Favorite Childhood Show

HS · August 2003

Seeing the post about Captain Kangaroo and Sesame Street got me to thinking back to my childhood. For me, it was always Mister Rodgers and the magic kingdom with the trolley. "Won't you be my neighbor?" I still remember him singing that song, changing out of his shoes into slippers and putting on that yellow sweater.

I did also watch Sesame street and I know I've seen Captain Kangaroo. Then there was Romper Room...remember the majic mirror? I wonder if those shows were as annoying to the adults in our lives as the shows of today like Barney, TeleTubbies and Thomas the Tank Engine!

What did you used to like?

Parabeagle · August 2003

Romper room was a favorite and it followed Dr. Zoom (which was a local show - remember those? All the neighborhood kids would get together and go down to be in the studio audience?). Never was a big fan of Mister Rogers but preferred Captain Kangaroo.

Zanne · August 2003

Parabeagle:

Are you sure it wasn't Mr. Zing? I used to watch Romper Room and then tune into Mr. Zing.

Zanne

Whatever · August 2003

I was allowed to watch and loved Howdy Doody. Had to sneak (which was difficult because the only TV was in the living room)to watch Annie Oakley and Roy Rogers (my mother didn't believe in violent shows for children (you can probably accurately guess what her opinion is of TV today).

Paul in Cannon Beach · August 2003

I was a strange kid. When I was just 10 or 11 I used to watch "Barnaby Jones" religiously. It starred Buddy Ebsen as some kind of private eye. I just remember that when he ran after the bad guys (which he rarely did) it looked more like a hobble.

I had to be the youngest Barnaby Jones viewer in the entire country.

Paul in Cannon Beach

KathyCo · August 2003

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 08-28-03 AT 02:15PM (CST)[/font][p]I absolutly LOVED Mr. Goodbody....I think that was the name. My other favorite was You Can't Do That On Television. I also used to sneak over to my friends house and watch The Young And The Restless and Dallas because my mom wouldn't let me watch them. Now...you can't drag her away from TYATR!!!

***Watching TYATR and Dallas at such a young age may have brought on my over-dramatic tendencies. Hmmm....I'll just blame that on my mother who actually drove me to want to watch those shows because she told me I couldn't. Can anyone suggest a therapist? lol

Parabeagle · August 2003

Mr. Goodbody???? Hmmmm... are you sure that was a CHILDREN'S show you were watching? x;-)

System · August 2003

I loved Romper Room. Remember H.R. Puffin Stuff? Hated that guy, hated that show!!! My mom was a very sound sleeper, so I used to sneak to the TV at night and watch Mission: Impossible all the time! I'm glad my boy is 13 - today's kids shows are soooo annoying!

rad · August 2003

As a young child, Sesame St, Captain Kangaroo, Romper Room...when I got older I loved to watch Saturday morning cartoons, Super Friends was my favorite. I also watched the 3 Stooges with my father and Creature Double Feature with my Papa. I loved Happy Days, Laverne and Shriley, The Love Boat and Fantasy Island, the Gong Show, and Quincy which may have already been reruns when I was watching.

jmpmo · August 2003

I loved Captain Kangaroo, Mr. Rogers and Sesame Street. I have been watching I love the 70's on VH1 and got to see parts of most of these shows listed. They will be doing I love the 80's in October. I can't wait. Our company runs a website called 80s.com if anyone would like to "relive" the 80's.

psrcello · August 2003

The original Mickey Mouse Club, with Karen, Cubby, Annette, the serial shows ("The Search for Applegate's Treasure", "Corky & White Shadow") - I can still sing most of the theme songs (each day was a different theme - Tuesday was Guest Star Day, Thursday was Circus Day, Friday was the Talent Rodeo).

Howdy Doody was another favorite, as was Pinky Lee. As far as non kid-focused shows go, I used to love Red Skelton, The Real McCoys, Jimmy Durante, and Liberace (go figure!) The old panel shows were fun too - What's My Line?, I've Got a Secret, Masquerade Party.

Parabeagle · August 2003

Wow, did you just trigger a memory!

