Jane Wyatt, "Amazing Race," Odds and Ends
Posted October 23rd, 2006 by RD Heldenfels
My new world order continues in the office and out. On the office side, I've begun two new things: "The HeldenFiles," bits and pieces about personalities and pop culture, which will run Sunday, Wednesday and Friday; the first one appeared yesterday. Today saw the first "Talking Points," a roundup of news and cultural items from the weekend, for Monday morning conversations at the office. Last Friday also saw the debut of "Pop Quiz," a brief daily reader question-and-answer in addition to the weekly mailbag column.
Outside the office, it was a busy weekend of chores. The biggest shock may have been getting asked if I wanted the senior citizens' discount at a local eatery. This came a couple of days after a waiter simply factored in the seniors' rate on a bill for the bride and me. Let the record show that, even though I'm eligible for the rate, I've never asked for it. Bit of a shock to have people make that assumption then. Must be that smidge of gray in my hair.
Jane Wyatt has passed. You can find an obituary here. She had a career of considerable merit in TV alone, from "Father Knows Best" to "Star Trek" to "St. Elsewhere." And while people like to lump "Father Knows Best" in with syrupy family comedies of the '50s and '60s, the show had moments of real grit.
I'm still enjoying "The Amazing Race" — which I think is the only thing the bride and I managed to watch in real time over the weekend — and especially liked Sunday's episode. One of the better messages in this season has been the way contestants from different backgrounds have bonded. The Cho brothers took that dangerously far last night when they helped the Kentuckys get a free shot at the fast forward — since in doing so the Chos risked their own survival. So it was great to see that their good deed did not lead to their elimination. And I had had enough of Peter and Sarah — well, of Peter anyway — that I didn't lament their elimination. Also nice to see at the end that Sarah had pretty well figured out Peter.
October 23rd, 2006 at 9:31 am
Rich, when has wholesome TV suddenly become a good thing? You praise Race for showing lessons and praise Lights for it's sublime wholesomeness. Critics have always pushed for more demanding and daring programs such as Sopranos, Nip/Tuck, The Wire and so many others too much to list. In the past TV critics have lambasted wholesome products such as Touched By an Angel, Highway to Heaven and The Waltons. Why is there now a sudden critical effection for feel-good wholesomeness ala Amazing Race and Friday Night Lights? Does it mean you and your colleagues now prefer light-hearted fluff versus grittier and darker projects?
October 23rd, 2006 at 10:07 am
I happen to like "The Sopranos" and "The Shield," as well as "Amazing Race" and "Friday Night Lights." And there's no contradiction in that. Most of the critics I know and admire are advocates for good television, not just for daring television. I've seen criticism of shows with bold content and praise for wholesome ones.
October 23rd, 2006 at 11:06 am
Maybe Ian is on to something interesting though I'm not sure what.
The post above praises "Father Knows Best" for "moments of real grit" that separate the show from other "syrupy family comedies of the '50s and '60s."
Meanwhile, the show's title (and what I remember from watching) sure implies the "wholesome," conservative and patriarchal value system that syrupy family comedies seem to uphold.
October 23rd, 2006 at 11:32 am
When the show began on radio, it had a question mark at the end of the title. And here's another analysis than mine: "Careful viewing of each of the series' 203 episodes reveals that the title was actually more figurative than literal. Despite the lack of an actual question mark, father didn't always know best. Jim Anderson could not only lose his temper, but occasionally be wrong. Although wife Margaret Anderson, played by Jane Wyatt, was stuck in the drudgery of domestic servitude, she was nobody's fool, often besting her husband and son, Bud (played by Billy Gray). Daughter Betty Anderson (Elinor Donahue)–known affectionately to her father as Princess–could also take the male Andersons to task, as could the precocious Kathy (Lauren Chapin), the baby of the family."
I'll stand by the mention of grit; the show and its characters had moments that were not sunny and idealized — but still utterly wholesome.
October 23rd, 2006 at 11:57 am
That's interesting and makes me want to see some episodes again.
I didn't mean to question your reading of the show–your mention of "grit" just seemed relevant to Ian's question because it implied that "grit" made the show better than some other shows of its era.
I guess that's assuming that "grit" is the opposite of "wholesome."
October 23rd, 2006 at 8:01 pm
I submit that pure grit is always better than feel-good shows like Father Knows Best. Look at the great Honeymooners versus Father Knows Best. FKB might have been a great sitcom but a truly outstanding show is one that pushes boundaries and has complex adult stories. That's why an intelligent but sappy feel-good show like Friday Night Lights with it's sugar and syrup, while great for what it is, can never approach the true sublimeness of a dark masterpiece like LA Law or Nip/Tuck and so many others. Now I'll accept Heldenfels claim that FNB wasn't always syrupy, but my main point is that we have to differentiate between good shows and truly riveting projects. Homicide featured a murdered little girl in it's 1st season. Nip/Tuck is focusing this season on a deformed baby. LA Law spent half a season on a death penalty case. This is the stuff of truly great drama, not the syrup of a bunch of teens coming together in prayer every week to reaffirm the spirit of the community to prepare for a game. Every week is the same plot.
October 24th, 2006 at 4:40 am
What is "grit?" Is it life and death situations? Malevolent characters? Some sort of cinematic tone? Or plot that rises above simple didacticism?
I must confess I'd never think of LA Law as gritty, though it would fit some of those qualifiers.
October 24th, 2006 at 5:57 pm
I'm not a TV critic but I think I have a pretty good feel for what defines grit. A gritty project is a show that explores the darker aspects of life and does not flinch away from disturbing or challenging material and/or complicated characters. Roseanne was a gritty comedy because it was a realistic exploration of domestic family life. All in the Family had a bigot as their lead character.
Right now I'm sampling Friday Night Lights for the 2nd time and am once again turned off by it's cliched syrup. The coach telling his member " you can be anything you want to be. you're a better kid than you were 2 weeks ago." I'm sorry Rich, but I don't see the appeal. Of course you don't need to be a crime or medical drama with life and death issues to be intense and gritty. West Wing while an inspirational drama, it had gritty undertones as their characters faced world crises big and small.
October 24th, 2006 at 9:08 pm
I still believe "Friday Night Lights" has considerable merit. But I don't think either of us is going to change the other's mind, so let's just shake hands across cyberspace and agree to disagree.