Remembering TV stuff from early childhood

[bandit957]

Am I actually the only adult who remembers stuff they saw on TV when they were 3 or 4? I don't mean kids' shows like 'Sesame Street'. I mean station ID's and commercials geared to adults. I actually remember some of the old logos of local TV stations that were changed when I was only 3.

I remember the old number readouts on 'The Price Is Right' even though those apparently were changed when I was only 2. I also remember 'Truth Or Consequences' on TV, even though I was about 3 when it was taken off. And I remember the Pearl Drops commercial where the actress said, "Nnnnn! It's a great feeling!" Plus, a series of segments about the American Revolution sponsored by Shell Oil. When those came on, I knew I was in trouble because I was up past bedtime!

I saw all of these things because my parents watched TV.

I also have a vague memory of my brother watching 'Popeye' cartoons and then being not able to watch it anymore because my mom wanted to watch 'General Hospital' on another station (which had just been expanded to a full hour).

Most of these things happened around 1976.

[bing101]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gx7qxTjpoEk

This is my first TV memory when I was a baby in San Francisco KGO-TV but when VanAmbrg was being replaced by Pete Wilson and Anna Chavez from the Anchor seat.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDXywU6iuGQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b51d_bfJNcQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1H6FFaSx3M

[jeffandnicole]

Toys R Us is running a commercial now that revisits their commercials from upwards of 30 or more years ago, such as the old "I'm a Toys R Us Kid!" jingles.

[inkyatari]

There's a great site that has a lot of old classic Chicago area TV news, breaks, station ID's, signoffs and such called Fuzzy Memories..

http://fuzzymemories.tv

[kphoger]

Toys R Us is running a commercial now that revisits their commercials from upwards of 30 or more years ago, such as the old "I'm a Toys R Us Kid!" jingles.

They don't use that jingle anymore?
(I haven't watched network TV for years, and I don't even have TV service at home.)

[roadman65]

I remember Josephine the Plumber who did Comet.

There was Jerry from now long defunct JGE Appliances in NYC.  He had that "Hey what's the story Jerry" from an off camera critic where after Jerry tells his sales and deals (that is the story) he would end the commercial with the line "That's The Stoooory!"

I remember when Bewichted was first run and the last few seasons with Dick Sargent as Darrin until it was syndicated to where I first learned of Dick York.  When York played Darrin I was an infant and toddler so my earliest memories of Bewitched was post Dick York.  In fact to me Sargent is Darrin Number One and York is number two.

I remember Archie's TV Funnies on old cartoon Saturdays.

Short lived shows like Friends And Lovers with Penny Marshall before she became Laverne.  Also Doc with Bernard Hughes which did well until CBS decided to fire all of the supporting cast and hire new ones proved ill with loyal fans and caused the ratings to plummet.

Love American Style which was a show that featured two 15 minute shows each week with different stars in them.  In fact Happy Days first aired on this as the show was made for airing pilots and this one got recognition for acceptance by ABC who also aired the show.

The Monkees when it was first run as part of the Saturday Cartoons, even though not a cartoon, but aired with them as the show really was a real life cartoon produced with crazy antics.

[bandit957]

I remember the now-forgotten sitcoms 'On Our Own' and 'Fish'. I don't remember what they were about, but I remember them existing.

[US71]

I remember the now-forgotten sitcoms 'On Our Own' and 'Fish'. I don't remember what they were about, but I remember them existing.

Fish starred Abe Vigoda. It was a spin-off of Barney Miller. Only lasted one season

[US71]

I remember Josephine the Plumber who did Comet.

Jane Withers...still alive today.

[GenExpwy]

There was one from right around my fifth birthday – a long-form (two minutes, at least) commercial for the Montréal World's Fair. I remember sitting in front of the TV, absolutely transfixed by it, especially the repeated jingle ♫Expo '67 Montréal♪.

[index]

♫800-588-2300.. Empire!♫ - Today!

My mother tells me that as a baby, when I had got the core parts of speech mastered, I would repeat that all the time. This commercial is still on the air to this day.

[sparker]

One problem with an idetic memory such as mine is remembering long-ago trivia best forgotten.  One such sample is the jingle accompanying the local L.A. TV ads, circa 1957 or thereabouts, of a long-defunct men's discount clothing outlet:

"When the values go up, up, up........and the prices go down, down, down........Robert Hall this season, will tell you the reason...........Low Overhead -- Low Overhead!"

I'd probably need a lot of therapy to get that one out of my head -- I must have heard it 500+ times as a kid!

[Hurricane Rex]

I can remember watching a lot of shows as a kid, all of which I'm a little scared of saying now due to being made fun of specifically at school. PBS kids is the main thing I watched.

[slorydn1]

I have early memories of Days of our Lives and the other NBC soaps that my mom watched religously when I was in my pre-school years.

