Baby boomers like me were lucky. We experienced the golden age of The Tube. We sat transfixed in the gray-white glow of huge television sets with rabbit ear antennas and channel selectors that resembled the dials on the door of a safe. Other dials behind the main channel selector and on the opposite side of the TV were turned to improve the contrast and the clarity and the focus.
I was the remote control.
We laughed and laughed at Lucy and marveled at Captain Video. Kids adventures like Rin Tin Tin and Lassie reinforced the conviction that all one needed in life was the friendship of a loyal dog and everything would be ok in the world.
The cowboy show was king. The thrilling adventures of the Lone Ranger and Tonto and Gene Autry. Marshall Dillon and Wyatt Earp dispatching the bad guys every week.
There was a lot of imaginative local programming for kids coming out of Philadelphia at the time. First came Willie the Worm, a puppet made from an old hose and some goggles who introduced cartoons.
Happy the Clown with his marching sticks; blue ends or red ends? I hope you're feeling fine today, good morning Mr. Mike, boop boop! Bertie the Bunyip with Sir Guy de Guy the fox and Fussy and Gussy. I refused to go to Sunday school because hey, I mean Bertie is on. Pete's Gang with Uncle Pete Boyle who drew pictures on huge sheets of paper and told the stories behind them. Later would come Gene London and Wee Willie Webber and of course everyone's favorite, Sally Starr.
We reveled in Popeye and Hunky and Spunky, Bugs Bunny and Mighty Mouse, Woody Woodpecker and Andy Panda.
The old Our Gang Comedies showed us a glimpse of the past. Somehow kids back then were more tolerant, it seemed. There was Farina and Stymie, black faces in a sea of white. Just like my friend LuLu. They were part of the gang; no invisible walls, no parents keeping them away.
Our Gang would influence my thinking. Every kid could be your friend. There were no niggers or kikes or wops or spics. Just potential pals.
Kids story records were big too.Bright yellow and red 45 rpms that told fairy tales in music and verse. "I'm a big red fire engine, and I clang clang clang as I roll along."
Another of my favorites was a children's version of the Pirates of Penzance. I didn't quite understand it all, but it was about pirates and the artwork in the book sleeve intrigued me.
The other stuff on TV, the harsh stuff went by us back then. The sinister visage of Joseph Mcarthy, the war in Korea and other Cold War hysteria hadn't quite hit home yet. All we needed was fantasy and imagination.
I had Mom and Dad and Whee-Zee and my green Rixe bike and an imagination. The real world could pass us all by. What else did I need?
A baby brother maybe?
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