Big Damn Dials

I remembered that our first television had dials the size of dinner plates, and it took me both hands to change the channel. And now I have proof! Okay, that might have been a (very slight) exaggeration, but those were big damn dials! I am seven years old here. This was a black & white tv; I don't believe we got a color tv until I was around 10-11 years old.

Bro #1 and I had severely restricted tv-watching. And we never, ever ate in the living room with the tv on... with one exception. On Sunday nights, we were allowed to set up "tv tables" for dinner, and watch Ed Sullivan.

We also watched Lassie every week, unless Cousin #1 was visiting. All three of my girly-girl first cousins were somewhat fragile, emotionally. This is my politically correct way of saying they were a bunch of crybabies. Even though she knew that Lassie would always have a happy ending so it would be on the following week, the drama, the danger, were almost more than she could bear, and trying to console her was more than my mother could bear. Having grown up with brothers, and gotten socked occasionally for no good reason, I was not a big crybaby, and was quite disdainful of their... sensitivities. Sorry, girls!

Other than that, I remember a few children's shows (Captain Kangaroo and Romper Room) and a few Saturday morning cartoons (Casper, Heckle & Jeckle, Looneytunes). That's it. No sitcoms, no news shows, no soap operas.

As is the case in most families, the rules eased up considerably on the younger two kids, who practically grew up in front of the tv.

And yes, like the pioneers crossing the vast prairies, we had to actually get up off the sofa, walk across the room, and change the channel. Hard to believe we survived all those years of deprivation and hardship!