Welcome to Old-Idiot-Box

(Unofficial Blog, a Fan Page)
Titled "A Tribute to CLASSIC Doordarshan Entertainment". Recall, Refresh and Cherish sweet childhood memories.
A blog all about recalling the "Good times" we grew up watching as a child in 70s thru early 90s on Doordarshan national channel. This blog calls to have Fun refreshing and cherishing some unforgettable and memorable television momments on DD. I'm just glad to express my personal views and opinions along with our Blogger fans who send us amazing Fan mails about few Shows and Sitcoms aired on retro Doordarshan. Isn't it a great feeling to find those great stories we had once watched when we were just kids? Don't you feel those retro shows still connect to us in the present time someway or the other? well, I assume we do and why not! there has been some kind of good influence on our minds after all we have had a great association with the past shows that aired till the mid 90's :) So Let's keep cherishing those lovely memories right here in this Blog.

Here's a Wonderful chance to "RE-LIVE" those Heartwarming Moments.

So ENJOY the Info and Clips of few Retro Hindi and English sitcoms aired in "GOLDEN YEARS" of Television on DOORDARSHAN National Channel!

Classic Entertainment Videos

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Nostalgic 80s n early 90s DD days

Say Hellooo! to your school years and your Childhood days :)

National programme was introduced in 1982. In the same year, colour TV was introduced in the Indian market with the live telecast of the Independence Day speech by then prime minister Indira Gandhi on 15 August 1982, followed by the 1982 Asian Games being held in Delhi. The 80s was the era of Doordarshan with soaps like Hum Log (1984), Buniyaad (1986-87), comedy shows like Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi (1984) and mythological dramas like Ramayan (1987-88) and Mahabharat (1988-89) glued millions to Doordarshan. Other popular programs included Hindi film songs based programs like Chitrahaar and Rangoli and crime thrillers like Karamchand (starring Pankaj Kapoor), Byomkesh Bakshi (starring Rajit kapur) and Janki Jasoos. Source: WIKI

If you would like to read more about early days of DD, you can do so by going over Here.

TASTE OF THE PAST


Do you miss the Good old Years? Hmm...do you wonder where did those days go, vanished before you could know it. Well I do. Therefore, I thought how about collecting some memories and consolidating them in one website. Isn't it interesting? Actually these shows were "something" they were simple and one could really associate their life with it cause when we watched those shows, we felt like it was like a reflection of life. So why not watch those trapped moments from the Past you may realize Simple things are so beautiful.

Here's a link of some intro clips of old Sitcoms aired on Doordarshan.

You can watch some of your Fav Old Doordarshan Serials Online here like PAYING GUEST, FLOP SHOW, MALGUDI DAYS, KACHCHI DHOOP, BYOMKESH BAKSHI and many more just by scrolling down this page. Click and enjoy!

Folks, I would like to dedicate this blog to all those people, who have cherished their childhood memories and who've educated themselves with some really good shows that aired in 70s to early 90s on doordarshan national Channel.

A Retro clip: Ek Anek aur Ekta by Films Division 1974
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This Video is all about giving a positive and powerful message to the whole nation i.e.,"United we Stand, Divided we Fall". How we can create wonders by forgetting about the cast, creed and color of a man. They should still play it. I simply used to enjoy this video when I was small, still do its very inspirational too.

Alright people!! how about refreshing those days right here :) discuss n comment about your favourite shows and artists. Know more about the lost memories, just to feel good and be proud about your sweet Childhood days.

Can you name some of the old DD TV Actors?

I can think right now of some popular names like Neena Gupta, Sriram lagoo, Mohan bhandari, Alok nath mmmm how about you?

Search Retro DD!

Doordarshan Celebrates its 50th Anniversary!

Great memories you'll find in this video and I am happy to share a part of it with you all. Interested Viewers can follow the link within the video to watch all the parts.

So here we are talking about the Retro programs on DD and their awesome journey :) it all started when Doordarshan was introduced all over India after Television services were separated from A.I.R(All India Radio) on April 1, 1976 with the live telecast of the Independence Day speech by then prime minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi on 15 August 1982. These were the times when Indian Television evolution was just beginning like News Coverage's around the world and as we see in this video they talk about how they broke more barriers in developing the Network.

