<p>My parents bought our first color TV in 1969. We have pictures of it in the family album. </p>
<p>We <em>still</em> don’t have caller ID, Nintendo or more than basic cable at our house!</p>
<p>I remember going to a friend’s wedding in 1983, and hearing advertisements for the CMU football game. (They are alumni) It was floppy disc night, a free floppy to anyone who came to the game. I wonder if that was a big draw.</p>
<p>DH and I were married in 1983. My parents gave us a Quasar VCR–an enormous silver top-loading beauty with a wired remote. It cost five or six hundred dollars, but was STILL working nearly fifteen years later. Sheesh.</p>
<p>I received a small, portable color tv as a high school graduation gift in 1974 to take to college. It is still working. Not only does it not have a remote, it has a dial to change the channels.</p>
<p>Onward, my Dad built a Heathkit color TV, too, sometime in the early 60s. It took him a year and he had pieces spread across half the basement all that time…When it was done he also had a remote control, but it could be set off by our German Shepherd scratching her chain collar, so she could turn it on or change channels when we were watching. Before that we had a hand-me-down B&W from my grandmother. It got 2.5 stations. In the Phila. area CBS only came in if you put the dial between 9 & 10.</p>
<p>On the subject of TV, how about - no Sesame Street? No Mr. Rogers? No Barney? We had Romper Room and Captain Kangaroo. And the kids’ shows were primarily local - I grew up in NJ and watched different kids’ shows than my friends who grew up near Boston.</p>
<p>In California we had Sheriff John. I had an interesting conversation with my son–trying to explain variety shows: Flip Wilson, Laugh-In, Smothers Brothers, Carol Burnett, Sonny and Cher etc. Or how about the “original” reality TV–the Loud Family (don’t remember what it was called).</p>
<p>Howdy Doody. Beanie and Cecil. Ah, those were the days. Homemade ice cream w/o the guilt.</p>
<ol>
<li>Watches you had to wind.</li>
<li>Putting aluminum foil on the “rabbit ears” to try to get better reception on the TV.</li>
<li>Pressure cookers.</li>
<li>AMC cars (like the Gremlin and the Pacer)</li>
<li>“Made in Japan” meant “cheap junk,” not superior electronics or cars</li>
<li>Buster Brown shoes</li>
<li>Geezer trivia question: what is Jughead’s hat supposed to be?</li>
</ol>
<p>okay how about this one… we all shared the same bar of soap in the shower or bath.</p>
<p>My son wouldn’t do that under any circumstances…</p>
<p>Chedva, I see you in my magic mirror. Try to explain that one.</p>
<p>Remember how popular Duncan Yo-Yos were!</p>
<p>Oh, and about Sonny and Cher (post 127), my son and I were talking about skiing accidents. I mentioned how Sonny apparently died from one. He looked at me and asked who Sonny was. I told him Sonny from Sonny and Cher, but he did not hear of either person.</p>
<p>Remember the removable plastic sheet that you could put on the black and white TV screen and draw on with markers? I can’t remember the name of it or the TV show that sponsored it. Any help from the rest of the geezers?</p>
<p>northeastmom, you made my day!</p>
<p>Follow up on Sonny & Cher: I remember standing in line at a record store (yes, they were still records) about 20 years ago, behind two preteens with a Wings album. One turned to the other and said, “Hey, did you know that Paul McCartney had another band before Wings?” </p>
<p>And in a similar vein - sorry, I can’t resist - at a staff meeting, our boss mentioned that the company was thinking of giving us all white noise machines for our cubicles to improve efficiency. I piped up, “Ah, the Cone of Silence!” Those around the table who were 40+ laughed; because of Nick at Nite and TVLand, those under 30 laughed. The ones between had no clue what I was talking about!</p>
<p>07DAD - That would be Winky Dink (which I watched in re-runs).</p>
<p>Great stuff, Chedva!</p>
<p>Another one, the game, Tiddlywinks. I can assure you that my kids have no idea what that was, and they probably would not be interested in finding out either!</p>
<p>Another entertainment blast from the past: Soupy Sales</p>
<p>Thanks LIMOMOF2.</p>
<p>How bout Pick Up Sticks? </p>
<p>Sky King (and Penny)? </p>
<p>Death Valley Days with----? Answer: RONALD REGAN and a 20 mule team BORAX</p>
<p>Playing Battleship using grid paper and pencils.</p>
<p>Different bars of soap? who does that?</p>
<p>Although we have two. Once in each bathroom.</p>
<p>For years, my dad has been sending me the Beloit College Mindset List. The list, published annually, gives a bit of historical context for each year’s class of college freshman (very interesting and entertaining…and also weird):</p>
<p>[Beloit</a> College Public Affairs](<a href=“http://www.beloit.edu/~pubaff/mindset/]Beloit”>Communications & Integrated Marketing • Beloit College)</p>
<p>(My apologies if this list has already been mentioned)</p>
<p>How about Race Bannon, Jonny Quest, Hadji, and Bandit! And cartoons were mainly on Saturday morning followed by American Bandstand. I also remember watching My Three Sons on Sundays after the Wonderful World of Disney- a program that taught me a lot about American folktales and common lore.</p>
<p>Gumby - need I say more?</p>