Timeless
October 29th, 2017 by Proprietor
When someone produces work that is timeless, it does not mean it is produced in a way that any reference to it’s time period is somehow erased, it means that the message still resonates. Many people say Shakespeare is timeless. The message in the works can be adapted to current times. Hamlet would play just as well staged in a Wall Street Stockbroker’s office as the traditional colonial era royal court. Though not on the level of Shakespeare, the Brady Bunch encapsulates timelessness.
Though the clothing, and decor are heavily late 1960s and early 1970s era, the messages are still appropriate. Many would call the Brady Bunch campy, and out dated, except, it is still a very widely watched, highly syndicated show. Why? The timelessness of the messages.
The Brady Bunch was hardly a model of “traditional” family values. Both Mike and Carol were presumed widowed. Both had children from their previous marriage, and decided to marry. Blended families in the 1960s/1970s era were new. The cultural revolution had made divorce acceptable, except the producers of the Brady Bunch did stay away from that implication, because they were too afraid of alienating a segment of potential viewers. Even though there were stricter regulations during the Brady Bunch era, the producers could have had both Mike and Carol be divorced. The producers were savy enough to operate under the concept that many people might disapprove of divorced men and women remarrying. Also, the potential of ex-spouses brought in other possible story entanglements or problems the producers sought to avoid at the time. Today’s producers could learn something from this, because today’s producers seem intent on alienating anyone who does not agree with their view of society.
One of the timeless messages that resonated with many people was the strength of family. Even though the Brady Bunch was a blended family, the bunch was a family. The boys versus girls adversarial relationship gave way to standard sibling rivalry. Carol and Mike at first went out of their way to prove to the step children that the children meant as much as to them as their biological children, to being wholly accepted, and after the first season, all the Brady children viewed Mike and Carol as mom and dad wholeheartedly.
Many episodes revolved around how one child had a problem, the entire family was willing to step up and help that child. Even Alice, who was an outsider, and at times alienated in a few stories to a point where she wanted to quit or did quit, was accepted as part of the family. The children and parents going to extraordinary measures to make Alice feel like she was indeed an integral part of their lives, if not actual family member.
As the children aged, and the seasons continued, there were times when Mike or Carol would refer to a talent or skill a child had as being inherited from them. Greg had a great singing voice, and Carol would beam at how her son was so talented, and claim he inherited the talent from her, even though Carol was not Greg’s biological mother. The original ex-spouses were cast aside when it was no longer necessary, there were no stories that had the children morning their former parent’s death. Though today’s shows would at least do one or two shows in the first couple of season’s to show that the children were impacted by their parent’s demise.
When one watches the Brady Bunch, the timelessness comes from the fact that the producers were careful not to have episodes stuck within the actual time period. The 1960s and 1970s were rife with political counter culture, and it would be easy to have draft protests or civil rights issues dominate the shows. The Partridge Family was a show where it is almost difficult to watch because some of the episodes focus on actual politics of the time, and those things are now so alien to today’s viewers, they cannot relate. The closest the Brady Bunch came to politics was women’s liberation. Marcia felt women could do the same thing as men, joined Greg’s scout troop and did manage to succeed. In the end, Marcia demure to actually becoming a scout, and decided to go back to more female oriented things. There was also the fighting city hall to save a park episode. Thanks to Mike being an architect, he found a reasonable solution to the problem. Otherwise there was no worry about Greg possibly being drafted out of high school, he only focused on going to college. Johnny Bravo was more likely a danger to Greg’s college ambitions than the military.
In every episode, there was a primary problem that was the focus of one of the children, sometimes Alice or the parents, then there was a secondary issue. Marcia going into high school and not knowing anyone, so no longer being popular was the major focus of one episode, the secondary issue was Peter’s volcano for his science class. When Marcia was seeking membership into the most popular and powerful girl’s club in school, the Boosters, Peter’s volcano brought Marcia back to earth. Everything was wrapped up nicely. The message was about the need to be popular sometimes overwhelms one’s sense of self. Marcia soon realized she could be herself, and she would make friends and become popular.
