I'm a 47 year old woman, and in August, 2009, I went back to college to earn my Bachelor's Degree. It'll take me over three years attending full-time to finish, but I feel like, with the economy in the state it's in, there's no time like the present to take control of your life to improve your financial situation. My husband lost his job a year ago from a company he thought was solid and would weather the economic storm. Out of the blue, it tanked, and he, along with 8 or 10 other guys, were told to pack up their things and head on home.
We had to think fast! I continued my job working as a para educator in one of our town's elementary schools. Since my husband had extra time on his hands, he began working on a website idea that he hadn't had time to create prior to losing his job. It took him a few months working 12 to 16 hour days – everyday – to complete it, and it's fabulous (http://www.greatoldtvshows.com/). We launched the site in April, and even though it's been slow going, it showed definite steady progress in the 9 months it's been up. In July, however, since we have no school which means no income for me, I acquired another job in a local pharmacy which allowed me to work full-time until school started at which time I moved to part-time (evenings and weekends). However, a month after I started that part-time job, I decided to go to college to improve our finances.
This venture has been quite a new experience for me as I have never attended college having chosen to take a different path after high school including marriage and children. I am enrolled in an adult degree program through Union Institute and University. It's a great program because there are three options of how you want to attend that best fits your schedule for example, you can choose the online option, the cycle option (independent study with week long attendance), or the weekend option which is an independent study while attending the campus residency for 5 weekends per term. This schedule allows adults to continue to work at their jobs while working toward a college degree.
I have to admit that I have really been enjoying the whole experience (even the extensive amount of reading and writing) because I have been forced to push and stretch myself more than I thought I could. So, it's a win-win for both my husband and me! Because I had no college credits going in, I am looking at earning the full 120 credits to graduate. Like I said above, this will take at least three years attending full-time – meaning 12 credits per term – (including the summer). It's time consuming, and sometimes I wish I didn't have to read or write another word, but I'm giving it my best shot because I know that in a few years, I will be able to get a better job making more money! My husband, in the mean time, has started a business designing and building websites for small businesses in our area for a very low fee. He has a small portfolio so far, but business is starting to pick up with word of mouth from happy customers! Check that website out if you have (or know someone who has) a small business and may benefit from a website at a very reasonable price. (http://www.everybodyhasawebsite.com/). Between the two of us, we are working toward creating a better future for ourselves, and we hope that, by the time we're both 50 years old, we will have done the hard work and be on our way to a secure financial life…together!
What can I say about the hunky Hardy Boys that other 40 something’s haven’t already said? This dreamy sleuthing duo from 1977-1979 tv was all a teen girl needed. There was nothing better than spending an hour looking at the TV when they were on!
Now, I have a confession to make. I wasn’t really into the whole "mystery" part of the Hardy Boys Mysteries. I was mostly into the Hardy Boys themselves. Hey, what can I say? I was 14 when the show started and 16 when it ended. That is the perfect age for a TV crush!
So, here’s the thing. I liked Parker Stevenson way more than Shaun Cassidy. Shaun was pretty good, don’t get me wrong, but he was highly over-rated. He was in all the teen magazines, a lot of times on the cover. My friends had posters of him plastered on their bedroom walls. Not me, though. I was more interested in his partner.
I’ll never forget this one Christmas when my older sister was asking me which Hardy Boy I liked, fully expecting me to say, Shaun Cassidy. Before I could answer, she was saying how her last name (Parker) had something to do with my present. So I was thinking, "Steven Parker/Parker Stevenson." This was a no-brainer! His name was really Steven Parker, and he was her husband’s cousin, for sure! I thought she got me a date with Steven Parker a.k.a. Parker Stevenson or something! I mean, she really had me going. She was hoping I would make a connection to her last name, then to Parker Stevenson, then to Shaun Cassidy. Go figure. When I told her my favorite was Parker Stevenson, she just said, "Oh." So, Christmas came, and under the tree, I saw the gift from my sister. Fully expecting that it was something big that had to do with Parker Stevenson (and having told all my friends that my sister was dropping strong hints that she had probably set up some kind of a date for me with him), I couldn’t wait to tear into the gift. So, when it was my turn (we took turns opening…oh the agony), I tore into the long-anticipated present, and there it was…a pillow with Shaun Cassidy’s face on the front.
ARGH!
Most of my friends would have killed for that, but not me. How was I going to tell my friends that I didn’t have a date with Parker Stevenson?? This was not good!
