Suspension of Disbelief

It's taken from Wiki (URL not included). Since this is not an academic institution, I am free to pick and choose as I please!

"Suspension of disbelief is the avoidance—often described as willing—of critical thinking and logic in understanding something that is unreal or impossible in reality, such as something in a work of speculative fiction, in order to believe it for the sake of enjoying its narrative. Historically, the concept originates in the Greco-Roman principles of theatre, wherein the audience ignores the unreality of fiction to experience catharsis from the actions and experiences of characters.
The phrase was coined and elaborated upon by the English poet and philosopher Samuel Taylor Coleridge in his 1817 work Biographia Literaria: "that willing suspension of disbelief for the moment, which constitutes poetic faith".

Normally, I remove the words that are imbedded URLs that can take the reader to further explanation or meaning of the terms. Blame that on laziness.

What brings this interest--suspension of disbelieve--to the forefront for me? For the most part, it is not part of my life and therefore not part of my curiosity or thinking when I see movies, commercials, or television programs. I grew up with superheroes and never questioned any of the science. So what's up with me now? Well, for the past three months I have been slowly binge-watching IRONSIDE. For those unfamiliar with the show, here is another WiKi tidbit for you:

"Ironside is an American television crime drama that aired on NBC over eight seasons from 1967 to 1975. The show starred Raymond Burr as Robert T. Ironside (usually addressed by the title "Chief Ironside"), a consultant to the San Francisco police department (formerly chief of detectives), who was paralyzed from the waist down after being shot while on vacation. The character debuted on March 28, 1967, in a TV movie titled Ironside. When the series was broadcast in the United Kingdom, from late 1967 onward, it was broadcast as A Man Called Ironside. The show earned Burr six Emmy and two Golden Globe nominations."

Some things about it draw me back to my childhood. First off, I grew up with black and white television so, in many instances, I am seeing episodes for the first time in color (or, as we used to call it, in LIVING color). The show is supposed to be set in San Francisco, but--having been a former native of the town--I could see many places that were clearly in Los Angeles (specifically, the San Fernando Valley). Even the architecture of homes to which they would drive were clearly not part of the San Francisco scheme/theme. They would give phone numbers that didn't start with '555' (a big deal, for the time), but no one ever used the exchange. In the earlier shows, people smoked. The cigarette advertising prohibition began January 01, 1971. Maybe that's why that happened.

When car phones were used, all you would ever see would be the receiver and the coiled cord. It looked like a regular desk phone receiver manufactured by the Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company (1906–1983).

No seat belts were ever used, and no head rests were in the car. I did like the fact that the characters did not exclusively get around town in FORD products. They did, however, ONLY drive American-made vehicles back in the day.

We are so inundated with artificial intelligence these days. "A.I." is its name. Back then such things would be called 'trick photography' or 'splicing' or 'smokescreens and mirrors'.

Regardless to any or all of that, I love the way the characters dress. Chief Ironside wheels himself around in a suit and tie and even when you see him in bed, his cotton pajamas are neatly pressed. There is no washer or dryer in his home office, and I have never seen anyone ever do ironing or sewing. They do eat and cook from time to time, but dirty dishes are generally nothing more than coffee cups. I do give them credit for perking coffee in an aluminum, stove-top percolator. No one has ever dared serve instant coffee, which was the thing in that era.

Whenever I see a panoramic setting, I shout to the television, "STOCK FOOTAGE!" The front of the office building, a scan of the Golden Gate or Oakland Bay bridges, a sweeping cityscape that might include Coit Tower...

It's a piece of my childhood television memory and from time to time features some curious eye candy. Most of the main players (except for Barbara Anderson) are gone.






Oh well, that's my take on the suspension of disbelief.