The Hoffman
Mid ‘50s
We may have been the first to have a TV in the old country neighborhood
Bobby Clem’s dad would stop by on the way home to pick up Bobby
He hated TV. Thought it was of the devil.
But stayed fixated to it while Bobby got his things together
My folks would talk to him, but he’d be in some sorta UHF trance
Whatever night the fights were on, my dad was there
Gillette blue blades and Pabst Blue Ribbon
Gene Fullmer vs Spider Web or Carmen Basilio
Madison Square Garden, or The Cow Palace
Always wondered why they called it that
Here’s me and Dad
He groomed me for my boxing career early on
Anyway, on Saturday night, we watched the dynamic duo of
Have gun will travel, and
Gunsmoke, and kept watching everything until the white dot disappeared
Those were the days…the nights
The TV repairman ranked above the doctor
Right up there, next to God
What a satchel of tools
We’d watch his face glow while he did his magic all crouched down behind the Hoffman with the back panel off
The biggest frustration
Amazing how long we would stare at it….waiting
Standing, sitting by