Everytime someone brings up the name of an old game show from the early-mid 70's I can instantly hear that shows theme song in my head. Some of those shows had themes that would have been better suited for a porn movie than a game show, but I digress

I can remember the old black and white weather radar and satellite pictures on WOOD-TV Channel 8 (Grand Rapids) weather broadcasts.

I remember NBC Nightly News with John Chancellor and the mid 70's NBC logo. I don't remember many of the commercials from that time frame, though, except for the Life Cereal "Hey Mikey, he LIKES it!!!" commercial. Most of my early commercial memories come from the Chicago area when I was already 9-10 years old, like the aforementioned Empire carpets commercials, or the Earl Shibe (spelling approximate) "paint any car any color for only $1995!" commercials, or "Save at Venture, save with style", things like that.

[Scott5114]

I remember the old number readouts on 'The Price Is Right' even though those apparently were changed when I was only 2.

The old brown ones?

I have a Price is Right related memory from age 2 too–I remember when there were little round red carpets for contestants to stand on at the Big Wheel. These were replaced with a big red carpet that covered the whole front of the wheel area when I was 2.

[Henry]

♫800-588-2300.. Empire!♫ - Today!

My mother tells me that as a baby, when I had got the core parts of speech mastered, I would repeat that all the time. This commercial is still on the air to this day.

That...and "time to make the donuts!" from Dunkin Donuts.

I remember as a sixth-grader I would say this a lot, and my parents were wondering just what the heck I was talking about. "America Runs on Dunkin" just doesn't have the same ring to it.

[mgk920]

"Time to make the donuts...."

I still utter that one out loud at appropriate times.



Mike

[ghYHZ]

I lived in Niagara Falls, Ontario when I was a kid and watched "Romper Room"  on a station out of Buffalo NY. I would stand with the rest of the Kids on TV and "Pledge Allegiance to the Flag of The United States of America......." .......long before I knew the words to O Canada!

[bandit957]

The old brown ones?

Yes, the ones that were last seen around 1976.

[bandit957]

I also remember "Calgon, take me away!"

[US71]

"Time to make the donuts...."

I still utter that one out loud at appropriate times.



Mike

Pity they're shiipped in frozen now.

[US71]

♫800-588-2300.. Empire!♫ - Today!

My mother tells me that as a baby, when I had got the core parts of speech mastered, I would repeat that all the time. This commercial is still on the air to this day.

Sadly, Mr Hauldren, the Empire Man, passed in 2011, but his likeness lives on

[D-Dey65]

Am I actually the only adult who remembers stuff they saw on TV when they were 3 or 4? I don't mean kids' shows like 'Sesame Street'. I mean station ID's and commercials geared to adults. I actually remember some of the old logos of local TV stations that were changed when I was only 3.

I remember the old number readouts on 'The Price Is Right' even though those apparently were changed when I was only 2. I also remember 'Truth Or Consequences' on TV, even though I was about 3 when it was taken off. And I remember the Pearl Drops commercial where the actress said, "Nnnnn! It's a great feeling!" Plus, a series of segments about the American Revolution sponsored by Shell Oil. When those came on, I knew I was in trouble because I was up past bedtime!

I saw all of these things because my parents watched TV.

I also have a vague memory of my brother watching 'Popeye' cartoons and then being not able to watch it anymore because my mom wanted to watch 'General Hospital' on another station (which had just been expanded to a full hour).

Most of these things happened around 1976.

Not only do I remember stuff like that, but stuff from the previous decade.

[KeithE4Phx]

♫800-588-2300.. Empire!♫ - Today!

Only for about 15 years, since Empire Carpets went national.  Originally, it was just "588-2300..Empi-i-i-i-re" in Chicago. 

Lynn Hauldren, who played the Empire man, came up with the jingle when he worked for the ad agency that contracted with Empire.  It goes back to at least the mid '70s, if not earlier.

[jeffandnicole]

Toys R Us is running a commercial now that revisits their commercials from upwards of 30 or more years ago, such as the old "I'm a Toys R Us Kid!" jingles.

They don't use that jingle anymore?
(I haven't watched network TV for years, and I don't even have TV service at home.)

I can't recall seeing a Toys R Us commercial, nor hearing this jingle, in years.  I'm not even sure what channel I was watching when I caught this one. 

I have a Price is Right related memory from age 2 too—I remember when there were little round red carpets for contestants to stand on at the Big Wheel. These were replaced with a big red carpet that covered the whole front of the wheel area when I was 2.

I was lucky enough to be in the studio audience for The Price is Right just before Bob Barker retired.  I wasn't called on down, but I witnessed the entire process of how they determine who to have come on down to contestants row.  The show I went to - they recorded it on a Tuesday, and it aired Friday!  My wife and I were 5 rows behind contestants row, so we were on TV each time the camera panned by.