The Black and White TV! How did we survive?

[bluesdog]

I suspect that first, negative experience with TV influenced both my aversion to hockey, (sorry fellow Canucks, but that's just how it is), and to TV itself.

I spent much of my early youth in a remote lumber camp, (where my mother was cook), did school by correspondence, infrequently listened to crappy AM radio, and didn't miss TV at all.

I read. A lot.

There were no other kids within miles, so I filled my leisure hours by hiking the woods, and fishing for trout in the various streams and rivers. I liked to hide and watch the otters play. I encountered lots of wildlife, including the occasional bear. Never felt any fear of man nor beast, until a few years later when I had a spooky game of cat and mouse with a cougar.

I guess I missed out on some things for those three or four years, but I think I gained something, too.

 

[Old Guy]

I remember well the first TV we got. It was, of course, B&W. We had one phone in the house, and it was a party line. We had to pick it up and listen to be sure nobody was using it before calling out. The other family on the line wasn't very good about it, so there was a lot of tension over the phone

My wife and I were talking the other day, and she asked me a question. I didn't know the answer but I had my phone so within minutes, I had the answer. It's hard to imagine now not having access to the world with a phone or computer.

 

[Cav47]

You guys are acting so old.

I guess some of you really are, but from what little I know about many of you, YOU have lived are living great lives in your advanced age. LOL

At a mere 41, I have a ton of fun to look forward to if I can do half the stuff some of you have.

I have often been concerned about hitting 40 and wondering how much longer I will be able to ride and play as I wish.

This board and the meet ups have given me a much improved positive outlook on the next 40

I wrote this in bigger font for you old geezers

Speaking of things that ain't the way they used to be..................try dealing with the kids and parents of this entitlement generation.

I contributed to an editorial of coaches just the other day on a similar subject involving a coach who was forced to resign because he cut a player from the basketball team. Some of the other players played "copycat" to the situation at the University of Missouri and demanded the coach resign or they would not play or practice. I know the coach in question (I was the head football coach for 2 years at the same school for his first 2 years. I was also on the interview committee when he was hired and while he was not my first choice, I was totally okay with him getting hired). As for this situation I do not consider the claim of the students to be credible. He did resign and is not saying a thing because he is protecting his family from any of the backlash from being portrayed as a racist by the mere accusation.

.

This is the article from the newspaper

https://www.sj-r.com/article/20151116/SPORTS/151119633

My local sports editor asked me to contribute and here is what I replied with.

If this situation went down as described, the admin is gutless and they are the ones who should be made to resign.


Little Johnny who is talented but undisciplined often gets cut from the team or benched or disciplined because he can't/won't meet the expectations needed to succeed on the court or field. He then goes home and complains because he was treated unfairly by the coach. His mommy and daddy go see the administrator to see why their son's coach is picking on him. Administrators are often hesitant to just tell the parent that sports are not exactly like the classroom. Never mind that athletics are not a graduation requirement and are a privilege.

We as coaches(or former coaches) are reluctant to tell parents and kids that they just do not measure up and therefore spots on the team, in the starting line up, or playing time depend on many other factors besides talent. We might hurt their feelings or deal with backlash from a parent because we called a spade a spade. Thus we have relinquished control to either the players, parents, or administrators in some cases that clearly do not understand the vision of the team concept trying to be built. Everyone in the classroom gets an equal opportunity in the classroom.....not true in the athletic arena. They are different and should be.

"This is what is wrong with America"..........in my best old person voice. I hope coach Reed lands on his feet soon if he so desires.
We are in deep trouble because of the old days are gone.

 

[Jer]

Holy shit, Don! I must be almost as old as you are!

Brother Ross I am not as old as dirt, but I know the three FJR Forum guys that are: Niehart, petey and Jer! JSNS, Fossils!

Neihart, Petey and I consider Beamerdon a kid and we came from the age when radio was the media we listened to. Television was science fiction. No such thing as a skateboard.

