Talk:The Good Life (1975 TV series)

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[edit] Sexuality, strong and warm and wild and free

[1] Well, there were questions raised about this.207.189.98.44 21:30, 19 Nov 2003 (UTC)

Maybe so but these questions were raised by people who wanted it to be true. It's a bit like "Reds under the bed". If you want to find them, you will -- even if they aren't there. The particular episode referenced by that website certainly involved flirting but, in my opinion, to extrapolate that to wife-swapping is taking it well beyond the intentions of the writers. -- Derek Ross 22:20, 19 Nov 2003 (UTC)
Are you guys talking about the 'sexually charged relationship'? I don't remember much it. DJ Clayworth 22:24, 19 Nov 2003 (UTC)
Yup, although I think that even 'sexually charged' is overstating things a bit. -- Derek Ross
What do you want to put instead?207.189.98.44
I'm happy to leave it. It's only overstating the situation slightly. -- Derek Ross
Definately not- there was a bit of mild flirting going on in lots of episodes, and one episode where they all got drunk and Jerry admitted he secretly fancied Barbara, but certainly no wife swapping, actiual or even implied quercus robur 22:11, 18 October 2005 (UTC)

[edit] No Kids?

Neither the Goodes or the Leadbetters seemed to have kids or ever mentioned the issue? No-one seemed to have children in the world they lived in. I guess that's what gave them the time for their lifestyle experiment.

Actually yes I know they had goats! I meant children!

I always thought they seemed such a happy intimate couple, I wonder whether their lack of kids screwed up my image of a happy couple (ie no kids)

Didn't Barbara get pregnant in one of the last episodes? Or am I imagining that? quercus robur 09:19, 6 September 2005 (UTC)
I imagined it - just watched the final episode, Barbara didn't get pregnant but Jerry got the bosses job... quercus robur 22:09, 18 October 2005 (UTC)

[edit] breakfast cereal

Can any one inform me if the company that Tom works for at the beginning of the series 'making plastic toys for insertion into breakfast cereal packets' is the same company that Reginald Perrin works for (Sunshine Desserts) in 'The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin' Or is this just a coincidence? Or as they say a 'transtextual element' shared between two sitcoms? Eric A. Warbuton 02:54, 31 October 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Title of the Show in the U.S.

I hit the wrong button and saved my reversion before I finished my note in the edit summary line so here goes. The spelling of 'Neighbors' in the opening titles and on the DVD sets is the Americanized way without the 'U'. I checked this before reverting the article back from the changes that an anonymous user had made on this day.User:MarnetteD | Talk 04:22, 22 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Other U.S. airing info

I do not have access to the book about the show that is cited in the footnotes (drat it), but I can tell you that the show was shown in the late 1970's on KRMA channel six, my local PBS station, in Denver. The way that most British shows that were not part of the national (ie Masterpiece Theater and Mystery!) airings in the 70's and 80's was as follows. A local station would purchase the rights to a given series and then could show the series between five and ten times depending on the contract. They could then renew these rights if they wished. The desire to renew would often depend on how much money a show brought in at pledge time (as an example Monty Python and Dr Who were cash raisers for years). However, in most cases after the "initial run" stations would return their tapes to Time/Life, Lionheart or whatever entity (they kept changing through the years) they had contracted with. Reaching the number of showings allowed might take a few or several years, thus, one might find a GL/GN showing after 1990 but that would be a rare thing.

When the show started coming out on VHS the episodes were not shown in series order. Each tape would have three or four episodes but they might be from any of the four series. This was frustrating but, as stated in the entry on the main page, PBS stations did start reshowing the series, but with far fewer times allowed. I hope that this info has been of some help to any who might question to edits that I made to the othe countries section. MarnetteD | Talk 02:11, 6 October 2006 (UTC)

I have partialy reverted the above User's edit because he has no source for her information, while the 1985 date I've got I do have a source for (and I've re-read it to make sure I read it right). MarnetteD is totally right about them only releasing certain episodes as my source also says this. --Berks105 09:47, 6 October 2006 (UTC)
I have a feeling the confusion between the dates is perhaps because the 1985 date refers to when it was broadcast across the whole country, not just certain areas, like Marnette D is refering to. To reflect this I have reworded the paragraph, and if MarnetteD has a source for earlier showings that can then be added aswell. --Berks105 09:52, 6 October 2006 (UTC)
My note above comes from the fact that I worked for KRMA on a volunteer basis in the 1980's. There was never a national airing of this series (or any UK sitcoms for that matter) on PBS in the US. Please be aware that many popular Britcoms may well have shown on all PBS stations but that does not mean that they were nationally broadcast. The TV listings for the Rocky Mountain News (one of Denver's two newspapers) for the month of November and December 1981 has episodes showing Monday thru Friday at 10pm. This series was popular here in Colorado and this pattern was repeated several times thru the 1980's. It is possible that the author of this book took what happened at WGBH (who had the closest ties to UK programming) and applied it to the whole country. Jeepers I never signed this and sinebot must not have been around a year ago so MarnetteD | Talk on or around Oct 6 2006