Memories refreshed about Entertainment Programs that started becoming more and more popular like Feature Films, Chitrahaar, Sitcoms like Hum-log earning them good TRP and there was this one particular program which is considered to have broken lot of records and ratings, it was the greatest hits of that time "Phool kile hain gulshan gulshan" for which the host Ms Tabassum, expresses her experiences doing the show which are sweet as herself. Many such faces, shows and programs make you feel nostalgic when you watch it after all these years. Doordarshan here also recalls about the experiences of the early Reporters and New readers national and International like Ms Salma if you remember, the beautiful News reader from the 80s who shared her First day experience of News reading in the Studio which was a bittersweet experience as this network was just in a initial stage.

There came many events as the Evolution of Indian Television was just beginning like there was telecast of Asian Games, National programs and that when color was introduced on the Independence day of 1982. I assume the Biggest and greatest unforgettable event was the Victory of ICC World cup Championship 1984, in the same year the Indian viewers enjoyed and were so proud to watch the telecast of the First Indian cosmonaut "Rakesh Sharma" with team who spent eight days journeying around the Earth's orbit in a space station called Salyut 7.

It might have been great experience for Doordarshan to have reached these many years with Telecast of Good shows and educate us with informative films, Documentaries, Movies, sitcom/TV series, Events and various programs National and International and its still goin' on Good.

Congratulations on 50! We wish you all the luck for years to come.

Here's a Video of some Sweet memories of Retro DD.

Pyar Ki Ganga Bahe video

Enjoy this most awaited clip aired on DD somewhere in the early 90s featuring all the Hit Bollywood stars of that time. A beautiful song on HARMONY and Peace :)

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Spread the Light of Freedom

Good Times Old Doordarshan:)

Doordarshan Signature Montage.

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Seconds glimpse of Soap drama back in the Days!!

1980s International Sitcoms aired on DD

How many of you remember these International shows aired once upon a time on Doordarshan National Channel? I've added as much as I could remember, I would request you folks, to share more if you know.
These shows were so different and entertaining?  they were little difficult to understand in the beginning but then later as time passed somehow we learnt, tried hard and managed to get entertained. Some programs were informative and we were able to use that info in our day to day life, they really helped. I assume most of the international Programs/Sitcoms were American and Brit and we loved it didn't we folks? with their unique variety of shows for kids and adults, they captured our hearts and got us hooked to watch more and more.

I also recall some of the fav shows that we endlessly used to talk about with friends at school that were so hilarious, funny and at times sad. Don't you feel these kinda memories are still so alive in us?
That's the reason I want to travel back in time to re-live simple sweet days of our childhood for Fun and enjoy it just the way it was before, being clueless 'n' Naive. To rediscover and learn about different traditions, cultures  and the lifestyles across the world. I wish i could. Well at least we can cherish them right here and discuss those wonderful times. Cheers to that : )

Here are some of the International shows aired on Old DD.


Different Strokes
 I remember this show vaguely, its a story about two smart black brothers, they're young teenagers who were being brought up by a White man. The younger one was cute and funny. I think the show was all about tackling problems in one's life and finding a true identity.
Wiki info:
Diff'rent Strokes is a popular American sitcom that aired on the NBC and on ABC television network. This sitcom starred Gary Coleman as Arnold Jackson and Todd Bridges as his older brother, Willis. They played two African-American children from a poor Harlem neighborhood whose deceased mother previously worked for a rich white widower, Philip Drummond (Conrad Bain), who eventually adopted them. They lived in a penthouse with Mr. Drummond, Mr. Drummond's daughter Kimberly (Dana Plato), and their maid.
Source: WIKI
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Didi's Comedy(Non-stop Non-sense)
Oh Yeah the Didi Comedy series :) loved all of the series of that show. We used to burst out laughing and Didi did a great job! what a Legendary comic artist he was, brilliant performance. The DiDi's Comedy show (aka Dieter Hallervorden show) was a 1989 German comedy television show starring Dieter Hallervorden.
Wiki info:
Didi is a bumbling detective who is struck by "brilliant" ideas which turn out disastrously; he eventually comes out on top, however. The show is based partly on Didi's comedic antics, many of
which would be impossible in real life. For example, he takes part in a hammer throwing competition at a police sports event, forgets to let go of the hammer, and is pulled by centrifugal force
into the skies; he is saved by hanging on to an aeroplane. The English language version of the show was subtitled "Nonstop Nonsense".
Source: WIKI
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Sherlock Holmes

