As I was flipping through the channels the other night I stopped on the ME TV channel. Memorable Entertainment TV. I got to thinking what was so great about the programming of the times. Yes, the programs were wholesome, funny and simple. They were not very sophisticated and typically had an elementary lesson to teach us about life, love and happiness.
The hallmark of the times was the 19 inch, vintage veneer cabinet, 100 pound, state-of-the-art 21 inch, tube RCA black and white television technology. It was always placed carefully in the largest room of the house with line-of-sight from the overstuffed brown tweed upholstered seating. In the other corner of the room were the TV trays perfect for in-room dining. The folding upright trays were sized to fit all Swanson TV dinners. The silver foil compartments filled with corn, mashed potatoes, salisbury steak and gravy was a feast for a king.
I Love Lucy, The Andy Griffith Show, Happy Day’s, One Day at a Time, The Honeymooners, The Carol Barnett Show, Maude, Jeffersons and All in the Family filled our living room with laughter.
What was the allure about this situation that was so organic? Was it the simplicity of the comedies? It could not have been the plot of the stories. Certainly, the 19 inch tube black and white TV could not compete with our plasma 52 inch flat screens of today.
Then solution popped into my head. It was not the food, the tube TV or the programming. It was the 12X12 wall-to-wall carpeted living room, filled with people you love the most.
The time together, laughing, cheering, crying, sitting on the floor so you could turn the channel selection knob is the best memory. There was not a TV in every room of the house. You could not be alone watching Netflix on your laptop, IPAD or texting your friends on the net.
Basically you had to be cheek-to-cheek, intimately in one room with your family. You planned how you would share the evening together, what the program would be and who got the closest spot with the best view of the console.
It really was all in the family.
