Filthiest House on the Block

It's been over three years, acockroft, since this post. Did you finally clean your television screen?

I just watched the pilot episode on DVD and made the same observation. The painted woodwork, kitchen cabinets and wallpaper were all pretty dingy and showed wear. I also noticed that the painting over the fireplace in the living room was improperly stretched and wavy looking, one of the ones on the wall going up the staircase had a tear in it, and there was dust on the tops of the frames. In one scene, in the hallway outside of Buddy's bedroom, there was a crack in the wall. Most of these things wouldn't have been noticeable in the original broadcast, but large screen HD TVs and the even the just the better clarity of DVD makes these things apparent. It also seems that they shot the pilot in the actual house, which may have been aged with stagecraft or was just as worn/dirty as it looked. In the regular episodes they filmed on soundstage sets, the kitchen is well painted (Kate would never have had kitchen cabinets that looked like the ones in the pilot), with a slightly different floorplan than in the pilot. I always thought the interiors in this show were excellent, and added to the high production values. The linen slipcovered living room furniture is pretty timeless, the kitchen with it's antique stove and butcher block island still make me envious.

Because I read your OP; and 1976 being a bit too far back to remember the state of upkeep in the home, I recently watched the pilot.. YOU ARE CORRECT. I can only think set decorators obviously went overkill with the older home, needs paint and clean up. It certainly seems for the time they were considered upper middle class.. I don't remember seeing this much grime on walls, doors and cabinets being pervasive at the time, and I saw several unkept homes back in the day. Once I looked for it, I couldn't miss it. Thanks.. it was all I was watching for.. heh heh. Still a very good show starting in my mid teens.

Should have called the show The Filthy Family.

Willie always wore the same clothes. That stanky tan coat and dirty jeans. Buddy had greasy hair in half the episodes. That little kid who came to live with them spit when she spoke, leaving droplets all over the place. Nancy let her baby spill drinks and leave crumbs on the sofas.

Everything looks dirty on TV shows from the 70s

"it was the 70's and people were into being a little greasy and 'earthy'"

Where in all of creation did you ever get such a preposterous idea? Maybe your family's house was greasy and earthy in the '70s, but not mine or anybody else's I knew.

I noticed it. The dirty areas are mostly around the HANDLES on the kitchen cabinets.

And it is pretty funny to have KATE CLEANING the GARBAGE CANS, but then not caring about the DIRTY areas on her kitchen cabinets.

Plus we also see BUDDY cleaning and polishing the FAMILY SILVER, but no one cares about the dirty cabinets???