I never pictured myself as a “golden oldie.” I used to cringe whenever my parents or other relatives would switch the radio to a “classics” channel. Now, I have found myself in a time of life where my favorites are now the oldies.
Come on over that hill with me!
I don’t know about you, but the news has been driving me a wee bit crazy lately. Correct that—it has been driving me ABSOLUTELY BONKERS. Mind you, I know I don’t need to stick my head in the sand and ignore everything; I need to be informed. But the bombardment of negativity can get to me.
Enter retro TV. One of these channels recently began airing one of my favorites at evening news time—Happy Days.
Thank you, Mr. or Ms. Program Director.
Instead of watching Norah, Lester, or David, I’ve been watching Richie, Potsie, and Ralph Malph . . . and, of course, the Fonz.
My relationship with these characters began when I was in middle school (Have I mentioned I’m an oldie?), when all of us guys wanted to be cool like the Fonz. I’m now watching the show with many miles and much writing experience behind me, and I have noticed some important changes.
Episodes in the first two years of Happy Days were like mini-coming-of-age movies, with Richie, Potsie, and Ralph at the center and Fonzie on the periphery, definitely an ancillary character. In the third season premiere and beyond, the show changed dramatically. Not only did producers change from film to tape—they changed the central character. Move over, Richie.
The savvy writers and producers realized Fonz, expertly played by Henry Winkler, was the breakout character, so, beginning in the third season, he appeared front and center in nearly every episode and storyline. He was soon doling advice to Richie and the gang, jumping his motorcycle over barrels, and smashing cars in a demolition derby, not to mention infamously jumping the shark.
As writers, we must be on the lookout for breakout characters, those creations who seem to jump off the page (not over the shark). By listening to our characters and responding to the ones who seem to be the most charismatic, we will grip our readers and keep them coming back for more. We have to be willing to change direction, if necessary, to liven up things. If it worked for the Fonz, it will work for us.
AAAAYYY! Don’t be a nerd—sit on it! Your writing chair, that is.
Carlton Hughes, represented by Cyle Young of Hartline Literary, wears many hats. By day, he is a professor of communication. On Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings, he serves as a children’s pastor. In his “spare time,” he is a freelance writer. Carlton is an empty-nesting dad and devoted husband who likes long walks on the beach, old sitcoms, and chocolate–all the chocolate. His work has been featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Dating Game, The Wonders of Nature, Let the Earth Rejoice, Just Breathe, So God Made a Dog, and Everyday Grace for Men. His latest book is Adventures in Fatherhood, co-authored with Holland Webb.
The youngster thought it her
privilege to pick the name for her soon-to-be-born sibling. She gleefully and toothlessly
spit out, “Pebbles!”
This
casual mention of a cartoon character in the book I was reading triggered a
warm fuzzy in my heart and a thought in my brain. Whether we write contemporary
or historical fiction, incorporating specific TV programming can enhance the
experience of readers.
For
example, a scene from our story might read:
Heroine
made dinner while the children watched television in the living room.
Simple,
almost boring. But the scene comes alive if we include the program.
Heroine
made dinner, smiling at the giggles from her two children who sat in the living
room watching Ernie and Elmo, their favorite Sesame Street friends.
Or,
consider a scene with our Hero and Heroine:
The
day had been long and Heroine hoped to veg in front of the television with Hero.
Instead, ruminate on this:
The
day had been long and Heroine hoped to veg in front of Wheel of Fortune and
Jeopardy. Hero switched the channel to the Red Sox game.
With
the above change, not only did we learn something about both characters, we
created a bit of tension.
Before using early television programming in our work, we should ask a few questions.
Critical
to writers of historical fiction: “Did they even have television then?”
Televisions
were commercially released in 1938, though few homes could afford them. However,
by the early 1950s, half of American homes had a TV set in their living room.
This new phenomenon was boxy in appearance with an antenna (nicknamed rabbit
ears). Programming was limited to only a few channels and the picture appeared grainy
and in black and white. As technology progressed, screen size and picture
quality increased. The number of channels expanded from a few to 13 to cable
additions. By the mid-1960s, it was common to have a color television in the
home.
Also,
important: What programs were popular? Would our readers likely recognize them
today or do we need to include an explanation?
The
following is a grocery-store sampling of what folks in America might have been
watching during the early decades of television.
1940s
Howdy
Doody, the first children’s program, aired in 1947 and ran for 13 years.
Truman
delivered the first televised presidential address to the nation (October 5,
1947).
These Are My Children
was the first daytime soap opera. (1947)
1950s
I
Love Lucy (1951)
The
Tonight Show (1954)
Gunsmoke
(1957) and Bonanza (1959)
1960s
The
Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan show (February 9, 1964)
Star
Trek (1966)
60
Minutes (1968-date)
Sesame
Street (1969-date)
1970s
Monday
Night Football (1970-2005)
M*A*S*H
(1972-1983)
Nickelodian
(1977)
ESPN
on cable (1979)
If
the above doesn’t stimulate our creative juices, an internet search of
television programming by decade should provide a buffet of ideas that can (1)
add another smattering of detail to our stories, (2) endear a character to our
readers’ hearts, and/or (3) augment character development.