I remember the Search for Applegate's Treasure -- the song went, "the gold doubloons and pieces of eight, all belong to Applegate..." and something about "the treasure bright that made men fight, and none were left to bury the chest." I can't remember any more but the memories just came flooding back. Thanks, it was kind of a day brightener. x:-)

psrcello · August 2003

The end of the song:

The chest is here, but wait ...
Where are those gold dubloons and pieces of eight, pieces of eight, peices of eight?

Yahoo · August 2003

I wonder if >those shows were as annoying to the adults in our lives as the shows >of today like Barney, TeleTubbies and Thomas the Tank Engine!
>
>What did you used to like?

My dad swears he still has nightmares about the "La LA la la la la...." theme from the Smurfs! Every Saturday morning - 7 am!

Dutch2 · August 2003

As a youngster, our church First United Pentecost would not allow us to have a TV in our home. When visiting grandparents I loved watching the early black and white days of Gunsmoke with my grandfather. (Chester, Dennis Weaver, was a very young man and could gimp along as well or better than Grandpaw McCoy. Of course there was alos Doc', Miss Kitty, and Matthew.) When we finally did get a TV in our home I just would not miss the weekly Red Skelton show.
Praise the Lord, it is finally raining here in Mid-Missouri.
Have a great day,
Dutch2

HS · August 2003

Was Romper Room the show that had the person dressed up in the Bee costume? What was that all about, anyone remember?

psrcello · August 2003

That was the "Do Bee", who taught kids to be good "Do Bees" by following the rules, like "Do Bee a play-safe, don't be a match toucher". I can't remember any of the others, but for some reason, that one stuck with me. I still hear people use the term "good Do Bee", usually describing someone who is sickeningly perfect about following the rules.

HS · August 2003

Yes, that's it! I was racking my brain. I so remember the Do Bee now, what a memory trigger.

Does anyone remember a show that had a tree house? That wasn't a part of the Romper Room I don't think.

KathyCo · August 2003

Did they used to say "Be a Do Bee, Don't Be a Don't Bee"? My parents said that so often while I was growing up.....that brought up fond memories....I'm wondering if my parents watched that show more than I did!

HRQ · October 2003

"Be a Do Bee" sounds my two-year-old singing the Scooby Doo song: "dooba dooba dooba - wheh ah yooo?"

I remember Electric Company. What that a regional thing? (I'm from Nebraska)

Schoolhouse Rock! Conjunction junction, what's your function?

Of course, saturday morning cartoons: Scooby Doo, Grape Ape, Pink Panther. When I was a kid, we even named our bowling team the Grape Apes.

Evenings, we watched MASH. I loved it long before I was old enough to understand it.

I always wanted to watch Little House on the Prairie, but my older brothers wouldn't let me. I became an avid reader of the "Little House" books instead.

Oooh - and Charlie's Angels. I always wanted to be Jaclyn Smith's character.

System · August 2003

Although I remember Howdy Doody and Soupy Sales, my favorites were things like Superman, Lash Larue, Roy and Dale, Fury, and Sky King. My own kids grew up on Barney and Andy and we still gather today for that show and my wife can tell you precisely which of 69 channels has it on at what time of day. Some time later I loved Cannon (private detective with the 1976 Lincoln Continental) and re-runs of Perry Mason. My dad in his old age loved nothing more than Hogan's Heroes. Guess it must have brought some world war II memories to him, or maybe it repressed them, I never knew. I always feared Mr. Rogers was one of those band leaders or scout leaders or priest types. Paul, you did not have to tell me you 'were strange as a child'. Somehow I knew it!

Whirlwind2 · August 2003

I loved Captain Kangaroo - cut my teeth on Captain K, Mr. Greenjeans, Grandfather Clock and Bunny Rabbit. Also learned to read way before kindgergarten thanks to the way books were read aloud in front of a close-up camera. This was way pre-Sesame Street.

For sheer lunacy, nothing beat a local show that was on when I used to go visit my grandparents in Dallas -- Icky Twerp and Slam Bang Theater. Icky was the MC and entertainment between episodes of The Three Stooges and similar fare. I have great memories of watching the Stooges with my grandfather.

