Visiting Old Friends

Lately, I've been frequenting my local library a lot. Libraries have been my friends ever since first grade when my then best friend, Stevie Jo (Stephanie Joyce) asked me to go with her after school to the library branch after school. Since we tended to dawdle on our way home, our mothers didn't worry too much if we (Imagine two six-year-olds walking fourteen blocks alone today!) were a bit late so I said okay because I wanted to see what it was all about.

Stevie Jo turned in her books and began choosing books to take home. I wanted books, too, and she told me I had to have library card and should go ask the lady at the desk for the application and she would tell me what I needed to do. So I did and then we walked home and I couldn't wait to get to my house to ask my folks if I could have a library card.

It wasn't a problem -- they knew I liked to read and that I read well and they liked it that I did. They didn't know that it created a monster. I would take the allowed three books and be back a couple days later for more and quickly was allowed to take out 2nd and 3rd grade books. My sister, age 3, liked it, too, because I read my books to her and sometimes brought home picture books for her.

Libraries today are a lot different. In addition to books and reference material, they truly are media centers with everything from books to computers. When I was first separated, I didn't have a computer and I would stop by to check my email from the Internet friends in those pre-blog days.

Lately, I'm haunting the video department for DVDs of old movies and television programs. My latest find is "The Fugitive" -- not the Harrison Ford/Tommy Lee Jones movie but the television series starring David Janssen, who for my money, was one of the finest-looking specimens of masculinity ever to grace the tube. The show was on for four seasons (1963-1967) and three of them so far are on DVD. It was one of the most popular shows on television and the finale still ranks is in the top 20 of most watched episodes!

We loved it at our house and I have been having a blast watching them and marvel that each season had THIRTY episodes!!!! And seeing the list guest stars is a delight. Imagine a young Ed Asner, Tuesday Weld, and Telly Savalas and many, many more!!! The one that really gave me a giggle was Betty Garrett who most of us remember best from "All in the Family" and "LaVerne and Shirley" and is my blogging friend TheOldOldLadyoftheHills's best friend. By the way, Betty is still working at age 90!!! What a gal!

I'm a tad irritated that season 4 isn't available yet but I guess I can wait but as soon as they have it, my name will be on the reserve list! And yeah, I still think David Janssen is my kind of hero.

Remember the opening?



Is there favorite program/series you would like to see again? Check your local library for a blast back to simpler times and enjoy your favorite shows.

It's nice to visit old friends, isn't it?

Happy Blogging!!!!!!!

Kay

Old TV -- Cowboys! (Part 1)

In the early days of television the Old West was very much present and very popular. In fact my dad pronounced one night a week 'NBC' as in "nothing but cowboys". He wasn't complaining -- he liked westerns as much as I did!

* My absolute favorite cowboy was Richard Boone as Paladin on "Have Gun will Travel". (I never did get the Paladin gun and holsters set I wanted so badly.) I think the show was more famous for it's theme song and all of us kids could sing it -- could you? -- so I included it instead of a clip.



Also, here's is Boone in one of the funniest appearances on "What's My Line" I ever saw.

* Dad and I were great fans of James Arness as Matt Dillon in "Gunsmoke" This clip includes Dennis Weaver as everyone's favorite sidekick, Chester. (Note how much bigger Matt's horse is than the others -- they had to find extra large horses to accomodate Arness' height -- my kind of guy!)



The gambling Maverick brothers, Brett (James Garner) and Bart (Jack Kelly) provided comic relief in the world of TV westerns. Here's a clip with a very young Roger Moore as a guest star. Then again, have y'all seen Jim Garner lately? :)



If you don't see your favorite, there will be more next week! The abundance of "shoot 'em ups" on You Tube is astounding!!!!

Happy Blogging!!!!!!

Kay

Old TV -- Comedies (Part 4)

There were so many comedies that I really couldn't include them all but a couple came to mind this week that I wanted to share.

"My Little Margie" was a family favorite at our house. Her antics were always good for a giggle.



Everybody's favorite teacher was "Our Miss Brooks" -- her antics kept us laughing. In this clip, a special guest makes an appearance.



