The ‘Rural Purge’ of 1971

Tyrades! by Danny Tyree

In mid-1971, I experienced a most distressing visit to the dentist.

A TV fan magazine in the waiting room divulged life-changing news. Irene Ryan (who portrayed Granny on “The Beverly Hillbillies”) told an interviewer she was madder than a wet hen - because CBS had canceled the beloved sitcom after nine seasons!

TV historians regard this as part of the “rural purge” of the early 70s. “Petticoat Junction” and “The Jackie Gleason” show had disappeared a year earlier, and “Bonanza” and “Gunsmoke” would hang on until 1973 and 1975, respectively. But fall 1971 was the epicenter of a major upheaval in programming.

“Green Acres,” “Hee Haw,” “Lassie” and “Mayberry R.F.D.,” as well as variety shows hosted by Red Skelton, Lawrence Welk, Ed Sullivan, Johnny Cash, Jim Nabors and Andy Williams all got the network heave-ho.

Part of the change arose because networks were ceding the first half-hour of prime time to local affiliates. Veteran stars pricing themselves out of a job also played a part. But mostly, after two decades of indiscriminately pursuing the largest possible audience, the TV networks decided to cater to the most affluent demographic groups.

Yes, the programmers and Madison Avenue would tickle the fancy of trendy, malleable audiences, not the world-weary, tradition-bound consumers who recognized a snake-oil salesman when they saw one.

This emphasis on being edgy, hip and relevant to urban young adults spelled bad news for programs that attracted too many children, seniors and country folks.

I will grudgingly admit that this network disdain for kids, codgers and Cletuses – while producing only a handful of “city slicker” hits in the autumn of 1971 – would eventually make room for crowd-pleasers such as “M*A*S*H,” “Maude,” “The Bob Newhart Show,” “Sanford and Son,” “Rhoda” and “Barney Miller.”

Still, as a former youngster, a current senior, a lifelong small-town resident and a father apologizing that all the DVDs chronicling the porcine misadventures of Arnold Ziffel have been exhausted, part of me resents the elitism of the bicoastal TV executives.

...continued

swipe to next page