I looked up Arthur Godfrey to refresh my memory of him, I was too young really to care about him, but looking at him with his Hawaiian shirt and his ukulele and his captain's hat, I have to wonder what we watched on TV in those early years.
When I married my husband there was still on the local TV in Georgia, a figure called "Cap'n Sandy" who did the weather. He'd wear a sailor's cap and a stuffed bird would fly down like Groucho Marx's show You Bet Your Life, and give the forecast.
I wonder who those types of shows would appeal to today?
I am particularly glad to see the end of the Clown Weatherman. The weather is serious business, people die as a result of it, enough with the birds and the sailor caps.
And it appears Mr. Carson was a different person behind the mask which really is no surprise. There's a startling sentence in the book, somebody saying that Jack Benny was the saddest man he had ever known and Johnny Carson was the second saddest. Terribly dysfunctional relationship with his mother, she was cold and nothing he did ever suited her, nothing, and he did a lot for them. Nothing and no one impressed her; nothing was enough.
I had a most luxurious Read In this morning in bed, the only day I can sleep past 5 am, and read more than half the book. It's a pretty good sized one too. Really enjoying it.
Carson is apparently classed as a comedian, I did not know that. So many comedians have such sad lives. Tears of a clown I guess.
Who is the predominant TV star or show YOU remember from the "old days?" We had a TV. It was one of the first ones, was the screen 11"? Big case. All of the neighbors would come in to watch.
I don't know what they watched. I recall my father HATED William Bendix, the Life of Riley, for some reason. I never saw it.
Charlie Wendell, who used to be on this website but now has passed away, unfortunately, was one of Howdy Doody's Peanut Gallery, remember that? Bob Smith and Clarabelle? Princess Summerfallwinterspring.
I liked Kukla Fran and Ollie. Would kids watch that today, do you think?
I Remember Mama. Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca. Milton Berle, remember him? I liked him. He'd dress in women's clothing on the show, remember that?
The Great one: Jackie Gleason and Art Carney: The Honeymooners.
Amos 'n Andy
Lucy and Ricky.
Ed Sullivan, our little dance troupe auditioned for his show. We got up to dance (children now) and the wrong music was playing. Our leader complained and the stage guy said, "a dancer can dance to anything." (You didn't see us on the show). hahahaa
Ed Sullivan who had terrible stomach ulcers.
Who have I left off?
Winky Dink and You. You'd paste a plastic adhesive screen over the TV (thus probably irradiating yourself for life) and trace the mysteries they outlined and solved the puzzle. I can still sing the theme song.
But after reading this book, I have a new understanding of TV and who is on it, no joke.