Whether
comedy or drama or a memorable event, why not experiment with a glimpse of TV
programming in our next writing project?
Jeannine
Brummett lives in South Carolina with her husband of
nineteen years, Don, who shares his three adult sons and three grandchildren
with her. Reading is big on her list of things to do, but she also thrives on
TV crime dramas, NBA basketball, and marvels at the critters and fowl life that
live at the pond behind their house. She loves to sing praise songs, attend
Bible Study, and help at a local food pantry.
I recently heard a discussion about pop culture “landmarks”– movies or television shows that have made a lasting impression on your life and writing career, and it made me think about my landmarks.
As a young boy, I was obsessed with the 1960s Batman series, which I watched in reruns every day after school. The WHAM! BAM! POW! graphics, colorful sets, and overall cheesy manner were right up my alley. I guess you can trace my odd outlook on life to this show.
Other favorites that left their mark are I Love Lucy, The Brady Bunch, and The Carol Burnett Show—it’s no wonder I write humor. The more I pondered about my landmarks, digging deeper to think of a television show that made me want to be a writer, one program stood out: Lou Grant.
Oh, Lou Grant! The spinoff of the Mary Tyler Moore Show took place in the busy newsroom of a Los Angeles newspaper, and it enthralled me. The show debuted right about the time that I was asked to be the junior high correspondent for the high school paper and, ironically, ended as I graduated high school and finished my illustrious journalism career there.
Week to week for five seasons, Grant guided his bevy of reporters in breaking the latest stories in rousing fashion. He served as a mentor for newcomer Billie Newman and often butted heads with overly-enthusiastic Joe Rossi. Who can forget Grant’s visits to regal publisher Mrs. Pynchon, with her pearls, her tough-yet-understanding demeanor, and her little dog constantly in her lap?
Each Monday night, I would pop my Jiffy Pop (which still fascinates me), grab a glass bottle of Pepsi, and park myself in front of the huge color television set in our small living room, ready for some exciting journalism action. I couldn’t get enough of the show as it captured the highs and lows of chasing a story and dealt with the benefits and consequences of investigative reporting. Combined with my work on articles about school assemblies and club meetings, I was hooked.
My love affair with journalism didn’t end with the cancellation of Lou Grant, as I went on to major in journalism in college and still teach it, in addition to my freelance writing.
A few years ago, one of our obscure cable channels showed Lou Grant reruns for a short while. The strong sense of journalism remained, but many of the references and issues were dated. The newsroom was full of fancy electronic TYPEWRITERS, and there was even a scene with a newfangled invention—a CAR PHONE. Even so, it remains a pop culture landmark and an important influence in my writing journey.
Now . . . what’s your landmark?
Carlton Hughes wears many hats. By day, he’s a professor of communication at Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College. On Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings, he does object lessons and songs with motions as Children’s Pastor of Lynch Church of God. In his “spare time,” he is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in numerous publications, including Chicken Soup for the Soul and several devotional books from Worthy Publishing—Let the Earth Rejoice, Just Breathe, So God Made a Dog, and the soon-to-be-released Everyday Grace for Men. Carlton and his wife Kathy have two college-age sons, Noah and Ethan. He is on the planning committee for Kentucky Christian Writers Conference and is a year-round volunteer for Operation Christmas child.
As an English major in the 90s, I was excited to learn my craft and be creative. However, I was clueless about what to create. Then one day, I bought a book that changed how I viewed my passion for writing.
The late Bob Briner’s classic The Roaring Lambs challenged Christians to use their talents to create positive and redemptive art across the spectrum of entertainment: sports, music, art, television, and film. Briner called Hollywood a “Mission field!”[i]
Recently, I sat down with 30 year Hollywood veteran Brian Bird (The Case for Christ, When Calls The Heart) to talk about how the lambs (the church) can roar in this mission field.
Martin Johnson: I know you are a fan of the Roaring Lambs, how has the film industry changed since it came out in the 90s?
Brian Bird: Oh yes, love the book! Prior to the book, For much of the 20th century, I think Christians working in the arts were few and far between, with the exception of music. There were a handful of believers working in the film industry, but a lot of that activity was specifically on church films, small-time evangelistic church films. But there was not a real attempt to break into the mainstream audience with Christian films; for the most part, evangelicals were M.I.A.
Martin Johnson: You used an interesting word there, evangelicals. As a filmmaker, what does it mean to be an evangelical filmmaker?
Brian Bird: There are filmmakers who are Christians who make sermons on film. There are Christian filmmakers who don’t make specifically evangelistic films, and there are filmmakers who are evangelicals who don’t make Christian films. You can even be a non-believer and make a terrific evangelical film. It’s all about telling great stories.
Martin Johnson: Briner expressed how the church needs writers. What do you hope to accomplish at the end of the day?