NicoleLee · August 2003

Ok, when i was little, the greatest of all days was Saturday mornings! CARTOONS We were not allowed to watch TV during the week until 8 pm, and only for 1 hour. But Saturdays meant cartoons (SMURFS!!!!) and cold cereal, which we were not allowed to have during the week.

sonny · August 2003

The first life crisis I can recall was when at the age of 4, I was SO excited to start kindergarten and ride the yellow school bus like the big kids! NO ONE TOLD ME it meant I would miss the Captain!! My first lesson in life not being fair.

OMG Don, I had forgotten about Sky King. .many of you have mentioned other great ones. .like Don, we still watch the Mayberry gang. .Anybody in the Ohio (Dayton) area remember Bozo?. .

Getting nostalgic again, but I just finished reading "Standing in the Rainbow" by Fannie Flagg. . Anyone (regardles of age) who has enjoyed or traveled back as a result of the some of these posts, would I think enjoy it. Starts at WWII and goes to present with one small town and family. It focus too much on one character in the middle, but otherwise. .such a humorous read. Many of the antics of the young hero. .climbing water towers and such. .remind me of some of the stories you have told here. . Anyway, if you need a quick read, and want to remember or learn about the good old days. .try it. .

Nat · August 2003

I also grew up on Captain Kangaroo and Romper Room. When I was older I loved Mission Impossible, The Mod Squad and The Monroes. I was always afraid of the Adams Family and when I heard the first few seconds of the music I would run and hide.

System · August 2003

Sonny,

I remember Bozo, But my favorite was Ghoulardi! Maybe that's a Cleveland show. It was followed by Big Chuck and Hoolihan with the Mushmouth Mariani Pizza fight of the century.

My favorite TV show as a kid was "Oh Suzanna!" It starred Gail Storm. She was a hostess on a cruise ship and was always in trouble with Captain Huxley. I thought she was so cool and I wanted to be like her. It seems it carried over into adulthood - now I'm an HR Director ("employee hostess") in a local government and always in trouble with the Mayor!

I also liked Sky King, Paladin, and Wagon Train.

"Sam"

sonny · August 2003

I had forgotten Oh Suzanna and that triggered Our Miss Brooks . .those were my Mom's favorites. .Paladin was wonderful! Have westerns just lost their appeal?

psrcello · August 2003

I can go even farther back with Gail Storm - does anyone remember My Little Margie? Here's a few more from the "early days" -

Our Miss Brooks with Eve Arden
December Bride with Spring Byington
I Remember Mama (but I don't remember who starred in it!)
Love That Bob with Bob Cummings
The Loretta Young Show
The GE Playhouse with Ronald Regan ("At General Electric,progress is our most important product."

I haven't seen Lassie, Rin-Tin-Tin, or My Friend Flicka mentioned yet among the kids shows.

Anyone who grew up in Minneapolis in the 50s would remember Axel and His Dog - Axel wore a striped shirt, suspenders, and an engineer's cap, had a bushy moustache, and spoke with a thick, fake scandinavian accent. He used arm puppets (sort of like Soupy Sales did) for his buddies, Towser the dog, and Talulah the cat.

HS · August 2003

Ah yes, Lassie and Rin Tin Tin. Also loved the Munsters, Addam's family, Monkees(which was probably reruns?) and the Electric Company (? channel 13, PBS?).

LeslieC · August 2003

Does anyone remember "Diver Dan" ?
He lived under the sea and wore one of those old fashioned (not at the time) diver suits with the big metal headpiece. He talked to the fish, who talked back to him.
Also: Dark Shadows!!I used to stop at my friends house on the way home from school to watch it since I wasnt allowed to watch it at home (her mom worked, very convenient).

System · August 2003

Hey, Leslie! Welcome to the forum. Is this really your first post or are you a changed identity?

I don't remember "Diver Dan." I remember "The underwater world with Jacques Cousteau" and "Sea Hunt."

"Sam"

Favorite Childhood Show

Comments