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<p>The 70s was an “innocent time”? Seriously? It was an innocent time in my life, but I wouldn’t say it was an innocent time in general.</p>
<p>It was our Friday night routine. Back then, going out to dinner was a treat but not even a trip to McDonalds could tear us away from the Brady Bunch! Remember when you had to be home to watch your favorite shows or you’d totally miss it?!</p>
<p>One of my favorite episodes was their trip to Hawaii. Peter found the idol and they had to return it to an ancient burial ground. We were living in Hawaii at the time and coconut trees were being dug up in our front yard. My brother found one of those idols (a small one, around 4 inches IIRC) and we all freaked out. We may him put it back in the ditch where he found it.</p>
<p>Programming for kids and families was very innocent on the whole. Love Boat, Fantasy Island for the moms, Brady Bunch, Little House on the Prairie for the kids…all very naive and innocent. Today it’s True a Blood, Game of Thrones and the like…decidedly more mature/violent, not at all innocent. That’s part of why I recall the 70s as a more innocent time for kids/families. Plus kids were kids…not mini adults with all the privileges of adulthood like today’s youth. Cell phones, laptops that go wherever the kid goes, the internet… All great things, but I think when not properly supervised can steal some of that innocence us 50 something’s may have enjoyed.</p>
<p>^^^Guess we will have to agree to disagree. Programming may well have been innocent, but the “times” were not. I think the reason many of us loved those shows was because it presented a very different reality from what we were actually living. I didn’t really believe there were actually families like that, but I enjoyed pretending it was so during that half hour. </p>
<p>When I read the biographies of Laura Ingalls Wilder, I learned how much unpleasantness she purposely omitted in order to make the stories appropriate for children. Her life and the times during which she lived was not nearly so “innocent.” </p>
<p>The actor who played Peter said he loved going to the set because it was a fantasy family which was so much in contrast to his real life.</p>
<p>All that said, I loved most of those shows. I also liked “Love, American Style” and “Laugh In” as a kid, shows which could never be described as “innocent.” SNL also came along to shock us while making us laugh our tails off. Though maybe LAS and LI were actually from the sixties.</p>
<p>Back to topic: I loved Alice’s character. Would have been great to have an Alice in my life! RIP Alice.</p>
<p>Depending on your age, it may have been innocent. Were you 10 or 16 when the Brady’s were on? That might be the difference. </p>
<p>Lol we watched different shows. I’m still a few years from 50…LAS and LI were a bit before my time. Or maybe not…could be my mom controlled the one tv and I watched what she chose. Or maybe some of both.</p>
<p>I still think I was a child for much longer than my kids, sadly. I played with Barbies until I was 12-13. My 13 year old gave that, and most other toys, up long before. Too many neat gadgets/technology competing for innocent, imaginative play.</p>
<p>I, too, would have loved having an Alice. Would have made coming home to an empty house after school much nicer. </p>
<p>Just looked it up - BB was on 1969-1974. So I was 10 when it started - meaning it seemed a pretty innocent time to me!! </p>
<p>I was 2 
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<p>When I watched the Brady Bunch, I always identified with Jan and thought we were the same age. In reality, I was the exact same age as Cindy!</p>
<p>Just looked up Love, American Style and Laugh In.</p>
<p>LAS ran from 1969-1974. LI was 1967-1973.</p>
<p>They were so much more “adult” than BB, Partridge Family, etc. Can hardly believe we were allowed to watch!</p>
<p>I was a teenager when BB appeared, so it never appealed to me.</p>
<p>I’m wondering if anyone here reads The New Yorker?</p>
<p>@Consolation–I saw that story–what a coincidence!</p>
<p>I <em>loved</em> the story, and I didn’t get it until the final paragraph.</p>
<p>A friend of ours has a side job working security at concerts and such. Somehow he met Ann B. Davis through that job, I forget exactly how. But my friend commented about how genuinely NICE she was. Gracious, chatty, and warm.</p>
<p>I could never figure out, why did Carol need a maid? What did she do all day, she didn’t have a job, Alice did all the housework and cooking…hmmmmm ;
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<p>They addressed that very subject in the first episode! The boys didn’t want to lose Alice, who had been with them for quite some time. They all decided that Alice would stay. Remember, those were the days when many women did not work outside the home … and Mike was a very successful architect, don’t you know, so being a suburban housewife was not unusual for the times. At least Carol didn’t wear pearls and heels (like June Cleaver). :)</p>
<p>(But I would have insisted on a pool if I were Carol … so I could have a pool boy to while away the time!)</p>
<p>…I’ve only seen the first episode about 37 times - I wonder why I didn’t pick up on that! :)</p>
<p>Consolation–I didn’t get it until the end, either. Then I looked at the title, and I was like–duh! I’m surprised it hasn’t gotten more publicity–such an odd coincidence.</p>
<p>Is the New Yorker story online? Can somebody post a link, please?</p>
<p>Maybe</p>
<p><a href=“http://m.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2014/06/this-week-in-fiction-david-gilbert-2.html”>http://m.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2014/06/this-week-in-fiction-david-gilbert-2.html</a></p>
<p>After school I watched Dark Shadows.</p>
<p>Shrinkrap–yeah, that refers to it. I read it on paper. I’m guessing the story is password-protected. But you get the gist of it with that interview.</p>