TV Test Patterns

Remember the TV test patterns? They came on at night after a formal sign off by the television station and the National Anthem. They were used for adjusting the receiver controls for optimum reception.
In 1949, television programming was only a few hours a night and the test pattern replaced the shows. The most famous design was the "Indian Head." It was designed for RCA by an artist named Brooks in 1939. The original artwork was found in a dumpster by a wrecking crew worker. He saved them for over 30 years and sold the art to a test pattern collector.
The "Indian Head" pattern was built into an RCA monoscope tube which acted as a replacement for a television camera. Many of these tubes were saved as souvenirs and art pieces. But, nearly all of these small, hard to open tubes were junked. The actual cards, on the other hand, were 1.5 feet x 2 feet and saved for wall displays.
There is a great little blurb on Cheech and Chongs album, Big Bambu. Cheech drops by Chongs pad and asks him what he is watching on TV. Chong replies, "I don't know, it's a movie about Indians, but it's really boring." Cheech says, "Hey man, that's not a movie, man. That's a test pattern, man." Chong answers, "Far out!"

Sea Hunt

I loved Sea Hunt! My dad called Lloyd Bridges,"The guy with the rubber underwear."
Duhhh.. I had dreams of being a deep sea diver while watching that show. I had a book that showed the real deep sea divers back then with big huge helmets, puffed up diving suits filled with air and a big giant hose hooked to the boat. It was pretty scary and mysterious. I wanted to do that, but of course, I couldn't. If you read my previous post, Nurse, Teacher, Or Mother, you would know why.
Did you know that Sea Hunt was the first show about sea diving and the most popular TV show in the 1960's? The star of the show, Lloyd Bridges, never had any diving experience before starting the series. He learned quick and became an accomplished diver and treated his viewers with underwater action.
His character, Mike Nelson (ex Navy frogman, turned freelance diver) hunted down criminals from the undersea underworld and tangled with manta rays, sharks, and octopuses. Mike Nelson was the man of the sea, going after treasures and performing rescues.
Danger and excitement were the themes of the shows and at the end of each episode, Lloyd Bridges made a plea to save the oceans. The footage was filmed in many places, but most of all, the action scenes were shot in a huge aquarium in California.
When the series first came out, the diving sequences were short. As the series became more popular, more of the action took place under water and from Mike Nelsons high-tech boat, the Argonaut.
As far as merchandise from the show, Sea Hunt became number one in sales. Everything from flippers, goggles and rubber boats were selling like wild fire.
Here's a bit of trivia from Sea Hunt.
Lloyd Bridges decided to leave the show after four seasons because the producers wanted cops and robbers plots, but Bridges wanted to focus on the environment.
Lloyd complained about the weight of the tanks on the above surface scenes. So, the art director had the tanks made from balsa wood and painted silver.
Isn't that great? Don't you just miss these old TV series? I really can't think of anything quite as good as Sea Hunt.

On The Road Again

April 29, 1969

Dear Daddy,
The Colorado mountains were a trip. The house where we crashed at was so cool. A real mountain cabin. The folks who we stayed with were artists. They make money by selling tie dyed t-shirts. They gave us each one. Too cool. We are in Utah now.
It's very hot and it looks like the moon. I am tripping out over the landscape. I can't wait to get to California to see the ocean. I am not so sure about sleeping under the stars tonight. The desert is kinda freaky. But, don't worry, I am ok. I really need a shower. Well Daddy, gotta go now, I will write next week.
Be cool,
Peace and love,
Joyce

A Horse Is A Horse, Of Course, Of Course.......Wilbur!

Mr. Ed first aired in 1961 and was produced by Filmways. Mr. Ed was a smart 12 year old Palamino American Saddlebred horse who could talk. The horse was played by Bamboo Harvester and the voice was Allan Lane. His owner, the architect, Wilbur Post was portrayed by Allan Young. The cool thing was, that Mr. Ed would only talk to Wilbur. Young was chosen for the role because he seemed like the kind of guy that a horse would talk to.
Ed's stablemate was a horse named Pumpkin, who later played in the series Green Acres. Pumpkin was also Mr. Ed's double in some of the shows.
In 1968, Mr. Ed became ill and was euthanized in 1970 with no publicity. He was buried in Oklahoma. It was said that the horse died from a tranquilizer in a stable in Burbank, California while in retirement. Hmmm... sounds kinda fishy to me.
The other characters in the show were Carol, Wilburs wife and the neighbors, the Addisons.
The theme song was written by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans, According to urban legend, when the song was played backwards, the words, "Someone sung the song for Satan and the source is the devil," is clearly heard. What is all this about playing songs backwards? Remember, "Paul is dead?"
So, how did Mr. Ed move his lips when he talked? Rumor had it that peanut butter was applied to his gums and he moved his lips to try and get it off. But, Alan Young admitted in 2004, that the real method used was a loose piece of nylon inserted under his lip. On his trainers cue, the horse tried to remove it.
Actually, Mr. Ed's handler sometimes used the "marionette theory" to make him talk by pulling strings attached to a nylon bit. Young denied this, but sometimes the camera would accidentally show the strings.
At any rate, I think Mr. Ed deserves one big salute for being such a fabulous horse.
Mr. Ed 1949-1970




MR. ED 8X10 B&W PHOTO
The Best of Mister Ed - Volume Two

Hey Mom! What's On TV Tonight?

