B&W TV

I sometimes watch TV shows from the 50s and early 60s, usually in black and white.  I mean the shows are in black and white; I could be in any color.

Color on TV seems very unnecessary and often is too much of a distraction to me.  I remember just having an old B&W TV when I went to college and when I had my first apartment.  It seemed perfectly normal at the time although all the shows were produced in color.   When we got our first color TV I couldn’t stop looking at it.  It was wonderful but totally distracted me from paying attention to the shows.  I was looking at the scenery, the clothes, the color of the nail polish on the leading lady.  It was impossible for me to pay any attention to the plot of the show or what the actors were saying.

I eventually fell in love with color TV but somewhere along the line I decided I would prefer B&W.  I believe it happened one night when I was watching MASH and the doctors were operating and wounded soldiers were lined up on stretchers.  BLOOD.  In COLOR.  Oh, it was too much for me.  I had seen MASH in black and white for several years and it never really bothered me.  But to see the blood and gore in color really turned me against the show.  How funny that I could watch for years and know what was going on but until I saw it in color, it didn’t really offend me.  This probably has some deep meaning and could be the explanation for the way I perceive life but I will save that investigation for another day.

Over the years I have become adjusted to seeing the good, the bad, and the horrific in color.  It still bothers me but I haven’t stopped watching.  Lately though I have enjoyed turning back time and watching black and white again.  It could be that the shows are so simple and straight forward.  The jokes are basic and the families get along much better than families in current shows, endings are usually happy and issues are resolved.  But I think the real appeal for me will always be the lack of color. 

Still, as I watch, I wonder:  What color dress does she have on?