The Brady Bunch still seems to hold some form of significance with people, though the generation that grew up on the show and remember it fondly from syndication are now aging, some of the iconic phrases are part of pop culture. Those of modern generations who watch the show, do seem to acknowledge that the show itself, and the messages do resonate.
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Viva Las Vegas
October 25th, 2017 by Proprietor
I usually try to stay away from politics or somewhat controversial subjects, but the subject of the Las Vegas mass shooting hits somewhat close to home. It’s been three weeks since the tragedy at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival. I have come to terms with it, and the news cycle has moved on. I have been to Las Vegas 19 times over the past couple of decades. I am not a novice, I tell people Las Vegas is like a second home to me. I am familiar with the city. I have spent more time total in all of my stays in Las Vegas than the amount of time I lived in Germany as an exchange student. I have stayed twice at Mandalay Bay, and it is my favorite place to stay. I highly recommend it to people.
Mandalay Bay has decided to never rent out the room used by the shooter. This is their decision, and I have no problems with that decision. You do not really want people who either have some creepy reason to stay in it or possible inclination to glorify what Stephen Paddock did.
What upsets me the most is the conspiracy theories revolving around the incident. The constant change and revision of the timeline of events that transpired the day of the mass shooting gives fuel to conspiracy theories. Even people whom I know have access to more information than I do, and are not prone to jump to conspiracy theories, have gone in that general direction. Which is disconcerting. Conspiracy theories are a rationalizing of the irrational. Conspiracy theories attempt to take tenuous evidence or circumstantial evidence at best and make it more relevant than it is. Conspiracy theories build a story around what would be logically dismissed or if looked at with some logic, be cast aside as heresy. Unfortunately conspiracy theories gain traction. When some 80% of people believe Oswald did not act alone in assassinating Kennedy, well, that is the power of conspiracy theories. Lawyers do not help things.
The constant revision of the timeline is being done as more relevant facts are being found. MGM Resorts International, parent company of Mandalay Bay, is a multibillion dollar global corporation. MGM has lawyers. Lots of lawyers. Gobs of lawyers willing to board a private jet and fly to anywhere in the world at a moments notice. What do lawyers do? Protect clients. This is why there are constant changes in timelines and events. MGM is protecting it’s ass and assets. Already a lawsuit has been filed against MGM and Mandalay Bay. 58 people died that night, and hundreds more suffered injury. If it turns out somehow that MGM or Mandalay Bay was in anyway negligent, and there is even a sliver of possible “ifs” that could have been done to prevent the event, MGM Resorts International will be held culpable. Lawyers against MGM see big money. Number one rule in lawsuits, go for the deepest pockets you can get the most money out of. MGM has very deep pockets. I have one hundred percent sympathy, empathy and good will to the families of the victims and the victims, I pray for their speedy recovery and may God help them through the horrible time. Are the victims and families of victims wrong for going after MGM? Well, they are not 100% in the right.
I might be a little off when it comes to my recollection. Albert Camus wrote about the eras of man. He broke the span of human history down into two eras. The Era of Grace and The Era of Justice. In the Era of Grace, people accepted that 3 year old girls died of cancer. It did not mean that they were not seeking a cure for the awful disease. It was accepted. We live now in the Era of Justice. Three year old girls die of cancer. Someone has to be held accountable. This is why lawyers for the families of the victims are going after MGM. The guy who did it is dead. Now the hindsight happens. Someone must be held accountable. Since there is a minute possibility that something could have been done by MGM International or Mandalay Bay to stop the tragedy, lawyers will strip mine the events to hold them at least financially accountable.
There will always be questions. The whole ISIS connection is plausible but not really possible. Why would the FBI or police hide any connections? If it is fearing retaliation against Muslims, ISIS announcing that the shooter was one of them might spur something. We have heard nothing. Americans are not as sheepish as other countries. Why would ISIS make such an announcement then? False flag. Cause fear. Psychological warfare. It benefits ISIS. Remember ISIS is a bunch of crazy religious fanatics, but they are not stupid. Yes, there are money transfers that might be considered questionable. Yet, why did the FBI not take action? Coverup. That seems like the first excuse in every conspiracy. An agency failed to do it’s duty, so it’s covering up evidence.