In April of 1953, TV Guide was the publication of choice. It was the most read of circulated magazines in the country. For 15 cents a copy, you had the world by the tail. A couch, snack table with a hot tv dinner, and the holy bible of tv shows was the answer for a perfect life.
Triangle publications owned the magazine and became an authority on television programming. There were articles from contributing writers as well as from the staff.
Based in a small office in downtown Philadelphia, the publication soon moved to a large national headquarters in Randor, Pennsylvania. The fancy building had a large lighted TV Guide logo at the entrance and a vast computer system (I'd like to see that!) holding the data on every show and movie available for the weekly listing.
Life was good for the magazine until cable tv came into the picture. The cable systems published their own magazines and it was next to impossible for TV Guide to list all the shows. Circulation went from almost 20 million in 1970 to less tan 3 million in 2007.
After changing owners over the years, in October of 2008, Macrovision sold the money loosing magazine to Equity Fund, Open Gate Capital for $1.00. Wow! What a story and just another example of the times are a changin.

This Diet Really Works!

I know this post is going against the wonderful nostalgia of my other writings, but I just looked out the window and realized that spring is right around the corner. Good Grief! That means I have to put away those big bulky sweaters. What is a boomer to do? Well, I have an answer and it's a good one.
This diet really works. It's a can do kinda diet because you only follow it 3 days a week. How perfect is that! Have I done it, you ask? Well, no, but I know people that have and it's easy.
Why haven't I done it, you ask? Well, mainly because all cocktails are put on hold until the third day. But, really, I can live with that. It's all the excuses I have for myself. I'll start tomorrow, or, rats, I planned on making lasagna tomorrow, or I am a boomer and I have the right to make excuses.
Anyway, all joking aside, I am going to start this tomorrow and you should too. Lets compare notes.

THIS DIET WORKS! IT IS A DIET FROM THE CLEVELAND CLINIC. YOU CAN LOOSE 40 POUNDS IN A MONTH AND IT’S HEALTHY.
YOU JUST FOLLOW THIS DIET FOR 3 DAYS A WEEK (NO EATING BETWEEN MEALS!) AND EAT NORMALLY AND RESPONSIBLY FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK. ALSO, WHEN DOING THIS DIET, USE SALT AND PEPPER, ONLY.

DAY ONE:
BREAKFAST- ½ GRAPEFRUIT
1 SLICE DRY TOAST & 2 TBLS PEANUT
BUTTER or
½ BAGEL & 2 TBLS PEANUT BUTTER

LUNCH- ½ C. DRY TUNA
1 SLICE DRY TOAST
COFFEE OR TEA

DINNER- 2 SLICES MEAT ( 3 OZ)
1 C. GREAN BEANS
1 C. BEETS
1 SMALL APPLE
½ C. VANILLA ICE CREAM

DAY TWO:
BREAKFAST- 1 HARD COOKED EGG
1 SLICE DRY TOAST
½ BANANNA

LUNCH- 1 CUP COTTAGE CHEESE
5 SALTINES

DINNER- 2 HOT DOGS

1 C. BROCOLLI
½ C. CARROTS
1 BANANNA
½ C. VANILLA ICE CREAM

DAY THREE:
BREAKFAST- 1 SLICE CHEDDAR CHEESE
5 SALTINES
1 SMALL APPLE

LUNCH- 1 HARD COOKED EGG
1 SLICE DRY TOAST

DINNER- 1 C. DRY TUNA
1 C. RED BEETS
1 C. CALIFLOWER
½ C. CANTILOPE
½ C. VANILLA ICE CREAM

WELL, THAT’S ALL THERE IS TO THIS DIET AND YOU
WILL LOOSE FORTY POUNDS IN ONE MONTH. YOU MIGHT THINK YOU ARE STARVING TO DEATH DURING THE THREE DIETING DAYS, BUT YOU AREN’T. THIS IS A HOSPITAL DIET AND YOU GET TO EAT NORMAL THE REST OF THE WEEK. GO FOR IT AND JUST DO IT! YOU WILL BE GLAD YOU DID!
ALSO, DRINK PLENTY OF WATER, WATER, WATER

There you have it.
You might want to take a look at this site too:
MY JEANS FIT NOW

