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Post by David Sechrest on Jun 13, 2005 16:43:58 GMT -5
I've created this Thread two times now, only to delete it about as fast as I created it. This time, I think I'll leave it on here (even if I'm the only one who leaves anything).
This thread is meant to compliment the article I wrote regarding what we watched on tv, and I hope some of you out there will list your memories of sitting in front of the tube. Nanc, EC, George, and Rockyford--I would be most interested in reading about your memories regarding when your family bought their very first tv, and your thoughts about how it compared to radio.
Watching television was one of many kids favorite pasttimes in the 1960's. I guess you could call it a cheap form of entertainment, but it really wasn't. Televisions, even of the black and white variety, were expensive back then. You can buy a tv set cheaper today than you could back then. A ballpark price for a television set in the early 1960's was $300-$400. Considering the weekly take home pay of this day and age, tv sets were (maybe) a luxury in many homes.
One thing you really don't see much today are tv repairmen. Tv's have become a commodity, throw away type product. But back in the days of black and white, repairmen were pretty commonplace when the old set broke down. It was a lot cheaper to have the old set fixed instead of buying a new one.
In 1962, some of the places you could buy a tv set were Horn's, at 1621 California Street, Miller's Tv Sales and Service on east 10th St., Bishop's TV Sales and Service, 1 1/2 miles east on State Road 7, Vetter's TV Service Center at 2523 Central Avenue, and Sears, 629 Washington Street. There were some other companies around town that also sold and serviced sets. Since tv really wasn't that old in 1962, most of these companies were established in the late 1940's or early 1950's. Horn's was established in 1948, and a place called Paris' Radio and TV Service (91 S. Brooks St.) was established in 1952. RCA, Zenith, Sears "Silvertone," Philco, General Electric, Emerson,and Admiral were some of the more popular brand names. There was even a local company for television antenna sales: Hill's TV Antenna Service at 245 Jewell.
Look in the phone book today and see how many television repair places are in Columbus...
I remember a tv repairman coming to our house on Center Street and fixing the old set. It was nothing more than a matter of replacing a blown out tube, but he had the part in his truck, and in about a half hour, the tv set was back on, and I was sitting right in front of it (DON'T SIT SO CLOSE! YOU'LL HURT YOUR EYES!)
Our family watched many tv shows together, and I'm wondering if the same still happens today. Friday and Saturday nights were when we all sat around the tv and enjoyed shows that all of us liked. Sometimes, if we could afford it, mom would buy popcorn. She'd heat the oil in an iron pot on the stove, add the popcorn, and when it was done, throw in some butter and salt and it was ready to eat. With the popularity of microwaves today, I can't remember the last time we made popcorn this way.
More to come...
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Post by David Sechrest on Jun 13, 2005 17:16:15 GMT -5
By any chance, did any of you catch any of the Warner Brothers 50th Anniversary, 50 hour weekend on TV Land Saturday and Sunday?
It was a real treat. They showed the Cheyenne Show, Bronco (the Bronco episode had a young Mary Tyler Moore in it), Sugarfoot (with a young Dennis Hopper in it), Maverick, 77 Sunset Strip, Surfside 6, and Hawaiian Eye.
Most of the shows mentioned above were shown early...very early...in the morning. The westerns mentioned began at 6am Saturday, and 77 Sunset Strip began at 6am Sunday morning.
The episode of the Cheyenne Show they showed was from the 1961-1962. Cheyenne Brodie was played by Clint Walker. Clint was a BIG man, coming in at 6'8 according to whatever trade mag you happened to pick up in this day. He was also a popular movie star.
Cheyenne originally began broadcasting in September, 1955. Cheyenne was a part of Warner Brothers Presents, Warner Brothers first venture into television, and the show rotated with two other shows: Conflict (1956-1957), and Sugarfoot (1957-1959). Cheyenne was an hour long show, and lavishly produced, which was the main reason it wasn't shown on a weekly basis.
In 1958, at the height of the show's popularity, Clint Walker walked out. He didn't want to give back 50 percent of his personal appearance fees, and he also wanted a higher return on the reruns of the Cheyenne show. He also wanted to make records with companies other than Warner Brothers. The big WB wouldn't budge, so Clint left. Ty Hardin stepped in and Cheyenne was filmed under the Cheyenne title without Clint. Ty Hardin was known as Bronco Layne, and stepped in to replace Clint. The tv show Bronco was born out of this turmoil.
