No ones posting much, lately - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

PicklesSorrell · 12-18-2002, 09:17 AM

This board has been pretty quiet, the last coupla days...so I'm going to try and think of something to strike up a conversation...

If you could change anything about the Petrie house, what would it be and why?

For instance, I always hated where the refrigerator was located. Theres a hallway behind the wall where it is and it appears that it must jut out into that hallway. And I think there should be a window over looking the backyard behind the little kitchen table. Also, I would hope Rob and Laura's bedroom had a window on the wall (where the camera is!), because the window they show looks too small. Also, it must look out over the front walkway...anyone coming to their door or up into their front yard could see right in if those curtains arent carefully closed. And it would make me nervous (I dont know if this is just thinking of today or what) to have my child in a room so far away from mine, clear across the house. What if Laura was asleep in her room and Richie called out in the middle of the night, sick and both doors were closed and she couldnt hear him?

Just trying to strike up some interesting (or any, really) conversation

~Pickles

SawgrassSteve · 12-18-2002, 10:32 AM

Hi, Pickles
Yes, we do reach a lull sometimes in chatter on this board, but once again you came through. I like this topic too!
I agree so far with what you've said about the layout of the house and the window placements, and would like to add something else.
The master bath seems to be in an awkward place. It's entrance runs along the wall where the only visible bedroom window is. That seems to put it out closer to the street than any other point in the house.
Incidentally, there's a book on the market with a floor plan of the Petrie home. It's called, "TV Sets: Fantasy Blueprints of Classic TV Homes," by Mark Bennett. It's available new or used on Amazon.com

Steve

PicklesSorrell · 12-18-2002, 11:01 AM

Oh my goodness! Years ago, I heard about some guy, some architecht, putting together floor plans of famous TV houses, but he was supposedly just doing it upon request. I didnt know they put a book out for it!! Cool!! And thanks mucho for letting me know about it!!

And youre right about the bathroom door being in line withthe window...I didnt even think of that! What an awful thing to think of...forgetting to close the bathroom door when you go to take a shower with the window right there. Yikes! I also wonder about the closet in the master bedroom...where do they put their shoes? That closet is up off of the floor with drawers in the wall beneath it. So where do the shoes go? In the drawers?

That sure is a nice home, though. Wouldnt mind living there, myself! But dont know if it would be the same without the Helpers as neighbors or Buddy and Sally as pals...

~Pickles

Sitcom Sally · 12-18-2002, 11:36 AM

Don't really have anything I'd change; I'm picturing the Petrie house to the best of my ability... you guys' eye for detail is amazing! They have an open floor plan, which I wish my own house had. If their home had been built in the late '50s or early '60s, that's pretty unique when you consider the "open floor plan" with merged living/dining areas hadn't really caught on yet. So I guess the Petrie home was somewhat ahead of its time!

As a side note, I was watching the ep where Laura's about to give birth and they were waiting for the moment in their respective twin beds. She calmly reading a book and Rob putting his hat on and off, preparing for when they had to rush to the hospital... The conventions of the time in TV are most amusing in moments like this. Laura can be pregnant, but yet any implication that this young couple actually had sex was strictly forbidden-- as well as the word "pregnancy". Leaving this viewer to wonder in idle moments, did Laura go over to Rob's bed, vice versa, or did they push the beds together? Even Ricky and Lucy shared a bed-- most of the time. What accounted for the increased prudishness on TDVDS a decade later?

Roz1013 · 12-18-2002, 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Sitcom Sally

As a side note, I was watching the ep where Laura's about to give birth and they were waiting for the moment in their respective twin beds. She calmly reading a book and Rob putting his hat on and off, preparing for when they had to rush to the hospital... The conventions of the time in TV are most amusing in moments like this. Laura can be pregnant, but yet any implication that this young couple actually had sex was strictly forbidden-- as well as the word "pregnancy". Leaving this viewer to wonder in idle moments, did Laura go over to Rob's bed, vice versa, or did they push the beds together? Even Ricky and Lucy shared a bed-- most of the time. What accounted for the increased prudishness on TDVDS a decade later?

