Adrian Barich: Seeing ‘then and now’ videos of my favourite actors has me determined to keep the old man out

I like to think I’m a glass-half-full kind of guy. I wake up, can’t wait to take Frankie down to the park and then, because I’m training (in inverted commas) for a marathon, I try to walk/run for an hour or so.

But lately, my Facebook feed has been staging a bit of an intervention.

I’m sure you’ve seen them, those “then and now” videos that have been doing the rounds. They are very clever. A famous actor from your favourite TV show or movie from last century morphs into what they look like now.

They pop up every so often, obviously built by AI.

You’re scrolling along, feeling like it was only yesterday you were sitting on your shag-pile carpet watching Happy Days, and then, wham, there’s the reality check.

The most recent one to stop me in my tracks was The Sound Of Music. We all remember the von Trapp kids, right? Nautical uniforms, perfect harmonies, and that incredible backdrop. (Who hasn’t hit Austria on a Contiki trip and rubbed their eyes when confronted with the original house?)

But the updated video was a heart-stopper. Almost the entire troupe has moved on to that big baroque palace in the sky. Even Gretl, the adorable little one, is 67 now!

I did a bit of digging and found out that poor Kym Karath, who played Gretl, actually couldn’t swim and was terrified of the water. She nearly drowned during that famous boat-tipping scene because Julie Andrews was supposed to catch her but fell the wrong way. It’s funny the things you learn decades later.

But back to the posts: it’s wild to see famous people then and now and realise how much time has flown by.

You see the cast of Cheers or Seinfeld, and some appear with little digital angel wings edited onto their shoulders to show they’re no longer with us. Now that’s a wake-up call, especially when you see some stars died not long after the show finished. Like Colonel Hogan from Hogan’s Heroes and Coach on Cheers. Many died in their 60s too, which is very frightening.

No one is safe from the march of time.

Then there were the more positive moments. I saw one for Little House On The Prairie and was stunned to see Melissa Sue Anderson (one of my favourites), who played Mary, the eldest sister. She’s aged, sure, but she still carries that same look she had back in the 1870s (or at least the 1970s version of them).

And I know it’s easy to look at these photos and feel a bit melancholic.

You see your childhood heroes looking frail or realise that the “kids” from your favourite movies are now eligible for the seniors card.

It makes you feel the weight of the years. But that’s where I’m drawing the line.

Whenever I start feeling that ugly vibe, I think of a philosophy I borrowed from the great Clint Eastwood: “Don’t let the old man in”.

“The Old Man” isn’t about a number on a birth certificate. It’s a metaphorical spirit of doubt and complaint. He’s the one who whispers that your knees are too weak for a run, that you’re too old to learn a new skill, or that the world has passed you by. He wants you to lie in bed and watch TV and wonder how you got so sore.

Seeing those von Trapp kids or the Seinfeld crew reminds me that while we can’t stop the physical clock, we sure as hell can keep the door bolted against that “old man” or “old woman”.

Fight him or her off in the only way we know how: by keeping the mind and body moving.

Maintain your enthusiasm. Just getting your sandshoes on is normally enough to get you moving.

If you’ve got a passion, whether it’s footy, gardening, or just being the loudest grandparent at the Saturday morning netball, you’re winning.

Like those living legends who are still with us, they’ve just gotten better with age because they never stopped showing up.

So, next time you’re scrolling through Facebook and you see a “then and now” post that makes you feel a bit sad, don’t let it get you down. Take it as a prompt to redouble your efforts.

Sure, time flies, but that doesn’t mean you let the old man in the door.

I’ll see you out and about. I’ll be the one trying to outpace my own “then and now” photo.