Early Boomer TV Happenings:

1947-The first World Series was seen on TV. The New York Yankees vs The Brooklyn Dodgers. The Yankees take it in seven. Joe DiMaggio was named the Player of the Year, and Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year. This was a little early for baby boomers to enjoy, but the earliest of us would have probably been major distractions to their parents who were trying to watch their first World Series.

1956-Elvis appears on the "Ed Sullivan Show." This one I do remember seeing. I would have been eight. He sang "Love Me Tender," "Don't Be Cruel," "Ready Teddy," and "Hound Dog." A lot of complaints were filed with the network about the Elvis pelvis gyrations. The nickname stood: Elvis the Pelvis. If these parents only knew what was to come in future years, they'd have laughed it off.

1961-President Kennedy is elected and takes office on January 20. He is the youngest President ever elected and the first Catholic. The Irish go nuts! Today, you can see similarities between Kennedy and Barack Obama. The charisma, excitement, and electricity for both were and are in the air. From his televised inaugural speech, this statement is best remembered: "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country."

1962-John Glenn blasts into space. What a site. TV provides 12 hours of coverage. It seemed impossible, but there it was, right in front of you.

Another 1962 happening on TV took place on October 1. Jack Parr had left "The Tonight Show." Johnny Carson took over this night, with his buddy Ed McMahon. "Hee-e-ere's Johnny" became the late night cry for years to come.

1963-John Kennedy, our nations 35th President, was assassinated in Dallas. I was a sophomore in high school. Everything stopped. We went to the gym, library, and study hall to watch on TV and collectively cry. It was at the same time the most memorable, and worst, moment of boomer history up to that time. Many boomers to this day remain skeptical of the official version of the assassination, myself included. I think there was much more to the story than what was ever told. The murder of Lee Harvey Oswald, the accused assassin, two days later, by Jack Ruby, seen on national television, solidified numerous conspiracy theories that live on to this day.

1964-The Beatles appear on "The Ed Sullivan Show." They sing, "Till There Was You," "I Saw Her Standing There," "She Loves You," and "I Want to Hold Your Hand." An estimated 60-75% of the viewing audience was watching. Long hair became a barbers nightmare. And the rest, as they say, is history.

1968-The Martin Luther King, Jr., assassination was not a big television event as far as the actual assassination, but the aftermath was. The funeral, the riots, the explanations. It was a major marker in my life because he was killed on my 20th birthday. Later in '68 would come the assassination of Bobby Kennedy, during his victory speech in the California primary, and the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. I took Kennedy's death hard, since I had campaigned for him in Illinois and Nebraska. The convention ended up not being a major television event for me. I watched it in person.
After three assassinations, everyone's frustration came pouring out.

1969-The moon walk. Neil Armstrong sets foot on the moon. It's said 500 million people were watching on TV. I was one of them. On July 20, at 9:36 central standard time, the impossible happened. Man set foot on something other than the Earth. It's too bad mankind hadn't evolved as quickly as technology. "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Ends up it wasn't all that giant. We beat Russia to the moon, which seemed to be our major objective. I never thought the advent of super-glue and bringing back some moon rocks was worth all the money. But still, it was pretty neat.

There were many other notable happenings on television between 1946-1970. These are but a sampling and some of the more significant that I remember. What were some of yours?

I DIDN'T RETIRE, I SURRENDERED.

I'M ALREADY AGAINST THE NEXT WAR.

IT ALWAYS TAKES A CLINTON TO CLEAN UP AFTER A BUSH.

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.