Sigh

[wstol]

Just having a moments thought.

Why are there no actors like Bill Owen, Peter Sallis, Michael Bates, Brian Wilde, Michael Aldridge, Frank Thornton, John Comer, Joe Gladwin, Gordon Wharmby around anymore?

There's no one as entertaining or funny making anything nowadays.

Such brilliant, believable actors.

LOTSW could never have been made without them.

 

[captain clutterbuck]

Because Rep and Variety disappeared, they learned their trade laying multiple roles in different genres of entertainment and were such rounded performers they could effectively play any role offered with aplomb .

 

[maltrab]

It's a bit like music, where have all the wonderful musicians, singers and supergroups gone

 

[BruceC]

There's no one as entertaining or funny making anything nowadays.

Been that way for a long time now... people are too scared to be PC... It also takes script writers... they are an extinct breed now sadly - it also costs money.

Just stick a camera infront of some drone and turn it on record...

Do you have "Gogglebox" in UK? or rubbish like "married at first sight"...? Talk about drivel. reality TV killed TV

 

[captain clutterbuck]

We do the former has given notoriety to individuals and families for basically watching TV not sure they get paid that much by the channel but imagine they make a few quid at local events and imagine most will now have agents . The latter is probably shown along with countless others [wouldn't be seen on my TV screen rather watch the old test card], giving these people countless amounts of money to participate when their only talent on some of the shows is to get plastered and act lewdly . I guess Big Brother marked the start of the decline into cheap and tacky TV that borders on voyeurism .

 

[Adanor]

So how do you cook a frog? You don't dump him in boiling water. He'll jump out right away. Oh no, you start him off in cold water and gradually increase the temperature. We're being led down this garden path. Look carefully with a jaundiced eye at the Big Eye. What do you see? It's a plan and there is always a plan.

 

[Eithne]

I think it's illegal to gig frogs now days, but we always fried them. More to your point though... Once upon a time the powers that be where duty bound to ensure that what was offered up to the public was educational, informative, and/or entertaining. This is because TV is an outgrowth of the cultural tradition of storytelling. The original purpose of storytelling was to transmit social and cultural norms and enforce the examples we chose to foster in our social environment. With that in mind, Adanor, you are quite right to question just what social and cultural norms are being enforced by the fodder being churned out today, and according to whose agenda.

As for acting itself, I agree with Captain, the loss of rep and stage experience has been devastating to the quality of acting as an art. They used to complain about stage actors shouting all the time. They need to go back to it, maybe some of them would learn to enunciate. It may be partly a too many chiefs and not enough Indians problem. Half the population goes around as if they are the star of their own show, why should actors be any different? No one is willing to take a supporting role, the true character actor, who honed his skill and became memorable, not by being the star, but by being good at what he did, is a vanishing breed.

 

[captain clutterbuck]

I think it's illegal to gig frogs now days, but we always fried them.

A frog was fair sport then and he did fry, M-hm, M-hm.
A frog was fair sport then and he did fry ,
salt and pepper front and side, M-hm, M-hm.