Funny Show, But Too Much Screaming....

It's funny because I never noticed the screaming (i grew up in a loud house myself!) but my husband can't watch the show because he says "they're always screaming!"
If i tell him certain one-liners, or plot lines, he thinks they're funny, or interesting; but he can't stand watching the show.


A chat with you and somehow death loses its sting.....

You are right, there was a lot of screaming on there. If I got in my husband's face like that, he would leave me. And if he ever spoke to me the way Walter spoke to Maude, I'd be outta there. And seriously, why did Maude say Walter's name in every other sentence? That got tiresome after a fashion.

Sitcoms were loud in the 70s. I tried watch a rerun of Happy Days and couldn't stand the constant shouting. I guess they felt they had to do that to get viewers' attention. All in the Family, The Jeffersons, Sanford and Son, The Odd Couple, Three's Company, almost every 70s sitcom is guilty of this.

George Carlin: It's all bullsh-t and it's bad for ya.

Well, on this show, it was just a plot point. They always fought. For other shows, though, I could be wrong, but I think it has to do with the fact that the mics back then just recorded sound, not amplify it for the audience. So actors had to project a lot to get the audience to hear. I'm sure the first two seasons of Happy Days are a lot quieter than the rest, for that reason.

You would not like my family.

I noticed the same thing. I just got this series on DVD, and I have been enjoying it, but I do have to adjust the volume on my television. Even when the characters aren't shouting, they're speaking very loudly. Maybe it has to do with taping before a live audience.

I remember watching it when it aired originally, and though I came from a medium decibel home, it struck me even as a youngster how much they shouted! I think, and if you watch particularly Bea Arthur in the Golden Girls, you will notice her style is to begin raising her voice when she is beginning the comedic portion of what she is saying.
For example, in the GG episode where she goes to the prom with Hal Linden, and finds Sophia had chased him off all those years ago, she tells Sophia she will believe whatever she tells her of that evening. Before Sophia can get a word out, Dorothy is yelling 'Liar'!

As for the rest of the cast, I believe the mic reasoning could be valid, the technology was not the same then as today, so in any given scene, two or more actors may be hitting one mic located on their side of the sound stage, whereas a couple others could need to hit one on the opposite side. I also think the Findlay's took pride in how loud their home was!