Step back with me for a minute as we take a ride back in time. Don’t worry, I’ll get you back in time to meet your next work deadline (unless you want to miss it), or by the time you need to take little Johnny or Janie to Little League, soccer, horseshoe or vocal practice (or all of them).
Let’s go back in time when life, looking back, seemed so much simpler. There were no Internet predators, because, well, there was no Internet, everyone in the family crowded around one set, and the family’s idea of the remote control was the youngest one sitting in front of the television turning the dial.
And forget one hundred-plus channels. "Back in the day" (OK, I’m starting to feel old now), there were Channels 2 through 13, and three major networks. (Yes, that would be ABC, CBS and NBC). Sure, cable began to emerge back in the 1970s, but it wasn’t omnipresent in almost every household like it is today.
In this blog, I’ll touch on television shows of my childhood (the late '60s and '70s), my teen years (the '80s), trends and holiday customs, television theme songs we just can’t seem to forget, no matter how hard we try, and more.
We'll also step out of the time machine and take a look at some of today’s shows, too.
But, I want to hear from you as well! I want to know your favorite shows were growing up and your memories of them. Did you play Lone Ranger for hours on end, "galloping" endlessly up and down on a broomstick which subbed as "Silver"? Did you pretend to be Dinah Shore (yes, that’s before the days of Oprah and Ellen) and hold mock talk shows with your siblings and neighborhood friends?
What are your favorite skits from Burns & Allen? Abbott & Costello? Or your favorite episode of "Cagney & Lacey"? And what present television shows do you refuse to miss … or tape … or TiVo? And which ones can’t you stand?
And, what would a television blog be without discussing commercials, too? How many months in the mid-1980’s did you go around saying, "Where’s the beef?" How many women are still soaking in a Calgon bath to escape "the dog … the boss …the kids"? Did you feel compelled to buy Bounty paper towels because Rosie, portrayed by Nancy Walker, extolled, "It’s the quicker picker-upper!"
I’d love to hear your thoughts on your favorite and not-so-favorite shows and commercials from yesterday to today (Wow, I sound like a radio station).
In addition to posting directly on this blog (and please do!), you can e-mail me your comments at: bwadlow@gannett.com. Please put "Totally TV" in the subject field. You can also write to me: Brad Wadlow, Courier News, 1201 Route 22 West, PO Box 6600, Bridgewater, NJ 08807. Be sure to put: "Totally TV" on the envelope, too. You can also fax me at (908) 707-3252, or give me a call at (908) 707-3131. I look forward to hearing from you!
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