A Verterans Day Tribute

A tribute to all Veterans from John Wayne.

The Terrebonne Mirror

From the Fall of 1965

Dick Van Dyke Show - 60th Anniversary

Remember When.


Title Cards from the Dick Van Dyke Show - 1961 - 1966



Mary Tyler Moore and Dick Van Dyke as Laura and Rob(ert) Petrie - America's First Couple.



A classic episode.



A memorable scene from a classic episode.

October 1965

A sampling of periodicals from October 1965

I Can't Beleve We Made It

I Can't Believe We Made It!

According to today's regulators and bureaucrats, those of us who were kids in the 40's, 50's, 60's, or even the early 70's, probably shouldn't have survived......

Because,

We had no childproof lids or locks on medicine bottles, doors, or cabinets, and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets.

Not to mention the risks we took hitchhiking

As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags. Riding in the back of a pickup truck on a warm day was always a special treat.

We drank water from the cistern and not from a bottle. Horrors!

We ate cupcakes, bread and butter, cocoa sandwiches, and drank soda pop with sugar in it, but we were never overweight because we were always outside playing.

We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle, and no one actually died from this.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then rode down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the street lights came on. No one was able to reach us all day. No cell phones. Unthinkable!

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo 64, X-Boxes, no video games at all, no 99 channels on cable, video tape movies, surround sound, personal cell phones, personal computers, or Internet chat rooms.

We had friends! We went outside and found them.

We played dodge ball, and sometimes, the ball would really hurt.

We fell out of trees, got cut and broke bones and teeth, and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. They were accidents. No one was to blame but us. Remember accidents?

We swam in the Bayous and no one got sick or died from the bacteria in the water.

We had fights and punched each other and got black and blue and learned to get over it.

We made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not put our eyes out.

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's home and knocked on the door, or rang the bell or just walked in and talked to them.

There was no Little League. If we wanted to play baseball we choose up sides and found an empty field somewhere to play. No Parents or other supervision. Egad!

Some students weren't as smart as others, so they failed a grade and were held back to repeat the same grade. Horrors!

Tests were not adjusted for any reason.

Our actions were our own. Consequences were expected. The idea of parents bailing us out if we got in trouble in school or broke a law was unheard of. They actually sided with the school or the law. Imagine that!

And finally we felt it an honor to stand before class and recite the Pledge of Allegiance without fear that someone would take offense because of personal or religious differences.

This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers, and inventors, ever.

We had freedom, failure, success, and responsibility --- and we learned how to deal with it.

Please pass this on to others who have had the luck to grow up as kids before Lawyers, politicians, bureaucrats and government deadheads regulated our lives for our own good !!!

The 1950's - From Big Bands to Rock'N"Roll

What was it about the 1950's that was so special? Why does it resonate so in the minds of those who experienced the decade that followed World War II? Why did the rowdiness of early Rock'N'Roll cause such a stir in the minds of many?

The 1950's was a turbulent time. With the memory of one war still fresh in the minds of many another conflict arose in the Far East in the country of Korea and American servicemen were once more thrust into harms way; but this time under the aegis of the recently formed United Nations which had been created to prevent such things. It was only a prelude of what was to come.

There was a concerted effort by Joe McCarthy to root out and destroy the specter of Communism but in his zeal he crossed the lines of propriety and common sense which resulted in his own downfall before the decade ended.

Dwight Eisenhower, a popular war hero was elected as President but his politics were a bit vague and he sailed through his two terms as an open minded moderate who favored the business community and presided over a robust expansion of the economy, with a few glitches, that saw the returned servicemen establish homes and families, securing well paying jobs and enjoying a high standards of living their own parents had only dreamed of.

Yet the cloud of Nuclear Destruction hung over the heads of many and there were those who rushed to build bomb shelters in their back yards. Many eventually became nothing more than storage sheds where tools and garden equipment were stored.