In 1959, Clint returned to Cheyenne and Bronco was made its own tv show. Cheyenne, Bronco, and Sugarfoot were rotated on a weekly basis beginning with the 1959 season.
In 1961-62, Cheyenne became the Cheyenne Show, and included Clint as Cheyenne Brodie, Ty Hardin as Bronco Layne, and Will Hutchins as Sugarfoot. Sugarfoot was dropped in 1961-1962, and only Clint and Ty starred in the show. The show was last broadcast in 1963.
The episode they showed on TV Land was from the Cheyenne Show, and included all three actors mentioned above.
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nancs
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Post by nancs on Jun 14, 2005 8:49:28 GMT -5
Hi and well, this is just NOT fair!!!! Go away for a day, and a day to visit with a former Columbus person, at that, and the boards are full of places that I want to add a comment! ;D Seems to me that I might have put some of my "TV thoughts" in some other thread, but here goes!!! First and foremost, my family did NOT have a TV in Columbus, did get as far as the installation of a phone pole for the antenna, tho'. That was the first expense! And it does seem to me that at one point a "coactual cable" (gad, have no idea how to spell that) was put in down 7th St., and wasn't that something to do with TV? I really don't know. Need help on that one! TV in Columbus, for me and my family, came via the Paul Castner family. Paul, wife Letha, and daughter Nancy Lee returned to Columbus after spending some time in Peru when Nancy was maybe 3-5 years old, where Paul helped with the installation of "radio equipment of some kind," seems like it was in the Lima area. Guessing this would be in the mid - latter 40s. Our family, along with a good many other families, would congregate at the Castner's on wrestling match nights to watch them on TV. Gorgeous George, the midgets, and a host of others. Know that we would often make it into a party----with each family "pitching in" a food item, and eat together before the matches came on. The TV was black and white, of course, a bit fuzzy at times, you know, "snow." ;D Paul had a huge, huge set up for the antenna. To my recollection, Paul V. had a TV repair (I guess) shop over by Jefferson in a small store (think I am right about this) and that building still exists as a beauty shop now. (Thanks, Charlie!) Know that the kids easily became bored and 'adjourned' to play hide and seek outside. Or played games inside on a huge, soft llama rug that they had brought back from Peru. Or maybe, the kids made too much noise and were "invited" to take their activities elsewhere. ;D Meanwhile, the adults sat glued to the wrestling matches. It was a big deal in Columbus, when live wrestlers came to the Pearl St. gym, those matches were a sell out performance!!!! Probably in 1951 or so, there was "color" TV, saw that at a slumber party!!!! Amounted to a plastic piece that fit over the screen----seems like blue at the top for sky, green in the middle for trees, and brown at the bottom for ground. Was pretty believeable for a Western. ;D Have to switch horses here, as the rest of my TV memories are in CA. Our first TV, b/w, was a 12 in. used one, got that in 1953. Know that "I Love Lucy" was one show that I watched, so guess she was on in 1953 (?). As to color TV, know that my husband and I got our first color TV in 1965, thanks to my appearnce on "Let's Make a Deal," having won enough $$$ to make the purchase. Color TV was just coming into its own, my folks did have one, and this was before "gimmick times" on that program. I watched the show at my folks, seemed to me that they were picking people for the show by virtue of the color clothing the contestant wore and how that color came across on the TV. Lavendar seemed to be a good color-----so made myself a lavendar dress with a flowered jacket, made some lavendar/purple feather flowers (remember that fad?) to trade, and wella, got on, and won the Big Deal!! And David, I really cracked up when you told of having the TV repaired. My girls will shoot me, but got that new color TV, and while I was occupied doing something else, those little stinkers threw Play Dough marble-sized balls at the screen, they stuck there so nicely!!! ;D And did damage a bunch of tubes in the process, by the jarring of same, I suppose. I was pretty POed as there really was NO TV repair $$$ in our budget! So I made the girls sit there while the TV repair man attempted to do his 'magic,' wanted them to know about the innards of a TV. Well, his 'magic' had to be done at his shop!!! Thus, an empty TV shell. The youngest, some years later in Kindergarten, had a worksheet to complete matching various items----food goes in a 'frig, books go in a bookcase------she left that one blank!!! When quizzed, she proceeded to tell me that the empty bookcase was an empty TV cabinet, and she saw no tubes to go in it!!! All in the eyes of the beholder! ;D But guess I made my point with them!!!!! And I do have to add, that experience carried over to my days of teaching, when there is such an obvious answer, and the kiddo didn't 'get it,' tis time for the teacher to investigate why, as there is probably a logical reason lurking out there. Maybe more another day! Have a good day! Nanc
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Babs
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Post by Babs on Jun 14, 2005 10:49:07 GMT -5
Good morning all and what a tremendous subject to have us talk about.