 

[FJRay]

That picture of Dave is a fake. When he was a kid that mountain in the background wasn't there.

 

[DiggerDr.]

We could walk down the road and get safely picked up by the first car to come along. Today you might either get run over by an idiot texting or get creamed by a drunk throwing beer bottles for laughs. We could ride our bicycles miles away. No problem unless you were late getting home. Build a huge sled out of lumber and pull it behind a pickup truck. Everybody knew to bail off at a stop to keep from hitting the truck. I got pulled over in 1971 for riding a dirt bike on the road. "Son, ya probably outta get that thing headed home or get off the road" And mom knew about it within days.......

 

[HotRodZilla]

I'm only 43, and Patch is 4 years younger than me. We grew up in the middle of nowhere, raised by parents who were born in the 40s. We had an outhouse and "showered" under a hose for my first few years. My mom cooked with a wood stove and we heated water in a pan in order to have hot water. My mom still heats her house with wood but has a very nice modern kitchen.

We didn't have lots of money, but we were well taken care of and were always fed. Sometimes it was potatoes and meat, but we ate. We grew up very old school. We did NOT disrespect adults. Our dad went for distance and power, and I prayed I would get grounded instead of getting my ass kicked. He didn't have time for that BS, so just got it over with.

For years, I spent lots of time in front of the TV changing the channels. When I asked why we didn't have a remote, the answer was, "Why do you think I have you." Dishwasher had the same answer.

Yup, we were farm kids, but we can hunt and kill our own food, because we learned how to do that when we were small. I know how to work and I know about being second place. We lived an hour away from a hospital, so we didn't go unless we were SERIOUSLY hurt, like obviously broken bones or deep stitches. My brother and I still fix cuts with "butterflies" and I can make them out of tape or bandaids if needed.

We diappeared for hours. I would leave on my horse in the morning and ride 4 or 5 miles to my friends house. I would get home as the sun was going down. Usually, nearly a mile away, I could hear my dad yelling my name. My dog would run home and when she got there, my dad knew I was close, so he stopped yelling.

We had a party line, we milked our own cows, we made our own butter and our own ice cream. There are times I really miss those days and wish my daughters lived like we did. I also understand that they have opportunities we never had, and are learning faster than we learned. BUT, if tomorrow, all the power went out and Walmart suddenly didn't have food, they'd have to adjust to what was normal for me. Progress I guess.

My kids do know what it means to fail. If they're not good enough, well, I'll help them get better, or they sit on the bench. Most times they don't need my help. They all have my competitive streak and being average is not good enough, so they bust their butt to be really good, and their coaches and teachers love it. My wife is as hard headed as me and very smart, so we do have good kids.

They also know respect and punishment. I will bring down the wrath of God if they do something totally stupid and they know it. I will kick their ass in the middle of the store and they know it. They are expected to behave and be respecful. Failure to do that will make them wish they had, and they know it. My kids will NOT grow up to be assholes. Period!

There is no excuse for for the whiny gash BS people preach these days. Not everyone is a champion, and if your douche bag kid wants to disrupt my kids class, he should be kicked the fuck out. Instead, 11 year olds have PTSD and need anxiety pills to deal with recess. Idiots!

 

[900gc]

My parents gave our neighbors permission to kick our butts before they kicked our butts if we were caught doing stupid stuff. We learned to behave pretty quickly. Can you say 'Lawsuit' now?

 

[beemerdons]

That picture of Dave is a fake. When he was a kid that mountain in the background wasn't there.

Dammit Ray you caught me in a Photoshop, I had to paste that mountain in the background and also remove the dinosaur from the picture! JSNS, Stone Age!

 

[bluesdog]

 

[RaYzerman19]

Bluesdog, you missed out on the US TV networks "blue streak" to follow the puck during hockey games.......

 

[BkerChuck]

Reading all these posts is making me have flashbacks of my father....

 

[Mehitabel]

Like mcatrophy, the first TV I ever saw was one my grandmother rented to watch the Coronation on. My mother was English, married my Army dad during WWII and came here to live.

