Grabby guys like Hawkeye and Sam Malone a ‘turn off’ today
T HE tidal wave of sexualmisconduct allegations against some of Hollywood’s most famous figures hasn’t just made it hard to watch
them on screen — it has turned many of our favorite old shows into cringeworthy viewing.
Sexual harassment and assault actually served as running gags on TV for decades — with lecherous men and office sleazebags a sitcom staple — but in this postHarvey Weinstein era, what once had audiences laughing now makes viewers gasp.
Syracuse University TV and popular-culture Professor Robert Thompson says he saw the change firsthand recently when he showed his History of Television class a classic “M*A*S*H” episode he’s been screening for years. The episode, “Abyssinia, Henry” is the third-season tearjerker in which Lt. Col. Henry Blake (McLean Stevenson) is discharged and gets to leave the Korean War — only to be killed when his plane is shot down on the way home.
Right before Blake leaves to return to his wife and kids, he grabs nurse Maj. Margaret Houlihan and forcibly kisses her in front of their cheering colleagues.
“There was an audible gasp,” Thompson said. “That was considered part of fun high jinks of ‘M*A*S*H.’ But playing it to students who had been sitting through this long string of sexual harassment [scandals] was really awkward.
“[But] it wasn’t just ‘ M*A*S*H.’ Consonantly, mostly in comedies, women talked about how bosses were chasing them around. Lechery was a punchline. I think that speaks volumes,” he added.
Here’s a rewind on some of the television shows that are now uncomfortable to watch.
‘M*A*S*H’
I T wasn’t just “M*A*S*H” — but the classic 1970s comedy was one of the worst offenders and one of the most influential shows of its era, Thompson says. It ran for 11 years, was a huge hit and the characters’ lecherous behavior “was really central to a lot of the comedy.”
Where many skeevy TV characters are portrayed as losers, the main protagonist on “M*A*S*H,” Alan Alda’s Capt. Benjamin Franklin “Hawkeye” Pierce, was suave, funny and smart.
But he, and the other men, also terrorized Loretta Swit’s Houlihan — whom they called “Hot Lips” — and other nurses with sleazy, handsy come-ons.
“If fictional characters could be
exposed, I’m sure Hawkeye Pierce would be one of them. All those nurses would finally come forward and talk about all the things he did,” Thompson said.
As the show and times went on, Alda — a liberal and self-professed “feminist” — gained more influence, and both “M*A*S*H” and his character moved away from such sexist gags. One Emmy-winning 1979 episode, written by Alda, shows Hawkeye throwing a tantrum when he’s shown up in surgery by a female doctor who ignored his advances the night before — but he later confronts his sexist attitude and apologizes to her and Houlihan.
‘Taxi’
S TARTING in 1978, the Emmy-winning “Taxi” was another rightfully lauded comedy with sharp writing, acclaimed actors and nuanced plots that were often ahead of their time — but still with plenty to make 2018 viewers cringe.
Danny DeVito’s loathsome dispatcher, Louie De Palma, was the resident creep of a New York City yellow-cab depot, with female driver Elaine Nardo (Marilu Henner) often in his sights.
It came to a head in the 1981 episode “Louie Goes Too Far,” in which Elaine catches him watching her change through a peephole into the women’s restroom.
His male colleagues denounce his actions — but also do nothing until she lawyers up and the company is forced to fire him (but not before Louie suggests “a spanking” as punishment to Elaine’s female attorney, com- plete with yuks from the laugh track).
After he shows up at Elaine’s home and begs her to reconsider her complaint, she finally gets him to understand how he objectified and humiliated her — and the stocky, 4-foot-10 De Palma shares his own touching story of the unwanted eyes he feels on him when he’s forced to shop for clothes in the children’ s “husky” section.
The two make amends and embrace — until Louie uses the hug as a chance to grab Elaine’s butt, while the laugh track again goes wild.
Louie is back at work in the next episode.
‘WKRP in Cincinnati’
G ARISHLY dressed Herb Tarlek (Frank Bonner) is the office sleaze at the fictional rock-radio station of “WKRP in Cincinnati,” where the married sales manager constantly hits on unreceptive blond-bombshell receptionist Jennifer Marlowe (Loni Anderson).
“How about this: Hop into a pair of black leather skintights and we go bowling in Kentucky?” he tells her in a second-season episode of the show,
which ran from 1978 to 1982 before an ill-conceived reboot in 1991.
Jennifer always shoots Herb down with withering zingers — but he always comes back for more.
“She was an interesting case. She was so expert at deflecting the leering from the salesman character,” said Thompson, noting she was portrayed as the most powerful and intelligent person at the station, even if her job title didn’t reflect that.
“I’d love to travel back in time to represent this woman to sue the entire company,” said Eric Richman, a Manhattan attorney who often represents sexual-assault victims.
‘Cheers’
S AM and Diane are remembered fondly as TV’s ultimate “will they, won’t they?” couple — but the show’s first season, before they finally hook up, plays far less romantically to a 21st-century viewer.
Womanizing bar manager Sam Malone (Ted Danson) relentlessly pur- sues barmaid, Diane Chambers (Shelley Long) — including pulling her into an unexpected kiss in the fourth episode, forcing her to judo-throw him off her.
A similar pattern repeats when Diane is replaced by Rebecca Howe (Kirstie Alley), although this time, she is Sam’s boss — not that that makes it any better if the advances are unwanted, Richman notes, saying, “You can be harassed by not only co-workers, but third parties and people who are below you.”
‘Spin City’
A TTORNEY Anita Hill’s accusations of sexual assault against Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas in 1991 raised the public’s consciousness about inappropriate behavior in the workplace — and TV storylines changed to reflect that, Thompson notes. “Anything post-Anita Hill is different,” he said. But apparently, not that different. The 1996 Michael J. Fox vehicle “Spin City” — set in a fictional New York City mayor’s office — featured a classic office sleaze in the character of Assistant Deputy Mayor Stuart Bondek (Alan Ruck). In one episode, Stuart’s vindictive ex files sexual-harassment charges against him, and in the ensuing investigation, various female staffers tell his bosses that he calls them “sweater meat” and “eye candy” — while press secretary Paul Lassiter (Richard Kind) says Stuart published naked photos of him online. “That’s not ha- rassing you, Paul. That’s harassing the Internet!” Fox’s character quips.
In counterpoint, New York’s real mayor, Bill de Blasio, signed a City Council bill last year making “revenge porn” a crime.
“That’s definitely illegal now,” said Richman. “It went from something considered funny to something unacceptable to something illegal — and rightfully so.”
Despite all this, Stuart’s bosses agree that he is clearly not sexually harassing other staffers — and set about exposing his ex.
Pepé Le Pew
But all of the previous fictional pervs pale in comparison to television’s most notorious sexual predator: Pepé Le Pew.
Warner Bros.’s anthropomorphized French skunk, first created in 1945, relentlessly stalks the terrified Penelope Pussycat, groping and kissing her as she squirms to get out of his grasp and run away.
It’s supposed to be funny entertainment for children — but Richman says it’s “grossly inappropriate” behavior that shouldn’t be shown to kids.
“Pepé Le Pew is a criminal. I’d love to have him as a defendant,” he said.
In July 2016, it was announced that screenwriter Max Landis — son of director John Landis — was penning a Pepé Le Pew feature film for Warner Bros.
Last month, multiple women accused him of sexual assault. Landis has not publicly responded to the allegations.