How could he have hauled so many guns up without people noticing? Suitcases. Lots of them. Paddock was in his room for 3 days before he shot up concert goers. He lived in Mesquite, Nevada. Mesquite is a 50 mile drive from Las Vegas. At highway speeds it is less than an hour away. Many people live in Mesquite and commute to Las Vegas for work. Two or three suitcases can hold a lot. Even if Paddock checked in with only one suitcase. Once in his hotel room, nothing prevents him from bringing in the other nine. Those suitcases could have been in the trunk of his car.
Las Vegas is heavily surveilled. The casinos have cameras everywhere. But, a hotel is not a casino. Many of the hotel parts of the resort have minimal cameras to protect the privacy of guests. There may be a camera cluster at both ends of the hallway and in the elevator lobby. Do you really want to have cameras set up every few doors down the hall? More cameras do not mean more security. Just more cameras to provide evidence after the fact.
Why has camera footage not been released? Well, what type of camera footage will help? Paddock schlepping a few suitcases down the hall a couple of times. Might determine how many trips he made to bring in all his weapons. How will the factor of one trip or ten make a difference? None.
Might the cameras show footage of the security guard being shot? Depends on the angle. The security camera footage is time stamped. If the police review it, that is how the police build a timeline. The reported six minutes between the security guard being shot, and the time Paddock began firing into the crowd can be explained very simply. Paddock may have panicked when he saw the security guard coming down the hall. Paddock may have been setting up for his shooting all day, and thought maybe someone saw something. Paddock fired through the door and wall at the security guard. Realizing that people more than likely heard the shooting of the guard, Paddock changed his plans. The windows are hefty and tempered glass, so Paddock probably took a few minutes to bust them out, then set up to begin shooting.
Even if there were police present within Mandalay Bay itself, when people called in a shooting, there was no way to specifically locate the room. Multiple people flooding the 911 center about a shooting in the hotel tower requires triangulation, and the police have to investigate floor by floor. That takes a lot of time.
Paddock more than likely also planned to escape, but shooting the security guard changed his plans enough that Paddock killed himself thinking he could not escape. There were reports that Paddock wore gloves. This means he was probably not wanting to leave finger prints on his weapons. His finger prints were all over the hotel room with million other prints from other guests.
Paddock’s original plan was probably to bust out the windows, shoot into the crowd, when the police began arriving, he would stop, run out of the room, and go down the emergency fire escape. Paddock might even just leave his room, and use the elevators. He could remove and dispose of the gloves and other clothing somewhere. When the police did find the room, he would be gone, and had a decent lead time for escape. The police would link the crime to him, but he was trying to build in some deniability. Yes, he was crazy, but not totally stupid.
Why did people not call? People did call when hearing the gun shots. Mandalay Bay is not a small Motel 6 with a few rooms or a bed and breakfast. Mandalay Bay is 43 stories tall with 3,309 rooms. If you have not been to Las Vegas you have no idea of the size of these hotel towers. They are built around an elevator lobby and branch out, usually at three angles. I stayed in Mandalay Bay twice, the second time, my room was past the mid point in one of the branches. It was several minutes of walking to get to my room. Every floor reporting gun shots has to be investigated. The police have to go floor to floor. Even if it was only three floors reporting in, the length of the tower branch is extensive. Paddock’s room was found because the smoke detector went off due to the smoke from the gun fire. The police then have to take into account all civilians on the floor. Either the civilians have to remain in their room or be evacuated.
Why did housekeeping not see anything? Paddock was not dumb, crazy, but not dumb. As long as the guns remained in the suitcases until Paddock was ready to set up for the attack, housekeeping was not going to touch the suitcases. Housekeeping is very very leery of touching personal possessions of guests. It avoids any possible accusation of theft. When the maids come in to clean the room, they do the very quick basics of wiping down surfaces, vacuuming the rug, and making the bed. Unless the guns were in plain sight, which they were not, the maids had nothing to report. The maids would not open closets or armoires or even dresser drawers. It protects the privacy of the guest and their possessions. The only time maids do open drawers or doors is when the guest has checked out. Then they do a quick cleaning and inspection. Sometimes not even that. Plenty of stories on the internet and in the news about stuff people have found left over from a previous guest. When I check into my hotel room in Las Vegas, one of the first things I do is check all the drawers. Someone might have left money.