Brian Bird: My personal mission is to tell stories that stir up cravings in people’s souls, make them want to know God—to be effective as I can be at communicating my Christian worldview through good story-telling, to tell stories that don’t beat people over the head, but, stir up soul cravings. To me those are the best kind of faith films. Sometimes evangelistic films can be neither good evangelism nor good filmmaking; because their intent from the beginning is propaganda. There are good uses for propaganda. Propaganda in the most generous sense of the world can be put to good use as evangelism. The Jesus films have been effective at that. A good example of that is The Jesus Film—very effective. Those kinds of films are good and effective, but that is not what I’ve been called to do. I’ve been called to just tell great, true, redemptive stories that are not there just to entertain, but to provoke hearts to greater self-reflection and get people talking about the water cooler. In my view, the story of Jesus and his work on the cross needs to be shared between two flesh and blood people having a conversation. Not by a picture on a wall.
Martin Johnson: What is the main roadblock keeping Christian film from being successful at the box office?
Brian Bird: Ourselves. . .the church! If evangelicals are going to make a difference in the giant media conversation going on across the world, we, have to pursue excellence in our crafts of communicating. The church must support the gifts of creative evangelicals when it does the message and the art can soar! During the Renaissance, the church supported all the great artists of that time and people like Michelangelo were able to strive for excellence because of that support. Art in humans is always a reflection of the creativity behind the creation of the universe. The Renaissance artists were trying to bring heaven to earth with their creations, as CS Lewis said… all art from men is an attempt to copy heaven. We are made in the image of our creator; it is in our DNA to create. This was evident in the Renaissance, the Reformation; the church stopped supporting the arts. The theology of the church began to view all art as worldly and considered it sinful. But that is so counterintuitive to the truth in the Bible. The view of art became worldly, it was considered sinful. God was the first writer … in the beginning was the Word (John 1:1–4). The Bible is full of references to the beauty and art in creation, and yet for several hundred years the church left art behind in favor of the “good enough principal.” We need to get back to pursuing excellence in Hollywood and that to me is the biggest obstacle facing us, the good enough principle. That’s where art has been relegated in the church and it has to stop—this attitude that art doesn’t have to be excellent, all it has to be is useful. We need to strive for excellence, not for our own glory—but for the glory of our creator, God. We can trust Him with our talents.
Brian Bird on the set of, “When Calls the Heart”
Martin Johnson: I’m glad you mentioned trusting God, Briner says that the lambs can trust their Shepherd.
Brian Bird: Throughout history, all art has been passed down from one generation to the next through a process called “Copy the Master.” In an art class, for example, the Master, or the teacher, is at the front of the room painting or sculpting, and the students are at their canvass. They copy the Master but bring themselves to the canvass in order to learn our art. Well, we are all in the class with the author of the universe—that’s quite a source to copy from. And we can trust our Master with every creative bone in our bodies.
Martin Johnson: Briner says art is a full-time ministry. What do you think?
Brian Bird: He was absolutely right; it is how we answer our God-given calling. Every person who finds Jesus needs to strive to become a minister out of the skills and talents God has gifted them with, both inside and outside the church.
Martin Johnson: Briner points out that part of our ministry is being the salt of the earth. Thus, for Christians to be roaring lambs in Hollywood we can’t just be just entertaining, we need to be ministers of the gospel.
Brian Bird We should be telling great stories, but they have to stir up soul cravings in people. We need to tell stories that help people realize there is more to life than what this world offers. Great stories have great messages. If they’re not entertaining though, they are not good stories. We have to do both. We have to tell stories that transfix our audiences; you have to keep your audience entertained so they can organically receive the meta-narrative or message, that is at the heart of your story.
Martin Johnson: In closing, what do you see the church doing to become the roaring lambs Briner described in his book?
Brian Bird: I think that is starting to happen. I think there’s a new renaissance beginning. I am witnessing it around me, in younger people that I mentor in filmmaking. I have this film coming out September 14th I executive produced called The Heart of Man and I shepherded a group of incredibly young talented filmmakers. I am so proud of them and proud of what we are making. I think it’s about all of us who are in this business encouraging one another to push for excellence, not to settle for just good enough, to practice the 10,000 -hour rule and to be bold. Some people who are born with a spark of genius need to put in their 10,000 hours in order to get really good at what they do. That’s how genius become experts. All of us are born with that spark because we are made in the image of the author of all things. But if we sit on our hands and don’t put in the time to become experts, we will never be the roaring lambs Bob Briner was hoping for.
[i] Briner, P (1993). The Roaring Lambs. Grand Rapids: Zondervan
Brian Bird “When Calls the Heart Devotion” with Michelle Cox
Martin is a forty-three-year-old award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book after three years of researching, editing and remembering.
While majoring in English, he walked away from the Christian faith to experience the grandeur and luster of college life. While dating, he delved into different spiritual beliefs—from Hinduism to Catholicism and Judaism.Martin’s journey took him on a journey for answers.
In March of 1997, Martin received his answer. Albeit, not the answer he wanted. Nearly dying in a severe car accident, he survived with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side.
After enduring eleven months of humiliating rehabilitation and therapy, Martin found himself at the foot of the cross with a choice to make. It was then Martin realized to truly live, he had to die. Not physically but in every other area of his life. There could be no compromise.
Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries Martin shares his testimony. Martin explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives.
