TV memories

[Chester P Squier]

We were some of the first people in our little hamlet to have a TV set. 1954. I was six. I would come home from school and watch Captain Video, Howdy Doody, and Pinky Lee. I thought Pinky Lee was hilarious, but you had to be a child to enjoy his humor.

Couple years later, the nearest TV station had Frontier Playhouse, where they played B-westerns from the '30s and '40s. Bob Steele, Eddie Dean, Rex Bell, Tim McCoy and early John Wayne. A few years later, the Three Mesquiteers, with all their personnel changes. Later, they showed Gene Autry and Roy Rogers.

Not everybody had TV in the 1950s. My uncle and his wife came down to visit and watch TV. We watched I Love Lucy, among other things. The next few times I saw my aunt, she asked me "Did Lucy get locked in the freezer again." In real life, the incident on that episode could have been tragic, but as played out, it was hilarious!

Lucy really was iconic in the 1950s.

I watched too much TV as a kid.

 

[BramptonRob1958]

As a Canadian relatively close to the US boarder I was fortunate. Born in 58, my earliest memories of channel surfing was this.

No remotes, fixed antenna or rabbit ears, but reception was quite good.. We picked up from Buffalo ABC, NBC and of course CBS... Canadian CBC (our national network) CTV and from Hamilton CHCH.

Rocketship 7 with Commander Dave Thomas and his puppet dog Dustmop was a staple for me... The News Anchor was Irv Weinstein and I believe Dave was also the Weatherman at night....

Saturday Morning Cartoons were heaven. Until one ominous Friday in November 63. My whole world at the time was upended. Wall to wall reports of the JFK tragedy. As a 5 year old, I really didn't understand what was happening as I kept waiting for the cartoons to magically start up again.

I was home sick from School, my Dad came home from work early. He had a work place accident and arrived mid day. I was watching the Flintstones when all of a sudden Walter Cronkite suddenly interrupted to report that President Kennedy's car had been fired upon in Dallas....

The rest of the weekend was a blur except that I was watching them transfer Lee Harvey Oswald when Jack Ruby appeared. I don't remember it fazing me at the time. 5 Year olds (at least me) didn't know the difference between a "Gun Smoke shooting" and LHO being gunned down on live TV.

I have very fond memories of the Ed Sullivan show, many of the comedies Beverley Hillbillies, Green Acres and many, many others as my parents were ok with comedy for my young impressionable mind.....

I loved watching anything to do with NASA space exploration and the launches.....including the Moon Landing in 69.

I was fascinated by the Watergate hearings and just entering my teens. My eyes, were then opened to History and my understanding of what I thought I knew to be reality changed forever.

All of a sudden, finding out all of my beliefs about Government, professions and society was broken. I read and re-read All the President's Men over and over from cover to cover.....

That time also revealed a interest in the JFK, Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy assassinations.

All of the News came from TV or Newspaper......OMG no internet for years to come......

TV was a constant companion growing up and definitely shaped my formative years...... Now it's like Linus's Blanket.....(Yes Charlie Brown) it provides background noise for the most part.... always on but I am always doing other things.

 

[Wrighty]

I remember 3 channels

In the UK we had two, BBC and ITV until, in 1964, (I was 9 I think), along came UHF and BBC 2. We all went along to our wealthy neighbour, who had swapped VHF for UHF, to watch the first broadcast. It was perceived as a high brow channel. If I remember BBC 1 was on channel 1, ITV channel 9 and BBC 2 was on channel 2. Less was more, three channels yet more worth watching!

 

[televillian]

Wallace & Ladmo

 

[Milspec]

TV was a huge impact on me as a child because it wasn't fantasy, but rather reality because a lot of the stars I watched on tv lived near me.

The legendary Dr. San Guinary lived 4 houses away so when I watched "Creature Feature" I thought it was filmed at his house. Then there was the pro wrestling programs...we had 3 stars living on our street and I would be amazed to see them out mowing the lawn after getting so beat up on tv.

 

[teleman1]

Born in 55, I soon began work as a remote control channel switcher and eventually became an expert at rabbit ear tv antenna work. Had this position during the 60's and into the 70's. Almost fazed out by a remote operated tv antenna on the roof.

 

[Lou Tencodpees]

I grew up with 2 older brothers. The oldest had jet black hair, the middle was a bit chubby and the clown. I had red hair and named Larry. Its no secret what show we watched (and miraculously survived without maiming).

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

I loved the fifties' Cincinnati kiddie shows — Uncle Al, Hattie the Witch, the Contemporaries. Riveting!