I used to wait for this show curiously to know what is it going to be this time in this episode? even though I understood very little, yet i managed to get somethin out of it by curiously following to know whether the outcome of the crime case or story was chosen for the bad or good and how Mr.HOLMES would get to the bottom of the Truth. Wondering how is he goin' to find out about the bad guys? so as a Kid, this constantly used to tickle my little brains out ha ha! We really enjoyed and i guess learnt a bit to build suspense as we watched and tired to understand the drama in it.
 Wiki info:
Sherlock Holmes is a famous fictional detective of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, who first appeared in publication in 1887. He is the creation of Scottish-born author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. A brilliant London-based detective, Holmes is famous for his intellectual prowess, and is renowned for his skillful use of "deductive reasoning" while using abductive reasoning (inference to the best explanation) and astute observation to solve difficult cases. The series was broadcast on the ITV network in the UK, and starred Jeremy Brett as the famous detective, a portrayal that many consider to be the definitive screen version of Sherlock Holmes, although this is a much-disputed subject.
Intro clip and opening credits of Sherlock Holmes.


Street Hawk
I used to love the Opening theme of STREET HAWK still do, the music was soo awesome to us as a child. Then it was quite thrilling. Do you remember that stereo kinda voice that introduced "Jesse mark" (real name Rex smith) goes something like this "This is Jesse Mark an ex-motorcycle cop, injured in the line of duty, now a police troubleshooter he's been recruited for a top secret government mission to ride "STREET HAWK". still goes on and we wait for last few words "the man, the machine, the Street Hawk! .. :)
Wiki Info:
Street Hawk was an American television series that aired for 13 episodes on ABC in 1985.The show was about a police officer and former amateur dirtbike racer called Jesse Mach who was secretly picked to test a top secret project named "Street Hawk" - a high-tech motorbike capable of speeds in excess of 300 miles per hour. Norman Tuttle, his partner, designed and built the bike and reluctantly picked Jesse to test it. Mach began to lead a double life, a police Public Relations officer by day, and crime-fighter by night.
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Knight Rider
This was very similar to Street Hawk starring David Hasselhoff but in this series instead of a Motor bike it was a high class Sports motor vehicle build for fighting crimes at night. I just read that it was very expensive car for those times in early 80s it was built spending US $100,000.
Wiki Info:
Knight Rider is an American television series that originally ran from September 26, 1982, to August 8, 1986. The series was broadcast on NBC and starred David Hasselhoff as Michael Knight, a high-tech modern-day knight fighting crime with the help of an advanced, artificially intelligent and nearly indestructible car.

Conceived and produced by Glen A. Larson, the show was an instant hit. "I wanted to do The Lone Ranger with a car", and "Kind of a sci-fi thing, with the soul of a western", Larson said in The Last Great Ride. In 2003, in research conducted by web-portal Yahoo! amongst 1,000 television viewers, this show and other popular televisions series from the 1980s such as The Dukesof Hazzard were beaten by The A-Team as the one "oldie" television show viewers would most like to see revived
Knight Rider Theme bit of intro is in Foreign language


Remington Steele
This was a Detective show  played by Brosman. Yep! Peirce brosman who was quite young in that series and within few years he got some really good breaks in the Motion pictures including one of his successful movie playing the part of an 007 agent, JAMES BOND. 
Wiki info:
Remington Steele is an American television series, produced by MTM Enterprises and first broadcast on the NBC network from 1982 to 1987. It starred Stephanie Zimbalist as private detective Laura Holt and Pierce Brosnan as a roguish former white-collar thief and con man who assumed the fictitious Remington Steele identity. The show took an offbeat approach to the standard TV detective genre, with ironic plotting and elements of romantic comedy. To watch the Title track you can follow this link at Amazon
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Faire tale Theatre

