Welcome to the 1970s – now seen as the decade that tastes forgot ... All this happened on television. It Was Alright in the 1970s, Channel 4 2014
In 1970 protesters targeted the Miss World contest in London. ibid.
‘I want to be raped!’ ibid. Butterflies monologue
Nowhere did we smoke more it would seem than on television. ibid.
Only one of three TV channels ... A time before political correctness. It Was Alright in the 1970s II
What passed for seventies entertainment. ibid.
Where were the liberated female role models on TV? ibid.
Ford's ‘she doesn't know ...’ [ad nauseam] TV ad. ibid.
The Man Alive Report: Public Disgrace 1976 ... ‘Gay shirts ... I have in every way leaned backwards to be absolutely sure of my facts.’ ibid. rozzer
Sez Les 1972: The sketch show’s camp stereotype made regular appearances in silly outfits. ibid.
In ’70s’ light entertainment, camp was king or queen. ibid.
The Black and White Minstrel Show: 1958 to 1978. ibid.
The Goodies’ South African ‘nig-nogs’ sketch. ibid.
Curry and Chips 1969 London Weekend Television. ‘Woman shot rather than raped’ sketch ... axed after six episodes. ibid.
Love thy Neighbour: Sambos, spades. ibid.
1977: Mind Your Language. ibid.
‘This is the first decade where people are spending a significant proportion of their income on leisure activities, on fun.’ Back in Time for the Weekend, BBC 2016
Now British consumers were waking up to what Japanese manufacturers had to offer. ibid.
In 1979 a football match was played at the Hawthorns, home of West Bromwich Albion. On one side eleven white players, on the other eleven black players. Whites vs Blacks? Yes really. Stranger still, back then it all felt rather progressive. Now the very thought of it makes you wince. Adrian Chiles, White vs Blacks: How Football Changed a Nation, BBC 2016
So how does this tell us about how things were back then for black people? ibid.
My black heroes were subjected to the vilest abuse. ibid.
There was fear and ignorance in equal measure. ibid.
Black players – we [West Brom] had three of them. ibid.
He [Laurie Cunningham] was the first player of colour to play for Real Madrid. ibid.
We journey back to an era when everything seemed frankly baffling. The Best of Bad TV I: The 70s, Channel 5 2017
Doomwatch … Tomorrow’s World: the future was very orange … The Two Ronnies’ Black and White Minstrels sketch … Boomph with Becker … The Persuaders: one gloriously vacuous series … Jason King: author turned crime fighter … Sale of the Century … Nationwide … Blue Peter: Brownies’ camp fire sets alight studio … Play School … Rainbow … Junior Showtime … England v Poland … World of Sport: artistic cycling … The Indoor League … Why Don’t You? ... Pipkins … Lonely Water … New Year’s Eve at the Golden Garter … Eurovision Song Contest … Wheeltappers & Shunters Social Club … In Concert: Pam’s People … Public Information Film: The Shiny Floor … Open Door … Don’t Ask Me inc David Bellamy … Doctor Who: Invasion of the Dinosaurs … Till Death Us to Part inc Spike Milligan’s Indian sketch … It Ain’t ’Alf Hot Mum … Crossroads Motel … Churchill’s People … Seaside Special … Cher … The Ann-Margret Show … I Claudius … Fanny Cradock & The Big Time … Today inc The Sex Pistols … The Feathered Serpent … Star Maidens … Paul Daniels … The Professionals … Good Morning Calendar … The Black and White Minstrel Show … Arthur Mullard & Hilda Baker … The World Disco Dance Championships … Blake’s 7 … 3-2-1: ‘You have rejected this marvellous prize of a greyhound’ … Sapphire and Steel … Jigsaw … ibid.
A UFO leaves behind a mysterious glowing ring. Strange pieces of metal found in a human body after a UFO encounter. An entire Mexican recovery team allegedly perish when inspecting the UFO crash site. And flying saucers are caught on film. The 1970s was an era of some of the most extraordinary UFO sightings ever reported. UFO Files s4e1: UFOs of the 70s
September 1st 1974 Saskatchewan, Canada: ‘Metallic-looking, flat on the bottom, it was domed on top, was hovering just a foot or so above the ground’ … It’s not just one UFO but an entire fleet … Shortly after, the objects disappear … ‘Five rings, all swirled compressed.’ ibid.
