Last Minute Research
Posted at 4:40 AM on January 26, 2009
by Dale Connelly
(34 Comments)
Much to my surprise, I found the following e-mail in my "in" box this morning:
Hi there Mr. Connelly,How are you? Everything is all right here at Wendell Wilkie H.S.
You know how it is in the sophomore year (I sure do).
Work work work!
That's why I'm writing to you.
Because I have an assignment. Are you surprised?
I'm in this History of Communications Media class. It's cool. We started out at the very beginning, talking about how cave people scratched messages to each other with pointy rocks, and now after three weeks we're all the way up to the invention of television. There wasn't much media to speak of in the extreme olden times.Anyway, now that we're talking about TV, we have to interview elder citizens (like you) about what it was like when pictures started appearing in your house like magic. Mr. Teeterbald, our History of Communications Media teacher, says it was like the invention of fire, except TV wasn't an accident and didn't just happen because a couple of guys were fighting with flinty rocks on the end of sticks and the rocks smacked against each other and sparks jumped out ... that was a pretty wicked surprise for them, I guess.
By the way, if you haven't noticed, Mr. Teeterbald is really into the cave man times. He kinda looks like one, too. A cave man, I mean.
He has a lot of neck hair.So ... I'm wondering if you could write back about what TV was like in the early days, from a watching point-of-view.
It must have been pretty raw on the special effects, I bet. Not too many explosions or monsters with their faced dripping off or any cool stuff like that.
Just give me a line or two about the really prehistoric times, like, before there was cable and you had to choose between, like, three or four stations. Is that true?
Mr. Teeterbald said back then the news wasn't always on ... you had to sit around and WAIT for it. That can't be right, right?So anyway, if you could try to write it like we were really sitting down and talking, face-to-face, that would help a lot because that was part of the assignment, and I wish I had time for that but it's due, like, tomorrow.
And if you know anybody else your age who would like to pretend they got interviewed by me, tell em to go ahead and send something.
It'll give me choices in case whatever you have to say is lame-o.Thanks,
Your friend,
Bubby SpamdenP.S. - The Current is a lot cooler now that you and Mr. Poole aren't on it anymore.
Sorry, but everybody says so.
I have already written back to Bubby to let him know I'm a little too young to remember the actual invention of TV, but I do recall watching the fights on black and white TV, curled up in a chair in my footie pajamas, right next to my Uncle Jack, who was the most peaceful man I knew except on Saturday night when guys were punching each other on the small screen. He loved it, and I loved being there with him, though I almost always fell asleep.
In my view, TV hasn't changed all that much. There's still a lot of fighting, but now they do it with words and nasty looks on all the daytime talk shows, the reality shows, and those Washington insider Sunday morning tussles.
Anyone else want to be in Bubby's report?
Comments (34)
Morning Dale. Morning Mike. Morning Heartlanders.
I expect that Mr. Teeterbald will get a lot of rosy, fuzzy memories from Bubby's parents and grandparents. I don't remember the fights from when I was a kid, but I DO remember Captain Kangaroo quite well. Dancing Bear, Bunny Rabbits and his ping pong balls, the Magic Drawing Board, Mr. Green Jeans, Grandfather Clock -- I remember them all fondly. Probably why I am so disappointed with the seemingly neverending phase of reality tv we are going through!
Good morning, Radio Heartlanders!
It's a great show this morning - It sounds like you are channeling my friends Kathy and Sara who are on their long-planned-for blues cruise in the warm Caribbean.
As to early TV, Bubby, I concur with Sherrilee in that my warmest memory is of Captain Kangaroo and his many friends. My favorite cartoon was Mighty Mouse, streaking through the air. It was black and white then - we didn't get a color TV until about the time that the King Singers, or was it the King Family, came on the air in color.
What Bubby might not know is that TV in the 50's was interactive! Not that anyone in my family remembers, but I seem to recall being able to color (with crayons) on the screen. Does anyone else remember that? And then, the big console TV was just the perfect height to prance, dance, and pose in front of, in plastic high heels!! Only Trial Balloon has risen to that height for me to express myself again!
we didn't get tv until i was in second grade but i remember Ding Dong School and Miss Francis. and we loved the Captain and Mr. Green Jeans. my favorite character on the Captain was the Banana Man - the clown with a great big suit of pockets and he would keep pulling out bananas and saying "Wow" in such a delightul way. there's a whole list of saturday programs we watched but Andy's Gang was one of my favorites with Midnight the Cat and Froggy, the evil trickster.
like Dale, i saw a peaceful relative (my Dad's Mom) watch wrestling at 8 on saturday night and heard her say "Kill him, kill him!"
we got a NetFlix of 50s tv awhile back. on it was Miss Francis, looking quite a bit scarier than i remember, and she blew bubbles with soap water and a bubble pipe. that was pretty much the whole program.