Then there is the question of Paddock’s motive. Paddock left no notes or hints as to his motive. Police surmise he might have intended to live, and escape. Do psychos have to leave a note explaining there actions? If there is a rule that psychos have to leave a note, my guess is they will not do so, because psychos do not care about rules. Not all people who commit suicide leave notes. There are theories that Paddock was a gun runner or some how laundering money. OK. Did Paddock feel that the law was catching up to him, and thus decided to go out in a blaze of glory? Erase all connections, and die after burying a fifty gallon drum of cash in the desert. People watch too much television. If the police had suspected Paddock of a crime before he killed 58 innocent people, why did that not come out in the investigation? Coverup. That is what a conspiracy theorist would say.
Conspiracy theories will invent reasons for the answers. Conspiracy theories are solutions in search of a problem. Conspiracy theories mandate you continue to question the logic or the facts. Coverup is always the explanation when an inconvenient fact or logic gets in the way. When it comes to one plus one equaling two, in conspiracy theory concept, one plus one equals unicorn.
Does the shooting change my opinion of Las Vegas? No. I love the city. Love visiting. Will it make me more leery? No. You should never leave your street smarts at home. I have seen too many people in Las Vegas do so, because they are on vacation those people seem to be on vacation from reality. Any form of self awareness you have should not be set aside because you are on vacation in a place where it almost seems at times like it is not real. You still need to look both ways when crossing a street. Las Vegas is a wonderful place to visit. I tell people go once. Mandalay Bay is still my favorite place. The casino is wonderful, the rooms are pleasant to stay in, and there are a lot of amenities to enjoy. Will I stay there again? Yes. Sometime in the future. There are other places I want to stay in, but I do know that if I want to stay somewhere enjoyable, Mandalay Bay is there.
Thanks for stopping by.
PS: Back to Brady Bunch and pop culture on Wednesday.
Silver Platters
October 22nd, 2017 by Proprietor
Though the Brady children had not been adverse to singing on the show, even trying to make a record to cash in on the whole family music group concept, they had not entered a talent contest. At the start of the show, Jan had entered into a department store, and was paying for engraving done on a gift the children had purchased for their parents. A silver platter with the names of all the Brady children engraved on it. Turns out the engraving was 87¢ a letter, not 87¢ entirely. Considering the amount of money Jan was unable to pay for the platter. The man offered to hold the platter for her until the end of the week.
Jan was embarrassed and could not go to her parents for the money, because it would spoil the surprise. The Brady children were all tapped out of money, and so could not muster the funds to pay for the platter. Rather than go to their parents, the Brady children came up with a way to win the money. There was a talent show on the local television network, and it paid enough for the children to go and by the platter.
The children came up with a song, and dance routine, then began rehearsing after school. Alice caught them in the carport, but the children immediately rushed to feigning that they were cleaning. Though suspicious, Alice shrugged it off as another zany Brady thing.
At the television studio, the children auditioned and won a spot in the talent show. They did not have any costumes. The show manager was gracious and offered to let them use something the studio had around. All the children had to do was arrive an hour before the show, and the wardrobe department would set them up. The Saturday of the show, the children claimed they were going to a football game in order to leave early. Then the children got to the studio, and changed into their costumes.
Alice was dusting the family room, and turned on the television, as Patty’s Prancing Poodles left the stage. The show host announced the next act, The Silver Platters. Alice was stunned to see the Brady children come out into the studio and begin the song and dance routine. Alice ran to get Mike and Carol, screaming “Mr. & Mrs. Brady”. Mike and Carol happened to be having coffee in the kitchen, and when Alice announced their children were on television, they ran into the family room to watch. The camera cut between the Brady children singing in the studio, and Mike, Carol, and Alice watching on television. After the performance, the show host asked why the children were on the show. After a brief explanation, the children left to go back stage.
