Those of us who remember the titular cartoon show ca. 1962/63 might remember the clever humor rendered by that look at the future.
The Jetsons was created as the futuristic counterpart to The Flintstones, inhabitants of the cartoon Stone Age. The Jetsons series depicted the daily lives of the Jetson family—George, Jane, Judy, and Elroy—along with their dog, Astro, and robotic maid Rosie, set in the floating city of Orbit City in the year 2062.
(Obviously, it was set exactly one century into the future from the air dates of the show. I can still hear in my mind and sing the tune—at least the first few lines—that introduced the show. 😊 I was in my early teens.)
The show originally aired in prime time on ABC comprising 24 episodes. It was cancelled after its first season due to poor ratings, particularly when scheduled against Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color. However, reruns proved highly successful, leading to a revival with 51 new episodes produced for syndication between 1985 and 1987, of which I saw exactly none.
The series remains a cultural touchstone for its mid-20th century predictions of technology, including flying cars, video phones, and home automation, including robots.
In reference to the Jetsons, one of our diligent correspondents in Texas shared this video clip with us. He (or someone) entitled it: “ARE WE ABOUT TO BE LIVING LIKE THE JETSONS?”
That is certainly hyperbole and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy did not use that figure of speech, but he does offer a present reality in terms of aerial transportation vehicles.
It entails personal vehicles flying at 100 mph for just dollars in electricity.
This snippet comes from Secretary Duffy’s appearance last week on the 4 p.m. Eastern time Will Cain Show on Fox News.
Sean Duffy gives Will Cain an inside look at the aircraft technology that could change how Americans travel—from electric, vertical takeoff aircraft to drones and supersonic flight.
Here is the mp4 video clip which runs less than a minute. This snippet is a prelude to what we shall offer tomorrow—or very soon.
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