We got our first TV when I was in high school. We turned on to watch a program, then turned it off afterwards.

My first radio was a crystal set my dad made for me, and the heavy headphones gave me a headache.

My youth bed had lead paint and I remember chewing on the "teething rails" and (fortunately) spitting out the paint as it flaked off - or maybe that explains a few things...

As newborns, all of us came home from the hospital riding on Mother's lap - no seat belts in our 49 Chevy. Us three kids - plus two dogs and 4 puppies - sat in the back seat when we drove to Cape Cod in July - with no air conditioning - on 2-lane roads thru towns.

I "helped" my dad install a turn signal kit on his car. The car had a starter pedal on the floor. Oh and the high beam dimmer was also on the floor - fun when driving a clutch car!

Looking in the Want Ad to buy a car in the 60's - "r&h" - radio and heater - were desirable OPTIONS. radios had tubes and took a while to warm up. Only AM radio until my 72 Suburban

We walked to elementary and Jr high (sorry "middle" school) (we used public transportation for high school as it was over 3 miles). I cannot imagine letting a kid do that walk these days, and I'm talking about Newton Mass, supposedly low crime area. My sister has to walk her granddaughter home from school because it is too dangerous for her to walk the half mile in Scottsdale.

We only had one car until I was in high school, so my mother had to wait until my dad came home if she needed to drive anywhere. She walked to the grocery store. We walked to the doctor a half mile away. Or the doctor came to our house if we were sick.

We walked or rode bikes to the liberry or the five and dime to buy 45's

TV stations shut down at midnight and displayed a test pattern

I do wonder sometimes how different my life might have been if I was a kid these days......

 

[Niehart]

I went to Osceola, Iowa to stay with my Aunt Pearl and go to kindergarten. Not only did she have a TV but it was color TV.

Then I went back to the ranch close to Hinsdale, Montana. Nope we still didn't have TV but we did have indoor plumbing.

I went to Midwest City, Oklahoma to stay with my Uncle Robert and go to the fifth grade. They had color TV with lots of channels.

Then I went back to the ranch close to Hinsdale, Montana. Nope we still didn't have TV but we did have a party line phone.

I was surprised when my dad came home with a black and white TV. I was in the eight grade and was pretty excited even though we only could get 3 channels [two were the same station].

 

[El Toro]

Although I don't remember it, my parents would go to my mother's parents' house to Watch I Love Lucy. This would have been about the same time as the Coronation stories. She said that after they got their own TV, she would let me watch cartoons while she was preparing dinner, and I would always be begging her to come in and read the subtitles to me. I guess they weren't talkies.

My earliest recollection of actually watching something and paying attention was the Howdy Doody Show, and the Mickey Mouse Club. These memories date back to early 50's.

One of the things I remember is that before 1980, you never saw Lawyers or Doctors or drug companies advertising on TV. Nowadays probably at least a quarter of the commercials are advertising services that would not have been allowed in advertising back before the 80's.

As for Hockey, growing up in the US, it took me a while to discover it. When I was a teenager, I noticed that Boston Bruin's Hockey games were being broadcast on WSBK Channel 38 in Boston, and if I held the little loop antenna just right, I could see a snow filled B&W image of the games. I became an instant fan.

I never had any trouble following the puck, or identifying the players by their appearance. The fact that no one wore a helmet made it easier to tell who was who ... but I think the simple camera angles made it easier too.

Hockey expansion was sort of a joke ... and then we had the WHA. Good for the players. Maybe good for the owners. Not so hot for the fans, unless you were in one of these interloping cities.

No one in the modern era can possibly understand what it was like to watch guys like Gump Worsley, or Glenn Hall, or Terry Sawchuck, or Jacques Plant ... or Rocket and the Pocket Rocket, or Boom Boom, and later Bobby Orr.

I have a harder time following the play today ... even though I've got a large plasma HD TV and all the sophistication of modern camera men.