Snake oil salesman trump want to build wall in 1958 western.

[billy.pilgrim]

Trackdown: The End of the World
http://imdb.com/rg/an_share/title/title/tt0732741/

[billy.pilgrim]

1958 is pre boob tube idiot box.


Claudia Barrett. Hoby has to deal with a snake oil salesman selling the end of the world to a town filled with gullible people


The End of the World (1958)

Judge Clement: When we were kids, we were afraid of the dark. And when we grew up we weren't afraid anymore, but it's funny how a big lie can make us all kids again.

[rstrong]

1958 is pre boob tube idiot box.

Not at all. Television was already the primary medium for influencing public opinion in the 1950s. Even the first national color broadcast was in 1954.

[billy.pilgrim]

1958 is pre boob tube idiot box.

Not at all. Television was already the primary medium for influencing public opinion in the 1950s. Even the first national color broadcast was in 1954.

But it wasn't completely dumbed down to nothing over an 8th grade level until the 60s.

[billy.pilgrim]

Top shows 1952


Arthur Godfreys Talent Scouts
2. Texaco Star Theatre
3. I Love Lucy
4. The Red Skelton Show
5. The Colgate Comedy Hour
6. Arthur Godfrey and His Friends
7. Fireside Theatre
8. Your Show of Shows

[Vrede too]

A television set, as in There they sit in front of the idiot box, hour after hour. This slangy and pejorative expression dates from about 1960.

The link also says "1955-1960".

"television set," U.S. slang, by 1965, from boob "stupid person" + slang tube (n.) "television, television programming," because the sets really did have vacuum tubes in them once upon a time.

Top TV Shows 1965:

1. Bonanza NBC
2. Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. CBS
3. The Lucy Show CBS
4. The Red Skelton Hour CBS
5. Batman (new season) ABC
6. The Andy Griffith Show CBS
7. Bewitched* ABC
7. The Beverly Hillbillies* CBS
9. Hogan's Heroes CBS
10. Batman (old season) ABC

More sitcoms, less variety. I remember watching all of them, but I was in 3rd grade. "dumbed down to nothing over an 8th grade level" might be giving TV too much credit.

[rstrong]

But it wasn't completely dumbed down to nothing over an 8th grade level until the 60s.

The 1960s, like today and the 1950s, had some intelligent shows mixed in with a lot of dreck. People remember the shows that were, well, worth remembering. A lot of the countless 1950s TV westerns were dreck, but we remember Gunsmoke. I Love Lucy and all the game shows would hardly be more than 8th grade level.

[O Really]

1958 is pre boob tube idiot box.

Not at all. Television was already the primary medium for influencing public opinion in the 1950s. Even the first national color broadcast was in 1954.

But it wasn't completely dumbed down to nothing over an 8th grade level until the 60s.

There may have been a time when TV earned its "vast wasteland" and "idiot box" names, but I don't think 60's and since have been more dumb than early TV. But some shows certainly have been, and the variety is greater as well as the spread from awful to great. And some are still around either in re-runs or re-makes.

[billy.pilgrim]

1958 is pre boob tube idiot box.

Not at all. Television was already the primary medium for influencing public opinion in the 1950s. Even the first national color broadcast was in 1954.

But it wasn't completely dumbed down to nothing over an 8th grade level until the 60s.

There may have been a time when TV earned its "vast wasteland" and "idiot box" names, but I don't think 60's and since have been more dumb than early TV. But some shows certainly have been, and the variety is greater as well as the spread from awful to great. And some are still around either in re-runs or re-makes.

many early tv shows attempted to bring plays, musicals and other thought provoking drama into middle class homes

many of the 50s shows were over an 8th grader's head

unlike the later 60s and 70s when show had to be sure that everyone would understand


kinda like what fox did to news

[O Really]

I dunno, man - looking at a list of shows from the 50's and then later, I'd say the effort for both quality and banality is present all along.

[O Really]

Back to the original topic - that's hilarious! It's pretty much the same story as Music Man and Wizard of Oz and some others, but it's so close to today's President*Trump that if somebody made that show today the Donald would TweetBlast and threaten to sue.

[billy.pilgrim]

Back to the original topic - that's hilarious! It's pretty much the same story as Music Man and Wizard of Oz and some others, but it's so close to today's President*Trump that if somebody made that show today the Donald would TweetBlast and threaten to sue.

I wonder if the writer intended the character to be Fred trump. Woody guthrie wrote a song about that Racist and he was able to wall off his buildings from less than white people with paper applications

[O Really]

Would have been the right time span.
And the actor playing Walter T looks a lot like Fred.