Drawing Conclusions

If you believe in coincidence you'll have no problem embracing, even reveling in these observations. However, if you are not a coincidence person then look out--the TV machine is definitely talking to you!

I grew up in the sixties and seventies and fondly recall both the cartoons and the sitcoms of that era. I thought I'd done all the thinking to be done about them and then some. Then it occurred to me that there were some very interesting connections between the two. Here are some examples:

The Jet-fersons--"Meet George Jefferson...Weezie, his wife." And "We're moving on up...to a deluxe apartment in the sky." George/George had a lot in common.

Flintstone & Sons or San-Stone--There's Fred and Barney, and Fred and Grady. Fred F. mines for rocks, Fred S. mines for junk. And Fred S. is a definite dinosaur.

All in the Mystery Van--The Scooby-Doo show had a continuing "character" called Red Herring, and that's just what he was most of the time--a neighborhood bully who was always suspected and nearly always innocent. But there were a few times when indeed he was the culprit. I say Red Herring lives at 704 Houser Street in Queens, New York, and goes by the alias of Archie Bunker. Edith is Velma, Gloria is Daphne, Michael "Meathead" Stivic is Shaggy (of course), and Lionel is the intelligent, good looking guy who holds them all together, Freddie. And what silly, goofy, body too big for his brain character can pull off Scooby-Doo? Stretch Cunningham fits that bill. And as for little Joey being born, welcome Scrappy-Doo!

Mary the Pooh--If WJM reported the news of the Hundred Acre Wood, here's who would be who, who. Of course Mary has to be Pooh--she is kind-hearted and innocent, the babe in the woods. Betty White is Owl, the one who's been around the block and isn't afraid to tell you what she/he thinks. And Rhoda is the Roo to Phyllis' Kanga, always together, always looking out for each other. Ted has to be Tigger; he thinks so much of himself and his talent that he is always tooting his horn. Lou, poor dear, has to put up with them all and this has made him an Eeyore, sulking in his glass office/stick house wondering what is going to go wrong today. And Murray, sweet Murray who is slightly more worldly than Mary and would do anything for her, well, he's Piglet.

Looney Tunes in Cincinnati--Another station, but this time radio: WKRP. Here's a huge cast that only a stable of cartoon characters could tackle. First off, Andy is Bugs Bunny--it's his show, he's the star. Mr. Carlson is Foghorn Leghorn, all talk and bluster, but very little in the way of smarts or accomplishments. (I hesitate to use a bird for Mr. C--we all know what happened with the turkeys!) Jennifer is Daffy Duck, all dressed up and proud of her looks. Bailey is Tweety Bird, small and strong, but not too strong. Herb, mistakenly thinking himself a Don Juan is, of course, Pepe Le Pew. Les, without his walls or any respect at all for his bumbling news reports, is Elmer Fudd. Johnny Fever is a loose cannon, a Yosemite Sam waiting to go off. Venus Flytrap is the suave and cunning Sylvester, always sizing up the situation to his benefit.

The Beverly Hill-Archies--And finally, we go from the cartoon world to comic books. These guys aren't too serious about themselves, love music, and are always learning something new. Jed is Archie--the ringleader and man in charge. Granny is Moose; if you need someone taken care of, she's the gal to do it. Jethro is Jughead--yeah, you saw that one from a mile away, you Double-Naught Spy, you! Ellie Mae is Veronica, the beauty with the lovely hair. Which leaves Mrs. Hathaway to be Betty, the sensible one, and Mr. Drysdale to be Reggie, cause Reggie's just a pain in the butt.

I want to come up with some analogous characters for the Bob Newhart Show and maybe M*A*S*H as well. Perhaps inspiration will strike before lightning does and I'll actually get to post again! (We've had LOTS of storms everyday--FINALLY, YAY--so I'm unplugged for more time than I'm plugged.)

See you in the funny papers!