[edit] Link

I removed the link to The good life because I feel, as I stated in the edit history, that as the sentance already reads "sustainable, simple and self-sufficient ", all of which links to articles on the subject, a fourth link to what is basically very, very similar articles to the three in quotes above, is basically unecessary. In addition, if the link is to be added I don't think it should be done like it was, "-- in other words, the good life --", which doesn't look right. In addition, the actual article it links to I don't think is that relevant, as it seems to be merely how three authors have used the term. The sitcom did not, I believe, get its title from this from this phrase either. --Berks105 17:42, 1 November 2006 (UTC)

Thank you for providing more detailed reasons here. I will try to explain my reasons for wanting to add this link.
First point: The TV programme has this title for its specific associations; it is not, for example, called A Suburban Experiment or Tom and Barbara. The phrase the good life is an ancient one, and its connotations are richly symbolic. Any reader who is unaware of the phrase, except as the title of this series, or who is unaware of how it has been used and developed over the centuries, deserves to have a link to point it out to them. (You say the articles are similar. I don't find self-sufficiency much like the good life; the former is practical, the latter philosophical.)
Second: if you don't like the link inserted into a phrase in the middle of the sentence, I would be happy to see it elsewhere in the article.
Third: the wiki article as it now stands is about more than a couple of American authors, as it lists older religious and non-religious approaches. Anyway, Helen and Scott Nearing's 1954 book Living the Good Life popularised the phrase in this sense and inspired the back-to-the-landers and the 1960s hippie movement, and so in an indirect but undeniable way, fed into the culture which allowed the sitcom to be created and find its audience.
Is this sufficient?
BrainyBabe 18:05, 1 November 2006 (UTC)
I think we can easily come to a comprise here. I will try and insert it elsewhere into the article. Hope this is alright. --Berks105 18:17, 1 November 2006 (UTC)
I have inserted as the link for the word lifestyle. I feel that as you said the article is philosophical it fits well under lifestyle. I couldn't think of a way to get it on its own in a sentance, but I hope this is alright.
Thank you for your consideration and for re-inserting the link to the good life. I think we are making progress towards a consensus! However, I don't think that providing it under the word lifestyle is appropriate. For most people, that word immediately conjures up the marketing-led meaning of consumerism, the exact opposite of what is intended, so they would not click there. (Those readers who hover first to check out where the link goes would be in a minority, I fear.)
I would suggest removing the link (or changing it to go to lifestyle, if you prefer), and beginning the next sentence thus: "In pursuit of this good life, they dig up their front and back gardens..." How does that strike you? BrainyBabe 18:36, 1 November 2006 (UTC)
I like that and I have added this using your exact words. Glad we sorted this out quickly and amicambly. --Berks105 18:53, 1 November 2006 (UTC)
Yes, well done to both of us for amicable civility. BrainyBabe 18:58, 1 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Green Acres

I should think that Green Acres had more than a passing influence on this show, whaddaya say? Maikel 09:37, 4 September 2007 (UTC)

I would disagree. I have never read anything about Green Acres and this show. It was a creation of Esmonde & Larbey, who have never stated they were influenced by any US, or indeed British, sitcom. --UpDown 09:47, 4 September 2007 (UTC)
Ditto to what UpDown has written. Just because shows have a few (in this case very few) things in common does not mean that one was influenced by the other. MarnetteD | Talk 10:11, 4 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Margo's name

Of course, the question comes in because her name is not spelled in the closing credits. But be aware of these facts before adding the T. The creators of the show do not spell it with a T in their book about the show. While that should be proof enough that it should be left off other items that weigh against using it include the fact that both the VHS and DVD covers spell it without a T. When using the close captioning with either the VHS or DVD her name is spelled without a T and remember that these are put out by the BBC. With the exception of the one website that is mentioned in the edit summary by Faux01 all other websites that I have been to spell it without a T. If there is the need to reach a consensus on this among wikipedia editors I will cast my vote now for leaving the T off. MarnetteD | Talk 23:25, 19 January 2008 (UTC)

Agreed. In "A Celebration of the Good Life", besides the authors spelling it "Margo" throughout, there are copies of scripts (p. 23) and internal BBC material (p. 38) spelling it "Margo". -- Gridlock Joe (talk) 23:34, 19 January 2008 (UTC)
I have also found a BBC website that spells it without the closing "T": [2]. -- Gridlock Joe (talk) 23:37, 19 January 2008 (UTC)
If the show creators spell it without a T in their book and in both the VHS and DVD covers, then that is considered the official spelling for name and is the only one that should be used in the article. Collectonian (talk) 23:43, 19 January 2008 (UTC)

I assume this is where you were drawing the Wikiproject's attention to, MarnetteD? I agree that if the majority of the BBC sites and the writers of the programme spell her name as "Margo" then that's what it is. The rather poor new BBC Comedy Guide is the only occasion I've seen it with the 'T', and I have suspicions that those are written using Wikipedia pages as a main reference. Notably, the much better old BBC Guide to Comedy doesn't have the T either[3]. Bob talk 00:10, 20 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Fair use rationale for Image:Goodlife.jpg

Image:Goodlife.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

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BetacommandBot (talk) 23:39, 13 February 2008 (UTC)

Done.--UpDown (talk) 08:19, 14 February 2008 (UTC)