Television became an opiate of the masses when people found they could see variety shows, dramas and comedies right in their own living room. Hollywood fought valiantly against the medium by creating bigger screens and glorious movie spectacles; but in the end Hollywood capitulated and joined forces with the new medium by providing older movies for its use.

This signaled the end of what many term the Golden Age of Television, that period when new fresh young writers produced original drama programming, many of which were eventually made into movies that received high acclaim from critics and audiences alike. Many garnered the prestigious Academy Award for Motion Pictures and their authors scored national popularity.

Television also provided other entertainment, most notably the quiz program that became quite popular and was viewed by many who found themselves rooting on the contestants. Then, the bubble burst and it was learned the programs had been rigged with the contestants being given the answers to the questions beforehand.

Yet, like everything else it only stayed on the nations radar for what turned out to be a very brief time. There were too many other things to see and do, and hear.

When the decade began the music was sedate and mellow, highlighted by crooners such as Bing Crosby, Perry Como, Patti page, Jo Stafford, Peggy lee, Doris Day, Nat King Cole, Rosemary Clooney and Frank Sinatra among others. Many singing groups gained in popularity as well such as the Four Aces, The Diamonds, The Ames Brothers, The McGuire Sisters, the Chordettes and many others.

These were soon replaced by Elvis Presley, Little Richard, The Everly Brothers and teen idols like Fabian, Frankie Avalon, Bobby Darrin, Ricky Nelson and a host of others. The genre began with a raucous cacophony that the older generation decried as immoral but in a very short time mellowed out and gave way to the folk music that became the paean of the 1960's.

There is much that can be written about the fifties. It saw the rise of suburbia and the beginning of the tradition of backyard barbecues, the cocktail party summer vacations and, of course, a car in just about every garage.

It was a decade of new fashion and fads, of ducktails and poodles, of hula hoops, yo yo's, coon skin caps and 3-D movies. It was an era of transition where people moved from closed communities to more open ones that was fueled in large measure by the returning servicemen who gained new experiences and discovered the variety of cultures manifested in those they fought besides during the war.

There is so much more that could be written about the marvelous 50's but those things will have to wait for another time. This essay is merely to give an overall impression of the era that so many of us personally experienced what sometimes seems like a long time ago and at other times seems like it was only yesterday.

Where Are They Now?

Indeed, where are they now? Where are the actors, the singers, the celebrities of our youth? Where are the artists who entertained us at the movies, on radio, and that small television screen in our living rooms? Where have they gone?

It's unfortunate that no one lives forever but in the case of those entertainers we knew back in the 1950's their art, if not the people themselves, still lives but it's not always easy to see them where we once did. No, that place has been taken by others who quite seem to measure up to the artistry of those we grew up with. Yet, thanks to DVD's, old video tapes and retro TV cable channels we can view them once more.

The Lone Ranger and the Cisco Kid still ride the range and fight injustice. Sky King still flies the Songbird in the western skies, and even Sgt. Bilko still tries to get rich with his many schemes. And, of course, Lucy Ricardo still tries to get into show business despite the best efforts of her husband, Ricky, to prevent her.

We can also view some of the singers, Dean Martin, Rosemary Clooney, Bing Crosby, Eddie Fisher and Perry Como. And let's not forget the comedians Bob Hope, Red Skelton, George Burns & Gracie Allen, George Gobel and Wally Cox. Then there were the stars of situation comedies; among them Robert Young, Eve Arden, Lucille Ball, Stu Irwin and so many others over the years.

These were the pioneers of television entertainment who spent their lives honing their craft in vaudeville, the legitimate theater, radio, movies and some in night clubs. The used the new medium of television in the 1950's to bring to a new generation the tried and true routines that had proven successful on radio and in the movies. Some soared and some fizzled but the experiments were indeed fascinating to view.