I also remember the Captain well, and the characters. A local show I remember I think it was called Axel's Treehouse? Casey Jones? They hosted cartoons, and I remember going to the Foshay Tower(?) to be part of the studio audience as my birthday celebration...5 or 6 years old maybe?
About the old tv's I remember having trouble with the vertical hold...maybe we just always had old t.v.'s?
Winky Dink - put a special plastic on the screen and drew with "magic" crayons. but some of us who didn't get Winky Dink screens DID just draw on the tv. to the displeasure of my Mom.....
oh, and Axel's Tree House "Birdy with the yelow bill, hopped upon my window sill, cocked a shining eye and said pipoop"
oh, this is a slippery slope, Dale.
thanks
Bubby,
I'm only as old as Dale so I don't remember a time without TV. I do remember when we got a color TV. The "Wizard of Oz" seen the the first time is incredible. Later I learned that when it was first made during the Depression the switch from the gray and white of Kansas to the colors of Oz was an analogy for improving economic times. Maybe we should try it again!
I'm so old that we didn't get tv until I was in junior high. And as seniors in high school we would rush home after school to catch (in black and white, of course) the latest episode of the Mickey Mouse Club. Early soap opera for kids. I remember Annette Funicello, but not the names of the other actors...were they on a dude ranch? I remember cowboy hats. Anyone else out there as old as I am?
Thanks for getting this going, everyone. Bubby will be amazed when he begins to realize the number of hours we spent, as children, alone in front of the tube. I do remember the Captain, Bob Keeshan, had a remarkably kid-like bowl cut.
By design, I suppose.
Another kid show I recall is "Supercar". With puppets. And a monkey named "Mitch", who was, I believe, inclined to get into trouble. Imagine!
Hi Dale and All--Sure love Heartland!
Though I live in NY now, I grew up in Mpls in the 50's. There are two big differences that strike me about tv now and then.
First, people gathered to watch it--it was a social thing. Nights we all had dnner in front of the tv were eagerly anticipated. A "cartoony" Disney put us over the top.
Second, what tv lacked in sophistication, it made up for in warmth and friendliness.
My father, Don O'Brien, did the WCCO nightly weather (no fancy graphics--he drew with a marker on a map)
He also hosted movies.
He'd tell you honestly whether the movie was worth staying up for or not, (and people would often stay up just to see if they agreed with him) Every New Year's he would buy champagne, a tray of hor d'ouerves, and party hats. At the movie breaks, he'd offer a plate towards the camera, and do a toast for people who were home by themselves.
That sense of connectedness with viewers is rare these days--
Good luck with your project, Bubby--
You may have a book in the works!
Warmly, Irene O'Garden
I was a Captain Kangaroo junkie too, Sherrilee. Remember the books he read with the close ups of the illustrations? Caps For Sale and Ping (the duck) were my favorites. My dad dominated the TV in the evenings. We watched Ed Sullivan, Car 54, Bonanza, and he never missed The Fights. There were a lot of variety shows. I remember an Amateur Hour with Arthur Godfrey, or was it Ted Mac? Geritol and Timex were staple sponsors. Great Bubby piece this morning, Dale. I love getting ready for work and laughing at the same time!
My entire family had to go over to Doc Pascale's house on Sunday night, because he was the first person in our town (pop. 910) to get color tv. We waited anxiously for Tinkerbell to wave her wand and the color just exploded on the screen. We were (and still are) amazed at the creativity of Mr. Disney and his crew.
Caps for sale! I remember well the Captain reading that one! And of all cartoons, Mighty Mouse was my favorite. How about Rocky and Bullwinkle with Boris and Natasha?
I remember certain shows (Bewitched, for example) as they switched from airing in black and white to color. I'm a photographer who shot film, moved to digital, and then returned to film again, so whenever I watch old programming, I marvel at the work it must have been to plan shooting around how much film was on each reel. I'm not old enough to have watched the Twilight Zone as a child, but that was a program that really worked in black and white. Was the 80s TV series revival shot in black and white, too? Anyway, I guess that's what I remember most... going from black and white to color. Now we are moving to hyper-color, at least on a lot of the commercials. I guess next month we will be analog free where TV is concerned. ;-)
An aside, I remember when the game Pong arrived on the scene.