"Topper" was always a hoot as Leo G. Caroll is haunted by two charming and wacky ghosts played by Anne Jeffreys and Robert Sterling!



Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!

We'll look at other genre of early television in the weeks ahead -- barring distractions, of course.

Happy Blogging!!!!!!

Kay

Old TV -- Comedies (Part 3)

Because there were so many comedies on television in the 50s, please bear with me. I'm trying to show the vast variety that abounded in what came to be called a 'sitcom'.

A favorite at our house was The Bob Cummings Show starring -- who else? -- Bob Cummings, Ann B. Davis and Rosemary DeCamp. It was a bit more glamorous but just as much fun as the family oriented shows we looked at last week.



One of the few shows that starred a woman with a career was The Ann Sothern Show with Don Porter as her grumpy, opinionated boss.



December Bride, starring Spring Byington and featured Verna Felton and a young Harry Morgan, was one of the few shows that starred and featured elders.



Amos 'n Andy was another rarity because it had an all black cast. Some say it was racist and I guess it was but to a little white girl in Toledo who lived in an all white neighborhood, they seemed okay to me and were as funny as anyone else on TV and it made me wonder why people didn't like them because of their skin. Here's a hilarious clip!



That's it for this week -- next week we'll look at some other types of comedy shows. I hope y'all are enjoying these visits to our younger years when times seemed so much simpler.

Happy Blogging!!!!!!!

Kay

A Quick Mea Culpa and Some Fun!!!!

I just want to apologize for not getting a post up this morning!!!!! Life intrudes!
I'll be around later to visit -- I hope. Someday I'm gonna get organized!!!!

That said, the other day I found a YouTuber who collects TV theme songs!!!!! Here's a video that will bring back memories back of many your favorite shows!!!! Guess who my favotite cowboy was?



Happy Blogging!!!!!!!!

Kay

Old TV -- Comedy (Part 2)

The shows featured today were definite "musts" at our house.

Burns and Allen always were always fun and this clip is an excellent example. I always liked the opening -- the Carnation Milk truck pulled up each morning at my Grandpa's farm in Wisconsin to pick up the milk so I guess Grandpa's cows were contented. If y'all want to see full episodes, there are lots of them at YouTube.



My parents really liked The Jack Benny Show and this clip with Rochester is really fun!!!!!!



Another staple at our house was "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet". I feel like I grew up with David and Ricky. It wasn't as funny as Benny or Burns and Allen but it was popular for fourteen years.



Next week we'll look at a couple more classic comedies!

Happy Blogging!!!!!!!!

Kay

Old TV -- Comedy (Part 1)

The advent of television brought comedy to the small screen and put a lot of actors to work. The weekly comedies drew huge audiences and we laughed a lot. For the next couple weeks we'll look at a few of what has come to be known as sitcoms.

One of the top shows was "I Love Lucy" -- I know it was a favorite at our house! I don't think anyone who grew up in the 50s can forget the theme song!!!!



Here's a classic clip from "I Love Lucy" that I know y'all will enjoy:



Okay!!!! Are y'all done laughing???? Next week we'll look at some other comedy shows!!!!!!

Happy Blogging!!!!!!!

Kay

Old TV -- Quiz Shows (Part 4)

In the mid 1950s quiz shows moved to prime time and the jackpots got bigger. Big money shows like the $64,000 Question, Tic Tac Dough, and Twenty-One garnered huge ratings. The format changed a bit with contestants choosing questions on a specific topic and returned each week to answer progressively more difficult questions. Here are videos of these shows:

Here's the intro to The $64,000 question with handsome Hal March:



This segment of Twenty-0ne, hosted by Jack Barry, figured prominently in the scandals that brought the demise of big cash game shows.



In August of 1958, the cheating in these game shows was exposed and a scandal that even reached the halls of Congress swept the nation. Careers and reputations were ruined. Here's a video of a news report on the Congressional hearings and court case in New York that ended these shows.



I think the scandals were the beginning of the loss of our innocence in this country.

Happy Blogging!!!!!!

Kay

Old TV -- Quiz Shows (Part 3)

Game shows have been a staple of television since it's beginnings. And they appeared in many formats.

