60's childhoods

Parent Cafe
1

<p>I know that several of you are or have been Northwesterners ( not the university )
[were you a Patches Pal?](<a href=“http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/living/2003818787_patches03.html”>http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/living/2003818787_patches03.html&lt;/a&gt;)
[Joey, look in the dryer!](<a href=“Patches, Julius Pierpont - HistoryLink.org”>Patches, Julius Pierpont - HistoryLink.org)
[don’t forget Esmerelda!](<a href=“JPPatches.com”>http://www.jppatches.com/index.htm&lt;/a&gt;)
And if you were you probably remember JP who had one of the most watched childrens shows for 23 years!</p>

<p>Not only was JP a ritual before school every morning- but when I was in school I had the added thrill of living across the street from Bob Newman who played Gertrude :D</p>

<p>( which adds an interesting twist on how you might start with one job, but end up with something completely different. Bob started off as the floor director for the set of the show, but one day responded to one of Chris Wedes one sided conversations & the former Marine has been an entertainer ever since)</p>

<p>Since this is Seafair week I am nostalgic for not only my childhood- but the childhood of my children who are all but grown -( who had Sesame Street which seemed much more frenetic ) </p>

<p>but I wanted to share a piece of Seattle history and hear what things that you remember that were a big part of where you grew up.</p>

2

<p>I’ll share the shows I watched from my Philly '60’s childhood:</p>

<p>Gene London <a href=“http://www.tvparty.com/lostlondon2.html[/url]”>http://www.tvparty.com/lostlondon2.html&lt;/a&gt;
Sally Starr <a href=“http://www.sallystarr.net/[/url]”>http://www.sallystarr.net/&lt;/a&gt;
Chief Halftown <a href=“http://www.tvparty.com/losthalftown.html[/url]”>http://www.tvparty.com/losthalftown.html&lt;/a&gt;
my personal favorite: Pixanne <a href=“http://www.tvparty.com/lostny2pixanne.html[/url]”>http://www.tvparty.com/lostny2pixanne.html&lt;/a&gt; who is really Jane Norman:<a href=“http://www.pixanne.com/[/url]”>http://www.pixanne.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>And another of my favorites (although not a Philly kids’ show) was a cartoon called Beany and Cecil:<a href=“http://www.toonopedia.com/beany.htm[/url]”>http://www.toonopedia.com/beany.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

3

<p>I went with the standards-- Captain Kangaroo and Romper Room. Bonanza, Wild Kingdom and Walt Disney were there when my tastes matured…</p>

<p>I never liked Wonderama much, but watched it sometimes because my siblings did.</p>

<p>My parents finally got a tv when they got sick of my sister hanging out at the neighbors to watch the Mickey Mouse Club.</p>

4

<p>My goodness-- I just looked at the photo from the first link.
No offense to JP Patches, but – probably not a good one for clownophobes! </p>

<p>It’s neat you were able to find info on these old shows though. I was trying to explain to my kids how hilarious it was when Mr. Moose would trick Captain Kangaroo, and hundreds of ping pong balls would drop down on his head…
(blank stares and sound of crickets chirpring)</p>

5

<p>JP was huge back in those days! On Thanksgiving we still refer to the turkey at “Tikey” . And mention the “I see you,too” TV set on someone’s birthday. The kids even found H a JP PAtches action figure for Christmas one year. They don’t “get it” , but humor us.</p>

6

<p>Springfieldmom–my brother & I watched all those shows! My brother (age 2) had a crush on Pixanne.</p>

<p>I think you live near to where I used to and not too far from where I do now. :-)</p>

7

<p>In Houston, it was Cadet Don, Kitirik, Marijane’s Majicastle, and Kitty’s Corner. Cadet Don was the coolest though. He had a great sock puppet named Seymour (supposedly an alien). For teenagers, it was the Larry Kane Show.</p>

8

<p>I was a teen by the time I arrived in the Pacific Northwest, so missed the JP Patches craze (though my best friend from HS is a PNW native and is a huge JP fan).</p>