The announcement of the winner followed a brief interlude, commercial break. When it was announced that Patty’s Prancing Poodles won, Alice was perturbed, and switched off the television vowing to never watch that station again. Mike and Carol went to go purchase the platter.
The children arrived home dejected. Mike and Carol showed them the platter, and confessed to having seen the show. Also, the sales clerk had called, talked to Mike, and explained what happened. Jan was repentant and promise to pay the money back. Then Bobby joked about how the dog act beat them out. Bobby made dog noises and simulated begging. End of episode.
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Blog About Nothing
October 18th, 2017 by Proprietor
Seinfeld ended nearly two decades ago, after a stuttered start, it went on to become one of the most talked about, as well as most watched shows, and end up syndication gold. Now it might as well go on the television channels that play shows my parents remember fondly.
You know you are getting old when people whom are half your age look at you oddly for quoting a show they have never seen. Some might know a few quotes, even the show those quotes originated from, but those young people have not seen the show.
To try and describe Seinfeld, and the insanity of the show that was essentially episodes mined from the lives of the writers, is like trying to describe melting ice to eskimos. Today’s generation of TV viewers have grown up in a wasteland of brain dead whininess on television, with unfunny jokes, it is sad.
Granted the 1990s was not the bygone era of television. It was not the golden age where people had to have talent, and were drawn from the pools of vaudeville or broadway. Seinfeld was in an era where television was firmly established, and many actors aspired to act in television shows. Situation comedies went from the old family types that were sweet to now abrasive types, like Rosanne. Seinfeld was pure comedy. The situations were sometimes ones everyone watching might have experienced, except the characters in the situation were so over the top, and the reactions exaggerated, it was funny.
Seinfeld took these nothing type occurrences and generated them into observational comedy. That comedy was then translated into his show. The bizarre, exaggerated natures of the characters often made the sometimes mundane, and what could logically be resolved into hilarious comedy.
Not too many people experienced a viewing from an operating theater, and accidentally dropped a junior mint into the person on the table, but there were other events. How many times have people gone into a restaurant and waited forever, only to see someone who walks in at the moment get a table immediately? Meeting a girlfriend’s or former girlfriend’s father?
Kramer with his exaggerated physical reactions, and almost uncaring application of outlandish solutions. In order to get a coat back that he believed had magic properties, he ropes Elaine into playing the daughter of a man in jail, and he is her boyfriend. In order to get a statue back for George from a thief, Kramer poses as a detective.
Elaine was the attractive, but malicious female of the group. The femme fatale who would seduce men, then destroy them. She also seemed to have a fond distain for Jerry, George, and Kramer.
George was the hot head who overreacted to what he perceived as the slightest slight. He was the opinionated jerk who would not change, even when there was evidence to the contrary.
Jerry was the detached observer, whom did not want to take action on anything for fear of contaminating the event. If he was not the detached observer, he was the catalyst for something greater, sometimes saying things that would spur his companions into doing stupidity for a laugh.
The four went through nine seasons of nothing. The first foreshortened season was an experiment. It seemed like the creators were trying to find the voice, and fine tune the dynamics. The second season seemed to stutter and eventually move forward. By season three the show was now fine tuned, and the real fun began.
The creators were self aware enough to parody their own show. Creating the television show about nothing that Jerry would create with George. The Bizarro Jerry episode where Elaine would become friends with a man she breaks up with who was the exact opposite of Jerry, and his two friends were exact opposites of George and Kramer. Kevin, Feldman and Gene meet their counterparts, Elaine is torn. Knowing that Jerry and company are not good people, she opts to hang with Kevin and company. Except, Elaine being Elaine falls into the habits that Jerry just accepted. This upsets Kevin and his friends, who excommunicate her from the group.
The day of the final Seinfeld episode, Frank Sinatra died. The ambulance drivers stated they had a very easy time getting Frank to the hospital, the streets were vacant, because everyone was inside watching the final Seinfeld episode.
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Best Motivated Safe
October 15th, 2017 by Proprietor
There was a lot of inside prop comedy within the Brady Bunch. Actually it helped at least keep continuity in what was often a very scattered continuity show. Tiger was a strong part of the continuity of the show for about a season. Then his dog house just remained in the backyard.
