posted
as most of you have probably noticed I've been watching a lot of older movies lately. Most of them have been pre-1970s and what I've noticed is that most everybody in those older movies smoke. It's a rare charcter that you see that isn't lighting up at one time or another in the movie. Also it seems that most drink alcohol more casually. They don't show much if any underage drinking but you're more likely to see adults drink in an older movie than a more current one. I wouldn't say that they neccessarily glamourize drinking in the older movies but they sure don't shy away from it either. But the smoking is way more prevalent in a movie from the 40s-50s then it is nowdays.
Posts: 4742 | From: Cell Block 6 | Registered: Aug 2004 | Site Updates: 0
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posted
Yep....they thought it was glamourous to smoke-they thought that it was stylish to smoke, and nobody knew the health risks associated with smoking.
I was looking up Ben Hur on imdb...and alot of the men from on there, and in other older movies-all died of lung cancer and heart attacks...including Clark Gable and Steve McQueen.
I have never smoked a cigarette in my life time...not even to try it.
My mom actually quit smoking a whole year ago on my birthday last year...she smoked for 40 years.
It is crazy to ever start.
Cigarettes use to be really cheap too.
If you smoke nowdays in movies and tv, you look stupid...because you know it can kill you...where before they actually were ignorant to all the risks...they didn't know about fetal alcohol syndrome and the risks associated with drinking either...and that it causes cirrosis of your liver...and that can kill you too.
I think honestly that's one of the reasons people aged worse back then than they do now.
Posts: 13484 | Registered: Aug 2003 | Site Updates: 0
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posted
Smoking is really prevalent amongst Hollywood stars even though they don't show it on the screen as much anymore. They all smoke to keep their weight down which is the stupidest reason I can think of, but then you're talking about a group of people that aren't exactly well-regarded for their high intelligence and lack of superficiality.
Posts: 835 | From: Hawaii | Registered: Aug 2008 | Site Updates: 0
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posted
Also to keep in mind is that radio and TV stations were once permitted to show cigarette commercials and sponsor entire shows in the U.S. (Example: Jack Benny's TV show in the early-1950's was also called "The Lucky Strike Program", named after the cigarette company.)
[TRIVIA: During its early years, "The Flintstones" were once sponsored by Winston cigarettes! They even created a commercial where Fred and Barney are puffing away on Winstons!]
That all changed in 1970, when the FCC banned cigarette advertising on radio and TV.
There was also a time when people were allowed to smoke inside courtrooms, airplanes, hospitals, and business offices. Not anymore, unless you step outside. (Well, not out of an airplane, that is! )
See the 1960 movie "The Apartment", and you see people puffing away at offices, like it's no big deal.
Some people will blame the lack of smoking scenes due to political correctness, and other will say that it's a good thing.
[ 02. September 2008, 12:18: Message edited by: StevenHW ]
Posts: 3385 | From: Sacramento, California, USA | Registered: Sep 2002 | Site Updates: 0
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They are trying to get it passed now that you can't smoke in restaurants in my state. I wish they hurried up on that one. I think it is so rude to smoke in a restaurant. My son has asthma, and I have walked in to places...and have done a U-turn when I see people smoking. There's no way I am exposing my child to that...or myself. If you can't get through a meal without smoking ...then you have quite a major addiction.... I have never understood smoking...it is so nasty. Icky. I did see where Britney Spears is a major smoker...and I thought how on Earth can she go out there and do the dance routines that she did...without coughing up a lung? The Olsen twins are major smokers.
I'd rather be over weight than have lung cancer, bad breath, yellow fingernails, and stink like smoke...
Eating is much more fun than Smoking
Posts: 13484 | Registered: Aug 2003 | Site Updates: 0
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kevdugp73
He's eating after dark again....
Member # 5978
posted
I live in Nova Scotia Canada and there are fairly strict laws against smoking. It is against the law to smoke in any public place, including restaurants, bars and pubs...pretty much anywhere.....with certain buildings, you have to be a certain amount of feet away from the door. Also, a more recent law...you are not allowed to smoke in a car when an infant or child is present. Sounds fairly strict, but I think it's great. I remember going to a bar with no smoking and am now quite sure that 80% of my hangovers in the past were due to inhaling smoke for five hours...20% beer and rum!
Posts: 2148 | From: Nova Scotia, Canada | Registered: Aug 2007 | Site Updates: 0
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posted
We have passed similar anti-smoking measures here in Hawaii. It's now against the law to smoke within 20 feet of any public building or on the beach. That includes all restaurants, bars and night clubs. They haven't implemented the laws about smoking in your own car if a child is present in the vehicle, but they've been discussing it.
The big place where they're really fighting the public smoking laws is in Las Vegas. They don't want all the smokers leaving the tables to go have a cigarette. They want them relaxed and settled in to keep feeding those machines. Of course, they could always try setting up some kind of self-contained smoker's casino or something, but then the waitresses and dealers could sue them for forced exposure.
Posts: 835 | From: Hawaii | Registered: Aug 2008 | Site Updates: 0
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