Taylor Bennett Jr.
Telly Talk Winner
the Body Principal (or whatever her exercise videos were called) must work - she looks fantastic!
the Body Principal (or whatever her exercise videos were called) must work - she looks fantastic!
Kenny Coyote
Telly Talk Star
Seeing Donna doing sets of deadlifts with 225 would have been so hot.
Snarky Oracle!
Telly Talk Supreme
The home gym appeared in 1983, yes?
tommie
Telly Talk Hero
Hmm, maybe I'm confusing it when it mysteriously expanded again to include a jacuzzi (which also became Charlene's opening credit title)?
Herofan
Telly Talk Active Member
I’m sure you are correct that it wasn’t meant to be analyzed, but I’ve always wondered why shows don’t bother to get the small things right. It’s like anytime I see CPR given on any tv show, it’s usually hilarious, even on medical shows. I also watched an episode of “Yellowstone” where they pulled a calf being born, and the moment it was out, it jumped up and ran off. For someone who doesn’t know anything about cattle, I guess that wasn’t noticed, but for someone who knows about cattle, it’s ludicrous.
Kenny Coyote
Telly Talk Star
There are good reasons for it in the case of the Ewings working out in Dallas. With a few exceptions, the audience wouldn't want to see them working out in a serious manner. They wouldn't be able to socialize with each other. You'd just be watching people lift weights. Not most people's ideas of riveting television. Their "workouts" were nothing more than an excuse to get several family members in the same room to see them interact, and an excuse for the women to show off their bodies in their tight little exercise outfits.
Having them conduct a serious weight training workout wouldn't have even been practical. What happens after they're already exhausted and the director needs to do another take? Or three more takes? Then whenever they're done, because they'd have been working hard they'd all need to take showers. More delays. And for what? So they could educate their audience on the proper way to work out with weights?
If there is still some doubt as to the practicality or even the possible entertainment value of showing them performing serious workouts, the following should dispel that notion:
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Rove
Telly Talk Warrior
It's why I believe many series need to be vigilant because far to many of us have access to the internet to cross reference things. There is dramatic licence but then there is stupidity. It's why it would be difficult to continue Dallas with the impression it's this sprawling ranch where they still muster cattle. A quick look on Google Earth informs us there is very little of the ranch left as new suburbs approach ever so closer.
Herofan
Telly Talk Active Member
Good points! I do understand that the workout wasn’t the focus of the scene. I get that it was just a setting to get some characters together for interaction. It appears,however, that they could have at least practiced proper form instead of Bobby hunching and swinging the weight during bicep curls, and Lucy inventing an exercise to blow a rotator cuff.
I know that reality is often suspended in a lot of tv shows and movies; it has to be for dramatic effect. I guess it just depends on what one knows about as to what gets their attention. To me, it would be like JR wearing his hat backwards at times and pretending it didn’t matter because his hat was just a prop and not the focus of the scene.