MovieChat Forums > Simon & Simon (1981) Discussion > The yuppie and the redneck

The yuppie and the redneck

posted 8 years ago by jarrodmcdonald-1
21 replies | jump to latest

Is this a fair way to characterize the two different types of brothers in this show? When the concept for the series was developed, obviously the creator/writing team went out of their way to make the Simons polar opposites.

But as much as I enjoy their interaction, I think it would have been better if they were half-brothers, or else full brothers but raised separately, one by the mother and one by the father.

In a season 3 episode called 'Too Much of a Good Thing,' they are investigating a bigamist's disappearance and wind up at a truck stop. AJ wonders about the food and Rick asks if AJ has ever been in such a diner before, to which AJ says no. Shouldn't Rick already know this? And I would think Rick's exposure (and fondness) for these kinds of places is something that happened as a child, along with AJ, if they grew up together.

There is more of a contrast, though, if they had grown up separately then reconnected as young adults, after their tastes in life had already been cultivated and established. I see Rick as having been more like the dad, and AJ favoring the mother.

Thoughts..?

[–] h-corbett 8 years ago

"I see Rick as having been more like the dad, and AJ favoring the mother."

I'd say that's accurate. Cecilia Simon once said that whenever the brothers had a problem, Rick would go off until he figured it out on his own but A.J. would eventually come to her.

[–] jarrodmcdonald-1 8 years ago

Thanks h-corbett. I noticed there is a thread about Cecilia, where her background has been discussed by a few posters. I think the writers may have been a bit inconsistent with her. Of course, I have not watched beyond the third season yet. But in one episode, she's on a bowling league (something AJ would probably never do) then in another episode from season three, she pulls up to help Rick with something, and when she gets out of the vehicle she's wearing an expensive fur coat. So just how wealthy or established in society is she supposed to be?

On another note--I wonder if McRaney & Parker became like brothers during the years they were filming together, and if they have stayed close after the show ended.

[–] h-corbett 8 years ago

You should check out Jameson Parker's blog from January 2014, he gives some great behind-the-scenes details of how he and McRaney met while the latter was filming an episode of The Incredible Hulk as well as the jokes they would play on each other while filming Simon & Simon.

[–] jarrodmcdonald-1 8 years ago

You should check out Jameson Parker's blog from January 2014, he gives some great behind-the-scenes details of how he and McRaney met while the latter was filming an episode of The Incredible Hulk as well as the jokes they would play on each other while filming Simon & Simon.

By the way, I've added episode stills for the first 6 seasons. You should check them out.

Thanks. I haven't checked any of the actors' blogs or websites. I will have to do so. Where did you place the season 6 stills? Do you have your own website devoted to 'Simon & Simon'..?

I watched the show very infrequently growing up in the 80s. I remember tuning in to Magnum more but this program did follow it for several years...and we must have changed the channel to see 'Cheers' and 'Night Court' which was up against it, I believe. So it's fun getting caught up on the first three seasons on Hulu. I guess when I get through these episodes, I will have to see if my library can request the discs for the later seasons somewhere or else just buy them.

[–] h-corbett 8 years ago

'Where did you place the season 6 stills'?

I just added images to the IMDb episode pages. As of now all 156 episodes have at least one image, but some have two or three.

[–] jarrodmcdonald-1 8 years ago

I just added images to the IMDb episode pages. As of now all 156 episodes have at least one image, but some have two or three.

Very good. Thank you for doing that for us.

[–] 8 years ago

[deleted]

[–] tenement-funster 8 years ago

They haven't lived in each other's pockets all their lives! Rick was away in Vietnam, for starters, then went on the road on his motorbike for a long time after he got back. He did the same thing quite a bit before he went away, as well. There were quite some years where they barely saw each other. And they don't eat together every day! I don't think there's any reason for Rick to always know where AJ eats lunch.

For the record, siblings can vary massively in their tastes, even when raised together, and by their full blood parents. I have nothing in common with my siblings. The only oddity is their vastly differing speech patterns, but that's not uncommon within families in TV Land. For obvious reasons!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I find concussion quite invigorating.

[–] jarrodmcdonald-1 8 years ago

They haven't lived in each other's pockets all their lives! Rick was away in Vietnam, for starters, then went on the road on his motorbike for a long time after he got back. He did the same thing quite a bit before he went away, as well. There were quite some years where they barely saw each other. And they don't eat together every day! I don't think there's any reason for Rick to always know where AJ eats lunch.

For the record, siblings can vary massively in their tastes, even when raised together, and by their full blood parents. I have nothing in common with my siblings. The only oddity is their vastly differing speech patterns, but that's not uncommon within families in TV Land. For obvious reasons!

Hi tenement..thanks for the reply. I will probably seem argumentative (not my goal) but I did want to address a few things. First, I do think Rick would have known about AJ ever being in a truckstop and I consider it weak writing. Probably the episode writer did that to let the audience know this place was beneath AJ-- using Rick to find out something the audience needed to know. But Rick would have already known it, because at some point he would have heard AJ complaining about low-class eating establishments. It would have played better if the server handed AJ a menu and AJ crinkled his nose and Rick said 'my brother's never been to one of these places before' and then AJ could have lied and said 'yes, I eat at these kinds of places all the time,' as a joke. Then the audience would get the information and Rick wouldn't seem clueless about AJ's tastes.

