Something for the weekend. Go here to listen to the song Painted Black by the Rolling Stones played during the intro to the tv series Tour of Duty, a show whch chronicled an American infantry platoon in Vietnam beginning in 1967.  CBS failed to purchase the rights to Painted Black for reruns or DVDs, so replacement music is used instead, which is a great shame. I have seen few videos more evocative of time and place than the intro to Tour of Duty with Painted Black. The second and third seasons of Tour of Duty added soap opera and adventure elements which detracted from the realism of the show, but the first season is highly recommended by me for anyone wishing to see a realistic depiction of what life was like for the men who fought one of America’s more unpopular wars and who usually served their country far better than their country served them.
Painted Black
Donald R. McClarey
Cradle Catholic. Active in the pro-life movement since 1973. Father of three, one in Heaven, and happily married for 41 years. Small town lawyer and amateur historian. Former president of the board of directors of the local crisis pregnancy center for a decade.
I think the first season of Tour of Duty was well done too. To the best of my recollection, if I am correct, even though Carl Weathers who played Apollo Creed in Rocky was brought into the show to play a commanding officer later on, I thought the show had a real honest feel before then without the big name actors and pumping it up. Paint it black http://www.lyricsfreak.com/r/rolling+stones/paint+it+black_20117875.html or Painted black would be the same song. CBS once had an answer to the old ABC show Happy Days that was a more honest realistic depiction of life in the 1950s rather than being a comedy. That show did not last but it seems to be a similar attempt at the subject matter like Tour of Duty.
After Tour of Duty, I think China Beach came along which definitely was a whole different take on the war, more romantic, I barely ever watched it. However, one of the main actors was the same guy who was Motown in the movie Hamburger Hill.
A great show, I really liked watching the first season.