1940s House

PBS' three-hour telecast of "1940s House" sends one British family back to the past to discover just what life was really like for Brits during World War II. It's no piece of cake, for sure, but the trip backward is a fascinating bit of television that will have viewers pretty much riveted to their seats. It could have turned out to be much ado about nothing, given all the trouble it took to turn back the clock and "retro-fit" the house they would live in. But this is not the case. "1940s House" is a great history lesson with hands-on charm and more than enough reality.

The Hymers are a three-generation family -- mother Lyn, father Michael, daughter Kirstie and her sons Ben, age 10, and Thomas, age 7 -- and they have agreed to help turn back the clock and live for several months in a house in the small market town of Otley, near Leeds, England, that has been converted especially for the telecast (or experiment) to reflect the technology of the period during World War II. Actually, many families applied for the pseudo-position, but the Hymers won. It seems that father Michael is a WWII obsessive, at least according to his wife, Lyn.

Imagine the conveniences the family would have to forfeit: cell phones, modern appliances, takeout food (called take-away in England), not to mention television. Nor were they allowed a telephone.

The telecast is divided into three sections. In the first, "Into the Unknown," we're witness to the dwelling's makeover. Modern touches are removed, and, especially important during the war, the garden is refinished to include edibles the family will depend on. The family likewise sheds its contemporary look, trading in current hair and clothing styles for those of more than a half-century ago.

In Program 2, "Women at War," the family loses 40% of its income for the war cause, and Michael returns to his job in the North of England. The women learn the true meaning of rationing, and Lyn and Kirstie do volunteer work with the Women's Voluntary Service. Then, in Program 3, "The Beginning of the End," the father returns for the final two weeks of the stay, and the family moves closer to Victory Day.

"1940s House" doesn't give us the full flavor of wartime England, of course, but it does make history seem alive to a certain degree. The show is lively and honest, going to a lot of trouble and succeeding at giving great detail to an important historical moment.

1940s HOUSE
KCET
Wall to Wall Television
Credits:
Executive producer: Alex Graham
Producer: Simon Shaw
Director: Caroline Ross-Pirie
Editor: Sheryl Sandler
Director of photography: Rob Goldie
Sound: Steve Bowden
Art director: Lia Cramer
Music: Richard Blackford
Narrator: Geoffrey Palmer