First time you heard someone swear on TV

Started by bandit957, September 24, 2018, 12:56:34 PM

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bandit957

I know the language on over-the-air network TV is almost always very mild, but occasionally a "damn" slips by. So what was the first time you ever heard swear words or cuss words on TV?

I remember playing in the living room when my mom was watching one of her soap operas. A character on the show was talking to someone on the phone and he said, "Damn you!" I thought that was so funny! I'd guess this was in the early '80s. I also remember a sitcom where a character complained that something got lost in "the damn Christmas mail."

Those probably weren't the first times I heard "damn" on TV, but they were among the first times I noticed.
Might as well face it, pooing is cool


PHLBOS

On a Season 8 episode of M*A*S*H (Guerilla My Dreams that first aired October 1, 1979 on CBS); Hawkeye, in disgust, says to Lt, Park (played by Mako) "You Son-of-Bitch!"

Such was the first time that phase aired on American television.
GPS does NOT equal GOD

jeffandnicole

I'm sure I heard some minor ones when I was younger and didn't take notice.  Golden Girls, the news, who knows!

One of the first memorable times I heard THE f word was probably Chase Utley's World Series speech in 2008, broadcasted live on all the local Philly channels.

When it came time for the Eagles speeches after their Superbowl win earlier this year, the networks were ready.  Jason Kelce's speech was going fine until there was silence for about 15 seconds, pissing off everyone thinking there was an audio malfunction, until they found out what he was really saying.

abefroman329

Quote from: jeffandnicole on September 24, 2018, 01:36:30 PMOne of the first memorable times I heard THE f word was probably Chase Utley's World Series speech in 2008, broadcasted live on all the local Philly channels.
Dennis Rodman dropped an F-bomb on live television during one of the Bulls' championship rallies in the 1990s, I remember that.

The first time? It must have been when I was 5 or so, because I remember hearing it, repeating it, and getting my mouth washed out with soap.

Brandon

#4
Who the fuck knows and who the fuck cares?  We had cable when I was little.
"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." - Ramsay Bolton

"Symbolic of his struggle against reality." - Reg

Rothman

I remember a drunk Slash at an American Music Awards having to be cut off.  1990 or 1991 or something like that.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

Mapmikey

Some profanity was in All in the Family which started IIRC in 1971 but according to this the first swear word was in a 1965 sitcom

http://mentalfloss.com/article/18981/6-television-firsts-canned-laughter-dropping-d-word


TheHighwayMan3561

Probably watching Star Trek: TNG reruns around 1995-96. "Damn" and "hell" weren't terribly uncommon to hear on that show.
self-certified as the dumbest person on this board for 5 years running

1995hoo

#8
An episode of Fat Albert involved the kids getting in trouble for shoplifting riding in a stolen car. The cops took them through a jail to scare them and one of the prisoners said "son of a bitch."  I recall Bill Cosby telling viewers beforehand that the episode contained "strong language."
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

PHLBOS

#9
Quote from: 1995hoo on September 24, 2018, 03:49:57 PMAn episode of Fat Albert involved the kids getting in trouble for shoplifting riding in a stolen car. The cops took them through a jail to scare them and one of the prisoners said "son of a bitch."  I recall Bill Cosby telling viewers beforehand that the episode contained "strong language."
If we're talking about the cartoon that aired on Saturday mornings on CBS during the 70s; I do not recall that episode.  Must've been a later one (from the early 80s).  I stopped watching Saturday morning cartoons on a regular basis after 1980-81.

I believe the fore-mentioned 1979 M*A*S*H episode still lays claim to the first time the SOB phraise was fully stated on network TV.
GPS does NOT equal GOD

hbelkins

A few "hells" and "damns" here and there, I'm sure.

I distinctly remember an SEC tournament basketball game featuring Florida, when Norm Sloan was coach of the Gators. The TV crew eavesdropped in the huddle during a time out, and they got an earful. The coach was going off about giving up too many layups, with a few G-D's and F's sprinkled in. The announcers apologized profusely.

I never watched "Law & Order" when it was in first run, but I see the reruns frequently. A lot of "SOBs" and "bastards" are uttered on that show.

I still don't understand why the S-word for excrement is still outlawed.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

1995hoo

Quote from: PHLBOS on September 24, 2018, 04:00:16 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on September 24, 2018, 03:49:57 PMAn episode of Fat Albert involved the kids getting in trouble for shoplifting riding in a stolen car. The cops took them through a jail to scare them and one of the prisoners said "son of a bitch."  I recall Bill Cosby telling viewers beforehand that the episode contained "strong language."
If we're talking about the cartoon that aired on Saturday mornings on CBS during the 70s; I do not recall that episode.  Must've been a later one (from the early 80s).  I stopped watching Saturday morning cartoons on a regular basis after 1980-81.

....

I think it was from sometime in the early 1980s and that Bill Cosby apparently decided to jump on the "Very Special Episode"  bandwagon (though he didn't use that expression) that had been popularized by Diff'rent Strokes (especially the infamous episode involving Gordon Jump as the pedo bike store owner).
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

formulanone

#12
I was 8 when I stayed up late to watch a "rerun" of George Carlin on HBO. I knew my parents didn't want me watching that at the time, because they excused my brother and I out of the living room one evening when he came on TV (I don't recall that ever happening again). His lanuage wasn't much more than what my parents said anyhow, and we were careful not to say those things out of the house. Or at least, not to adults*.

That's not really fair, considering a mix of the two was to be expected.

I think the one that kind of surprised me was watching Yosemite Sam say "I'll send him to Hell"; your beloved cartoon characters just don't swear.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWtcaXeqcuY

Quote from: Rothman on September 24, 2018, 02:59:31 PM
I remember a drunk Slash at an American Music Awards having to be cut off.  1990 or 1991 or something like that.

