CHiPs ... the television show

[DutchmenSport]

"Charge" over the air television station has been running the old CHiPs television show. Remember Ponch and Jon? I watched it when originally aired, seems like a life-time ago. So my wife and I are now sucked into watching all the reruns and completely enjoying it.

I've noticed something in the show. It's very subtle and if you are not looking for it you'll never notice it. But being an RV owner with a passion, traveling on the roads and pointing out to my wife every time we see a camper on the road, I just suppose it's normal now to notice RV's, motor homes, travel trailers and such.

So ... if you are a fan of CHiPs, have you ever noticed that on almost EVERY episode of CHiPs there is an RV of some sort in the background, somewhere in the show. I noticed, every episode. I know, even 40 years ago, television shows never showed anything by accident (on purpose). Everything, all details are planned. So I wonder what was going on in the mind of the producers when they were filming CHiPs to include a background fill in with an RV somewhere, like I said, in almost every episode and very subtle.

Thoughts anyone?

[Hammerboy]

Iraqvet05 wrote:
I loved that show! I think there was an episode where these bad guys were running an illegal casino in an old motor home.

Must have been a thing back then. I think I recall seeing an illegal casino in the back of a semi trailer on the Dukes of Hazzard.

Dan

[dedmiston]

DutchmenSport wrote:
I went out to YouTube and did a search for CHiPs Season 1 and came up with several scene videos from the show. So I stopped the video when I saw the RV's and use the SnipIt tool to copy the frozen frame and pasted it into Paint and save it as a JPEG image. Uploaded to IMGUR and posted here. When you really start looking carefully at all the background stuff going on in that show, there's a lot more going on that what's apparent in the action scene itself. Actually, just in the scenes they posted on YouTube for Season 1, episode 2 and 3 only, there's too many to point out. But here's a few from just Season 1, episode 2 and 3.

Traffic was bad this morning, so I diverted off the freeway and took surface streets. I drove down on Osborne right where your first image was shot (I was coming the other direction, towards the camera).

The year I was born, the State of California took our house through eminent domain to put in a freeway. Mom & Dad said they were devastated at first, but the state paid them really well and they were able to "move up" from a kind of nasty area to a much nicer house and town where I lived until I married and moved away. The State didn't do anything with that land for well over a decade, but once the freeway was partially built and not quite opened, production companies paid for the permits to film on the freeways. That's why you see so many familiar freeways from that era.

The 2, most of the 210, and the 118 were all featured in TV and movies from the mid 70s into the early 80s.

One of my favorite low budget made-for-tv movies was Smash Up On Interstate Five. Not that it was good, but it was filmed on the 210 in Sylmar and my dad got a closeup. They hired some firemen like my dad and there's a great shot of him actually rescuing Harriet Nelson out of a burning car before it got too hot for her.

[cross21114]

salem wrote:
I was trying to tell someone in their early 30's who Jack Webb was Thanksgiving evening. Finally gave up. On the other hand, I couldn't pick "Cardi B" out of a two person line-up.

Same with me. Jack Webb had some great lessons to be learned in his lines.

[rockhillmanor]

DutchmenSport wrote:
"Charge"

over the air television station has been running the old CHiPs television show.

Remember Ponch and Jon? I watched it when originally aired, seems like a life-time ago. So my wife and I are now sucked into watching all the reruns and completely enjoying it. .....

X2
Isn't over the air TV great!?
I even switched to OTA in the house. I cut the whole cable cord nonsense$$$$.

There are a couple of channels that will run one TV show for a full week for you to binge on.

For me I worked so many hours back then I didn't get to watch 90% of any of those sitcoms so they are all brand new to me! what a hoot.

[salem]

I was trying to tell someone in their early 30's who Jack Webb was Thanksgiving evening. Finally gave up. On the other hand, I couldn't pick "Cardi B" out of a two person line-up.

[toedtoes]

A lot of shows will have a running gag (Psych and pineapples comes to mind), but I haven't heard of that with CHiPs and RVs. There is a running theme that Ponch and Jon never use their guns.

I suspect the RVs were a combination of things:

hiding background images;
used for dressing rooms, etc.
and simply part of the 70s culture in Southern California at the time.

I suspect if you look at the vehicles in the background, you will notice how one make and model seems to recur most every time.

[DutchmenSport]

I went out to YouTube and did a search for CHiPs Season 1 and came up with several scene videos from the show. So I stopped the video when I saw the RV's and use the SnipIt tool to copy the frozen frame and pasted it into Paint and save it as a JPEG image. Uploaded to IMGUR and posted here. When you really start looking carefully at all the background stuff going on in that show, there's a lot more going on that what's apparent in the action scene itself. Actually, just in the scenes they posted on YouTube for Season 1, episode 2 and 3 only, there's too many to point out. But here's a few from just Season 1, episode 2 and 3.

[jfkmk]

You guys are bringing back some fond memories!:)

[punomatic]

Dave in TN wrote:
Another good one from that era was Emergency! Rampart.....

DW and I like to watch "our boys," Roy and Johnny with dinner. We also love Adam 12 and Dragnet. We have more fun with OTA TV than we ever did with satellite TV. It helps to have an OTA DVR.

[Sea_Six]

RVs are also big and can be used to block things in the background that could otherwise be a distraction from the action they're trying to keep the viewer focused on.

[SAR_Tracker]

Be a good spot to hide a camera....

[BobsYourUncle]

Well Dutch, you put a smile on my face with this one, a big smile!

I quit watching TV many years ago, in the late 70's, quit cold turkey and haven't watched it since.

But!, when I still watched it, I have to say that Chips was one of my absolute faves! I watched it every time it was on, wouldn't miss it for anything. Same with Hogans Heroes...

I have to admit, I do not remember the RV thing you mention. I don't recall seeing them on the show. Erik Estrada I remember well, along with the others that made the show popular.

Not sure what it was about that show, but I really liked it.

Now I'm going to have to go dig up the old shows and watch them again so I can be more observant.

Very cool, thanks for the smile and the memory! 🙂

[Iraqvet05]

I loved that show! I think there was an episode where these bad guys were running an illegal casino in an old motor home.

[Dave_in_TN]

Now I've got that theme song in my head!

Another good one from that era was Emergency! Rampart.....