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Post by jrichard88 on Oct 18, 2011 4:48:12 GMT -5
I thought this would be an interesting topic to discuss. Did Goodnight Sweetheart ever teach you anything about the Second World War, or 1940s culture in general, that you were previously unaware of? I doubt I'm posting on a board full of history majors, so I figured we all learned at least something from the show Growing up in Canada, and taking Canadian history classes at school, we mostly got the North American side of the war with only key details from overseas. It was mostly, "the Canadians did this" or "the Americans did that", with only key events from Europe getting any attention (for example, Germany invading Poland, Britain declaring war on Germany, and conditions of WWII concentration camps). As a matter of fact, our lessons always seemed to skip right from 1939 to 1942 with little to nothing in between. Before I saw the show, I'd never heard of The Blitz or its effects on wartime Britain. Hearing about it on the show inspired me to do my homework on Britain during the Second World War, delving far deeper than any history course I'd ever taken. That, in turn, made my subsequent viewings even more enjoyable than the first. In addition to the unique blend of comedy, drama, and sci-fi that only this show could offer, I was felt like I was learning something new every time I sat down to watch it. Did anyone else ever learn anything from watching the show?
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Post by tabs on Oct 18, 2011 13:50:07 GMT -5
The show was great also as a social history of Britain at the time , as well as a fun way to learn the basic facts about the war!
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Post by malcolm on Jul 23, 2012 2:38:50 GMT -5
I thought this would be an interesting topic to discuss. Did Goodnight Sweetheart ever teach you anything about the Second World War, or 1940s culture in general, that you were previously unaware of? I doubt I'm posting on a board full of history majors, so I figured we all learned at least something from the show Did anyone else ever learn anything from watching the show? Not really. I've thought long and hard but there was so much more that I remember that never came up in the show, e.g. the British Restaurants and little things like us all having to Dig for Victory - we were allocated allotments to grow our own veg. I was 6 years old when the war began in 1939 and we lived just 12 miles from London's West End.
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Post by malcolm on Aug 8, 2012 15:53:40 GMT -5
There are so many points of interest in Goodnight Sweetheart it is so easy to miss them the first time round, even the second or third viewing. This is why it is so good to own the whole 6 series on DVD's and take a fresh walk down Duckett's Passage. I have already stated that I couldn't think of any historical facts I had learned, but I failed to look at the lesser facts that come up in so many episodes. In S3 E9 Reg says that Phoebe has been taken to the German Hospital in Dalston. Just take a look at this web page which has many images of the hospital from its inception to its extension in 1936 - ezitis.myzen.co.uk/german.html What we may still miss is the fact that there were so many migrants from Germany in the early 1800's. They lived sad and poverty stricken lives often in London slums. One needs to read Mayhew to discover what the conditions were like for each trade. E.g. "The Unknown Mayhew" which has selections from the Morning Chronicle 1849-1850.
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Post by timetravellersparrow on Sept 30, 2020 17:20:03 GMT -5
The whole series fascinates me and whilst I can't think of anything specifically cultural, I am sure it is infusing into me on a general level. What I have noticed is that the money system completely confused me when I started watching the series so I did do some research to educate myself about it. Not only that but I have gradually got to know the value of the money. In the first episode I think a half a pint is 2d 1 farthing. I had absolutely no reference point to know whether this was expensive or not. Then by the secons episode of the first series Gary and Yvonne go to a dance and Gary gets charged 11d ha'ppeny for a pale ale and a gin and it, and Gary says, "God they know how to charge here", and I was thinking "Yeah that is a bit bloody steep!!"
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Post by jr866gooner on May 12, 2021 7:52:55 GMT -5
The whole series fascinates me and whilst I can't think of anything specifically cultural, I am sure it is infusing into me on a general level. What I have noticed is that the money system completely confused me when I started watching the series so I did do some research to educate myself about it. Not only that but I have gradually got to know the value of the money. In the first episode I think a half a pint is 2d 1 farthing. I had absolutely no reference point to know whether this was expensive or not. Then by the secons episode of the first series Gary and Yvonne go to a dance and Gary gets charged 11d ha'ppeny for a pale ale and a gin and it, and Gary says, "God they know how to charge here", and I was thinking "Yeah that is a bit bloody steep!!" Just watched the dancing episode just now. One of my favourite episodes. I find it a bit of a shame we don’t really see any intrigue by Gary. I mean if I stumbled upon 1941 I’d be in awe of the scenery and way of life. He very quickly adapts which any normal person would be more inquisitive.
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