Hell, watching Stranger Things makes me wanna fire up, and it's not even old. But takes place in the 1980's, so there's a couple smokers (Joyce, and especially Hop).

Newer shows have a lot more drinking though, particularly hard liquor, of the brown variety, drank straight up. Poured from a beautiful crystal decanter, into a nice, clear highball glass, esp. whenever people meet for some kind of serious discussion.

It's like in SO MANY shows nowadays.

TV does NOT make it easy for people trying not to drink.

... the movies smoked. I quit many years ago... the effect wears off and you can enjoy old films without thinking of your own habit - even Bette Davis films. Hang in there!

...that I don't even remember how long ago it was that I quit. It must be 10 or 12, or maybe even 14 years now, but I never even give it a thought any more. I couldn't tell what day I quit any more than I could tell you what I had for dinner 10 years ago today. Once the past is gone, it no longer exists; it's fiction. Everything that happens, happens in the now, and now I'm not a smoker.

It looks so enjoyable and relaxing when I see them light up in the old movies. I have a momentary pang of desire.

Hasn't for a long time.

and seeing all the smoking going on and how it was so embraced by our culture. Offering someone a cigarette and/or a light was part of manners in society. Watching doctors and nurses smoke at hospitals is eye opening these days.

EVERYBODY smoked.

Steve McQueen, as Josh Randall on Wanted Dead or Alive, often rolled his own. He said on one episode that all he needed was a good horse, a handful of beans and “the makin’s.”

The Dick Van Dyke show cast members used to each receive two cartons of cigarettes a week from their sponsor, although they didn’t show that much smoking on the show.