Your Parents’ TV Viewing - Yuck

One little black-and-white TV on a small table. My mom didn't watch much TV but she did like Sing Along With Mitch and the Ed Sullivan show. My dad liked westerns like Gunsmoke, Have Gun Will Travel and Wanted Dead or Alive, so we watched a lot of those. On late Friday nights, the "old folks" went to bed and the TV was OURS! We always stayed up to watch the horror movies, such as Dracula, the Mummy and Frankenstein. Mom and Dad wouldn't stay up to watch those, so we made Grandma sit up and watch them with us.
 

The only shows I remember my dad watching were Bonanza and one other western I don't remember the name of.. Mom--while she was still living with us--read rather than watching tv, I think because the few times she did try watching it, she'd forget and talk which would infuriate Dad (he couldn't stand for there to be any noise whatsoever when he was watching tv, not even during the commercials).
 
We didn't get a TV until I was a teenager, my old man was dead against them. When we did get one watching was restricted.

There was the News each evening and the Tonight program with Cliff Michaelmore. Then the variety shows like The Black and White Minstral Show (yep really) and Sunday Night at the London Palladium. I can't remember others.

Personally I was more of a radio fan, listening to The Navy Lark, Educating Archie, Billy Cotton Band Show, the Wednesday Play , even Family Favourites on Sunday morning etc
 
My parents snuggled up on the couch together every night, watching TV from about six till midnight. They loved all the dramas like Upstairs Downstairs, 90 Minute Playhouse, The Loretta Young Show, Mini-Series things like The Thornbirds, Nature shows, they were super impressed with time-lapse photography.

But if you asked them, they would have said they didn't watch much TV. I think some people were a little ashamed of it at the time.
 
My grandparents were definitely hillbillies living in the Mountains of NC. Thank goodness my dad moved us to Central Florida. However, every time we would visit we would all gather around their TV to watch Heehaw and The Grand Ole' Opry while my grandfather sat in his recliner chair and spit into his spittoon.

I knew all of them... Porter Wagner, Dolly Parton, Junior Samples, Buck Owens, Lulu and the rest. My aunt used to fit Stella Parton for glasses. I know me some hillbillies!
 
my folks watched hee haw and gunsmoke and perry mason. on weekends dad watched all the western movies. grandma loved lawrence welk. folks enjoyed barney miller. i liked gunsmoke and LW and it wasn't until later when i was older that i got the humor in barney miller and lmao. dad liked mash too and so did i.
 
My family was one of the last in our area to get a TV, but I had seen a lot of TV at other people's houses, so I was quite excited when we finally got one. I remember professional wrestling, which was on a lot. I thought it was real. Wrestling is the only sport where after high school and college your next step is to move on to drama requiring some skill but mostly stage presence. In football and basketball you actually go on to a level of more intense play. That's weird, isn't it?
 
Television wasn't part of my life growing up in the 1940's
so no memories watching with parents.

It was suspended during the war years and did not start until 1946.
In 1947 my dad managed to buy a TV from somewhere and the day it arrived our house was crammed with neighbours .
The BBC broadcast for one hour during the day and one hour in the evening.
Eventually another channel emerged but I do not recall any of the programs .
What I do remember is holding the antenna for ages while the news was on.:LOL: Reception was terrible.
I arrived in Canada in 1954 and eventually got snared into watching TV in the evenings.

As a young teenager it was of no interest to me as we always had things to do for enjoyment.
We read comics and magazines and books as we got older.
Went to local town hall for dancing and movies when we had the money.
Had parties at each others houses every weekend and made or own entertainment.
No drugs and definitely no booze for the ladies

All good fun after the restrictions of the war years.
 
We had a black and white set forever... (Imagine my surprise the first time I saw The Wizard of Oz in color! =D)

The tv was not on all day or even all evening. I do remember the Lawrence Welk show, Red Skelton, Soupy Sales and Father Knows Best (eek, wouldn't *that* show get taken off the air in a NY minute now!)

Mainly, I watched (really paid attention) to the kids' shows... Mickey Mouse Club, "Hobo Kelly" and "Sheriff John" during lunch. In the evening, I waited with baited breath to hear Walter Cronkite say, "And that's the way it is" b/c I knew that meant the Flintstones were coming on next!
 
Reading all these replies is helping me remember the TV shows we all watched. Ed Sullivan for sure, my brother got up close to the TV to take a picture of the Beatles when they were on. We watched Mannix, Red Skelton, a Dean Martin variety show, Ben Casey, if up late...Johnny Carson. Lots of variety shows on in those days with comedians that told jokes without cuss words.
 
JustDave said:
My family was one of the last in our area to get a TV, but I had seen a lot of TV at other people's houses, so I was quite excited when we finally got one. I remember professional wrestling, which was on a lot. I thought it was real. Wrestling is the only sport where after high school and college your next step is to move on to drama requiring some skill but mostly stage presence. In football and basketball you actually go on to a level of more intense play. That's weird, isn't it?
Click to expand...
Oh yes, I well remember Friday night wrestling. Remember "Gorgeous George"? I think he got the whole outrageous costuming and posturing in wrestling started.
 
We got our first TV in 1949. It was a console, but I think the screen was only 12" diagonal. I loved it though. We just watched the most popular shows like Uncle Miltie, Your Show of Shows, then Ed Sullivan. There were only 2 or 3 channels, so there wasn't that much of a selection to cause a big decision.

When I was outside playing, I can still recall hearing the opening theme music for The Lone Ranger wafting out of the open window. I raced upstairs to watch the show.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top