P.S. (There is a recording of Lenny Breau playing the theme song from Bewitched, though I don't know on what album that track might be located. It's always nice to hear Lenny Breau.)
The thing I remember from Captain Kangaroo was when he went into an environmentally conscious stage sometime in the mid 60's. There was a video that was apparently intended to raise awareness of pollution, with a soundtrack of "Whose Garden Was This?" I can't recall what went on in the first part of the video, but the closing was a shot of a father and a child walking down a ruined beach wearing gas masks. It really scared the bejesus out of me. I've often wondered whether that video was the genesis of the movement that was later embraced by people of my generation, making us obsessively reuse bags and drag our recycling out to the curb weekly.
I think I remember a film clip of Pete Seeger on his boat from the same era. That was a lot less scary.
Good Morning!
I'm just a bit older than Dale but grew up without a TV as my father saw it as the scourge upon our society that he wasn't going to allow his kids to be subjected to. His folks did, oddly enough, have one and we would sometimes watch Ed Sullivan and Bonanza on Sunday nights.
Having grown up without TV sometimes leaves me out of conversations when all the old shows come up and I don't have a clue beyond what I have picked up. What I do have though is the ability to entertain myself and for that I thank my dad which isn't exactly how I felt about not having a TV back then.
Great discussion, thanks for the topic Dale and good luck to Bubby!
Changing the subject here, I would like to request the Proper Copper Coffee Pot song you played on Saturday's show. It just might be the best coffee song I have ever heard and I think would be helpful getting the juices flowing on this sloggy Monday morning.
I am perhaps a wee bit younger - but still old enough that I was the first generation to grow up with Sesame Street (I was three when it hit the airwaves in 1969). Mister Roger's Neighborhood and his Land of Make-Believe was also a staple. Mr. and Mrs. Platypus were my faves on his show - Snuffleupagus on Sesame Street. And once Electric Company came on, well, I fell hard for Easy Reader (a young Morgan Freeman with a fabulous 'fro). Even though I, too, had Captain Kangaroo (and his commercials for Colgate - the jingle still ringing in my head, "Colgate's fluoride MFP...") - and had an earlier crush on Mr. Green Jeans, he just couldn't compete with they stylish Easy Reader. Nor could Romper Room - the disappointment of not hearing "Anna" when names were called from the Magic Mirror was just too much - though not so much that I didn't have to have a pair of "Romper Stompers."
I also remember going to my grandparents' house to watch "Wizard of Oz" because they had a color set and we didn't - who knew that could make a difference (until I saw it)? I also remember when we upgraded to a newer black & white and we didn't have to wait for it to warm up or whack it on the side when the picture went wonky...
Bubby - I remember that the early part of the day had local TV, which in Seattle meant local TV personalities for children, cartoons, local interest programs, and a lot of taped programs of Jack LaLane doing his exercises. CBS and NBC and ABC didn't broadcast until the afternoon, i.e., 3 or 4 pm or later.
Summer time TV was strictly for re-runs - months and months of re-runs.
Hearing Jean Redpath (thank you!) reminds me that yesterday was Bobbie Burns' 250th birthday.
A birthday well worth celebrating, though it passed for me year without a fix of haggis...or, Scotch for that matter. Oh well, perhaps the 251st...
Hey Laura -- Nice to hear your request. Bet your mom enjoyed this one, too. Thinking of you.
I'm glad you asked this question. We were lucky living in South Minneapolis in the early 60s. We lived four blocks from Clinton Elementary School and got to walk home for lunch. In winter we'd climb the snow piles all the way home, in spring we'd splash in the rain puddles with our floppy rubber boots. Once home Mom had soup and sandwiches waiting. And there was Casey Jones, Round House Rodney and a batch of cartoon characters on TV to make us laugh before we adventured back to school for more read'n, riten and ritmatic. Those were the days of personal TV.
PS: Because of my years of listening to personal kids TV with real people hosting the fun shows explains why I love public radio and the Radio Heartland. Where you can find real people having fun with music.
What fun...thanks so much for playing the coffee pot song.
Thanks Mark for thinking to ask for it.
Dale & Mike,
Sat nights show was great! You found some really fun and unusual songs. Is there a place we can go to find the playlist for a reminder of what was played?
Since it's still so cold outside I'd like to request Ray Charles & Betty Carter doing Baby it's Cold Outside?
Oh, I had one of those Winky Dink screens so I could draw in bridges and fences so Winky could complete his adventures. (I don't remember what happened if I wasn't ready to draw a road when he needed one.)
