When watching TV was a family affair

In this day of big-screen TVs, we rarely think about the television sets of old. We got our first television set in 1956, right before I started kindergarten. The television station did not air all day long. You would watch it at certain times, like in the morning. My favorite show was “Captain Kangaroo.” My aunt had a rough time getting me ready for school, as I had my eye on whatever mischief Bunny Rabbit was getting past the Captain. Now-a-days the kids would just record it for later.

A gentleman once told me that his grandmother would cover her eyes during the commercials because “everyone knew if you watched too much television, you would go blind!” I remember always getting in trouble for sitting too close to the television. You might remember that we called that new piece of furniture in the living room a television set – not a TV; that came later.

If you hear the opening segment of “The Lone Ranger,” can you resist saying “Hi -Ho Silver Away?” Or how about Davy Crockett’s opening song. Don’t you want to sing along? “Davy, Davy Crockett, King of the wild frontier.”

Television life began way before our first television in 1956. Quite a few television shows came out in 1948. Some shows had been popular on radio and made the transition to television. Many of the earlier shows were centered around comedians, like Milton Berle and his television show, “The Texan Star Theatre.” He started his show in 1948 and ended it in 1956. Jackie Gleason started in 1950, Cid Caesar in 1949, and my favorite of all, Red Skelton, started in 1953. I was allowed to stay up later on Tuesday night to watch his show. (My bedtime was 8 p.m.). I loved Skelton’s character Mean Widdle Kid. Bob Hope and Jack Benny both began their television career in 1952.

We can’t forget Arthur Godfry (1948), Art Linkletter (1952) and Tennessee Ernie Ford (1954). “You Load Sixteen Tons and what do you get…” Did you know, a favorite show, “Candid Camera,” with Allen Funt, came on the air in 1949?

Not only comedians, but singers had their own shows in the early days of television. I loved hearing Perry Como sing “Catch a Falling Star.” He started on television in 1948. In 1951, you could hear Dinah Shore on her show singing “See the USA in your Chevrolet.”

It was 1960 before Mitch Miller had his sing-along show, but I loved to sing and have the words right there to sing along with the bouncing ball.

Saturday mornings were so much fun. That was the only time for cartoons and a few westerns for kids. There was “Fury,” “My Friend Flicka,” “Wild Bill Hickock” with Andy Divine. And we can’t forget “Rin Tin Tin,” “Sgt. Preston” and “Yukon King,” “The Little Rascals,” “Dennis the Menace,” “Shari Lewis with Lamb Chop,” “Sky King,” “The Mickey Mouse Club,” “Superman,” and of course, “Howdy Doody.”

“Mighty Mouse” was my favorite cartoon, “Here I come to save the day.” I enjoyed “Tom and Jerry,” “The Road Runner,” “Popeye,” “ Casper,” and many more.

The television had come into our homes and given us entertainment to share as a family. I remember September 1960, when “The Flintstones” were having their debut on a Saturday night and Mom was a bit leery to let me watch a show that late, as it was probably not for kids. Well we decided we would turn it off if wasn’t appropriate for children. It was a spoof of “The Honeymooners.” Did you know Jackie Gleason almost sued them for that cartoon? It was an immediate hit.

The 50s were a great time for television because the shows were clean. There wasn’t much violence except when a kid fell in the well for Lassie to rescue. Superman was in love with Lois Lane, as we all knew, but there was no passionate love scene to embarrass us. Opie was punished when he did something wrong and he respected his dad. There was never disrespect for authority. Red Skelton ended his show with “Good-night and May God Bless.” And I did not cover my eyes during commercials because I liked them. They were “mmm, mmm, good,” just like Andy Griffith used to say.

Remember that it took about five minutes for the tube to warm up inside the television? You could turn on the set, go to the kitchen for a glass of Kool-Aid and get settled in your chair, in time for the show to begin. And at bedtime, you would turn off the set and see a little white dot in the center of the screen that took forever to disappear. If you fell asleep while watching television and the channel went off the air, the Indian chief Pattern appeared on the screen, along with a high-pitched noise that would wake you up to go to bed!

I hope these memories reminded you of your first television and the wonderful shows of the 50s. Some of these shows can still be seen on  many of the “oldies” stations, but the atmosphere is a bit different. I just recently started watching a show from 1955 called “The Goldbergs,” and I enjoy looking at the clothes, the wall paper, the furniture and seeing what was important for the families of the 50s.

We just barely touched on my favorite commercials, but we will travel down this road again sometime, and you will “wonder where the yellow went when you brush your teeth with Pepsodent.”