"It’s Howdy Doody time, boys and girls.
"Ittttt’ssss How-dy Doody Time. Ittttt’ssss How-dy Doody Time."
Sing along with me now...
You say you don’t remember Howdy Doody?
Oh man, I feel sorry for you. There was once a time when a wittle kid could spend an hour or more sitting in front of their black and white TV set, watching Howdy and Buffalo Bob and Clarabelle the Clown and dreaming of being part of the Peanut Gallery.
And then of course there was the Micky Mouse Club.
"M. I. C (C ya real soon) …..
"K. E. Y.. (Y? because we like you!)
"M. O. U. S. EEEEEEEE."
Oh, how I wanted to be Annette Funicello.
Why am I wandering down memory lane? I don’t know. But now that I’m here, I am wondering what the kids today watch in place of Buffalo Bob and Rin Tin Tin and Lassie and all those wonderful, schmaltzy old shows that taught us values and fair play and things like good vs evil and how to ride a horse, sing and play a guitar at the same time. Big sigh.
I wanted to be Dale Evans too but that job was taken by, well, Dale Evans (Roy Rodgers’ wife, again, for the young ‘uns.)
So whether you’re from my generation or the next or even the next (gulp) what did you watch as a kid growing up that made a lasting impression on you? What do your kids watch that you absolutely approve of and wish there were more shows just like them?
Oh – and it’s time for something else too.
TAKE NO PRISONERS, book 2 of my Black Ops Inc, series is on the shelves right now (and BTW – hit at #16 on the NYT … YEAAAAAAAA!!! and thank you all who went out and bought the Book!!) I’ll pick a winner from someone who posts today and send them a free copy.
49 comments:
Congratulations! #16... that's great!!!!!
I remember Lassie... What about Leave It To Beaver? Does anyone remember Flipper? I loved Bewitched! My Three Sons... and later on The Partridge Family (that David Cassidy... I was a huge huge fan). There are many many more that I can't think of right now, but the best? Our family would sit down in front of the TV on Sunday nights and watch The Wonderful World of Disney! Always good wholesome TV... and always great family time. Not enough of that anymore these days!
Yeah! Ever since I read Show No Mercy I have been impatiently awaiting my next Black Ops fix. I'm so glad that you decided to release them close together because I don't think I could have waited. I loved the honesty and sincerity of Gabe's story- can't say why because I don't want to spoil it for anyone who has not read it yet. You wrote a character that inspires us all, and I know that Take No Prisoners will be just as great.
Ohh I loved those old shows. I watch the reruns with my kids. They love MASH and Andy Griffin probably the best. But I've been buying the Disney Treasure DVDs that have those old shows on them.
My kids watch mostly cartoons, like Thomas,Bob the Builder, Dora, Handy Manny, or shows like Mega Movers, Extreme Earth, Animal Planet. And so on.My son loves history like me and he'll sit for hours and watch history shows.
hugs,
Wendyk
My hubs and I will still watch old Andy Griffith shows. Still great.
How about..
When you wish upon a star?
Makes no matter who you are?
what are the next lines???
d ,,, remember Sky King? And I'll really date myself with Winky Dink. I remember sending away for a magic screen that I could place over the TV screen and use the magic pen to help him solve puzzles. Wow. The magic of television really was magic then. Not that there aren't some amazing shows on. Do anyone have kids who watch Hannah Montana? I've caught it a few times when my granddaughter was with us. I actually thought it was kind of cute and it does deliver a good message.
anna - thanks on Mercy. I loved Gabe too. And you can thank my publisher for wanting to publish the books so close together. Had I known then what I know now, I don't know if I'd have agreed to it. spent a LOT of time chained in my office to manage that feat, let me tell ya. NOT complaining. I feel very fortunate to have the close pub dates but it was a real crunch.
wendy - I LOVE Animal Planet. there's something universally appealing about their shows plus animals seem to transcend generations as we all love a puppy :o)
arkansas cindy
"When you wish upon a star?
Makes no matter who you are?"
Hum ... I think it's:
"Anything your heart desires
will come to youuuuuu"
How about that people, am I right?
