Imagine a family, all sitting around a TV, which may be the only TV in the house. My father held the remote control, which everyone called a "click." The remote has only two functions. One of the functions is to turn on and off the TV. One changes channels, all 7 or 8, with the click of a button. Now try to imagine what that family was watching. Can you picture them watching one of the classic TV shows of the 1970's?
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In the 1970's most families had one TV, perhaps two in the house, and the second TV was often hidden in Mom and Dad's room where they could watch classic games that children could not yet watch as Maude or Soap. Indoor TVs could never produce black and white programs.
What made families cling to these television channels that had fewer channels, clicked old people, and often colorless? Classic TV shows from the 1970s, of course. There were many family-friendly shows in a variety of genres.
For families who enjoyed comedy, the 1970s had the most memorable sitcoms. Families in the 1970's learned all about families in the 1950's by watching the famous Happy Days and its equally popular spin from Laverne and Shirley. Happy Days also presents the work of comedian Robin Williams who continued to shine in another ending of the show - Mork and Mindy.
Other old-fashioned television shows in the 1970s include the Partridge Family (with young David Cassidy), a series presented by John Travolta, Welcome Back Kotter, One Day at a Time, Chico and the Man, The Odd Couple, Good Times, WKRP in Cincinnati, What Happened, Third Party and The Jeffersons.
Families with older children enjoy humorous consciences like everyone else in the family, Maude, Barney Miller or Mash. These old sitcoms of the 1970s spoke to the social media of the day in a sad but humorous way.
Families also have many different shows to choose from to enjoy watching. Classic shows such as Donny and Marie Show and The Sonny and Cher Show featured music, comedy shows and celebrities visiting each week. The Carol Burnett Show put together some of the most humorous comedians of 1970 each week and the Muppet Show put together some great creations by Jim Henson and music stars and comedians who shared the stage with Kermit, Miss Piggy and Animal.
There were many one-hour family dramas, too. Eight is Enough, Little House on the Prairie, and The Waltons were just a few of the classic TV dramas that feature families in front of the television set each week.
There was also an anti-crime scene with action heroes in the classic 1970s TV shows. The world learned what bionics was in Six Million Dollar Man and came out in The Bionic Woman. Each week the families sang to see how Lee Majors and Jamie Sommers would use their living eyes and ears. The CHiPs have given us an overview of the life of California Patrol Highway police. Starsky and Hutch rushed to buy the worst in their hot rod and BJ and Bear tracked down the bad guys with an 18-wheel drive.
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