I just called my dad and he said we got our first tv in 1951. (Funny I do not remember that but I don't.) I remember watching tv, lying across the twin bed in a girlfriends bedroom (why her father wanted the tv in there, I have no idea but I sort of feel he maybe didn't want a tv period.) Anyhow, one of the first shows I remember watching at this friend's house was I Love Lucy. We would laugh and laugh. Thought it was the most hilarious show ever. My dad did not recall how much we paid for our first tv but he did say it "was pretty expensive."
I recall that tv was not on 24/7 as it is now, but just for limited times. I remember Howdy Doody and yes, I remember that dumb wrestling. Even at my age, I could see it was all "put on".
David, I remember Cheyenne too, later on. He was a big guy wasn't he?
More than the tv, I remember as a small child listening to the radio. The radio, back during the war and during that time frame, was the center of the household. Families would gather around to listen. I remember Horace Heidt's Show I believe on Sunday nights and all the talent that performed. What was that show that began with the squeaky door opening? It was one of my favorites. You used your imagination to picture what was going on and the sound effects were wonderful. In a way the radio was more important to me then than the tv was.
Does anyone remember that tv show with the squeaking door? Was it The Interscantom" or something like that?
Babs
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Post by David Sechrest on Jun 15, 2005 18:26:10 GMT -5
Babs--I think you've got it! The creaking door was "Inner Sanctum," a show I had the opportunity to listen to while stationed in Germany. Great Program! I think I even have some of the old episodes on 33 1/3's somewhere around here. I meant to load this pic of Cheyenne that I took off the vcr yesterday, but got distracted and forgot. Speaking of I Love Lucy, it was first broadcast in October, 1951, but Lucy was no stranger to the world of entertainment. One of her earlier RADIO shows was My Favorite Husband. It was from there that she decided to give the new medium of television a try. While I think I've seen enough reruns of Lucy to last a lifetime, it's interesting to note that the I Love Lucy show is one of the few shows that's as funny today as it was when it was first shown. My daughter, all of 17, loves the show...
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Babs
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Post by Babs on Jun 15, 2005 22:05:09 GMT -5
David, You have a smart daughter; I Love Lucy is one of the world's all time greatest shows. It can still make me laugh and I know I have seen them all a hundred times or more. She was one "Zany lady"!
Thanks for the correct name to that squeaky door show. Oh how I loved it! I guess I like to be scared as I know I loved movies like The Mummy and The Werewolf.
Do you remember "The Shadow"? Another favorite radio show of mine.
Babs
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Post by David Sechrest on Jun 16, 2005 1:01:28 GMT -5
Nanc--you mentioned the wrestlers coming to Columbus and doing their thing in the Pearl Street Gym. Don't know if you remember this or not, but didn't they also hold wrestling matches in the old Armory on 7th and Franklin? And while we're on the subject of the Armory, what else was held there?
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nancs
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Post by nancs on Jun 16, 2005 7:01:45 GMT -5
Okay, David, and I may well stand corrected----the gym did NOT have a balconey, did it? Therefore, and whereas, think the wrestling matches were at the Armory, as I know I sat in the balconey. But do think the donkey basketball games were at the gym----does anyone agree on that? Nanc
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JamesK
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Post by JamesK on Jun 16, 2005 16:43:30 GMT -5
IN REGARDS TO THE PLACE WHERE THE DONKEY BB GAMES WERE HELD IN THE LATE 40's EARLY 50's. THE PLACE WITH THE BALCONY WAS THE HIGH SCHOOL GYM ON PEARL STREET. I WOULD THINK THAT THE WRESTLING WOULD HAVE BEEN THERE AS WELL. SINCE THE CEILING AT THE OLD ARMORY WOULD BE TO LOW TO PUT UP A ELEVATED RING. DOES ANYONE ELSE HAVE A THOUGHT ABOUT THAT? I KNOW WENT I WAS IN SCHOOL, THE AFTER THE GAME DANCES WERE HELD AT THE ARMORY. ALSO, SORORITIES WOULD HAVE DANCES THERE ALSO.
