I'm feeling old today

Questions on how we spend our money and our time - consumer goods and services, home and vehicle, leisure and recreational activities
Jerrybaby
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Re: I'm feeling old today

Post by Jerrybaby »

Here's the question I get asked a lot: is society any better today than it was "back then"? Is life in general any better? Or worse.
2b2
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Re: I'm feeling old today

Post by 2b2 »

Anybody remember what the Lone Ranger's mask was made from?
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cheese_breath
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Re: I'm feeling old today

Post by cheese_breath »

joe8d wrote:... Carabell went on to be Captain Kangaroo.
There were actually three Clarabells. Bob Keeshan, who went on to be Captain Kangaroo was the first.
The surest way to know the future is when it becomes the past.
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cheese_breath
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Re: I'm feeling old today

Post by cheese_breath »

You had to live in Detroit to have your Lunch With Soupy (Soupy Sales) in the early 50s.
The surest way to know the future is when it becomes the past.
QBoy
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Re: I'm feeling old today

Post by QBoy »

Is this topic actionable? If not, why aren't the moderators locking it? :wink:
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cheese_breath
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Re: I'm feeling old today

Post by cheese_breath »

2b2 wrote:Anybody remember what the Lone Ranger's mask was made from?
I cheated and looked it up. It was made from fabric of his dead brother's black vest. The one I wore on Halloween were made from black cardboard.
The surest way to know the future is when it becomes the past.
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Sheepdog
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Re: I'm feeling old today

Post by Sheepdog »

cheese_breath wrote:
btenny wrote:Yea I remember playing outside for fun. It was great. I also remember helping my Dad and brother "aim" the big 25ish foot tall TV antenna by turning it to improve reception. We had just had it installed along with our first new "round TV". It was maybe 20 inches and came in a big cabinet.
Your round TV was probably a Zenith. Ours was. I'm not aware of any other manufacturers with round picture tubes.
Yes, it was probably a Zenith at that size, but in the late 40s and early 50s there was a round Tele-Tone TV. Surprisingly, I found one on youtube complete with a cartoon showing on it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EykM_lam17c The picture brings back memories.
Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered you will never grow. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
2b2
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Re: I'm feeling old today

Post by 2b2 »

cheese_breath,

That is the correct answer, but you will be awarded no credit due to your admission of cheating. :annoyed

A regular Lone Ranger viewer was treated to a once-a-year airing of the episode depicting the origin of the mask and other details of the story.

Great stuff!

2b2
Professor Emeritus
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Re: I'm feeling old today

Post by Professor Emeritus »

QBoy wrote:Is this topic actionable? If not, why aren't the moderators locking it? :wink:
Of course it's actionable , as soon as someone clearly older than you posts, you decide to feel sooooo much better
SGM
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Re: I'm feeling old today

Post by SGM »

Rootie Kazootie
Dishonest John evil laugh on the K,F and O show.
Ding Dong School... Be a Do Bee not a Don't Bee.
The Honeymooners "All the odd busses on the odd streets." Chef of the future. Mrs. Manacotti.
"My friend Harvey is even bigger than I am." "My friend Shirley is even bigger than you are."
"Ralph walks down the hall....wall to wall."
Claude Kirchner telling us at 7:30... "Now it is time for most of you to go to bed." Terrytoon Circus
Princess WinterFallSummerSpring, Filabuster and Flubadub on Howdy Doody.
Groucho to the guest who had a dozen children..."I like a good cigar too lady, but I take it out of my mouth once in a while ."

