Love, American Style

I seem to remember a vignette that is supposed to take place in the 50's, possibly featuring Ron Howard, in which a girl to whom he's attracted expresses an interest in him when she discovers that his parents just bought a television set. This may have been the pilot (of sorts) for "Happy Days". Does this ring a bell, anyone? Thanks.

This show is definitely a show that worked for the era it was produced in, the late 60's/early 70's. This show came out at the height of the sexual revolution and could have easily been called "Lust, American Style". Each episode pretty much was about the same thing, men and women in constant pursuit of each other. Also, the most memorable trademark was the ever present brass bed. However, despite the emphasis on sex there were a few more touching episodes in this series. One that comes to mind is an episode in which an old man creates a sculpture of his deceased wife on the anniversary of her death and the angel of death (played hilariously by Soupy Sales) comes down to inform him that he is about to die. At the end of the episode, there is a shot of the old man, who has become a statue himself, holding his wife's hand. This was perhaps the most moving episode from one of the wildest show's of the early 70's.

This show was part of ABC's Friday night line-up back when networks put their good shows on Friday and Saturdays, as opposed to today when those nights are burial grounds for failing TV shows. It was popular in the late 60's and early 70's not just because it was witty, but because it was considered a bit naughty. In fact it was put on last in the evening in the lineup and given a great big warning label - for mature audiences only. For modern viewers, this show will seem much like a precode film from the early 1930's - you'll wonder what the big deal is since by and large nothing shocking ever really happens. Like precode films it does mark a transitional period. Precodes were the last hurrah of controversial material in the movies for the next 30 years. Love American Style marked the first inroad of controversial material on TV, as bigger and bigger shocks would be required to titillate audiences until now, almost 50 years later, the show appears quaint. You just have to remember that at the time this show first aired shows such "My Three Sons" and "The Beverly Hillbillies" were the norm for hit Television. The 60's didn't really happen in middle America until the 70's and this show was part of the first wave of that transition, for better or worse.

The episodes themselves are still pretty humorous, and often you'll see failed pilots end up as episodes of Love American Style. The most famous example was a 1972 episode that turned out to be the pilot for "Happy Days", one of ABC's most successful shows of the 1970's. If you're a boomer you're bound to enjoy this show. If you are younger, it's an interesting and humorous lesson in the journey TV has taken over the years.

during the early to mid seventies, i looked forward to Friday nights on ABC to tuning in on the first and only comedic anthology series featuring a slew of well known actors, writers and directors. it's sad that the attempted updated version recently shown wasn't as successful as the version from the seventies. what the world needs now are series such as these in a world full of violence. Although the premise of the show was silly, it did have it's romantic overtones in a funny type manner which most of all the vignettes were family oriented, which i think was one of the keys toward its popularity. i personally enjoyed viewing performers Charles Nelson Reilly and Louisa Moritz to Flip Wilson and Gail Fisher. it would be nice to have it return more often in reruns or on video tape.

As most mentioned, this was a moment in time not to be repeated again. Definitely a show that stood out as pure fun. I recall vividly seeing this show with my other brother and sisters. The instant we would see the still photos at the introduction to the show we knew it would be funny. I think we were too young to realize it had an adult theme (we thought love was too mushy) but we watched anyway! As soon as we saw someone like Joanne Worley in the beginning credits we knew it would be hilarious. We always like the busting fireworks at the end and who can forget the theme song?! Lovvvve American Style that's you and meeeeeee!!!!