I wish there were more good wholesome variety shows on TV now. Remember Sonny & Cher? Donny and Marie? Carol Burnett? Great entertainment.
Not positive, but that sounds right....
Oh yeah Michele... and the Smothers Brothers and Flip Wilson!
I always liked nature shows. Remember Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom? I loved that!
My sister is so funny. She's made her kids watch Lassie, all the Shirley Temple movies and Tarzan.
They've loved them. It was like a Saturday morning or weekday morning (Lassie) ritual.
Congrats on the new release and hitting the NYT list. I remember watching Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers as kid. They were entertaining and educational at the same time. I also watched cartoons like the Smurfs and The Jetsons.
I wasn't even born yet!
[awkward pause]
Congrats on your new release! *g*
Cindy-- CONGRATULATIONS!!! Whew, this is pretty heady stuff! Now I have to go out and get "No Prisoners" and my TBR pile will get a little higher! But that's just incentive to get the current ms finished by my deadline. . . NEXT WEEK!!
Oh, as for nostalgia. . . last summer when my grandson was down here for his fifth birthday, we were at Disney and I taught him the Mic-key-mouse song. . . he LOVED it! (Complete with the stuff in parentheses!)
I didn't watch Micky Mouse club all the time as a kid, but I did see it occasionally. And my favorite part --we nerds start early-- was the Jiminy Cricket segment where he pulled out something from the encyclopedia (usually something about the natural world) and showed kids how to look up things in the reference books. He and the adult mouseketeer-- can't recall his name-- sang a catchy duet that spelled out the word "encyclopedia."
TO THIS DAY, I sing myself that song every time I write the word "encyclopedia." Just did it three times here!! AGHHHHHHHH!
wendy - you can go home now!! :o) Seriously, you don't know what you missed. Those shows were so chock full of innocence.
And thanks on the congrats!!
Jane - thanks again and yes to the Jetsons!
Deb - how could I forget Tarzan. those movies were old even when I was a kid but I loved them!! And Abbot and Costello. Oh, what fun!
Michele and d - add the Honeymooners to that list. And of course the queen, I Love Lucy
arkiern - I loved Marlin Perkins :o)
YAY, Cindy!!! I'm so excited for you! Two NYTs back to back!!
And, yes, I wish TV were more wholesome. Just think about what TV has become. From MMC and Leave It to Beaver, to South Park and Family Guy. Oy.
Yes Betina. the ADULT mouseketeer (is that an oxymoron??) Wasn't his name Jimmy??
Speaking of teaching your grandson - I was at a baby shower a couple of weeks ago. One of the games (there are always those damn games :o) ) was to fill in the blanks in nursery rhymes. I was dumbfounded by how many of the younger attendees didn't have a clue who Simple Simon was, or who the 3 men in the tub were. And I thought, oh, ladies, you have not taught your children well. These things can't be lost. They're like our American folk lore. Sometimes I think about these old TV shows in the same way.
Helen - Oy is right!
And thanks!
I had a Winky Dink too! And a Howdy Doody puppet. I loved watching the Hardy Boys and Spin and Marty on the Mickey Mouse Club. My father was a pilot so I loved Sky King too.
How about I Love Lucy and Gunsmoke? And Father Knows Best, December Bride, Our Miss Brooks and the Real McCoys. Don't forget Donna Reed and Dragnet (I just need the facts, ma'am), My Little Margie and Bachelor Father. Oh, man there were so many good sitcoms.
My kids grew up with Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers and Star Trek re-runs. They also watched ALF and A-Team and Knight Rider. I'm thinking they watched Masters of the Universe and Transformers cartoons and also Scooby-Do.
My granddaughter loves Wonder Pets. I'd never seen it until we kept her and she brought her "pets" as she calls it. It's a hoot! It's like operetta for children. There's a clip here. Da phone, da phone is ringing...
Marilyn
Regarding nursery rhymes, I gave my granddaughter a nursery rhymes book that belonged to her daddy. I figured I'd keep things going that way.
Congrats on the NYTimes list! You rock!
