TV babies. That's what they call us. The first generation to grow up with the television. No one quite knows if that is good or bad, but I'm pretty sure it does have something to do with so many of us being overweight. Outside of that, who knows? A generation of couch potatoes.
While television had been around since 1925, it wasn't until 1946-47 that the viewing of TV became more widespread. Network broadcasting began at that time, with each network running approximately 25-30 hours of programming each week. By 1948, the year I was born, shows on TV included "The Ed Sullivan Hour," "Candid Camera," "Kukla, Fran, and Ollie," "The Milton Berle Show," and "The Amateur Hour."
Purchasing a television in those days was a big deal. Our first TV was a RCA, with about a 13 inch screen. Black and white. I'm guessing it cost in the neighborhood of $800. I think that would have been in 1953. Since my parents rented, the TV was probably the second biggest purchase they had made up to that point of their lives, a car being the first.
The first show I can remember watching was "The Howdy Doody Show." It premiered in 1947, so it would have been on the air six years before I can remember watching it. I would have been five. One of the main characters was Clarabell, a talkless clown. Clarabell communicated with others by honking horns. He had one high pitched for yes, and another, lower pitched, for no. The show ran until 1960. In the last episode, I remember Clarabell speaking for the first time in 13 years. He said, "Goodbye kids." Wow! And you think the Anna Nicole court hearings are something. That would have been on September 24, 1960. The party was over. No more Clarabell, Flub-A-Dub, Mr.Buster, or the beautiful Indian princess, Summerfall Winterspring. I was 12 years old.
Some of the other shows I can remember watching in those early days included "The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show," "The Jack Benny Show," "You Bet Your LIfe," "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet," "I Love Lucy," "Lassie," "Alfred Hitchcock Presents," "The Honeymooners," "Have Gun Will Travel," "Leave It To Beaver," "The Twilight Zone," "Rawhide," "Route 66," and "Mr. Ed." I'm sure these will bring back memories for many of you. There were tons more. What were some of your favorites?
One particular fond memory I have is watching the "Friday Night Fights." Gillette was the sponsor. The show came from Madison Square Garden. I remember the announcer was Jimmy Powers. Gillette's theme was, Look Sharp/Be Sharp. If I'm not mistaken, a parrot was somehow involved. Because there were not many TV's in the neighborhood, people would gather at our house to watch. There were sometimes 20-30 people. The ladies would each bring a dish to pass. It was quite a feed. I always looked forward to it. One of my jobs was to go to the local tavern to get beer. It was only about a block down the street. The bucket cost one quarter to fill. By the time I got home, some was usually missing. I claimed spillage, but I think my dad knew better. Today he'd be put in jail for such careless and wanton criminal behavior.
Probably the most important contribution of television at its beginning was the news. Previous to TV, news got around pretty slow. Radio had helped, but with television, the news became immediate and visual. The first news programming started in 1947 with "News From Washington," and "CBS Evening News." The years would give us such notables as Edward R. Murrow, Chet Huntley, David Brinkley, Lowell Thomas, John Cameron Swayze, Walter Cronkite, Dan Rather, Hugh Downs, Charles Kuralt, Mike Wallace, Harry Reasoner, Morley Safer, Andy Rooney, and Ed Bradley. The debut of "60 Minutes" was in 1968. It remains one of the most popular television shows today.
Televisions influence over baby boomers has been a phenomena of biblical proportions. Who would have ever thunk it? It is one of the most significant, if not the single biggest marker in the baby boomer generation. For better or worse, television has, and continues, to greatly influence our lives.
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