Goodbye Howard Cunningham And June Cleaver

With the recent passing of Tom Bosley and Barbara Billingsley I just want to take a little time to reflect on their deaths. Both played television icons that will live on long after their deaths via televsion syndication, cable television, DVD sales, and overseas markets. How many Americans haven't at least heard of Happy Days and Leave It to Beaver, it they're not familar with the Howard Commingham and June Cleaver?

Both shows were set in the 50's and for lots of people including myself who wasn't born yet and didn't live through those years, these shows were and still are our window into that time period. Mr. C. (as Fonzi referred to him) was a role model of fatherhood for lots of people. While there are lots of jokes about how perfectly dressed June Cleaver was no matter what, her character defined how many people view mothers and the role of wives in society.

Life certainly appeared simpler on these shows than it has been since that time period. The problems faced by Richie and the gang an those of the Beaver seem downright simple compared to the problems and issues that we're facing today. This probably has a lot to do with a fondness that we have for the "Good Ole Days" and much of the desire to want to turn back the clock. Images depicted on those shows are very welcoming and reassuring. There is a civility and friendliness displayed between neighboors and people that you meet and people seemed to genuinely care about each other. Things were black and white without all the grey area that we have today with people doing all kinds of things that they should know in the back of their mind (or whereever their conscience is hiding) are wrong, and doing them anyways. You might even venture to say that this was the American Camelot.

Of course televison, movies, and books can choose to focus on certain things often ignoring others. Given the things that have happened since the 50's there was obviously a lot that was ignored or was brewing under the surface. There was not too much involvement of minorities in either of the shows and given America's melting pot image and demographics, there were plenty of minorities around even in the 50's. Equal rights and the role of women in the work place were not really takled other than being the sterotypical role of women being only mothers and wives. The taboo issues were never reallly touched and we never really saw a darker side of Howard and June, certainly there were areas where they would have both been flawed. You have to wonder how they would have dealt with some of the issues that seem to divide us today?

Much of life and attitudes in those shows are worth bringing back and if given a chance, I think that much of the American population would like to be able to return to the more simpler life of the 50's. In fact there are lots of politicians who have hijacked the "family values" theme for their own corroupt and warpped use. Americans would like to be able to trust their political and business leaders again, but that trust has been violated and a true return to honor in those fields seems like a long way off in the horizon (if it is there at all). Most leaders in that era did seem to genuinely care about their country and the American people as opposed to those today that seem to only be looking to line their pockets at any cost. You wouldn't have expected CEOs back then to get millions of dollars while shipping the jobs of their workforce off to the far corners of the world in the name of Shareholder value. Eisenhower warned the public about the Millitary Industrial Complex, you got to believe that he would not have started a War on Terror, or wasted taxpayer money so irresponsibibly as many of our leaders since.

Finally, I'd like to say goodbye to actors portraying Howard Cunningham and June Cleaver. You've created characters that many of us identify with in our window to that time period. There are lots of fond memories of your shows and the chacters you created will live on in our memories and new generations will continually be exposed and get to know those characters via methods that are probably not even conceived of yet today.

Photo Credit: "Oldsmobile Super 88" courtesy of straymuse.

17 Endings for ER

I've been watching ER for years. Reports that George Clooney might appear in the series final got me wondering what the end would really be like. This got me thinking about a bit from Wayne's World, where they played around with different endings, so why don't we do that here?

1. There is the obvious ending. This would be the one where the budget is cut so bad that County General Hospital is shut down, never to open again. This could somehow be tied to the bad economy with various social commentary.
2. They could do the Dallas Bobby Ewing move. Dr. Green (Anthony Edwards) gets out of the shower only to realize that all of the episodes since his death were just a dream. This would also be a way to bring the actor back who's character died of cancer several years ago.
3. They could also try the Newhart ending. One of Bob Newhart's shows ended with him in bed with his wife on a previous series and the series that was just ending was a dream. I'm not sure how this cold work out but I'm sure there is a way.
4. Maybe the could do a Michael Crichton tribute. The famous author that created the series and is known for Jurassic Park and other books, who died late last year, could be put into the story some how. They could find images and do some kind of CG sequence with him creating the series, they could also do a documentary style episode that showed things behind the scenes and showed some history of the show.
5. Lets not forget the Butterfly Effect. Some far flung event could draw many of the ER staffers away, forcing the closure of the hospital. Dr. Carter might make a desperate plea for help in Darfur or somewhere else.
6. How about the Terminator ending? Abbey and Luka's son comes back from the future because someone is saved in the ER that changes the course of human kind and they must be allowed to live.
7. How about the Star Trek ending? There is a shortage of qualified medical personal in the Federation, so the staff is beamed away. The show ends leaving us the possibility that they could come back.
8. They could do the Jurassic Park ending. We see a bunch of dinosaurs stomping around. The camera pans in on one sleeping. The dinosaur is dreaming of a hospital in the future.
9. Maybe the could apply the Michael Jordon ending- A promotion involving the Chicago Bulls and it world famous former star brings M.J. to County. He notices some of the crew playing hoops and decides to form his own Harlem Globetrotters maybe with a reality television twist starting with the folks at County. President Obama could even stop in for a game of one on one.
10. How about the Presidential ending? George H.W. Bush is giving a speech in Chicago and a stroke brings him to County general. Of course he will be visited by George W. Bush, other past presidents and dignitaries, maybe even President Obama. Bottom line is that all the secret service and security precautions close the ER and the hospital to the public.
11. The could do the "Must See TV" ending. NBC reminisces about a time when they had Seinfeld, Friends, and ER in their Thursday night primetime slots. The Friends cast is having a reunion in Chicago watching Seinfeld performing and due to some poisoning at the venue, they all need to be rushed to the ER. To make things more interesting they do things backwards (via that Seinfeld episode where they all went to India for a wedding).
12. ER goes American Idol. Morris decides that he has to give American Idol a try. This inspires the crew to go Hollywood and chase their wildest dreams.
13. The Dr. Carter returns. Dr. Carter (Noah Wyle) comes back to County and reminisces about all his days in the ER. Since he was on the show for most of its run, they could use flashbacks and so on to bring back some of the other actors that have left. In reminiscing, someone could ask whatever happened to this and that character.
14. There could be the HMO nightmare. One of the gigantic corporations that owns and operates hospitals buys County. There could be the usual commentary and dialog about patient care suffering and the staff decides to leave in protest.
15. The X-Files effect- Mulder and Scully come to County because an alien is being treated there. Strange things happen all around and the F.B.I. closes the hospital to the public.
16. The Ending Ending- We see a film crew going around the hospital and the staff being interviewed. We find out that ER has been the chronicle of life in a major American metroplitan emergancy room looking at treatment of patients and the lives of the doctors and nurses there. In the closing shot we see a camera on another camera filming a scene and we here the director shout "cut", the light goes out on the camera we have just been watching, the camera man walks away and then the camer filming this goes out, fade to black.
17. The unexpected ending- ER has been a ground breaking series and they have done a lot of things that hadn't beed done on other television series. Chances are very good that they'll come up with something totally unexpected.
    

I've really enjoyed the series over the years. Since moving to Germany a few years ago, the episode are always aired several months behind the U.S. because they all get dubbed into German, so I'll need to wait a few months after the American viewer to see what really happens. I'm curious to see the end but will be sad to see it leave. So, how will it end? Do you have any ideas, why not tell us about them in the comments. Fade to black (just for now).

Photo Credit: Hospital courtesy of Woopidoo2