Boys Costumes Depicted in Television Shows: Alphabetical "U" Listings


Figure 1.--

HBC will list TV series alphabetically here to make them easier to find. TV shows, except for American TV shows, are generally not well know in countries other than in the countries in which they were made. They are also much more current than movies. Almost all TV shows date from the 1950s at the earliest. Costume dramas have the same problems as in the movies, but a great deal of useful information is avialible from TV shows set in contemporary periods. As non-American TV shows are not as widely distributed as movies, often little information is available on these shows outside each country. Movies are often widely distributed in foreign countries. TV shows, with the exceptiion of American programs, are generally not. As an American, we have, for example, never seen German, French, and Italian TV shows. Thus the TV pages provide a much-needed source of information on foreign programing.

Uncle Buck - (US, 1990)

I wasn't impressed with this TV show, especially with Uncle Buck, although I liked the movie. It was, however, somewhat better than the average fare. A boy plays Miles (Jacob Gelman) is about 8 years old, but he pays his part a little to cutesy-cutesy. He only appears in longs. Nothing touching upon clothing. In the opening show, Miles complains that the school bully--who turns out to be a girl named Patrica, beat him up. One episode dealt with his little sister and the Blue Birds, a scout like group. The uniform was very nice, I just wish that a similar episode could be devoted to Miles and a Cub-like group.

Up Stairs, Down Stairs (England: 1970s)

Well known British drama about early 20th century England. Some of the inter-war episodes had a boy named William and his sister Allice. William, Jonathan Seely, was often dressed nicely, including a sailor suit. Actually he was quite a big boy, I'd say 12 or 13, but he played 8-year old William. They had him in quite juvenile clothes: grey sailor suit, white knee socks, and red sandals. His shorts were usually quite long. He often wore a little boy style overcoat along with it. He had juvenile roles and lines. I have always wondered what the boy thought of his role. He is sent off to school in a very manly looking long pants suit. The girl was also quite old for the part she played. I'd say she was 13 or 14 and they had her in the most ridiculously juvenile short dresses. One episode was devoted primarily to the children. Unfortunately William leaves for school, but then Alice is left in the clutches of a mean governess. Fireworks follow. Interestingly enough William got along with the governess.









Christopher Wagner





Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Return to the Main television alphabetical page]
[Return to the Main television page]
[Return to the Main theatrical page]
[Introduction] [Activities] [Bibliographies] [Biographies] [Chronology] [Clothing styles] [Contributions] [Countries] [Photography]
[Boys' Clothing Home]



Created: May 30, 2001
Last updated: May 30, 2001