Everything I know about how to comport myself I learned from kiddie TV.

- The Lone Ranger and Superman: Don't do it for credit. Just do it.

- Zorro: And if you do it in black, all the better.

- Hopalong Cassidy: Ride fast.

- Robin Hood: Rob from the rich, give to the poor. AND: Choose your friends well, then trust them with your life.

- Mighty Mouse: They ain't so big, they just tall, that's all.

- Captain Kangaroo: You can't have too many pockets.

- Mickey Mouse: Laugh!

-The Hardy Boys: Aunt Gertrude's got nothing to worry about.

- The Mickey Mouse Club: Fun with music! Fun with music! Making music is fun!

 

[Masmus]

We all seem to have the same experience. The two major events in our household happened in the early seventies, we got a color tv and a motorized antenna that had a dial that we kept near the tv to change the direction from our living room.

 

[Knows3Chords]

You know you're old when you know what a vertical and horizontal hold is. Remember giving the TV a good rap with the side of your fist to get the screen to stop rolling?

 

[radtz]

We were some of the first people in our little hamlet to have a TV set. 1954. I was six. I would come home from school and watch Captain Video, Howdy Doody, and Pinky Lee. I thought Pinky Lee was hilarious, but you had to be a child to enjoy his humor.

Couple years later, the nearest TV station had Frontier Playhouse, where they played B-westerns from the '30s and '40s. Bob Steele, Eddie Dean, Rex Bell, Tim McCoy and early John Wayne. A few years later, the Three Mesquiteers, with all their personnel changes. Later, they showed Gene Autry and Roy Rogers.

Not everybody had TV in the 1950s. My uncle and his wife came down to visit and watch TV. We watched I Love Lucy, among other things. The next few times I saw my aunt, she asked me "Did Lucy get locked in the freezer again." In real life, the incident on that episode could have been tragic, but as played out, it was hilarious!

Lucy really was iconic in the 1950s.

I watched too much TV as a kid.

I just googled Pinky Lee...... I see Peewee Herman's inspiration.

 

[CCK1]

I remember 3 channels

Me too, three channels, sometimes four, depending on the weather. Living in the North Georgia, out of Atlanta, we could get channel 2, 5, 8 (the PBS channel) and sometimes 11. One person turned the channel, and the other watched the screen to tell him where to stop.

 

[uriah1]

Ya Sat
Sky king
Rin tin tin
Flipper
Sea hunt

 

[Red Ryder]

Wallace & Ladmo

I couldn't wait to get home from school. They were great. They made live appearances at the Gleandale theater all of us kids had a blast.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

We all seem to have the same experience. The two major events in our household happened in the early seventies, we got a color tv and a motorized antenna that had a dial that we kept near the tv to change the direction from our living room.

Nah. We were strictly a black-and-white/rabbit-ears crowd when I was a kid.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Ya Sat
Sky king

King of the western sky!

Rin tin tin

Yo, Rinnie!

Flipper

After my time.

Sea hunt

The company my dad worked for produced Sea Hunt. Good ol' Mike Nelson! And without Lloyd Bridges, where would Jeff and Beau be? Nary a twinkle!

 

[oldunc]

My first memories- also about 1954- are of going next door to watch through Douglas Bruce Knox Spaghetti's window; they were the first with a TV . I remember Pinky ("Hi ho, It's me, My name is Pinky Lee") dancing around in a checkered suit with a giant tootsie roll- I believe he was canned for showing up drunk and cussing out a bunch of kids or something of the sort. Then there was Howdy Doody, with Clarabelle the clown chasing all and sundry about with his seltzer bottle, Faarfel the wooden dog singing about Nestle's chocolate etc. Wow, those product placements really stick. Peter Cottontail, hoppin' down the bunny trail, Sgt. Garcia ("Zorro") going to inspect the winery, et al.
A wonderful time to be alive.

 

[StratDal]

The Paul Lynde Show always cracked me up especially the intro!

 

[StrangerNY]

My earliest TV memory - 1955, watching Bandstand every afternoon with my older siblings.

It was hosted by a DJ named Bob Horn - Dick Clark was still a couple of years away, when Horn violated the morals clause of his contract. And it was local to Philly, so it wasn't even 'American Bandstand' yet.

But Chuck sang about it in 'Sweet Little Sixteen,' and it was the beginning of my life-long diet of rock n'roll.

- D

 

[Tarkus60]

I grew up half way between Indy and Cincy...I do not remember channel 19.
I do remember Dark Shadows came on at 3:30 we had to run home to catch it.