I'm starting NaNoWriMo on Saturday so I may be scarce for a month. What have I gotten myself into?
Verification word = hentorts. Is that when chickens sue each other?
Yay Cindy. Sixteenth!! Amazing!
Can't wait to celebrate! :)
Oh, I looooved Maverick and Zorro. Would run around the house wearing gauzy curtains for a cape.
Way to go, Cindy.
The Loooooone Ranger! Captain Kangaroo. Get Smart. Wild Kingdom. I loved those shows.
My kids watched WISHBONE and ARTHUR when they were little. Now they like MYTHBUSTERS and DIRTY JOBS. I like those, too.
Playground monitor, I'm doing NaNOWriMo, too. I tried to last year, but had a health issue. I just got my flu shot today, and everything else looks good, so I won't have any excuses this year!
fiona - How could I forget the Loooonnnne Ranger and the Captain. OMG. Mr Green Jeans rocked ;o)
Marilyn - you named yet more winning shows. Good luck to both you and fiona in your NaNOWriMo. Wow. that's a mouthful.
Hello my darling Lois. I can't wait to celebrate with you either! For those who don't know, I'm traveling to the twin cities next weekend to speak at MFW and Lois and Helen and Michele and I are doing 3 book signings on Nov 7, 8 and 9th. Oh - and there's a pretty reliable rumor that we might go out and party one of those nights too :o) If anyone is in the area and wants to stop by and tell us HI, check out my website message board, news heading for places dates and times. should be a blast.
Oh what the heck. Here are the book signing dates, times and places where you can find Lois, Helen Michele and moi:
November 7th (Friday) from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm: Book Corner, Inc., 783 Radio Dr., Suite #115, Woodbury, MN
November 8th (Saturday) from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm: A Novel Place, 202 County Rd. 81, Osseo, MN
November 9th (Sunday) from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm: Barnes & Noble #2058, 1353 Brookdale Center, Brooklyn Center, MN
Ya'll come down to see us, ya hear??
Does anyone remember the Saturday morning cartoon "educational commercials" (for lack of better terminology)that sang about the constitution, electricity, capitol hill, etc.? Those were great! And everyone once in a while something will happen or be said that conjures one up..... then I'm humming it in my head all day!
MN??? What?? Can't ya'll come south just a LITTLE bit???
Major Congrats on being #16!!!
I never was a show watcher in my days. I was big on cartoons. Scooby Doo was my fav. I can sing that whole opening.
d - "Conjunction junction, what's your function?" Yeah, I remember those. There was another one .. Oh "I'm only a bill up on capitol hill ..."
Loved 'em.
Keri - Yogi and Boo Boo ring any bells? :o)
"Heeyyy BooBoo. Lets go find us a pic-i-nic basket." (I can do a mean Yogi impersonation)
"Gee, Yogi. I don't know, Mr. Ranger's not gonna like that."
I catch Huckleberry Hound almost every afternoon with my little boy, too.
"I'm only a bill up on capitol hill ..."
Obviously a certain someone missed the segment dedicated to the Vice President's job. ;-)
We did not get tv until I was a teenager, so missed out on these shows.
When I was a kid I watched Capt. Kangaroo and some Buzzo Bee guy. I remember the Capt. but I only recall the Bee because my mom stood in line for hours so I could have my picture taken with him. Then my sibs and I watched Mighty Mouse, Underdog, and other various cartoons. We didn't watch much TV though, mostly on weekends.
My kids watch Hannah Montana, but they mostly watch the superhero shows on Toon Disney- Batman, Xmen, Spiderman and Iron Man. Mommy and Daddy have been known to watch even when the kids aren't around!
anna - buzzo bee? Now that's one I missed.
estella - well you've got to check out some DVD of some of them. They are must sees :o)
Keri - I want to hear your mean Yogi sometime :o)
Huge congrats on Take No Prisoners, Cindy! BTW, all my reading friends are loving your books--all I'm hearing is happy raves!
