Banner, who played Sgt Shultz was Jewish also. He was a refugee from Austria & lost the rest of his family in the camps.

Shultz & Klink were regular Luftwaffe.

Posted: 10/7/2005 12:44:54 PM EDT

[#26]

I wouldn't consider the "Western" genre as "retro". The TV western was really just a small screen continuation of the Movie Western that had existed since the first feature movie, "The Train Robbery". I would also throw War shows such as "Combat" into this category since they are also just continuations of the War Movie genre.

I would define "retro" as a show that uses the time as a defining backdrop to the story. The period that it depicts is in effect a central character to the story line. Given this, Happy Days would definately be considered "retro" but "The Waltons" preceded HD by 2 years (IIRC). The only other show that I can think of that uses the period as a defining aspect (without which there would be no storyline) would be "The Untouchables".

Posted: 10/7/2005 12:48:45 PM EDT

[#27]

Quoted:
I wouldn't consider the "Western" genre as "retro". The TV western was really just a small screen continuation of the Movie Western that had existed since the first feature movie, "The Train Robbery". I would also throw War shows such as "Combat" into this category since they are also just continuations of the War Movie genre.

I would define "retro" as a show that uses the time as a defining backdrop to the story. The period that it depicts is in effect a central character to the story line. Given this, Happy Days would definately be considered "retro" but "The Waltons" preceded HD by 2 years (IIRC). The only other show that I can think of that uses the period as a defining aspect would be "The Untouchables".

Good call on "The Waltons". You beat SA at his own thread.
While I hated that show as a kid, I really liked it once I hit 30. Very good period piece.

Posted: 10/7/2005 1:43:30 PM EDT

[#28]

Quoted:
Quoted:
I wouldn't consider the "Western" genre as "retro". The TV western was really just a small screen continuation of the Movie Western that had existed since the first feature movie, "The Train Robbery". I would also throw War shows such as "Combat" into this category since they are also just continuations of the War Movie genre.

I would define "retro" as a show that uses the time as a defining backdrop to the story. The period that it depicts is in effect a central character to the story line. Given this, Happy Days would definately be considered "retro" but "The Waltons" preceded HD by 2 years (IIRC). The only other show that I can think of that uses the period as a defining aspect would be "The Untouchables".

Good call on "The Waltons". You beat SA at his own thread.
While I hated that show as a kid, I really liked it once I hit 30. Very good period piece.

Actually I made no definitive statements regarding which was first. I said:

Near as I can tell it was "Happy Days"

In fact my post was a question not a statement.

And I would agree with his definitions regarding "westerns" and "war genre" and would concede that the Waltons would seem to be the first "retro" show.

Posted: 10/7/2005 2:42:34 PM EDT

[#29]

Quoted:
Quoted:
I wouldn't consider the "Western" genre as "retro". The TV western was really just a small screen continuation of the Movie Western that had existed since the first feature movie, "The Train Robbery". I would also throw War shows such as "Combat" into this category since they are also just continuations of the War Movie genre.

I would define "retro" as a show that uses the time as a defining backdrop to the story. The period that it depicts is in effect a central character to the story line. Given this, Happy Days would definately be considered "retro" but "The Waltons" preceded HD by 2 years (IIRC). The only other show that I can think of that uses the period as a defining aspect would be "The Untouchables".
Good call on "The Waltons". You beat SA at his own thread.
While I hated that show as a kid, I really liked it once I hit 30. Very good period piece.

Hey! *I* was the one who came up with The Waltons.

Posted: 10/7/2005 2:45:14 PM EDT

[#30]

There was a "That 80's Show" that was based off of "That 70's show". It lasted, like, 2 weeks.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - What Was The First "Retro" TV Show...?

General » General Discussion

Warning

Confirm Action

About AR15.COM

Stay Connected

Newsletter

Contact Us