<p>Growing up in the midwest, my favorites were Captain Kangaroo, Sherry and Lambchop and a local cartoon type broadcast that featured a host named Cowboy Bob. Totally cheesy. Disney was a Sunday night favorite. Later grade school years and junior high, we’d get home just in time to watch Dark Shadows!</p>

9

<p>The only clown show I ever watched was “Bozo’s Big Top”, which came on in the morning before school. We watched it while eating our cereal. Was that just a Florida thing or was it nationally syndicated? I thought Bozo was creepy but it was fun to watch all the kids in the audience play the games and compete for prizes.</p>

<p>When I was very young I watched Romper Room and Captain Kangaroo, but that was pre-school and the memories are sooooo vague.</p>

10

<p>Watching “Dark Shadows”! I loved that. It was almost clandestine!( I never use that word but it seems right…)I await though of “Wondrous” forever. I remember my babysitter watching “General Hospital”. On the radio in New York; some two guys. I’ll have to try to figure that out.
I found it!
Rambling with Gambling
<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rambling_with_Gambling[/url]”>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rambling_with_Gambling&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

11

<p>Has anybody read The Thunderbolt Kid, by Bill Bryson? It’s about his childhood (mostly the 50’s) and it is hilarious. Really, really funny. Lots of stuff I recognized, even though I was born late 50’s.</p>

12

<p>My last post was supposed to say</p>

<p>Watching “Dark Shadows”! I loved that. It was almost clandestine!( I never use that word but it seems right…)I haven’t thought of “Wonderama” forever. I remember my babysitter watching “General Hospital”. On the radio in New York; some two guys. I’ll have to try to figure that out.
I found it!
Rambling with Gambling
<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rambling_with_Gambling[/url]”>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rambling_with_Gambling&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

13

<p>I’m a clownophobe. Those pictures really creeped me out. I did love Wonderama & Dark Shadows. McHale’s Navy & Hogan’s Heroes & Bewitched, & I Dream Of Jeannie. Johnnie Quest & Fractured FairyTales. Even the Mike Douglas Show after school. I listened to Rambling with Gambling when I stayed at grandma’s house. His grandson’s current WABC show is a real bore, though.</p>

14

<p>springfieldmom:</p>

<p>how about Happy the Clown. I was on there on my 5th birthday 1966. </p>

<p>LOVED Pixanne!</p>

<p>Think our kids will remember their fond days watching Power Rangers, Barney and Captain Planet???</p>

<p>And let me just say that 60’s 70’s music still Rocks the HOUSE. Going to see the Allmans in a few weeks and Phil Lesh (from the Grateful Dead) in October.</p>

15

<p>weenie - weren’t you getting a new screen name?</p>

16

<p>Talk about tripping down memory lane…</p>

<p>Capt. Kangaroo - Happy the Clown - Miss Bardahl at Seafair - watching them BUILD the Space Needle</p>

<p>The Dead live someplace in Portland - the rest of the decade is somewhat of a blur.</p>

17

<p>skiers-mom, I have tried to explain to my kids the photos of my little bro and his friends towing “hydros” behind their bikes. (flat piece of board with 2 little fins nailed on the back, attached to stingray bikes with a bit of rope) When they still don’t get it, I point out that I went to high school with one of the winningest hydroplane drivers in history. (They still aren’t impressed)
I miss SeaFair!</p>

18

<p>OH!OH! My brothers made those little hydros! They would set up a course on our lawn and run around the “bases” towing their boats, trying to make it around without flipping them. They were such cute boys - now they are puggy and balding (still cute on the inside).</p>

19

<p>skiers-mom,
Ahhh…the Dead. Saw them in Greensboro NC, 1980. Awesome concert, the parts I can remember…</p>

20

<p>SueinPhilly,</p>

<p>What did you think about Wee Willie Webber? I thought he was creepy and I don’t think he had a great rapport with kids.</p>

<p>Never liked Happy much, I was also creeped out by clowns. Shari and Lampchop were OK. I liked TV stars that looked like people (although my fascination with Cecil, who was a dragon, remains a mystery… :rolleyes:)</p>

<p>I still LOVE Mr. Rogers. When we visited U. Pitt last year, one of the places I wanted to go was where the old Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood was kept. DH and DD thought I was nuts.</p>