I remember Mickey Mouse! And Sesame Street, Romper Room (Miss Nancy with her magic mirror?), Captain Kangaroo, and then as I got a little older, a ton of Brady Bunch and Star Trek (original, of course) reruns. Ah, TV... Because I had a little brother, we also watched this sci-fi channel in the afternoons and saw old episodes of UltraMan and Goldar and other Japanese imports...
My youngest loves Wow Wow Wubbzy and SuperWhy; the older ones are into the new Clone Wars cartoons... I don't know that I wish there were more just like them, but they're OK. I have to say that Wubbzy is pretty amusing :)
flichen - Thanks. And WubbZy even SOUNDS amusing :o)
Cindy, Marilyn and I must all be of the same generation. I remember watching all of the shows you two have named. Saturday morning was a few cartoons - Mighty Mouse, Tom & Jerry - then straight to the westerns. I watched Sky King, Fury, My Friend Flicka, Roy Rogers...all those great shows. Weekday mornings started off with Romper Room then Captain Kangaroo with Bozo the Clown at noon. Evenings were Garfield Goose and Friends hosted by Frazier Thomas who also hosted Family Classics. (these were on WGN out of Chicago)
So many good memories...
Oh, and huge congrats on hitting #16!
pj - thanks! /and those were the good old day, huh? I even get nostalgic about Mighty Mouse :o) I taught my grand kids the Mighty Mouse theme song. They love it!
watched Bonanza, Little House on the Prairie, Roy Rogers/Dale Evans,etc. These shows had morality and life lessons in their stories.
robynl - Amen to that :o)
and those remind me of Davy, Davy Crocket, king of the wild fronteer lol. And of course the famous Rawhide song with the whip snap at the end and Clint Eastwood who was just a baby hahahha - boy I'm old!
Cindy- I'm not too sure exactly what the buzzo bee name was(or even what show) but I have a horribly embarrassing picture of me, about age 2, with a giant bee holding me. I'll ask my mom.
Congrats Cindy! I love the covers on these...they are amazing.
I loved I Dream of Jeanie, Bewitched, Hogan's Heroes, Leave It to Beaver, and oh my gosh...how could I forget The Donna Reed Show.
Congrats again!!
catslady - oh yes, and Wagon Train - that was the one Clint was on right? How about The Rifleman and Paladin. woo woo. the memories are clickin' now.
anna - do ask, I'm curious.
Lori - Thanks! And I adored all of those shows you mentioned. Here's one that wasn't mentioned - The Danny Thomas Show. too cool
Did y'all know that the Andy Griffith Show was a spin-off of Make Room for Daddy (Danny Thomas Show)? I sure do love watching Andy, Barney, Opie, Aunt Bee and all the others in Mayberry. I'm from North Carolina originally, and when my parents were on vacation at the Outer Banks before I was born, they picked up a hitchhiker when they were driving to Fort Raleigh. The young man said he was one of the actors in the cast of "The Lost Colony" and introduced himself as Andrew Griffith from Mount Airy, NC.
Congrats Cindy!!
I remember: The Man From J.N.C.L.E., I Spy, Peyton Place, Burke's Law, Dallas, Cheers, Charlie's Angels, Combat Guess I watched a lot of TV as a kid.
Casper the Friendly Ghost, Top Cat, The Road Runner...
oops! Uncle.... finger must have slipped down.
Also loved The Big Valley.
Laurie
The Road Runner. Oh man. Him and Wiley Coyote used to crack me up!
OMG, I loved Batman, and the Patridge Family, and so many others!
I really loved watching Lassie. I remember my Mom sending off some boxtops from a cereal so I could get a colored picture of Lassie standing on a hill. I had that hanging on the wall for years.
There were so many more shows--I cannot remember them all!
Thanks for the walk down memory lane!
There was one show that sent you birthday poscards for your birthday. I just cant remmember the show's name right now, but that was neat getting mail on my birthday.
My husband loved the cartoon "Heckle and Jeckle" when he was growing up.
It was fun watching Romper Room and Miss Lois when I was a kid. It was funny because my oldest sister who was 13 years older than I was named Lois. She went on to be a teacher too.
So many memories!
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