I read once that Carl Reiner did his best to keep The Dick Van Dyke Show as free of topical references as possible, and he succeeded. There are a few mentions of movie stars and such, but not many.

The same can be said of many of the older comedy shows.

Are there any shows that made no mention of anything current?

outside of one reference to the beatles i dont think that the andy griffth show was really topical in nature

I'd also say "THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW". And besides mentioning the Beatles once, Aunt Bee in one episode mentioned the Vietnam war, probably. In one episode, she was talking to a priest and after he said something, she replied "just like that terrible war in Asia."

Of course, she could have meant the Korean war.


Also, "Gomer Pyle U. S.M.C." Despite the fact that the Vietnam war was raging at the time, it was never mentioned-not even that time him & Sargent Carter were in Washington, D.C.

Everybody Loves Raymond has very few topical references.

the closest to a topical ref i can remember in "The Munsters" is the evil carmaker, "Mr Fordgosi" , saying he once put a curse on the Edsel

most 60s sitcoms, especially "I Dream of Jeannie", "Bewitched", "The Munsters"...and fictional shows like that.

Everybody Loves Raymond has very few topical references.
oh yeah, that too.

On The Andy Griffith Show, there are unintentional topical references by showing the prices of items. You can see that bread is 25 cents a loaf and ground beef is 39 cents a pound. A definite sign of the 60s.

I see this in a lot of old shows...signs in grocery stores with prices.

Besides Soviet references GI stays away from that kind of stuff.

most 60s sitcoms, especially "I Dream of Jeannie", "Bewitched", "The Munsters"...and fictional shows like that.


That's one reason why I love 50s and 60s shows. Today every sitcom does it, mainly to get cheap laughs, and I hate it!

On The Andy Griffith Show, there are unintentional topical references by showing the prices of items. You can see that bread is 25 cents a loaf and ground beef is 39 cents a pound. A definite sign of the 60s.

I see this in a lot of old shows...signs in grocery stores with prices.
I love seeing the signs in the grocery store on TAGS, it's sooo funny! The last time I watched it said, "Celery 19 cents", LOL.

I love seeing the signs in the grocery store on TAGS, it sooo funny! The last time I watched it said, "Celery 19 cents", LOL.
:lol:

That was probably for five pounds of it too.

I don't think a single show nowadays has gone without at least one topical reference, no matter how obscure.

Which kind of makes me sad, as I believe topical references can make a show seem less relevant and more dated in later years. "Will & Grace" especially will suffer even 10 years from now.

I watched a 1966 episode of The Munsters. Lily Muster says something along the lines that she "feels as special as Lady Byrd". That was an obvious reference to then First Lady and wife of President Lyndon Johnson.

I remember seeing an episode of BONANZA once, and Hoss was trying on a vest, and the salesman was trying to talk him into buying it by saying something like "It's only 75 cents". Then Hoss said "Only 75 cents, huh"? Then he said "Maybe I WILL buy it, then". Then he paused, then took it off, saying "But 75 cents! No, I just couldn't"!

I don't think a single show nowadays has gone without at least one topical reference, no matter how obscure.

Which kind of makes me sad, as I believe topical references can make a show seem less relevant and more dated in later years. "Will & Grace" especially will suffer even 10 years from now.ive often wondered if that is why a show like family ties has just never dont that well in reruns im mean there are quite a few refrences to ronald regan and other 80s icons that just seem dated now

ive often wondered if that is why a show like family ties has just never dont that well in reruns im mean there are quite a few refrences to ronald regan and other 80s icons that just seem dated now

I think that is exactly it. "Family Ties" is a major product of its time and it doesn't hold up very well (unfortunately because I think it is a good show)

I think it may be "hip" or "cool" to be very topical and cultural at the time, but in MOST cases, it suffers in the long run ("All in the Family" is an exception)

That is why shows like "Everybody Loves Raymond" will be in rerun heaven for forever and ever while "Will & Grace" will never do as well in reruns, IMO

Bob Newhart's sitcoms from the 1970s and 1980s have very little (if any) topical references - just comedy! The only thing that dates them are the clothes, hair and decor. :lol:

Back in 1994 I was watching a show (whose title I can't remember; probably from the 1960s or 1970s) and somebody was at a gas station, and the owner tried to rip him off by charging him 95 cents a gallon! :eek: Of course, 1994 was the time I never expected to see anything over $1.20 per gallon. (What I wouldn't do to pay $1.20--much less 95 cents--today!!! :lol: There are STILL places in and around Dayton over the $3 mark!!! :mad: )

To continue with the thread, The Waltons had a bunch from the Depression and World War II. It took place in the 1930s and 1940s, yet was filmed forty years later.

I remember seeing an episode of "TAXI" once; and Louie said something to Alex and Alex responded by saying something about a stamp being fifteen cents.

once on an episode of "STAR TREK" they were talking about something that happened in "the ancient times" and the era that they were reffering to was-the 1990s!!

on "MASH" they would sometimes mention things that were around in the 50s-"The Mickey Mouse Club", "The Toast of the Town" (the original name of "THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW"), not to mention the old movies they'd sometimes mention and/or show.

