TV Memories: A Guided Tour--by Bryan F.

Television was my babysitter. As I mentioned in my last post, both of my parents worked during much of my childhood. Television shaped my thinking. I think that some of it was garbage and some of it was very educational and some of it was just entertainment, but it's what I had. I developed relationships with many of the characters and sometimes grieved a series canceled. My Three Son's, ran my entire school years, K-12. Those boys were my TV brothers.

Sunday nights, Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color was a touchstone for me. I loved the Incredible Journey, Lobo the wolf, and That Darn Cat. Television kept me sane in a childhood that included way too many disruptions.

I have always resented those that said it was nonsense, a waste of time and called it the idiot box and boob tube.

Timmy and Lassie broke my little heart regularly but always mended it. Denise the Menace, kept me in stitches. You see, as much as I loved story time in school, I was not able to read very well through much of elementary school. Even though I had surgery on my eyes at age five, the lack of followup left me unaware that I could not focus to see the words clearly. I finally got glasses and regular Opthalmology followups as of age nine. So my progress was slow to begin with. But I loved stories even though I was unable to read much myself. There also weren't many books in our house. I loved looking at the Golden Books at the eye doctor where I had eye exercises after my surgery and wanted some. There might have been a few around but things like that didn't last long in our house.

So, my stories were on TV. That's why I so loved Disney, There were often beautiful stories like the Incredible Journey.

I did learn to read and I'll share the little book that I read on my own, that helped me catch up when I do one of these posts on old books from my past. I started collecting books after I excelled in an English class in 9th grade reading Charles Dickens. I fell in love with classic literature and couldn't get enough. That class also got me into my only AP class in high school the next year. We read novels and wrote about them. A Separate Peace and Cather in the Rye, to name a few.

But this post is about another medium that I also love, television. When I was moving around a lot for my jobs in the 70's I didn't have time to make friends and Mary and Rhoda as well as Hawkeye filled the gap. If you think this is sad, well I'll just say that as an introvert I wasn't so keen on interacting with a lot of people, anyway. It never went all that smoothly for me.

Below are a few of the hundreds of TV guides I've collected over time. When I was a caretaker for my Grandmother back in 2004-07, I had a lot of time when I had to be present for her, to keep her safe, but she was very self-sufficient even at 93, so I had some downtime. I started buying TV guides, some in large lots, on eBay.

I am a collector of magazines, books and all matter of ephemera. I like old ads, postcards, greeting cards, maps, etc. from the '40s, '50s, and '60s. I'll be sharing them over the next few weeks by category. I hope you'll love them as much as I do.

Below is a sampling of some of my beloved TV guilds. Commentary next to some.

This was not my favorite show but I liked it.

Trivia: Don DeFore, the neighbor, had a rib restaurant at Disneyland back in the day

The Brady Bunch was a weekly staple in our house.

I so loved watching The Glen Campbell Show. I still like his music. He was a prolific songwriter.

Rin Tin Tin, Ellery Queen, and Abbott and Costello. What a Friday night that was.

The Beverly Hillbillies were a part of my family.
Al Hirschfeld cover

Son of Frankenstein. Now that's entertainment.

Irish Eyes Are Smiling.

Perry Mason and Danny Thomas. An embarrassment of riches.

Candid Camera was required viewing.

James Garner: Need I say more.

The Partridge Family was an important part of my puberty. I'll leave it at that. RIP Keith Partridge.

Mash: I watched re-runs late night in the late '70s and early '80s. It was my night light and lulled me to sleep. I've seen every episode many times.
The finale was an event at the time.

The Mod Squad was very groovy.

Flip Wilson and Streets of San Francisco.

A very old guild that didn't make the cut. Nice ads though.

Leonard Nemoy, enough said.

Hollywood Palace and Here Come the Brides. Bobby Sherman was a big draw.

I can't think of the TV show Mannix, without think of my Granddaddy. He and I watched the first airing of the show together. He loved crime dramas on TV and in paperbacks.

Fall Preview was a big event in the day

A show about hair care, I think.

Captain Kangaroo was one of my earliest memories.

Highway Patrol with Brodrick Crawford.

Ronald Reagan's first wife Jane Wyman and Ernie Ford. He was one of my Grandma's favorites.

A very handsome family that had a beautiful home on the beach in Laguna. I spent much of my free time in Laguna in the '70s. Ricky had a beautiful voice and face.