Usually the prop continuity was something taken from a show. The Driscoll’s Toy Store Box that was a permanent fixture in the carport after Peter’s heroic episode is a good example. After the episode, whenever the car pulled up or there was activity in the carport, the box was visible. Even in the final season, when Bobby beat Mike’s boss in pool, the box was visible.
A box of Safe Laundry Detergent was another prop that remained visible within the Brady House, whenever there was a necessary laundry gag or someone was in the laundry room. With six children, Alice would be necessary to do laundry alone. The Safe Laundry Detergent box became a fixture after the Brady’s were approached to do a commercial.
The episode starts with the Brady family at the grocery store, Bobby is playing with the automatic doors, is chastised by Carol, then as the family treks across the parking lot to the station wagon, they are stalked by a man who is looking at them through his hands. Turns out that the man is a commercial director, and he was looking for an All American Family to be in his next commercial. Skip Farnum approaches the family, and talks to Carol. The children are excited, but Carol takes the business card and states she will talk it over with Mike.
Mike always has connections, you would not think an architect is well connected, but Mike has connections, and after discussing the commercial with Carol, they decide to invite Skip Farnum into their house. After checking out the Brady House, Skip Farnum is one hundred percent positive, the Brady family is perfect for the commercial. Skip Farnum even loves Alice. The Brady’s agree to do the commercial after Mike has a lawyer go over the contract.
Then the catch happens. Since the Brady’s are good people, and feel that they should believe in the product they sell, Mike asks Carol which laundry detergent she uses. After going through a litany of laundry detergents, it turns out Carol does not use Safe, she actually uses Best, because Safe could not handle the Brady dirt. Mike decides to call Skip Farnum and explain that the deal is off. The children are disappointed.
Except, the fact that Carol did not use Safe anymore did not matter. Skip Farnum explained to Mr. Brady that the Safe the Brady family will be filming the commercial for is a new and improved Safe. Wanting to believe in the product they will be promoting, Mike and Carol decide to have a wash off. The Brady children will dirty up their clothing, then Alice will do one load of laundry in Best, which the Brady household finds is the best, and another load in Safe. If Safe is better, the Brady’s will do the commercial. Unfortunately Alice forgot to write down which pile of laundry was done in Safe, and which pile was done in Best. So the Brady children have to rinse and repeat the whole dirty up clothing. It turns out that the new and improved Safe is the better laundry detergent, and the Brady Bunch will do the commercial.
This is where things go sideways in the Brady world. Now Mike and Carol want to do a good job in the commercial, so they have a friend’s sister, an actress named Myrna, coach them. Myrna is a Stanislavski school motivational actress. What is the character’s motivation? While Mike and Carol listen to Myrna, and rehearse, Alice and the children overhear, and decide to be motivated as well.
Commercial day is an exciting time at the Brady house. Camera crews are setting up, Skip Farnum is prepared for a wonderful wholesome commercial, and totally blindsided by the train wreck that happens. Skip Farnum calls action, Carol is doing her house mother thing, Mike enters, he and Carol overplay their parts, and Skip Farnum freaks out. Setting aside the scene, Skip Farnum decides to bring in Alice. Alice enters as if she is going to a royal ball, not dressed in her normal housekeeper uniform, and dances around with the laundry. Skip Farnum freaks out. Skip Farnum then decides to bring in the children, whom rather than being just dirty, look like they crawled through a swamp. The whole running gag through out the entire event, and main word used, “motivated”. Skip Farnum calls off the entire commercial. As the crew is packing up to leave, the ironic punchline is delivered. Skip Farnum recalls to his main cameraman a horrible actress he worked with. As Skip Farnum stammers through the name, the cameraman says, Myrna. Both men exit, with Carol and Mike looking at each other in disbelief.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYHJPD43vNg
The final scene has a delivery truck back into the Brady yard and deliver a years supply of Safe laundry detergent as payment for the work done. Carol and Alice look at the invoice and letter at first with disbelief, then good humor. After that, a Safe laundry soap box was present in every laundry gag done on the show.
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