I think Fantasy Island and Love Boat kept them out. I can't be 100 percent sure as it has been a while since I have seen both shows.

Were dramas better at keeping topical references out?

come to think of it; I don't remember ever hearing any in "DALLAS".

come to think of it; I don't remember ever hearing any in "DALLAS".
I don't think there was either. The only thing that has any topical reference was the mention of crude oil prices, gas prices in a few episodes, but no political references or current events.

on "MASH" they would sometimes mention things that were around in the 50s-"The Mickey Mouse Club", "The Toast of the Town" (the original name of "THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW"), not to mention the old movies they'd sometimes mention and/or show.
That would stand to reason as the show itself was time stamped, due to that fact that the setting was the Korean War (1950 to 1953).

There was an episode of Barney Miller where Fish was complaining about the rising cost of postage. "Thirteen cents a stamp! I wouldn't write to anyone if my life depended on it!" :eek: :lol: In another episode they were complaining about the price of gas - 69 cents a gallon!! :eek: :eek: :eek:

^^^^ Monika...:rofl: That was indeed funny as hell.

Good Times had their public service announcements for almost every episode for the first two seasons it seems. :rolleyes:

^ Not to mention One Day at a Time.

I don't seem to remember any on "THE HONEYMOONERS" (the filmed ones;a.k.a. "the classic 39" exept for the clothes of course)

I don't think Reba really did except a reference to president Bush, and Reba mention Finding Nemo.

Leave It To Beaver

The Patty Duke Show

Monika/Catlover79 mentioned the price of gas and postage stamps on Barney Miller, and that inspired me to jot down the meat prices at Sam's butcher shop in an episode of The Brady Bunch I just saw:

fresh beef tongue: 55¢/pound
triangle tip roast: $1.40/pound
fresh ground round: 89¢/pound
lean ground sirloin: 92¢/pound

This was in early 1970. I believe the prices were the same in an earlier episode from late 1969.

I personally like the topical references if done right. I know some people complain about the 80's and early 90's pop culture references in The Golden Girls, to me, I loved it even if it's dated now. It showed that the ladies were still hip to the times and knew there were more shows on television than Murder She Wrote and Matlock :lol:

Monika/Catlover79 mentioned the price of gas and postage stamps on Barney Miller, and that inspired me to jot down the meat prices at Sam's butcher shop in an episode of The Brady Bunch I just saw:

fresh beef tongue: 55¢/pound
triangle tip roast: $1.40/pound
fresh ground round: 89¢/pound
lean ground sirloin: 92¢/pound

This was in early 1970. I believe the prices were the same in an earlier episode from late 1969.
WOW - :eek2:

I personally like the topical references if done right. I know some people complain about the 80's and early 90's pop culture references in The Golden Girls, to me, I loved it even if it's dated now. It showed that the ladies were still hip to the times and knew there were more shows on television than Murder She Wrote and Matlock :lol:
I loved when on the episode "It's A Miserable Life" when they were planning that mean old lady's funeral around the TV Guide. They wouldn't have it during The Cosby Show. :lol:

I don't think Reba really did except a reference to president Bush, and Reba mention Finding Nemo.
They did an episode where they took in Hurricane Katrina victims.

on "LEAVE IT TO BEAVER" once; Beaver and his friends were talking about seeing the 1961 movie "SPARTUCUS" and they showed a poster for it behind them while they were talking.
They also showed them watching it. (in a ridiculosly fake movie theater:lol: )


On "MAUDE" once, Maude and Walter were talking about seeing the 1973 movie "JESUS CHRIST, SUPERSTAR"

On an early episode of Barney Miller, Chano mentioned Kojak to the hookers who were getting booked - "we love having you around, but we have a lot of work to do. Kojak can't do it all!"

I don't seem to remember any on "THE HONEYMOONERS" (the filmed ones;a.k.a. "the classic 39" exept for the clothes of course)


I'll give you a few that I remember:


1. Ralph appears on the game show "The 99,000 Answer", which was a parody of the "$64,000 Question" and the other infamous big-money quiz shows of that era.

2. Alice and Trixie are talking to a couple of their friends when Norton enters and compliments them by comparing them to the Chordettes. The Chordettes were a '50s girl group best known for their hits "Lollipop" and "Mr. Sandman".

3. Alice telling Ralph why she wants a new TV set: "I want to watch Liberace!"

4. From a lost episode: Ralph and Ed are in a bar arguing about who is the better comedian between Jackie Gleason and Art Carney (who also play themselves in this episode). To decide it, they ask the bartender for his opinion. He mentions that he'd rather watch Perry Como!

5. Ralph and Ed are at a friend's house in their Raccoon outfits, topped off by the coonskin caps that were very popular at the time. A little boy is fast asleep and is taken to bed by his mother. As they are leaving, he wakes up briefly, takes a good look at Ralph, and says: "I didn't realize that Davy Crockett was so fat!"

6. And, of course, let's not forget Norton's obsession with Captain Video, an early (VERY Early!) Saturday Morning kids show from the 40s and 50s.

In another Barney Miller episode, Yemana (Jack Soo) mentioned the Karl Malden traveler's checks commercials.