There were young boys pounding on every jukebox they could find in the 1970s because they were praying for a magic moment of super coolness.
That’s what The Fonz did, after all, so young men from 7 to 17 years old attempted to flip their leather collars and impersonate the star of “Happy Days” on those Tuesday nights in front of their parents’ console TV. There were Ralph Malph, Potsie Weber, Joanie, Mr. and Mrs. C., and, of course, the all-knowing Richie Cunningham.
But “Happy Days” provided a story about how America operated during the 1950s, and nines times out of 10 the endings were happy and filled with smiles. But were there other shows, like “Good Times,” All in the Family, and “The Jeffersons,” that were telling tales about a nation perpetually mourning the murders of the two men brave enough to promote and push for racial unity.
Both shot. Both dead. And no one was sure how to frame the American Dream for some time, especially on TV. That’s why, in the 1980s, the dysfunctional family took TV’s center stage with “Growing Pains,” “Full House,” and “Married with Children” toyed with the notion of family fun, and only a few shows, like “M*A*S*H*, “Murphy Brown,” and “Family Ties,” turned political from time to time.
These days it appears children – and their parents – have more choices than what I did so many years ago, and streaming, of course, is king. The topics of the shows appear to be more obvious, too, but that could be a product of the 40-plus years that have passed since I was Rachel’s age and in eighth grade. Drugs, sex, relationships, and gender identification all topics, and those issues were handled with whispers when I was a kid.
That’s why, I believe, the conversation Rachel and I will have tomorrow afternoon will be most interesting because of the change that’s taken place with the delivery of social messages, and why the hints I received have turned into over-the-head-and-obvious directives.
