‘The Real McCoys’ Doctrine
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By Jim Thompson
HCP columnist
The television show “The Real McCoys” predated “Mr. Ed” (the talking horse). This is an important piece of information related to my early TV viewing years, because I got to see “The Real McCoys.”
When “Mr. Ed” came along, Dad thought it was stupid to waste your time looking at a box with a talking horse in it; hence, that was the end of the TV and our family’s TV viewing days were over until I got married in 1973 and acquired my own set.
There are so many important matters related to “The Real McCoys” series that I have come to refer to it as “The Real McCoys Doctrine.”
The most current development is that Amazon Prime has chosen to show “The Real McCoys.” I’ll take this as a proxy to re-affirm the premise that media companies don’t care what you watch, as long as you will pay to see it. Hence, there is no great message for society in “The Matrix” or the Bourne series – we just watch them. They say nothing about society, they are just something people will pay to watch.
And since I have never watched “The Matrix” or the Bourne series (only heard people vaguely talking about them) they may be a deep study in microwave cooking as far as I know and y’all are getting a chuckle out of my ignorance.
Back to “The Real McCoys.” The stars of “The Real McCoys” were: Walter Brennan (Grandpa Amos McCoy); Richard Crenna (“Big” Luke McCoy); Kathleen Nolan (Kate McCoy); Michael Winkelman (Little Luke) and others.
Episode 4 first aired on Oct. 24, 1957. The setup is that the McCoys are three months behind on their mortgage (a total of $150), and everyone in the family is pitching in trying to help raise the money.
We’ll peek in starting 10:17 into the episode:
Little Luke (about 10 years old) comes running into the house.
Little Luke: “Hey look, Grandpa, look what I got!” (holds out his hand with some coins in it)
Big Luke: “Where did you get all that money?”
Grandpa: “Where did you get 72 cents young fellow? You robbin’ a bank or something?”
Little Luke: “Nope. I come by it honest. I’ve been down on Singer Street, beggin’!”
All the adults shout: “Begging!?!”
Little Luke: “Sure, it was real easy. I think that is what I am going to do when I grow up.”
Kate: “You mean to tell me you was begging this money off of strangers on the street?”
Little Luke: “They wasn’t exactly strangers, Kate. I introduced myself nice and kindly. I said, ‘Pardon me, sir,’ and if they was ladies, I said, ‘Pardon me, madam. My name is Little Luke McCoy and if we don’t make some money real fast, we are going to be kicked out of our house.’”
Kate: “Little Luke, how could you do a thing like that? Now you go right back in town and give them people back their money.”
Little Luke (angry): “Why?”
Big Luke (jumps in): “Well, he can’t do that, how’s he going to find them?”
Kate: “I don’t know, but Little Luke, I ought to spank you. I’ll never be able to show my face in this town again.”
Little Luke: “Jingle. Try to help out and they get mad.”
Grandpa: “Now wait a minute. I know how you feel about it son, but you know, when you go begging money from people like that, as young and healthy as you are, why, that’s shameful.”
Little Luke: “It is?”
Grandpa: “It’s worse than stealing.”
Big Luke: “Besides that, it is against the law.”
Grandpa: “Don’t you ever do nothing like that again. Us McCoys work for our money. We don’t go beggin’ for it, you understand?”
A couple of points here. This aired almost 61 years ago. What has happened to society and your perspective in the last 61 years that makes you think this is innocent, naïve, cute and laughable?
For those are your emotions, aren’t they?
“Hollywood” wrote this script.
What has happened to “Hollywood” in the last 61 years to turn it from writing valuable life lessons like this (and “The Real McCoys” dish these out at the rate of about four or five per episode) into the garbage it turns out today?
It wouldn’t be just plain old money, would it? Is “Hollywood” really amoral and not interested in anything but money? Should we listen to “Hollywood’s” moral lessons about anything?
Finally, is our world today really better off than it was 61 years ago?
Jim Thompson, formerly of Marshall, is a graduate of Hillsboro High School and the University of Cincinnati. He resides in Duluth, Ga. and is a columnist for The Highland County Press.