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Post by David Sechrest on Jun 16, 2005 23:43:17 GMT -5
nanc has talked about Roy Rogers in another folder. I grabbed these images from a dvd I bought in a bargain bin many months ago: By the time I was old enough to know who Roy Rogers was, it was the early 1960's, and The Roy Rogers Show was shown on Saturday mornings, a part of the CBS saturday morning lineup. The Roy Rogers Show was first shown on NBC Sunday evening, beginning in 1951, in the 6:30 to 7:00pm time slot. The show ran through 1957. Roy, Dale Evans, and Pat Brady, his "comical sidekick," were all stars in their own right. Roy was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, November 5, 1911. His real name was Leonard Franklin Slye. He moved to California in 1930 at the age of 18. After playing in several different music groups, Roy, Bob Nolan, and Tim Spencer formed the "Sons of the Pioneers" in 1934. When the Sons were first formed, Roy went by his real name, then changed it to Dick Weston, and finally to Roy Rogers. Roy acquired Trigger in 1938. Before this, Trigger appeared in an earlier movie, ridden by Olivia de Havilland in "The Adventures Of Robin Hood" (1938). Trigger died in 1965 at the grand old age of 33. Roy began his movie career in 1935 as a musician in the Sons of the Pioneers. The movie was "Slightly Static." His first actual cowboy movie was The Old Corral (1936), but he wasn't credited. He did star in a few movies in the late 1930's under the name Dick Weston, but in 1938, he starred in the movie "Under Western Stars," using the name Roy Rogers. The movie was nominated for an Oscar, and began Roy's long running relationship with Republic Studios. By the way, he selected the name Roy Rogers from his childhood dentist. Roy was first teamed with Dale Evans in the movie "The Cowboy and the Senorita" (1944). Roy married Dale in 1947. Roy died of congestive heart failure on July 6, 1998. By the time Roy, Dale, and Trigger galloped their way onto our tv screens, Roy had already made a name for himself on the big screen (at one time, Roy received over 78,000 fan letters in one month!). It was Republic who crowned him "King Of The Cowboys," and Dale "Queen of the West." Each tv show ended with Roy and Dale singing "Happy Trails." The song was written by Dale Evans. Here's a quick quiz for you: What was the name of Dale's horse? And, what was the name of Pat's jeep? "happy trails to you...til we meet again..."
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Post by David Sechrest on Jun 17, 2005 1:58:20 GMT -5
Here's another western that some of you may remember: The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp was one of my favorite tv shows when I was a kid. The show ran from 1955 through 1961 on ABC in the 8:30 to 9:00 pm time slot. As popular as westerns were on television in the 1950's and the early 1960's, it only made sense that many of the toys from that time period were also popular. A toy gun that cost less than $5 back in 1959 sells for more than $200 today!
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nancs
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Post by nancs on Jun 17, 2005 8:55:57 GMT -5
Love the Roy Rogers info, David!!! Dale Evans horse's name is "Buttermilk." Only "into" the horse names! ;D The Roy Rogers Museum, for many, many years was in Victorville, CA, visible from the road to Las Vegas. When it first opened, know that his sister worked in the gift shop part. Within the last year or two, the museum was moved to Branson. Roy Rogers and Dale Evans lived in Victorville, in a fairly non-assuming home there, so I am told, as some friends in searching for someone else, accidently knocked on their door. And greeted in a most friendlly manner by Roy, and pointed off in the right direction. During Roy's retirement years, he "hung out" a lot at the bowling alley in Victorville, and according to friends that bowled there, he was a very friendly chap, and greeted everyone. My understanding---when comparing the successes of Roy Rogers---KING OF THE COWBOYS, vs. Gene Autry, Roy Rogers did NOT manage to secure rights and let's say, royalities to all the memorabilia items that were out there and thus was never the financial success that Gene Autry was. If you are a Roy Rogers fan, be sure to take in the Museum if you are in Branson. It is a neat experience. He literally saved everything, and it takes many trips there to "take it all in." Besides being, King of the Cowboys, he and Dale were very family oriented. That part of their story is as interesting as their professional life. And happy trails to all............. Nanc
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Babs
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Post by Babs on Jun 17, 2005 9:25:40 GMT -5
I loved all the information about Roy Rogers too. My grandfather took my brother and me to Indianapolis once to see Roy Rogers and Trigger. I recall we had front row seats and could've almost reached out and touched Trigger. What a thrill for two kids who absolutely loved all cowboys, but especially Roy Rogers and Gene Autry.
