TV Time Capsule from Childhood

Do you remember what you watched as a child?

I do.

I didn’t watch it too much, I must say I found watching too still, but when I did, I surrendered completely to the world I entered. I loved cartoons of any kind endlessly fascinated with the thought that these were vividly colored DRAWN pictures that MOVED! “The Adventures of Mighty Mouse”, (of course it helped that he sang like a tenor!!!!) of Hanna Barbara and any Disney creation, especially “Lady and the Tramp” and the story of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”……

Any time a very cute young man named Kurt Russell played “Willie Prentis” the golden haired young boy Confederate solider who grows up and wiser in “Mosby’s Marauder’s” I was glued to the “Wild World of Disney” and also their program, “Gallagher” with Roger Mobely. Later on Bobby Sherman in “Seven Wives for Seven Brothers”, and my cherished fave David Cassidy in the “Partridge Family”, I loved his voice and the music was fun and hummable. Later on attending school I would go to classes with the singing family, The Cowsills, and the complete “Brady Bunch”.

Mom took us to many films, the enchanting biographical film of Edvar Grieg, “The Song of Norway”. My all time favorite is any film with Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy. LOVED those as she was an opera singer mostly. “Rose Marie” “Maytime” superb with John Barrymore’s icy impresario who burns with hidden passion and violence for his Diva, “Naughty Marietta”, all of them frankly are wonderful. Then the Alice Faye films, beautiful distinctive voice, and also the one and only “Sound of Music” which became my obsession. Mario Lanza films as well.

“Throughly Modern Millie” with the gold standard for me, Julie Andrews.

All classical shows were watched religiously and I LOVED “The Ed Sullivan Show”, where I flipped over the talents of no less than Janis Joplin and Peggy Lee. Very different, VERY valid. All elections were watched from both sides, and the football game “Army versus Navy” was never missed.

“The Jackie Gleason Show” with that fabulous melody to open and the gentlemen so solid and musical announcing “…with the June Taylor Dancers” from Miami. The Red Skelton Show, the “I Love Lucy” Show, Dean Martin’s very clever variety show and every night the “Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.”

So, television, here are a few I wouldn’t have missed.

The incredible “The Man from Uncle” and “The Girl from Uncle”

“The Girl From Uncle” with Stephanie Powers, and Leo G. Carroll and Rex Harrison’s son, Neal.

The very fabulous British export, “The Avengers”, John Steed and Emma Peel.

I thought this show was the essence of COOL.

This one scared and fascinated me. “David Vincent on a lonely country road….” I remember the entire opening dialogue about how this man stumbles on the information that aliens have landed and are trying to take over the world. VERY well done show, “The Invaders” with Roy Thinnes. Made a huge impression on me. Rod Sterling’s “The Twilight Zone” and the very eerie, “The Outer Limits” actually taking control of your television sets! Such a scary thought, that seems to have occurred in our lifetimes?

Who didn’t purr along with the amazing Julie Newmar? Girl crush for days, I thought she was the “cat’s meow”. Come to think of it, she was very operatic.

Don’t ask me why, I loved this show, and “Petticoat Junction”, “Green Acres” and “The Beverly Hillbillies”, “Hawaii 50” and later on “Happy Days”, and so many others for HIGH SCHOOL times.