TV Bug

I don't know about you, but I watched a ton of TV when I was a

little girl. Television was fairly new and so fascinating back in the

fifties, as well as kinder and gentler. I guess it would be safe to say,

I was a complete "TV Bug". I watched from the moment I got up in

the morning, until the soaps came on in the afternoon, then again in

the evening after the nightly news.

The cartoons like Popeye, Tom Terrific, Rocky and Bullwinkle and

Mighty Mouse, were great, but what I really loved were the shows

with real actors. I adored some of them so much, I actually wanted

to BE them. Annette on the Mickey Mouse Show was one. How I

longed to have a set of those mouse ears of my very own and dance

around with that oh-so-cute Bobby.

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Another character I wanted to be was Penny on Sky King. She

was the adorable niece of the airplane flying cowboy. Remember?

My hair was always kept cut short, but I longed to have a beautiful

pony tail like Penny. Sometimes, I would tie a sock on the back of my

head, like a bouncy pony tail, and jump into my plane to soar off into

the wild blue yonder.

Then there was Janet Lennon, the youngest of the singing Lennon

sisters, featured on The Lawrence Welk Show. She wore all those

pretty dresses with the stiff petticoats and sang with her doting

older sisters. How fun was that?

I never understood why I couldn't keep a Palomino horse, just like

Mr. Ed, in my bedroom. The closet door could be sawed in half, for

his head to poke out. Why not? He could help do things around the

house, like answer the phone and play ping pong with me.

But what I really wanted was to live in the Treasure House with my

beloved Captain Kangaroo. He would read me stories and make little

construction paper projects with his nifty shoe box kit. Bunny Rabbit,

Mr. Mouse, and Mr. Green Jeans would be there to hang around and

keep me company.

Looking back, watching so much TV wasn't all that bad. The Captain

inspired in me a love for literature and creativity. Annette and Janet

introduced me to vocal music. Penny spurred a longing for adventure.

And hey, even though I never had a real pet growing up, Mr. Ed gave

this city girl a love for animals. As Martha Stewart might say, TV was

"a good thing".

Television! Teacher, mother, secret lover.

~Homer Simpson, The Simpsons

This is a variation of "Blast from the Past" posts by my bloggy

friends Derrick and Weaver. Hop on over and take a look at their

adorable childhood pics and posts!

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top photo: Willow, TV Bug, 1959