My other favorite back then was Howdy Doody. Mr. Bluster was a mean guy. But Princes SummerFallWinterSpring was a beauty. Clarabell was just silly. And Buffalo Bob was just too happy all the time.
And, weren't the fights on Friday night. Sponsored by Gilette razor blades. (My dad always watched.)
Steve Goodman had the song about the dangers of dozing off in front of the TV in the wee hours - it was called "Veg-o-Matic".
Oh yea I grew up on a farm 70 miles east of Fargo. When we first got the TV we got one channel pretty well and a second when the wind blew right direction. The third channel came in only rarely. Great song (sarcastic) would be Simon and Garfuncle s/p "Sounds of Silence". I studied the lyrics in college and concluded Mr Simon doesn't care for TV.
Bubby -
Back in the day, Captain Kangaroo had a cartoon on his show. The hero was Tom Terrific, and his sidekick was Mighty Manfred the Wonder Dog. And the villain was Crabby Appleton. Tom Terrific had to put on his thinking cap in order to thwart Crabby Appleton.
On Mondays it is good for all of us to put our thinking caps back on. Good luck on your paper!
Just wondering what happened to the playlist for Sunday, Jan 25th? All the hours between 2:00 am & 2:00 pm are missing. I was listening just before 2:00 pm yesterday and JASPER picked a song I wanted to get on my iPod. Alas, when I went to the playlist today to find the artist & song name, those hours were missing. If it can still be retrieved, that would be great!
Linda, I also noticed that weird glitch in the playlist.
It looks like JASPER went on a rogue tear through the music library and didn't tell anybody.
We might have the information buried in a computer file somewhere. Can you narrow down the time and give us some hints about what you heard?
Hi Dale,
I also was looking up a piece on the Sunday playlist, but alas, nothing there. It was played around 11:20am or so -- a female singer, a slow beautiful song. Can't remember any more details. If you find the playlist, I'll appreciate knowing who the singer was.
Thanks, Dale. And, thanks for great tunes in the morning! (except maybe the cowboy ones, but I guess we gotta do some give and take, eh).
Kristi
Kristi,
The song you heard at around 11:20am Sunday was "I Can Let Go Now" by Debbie Duncan. It was from our Morning Show Keepers Live CD.
Mike Pengra
Bubby, I'd say that the biggest change is that instead of watching mindless trash in grainy black and white, you can now watch mindless trash in high definition.
Linda - "Whose Garden Was This?" was written by Tom Paxton circa 1970. It was the first time I realized how much more music could be than what I was hearing on Top 40. It's depressing that the song is still relevant.
Dale & Mike,
I'm a very longtimer (before Dale)and thus- thanks for keeping "it" going, even in this(as we dinosaurs say) new-fangled media/medium.
Regarding 'cold weather songs', the Stan Rogers "God's own neon green.." request- Canol Road from Northwet Passage, also 'I Like It Here/Oh Cold And Misery' by Charlie Maguire from Harbour Lights (I have both on vinyl), please play.
Speaking of Maguire - why did we not here more of him in honour of Minnesota's big B-day? You could have giv'en his Minnesota songs an hour!
I have come to one conclusion - on the subject of missing Poole (I do, very much)- although I do like your music choices, if I had to choose between JEP selections and DC selections.....I'd go with JEP.
And in that vain: my two cents worth in the building of HR- more G Brown, C. Maguire, S & G Rogers, J Gorka, P Mayer, R Shindell, J Kelahan,SJ Korner & KRG, L Kottke - as guitarit, not that I mind his "goose farts on a muggy day"voice, P Ostroushok, K Wolf Neal & Leandra, M Torme (&SM), B Thompson, D Magraw, P Donahue, P Wagner, Queen Ida, the Roches, Sinatra, K Allison,... I hope you get my 'drift'. Thanks
Mike P - Thanks for the Debby Duncan (playlist) info. I'm surprised I didn't recognize her, so I am excited to re-acquaint. An incredible local talent.
I've really enjoyed hearing local musicians on Heartland. One of my favorites is Todd Menton. Thanks for playing his stuff.
Dale -
Thanks for offering to search further for the song I was looking for from the Sunday missing playlist. I believe it was played sometime between 1:50 - 2:00 pm. The musician was a woman, and both the song and the voice were familiar to me from The Morning Show (probably pre-The Current). Can't remember the theme of the lyrics right now, so if you can narrow it down from this scarce description, you are a genius!
Thanks!
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