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Anyone remember The New Zoo Review? (Coming right at you).
I was in line in Disneyland, for the Haunted House, when I was a kid, and ended up talking to the woman next to us. Turns out she was the voice for Freddie the Frog on New Zoo Review.
There was a benefit? 11 channels with about 3 of them being repeats, what is the benefit to that?
Things that I have learned on modern TV, as a benefit of having a metric ton of content to choose from:
1. The ins and outs of crabbing, fishing, ice road trucking, gold digging, lumber cutting, beer brewing, bounty hunting, etc. on various documentaries and "reality" shows.
2. More recipes that I could ever cook in a lifetime.
3. An appreciation for older movies via TMC since they can be shown 24/7
4. How Things are Made on The Science Channel
5. More history about WWII than I can remember
6. About different cultures such as the Gypsies. Never knew why they were so despised.
TV and books are about the same, they can either enlighten and entertain or completely waste your time.
One thing I really liked about 60s and 70s TV were the variety shows - we got to see the greats such as Jack Benny, Bob Hope, Red Skelton, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra et al. They had many great singers (Peggy Lee, Ella Fitzgerald), old movie stars and comedians as guests (as did Carol Burnett later). They were just pure class. Too bad many kids today have no idea who they are.
One thing I really liked about 60s and 70s TV were the variety shows - we got to see the greats such as Jack Benny, Bob Hope, Red Skelton, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra et al. They had many great singers (Peggy Lee, Ella Fitzgerald), old movie stars and comedians as guests (as did Carol Burnett later). They were just pure class. Too bad many kids today have no idea who they are.
We don't have "specials" any more like a Bob Hope Special or a Dean Martin special or a Muppets special that they would have usually around holiday times or throughout the year.
Right now, if offered by my cable company, I would drop ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox or what I call the lower channels, for a cheaper bill. Everything I watch now is on cable. Certainly, not true in the 70s or 60s. I don't even know what's on the lower channels anymore nor do I care. These days my favorite show is Justified on the FX channel.
In the 60s, when I grew up, I don't remember any shows being canceled after just 3 episodes.
I also remember The Fall Preview TV Guide being a big deal because all new shows started around the same time and ran for approximately the same number of weeks...a lot of weeks...except for one, and I loved that show - The Prisoner. If I remember correctly all 17 episodes ran in the summer of 1968 on a Saturday night on CBS. I just remember it was still light outside when the show was on and coming in from outdoors, no matter what I was doing, to watch it.
I remember the Emergency Broadcast System from the 50's but I thought they still did that everywhere. I see it sometimes broadcast during the day.
Also in the 50's in Chicago they tested air raid sirens every Tuesday to make sure they worked in case those bad old Commies tried to drop a bomb on us.
The Emergency Broadcast System is alive and well. Since I have been living in a tornado state, I have experienced it a few times in the last 5 years. It takes over every single channel no matter what you are watching, the screen goes black with white writing, and it advises you to take shelter immediately.
Where I live, they test the nukes siren every 1st Wednesday of the month at noon.
One thing I miss on TV is The Battle of the Network Stars, I mean where else could you watch the likes of Gabe Kaplan and Robert Conrad battle it out in a 100 yard dash or Lynda Carter and Charlene Tilton get dunked in a water tank by Alan Alda? There's no way you could do this today, all the lawyers and network execs would have a fit
I'm noting that I can't remember any one of our friends and neighbors having more than one TV!
My Grandparents would be a slight exception - when their console TV died (when TVs were furniture!) they bought a new 25 inch console TV for 400.00 in 1972 - and promptly put it in front of the old console!
I still have their "TV lamp" they used to have on top of the TV - since, according to them, watching TV in a dark room at night was bad for your eyes - and it still works today!
Holy cow - $400 in 1972 is about $2200 today! No wonder two TV households were rare at that time(at least in my world)!
One benefit of TV pre 70's, was exercise. You actually had to get up off the couch to change the channel.
Plus, you had the Jack LaLanne show on the TV, so you, too, could get up and do some jumping jacks with him! I remember my Mom watching him faithfully!!
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