Well, I somehow managed to break the news to my very curious and formerly jealous friends without losing too much face. I can remember so clearly how that felt…how I had the excitement, the hope, the dejection, and the despair. All over a pillow!
Parker Stevenson, if your’re out there reading this, now you know my secret! I hope you make a comment! 
To check out what’s available for Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew DVDs, go to: www.greatoldtvshows.com, and click on the 1970’s TV to find them.
We didn’t have a remote control back in the day of our console tv with the laminate grain. It was this large piece of "furniture" positioned as the centerpiece of our den. A lot of people in our neighborhood had a similar one, but ours was unique in that there was always a wooden spoon setting on top. Why you might ask?? Well, my dad was a TV repairman, and this was a tube television. When a certain tube was going bad, you would know it because the screen would turn red. So, Dad taught us what to do. You’d pick up the wooden spoon, gently tap on the designated tube, and all would be right with the world again. But I digress. It was the late 60’s/early 70’s, and we didn’t have a remote control. In fact, I had never even heard of a remote control! Seems hard to believe a day without them. If we wanted to change the channel, we had to get up out of the comfy chair, walk all the way over to the TV, and go through the 7 channels until we found what we wanted to watch, then sit back down. Same goes with volume…had to get it right, or we’d be back up out of the chair to adjust it again.
Saturday was the day for cartoons in the morning, creature feature at around noon, wrestling after that (Remember Chief J. Strongbow?), and then Star Trek. I hated Star Trek. I had one brother, sixteen years my senior, who would sit in a chair, and the other, a mear 9 years older, would lay on his back on the floor with his feet to the side of the tv, hands folded under his head. When I attempted to turn the channel, he was positioned to stop me, and stop me he did! I was a little kid – under 10 years old! I didn’t want to watch Star Trek!!! I was the baby of the family, also, and I was used to getting my way, but on this subject, never. My parents would say that I had the tv for cartoons in the morning, and they could watch their show, too. This was extremely frustrating to me!
I wanted this show to just go away (preferablly with my brothers). It didn’t. They didn’t. I was tortured week in an week out with Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, Dr. McCoy, and the others. All I could do was hope that one day when I was a grown-up, I would be able to watch anything I wanted, whenever I wanted, and Star Trek would not be a problem anymore. Oh, did I ever get it wrong!
The men in my life were/are huge Star Trek fans. Oh, and did I mention that my own son…my flesh and blood…loves the show! He loves the old one that I had to watch as a child, and he loves all the newer versions of the same show that came later. Now, there’s a brand new movie coming out! Oh, the agony! This time, it’s about the crew before they were officially the crew. Just what we need, more useless information. It’s like a reality show set in the future. Stardate 1 million. These are the stories of the kids who will someday seek out new civilizations and boldly go where no man has gone before!
Luckilly, we have two tv’s in our home now. My husband, God love him, usually doesn’t make me sit through much Star Trek. I have a sinking feeling, though, that he will want to go to the brand new movie. Hmmm…maybe he can take…my son!
Well, if you like Star Trek, you’ll be happy to know that my husband has featured on our website a wide variety of DVDs and accessories that are available in association with Amazon. Check them out at www.greatoldtvshows.com. Click on the Sci-Fi link to find everything Star Trek.
So, I think I may have mentioned (once or twice) in my past 3 blogs that my husband and I have recently created a website that, in association with Amazon.com, sells DVDs of classic, family-friendly TV shows, right? Ok, so what I thought I would write in this and future blogs are a few memories and no doubt opinions of shows that I watched growing up. I mentioned this idea to some co-workers at the school where I am a para-professional in the 3rd grade. All of a sudden, a few of them sitting around the lunch table started naming different shows they remember watching such as: Car 54, Where Are You?, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Get Smart, and The Partridge Family. I knew then and there that I was on to something!
I started thinking about the room where I used to watch my TV shows as a child and pre-teen. We called that room the den even though it was more of a family room (not to be confused with the living room/parlor!). In the den, our family enjoyed such classics as: All in the Family, How the West Was Won, The Godfather, and many more. That room was also home to the ABC soap operas, Creature Feature which morphed into Creature Double Feature, Love American Style, The Twilight Zone, Star Trek, and the annual Guy Lombardo New Year’s Eve Celebration. For me, though, my happiest television memories were shared with: The Carol Burnett Show, The Red Skelton Show, The Brady Bunch, Bugs Bunny/Road Runner, I Love Lucy, and The Monkees.