Steve Allen airing a tape of the Beatles performing in England prior to their first Ed Sullivan show. Steve imitating a seagull and saying "A wet bird never flies at night."
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frugaltype
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Re: I'm feeling old today

Post by frugaltype »

Jerrybaby wrote:Here's the question I get asked a lot: is society any better today than it was "back then"? Is life in general any better? Or worse.
It was better then, unless you were Black. Kids running around in the outdoors, parents not afraid to let them out of their sight. Willing to work hard, there's a good job waiting for you. (Harder if you were female, but still possible.) Courtesy actually existed.
selftalk
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Re: I'm feeling old today

Post by selftalk »

Flash Gordon about 1951 I think. Don`t look back as somebody may be catching up to you.
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Abe
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Re: I'm feeling old today

Post by Abe »

See if you recognize Robert Mitchum in this Hopalong Cassidy movie. Hint: He was one of the bad guys. It's at 22:00

Border Patrol (1943) William Boyd as Hopalong Cassidy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhRq3uXFVz4
Last edited by Abe on Sat Feb 08, 2014 2:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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am
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Re: I'm feeling old today

Post by am »

I remember the crash of 29' :wink:
chaz
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Re: I'm feeling old today

Post by chaz »

am wrote:I remember the crash of 29' :wink:
I didn't hear it. :happy
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ocdokie
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Re: I'm feeling old today

Post by ocdokie »

Nah you are not old unless you can remember Johnnny Carsons' first show or Jack Paars' last show or maybe watching the Beatles on Ed Sullivan
So according to you, I'm old? :shock: That Beatles' performance was 50 years ago tomorrow. I was 6 years old and remember it vividly -- I refused to believe that boys could have hair that long, and insisted they must be girls.
technovelist
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Re: I'm feeling old today

Post by technovelist »

nisiprius wrote: I remember cheesy ads in magazines that claimed that you could get something that would give you "color TV" for, I dunno, $1.98. It was a sheet of plastic that had a blue-tinted area near the top and a green-tinted area near the bottom, so if you were watching a Western and everything lined up just right, you saw green grass and blue sky. Or green floors and blue ceilings...
I also remember that, but I believe it was called "colored TV". :mrgreen:
In theory, theory and practice are identical. In practice, they often differ.
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fire5soon
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Re: I'm feeling old today

Post by fire5soon »

I remember back when I was in a meaningless void and all of a sudden there was a huge BANG! Then all of a sudden everything started expanding all around me. Man, those were the days...
Last edited by fire5soon on Tue Feb 11, 2014 11:19 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Old Guy
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Re: I'm feeling old today

Post by Old Guy »

We were one of the first on out block to have a TV in 1949. Everyone used to come over to watch the Milton Berle show sponsored by Texaco. I was supposed to be in bed but I used to sneak out, as if my parents didn't know I was there, and hide behind a chair to watch the show. I also remember listening to the Shadow, the Lone Ranger, and Gang Busters on the radio.
Tom_T
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Re: I'm feeling old today

Post by Tom_T »

You want to feel old?

Remember the movie "Back to the Future"? Marty McFly goes way back to 1955, to a world that seems alien to him.

If that movie were made today, and Marty went back the same number of years, he'd be going back to... 1984. Doesn't seem so long ago, now does it?
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cheese_breath
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Re: I'm feeling old today

Post by cheese_breath »

Remember when roller derby was actually a sport in the late 40's and 50s' and played on banked tracks in venues like Madison Square Garden? Each team had a men's team and a woman's team. A couple names I remember are Toughie Brasuh of Brooklyn and Gerry Murray of Chicago. Even at my young age I always liked it when the women got into a catfight.
The surest way to know the future is when it becomes the past.
lucky3
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Re: I'm feeling old today

Post by lucky3 »

I remember them all...watched them on my Dumont black and white...small screen housed in a giant piece of furniture.

I always thought that if Winky Dink ever returned the kids today would love it...simple fun without the modern video game technology.

My wife was in the "peanut gallery" and my brother was dancing on American Bandstand!