Lucy and Ricky usually had twin beds, but in a few eps they had pushed the two beds together, but the sheets were still tucked in from the center (if that makes sense ??) so they were never actually in the same bed. I think the Brady Bunch was the first show to have the parents in the same, double bed. But I agree, the thinking at that time was ridiculous.

SawgrassSteve · 12-18-2002, 07:34 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Sitcom Sally
I guess the Petrie home was somewhat ahead of its time!

I agree, Sally. One of my favorite features of their house was always that bar top that divided the kitchen from the dinning area, and the way you could open or close the shutters.
Oh no! Gang, I just now realized something! When I bought my first home, it had an identicle feature between the kitchen and the family room. I didn't even think of it at the time, but I wonder if I was subliminally buying the Petrie house? God help me!

Steve

PicklesSorrell · 12-19-2002, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Sitcom Sally
They have an open floor plan, which I wish my own house had. If their home had been built in the late '50s or early '60s, that's pretty unique when you consider the "open floor plan" with merged living/dining areas hadn't really caught on yet. So I guess the Petrie home was somewhat ahead of its time!

Hi, Sally

I don't know about being ahead of its time...my town built most of its houses between to 20s and 30s and those were the only houses built until a while after WW2. When the post-war "yuppies" began migrating into the suburbs, alot of homes were built from 53 to 61 and all of the houses built between that time had the "open" floor plan, the shared dining/livingroom. At least, thats the way it was here in my area, the greater San Francisco Bay Area. There are even a few houses built in the late twenties with a variation...where the dining area is completely open to the living area, with the exception of columns or the outline of a huge, arched throughway. I have a "Better Homes and Gardens" decorating book from 1956 that shows how popular a trend this open floor plan was of the time. But this idea was fairly "regional", too. I guess builders felt that, those in the suburbs threw alot of parties (and judging by the many bar necessities manufactured of the atomic era I'd say they were right) and having all that room would be beneficial, convenient for the homeowners.

All in all, I'd say Rob and Laura were right with their time, in my opinion, the best period in history, ever!

~Pickles

SawgrassSteve · 12-23-2002, 10:29 AM

I just remebered something else about their home I would change. It's not structural.
You know where their firplace is located, right? That free-standing, sort of log-burning thing? Well, they really don't have any cozy place to sit near it together on those nights when Richie is spending the night with the Helpers, or at his grandparents' for the weekend. So, I'd make a nice little nest there, with oversized pillows and a wine rack. When you see it now, it's pretty barren, at least by my standards

!

Steve

Sitcom Sally · 12-23-2002, 11:28 AM

Steve, youre right! I suppose the way the living area was arranged had a lot to do with filming, but the fireplace was sort of cold and alone out there by itself. Normally it might be at the center of a "gathering place", but the Petrie living room was the site of a lot of dance routines and parties for which that extra room was needed. I also think they were going for a contemporary feel as this was a young couple, rather than a cozy feel, and if the seating was placed near the fireplace you'd have the whole left side of the room looking like Siberia...

And... ever notice how sometimes they have a sectional couch with the end section backless, and other times a regular sofa? I don't believe the piano is always there, either, but when it is, it's placed about where the dining table normally is... I think...

12-18-2002, 09:17 AM	#1
PicklesSorrell Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Nov 12, 2002 Location: San Pablo, CA Posts: 103	No ones posting much, lately This board has been pretty quiet, the last coupla days...so I'm going to try and think of something to strike up a conversation... If you could change anything about the Petrie house, what would it be and why? For instance, I always hated where the refrigerator was located. Theres a hallway behind the wall where it is and it appears that it must jut out into that hallway. And I think there should be a window over looking the backyard behind the little kitchen table. Also, I would hope Rob and Laura's bedroom had a window on the wall (where the camera is!), because the window they show looks too small. Also, it must look out over the front walkway...anyone coming to their door or up into their front yard could see right in if those curtains arent carefully closed. And it would make me nervous (I dont know if this is just thinking of today or what) to have my child in a room so far away from mine, clear across the house. What if Laura was asleep in her room and Richie called out in the middle of the night, sick and both doors were closed and she couldnt hear him? Just trying to strike up some interesting (or any, really) conversation ~Pickles
	__________________ "...Buddy's mother never really has liked me..."