A favorite of mine was Treasure Hunt hosted by Jan Murray who was (I thought) really funny and featured glamorous prizes.



We all remember Bob Barker on the Price is Right but do you remember its original host? Do you remember flat top haircut, too?




You'll recall this young man from Nebraska who cut his television teeth as a game show host and took his announcer to the top with him!



Next week we'll look at couple really challenging quiz shows and the fallout from them.

Happy Blogging!!!!!!!

Kay

Old TV -- Quiz Shows (Part Two)

I was delighted that y'all enjoyed the first post on quiz shows. Here is the second part of the series. Enjoy!!!!

While "What's My Line" was the most popular quiz show on the air, there were all sorts of other shows that were equally entertaining. A favorite of my parents was "You Bet Your Life" starring Groucho Marx with announcer George Fenniman. Here's a short clip that is Groucho at his best!



"Beat the Clock" with Bud Collyer was another favorite at our house. It proved that some people would do anything for money. And who could forget the Hazel Bishop ads?



Daytime TV had lots of quiz show. My mother watched "The Big Payoff" with Bert Parks and Bess Myerson -- like so many programs, there is no video available. She absolutely hated this show that made its debut in 1956. I always kind of liked the beginning! It was an attention getter for me.



Hope you enjoy these!!!!!!!!!!!! Next time we'll look at some of the more challenging programs.

Happy Blogging!!!!!!!!!!

Kay

Old TV -- Quiz Shows (Part One)

Very popular in television's infancy were quiz shows of various types and What's My Line?, one of the most popular shows, lasted from 1950 to 1967 with pretty much with the same emcee and panelists the entire twenty-seven years. A favorite feature on the show was the Mystery Guest -- a celebrity who would be most likely recognized easily by the panel. The panel was blindfolded and the guest attempted to disguise his/her voice. I had a ball going through all the videos looking for the ones I thought y'all would enjoy but it it took a lot of time because it was so hard to choose. If you don't see your favorite '50s stars, check YouTube -- they have lots of them there!

The one . . . the only . . .



She was still on her very first marriage (I think) and I'm guessing that she was wearing a maternity frock.



Good eeeeeeevening . . .



Hope you have as much fun as I did!!!!

Happy Blogging!!!!!!!!!!!

Kay

Television: The Early Days

Those of us who were born in the late 40s and before remember the advent of television depending on how old we were when our families acquired what was once called a 'television set'. Depending on your antenna and how close you lived to a big city, two or three stations. I recall my dad up on the roof and adjusting the antenna (using words he learned in the Navy) in the hope that he could he could watch a football game on a Sunday afternoon. There were a lot of variety shows in what has become 'prime time' and they were great fun. Here are the openings to a couple shows I enjoyed.

And awayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy we go!!!!



Sunday Night Fever!



And everyone loved uncle Miltie!



Hope you had fun with these blasts from the past!!!

Happy Blogging!!!!!

Kay

Blast from the Past: Old TV

The year 1950, when I had reached the awesome age of three, was quite a year for our family:

a) We moved from Greenwich, Ohio to Grafton, Ohio .

b) Our family grew with the birth of my sister.

c) We got a brand spankin' new 1950 Plymouth.

d) We got a television with the biggest screen available -- about 12 inches (guessing here).

And again I'm guessing that Dad got a healthy raise in pay when he changed railroads for my frugal parents to buy a new car and a TV. I didn't like the last because it meant that little Kay had to be quiet and sit still. Neither was my most stellar attribute. And I've never really learned to be quiet. LOL

Eventually, I started watching television and mostly found it boring but eventually found some to my liking. I liked cowboys a lot. My favorite was The Cisco Kid. For some reason he and Pancho caught my imagination and attention and sometimes I wonder if somehow it spawned my later interest in the Spanish language and Hispanic culture. This this the last segment of five in one the of episodes. I chose it because it had their signature ending which y'all may recall -- I hope.



Another thing that caught my attention on television was the commercials. This was a favorite of mine from 1952 and if y'all are like me, you'll sing along as if it were yesterday!!!! Unless, of course, you weren't born yet!!!!



Muuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuwahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Happy Blogging!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kay