sack said:
Strangely enough I would say the Watergate hearings. Watching them turned me from a goofy kid into,, dare I say it,, a liberal political junkie. Maybe not the fondest memory, but the most life shaping one from TV.
Same here -- for me, it was the tumultuous year of 1968. Even though I was only 10, the news reports of the killings of MLK and RFK, the riots, the police actions at the Chicago convention, LBJ deciding not to run, etc. It really made the impression on me that "hmmm....things are obviously not as neat and tidy in this country as my history book teaches me." (A few years later, Watergate would really solidify that sentiment!) It really opened my eyes to become a voracious follower of the news, and a first-class skeptic who accepts nothing at face value and is always seeking to find the news BEHIND the news -- i.e., what's REALLY going on?
sack said:
As for happy/fond memories, Officer Joe Bolton on Channel 11 in NYC showing "The Three Stooges" in the afternoon. I can still remember Moe coming on the show to tell us kids not to do what they do (eye poking, slapping,,,,,) No, I didn't listen to him either.
Again, a shared sentiment, as I grew up in Jersey and watched all those shows. Officer Joe, certainly, whose showing of the Stooges shorts taught me that mayhem and slapstick are beautiful things. There was Chuck McCann and his goofiness, not to mention his dead-on impressions of Oliver Hardy. Soupy Sales, obviously, was a big idol -- I had an outfit just like his (white button-down shirt, black v-neck sweater, red and white polka dot bow tie, white pants) and I remember my mother even crafting for me at her sewing machine a crude imitation of "White Fang's" hairy paw. Sandy Becker, with his characters (Hambone, Norton Nork, The Big Professor, etc.) -- I loved the way he never, EVER talked down to kids or patronized them, but treated them like what they are -- just little humans who have vivid imaginations and a passion and capability to learn new things every day. And Sunday mornings, there was the marathon of Wonderama -- I go all the way back to the Sonny Fox days. Another show that really treated us kids with respect, from interesting guests to a variety of cultural stuff (singers, dancers, puppeteers, etc.) from different cultures. Being a kid in the NY market back then was KidVid Heaven. And all these guys were local dudes, doing live or live-on-tape shows every day, very creative individuals who gave us original humor far removed from today's cookie-cutter crap on Nick, Disney, etc. It's sad to think that there is NOTHING like any of these shows left on TV. But then, shows like those would not work today anyway -- kids now with 500 channels and the Internet grow up WAY too fast, and would see Soupy or Sandy or Sonny or Chuck as corny and old-fashioned. (Just like me....) ;D