'The Jetsons' at 50: The future is now
"The Jetsons" promotional image. Credit: Hanna-Barbera Productions. 1994
Fifty years ago this month, we met George Jetson, daughter Judy, his boy Elroy and Jane, his wife -- citizens of a 21st century filled with videophones, floating chairs, household robots (with British, French and Brooklyn accents, no less) and, of course, flying cars. It was set "one century in the future," as Time magazine noted in 1962 -- the show itself never specified a 21st century year.
The half-hour animated sitcom -- which aired from Sept. 23, 1962, to Sept. 8, 1963, as an ABC Sunday night prime-time series before beginning endless reruns -- lasted only 24 episodes initially, with 1985 and 1987 syndicated productions bringing the total to 75. Looking back on the original series, born in the New Frontier Space Age of bright, suburban optimism and better living through science, how accurate were its predictions for the 21st century? Not bad, through these 50 years. Here's a look:
HOUSEHOLD HELP
THE JETSONS -- Robot maid
2012 -- Roomba
INDOOR SPORTS
THE JETSONS -- Virtual tennis, baseball
2012 -- Wii
PERSONAL VIDEO
THE JETSONS -- TV wristwatch
PERSONAL FLIGHT
THE JETSONS -- Jet pack
2012 -- Wingsuit
COMPUTERS
THE JETSONS -- Wall-sized, reel-to-reel tape
2012 -- Laptop, silicon chip
BIG-SCREEN TV
THE JETSONS -- Yes, with squarish or curvilinear monitors
2012 -- Yes -- and flat-screen!
3-D TV
THE JETSONS -- Yes
2012 -- Yes
VIDEOPHONE
THE JETSONS -- Yes
2012 -- Skype
PUBLIC TELEPHONES
THE JETSONS -- Visaphone booth
2012 -- What's a phone booth?
MACHINE DISPENSING COOKED FOOD
THE JETSONS -- Foodarackacyle
2012 -- Microwave
SPACE TOURISM
THE JETSONS -- Common
2012 -- A couple of billionaires so far
FLYING CARS
THE JETSONS -- Yes
2012 -- No. And just as well; you don't want to be below a flying-car accident.