This was quite a show back in the 80s for us as Kids.Do you Remember those stories written by famous comical writers/author's with stories like:
1.Cinderella
2.Pinocchio
3.Beauty and the Beast
4.Story of 3 Pigs
5.Thumbelina
Didn't we wait curiously for  new stories every week? my experience as kid watching FAIRE TALE THEATRE is that, i was so fascinated by the Background sets every-time it was so surprising to see those beautiful set-ups and I loved the Host, she made it so interesting my giving some gist of the story and leaving a bit of suspense so that we could keep imagining how the story would shape.
Another thing what I most recall about Fairytale theater was the interesting costumes they wore suiting their mythological characters from the west and like any other child I kept on thinking,' what was it all meant to be??
Here's a intro video hope this will bring back some cute memories :)
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Wiki Info
Faerie Tale Theatre, fully Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre, was a live action children's television series created by Shelley Duvall that ran from 1982 to 1987 retelling popular fairy tales. Shelley Duvall serves as narrator, host and executive producer of the program, and occasionally stars in episodes.
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God Father
I remember our Male family members were so hooked on to this original Movie which was cut into parts/episodes on DD in the late 80s and it was shown after the News i guess at night around 9:30/10:00. It was bit Violent based on world war times about  American-italian Maphia families. A strange thought I m sharing with you that is, I dont know why i had developed this weird feeling about Godfather's theme whenever i listened to in the 80s, to be bit scary and alarming..Psyche! :)
As a movie GODFATHER was quite a success worldwide in the 70s. There was a remake of the movie in the early 90s.
Wiki info:
The Godfather is a 1972 film based on the 1969 novel of the same name by Mario Puzo and directed by Francis Ford Coppola, with a screenplay by Puzo, Coppola, and an uncredited Robert Towne. It stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall and Diane Keaton, and features Richard Castellano, Abe Vigoda and Sterling Hayden. The story spans ten years from 1945 to 1955 and chronicles the Italian-American Corleone crime family.
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Oshin
This was a Japanese show aired on DD and it was a huge Hit. About a cute sweet little girl living in a hard economy and was sent away to support her Family.
Wiki info:
at seven years, is sent off by her father to work as a babysitter, in order to support her family. With the physical and verbal abuse by her employer, Oshin insisted on sticking it through for the sake of her family. However, when she is accused of stealing money, she runs away and for days suffers through snow blizzards as she walks back home to be with her mother. But the blizzard is so rough on her, she nearly freezes to death. She's rescued by a man who himself is a fugitive, and stays with him until the snow melts. Upon her return to her home, Oshin is once again sent back out - this time to Kaga-ya in Sayaka to work as a babysitter. She makes good friends with the daughter, who is the same age as Oshin, and stays at the Kaga-ya until she turns 16. But even after returning home once again, her father wants her to once again go back out and work as a bar maid. Realizing that the bar maid job is a cover for prostitution, Oshin runs off to Tokyo to follow her older sister Haru's dream of becoming a hair stylist. While as a hairstylist, she met her husband and they were married. While they survived the Great Earthquake of 1923, their house and business was destroyed and they had to return to her in-laws house. As the marriage was not approved by her mother-in-law, Oshin suffered great hardship while living with them. She broke her arm while attempting to escape and even lost her soon-to-be-born baby because of the hard labor she had to endure working in the fields. She finally left her in-laws with her child but without her husband and attempted to rebuild her life. Subsequently, she found out she could no longer be a hair stylist because of her broken arm. She found jobs as the owner of a small bar-restaurant, pastry chef and even a peddler of fresh fish. Her business boomed and with her husband's help, Oshin established a small but bustling raw seafood shop.
Here's a Intro clip:
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The story continues right up to present 1983, and follows Oshin's adult life as she becomes a wife, raises children of her own, and experiences real-life events - including earthquakes and World War II.
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Silver Spoons is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 25, 1982 to May 11, 1986The title of the show is based on the expression that rich children are born with a proverbial silver spoon in their mouth, implying that they are given only the very best and work for nothing. It is also a term for family wealth. Despite the premise, the goal of the show was to disprove either of these notions.
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I Dream of Jeanie
is an American sitcom with a fantasy premise.Astronaut Captain Tony Nelson is on a space flight when his one-man capsule comes down far from the planned recovery area, near a deserted island. Tony notices a strange bottle that rolls by itself, and when he rubs it after removing the cork, smoke starts shooting out and Jeannie materializes and kisses Tony on the lips with passion, shocking Tony. (In the second season's animated opening, it's a kiss on the cheek and Tony is happy to receive it). Eventually, Jeannie (a homophone of genie) "blinks" a recovery helicopter into the area to rescue Tony, who is so grateful for her help that he tells her she's free. But Jeannie, who falls in love with Tony at first sight, reenters her bottle and moves it into Tony's duffel bag so she can accompany him back home. Tony at first keeps Jeannie in her bottle most of the time, but finally relents and allows her to develop a life of her own. The first thing Jeannie does is break up Tony's engagement to the general's daughter.
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Who's the Boss
The title of the show referred to the clear role reversal of the two lead actors, where a woman was the breadwinner, while a man stayed at home and took care of the house, thus the question of who the "boss" really was. It challenged media stereotypes of Italian-Americans as wholly ignorant of life outside of urban working-class neighborhoods.
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Star Trek

