Friday, April 3, 2015

Memories with Television


   Leave It to Beaver (1957) Poster






After World War II, an explosion of new technology entered American homes. Among the most revolutionary was the television, which still has influence today. 

Regina remembers her first time experiencing the television in person was as a young teenager, when a delivery truck from a department store pulled into her driveway one morning. "We had no clue what it could have been," she says. To the surprise of her and her family, it was a brand new television set, a gift from her father. As they went to set it up, “we spent the whole afternoon gathered in the living room, just sitting there excited,” she says. “Getting a TV was really a big event.

Among the differences between TV now and then, she remembers for a time only receiving one channel, CBS. She also mentions that “there was no remote control” and “the dials were under the screen.” As for the effect of the new TV set on her family, it was engaging like the radio; however TV was different: “the pictures were right there in front of you,” she says. “When our shows were on, everyone in our house was watching.” Some shows she watched regularly were I Love Lucy, Gunsmoke, and Leave it to Beaver. She preferred shows that were funny, or had romantic elements. “TVs are so big nowadays!” she adds. Color TV and the invention of cable are two milestones that enhanced the TV experience by offering a variety of entertainment to more audiences in visually appealing color.  She remembers cable bringing about some of her favorite channels like TV Land and Lifetime, marketing to specific viewers and playing reruns. She says that today, there are more channels that air programming all the time meaning you don’t have to wait for something to come on.


Another difference in television then were the commercials. “The advertisements had more jingles that you could remember,” she says. “You don’t hear much anymore.” Advertisements also featured television stars that endorsed products—Andy Griffith for Corn Flakes and mascots like the Alka-Seltzer man were big sellers for audiences.

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