Now, there were plenty more shows than the ones I listed above, for sure, but those bring back the most vivid memories. I loved the comedy of Carol Burnett and her troupe. They were so hilarious together! Oh, I loved Tim Conway when he played the old Italian boss (Mr. Tudball), and Carol Burnett played his ditsy secretary (Mrs Wiggins). Now, for those of you who also loved this skit, try to remember how Mr. Tudball pronounced Mrs. Wiggins…remember???…Yes, it was Mrs. Huhwiggins. I know you’re laughing now! He would get so irritated with her, and she would just file away at her nails and chew her gum. Good stuff!
The Red Skelton show brings me back to when I was pretty young, probably not older than 5 or 6. I called him, "Red Skeleton." My mother used to try and correct me, but I insisted it was skeleton. That must have made a huge impression on me if I can still remember that. I really only remember one character Mr. Skelton played which was Freddie the Freeloader. I remember thinking how sad he always was, and I felt badly for him. I vaguely remember one evening when the show was on asking my mother when Red Skeleton was coming on (even though the show was on and he was playing other characters) because I didn’t see the Freddie character. To me, they were one in the same. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I found out that it was any different.
Who of us growing up in the 60’s and 70’s doesn’t fondly remember The Brady Bunch? Each 30 minute episode of this large blended family had some kind of problem which was neatly packaged and tied up with a bright red bow. No matter how difficult and/or complex the situation was, the problem was solved by the end of the half hour, and all was well with the world. Who doesn’t love that? Peter was my favorite of the kids. I always thought I was about Jan’s age, but it turns out that I was more like Cindy’s age. Of course, I know all the words to the theme song…do you?
What ever happened to the great Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Show? These were some of the funniest and most intelligent cartoons ever. Bugs Bunny was a very clever rabbit, easily tricking his prey into doing what he wanted them to do. The Road Runner was a very clever bird, easily tricking his preditor into doing what he wanted him to do! Hmmm…is there a theme here? Then there’s Elmer Fudd who was always on the end of being tricked even though he thought he was the smart one. Oh wait, he was getting tricked by Bugs…right. We need more cartoons like these on TV today! Now, sing along with me…Overture, Curtains/Lights, This is it! We’ll hit the heights…
"Luuuuuuuuuucy," called Ricky on practically every episode. She was the most lovable red head on black and white television. I was upset when I found out in my teens that her natural color wasn’t actually red. Had I known that, the jokes on I Love Lucy about the henna rinses she would get would have made much more sense! Ok, so I’m a little slow! The chemistry between the Ricardos and the Mertz’s was perfect, even though, according to everything I’ve read, the actors playing Fred and Ethel really disliked each other very much. Fred was way too old for Ethel, too, don’t you think? I mean, he was like 70 when she looked to be in her late 30’s early 40’s. My son buys a season at a time on DVD for me for Christmas of this show…definitely one of my all time favorites!
Lastly, in this installment of great old tv shows, I must mention The Monkees. This show was on prime-time when I was too young to notice. I would have been only about 3 years old when it started and 5 years old when it ended. However, I did catch it on re-runs in the early to mid 70’s when I was a pre to young teenager. Did I love the show? No. Did I love the music? No. Did I love Davy Jones? YES! Oh my goodness…I cannot express enough how much I loved Davy Jones! Ok, I did kiss the television everytime his face was in the shot. I would sit really close to the TV just waiting. Of course, I would get the old, "don’t sit so close to the television…you will go blind" speech from my mother, but I didn’t care. I thought…really thought…that Davy knew I was kissing him, and eventually, he would get around to calling me. But noooooooooo. He never did. Oh, and speaking of The Brady Bunch. Remember the one when Marcia was the President of the Davy Jones Fan Club? She promised the kids in her school that she could get Davy Jones to sing at their prom. Davy didn’t have a clue who she was, but he ends up at her house in the end (and let Marcia kiss him on the cheek!!). Argh! I wasn’t happy about that! What I was happy about, though, was that I had an extra opportunity to kiss the television. I saw him on TV recently. He still looks pretty good. Did I kiss the TV. Absolutely not. (It’s hanging on the wall, and I can’t reach it!)
So, there you have it. I hope that my trip down memory lane was a bit of a trip for you, too. Tune in again soon for another installment of something having to do with some great old tv shows!
