A Walk Down Memory Lane

Well, it's a beautiful morning as I sit here at my laptop.  The snow is falling at a steady pace, and the whole world just seems quieter.  I love that part of the snow.  It muffles out all the noise.  It looks like some snow ice cream is in my near future.  I'll share the simplest way to make it.  All you need to do is add sweetened condensed milk and a little vanilla.  That's it.  Add more snow to make it the consistency you like.  Mmmmm!

Reuben and the boys are settled in watching a movie together.  I like when we find something on TV that everyone can watch together.  Unfortunately, that doesn't happen all that often anymore.  I'm thankful that my kids have their own satellite and TV in their room, so they can watch kid shows to their hearts' desire.  I remember a day when families always gathered around the TV together, though.  It was a different time we were living in then.  The majority of shows were appropriate for all ages to watch.  I'm going to take a walk down memory lane with some of my favorite '80's TV shows.  I'd love for you to add your favorites, too.  I know I'm missing some of mine, and perhaps you'll jog my memory. 

First of all, cartoons were on Saturday mornings, period.  I loved getting up on Saturday mornings to watch cartoons.  The one that stands out the most in my mind is Looney Tunes.  I loved Bugs Bunny.  A close second would have to have been the Flintstones.  Who didn't love Rocky and Bullwinkle?  I loved the Fractured Fairy Tales on there!  My brother and sister were somewhat older than me and enjoyed Fat Albert (Hey, Hey, Hey!) and WWF wrestling (the Von Ericks, Macho Man Randy Savage, Andre the Giant.)  These are some of my earliest childhood memories.  A little later on, a new favorite emerged for me, The Smurfs.  La la la la la la, la la la la la.  I can remember wanting a pair of Smurfette tennis shoes SO bad.  Wal-Mart had them.  This was before Supercenters, and we didn't buy clothes and shoes from Wal-Mart.  I'm thinking my mom finally gave in this one time, though.  

I'm trying to remember another show.  Maybe you can help me out.  I was thinking it was the ABC After School Specials, but I've looked online, and now I'm not sure.  There was a black man with a ventriloquist's dummy that told jokes in between the story segments.  I cannot find this on the internet.  Locals will also remember Aunt Norma on Saturday morning.  "Blow out the candles!!!"  Oh, the good old days.  Ah!  I just remembered another favorite show of mine as a very young kid, Captain Kangaroo!  I loved that show.  I used to watch it at my grandma's all the time.  I'm thinking it may have actually been a daily show.  Hmmm.  My memory just isn't what it once was.

After school I remember there being lots of old re-runs of shows.  Some of my favorites were Laverne & Shirley, Happy Days, I Love Lucy, and The Beverly Hillbillies.  These shows came on around 3:00 or 4:00.  Of course, back then the news came on for just thirty minutes, along with thirty minutes of national news.  Why do we need so much news today?  Does the news really change that much between 5:00 and 6:00?  I think not!

I've compiled an entire list of primetime shows we watched back then.  I won't take the time to address each one.  I will list what I've got, though.  Maybe it will conjure up some pleasant memories for you.  Us kids liked shows like Diff'rent Strokes, Silver Spoons, and Family Ties.  My sister and I loved The Facts of Life.  My mom really didn't approve of that one.  She thought it was a little too racey for us.  The girls were often too boy crazy and such.  HA!  It seems pretty benign compared to what you'll find on TV these days. 

As a family, we would sit down to The A-Team, Magnum P.I., Simon & Simon, The Scarecrow and Mrs. King, The Jeffersons, and Little House on the Prairie.  Of course, the ultimate family show was The Cosby Show.  My family had a beta machine back then.  We recorded every single episode of that show.  My brother had always been a fan of Bill Cosby.  You just can't find a better family TV show than that. 

I can remember my dad loving Hogan's Heroes, though I can't remember what time of day this show was on.  I'm sure it was in re-runs, so I just don't know.  M*A*S*H came on every night after the ten o'clock news.  My parents would stay up and watch it.  I can vividly remember sneaking out of my bed and sitting in our hallway listening in on the show.  I always had trouble going to sleep.  So, I would sit there and listen to that show without my parents ever knowing I was up.  Maybe that's why I still love that show. 

I also remember watching Alice at my grandma's house.  It must have been a daytime show.  I know it wasn't in re-runs, but I think there must have been more daytime sitcoms back then or something.  I also remember shows like Too Close for Comfort and One Day at a Time being on during the day.  

I guess I have to stop somewhere.  I have sort of just rambled on today.  I really would welcome any of your memories of classic TV.  I'm sure I've overlooked some of my favorites.  Take some time to find a good movie for the whole family to watch.  Sit back and remember the days when that was the norm.  What else is there to do on a snowy winter's day?