Hah, the kids in my high school couldn't stop talking about that one the next day.


* except once in 5th grade...a jammed finger from a missed football catch elicited a loud "SHIT!" which made the playground come to a halt.

bandit957

Quote from: hbelkins on September 24, 2018, 04:01:06 PM
I still don't understand why the S-word for excrement is still outlawed.

I heard it used on '60 Minutes' once.

That reminds me of another "damn" from the early '80s. My grandfather was watching '60 Minutes', and I overheard one of their reporters reading a letter about "damn dumb football games." I thought that was hilarious!

The one that really shocked me was around 1983 when I was watching a Looney Tunes or Merrie Melodies cartoon, and a man in the cartoon said, "Dammit!"
Might as well face it, pooing is cool

1995hoo

BTW, do Battlestar Galactica's "frack"  and "felgercarb"  count as profanities for this thread?
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

PHLBOS

More recently, one or two episodes of Law & Order: SVU from the previous season had one or two of the main characters take the Lord's name (Jesus & Christ) in vain.
GPS does NOT equal GOD

TheHighwayMan3561

"Shit"  has become more common on cable.

For those who aren't aware, there are actually minimal regulations regarding profanity on cable channels. The reason there is still often caution with cussing is concern for scaring off advertisers not wanting to associate with that kind of content.
self-certified as the dumbest person on this board for 5 years running

abefroman329

Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on September 24, 2018, 05:02:50 PM
"Shit"  has become more common on cable.
I think it's used on basic cable more than it is in real life, probably to overcompensate for the fact that "fuck"  is still mostly forbidden (AMC seems to allow Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul one F-bomb per season).

Big John

Quote from: 1995hoo on September 24, 2018, 04:46:42 PM
BTW, do Battlestar Galactica's "frack"  and "felgercarb"  count as profanities for this thread?
or "smoo" in Dinosaurs?

roadman65

Archie Bunker on All In The Family used "Damn" regurally.  That particular sitcom was known to be the one who broke the barriers as even Ed Sullivan ( a few years earlier on the same network) was required to make the Rolling Stones change the song title of Lets Spend the Night Together to Lets Spend Some Time Together.   They even tried to get Jim Morrison of the Doors to not say "Girl we could not get much higher" in Light My Fire, but Morrison said FU to CBS and sung the song the way he see fit.  That got executives at CBS pissed and Morrison was not allowed on the network again.

Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

jp the roadgeek

Quote from: jeffandnicole on September 24, 2018, 01:36:30 PM
I'm sure I heard some minor ones when I was younger and didn't take notice.  Golden Girls, the news, who knows!

One of the first memorable times I heard THE f word was probably Chase Utley's World Series speech in 2008, broadcasted live on all the local Philly channels.

When it came time for the Eagles speeches after their Superbowl win earlier this year, the networks were ready.  Jason Kelce's speech was going fine until there was silence for about 15 seconds, pissing off everyone thinking there was an audio malfunction, until they found out what he was really saying.

They weren't ready for Big Papi's speech before the first game after the Marathon bombing.  THIS IS OUR F***ING CITY!!  In later interviews, he would add the beep sound when the expletive part came up.
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Henry

Quote from: hbelkins on September 24, 2018, 04:01:06 PM
A few "hells" and "damns" here and there, I'm sure.
Same here, and also "asses", which are the three most common profanities to be heard on broadcast TV.

Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on September 24, 2018, 05:02:50 PM
“Shit” has become more common on cable.
And yet they still can't say that on the air, which is why the euphemism "crap" is always subbed in. And even then, it still gets a laugh from me whenever it is said.

Quote from: jp the roadgeek on September 25, 2018, 12:49:27 AM
Quote from: jeffandnicole on September 24, 2018, 01:36:30 PM
I'm sure I heard some minor ones when I was younger and didn't take notice.  Golden Girls, the news, who knows!

One of the first memorable times I heard THE f word was probably Chase Utley's World Series speech in 2008, broadcasted live on all the local Philly channels.

When it came time for the Eagles speeches after their Superbowl win earlier this year, the networks were ready.  Jason Kelce's speech was going fine until there was silence for about 15 seconds, pissing off everyone thinking there was an audio malfunction, until they found out what he was really saying.

They weren't ready for Big Papi's speech before the first game after the Marathon bombing.  THIS IS OUR F***ING CITY!!  In later interviews, he would add the beep sound when the expletive part came up.
If you're a Blackhawks fan, you might remember at one Stanley Cup speech, Corey Crawford (their goalie) said: "FUCKING RIGHT, CHICAGO!!!" I'd imagine Mike Ditka having said something to that effect when the Bears won the Super Bowl.
Go Cubs Go! Go Cubs Go! Hey Chicago, what do you say? The Cubs are gonna win today!

thenetwork


Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on September 24, 2018, 05:02:50 PM
"Shit"  has become more common on cable.

Watch an episode of Live PD on A&E -- They seem to be making up for lost time.  The first time I watched that show is when I realized that the word shit is now acceptable on Cable TV.

D-Dey65

I know there were news interviews from the early-1960's where people said the F-word on the air.


SectorZ

Quote from: abefroman329 on September 24, 2018, 05:14:45 PM
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on September 24, 2018, 05:02:50 PM
"Shit"  has become more common on cable.
I think it's used on basic cable more than it is in real life, probably to overcompensate for the fact that "fuck"  is still mostly forbidden (AMC seems to allow Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul one F-bomb per season).

Watching TBS a couple of weeks ago, they let the one f-bomb in 'San Andreas' slide through, along with all the other lesser profanity. I was kind of surprised there, even for a 10 PM Saturday airing.



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