Have driven past the Roy Rogers Museum in Victorville on our many trips to California from Vegas where we lived but never managed to find the time to stop. Know we should have but just never took the time.
Happy trails........................ Babs
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Gregg
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Post by Gregg on Jun 17, 2005 9:44:37 GMT -5
Some time during the early-mid-1950s, Post Cereal offered a "Roy Rogers Ranch Set" that could be purchased by mail, and I bought one. It included a cardboard bunkhouse, plastic Trigger and Buttermilk(saddles and bridles made separately), as well as figurines of Roy, Dale, Pat Brady, Bullet, and a plastic "Nellybelle" Jeep. I spent many happy hours playing with the set. I discovered later on that all of the plastic items except the jeep were manufactured in Columbus, by Como Plastics, at 17th and Keller! They had virtually barrells full of the items, and a neighbor and I bought as many as we could afford. There was also a Columbus connection to the Wyatt Earp TV show. Hugh O'brian had an aunt who lived out somewhere near Terrace Lake.
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Post by David Sechrest on Jun 17, 2005 10:09:03 GMT -5
Gregg--Roy's cd, which was issued some time back: The one where he played with most of the country and western legends. Do you know if that was recorded in Nashville?
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Post by David Sechrest on Jul 5, 2005 10:47:22 GMT -5
While we've been discussing Roy Rogers here, over the holiday weekend, I pulled out a dvd and watched one of the shows. During the entire time while watching the show, one of the co-stars looked so familiar, and I kept trying to figure out who he was. I finally figured out who I thought he was, and as the credits rolled at the end of the episode, it was, indeed, Alfalfa Switzer. There's not a person who reads this board that shouldn't remember Alfalfa as the kiddie crooner in the Our Gang shorts of the 1930's and 40's. My generation remembers them as the Little Rascals. The Little Rascals were a popular venue during the time I grew up. Their antics were shown each day after school on Channel 4, and I thought they were the funniest kids around. I'm going to have to dig out some of my old tv guides to see if mention is made who hosted the show. I think a clown did. Alfalfa joined Hal Roach and the Our Gang group in 1935 in the two-reeler "Beginner's Luck," and would be a member of Our Gang for the next 5 years. Alfalfa grew up in Paris, Illinois, and made a name for himself (as well as his brother, Harold), singing at auctions and other places around his hometown. One visit to California to spend some time with his aunt would change his life forever. Alfalfa visited the Hal Roach Studios in hopes of getting an audition. But, to get into the studios, he needed a pass, which he didn't have. It just so happened that there was an "Our Gang Cafe" and it was open to the public. Alfalfa and his brother went in one day and proceeded to play and sing their way into the hearts of the commissary frequenters, and caught the eyes and ears of of Hal Roach. The rest is history. Alfalfa's trademarks were his "unique" singing voice, and his cowlick: that strand of hair that stood straight up in the back of his head; his "personality," as he called it in one of the shorts. In many of the shorts, Alfalfa had the "hots" for Darla, and the gang helped him in some fashion to win her over. Bully Butch, played by Tommy Bond (some of you might remember "Butch" as Jimmy Olsen in the Superman serials of the 1940's. Kirk Alyn played the man of steel), was Alfala's arch nemesis in many of the shorts, tormenting and terrorizing poor old Alfalfa, but the cowlick kid (most of the time) got the upper hand. Alfalfa's last short for Our Gang was Kiddie Kure, released November 23, 1940. He was all of 13 years old and getting too big to be seen as a kid. As with many of the kids who were members of the Our Gang cast, Alfalfa wanted very much to remain in movies after outgrowing his role. But typecasting would haunt his endeavors for the rest of his life. He did, however, pull out a few bit parts in some classic movies: Going My Way (1944), and It's A Wonderful Life (1946). He was also a busboy in the Tracy-Hepburn movie Pat and Mike (1952). It was in 1956 that Alfalfa began showing up on the Roy Rogers tv show. For a while, he had a recurring role in the tv show. This image taken is taken from the Roy Rogers tv show. The episode is "The Treasure of Howling Dog Canyon" Once Alfalfa outgrew the screeching songs and the cowlick from the Our Gang days, he found it very difficult to get anyone to hire him. "I look just like I did when I was a kid. It's hard for a child actor to start working again. I've never played a part over nineteen. I'm always a teenager and there haven't been many jobs until recently. I'll see how this turns out. If this doesn't do it for me, nothing will." Alfalfa told this to a reporter in 1958 with the release of the last movie he "starred" in, Stanley Kramer's The Defiant Ones. When he wasn't working in movies, Alfalfa was a bartender and served as a fishing and hunting guide in northern California, but he would still visit the studios in search of work. "They used to say to him, 'Hey Alfalfa, sing off-key for us.' It used to drive him crazy," Darla Hood recalled during one interview. In January of 1958, someone shot and wounded Alfalfa as he got into his car. Then, in February 1959, his ex-partner in the hunting business shot and killed Alfalfa over a $50 loan. The shooting was ruled justified, as Alfalfa had threatened him with a knife. By the way, in 1967, Alfalfa's brother, Harold, killed himself after murdering a man following a dispute of some kind. Many of the Our Gang kids had tragic endings to their lives, but in his hey-day, Alfalfa brought many laughs to alot of us...