October 8th 1978 Missouri: A grandmother and her grandchild spot a mysterious object in the field … an oval white something sitting in the field … She called her husband; he called his son … the object leaps about ten feet straight up into the air, and this thing is only like four feet in diameter, and all the people are screaming, and it’s hovering there ten feet above the ground … without a sound the object then begins an ascent away from the property … no sound at any time and the object is rotating, no wings, no engine … It merges with a second much larger cylindrical-shaped UFO in the sky … The craters were about an inch and a quarter deep in the soil. ibid.
In 1979 a mysterious object not only leaves physical evidence, it nearly kills a Minnesota deputy sheriff … There was considerable damage to the car … [Deputy] Val Johnson was found to have what they call Welder’s burn to his eyes … the watch on his wrist and the car clock stopped for 14 minutes. ibid.
May 30th 1978: This UFO incident stand out as it reportedly left its physical evidence implanted in one of the witnesses. Tim Cullen and his wife Janet are driving north near Highway 59 when they encounter what they believe is a UFO. They only recall staying at the scene for a few minutes; when they return home they discover that they have been gone for more than an hour. 20 years later a routine X-ray reveals an unexplained piece of metal in Tim’s arm. ibid.
In the early 1970s you couldn’t avoid hearing Cat Stevens. His music seemed to come from every window. We were all beguiled by his good looks, and by songs that seemed to provide answers for a generation searching for meaning after the tumult of the 1960s. But then Cat Stevens abruptly quit music to begin a new life as Yussuf Islam, a devout Muslim dedicating himself to education and humanitarian work. Alan Yentob, Imagine … The Artist Formerly Known as Cat Stevens, BBC 2006
After a year away, Cat Stevens came back with a new look, a new sound, and songs that perfectly caught the mood at the dawn of the 1970s. ibid.
I said, ‘God, if you save me, I’ll work for you.’ ibid.
‘Yussuf Islam, once known as the singer Cat Stevens, has been refused entry to the United States; he’s apparently regarded as a threat to US national security. Really? On what evidence?’ ibid. BBC Newsnight 22 September 2004
So we saw that period in the 70s when corporations organised. Chris Hedges, lecture Seattle University 2018, ‘Corporate Totalitarianism: The End Game’ *****
It’s not a very clear time for me: the 70s. Fargo s3e3: The Law of Non-Contradiction, Vivian to Gloria, FX 2017
What do you think makes a place hot? At 54, what was the phenomenon that was international? Studio 54: The Documentary, Sky Arts 2019
When you walked through those blacked-out doors you were in another world. ibid.
Anyone that was allowed in were totally free inside. ibid. dude #2
I love the nightlife. And I love seeing people have fun. There’s nothing that makes me happier than seeing people have a good time. ibid. dude #3
Enchanted Garden 1976: All these extravagant parties. ibid.
Boom boom … The full blast of the sound came over you in a big way. ibid.
I like the Atmosphere at Studio 54. I’m ready to have a good time … It’s escapism … ibid. high-pitched Michael Jackson
Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager went on to create two hotels together and introduce the concept of the boutique hotel. Schrager has gone on to create 38 more and continues to revolutionize the hotel industry. ibid.
The most fragmented decade of them all: 1970s. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was a time of wisdom, it was a time of foolishness, the 70s started on a rising tide of 60s’ optimism and modernity. The Home that 2 Built s1e2: Seventies
The first time in our history when more people owned their house than rented. ibid.
BBC reflected the new house-owning fashion in their hit comedy of the period: 1972’s The Return of the Likely Lads. ibid.
The housing boom created a golden age of DIY as people started to do up old houses or repair new ones. ibid.
Make Your Own Furniture with Albert Jackson & David Day. ibid.
We needed a domestic goddess. We needed Delia … In Delia’s first cookery course on [BBC] 2 she taught the basics. ibid.
6 breweries in the 1970s brewed 72% of all our beer. ibid.
BBC2 was much much happier with more traditional forms of horticulture. With well ordered gardens in a disordered world. ibid.
Geoffrey Smith: All in a Day’s Gardening. ibid.