About six years ago I became a big fan of The Game Show Network. I enjoyed watching the reruns of shows I hadn’t seen in years: “Match Game,” “Tattletales,” “Family Feud.” After Noelle was born and I’d be up with her several times a night, I’d turn on the TV and inevitably end up tuning into GSN.
While becoming a GSN aficionado, I was introduced to a couple of shows I had never heard of. One was called “Three’s A Crowd.” At first I enjoyed the show, mostly because I get a deranged kind of kick out of watching the parade of bad hair and polyester suits. Not to mention the orange and olive-colored sets, complete with shag carpeting – sometimes on the wall, even. The premise of “Three’s a Crowd” was to have teams of trios competing against one another. The trios always consisted of the following: a man, his wife, and his secretary. Questions about the men were alternately asked of the wives and secretaries, a la “The Newlywed Game.” The wife or secretary who knew their team’s man the best was the winner.
After watching this show a couple of times, I started to get pissed off. First off, the show was obviously pitting wife against secretary (this was the point of the game), but most of the time it was in an overtly sexual way. “Bill, which one of your secretary’s outfits is your favorite?” “Tom, when was the last time you were alone with your secretary and your wife thought you were with someone else?” Giggle, groan, chuckle!
The secretaries on the show were most often younger, attractive women. Stereotypical, yes. And their intellect fell right into that stereotype as well. The men and secretaries had a flirty dynamic. The wives were mostly older and stereotypical nags. The wives would turn on the men, and then the secretaries. The secretaries would shoot back and a verbal battle would ensue.
“WHAT IN THE HELL???” I would shout at the TV. “I cannot believe this!!”
The secretary was the promiscuous ditz, the wife was the prudish nag, and here they were hashing it out. Over the man. The man who just SAT THERE. He sat there with a sheepish look on his face. Yeah, Ethel – I was alone with Rhonda that night – didn’t I tell you? Oh. No I didn’t notice her boobs in that tight blouse! I mean, I did, but…
I would get sooo riled up. My husband at the time, Version 2.0, would get a kick out of watching me deteriorate into red-faced rage. “Ha, what’s the big deal? That’s how it was back then.” I just couldn’t believe the roles that these people were falling into, how these women were falling into these traps of looking like fools who were fighting over these men who could really give a shit. And the men were just eating the attention up with a spoon. Oh, GEE WHIZ.
I don’t know why this all got under my skin so much. Well, maybe I do. I don’t like it when people are dumbed-down. Specifically, I don’t like it when people dumb themselves down. When chicks play the ditz and pour some chauvinist ass coffee everyday without demanding respect. The mere idea that there should even be a question as to who knows a man better – his wife or his secretary – just chapped my hide.
Of course, I realize that this was all back in a time before sexual harassment was a hot topic. Not only were women sexually harassed, but dare I say, MANY women perpetuated the sexy ditz persona. In that case, they could hardly complain about it. Watching those shows really opened my eyes to the way things used to be. And I can say I am incredibly relieved that I was not a wife or secretary during that time. I would have surely stood up for myself, highlighted my intelligence and covered my boobs. But that’s just me.
I began to view “Three’s A Crowd” as more of a parody of male-female interactions of the time. I was able to watch it without getting so hot under the collar. “Family Feud” was next to have me seeing red:
“The quality sought most when hiring a secretary is…. SURVEY SAYS:”
“ATTRACTIVENESS!”
I haven’t watched “Family Feud” since. Richard Dawson was a creep anyway. Step off, old man.