HCP columnist
The television show “The Real McCoys” predated “Mr. Ed” (the talking horse). This is an important piece of information related to my early TV viewing years, because I got to see “The Real McCoys.”
When “Mr. Ed” came along, Dad thought it was stupid to waste your time looking at a box with a talking horse in it; hence, that was the end of the TV and our family’s TV viewing days were over until I got married in 1973 and acquired my own set.
There are so many important matters related to “The Real McCoys” series that I have come to refer to it as “The Real McCoys Doctrine.”
The most current development is that Amazon Prime has chosen to show “The Real McCoys.” I’ll take this as a proxy to re-affirm the premise that media companies don’t care what you watch, as long as you will pay to see it. Hence, there is no great message for society in “The Matrix” or the Bourne series – we just watch them. They say nothing about society, they are just something people will pay to watch.
And since I have never watched “The Matrix” or the Bourne series (only heard people vaguely talking about them) they may be a deep study in microwave cooking as far as I know and y’all are getting a chuckle out of my ignorance.
Back to “The Real McCoys.” The stars of “The Real McCoys” were: Walter Brennan (Grandpa Amos McCoy); Richard Crenna (“Big” Luke McCoy); Kathleen Nolan (Kate McCoy); Michael Winkelman (Little Luke) and others.
Episode 4 first aired on Oct. 24, 1957. The setup is that the McCoys are three months behind on their mortgage (a total of $150), and everyone in the family is pitching in trying to help raise the money.
We’ll peek in starting 10:17 into the episode:
Little Luke (about 10 years old) comes running into the house.
Little Luke: “Hey look, Grandpa, look what I got!” (holds out his hand with some coins in it)
Big Luke: “Where did you get all that money?”
Grandpa: “Where did you get 72 cents young fellow? You robbin’ a bank or something?”
Little Luke: “Nope. I come by it honest. I’ve been down on Singer Street, beggin’!”
All the adults shout: “Begging!?!”
Little Luke: “Sure, it was real easy. I think that is what I am going to do when I grow up.”
Kate: “You mean to tell me you was begging this money off of strangers on the street?”
Little Luke: “They wasn’t exactly strangers, Kate. I introduced myself nice and kindly. I said, ‘Pardon me, sir,’ and if they was ladies, I said, ‘Pardon me, madam. My name is Little Luke McCoy and if we don’t make some money real fast, we are going to be kicked out of our house.’”
Kate: “Little Luke, how could you do a thing like that? Now you go right back in town and give them people back their money.”
Little Luke (angry): “Why?”
Big Luke (jumps in): “Well, he can’t do that, how’s he going to find them?”
Kate: “I don’t know, but Little Luke, I ought to spank you. I’ll never be able to show my face in this town again.”
Little Luke: “Jingle. Try to help out and they get mad.”
Grandpa: “Now wait a minute. I know how you feel about it son, but you know, when you go begging money from people like that, as young and healthy as you are, why, that’s shameful.”
Little Luke: “It is?”
Grandpa: “It’s worse than stealing.”
Big Luke: “Besides that, it is against the law.”
Grandpa: “Don’t you ever do nothing like that again. Us McCoys work for our money. We don’t go beggin’ for it, you understand?”
A couple of points here. This aired almost 61 years ago. What has happened to society and your perspective in the last 61 years that makes you think this is innocent, naïve, cute and laughable?
For those are your emotions, aren’t they?
“Hollywood” wrote this script.
What has happened to “Hollywood” in the last 61 years to turn it from writing valuable life lessons like this (and “The Real McCoys” dish these out at the rate of about four or five per episode) into the garbage it turns out today?
It wouldn’t be just plain old money, would it? Is “Hollywood” really amoral and not interested in anything but money? Should we listen to “Hollywood’s” moral lessons about anything?
Finally, is our world today really better off than it was 61 years ago?
Jim Thompson, formerly of Marshall, is a graduate of Hillsboro High School and the University of Cincinnati. He resides in Duluth, Ga. and is a columnist for The Highland County Press.