Lucky3

PS Don't feel bad about growing older....remember the only thing worse than being "over the hill" is being "under the hill" :)
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cheese_breath
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Re: I'm feeling old today

Post by cheese_breath »

lucky3 wrote:... my brother was dancing on American Bandstand!
WOW!!! Did he ever dance with Justine?
The surest way to know the future is when it becomes the past.
westie
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Re: I'm feeling old today

Post by westie »

Mickey Mantle hit a home run over my head in the left field stands at Griffith Stadium.
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cheese_breath
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Re: I'm feeling old today

Post by cheese_breath »

westie wrote:Mickey Mantle hit a home run over my head in the left field stands at Griffith Stadium.
I saw Micky once when I was boarding a plane. I had to pass through first class to get to my coach seat, and he already had a drink in his hand.
The surest way to know the future is when it becomes the past.
btenny
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Re: I'm feeling old today

Post by btenny »

I remember watching Mantle on TV. It was great. Then I went to college where I met Reggie Jackson and my wife all in the same week. Did not think much about it. Then a few weeks later my girl friend (now wife) and I watched Reggie hit a home run over the wall for ASU maybe 480 feet. It was a moon shot so long it bounced in the road beyond the fence. The announcer even made a joke that they would put up a net on the outfield fence. I could not believe I went to school with that good a baseball player. We knew he would be amazing even then.

Still love watching the big hitters go at good pitchers. Back when guys like Reggie and Bonds and now days guys Goldschmidt and Posey.....
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DocHolliday
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Re: I'm feeling old today

Post by DocHolliday »

I am 45 years old. That seems old to me. After reading this thread, I do not feel as old.

Folks in their 60s to 80s now seem to have grown up in a fantastic time period.
btraven
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Re: I'm feeling old today

Post by btraven »

We should remember Shirley Temple this week. Not of my generation but still fresh enough to watch her movies on TV.
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tnbison
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Re: I'm feeling old today

Post by tnbison »

btraven wrote:We should remember Shirley Temple this week. Not of my generation but still fresh enough to watch her movies on TV.
on that note...Fun fact: Shirley Temple's Daughter, Lori Black, used to play bass guitar for The Melvins
mcblum
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Re: I'm feeling old today

Post by mcblum »

how about Captain Video on the old Dumont Network? This was 1949
Marty
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cheese_breath
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Re: I'm feeling old today

Post by cheese_breath »

mcblum wrote:how about Captain Video on the old Dumont Network? This was 1949
Marty
SInce we're into the sci fi don't forget Tom Corbett Space Cadet and Rocky Jones Space Ranger. Ah, the memories of youthful lust over Vena Ray (played by Sally Mansfield) on Rocky Jones.
The surest way to know the future is when it becomes the past.
technovelist
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Re: I'm feeling old today

Post by technovelist »

mcblum wrote:how about Captain Video on the old Dumont Network? This was 1949
Marty
I remember that show, although not from 1949, as I was born that year.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Vi ... eo_Rangers for a detailed description.
In theory, theory and practice are identical. In practice, they often differ.
Professor Emeritus
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Re: I'm feeling old today

Post by Professor Emeritus »

westie wrote:Mickey Mantle hit a home run over my head in the left field stands at Griffith Stadium.

In 1959 we turned in books of S&H green stamps to see the Yankees play the Senators. Mantle hit a towering home run.
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joe8d
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Re: I'm feeling old today

Post by joe8d »

...and now we have to add Sid Caesar
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cheese_breath
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Re: I'm feeling old today

Post by cheese_breath »

And don't forget the old 1930's movie serials like Flash Gordon and Tim Tyler's Luck that played repeatedly during the early days. It seemed like at least half of the Tim Tyler episodes ended with Tim cornered by an angry gorilla, but he always managed to escape in the next one. And who remembers the Jungle cruiser, and the gorillas throwing boulders at it from the cliffs as it cruised through the pass?
The surest way to know the future is when it becomes the past.
musbane
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Re: I'm feeling old today

Post by musbane »

In the 50's, I was a hard working 10 year old getting ready to take over center field for the Yankees when Mantle retired...
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cheese_breath
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Re: I'm feeling old today

Post by cheese_breath »

joe8d wrote:...and now we have to add Sid Caesar
... to the list of the greats recently passed on.

http://www.latimes.com/obituaries/la-et ... z2tDGzchWz
The surest way to know the future is when it becomes the past.
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JonnyDVM
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Re: I'm feeling old today

Post by JonnyDVM »

