Irvin's remembering on the first TV
I’m not sure but it would have been either 1952 or 1953 I would have been 7 or 8. I do remember the brand and it was Motorola, a new brand then that had just come out. Everyone was starting to get into the TV business, Sylvania, Phil co, Zenith, and of course RCA. Our first TV was a 19” model in a cabinet, the word portable TV had not been invented.
My Uncle Ben Shannon had a TV repair shop and he made sure everything worked like it should. Mr. Shannon didn't sell TV's just fixed them. I don't know where Dad purchased the TV, but we were all glad he did. Now we didn't have to go to Grand Dad's to watch the Friday Night Fight.
It was a real marvel, to watch things happen somewhere else and see it instantly in your living room. I think Bill Benz had the first TV in our area it was located in a Big Blond Cabinet and I can remember riding my bike (remember those things) over to his house to watch it. Bill developed a lot of instant friends in those days and his mom was great because she always fed us. I think I ate my first “Baby Ruth” candy bar at his home. She was also our den mother in Cub Scouts but that is another story.
I also remember 'Winky Dink and You?' as I remember it, watching that program could get you in real trouble! Sometimes Winky Dink would get into trouble and you could help him out if you had this special covering to put on your TV screen. I wanted to help but we didn’t have the special film covering so I just marked on the Screen anyway. When mother saw the screen all marked up she wanted to know what had happened? Naturally I told her my younger sister Rebecca had done it.
Growing up in those days it was always convenient to have a younger sister that you could blame things on. But, don’t feel bad for my sister she had a great memory and always paid me back. Even shot me once in the face with a Red Ryder B B Gun but that story is for another time too.
Do you remember watching Commando Cody, Sky King, My Friend Fury, and the Little Rascals?
Irvin
posted by Irvin Van Patten @ 3:38 PM
4 Comments:
Wayne Tanner's dad & mother had the first TV I knew about out at Center Hill Don't remember the year and we lived down the dirt road from their house, but whole family would go up to their house and watch wrestling I believe on either Friday or Saturday night.
Irvin remembers Commando Cody on TV, but I think this character actually appeared in a 12-episode movie serial made in 1952. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commando_Cody for more information.
For a film clip, see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cu21TiPWtDA. This is a real video, but the audio has been dubbed to make the scene into a comedy sketch about missing hats.
Cody wore this nifty helmet that look like he was going to the shop to do some welding. At my tender age in 1952 and following years, I didn't think to wonder why that helmet was needed since he flew around in perfectly good atmosphere...maybe it kept the bugs out of his eyes, or maybe there was a state law that said motorcycle drivers and science fiction superheroes had to wear helmets?
I have a very vivid memory of Commando Cody because of his ability to fly around with the jet pack on his back. I also remember when REAL jet-assisted devices were invented 15 or 20 years later. The real ones weren't nearly as cool as Cody's, of course.
In the serial there was a cliffhanger each week, where the hero was in danger or something bad was just about to happen, and of course you had to come back next Saturday to find out what happened next. That was a marketing trick, of course...the writers studied economics along with their writing.
There were other serials that followed Commando Cody, but none were as exciting.
Thanks to Irvin for bringing something out the depths of my memory...it's been there 50 years without being touched, and one comment from him brought it to the surface.
Happy memories to all,
Dick C.
Irvin you are wright Bill had the first TV in our area remember the big TV tower
I can remember our first tv.. we were living in Judsonia prior the tornado which happened in 1952..We had one of only 2 tv sets in town..My dad would put it out on front porch and the neighbors would come and watch..We lost tv in that awful storm and also most of the neighbors..
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