Living Mayberry

Utopia literally means "no place" and was the name of a book describing a perfect version of England. The irony is that no place can be perfect and peaceful. Mayberry is a utopia.

I noted before that pop culture captures the mood of a generation, including its passions and convictions. But it also gives form to the ideals and dreams, manifesting the generation's concept of utopia. TV shows seem particularly good at capturing idyllic lives.

If Mayberry was the Utopia of the 60's, what show is the utopia of today? Please tell me it's not Grey's Anatomy. What are your thoughts?

Today's TV is . . .
The Andy Griffith Show
(Love the commercial in this clip)

I've been surprised to realize I know a lot of the older sitcoms. I think I saw them repeatedly as a kid and they stuck better than those cartoons I've completely blocked out. It's also interesting to see what the actors did after their shows. As a kid, I never knew that Andy Griffith was Matlock.

Hiking Hollywood Style

I recently went hiking with a friend in Malibu Creek State Park. Been there before, but it got me thinking about M*A*S*H.

For those that don't know, Malibu Creek used to be owned by Fox and used for filming (then called Fox Ranch). The whole 11 seasons of M*A*S*H were filmed there and the filming location is now along the main hiking trail, with a rusted out ambulance and jeep remaining from the show.

Learned lotsa cool things about M*A*S*H online today. Makes me want to watch the show again. Also, I realize what I like now that I didn't get as a kid: It's a dark comedy.

I remember M*A*S*H as a show my grandmother watched when I was a kid. It was mostly black-and-white, so I, in my 7-year-old wisdom, deemed it unworthy of my attention. The final episode still remains the most watched show in TV history. THAT says something about it!

Today's TV is . . .
M*A*S*H Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen



The final scene. An appropriate ending to a long show. Yeah, I think I could tear up at this one.