Remember When ...?

[Veritass]

Remember when there were only three channels on the tv and nothing was on as opposed to now when you have 300 channels and nothing is on?

I believe that the three-network setup was actually a reason that we felt a stronger cultural cohesion. Everyone watched "The Wonderful World of Disney" on Sunday night, and everyone watched "The Wizard of Oz" when it came on once a year, and everyone watched "Shogun" and "Roots" when they came on.

 

[AthenaAwakened]

Remember when there were only three channels on the tv and nothing was on as opposed to now when you have 300 channels and nothing is on?

I believe that the three-network setup was actually a reason that we felt a stronger cultural cohesion. Everyone watched "The Wonderful World of Disney" on Sunday night, and everyone watched "The Wizard of Oz" when it came on once a year, and everyone watched "Shogun" and "Roots" when they came on.

Oh, for sure. I remember quite well riding the bus to school in the morning and everyone on it talking about the same episode of QUINCEY or whatever that came on the night before.

 

[Keith&Co.]

Yeah, my kids cannot discuss a fictional character even among their peer group without first establishing references. "Do you watch TV SHOW?" which usually leads to a discussion about when they stopped or started watching it ("Yeah, first two seasons." or "Not since they killed that one guy.' or 'Dad won't pay for that channel.' ) before we even mention the character who said something quotable, then finally the quote.

Back when, the question was not 'Do you watch Buck Rogers?' That was a given. 'Did you catch last night's episode?' was as far as establishing had to go.

 

[Keith&Co.]

Remember when movie trailers were enticing? When you thought 'That's something I want to see,' rather than, 'And now I've seen the five best jokes in the movie.'??

 

[AthenaAwakened]

Remember when movie trailers were enticing? When you thought 'That's something I want to see,' rather than, 'And now I've seen the five best jokes in the movie.'??

SO TRUE!!!!

 

[ZiprHead]

I remember when my dreams were wet and my farts were dry. Now it's the opposite. Sigh...

 

[Thomas II]

Remember when "keeping up with the Cardassians" meant you watched "Star Trek"?

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Remember when taping songs off of the radio was how you used to get "MP3's".

Remember when Johnny Carson could joke about a toilet paper shortage and brought the country to its knees as frightened nation began wildly hoarding the stuff? There was an empty shelf in the paper aisle at the supermarket today and my first thought was 'Not again!' My second thought was, 'But, no, no one has that sort of power these days.'

Was Oprah talking toilet paper?

Remember when Oprah was a host of a garbage talk TV program?

 

[Iznomneak]

Remember when Batman started 50 years ago today:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman_(TV_series)

 

[ZiprHead]

Remember when Batman started 50 years ago today:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman_(TV_series)

BAM!

 

[Thomas II]

Remember when Batman started 50 years ago today:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman_(TV_series)

BAM!

ONOMATOPOEIA!

 

[gmbteach]

 

[Thomas II]

yep...

 

[Keith&Co.]

yep...

Fifteen channels on the TV. Nine of them were static. One was the Boise channel we could only get between midnight and 5 am during the winter months. ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS and the local, unaffiliated station which just rebroadcast something from the big three. It was like a crappy backup to what you wanted to watch, but there was a good chance you'd recognize someone in the locally produced commercials.

 

[Keith&Co.]

Remember staying up late to watch scary movies and being too scared to turn the lights off and go to bed, so Dad would find you curled up on the couch, watching the test pattern?

 

[Angry Floof]

Remember your mom ordering your clothes from the Sears Catalog?

One outfit, but she'd buy it in 27 different colors.

Oh, goodness, yes! Thanks for jogging that memory. Ugh, the styles. haha! Mom loved polyester.

 

[Arctish]

Fifteen channels on the TV. Nine of them were static. One was the Boise channel we could only get between midnight and 5 am during the winter months. ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS and the local, unaffiliated station which just rebroadcast something from the big three. It was like a crappy backup to what you wanted to watch, but there was a good chance you'd recognize someone in the locally produced commercials.

We had The Big Three, and a local UHF channel that ran a lineup of Japanese kid's shows weekdays from 3-6pm. Astro Boy was first, then Gigantor, then Kimba the White Lion, followed by Marine Boy. 8 Man ran for a year or so, but was replaced by Speed Racer which stuck around for years in re-runs.

On the weekends the station ran British puppet and sci-fi shows. That channel introduced me to Fireball XL-5, Stingray, Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, Thunderbirds, UFO, The Avengers, The Prisoner, and Space 1999.

Best of all, the station picked up Star Trek a couple of years after NBC cancelled it, and brought joy to my Trekkie heart for many years.

 

[bilby]

Fifteen channels on the TV. Nine of them were static. One was the Boise channel we could only get between midnight and 5 am during the winter months. ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS and the local, unaffiliated station which just rebroadcast something from the big three. It was like a crappy backup to what you wanted to watch, but there was a good chance you'd recognize someone in the locally produced commercials.

We had The Big Three, and a local UHF channel that ran a lineup of Japanese kid's shows weekdays from 3-6pm. Astro Boy was first, then Gigantor, then Kimba the White Lion, followed by Marine Boy. 8 Man ran for a year or so, but was replaced by Speed Racer which stuck around for years in re-runs.

On the weekends the station ran British puppet and sci-fi shows. That channel introduced me to Fireball XL-5, Stingray, Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, Thunderbirds, UFO, The Avengers, The Prisoner, and Space 1999.

Best of all, the station picked up Star Trek a couple of years after NBC cancelled it, and brought joy to my Trekkie heart for many years.

I LOVED Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons.

Every so often, I drop into a baritone and say "Anything could happen in the next half hour!", usually to the total bemusement of my manager and/or co-workers.

Then I remember - Captain Scarlet is indestructible. You are NOT. Do not try to imitate him.



Supermarionation is the best TV production system ever.

I also have the complete set of Space 1999 on DVD. I can feel a marathon coming on...

 

[Cheerful Charlie]

Remember TG&Y stores? Cheap toys, household items and lots of sewing supplies.

 

[AthenaAwakened]

Five year old
Christmas 1970
Green set bottom of the page
Nothing lit up, nothing plugged in, dangerous metal sharp edges that I and friends would eventually cut ourselves on REPEATEDLY!

LOVED IT!!!!!!