We were Glued to the TV at the time of STAR TREK airing and loved every bit of the show. It was so wonderful felt like as though we were living in the space-ship giving awesome commands fighting with the Alien powers and protecting the Space-ships and their people from them.
Wiki Info:
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment series and media franchise. The Star Trek fictional universe created by Gene Roddenberry is the setting of six television series including the original 1966 Star Trek, in addition to ten feature films with an eleventh in post-production to be released on May 8, 2009. The franchise also extends to dozens of computer and video games, hundreds of novels and instances of fan fiction, several fan-created video productions, as well as a themed attraction in Las Vegas. Beginning with the original TV series and continuing with the subsequent films and series, the franchise has created a cult phenomenon and has spawned many pop culture references.
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Mind your Language
Great comedy British sitcom about Foreign Students who want to learn the English language in England.
Wiki info:
Mind Your Language is a British comedy television series, that premiered on ITV in late 1977. Produced by LWT and directed by Stuart Allen, it is set in an adult education college in London and focuses on the English as a Foreign Language class taught by Mr. Jeremy Brown, portrayed by Barry Evans, who had to deal with a motley crew of foreign students. Three series were made by LWT between 1977–79, and the show was briefly revived in 1986 with six of the original cast.
Watch some funny Scenes HERE in this blog.
Here's a clip of Mind Your Language
 



OLD  COMEDY  INTERNATIONAL  SHOWS  IN  BLACK 'N' WHITE  BY  "LEGENDARY ARTISTS" ON  DOORDARSHAN NATIONAL  CHANNEL  FROM ??  THRU  80s.

I love lucy 

Thru my dad i got this info about this shows being aired on Classic doordarshan channel somewhere in the late 70s or bit earlier which was long before I entered into this world :) My folks say it did pretty good for some time.
Wiki info:
I Love Lucy is a popular and influential American situation comedy, starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance and William Frawley. The black-and-white series originally ran from October 15, 1951 to May 6, 1957 on CBS. The show continued on for three more seasons with 13 one-hour specials, running from 1957 to 1960, known first as The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show and later in reruns as The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour.
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Charlie Chaplin

Charlie Chaplin, was an Academy Award-winning English comedic actor. Chaplin became one of the most famous actors as well as a notable director, composer and musician in the early to mid Hollywood cinema era. He is considered one of the finest mimes and clowns ever captured on film. He greatly influenced other performers.

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Laurel and Hardy
The two comedians worked together briefly in 1917 on The Lucky Dog. After a period appearing separately in several short films for the Hal Roach studio during the 1920s, they began appearing in movie shorts together in 1926. Laurel and Hardy officially became a team the following year, and soon became Hal Roach's most famous and lucrative stars. Among their most popular and successful films were the features Sons of the Desert (1933), Way Out West (1937), and Block-Heads (1938) and the shorts Big Business (1929), Liberty (1929), and their Academy Award-winning short, The Music Box (1932).
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To conclude my Dear Friends, about Old Comic Black and white International shows after watching these clips: what comes to my mind is that, though these shows were old but the entertainment till date is so Fresh and enjoyable, you can still watch them and laugh your hearts out. Pure, classic, Original and Mind blowing Performances. Seriously these LEGENDS are now remembered as Rare Diamonds as they created this wonderful Platform of Comic Entertainment which is so inspiring to the young artists and a great treat to the VIEWERS. Artist of today's time, I doubt if they can ever deliver this kind of Natural Performances which came out straight from their HEART and also doubt if youngsters/any artists would ever develop that undying Passions these Great Legends had in them.

1 comment:

  1. AnonymousJuly 08, 2012

    There was one more series which used to come, I remember a little, however don't recollect the name of the series. That was about the hitler of Germany. What's the name do u remember or know what's the name of that series

    ReplyDelete

Old-Idiot-Box search

Watch the Pilot Episode, right here ;) its called "THE FIRST LESSON".

This may have not been aired on DD national channel in the 70s or 80s but I must tell ya, its pretty entertaining. I am sure you guys would love it the plot is based on the Foreign students who join the Adult School in UK England i believe, to learn "English as a Foreign Language" this is the course they are "Unrolled for" as one of the student puts it to the school's pompous and tight-fisted Principal, Ms Courtney, when the student is looking to find the Classroom (what he means is Enrolled for) Mr Brown who's the English teacher learns himself the trouble and humor in different cultures from the students as he is teaching them. I love this sitcom enjoyed watchin' very episode n its really hilarious to listen to the students when they innocently mis-interpret things or mis-pronounce words while they are learning. Watch n Enjoy:)">



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