I Have A Dream

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live up the true meaning of its creed....

-Martin Luther King, Jr.: I Have a Dream

and learn the importance of our old American culture. It's sad when children hear an ice cream truck and not realize it is The Entertainer blasting out of the microphones on that hot summer day or when a high school student must ask who Andy Griffith is. We all learn about our history through some type of formal education, but we don't appreciate the beautiful culture that we had, especially our television shows. Where is Mayberry? Who's that strange Cuban man screaming "Lucy, I'm Home!"? And who is that strange family saying goodnight to each other all the time? Simple questions that are lost to our generation. We are too infatuated with seeing who will win a singing competition or watching teens get drunk at Jersey Shore. What happened to those good ol' days where there was a moral behind every episode?

Everyone should know this famous scene and if you don't I please ask you educate yourself because you're an  ignoramus.. no offense. The classic Vitameatavegamin brought laughter to all those watching the night it aired and it continues to have its same affect today. This horrible tasting, alcoholic health tonic became a hit with television of the past and present, making it one of the most iconic scenes of I Love Lucy starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. It is impossible not to laugh at the comedy and to never see it is a sin. 

 We have all seen and love Modern Family, but this comedy show is no competition compared to I Love Lucy. Yes, our modern comedy is full of witty puns and funny scenarios, but nothing compares to the situations that Lucy finds herself in. I don't see any of the characters from Modern Family adopting hundreds of chickens only to have them loose in their house or having them miss a boat trip to Europe and dropping in by helicopter. I do love our modern comedies, but nothing compares to our Old Time Classics.

Next we have our comedy that always brings nostalgia. Here we have Andy, Barney and Opie fishing on a beautiful, sunny day in the town of Mayberry. What a cute, small town filled with wonderful people where a lesson is to be learned by everyone. I beg you to watch at least one episode of the Andy Griffith Show. Any episode will do as they are all equally heart-warming and wonderful to watch. Although the story focuses on a cop and his deputy, don't bother skimming the show for gruesome action because you won't find any. It's nothing like today's standard cop shows; no no. This one focuses on personal relationships and the story lines behind each character. Sounds boring? Oh on the contrary.The show makes you wish you were five again hanging out with your dad and a crazy family friend some Sunday afternoon.

Ah, The Waltons. A huge family full of love during the Great Depression. The story of the family is retold by the eldest son, John Boy, who is the family writer. They face many trials and tribulations during this hard time, but their triumphs and loving gestures always outweigh them. There is nothing on T.V. today quite like this show as every episode ends with a happy note.  What other television show is actually optimistic? Everything today is full of drama, violence, comedy, and sex, but where are our family values? The well-written script does not need any of the drama or sex or whatever that is on television now to keep the viewer's attention. The family is all the show needs to captivate us into watching and following the beloved family.

I could keep listing shows that have been lost to our generation, but this post would go on forever. Little House on the Prairie, Green Acres, Gilligan's Island, Bewitched and so many more are survived by those who will never forget. As generations go on, some will still be clueless of these amazing shows, but the few who remember are the lucky ones. I have a dream that someday, however, more people will learn about these great shows and pass them down to the next generation. I have a dream that current and future generations will still collect items pertaining to the classics.  I have a dream that these classics will never be forgotten.