We watched variety shows that featured everything from circus acts and singers to stand up comedians. We were also exposed to bits of culture with abbreviated ballet dances to opera singers singing one of their more famous arias. There were medical shows that delved into the trials and dilemmas of those who chose to heal the sick. Detective shows that highlighted the fight against crime by police forces and private detectives were also quite popular during that time. And, of course, the venerable western that galloped across the screen. And then was my favorite science fiction and fantasy which were represented by many juvenile and adult presentations.

All of these shows featured actors and actresses that flashed across the small screen in what turned out to be a very quick progression. We had our favorites and those who proved not to be too popular. But, we watched and were entertained by them all.

Now, as we look back we stop and wonder how and where the time went we also pause and ponder where these performers are now. Reality then rears it head and we fully realize that a majority of them are no longer with us. They exist only on bits of celluloid, magnetic tape, vinyl records, publicity stills, kinescopes and video tape - all of which is slowly being transferred to CD's and DVD's so that we again may see what we saw when it was new and exciting.

I can't begin to relay how many times I've heard young people who sit in fascination watching those old shows and then openly voice their wonder at why entertainment today is not as fresh, not as versatile, not as meaningful as contemporary attempts have been. It gives me hope that perhaps imagination is not extinct and the future of entertainment may find the soul that has lain dormant for so long and revive it once more for newer generations.

Three Names From the Past

Fads come and go in many areas, including school supplies. Loose leaf notebooks and composition books have come with many different things on their covers, from super heroes and cartoon characters to psychedelic patterns. Each generation has had it's own favorites depending on what was then in vogue or popularity. Even gender was a factor in what the student chose for their own personal use with girls choosing Barbie covers and other female characters. It was not always so. I remember in first grade there was but one option, a three ring binder usually had a blue canvas cover and composition books invariably had the picture of a horse on the cover and the name, of course, was Blue Horse.



The Blue Horse brand of products included loose leaf binders, writing tablets, composition books and loose leaf paper. The Blue Horse also served as a coupon which could be saved to obtain a host of things, similar to the then in vogue S & H Green Stamps and Community Coffee coupons. One of the contests held was for a bicycle pictured in the loose leaf filler above. The ones who sent in the most coupons were eligible for a limited number of bicycles to given away. However, there was one popular item that only took a few coupons to receive and that was the Blue Horse Beanie.

Let's now jump ahead a few years to the early 1960's and another product that was in vogue for a while. How many remember the name Nifty? That was the name of an innovative loose leaf binder that used a magnetic closure device instead of the more common spring closure device. in fact the full name was the Nifty Magnetic Space Saver binder. There were two models; one featured top loading paper and the other the more common side loading. It took some doing to locate them but here are two pictures showing a version of each.



Now that two names are accounted for what is the third one you may ask. Well, we had to get those Nifty binders from some place and one of the more popular places was the local T G & Y. Every city back then had at least one local outlet and it was the place we often went for a host of things, from model airplanes to school supplies. Many a teenagers allowance was probably spent at the Local T G & Y for a host of things that teenagers are wont to buy.


Ah, the memories. They're all gone now except for those few bits of ephemera that still survive. They were part of our past and now are part of our memories.

From Radio and Movies to Television to Radio and Beyond

One of my earliest memories is of listening to the large console radio in our living room on Saturday nights to the old time radio programs that were still in vogue. There was Gunsmoke, Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar, Gene Autry's Melody Ranch, Edgar Bergen & Charlie McCarthy and a host of others. Back when there was no FM radio, only AM and the stations were few and far between.

We listened to KMRC out of Morgan City, KCIL out of Houma, KTIB out of New Orleans and late on Saturday nights WSM and the Grand Ol' Opry out of Nashville.

On Sunday nights my father would pile us all into the car to take a trip to Morgan City to see a movie at the C-Wall or Opera House theater. Those were the days when the seats were uncushioned and oftentimes plastered underneath with chewing gum. The theaters had the smell of old popcorn and spilled Coca-Cola. The screens were large but not as large as they would become with Cinerama and Vista Vision among others. For 90 minutes to two hours we would view that weeks feature, along with the weekly newsreel and cartoon.