12-18-2002, 10:32 AM	#2
SawgrassSteve Loyal Worshipper Senior Member Join Date: Mar 04, 2002 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 1,423	148 Bonnie Meadow Road Hi, Pickles Yes, we do reach a lull sometimes in chatter on this board, but once again you came through. I like this topic too! I agree so far with what you've said about the layout of the house and the window placements, and would like to add something else. The master bath seems to be in an awkward place. It's entrance runs along the wall where the only visible bedroom window is. That seems to put it out closer to the street than any other point in the house. Incidentally, there's a book on the market with a floor plan of the Petrie home. It's called, "TV Sets: Fantasy Blueprints of Classic TV Homes," by Mark Bennett. It's available new or used on Amazon.com Steve
	__________________ The Cult Of Laura

12-18-2002, 11:01 AM	#3
PicklesSorrell Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Nov 12, 2002 Location: San Pablo, CA Posts: 103	Oh my goodness! Years ago, I heard about some guy, some architecht, putting together floor plans of famous TV houses, but he was supposedly just doing it upon request. I didnt know they put a book out for it!! Cool!! And thanks mucho for letting me know about it!! And youre right about the bathroom door being in line withthe window...I didnt even think of that! What an awful thing to think of...forgetting to close the bathroom door when you go to take a shower with the window right there. Yikes! I also wonder about the closet in the master bedroom...where do they put their shoes? That closet is up off of the floor with drawers in the wall beneath it. So where do the shoes go? In the drawers? That sure is a nice home, though. Wouldnt mind living there, myself! But dont know if it would be the same without the Helpers as neighbors or Buddy and Sally as pals... ~Pickles

12-18-2002, 11:36 AM	#4
Sitcom Sally Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Oct 25, 2002 Posts: 48	Don't really have anything I'd change; I'm picturing the Petrie house to the best of my ability... you guys' eye for detail is amazing! They have an open floor plan, which I wish my own house had. If their home had been built in the late '50s or early '60s, that's pretty unique when you consider the "open floor plan" with merged living/dining areas hadn't really caught on yet. So I guess the Petrie home was somewhat ahead of its time! As a side note, I was watching the ep where Laura's about to give birth and they were waiting for the moment in their respective twin beds. She calmly reading a book and Rob putting his hat on and off, preparing for when they had to rush to the hospital... The conventions of the time in TV are most amusing in moments like this. Laura can be pregnant, but yet any implication that this young couple actually had sex was strictly forbidden-- as well as the word "pregnancy". Leaving this viewer to wonder in idle moments, did Laura go over to Rob's bed, vice versa, or did they push the beds together? Even Ricky and Lucy shared a bed-- most of the time. What accounted for the increased prudishness on TDVDS a decade later?

12-23-2002, 10:29 AM	#8
SawgrassSteve Loyal Worshipper Senior Member Join Date: Mar 04, 2002 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 1,423	I just remebered something else about their home I would change. It's not structural. You know where their firplace is located, right? That free-standing, sort of log-burning thing? Well, they really don't have any cozy place to sit near it together on those nights when Richie is spending the night with the Helpers, or at his grandparents' for the weekend. So, I'd make a nice little nest there, with oversized pillows and a wine rack. When you see it now, it's pretty barren, at least by my standards ! Steve

12-23-2002, 11:28 AM	#9
Sitcom Sally Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Oct 25, 2002 Posts: 48	Steve, youre right! I suppose the way the living area was arranged had a lot to do with filming, but the fireplace was sort of cold and alone out there by itself. Normally it might be at the center of a "gathering place", but the Petrie living room was the site of a lot of dance routines and parties for which that extra room was needed. I also think they were going for a contemporary feel as this was a young couple, rather than a cozy feel, and if the seating was placed near the fireplace you'd have the whole left side of the room looking like Siberia... And... ever notice how sometimes they have a sectional couch with the end section backless, and other times a regular sofa? I don't believe the piano is always there, either, but when it is, it's placed about where the dining table normally is... I think...