american life-just like the movies?

quote from the website, "... whilst poking fun at all things Middle America holds dear". i don't know, sounds like british comedy to me!

To the extent that the portrayal of American life and ideas in movies is accurate, to what extent is it because art has immitated life, and to what extent is it because life has immitated, or, at least, attempted to immitate art?

Is it plausible that to some extent the American people have fashoned their society to immitate what the movies told them America was about? If you look at the history of cinema, many of the early executives who guided the direction of the American cinema were immigrants like Samuel Goldwyn, born Shmuel Gelbfisz in the Jewish section of Warsaw, Poland. Did the image of America that they put into their movies reflect reality or an immigrant's ideal of American life? Does the fact that movies often depict a little guy triumphing over the powers that be originate in the fact that these people still remembered their humble origins?

I'd go along with Smog about "Roseanne." I think "Barney Miller" had some versimilitude, as well.

"Dogville" may be the most cynical view of American life although their are others. Crass American materialism is not an unusual theme. The closets depiction of American business life may be in a satire, "The Hudsucker Proxy."

Oh! Smog. I'm so glad someone lse is mourning the loss of "Committed". It was great. I hardly tolerate TV anymore, but that one I was beginning to like.

You must enjoy Arrested Development as well...?

Of course!

I'm just trying to think back on some of the rare, brilliant US stuff that came over here.....most of the imports (from the USA, Oz etc) are just pulp "fillers", but when the Americans come up with a good one, it is usually brilliant.

Hmmmm......in no particular order, and purely my opinion.......

1. Hill Street Blues (totally dated now, but brilliant in its day)
2. That one with the newspaper Editor
3. M.A.S.H (the early years)
4. Cheers
5. Taxi
6. L.A.Law
7. Dallas..first series (for pure escapism and evil deeds)
8. Simpsons
9. The Sopranos (superb, the best thing so far)


Things that were either absolute dross, or they just didnt transfer over here (I suspect the former)
1. Letterman (the humour was so infantile and obvious....sorry)
2. Seinfeld (10% was funny, the rest so so)
3. Anything with Hasselhoff.
4. Bloody wrestling (loads of large gay men, shouting at each other)
5. Animals do the funniest thing (just how big IS that mans mouth)
and many more that have been erased from my memory.

Current or recent UK programmes that I would recommend (if you can find them)
1. League of Gentlemen (BBC Series...the wierdest, funniest humour)
2. Little Britain (similar to above...all inspired by Python really)
3. Tipping the Velvet (naughty but very well written)
4. Fingersmith (same writer as above, and just as naughty)

And those to avoid....

1. Eastenders ( a "soap" that inspires one to commit suicide)
2. The new Dr Who ( nothing like the earlier stuff)
3. The new series of Casanova (appalling)

Any recommendations from over there, as to what may be appearing here soon ?

Benny Hill was very popular here, proving once again (as though it needed more proof) Mencken's dictum: "No one ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public."

By the By, God Help You, have you ever seen the animated series Futurama? It's by the folks who brought us The Simpsons. I don't believe it still runs, but DVD's are available.

Ellipus,

The three best American shows of all time were (in no particular order), "All in the Family", "M.A.S.H" and the Simpsons. I don't know how "All in the Family" missed your list... didn't we export it?

Dallas has no business being anywhere near this list.

My only other disagreement, is your inclusion of Seinfeld on the "dross" list. Most intelligent Americans found this show to be very funny... perhaps stupid but funny. I am wondering if this is one of those American cultural things that doesn't translate.

Sadly, I have never seen any of the current UK programs you mention listed on my cable.

Ebrown, All in the Family was based on a Britcom . . .

Setanta,

I suspect you just weren't an adolescent at the right time.

I discovered Benny Hill at just the right time (as I was "discovering" other ways to amuse myself). I think if you were the right age, you would have the same nostalgic fondness for Benny that many of us do.

Oh. I think I knew that at some point.

I still think it is one of the best, and most culturally important, sitcoms that was ever produced.

Perhaps, but you must admit, it was the same few jokes used over and over and over again . . . my brother thought it was a hoot, and good manners forbad me to object, but i hated it . . .

Yes...unfortunately we did get Futurama here....very disappointing.

I only put Dallas on the list as a mindless fun item, and even then it was only half decent for the first series.

One other observation that I must make though, is the way that your action "documentaries" (cops chasing cars usually) always have someone with radium enhanced luminous teeth as the host, who constantly ruins the whole spectacle of the programme, by coming out with the most awful puns, compounded by recorded laughter on most shows.
eg....(in a cheesy overacting voice)..."Although it was a freeway, there is nothing like a free ride when the law catches up with you" <ha ha ha ha>

It always has to end with some sort of homey moral. Cringe.
Why cant they just give a factual commentary? Far more effective.

There's a huge, untapped market for radium in England.

No thanks, I'd rather use my headlights during the hours of darkness.

Radium is an atomic element.


It decays.

From movies to TV shows to radium?

Wow, did this get sidetracked!

I take issue with "Seinfeld" also -- it's about shallow people who do and say stupid things. Is this a mirror of American life? In a clever, satirical way it is. It could also be a mirror of the daily humdrum of society plaguing the entire planet.

My favorite episode is waiting for the table at the Chinese restaurant.

Perhaps the humor falls on deaf ears in the isles?

Larry David's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" carries on the tradition. Can anyone think of any American movie which comes close? Kudos to HBO for this series as well as "Six Feet Under," "The Sopranos," "Deadwood," "Sex in the City" and Showtimes's "Dead Like Me" and "Queer As Folk" (a mirror of gay life in America and, of course, taken from a British series).

I agree totally.

A quote from that episode: "Be maybe five, ten minutes."