I'm I only 34 but watching the Olympics and having them frequently refer to competitors in their upper 20s and early 30's as very old makes me feel a little bad about myself. Tempted to grab a snowboard and head to the nearest half pipe. I'll show them!
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wilpat
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Re: I'm feeling old today

Post by wilpat »

I can remember in the 40's on Sunday evenings my whole family would sit in my Grandmothers living room and "watch" the radio!
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cheese_breath
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Re: I'm feeling old today

Post by cheese_breath »

wilpat wrote:I can remember in the 40's on Sunday evenings my whole family would sit in my Grandmothers living room and "watch" the radio!
I remember the old radio, probably the same one you are referring to. AM only and half the size of a refrigerator with the big round lighted dial in the middle and two knobs. One for on-off-volume and the other to tune in the station.
The surest way to know the future is when it becomes the past.
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wilpat
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Re: I'm feeling old today

Post by wilpat »

I vividly remember VJ Day (8/15/1945). My mother took my sister and I to downtown Portland Oregon and I said to my Mom "Why are all those people kissing each other?"
My Mother said "The war is over!" I was about 5 1/2 years old and didn't even know that there was a war going on.

We listened to the election returns in 1948 and all evening they were saying "Dewey is winning -- Dewey is winning!"

At school the next day, I found out that the radio announcers were wrong!
Contrary to the belief of many, profit is not a four letter word!
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Taylor Larimore
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The oldest Boglehead?

Post by Taylor Larimore »

Bogleheads:

I was born in January, 1924, before the Great Depression when the Dow plunged 89%. Anyone older than that?

Thanks again for your wonderful Birthday Messages!

Best wishes.
Taylor
"Simplicity is the master key to financial success." -- Jack Bogle
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Abe
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Re: I'm feeling old today

Post by Abe »

cheese_breath wrote:And don't forget the old 1930's movie serials like Flash Gordon and Tim Tyler's Luck that played repeatedly during the early days. It seemed like at least half of the Tim Tyler episodes ended with Tim cornered by an angry gorilla, but he always managed to escape in the next one. And who remembers the Jungle cruiser, and the gorillas throwing boulders at it from the cliffs as it cruised through the pass?
Remember Rocket Man?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mq9DUjLDjco
Slow and steady wins the race.
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cheese_breath
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Re: I'm feeling old today

Post by cheese_breath »

Abe wrote: Remember Rocket Man?
Yup, and I always wondered how he kept the rocket pack on his back from burning his butt off. But I didn't always question the impossible. Like why were the navigation controls and gun controls on opposite sides of the cabin in Flash Gordon's ship? So first we have Flash piloting the ship (with a periscope no less), and then walking to the other side to fire the guns, and then back to pilot again. Who's driving this thing?

We had a Siamese cat my wife named Ming. I called him Ming the Merciless because he could get a little mean at times.
The surest way to know the future is when it becomes the past.
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joe8d
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Re: I'm feeling old today

Post by joe8d »

cheese_breath wrote:
wilpat wrote:I can remember in the 40's on Sunday evenings my whole family would sit in my Grandmothers living room and "watch" the radio!
I remember the old radio, probably the same one you are referring to. AM only and half the size of a refrigerator with the big round lighted dial in the middle and two knobs. One for on-off-volume and the other to tune in the station.
I loved our floor model Zenith. Powerfull and had a really big speaker Picked up stations all over the world and even ships at sea.
All the Best, | Joe
davebarnes
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My first TV show

Post by davebarnes »

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Gobel
in a motel room where you had to put a quarter into the TV in order to watch 1 hour.
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meebers
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Re: I'm feeling old today

Post by meebers »

I remember before tv. When we finally got one, sylvania halo light, we would turn on the Tv @ 4pm and stare at the test pattern until 5pm when programming started. 11pm national anthem then snow. :?
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cheese_breath
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Re: I'm feeling old today

Post by cheese_breath »

I remember my first 'portable' ratio. It was about the size of a big lunchbox and required a 6 volt battery.... Just a little smaller than the boom boxes of the '80s.
The surest way to know the future is when it becomes the past.
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