American Dreams

The creators and producers of the show thought American Dreams might be cancelled. So they wrote two endings, a cliffhanger and a finale and asked the network which one to use. The network told the producers to use the cliffhanger, but cancelled the show anyway! Talk about shabby treatment!

The Rolling Stones' recreated "appearance" on Bandstand was actually from NBC's Hullaballoo, a primetime music series in the mid 60's that actually competed against another ABC primetime music series "Shindig".

On the studio backlot the girls go looking for Art Fleming, host of Jeopardy. The episode is set in 1966. Jeopardy originated in New York and was still being produced there through at least 1967.

Assuming the girls flew from Philadelphia, when Meg and Roxanne are in their hotel room, Roxanne empties her flight bag that has a PAN AM (Pan American World Airways)logo. In 1966 PAN AM was not permitted to fly domestic routes in the U. S. All flights originating in the U. S. had to go overseas with no stopovers.

Dick Clark was hospitalized for a mild stroke on Dec 4, 2004, just almost 2 weeks after this episode aired and the stroke disabled him from doing Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin Eve.

Alanis Morisette sang "Offer" which is off of her album "Feast On Scraps", which came out in 2003, not 1964.

In the scene where Meg and Chris paint the peace sign at their shcool, she is holding a paintbrush as she touches his back when they kiss. The paintbrush dissappears when they cut the camera angle.

When Patty is sitting in the movie she says to her dad, "But don't you want to see if she goes back to the captain"...but at the point in the movie that is showing, Maria hasn't even left the convent for the first time yet...they're getting ready to sing "How do you solve a problem like Maria"...

Tina Turner performs "River Deep-Mountain High". This season takes place in 1965, but "River Deep-Mountain High" was not originally released until September 1966.

We are to assume that the episode is taking place in July or August (since the last episode takes place during the 4th of July). Just before Beth arrives at the Pryor's household, Jack is watching TV - the Indianapolis 500. The Indy 500 is in May.

When Nathan is looking at his draft notice, snow is falling outside the window. This episode takes place during the summer time (July or August), which can be verified by the next scenes where people are outside in shirtsleeves.

Time enjoys a liberal skip in this episode. At first, it works out to be November 1965 with "Days of Our Lives" debuting (coincidentally, most people missed the first few days since 11/8/65 was the big Northeast blackout) and songs like "Keep On Dancing" by the Gentrys(#4, Nov. '65). Then we witness Nancy Sinatra singing "These Boots Were Made for Walking" (#1, Feb. '66) Then it seems to skip to Mr. Pryor hanging a sign for Mother's Day sales(May '66?). And finally we hear "Sunny"(#2, August '66).

Once again, like in a previous episode, the classic show I Dream of Jeannie is mentioned, this time by JJ and his Marine buddies. That show didn't start airing until fall 1965 while this episode of American Dreams was likely set sometime in winter or spring 1965.

JJ is in Vietnam early in 1965, carrying an M-16 rifle. However, the M16 was first issued to troops in battle in the Ia Drang Valley of Viet Nam in November, 1965.

Helen and Beth go to see Lenny Bruce at a nightclub in Philly. According to Bruce's work chronology, he never played a club in Philadelphia in '64, '65, or '66, the year he died of a morphine overdose.

Supposedly, this episode takes place in 1964. "Along Comes Mary", by the Association, hit the charts in 1966. In the first scene in Vietnam, an NCO comes into the tent with the black metal rank insignia on his collar. The metal collar insignia wasn't adopted by the military until December of 1966. In a montage, they show Jack in a bar at a convention in the evening, Meg is with her college boyfriend, Helen and JJ's fiance at a nightclub, and JJ eating supper with a Vietnamese family... All this taking place at the same time.. it.s evening both in the U.S. AND Vietnam, half a word away!!

Isn't this episode supposed to be set in 1965? If so, then why are they playing Cream's, "I Feel Free", which was definitely released in December 1966. Also, The Association's, "Along Comes Mary", was also released in 1966.

During one of the scenes in Vietnam, as they are playing football, when Walter "Nebraska" Harrison runs into the end zone, a camera man wearing 21st century, non-military clothes and sitting on a dolly cam is visible. The tracks for the dolly cam are also visible.

As shown from the TV news flash on the cosmonauts walking in space, the date is March 18, 1965. However, the music already is set for 1966, with Nancy Sinatra on "Bandstand" singing "These Boots Were Made for Walking"(#1, Feb. 1966) and Cherish(#1, Sept. 1966).

Goof: In the opener with the Supremes singing "Back in My Arms Again!" Besides the obvious with it not debuting till May 1965, the footage is from the show "Hullabaloo"!! Also, Dick Clark announces a Friday edition of Bandstand, but it became a weekly Saturday show starting in September 1963, 3 months before the Supremes even had a chart listing!