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Post by David Sechrest on Aug 10, 2005 11:06:51 GMT -5
I was channel surfing last night when I caught most of a show on PBS called Indy In The 50's. It was a special to tie in with their fund drive this month. From what was said, the show's about 10 years old, and included highlights of what Indianapolis was like in the 1950's. Suburbia, new factories, strip malls and shopping centers, places teens hung out like the Tee-Pee, and a brief look at the local television stations. One of the funniest segments was where Dave Smith, programming director for Channel 8 for many years, and host of When Movies Were Movies, was talking about his stint at Channel 4 in the early 1950's. Back in those days, before they showed the actual program, channel 4 would start showing a test pattern and tone about 2 hours before the program began. Their test pattern was the Indian head test pattern, and included the head of an Indian in full head dress at the top of the test pattern. One day, his engineers decided to go with a different looking test pattern. A day or two later, the station started receiving letters and phone calls. "Where's the Indian? We want the Indian back. We like the Indian." Even test patterns got fan mail in these early days of tv!
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Post by David Sechrest on Aug 10, 2005 11:09:59 GMT -5
By the way, they showed clips from Debbie Drake's tv show
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Post by David Sechrest on Oct 25, 2005 12:58:01 GMT -5
Last week, I read that "Porky" from the Our Gang shorts, passed away. Porky's real name was Eugene Lee. Most knew him as Gordon Lee. After a sudden growth spurt which took the "porkiness" away from his body, the Porky character was done away with. In several of the shorts, Porky was teamed up with Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas. Many of those scripts pitted them against Spanky and Alfalfa. Porky's catch-phrase was "otay!"
Other than Robert Blake, I don't know how many of the Our Gang kids are still around...
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Post by David Sechrest on Nov 21, 2005 16:36:13 GMT -5
Hello to all:
I've not been very active here for the past week. A scheduled colonoscopy turned into a serious infection, and I've been feeling pretty puny up until today. I stepped on the scales this morning and noted I've lost about ten pounds in the last week, which in my case, isn't good. Last week, Harry McCawley wrote an article about Republican Duane Cheney and the starting times of movies at theatres across the state. He went on to mention a few words about commercials on TV, and THAT'S when I sent him an email regarding the state of commercialized TV today. To borrow that line from a TV commercial that's airing these days, "television sucks." In the last couple of years (and I believe this started last year), we are continually bombarded with more TV commercials during our Prime Time TV watching. Where the stations used to have 2 breaks, suddenly and without warning, we are now held hostage to 3 commercial breaks during each prime time show. For me, it's getting more and more difficult to keep interested in anything I watch, and I blame this directly on those sponsors and advertisers that want to sell us their products. As far as I'm concerned, the purchase of a Tivo unit looks very attractive. Forget watching programs when they're first aired. Record them, and let the machine weed out the commercials. Anyway, we're getting less "show-time" for the same amount of money. In the 1950's and 1960's, a little over 14% of any given 30 minute prime time show was made up of commercials. Today, it's anywhere from 26.6% to 41%, according to what program you're watching. Anyway, enough complaining about that. In Friday's Harry McCawley article, he picked up again with TV and the death of Ralph Edwards, host of "This Is Your Life." I would like to make one clarification to Harry's article. Q. G. Noblitt was featured on "This Is Your Life" on January 7, 1953. Harry stated that "there were only 3 television stations and one in Bloomington at the time." In actuality, there were only two "local" stations at that time: Channels 6 and 10. Channel 10, WTTV, would later move to Channel 4. WISH, Channel 8, began broadcasting in 1954, and WLWI, Channel 13 began their broadcast operations in 1957.
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