Over the decades— particularly the first few of this 21st century— artistic opinions regarding TV have softened. There has been enough incredible work on television that it's now heralded as a very worthy medium. It took "prestigious" shows like The Wire and The Sopranos to elevate TV's reputation, but the tube is now seen as capable of delivering some incredible, moving, satisfying stories that push the form forward. 

However, back in the day, not everybody was sold on the small screen. It was seen as "lesser-than" by many actors, in particular. Many celluloid stars wouldn't dare slum it in primetime. This is doubly true for stage actors.

Herb Edelman is most recognizable for his role as Stanley Zbornak on TV's The Golden Girls, but his true love was acting on the stage. In fact, Edelman's time in the theater informed his outlook on the medium of television.

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The actor spoke about his views in a 1993 interview for the Ventura County Star. Among other things, he called TV "a false idol," and stated that by watching hours of television, "we are wasting our talents."

"We watch it, and we throw it out, like a napkin. Television should entertain, but it should open our eyes. Every year we sit and watch television is another year we grind down our ability to participate in life. Life becomes less possible for us."

Incredibly, Arnold Schwarzenegger also caught some flak in Edelman's diatribe.

"I've never worked with Schwarzenegger; it's a credit to my taste. I'm not putting Mr. Schwarzenegger down, it's just that I abhor violence. As a society we find it delicious. We've condoned a lot of things in the name of entertainment."

Well, there's no accounting for taste!