Fifty-three years ago, the Statler Brothers bemoaned the state of Hollywood with this song. Here are the opening lyrics…
Everybody knows when you go to the show
You can’t take the kids along
You’ve gotta read the paper and know the code
Of G, PG and R and X and
You gotta know what the movie’s about
Before you even go
Tex Ritter’s gone and Disney’s dead
And the screen is filled with sex
Later, they even say this:
Everbody’s tryin’ to make a comment
About our doubts and fears
True Grit’s the only movie
I’ve really understood in years
You gotta take your analyst along
To see if it’s fit to see
Whatever happened to Randolph Scott
Has happened to the industry
Yes, Hollywood was in a slump back then. New “B-movie” heroes would come about, but now, we can say “Whatever happened to my favorite IP?”
There are those who hate the “old days” and all that is “conservative,” and want to redefine just about anything you can think of. That’s kinda the way it was in the early 1970s. But, of course, they can never agree on just what is the proper progress to progress towards. Sure, things are a lot worse than 1973, but maybe a massive collapse of Hollywood is just what the doctor ordered.