Collingwood, The House Of Dark Shadows, Barnabas Arrives

Dark Shadows was the first soap opera to have a supernatural theme. Remember rushing home from school to watch it at 4:00? The show ran from 1966-1971. The supernatural in a daytime show was unheard of and ghosts weren't introduced until 6 months after the show began.
Barnabas Collins, played by Johnathan Frid, became a vampire cult figure. There were witches, monsters, zombies, time travel and a parallel universe. Some of the actors played several roles.
Victoria Winters arrives at the Collingwood Mansion as a governess for David Collins. There were strange happenings in the old mansion. Elizabeth Collins Stoddard has a secret and never leaves the estate. Her daughter Carolyn stays out all night and Roger Collins, David's father, is afraid someone is trying to kill him. The plot thickens during each episode.
The live to tape series demanded intense makeup, costumes and special effects. It could hardly keep up with it's daily schedule. Sometimes the actors struggled with their lines and the sets became wobbly. Once in awhile, a stagehand could been seen wandering in the back of the set. A microphone boom could been seen in the frames.
The soundtrack still ranks as the top selling TV soundtrack ever. It even hit the billboard charts.
Due to the economic recession in 1971 and the governments ban on cigarette commercials, advertising revenues took a sharp dip. Since the viewing audience was primarily the ages of 18-35, and really had no purchasing power, the series came to an end.
In 1971, Dark Shadows was replaced by the game show Password. The fans were so outraged, that they intended to disrupt the taping of Password in the Los Angeles studios. So, there you have it. Another great show bites the dust.



House of Dark Shadows 11"x17" Framed Poster
DARK SHADOWS 8x10 B&W PHOTO
Dark Shadows: The Beginning, Vol. 6

Albert Hofmann, The Father Of LSD

Albert Hofmann, a research scientist, who synthesised LSD, in 1938, took the worlds first acid trip on his bicycle. He was cycling home from his laboratory April 19th, 1943 and tripped out. This day is known as "Bicycle Day."
Working as a research chemist at the laboratory of the Sandoz Company in Basel, Switzerland, Hofmann was involved in studying the medicinal properties of plants. The focus was ergot, a fungus which forms on rye. In the middle ages, ergot was blamed for outbreaks of mass poisonings. So, my advice to you is, the next time you are eating that Ruben or pastrami sandwich, check the rye bread to make sure there aren't any mold spores growing on it.
In his studies, Hofmann made many new discoveries. He had hoped by synthesising LSD, he could come up with a circulatory and respiratory stimulant. But after a series of experiments on animals, the results were not as expected and the project was dropped.
Back to the famous bicycle ride, Hofmann had an array of experiences. He had distortions, highs and lows and time warps. Sandoz saw the effects of this acid trip and hoped to profit from the discovery. So, the laboratory sent out samples to scientific researchers. Wow! By 1965, over 2,000 papers had been written and published, hoping to use the drug for a variety of conditions.
But, since the chemical was cheap and easy to make, it eventually ended up in the hands of Dr. Timothy Leary. It became the recreational drug of choice.
LSD was then banned all over the world, due to the number of accidents by users. People would jump out of windows thinking they could fly and the effects of a bad trip would often lead to psychosis.
In 1988, the Albert Hofmann foundation was established, devoted to the study of human consciousness and related fields.
Albert Hofmann died April 29, 2008 at the age of 102. If you are interested in reading the autobiography of this amazing scientist, click on the link below.

LSD: My Problem Child

Pappa Oom Mow Mow

Who was Ernie Anderson?
Where was Parma Place?
You know, where everybody wears white socks, eats Cheez Wiz sandwiches, and keeps up with the neighbors by buying more pink flamingos for their lawn.
Who was Oxnard?
Why was there a 35% drop in crimes on Friday nights in Cleveland?
Remember Shock Theater?
WJW-TV
Who was the coolest dude ever?

What Walks Down The Stairs, Alone Or In Pairs and Makes a Slinkety Sound?

What walks down the stairs, alone or in pairs and makes a slinkety sound?
A spring, a spring, a marvelous thing,
Everyone knows it's slinky..
It's slinky, it's slinky, for fun it's a wonderful toy.
It's slinky, it's slinky, it's fun for a girl and boy.
I bet you can sing that tune! You had one, right? Every kid did.
A slinky is a coiled shaped spring invented in 1943 by Richard James. He was a navel engineer trying to develop a meter to monitor horsepower in navel battleships. The thing fell off the table and walked across the floor. A toy was born.
With a 500 dollar loan, he and his wife, Betty, made it into a toy. She named it slinky because in the dictionary, it means smooth and graceful.
In 1945, they set up a demonstration in Gimbles Department store and almost sold out in the first 90 minutes.
A factory was built and the James Spring and Wire Company was born.
Believe it or not, Richard James had an epiphany around 1960 and left his wife and 6 kids to join a Bolivian religious cult. Dude! What were you thinking?! So, Betty took over and became CEO and saved the company from debts left by her husband. You go girl!
She replaced the blue black steel with silver and colored metal and added other toys to their line. Do you remember the glasses with the fake dangling eyeballs? Too cool!
To all you boomers, did you know that during the Vietnam war, Slinkys were used for mobile radio antennas?
Betty was inducted into the Toy Industry Hall Of Fame in 2001.
Wow! What a toy! If life could be that sweet and simple!
Original Metal Slinky