Then came 1955 and our first television and the Sunday night trip to the movies soon petered out. It wasn't long though before movies came to that small box sitting in the corner where once had stood the old radio. Saturday mornings was our favorite time because we could view live action shows reminiscent of the old movie serials and radio programs we seen and listened to.

But then came a new and marvelous invention - the transistor radio. It was a marvelous little toy that came in a variety of sizes, most being a trifle larger than a pack of cigarettes. Each one of us at one time managed to obtain one and could listen to music, news, sports and weather anywhere and anytime; as long as the batteries lasted.

It was the beginning of the age of micro miniaturization that would ultimately lead to tape recording devices the size of books (and smaller), portable televisions, personal communication devices such as transistorized CB radios, long distance walkie talkies, wireless telephones and on to cell phones. It allowed for the eventual development of personal home computers, i-pods, laptop computers and i-pads.

We were all eyewitness to a geometric expansion of technology that has filled our world with many electronic devices that seem to have captured the fascination and time of many today. Yet, there has been an alarming consequence. Many have neglected the sharpening of their own senses and have failed to understand and utilize adequately the "computer" we were all born with. Society, as a consequence seems to be a bit poorer for it and the current crisis this nation faces can be, in large measure, attributed to that rapid rise in technology and the equally rapid decline in moral values in the generations that followed us.

Still there are pockets where the moral values of the past still hold sway. Places where the beliefs of our forebears are still taught and learned by people who have not surrendered their identities or ability to think for themselves. In the end their ideas and ideals will defeat the forces that currently besiege this nation; from within and without. It has been said that faith can move mountains. Let those with faith stand together and work to achieve what is best for our nation and remove authority from the hands of those who have abused it.

Brought to you by....

In the early 1950's before television boomed and brought us commercials by the score advertising was something we viewed in magazines and other periodicals that came to our homes view mail or bought off the shelf at supermarkets, drug stores or a local general store.

These were often full page ads that spotlighted everything from automobiles to yo-yos, including the now infamous cigarette ads where doctors actually endorsed them as being beneficial to one's health. Some even become iconic and marked the changing times. They were art in their own way and even more so when pictures gave way to graphics especially designed for the product.

Here are a few examples taken from the pages of Popular Mechanics, Popular Science, TV Guide, Life, Look, Time and a host of other magazines from the early 1950's to the mid 1960's.

The Age of Space

Events that surround us on the local and world stages start to attract our attention when we begin to put away those things of our youth. Our generation may have noticed those events a bit sooner than some because we were eyewitnesses to the age of the exploration of space.

The Space Race became front page news and filled the airwaves. We watched each new launch and recovery with rapt attention as Walter Cronkite and others described in detail what was happening. We were all there when that first Mercury Redstone rocket with a small manned capsule on top rocketed off on May 5, 1961 and the name Alan Shepard became known in every household.

There were seven Mercury astronauts who’d trained to broach the final frontier of space. While this country was so engaged the Russians had begun their own program of exploration. The Cold War thus took on another dimension and the need for American supremacy in space became a priority, politically and scientifically.

We saw the trials and tribulations of the space program. The successes and disastrous failures were all there right in our living rooms on television sets that had long since replaced the old radios that once stood in their place.

How well I remember the voice of Walter Cronkite heralding each new launch in those early days and demonstrating what was going to happen using what are now primitive graphics and video. Then, they were state of the art and we marveled at them.

Those were the days long before personal computers and the internet. We saw the geometric expansion of technology that started during that time and today we have a cornucopia of electronic marvels that were only dreamed of in science fiction novels during the 1950’s.

Fifty years have come and gone and we’ve witnessed the Gemini, Apollo, and Space Shuttle programs that have seen humans land on the moon, the setting up of a satellite network for communications and weather observation and by products in the medical and electronic industry. The personal computer we’ve all come to take for granted is an offshoot of the research and development that went into the effort to conquer the space beyond our planet's atmosphere.