Oh, and if you would like to check out our website and possibly have your own walk down memory lane, visit www.greatoldtvshows.com!
Peace!
Did anyone get a chance to watch the TV Land Awards last night? I actually forgot the show was on, but as I was surfing the channels trying to settle in for the night, I happened to catch a little part of it, and let me tell ya, it was fabulous! What I saw was a tribute to Sid and Marty Krofft. You know, as Ed (my husband) has been putting our new website together over the past several months (www.greatoldtvshows.com), we’ve been reminiscing about some of our favorite shows, watching video clips of them most every day. One of the shows I used to watch on Saturday mornings was called, "HR Pufnstuf." I’ve remembered the theme song all of these years – somewhere in the neighborhood of 40! "…HR Pufnstuf. Who’s your friend when things get rough? HR Pufnstuf. Can’t do a little, cause you can’t do enough…" I also remember some of the characters of the show, but not really any episodes. It was so fun, last night, to see this big production of several of the Krofft shows. They featured Pufnstuf, Lidsville (featuring Barry Williams a.k.a. Greg Brady singing the theme song and break dancing!), Land of the Lost (featuring Clint Black singing the theme song),Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, The Bugaloos, Electra Woman and Dyna Girl (featuring Cyndi Lauper), and more. What a blast from the past! If you are in your forties like I am, and this show repeats, make sure you watch this tribute. Also, you can catch it at this address: http://www.tvland.com/awards2009/allaccess/videos_highlights.jhtml?vid=20727.
Vermont in April…ahh…yes. It is a crazy experience! One day, your husband loads up the woodstove with the last 5 pieces you’ve got left from the long cold winter, and the next day, it’s 85 degrees and your husband busily installs the air conditioner. Gotta love it! I hope there aren’t any more cold nights because like I said, the wood is gone!
My husband is a great guy, I must say. Other than keeping the house warm and cool, he is much more talented than I ever knew! He’s got a very creative spirit and has been looking for an outlet since he was a teen. Well, as the old saying goes, "Necessity is the mother of invention," he has found his outlet!
I mentioned in my last blog how he got laid off from his job back in January. Unemployment checks have been very helpful, don’t get me wrong, but there is a lot less in the money well now than before. That well was never overflowing, either! Because we’re feeling the squeeze, and because unemployment only lasts a certain amount of weeks, (not to mention the small jobless town we live in), he had to think fast for something he could do that he would have some kind of control over. So, he created an internet business. It’s a great website that sells DVD’s in association with Amazon.com. The name is, "Greatoldtvshows.com."
There are other websites that sell DVDs of TV shows. Some sell every TV show from the beginning of TV until now. Others sell a more targeted period of time such as classic or retro. Ours, however, sells classic and kids classic, but with a twist. Ours are family friendly, generally G or PG rated.
My husband is pretty conservative, and he is very disturbed by what is on TV these days. Either you are stuck with endless repeats of Seinfeld (we both love that show), Everybody Loves Raymond (I love that show), or Andy Griffith (TV Land’s latest choice to drown you with), or some reality show. Oh, and most of the other offerings are just filled with bedroom and/or bathroom humor.
So, that’s why he came up with this website: http://www.greatoldtvshows.com. I hope you will check it out, and please leave your feedback on the Guestbook. We hope to have this business be the answer to his unemployment! Can you help out by telling your friends and family about the website?
Thanks!
Hello out there! I just want to start by introducing myself to whomever may be reading this. My husband and I just launched our brand new website called: http://www.greatoldtvshows.com. We are very excited about this great new adventure we’ve just embarked upon.
We started this web business because my husband got laid off in January, 2009. I work at one of the elementary schools here in Springfield, VT. Unfortunately, being a para professional, we don’t get paid for snow days, teacher conference days, school vacations (including summer!), etc. So, even though I work 30 hours/week, it’s still very part-time.
After Ed got laid off, he couldn’t find a job in the area, so he decided to just “make” a job. I’m sure we’re not the only ones who have done this! It’s really scary, but we’re very optimistic.
Our website focuses on classic TV shows from the 50’s through the 80’s mostly including kids shows that are family friendly, or at worst, PG rated. That is what sets our site apart from other television show DVD sales websites we’ve seen.
We are just your average empty-nest couple trying to make a living. We hope you will take a moment and visit our website. We’d love your feedback. Please leave a message at our guestbook located on the home page.
Thanks!
Pam
