As a younger man – and when I say younger I mean, when I was a kid. The kind of thing one might see on the television or hear on the radio was this conglomeration of programming meant to entertain, educate, keep one up on their news, sports, weather all from a “community” perspective.
“Hey, here a little left of Toepeka on our weather map, you can see a front moving through. . .”
It was akin to construction paper cut into shapes of clouds, lightning bolts, raindrops or the sun or moon and the guy was moving around these shapes to illustrate through diagram what one’s weather was or might be in their area of the world.
Simpler time.
This sort of programming, particularly for Chicago was rather folksy and sweet. The programming – both visual and auditory – was taken up with the locality. As a kid I was pretty locked in to the wonderful presence of our local broadcasters and newscasters, deejays and television hosts speaking directly to me. I’m no different than any other child of the sixties and seventies.
But being a kid during those years and when we were done bike riding or playing or whatever childhood shenanigans we engaged in (basketball at Jensen Park) was supplemented by something my folks really didn’t know until later in their lives: television.
In our family, we were lucky enough to afford one. So, color television eventually came to the family when Mom and Dad bought a color console tv. This contraption was just as much – itself – a piece of furniture as the stereo / radio / drink bar was back in the day. (We had one of those, too.)
Whether or not you knew it, the guy that played the movie house projectionist – tv host dude – showing Dick Tracy cartoons on tv after school or The Three Stooges shorts was also the weather guy. Lots of folks had to pull double duty. The level of talent and ability to express creativity in whichever media – radio, tv or film – seemed to be this kind of “hit-or-miss, this medium is still in its infancy and we’re trying to figure out how to inform and entertain you” phase.
But then again, the pop culture of my childhood necessarily overlapped with the material my parents consumed and their tastes were varied. A couple of Jackie Gleason albums (yeah, he made a few albums), Hungarian music, classical if we’re talking about Dad alone and anything light rock or easy listening that was, “catchy”. That was the stuff my parents consumed.
On television, on the other hand, anything classic, funny, serious, if it was a great musical? Better. If it was a John Wayne movie – if we’re talking about my Dad alone – I’d bet dollars to donuts – Mom was a fan. Case in Point: McClintock. A John Wayne movie that would come on Sunday afternoons or as the late, late movie perhaps on one of 6 television channels we could tune in. (B.C., Before cable)
Red Skelton. Ed Sullivan. Dean Martin. Perry Como. Bobby Darin. Etc. Any Bob Hope special. Flip Wilson. I Spy. Bonanza!
One of the most depressing things to think of is that future generations will never have it so good. Why is that depressing? Because most probably won’t seek this stuff out. It will come to them in 30, 60 or 3 minute segments on Snapchat or TikTok.
They won’t seek out Bob Hope and James “Jimmy” Cagney doing a tap “dance-off” on the top of a long, 18 foot bar, the kind you find in taverns. Future generations – mostly – won’t know the joys of watching Don Rickles rip apart the first three rows of audience members with humor meant to bring people together by highlighting our differences. That might be a gross oversimplification of Mr. Rickles’s kind of humor. All I know is that he was funny as hell! And I enjoyed him on Johnny Carson when he was a guest-host or a guest.
Two words: Jonathon Winters. Or two more: Robin Williams.
Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra or even Bob Hope visit the set of The Tonight Show unexpectedly. Sammy Davis singing, dancing, doing impressions, being funny and being beyond an all-in-one, one-man entertainment machine. Name anyone nowadays that can do all that?
I miss the experience of being thoroughly entertained by a well-rounded performer, entertainer like Sammy Davis Jr.
Or the comic, smart, witty repartee contained in a, “Road” movie with Bob and Bing. I miss Ray Raynor, Bill Jackson, Bob Bell as Bozo and even Floyd Kalber and Fahey Flynn.
Wierdly specific? Sure. But that was Chicago and what we watched back in the day. Very sad that one day – no one will know how amazing it was to watch that stuff.
The level of talent my generation saw on (local and national) television back in the day was truly a thing to behold. For those who know no explanation is necessary. For those who do not, no explanation will suffice.
That was some good schtuff right there!
Back in the day.
🙂
MJC
Word Count: 868. Post #1351
Spare Change and Paradigms 