[–] RvaBread22 8 years ago

Kind of a shallow analysis. I never thought of Rick as a stereotypical redneck or AJ as yuppie at all. Just sort of different personality types.

"Life is like a box of Krispy Kreme donuts".

[–] jarrodmcdonald-1 8 years ago

Kind of a shallow analysis. I never thought of Rick as a stereotypical redneck or AJ as yuppie at all. Just sort of different personality types.

I think you're judging the thread too harshly. TV in the 80s was very high-concept. Miami Vice was considered MTV cops (which seems shallow). And I am sure Simon & Simon was seen as the show with the yuppie and the redneck. Of course, as the seasons went on, the characters were fleshed out...but they did start with two very different types. And it was more than just personality differences-- it was the way they dressed, the kinds of vehicles they drove and the sort of women they attracted. We would never expect Morgan Fairchild to hook up with Rick. She gets involved with A.J. She wants the uptown guy, not the down home boy. So yes, there are stereotypes in the way these two characters are presented, and the show and its comic and dramatic elements are built on it. Many of the guest characters are very stereotypical too. That's 80s television.

[–] RvaBread22 7 years ago

A redneck is a low class person. usually very poor and from a rural area. That is the TRUE definition. Rick may have been a good 'ol boy. But Good 'ol boys are not rednecks. Being conservative is not redneck, either. That is something misguided liberal media hypes to portray anyone who doesn't agree with their beliefs.

"Life is like a box of Krispy Kreme donuts".

[–] pacwarbuff 8 years ago

Rick was anything but a redneck, at least politically speaking. There were several instances throughout the series when he would make remarks slightng things like big business, Vietnam, politicians, and the like. It's quite difficult to find 1980s tv shows criticizing 1980s culture and the world situation. I credit the acting ability of Gerald McRaney, a staunch conservative, for always convincingly conveying his Rick Simon character's jaded worldview.

[–] RvaBread22 7 years ago

Um, actually there are quite a few "liberal" rednecks. You are assuming that someone with conservative views is a redneck. I am a strong conservative, and I am not a redneck. A redneck is a lower class person, usually (but not always) from a rural area who is lacking in manners and social graces. Being conservative isn't redneck. Conservatives come from all walks of life. On average, conservatives are usually articulate and intelligent. They use facts and logic, while liberals are irrational, and tend to use emotion more. It seems like most misguided liberals, you lump the two together.

"Life is like a box of Krispy Kreme donuts".

[–] 7 years ago

[deleted]

[–] tenement-funster 7 years ago

On average, conservatives are usually articulate and intelligent. They use facts and logic, while liberals are irrational, and tend to use emotion more. It seems like most misguided liberals, you lump the two together.

I love that you accuse liberals of lumping things together, whilst speaking in blatant generalisations yourself. Pot, kettle.

Or maybe it's that conservatives are more inclined to be insulting?

Truth is that we're all individuals, and our political convictions have no bearing on our rationality, nor on how articulate we are. As to Rick, he'd probably be quite happy to be called a redneck, although I agree that he isn't, at least in the most common definition of the term. He's done it all at some point! He's often seemed to be experimenting with different identities, and I think he did a lot of searching for himself in his younger days. "Now" (by which I mean when we see him, during the show's run), he's content merely to be himself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I find concussion quite invigorating.

[–] RvaBread22 7 years ago

But liberals always say that conservatives are rednecks, etc. Its ridiculous. I get tired of it.

"Life is like a box of Krispy Kreme donuts".

[–] tenement-funster 7 years ago

"Liberals" do not "always" do anything. Redneck is a term with an original specific meaning that has changed somewhat over time due to usage. Words have a tendency to do that. I believe that technically it just means one who works on the land, hence their neck going red? I'm guessing that, because of a general tendency to mid-Western farming types towards conservatism, the two became synonymous, which of course is no more accurate than assuming everybody in Hollywood is a liberal. Doesn't stop Conservatives belting on about Hollywood being all about the liberals (and the Jews, which shows yet another irritating bias on the part of humanity).

Don't let it get to you. Just wallow in knowing that the other guy is wrong! And I assure you, this is one "liberal" (we tend to use that word somewhat differently in the UK, but I'm happy with the badge) who bears no grudge against labourers with suntanned upper regions. Liberals aren't monsters. Conservatives aren't monsters. People on the other hand...!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I find concussion quite invigorating.

[–] RvaBread22 7 years ago

Look at all the rednecks that were Bernie supporters. I don't think conservatism is the issue. There are country people who are conservatives, but they are far from being redneck. Its a pejorative term. Just like that word that rhymes with trigger that no one is allowed to say.

"Life is like a box of Krispy Kreme donuts".

[–] jarrodmcdonald-1 7 years ago

I'm replying to my original post, so this is not directed at any one person.

But I cannot believe this thread has evolved into a political discussion. Nowhere in my original post did I refer to any sort of politics. I was looking at two different personality types and how they could be regarded as a way to "sell" or market the show to an audience. That is all.

[–] tenement-funster 7 years ago

Sorry. :) Seems everything comes back to politics lately! But you're quite right, and this neededn't be political, and certainly not in any wildly bipartisan fashion. Your highlighting of the characters' differences was perhaps asking for trouble in the current climate, but I do get your point. They were wild opposites, certainly to begin with, and that's interesting in brothers. I think their differences were tempered a little as the series progressed. Obviously they remained very different, but the first season was a lot less subtle about it!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I find concussion quite invigorating.