What's your first TV memory

I know, kind of a odd question but I had a memory today and thought I'd ask. A lot of us grew up with black and white TV's and I thought it'd be cool to hear some stories of when others experienced the TV.

Mine was in the 60's. All my siblings were excited, my Sisters got their baths and lined up for Mama to do their hair. Mama then went and made a huge batch of popcorn on the stove. We had just got a huge Zenith TV, huge wooden TV with a huge 19 inch screen lol.

The girls were giddy about watching the wizard of oz. I really didn't know what was going on, until they turned on the TV. I was blown away and sat there on the floor, eating popcorn and was amazed. I was a remote control for about 10 years. When was your first TV memory???

Batman.

Kimba the White Lion was my favorite show back in 1972 when I was 2 years old. It's the first TV show I remember.

Keith

Howdy Doody, I thought princess Summerfall Winterspring was my heartthrob.

I was in love with Dinah Shore.

I'm 65, so these memories are from a long time ago when I was probably 6 or 7. Black and white TV.
Grandma and Grandpa ALWAYS watched Big Time Wrestling. Bruno Sammartino was their man.
Also seems like I watched every Western ever made with my Grandpa.
Romper Room was the thing back then too!

The original Mickey Mouse Club. It was 1955. Parents got a TV as compensation for me no longer being an only child, a privilege I’d had for 9 years. Black & white. Three channels - ABC, CBS, NBC!

What I recall is Andy Griffith. Also being at St James Missouri at my grandparents house watching Ed Sullivan. Waiting to go fly fishing the next morn with my dad. My mother and dad were both born there. Also loved the train’s coming down the tracks. Thanks for the memories only thing I new was black and white. One TV.

My first tv memory was the space shuttle explosion. I think it was 1986. I remember watching it at my great grandmothers house.

My everyday fishing buddy, Chico, had a TV; we didn't. We'd sometimes get done fishing in mid-afternoon, run our bikes over to Chico's, turn on the TV. One channel, KBOI out of Boise. Art Linkletter "Kids Say the Darndest Things", then "Johnny Yuma" or sometimes "Rat Patrol". I don't even remember what year, but it must've been mid-1960s.

Jack

captain kangaroo, sea hunt, superman and the mickey mouse club

'50s. 3 blk & white channels (with rolling lines) and Sally Starr was HOTttttt!

Yep. Remember when TV wasn't 24/7? They had a sign off, usually with the Anthem here, and then white snow and noise till the next day.

News alert announcing the shooting of President Kennedy. Both of my parents were crying.

A moon landing.

Chris

The Indian head test pattern when I was about 2.

Batman for me as well.

Space Patrol 1954.

Dragnet

Lawrence Welk

Black and white tv at grand parents house in Minnesota. One channel and it was Lawrence Welk and Polka Time.

Lol. One of the baby sitters that watched me was Mrs Shleah. She was old as Moses and would take a leaf from her kitchen table and let me run my matchbox cars on it while she watched Lawrence Welk. A one and a two and a pee on your shoes.

I think that show scarred me for life.

Being the remote control.

This never got old when I was a kid....

Under dog ,superman

The Real McCoys..
Lassie
Mr Ed
Popeye
Bonanza with the Folks
Gunsmoke
Sea Hunt
My 3 Sons
Leave it to Beaver
Dennis the Menace

OK I must be older than most of you, my first is looking through the neighbors window at a little blue glowing thing at the other side of the room. It was 6 inches across because I asked them how big it was. Had to be before 1949 because we moved from there that year......jk

Saturday morning cartoons interuppted by the Kennedy assassination.

Gunsmoke in probably 58 and later wonderful world of Disney, I think on Sunday eves.

Same here too. One of the stations would always highlight one or two of the FBI's most wanted. My brothers, who were quite a bit older than me, would always scare me by saying they had seen "that guy" at the A&W or the IGA. They would also announce "It's 12 o'clock do you know where your children are?".

Simpler times.

Black and white....with rabbit ears...and tin foil

The CBS evening news with Walter Cronkite. My parents never missed it and demanded near silence during that half hour...Lol

Wiley Coyote and the Roadrunner. Only got to watch TV (B+W) on Saturdays as a kid.

The Green Hornet.

Very distinct memory, 1978ish
Sitting in my dad's nagahide recliner with a plate of cut up hotdogs watching Huckleberry Hound.

Man from U.N.C.L.E.

Red Skelton
Ed Sullivan Show
Lawrence Welk
Mighty Mouse
Wild Kingdom

Robert Vaughn? I remember that show.

At this point memories are faint, but I do remember our family going to the neighbors to watch the Ed Sullivan Show.
When we got our own set, I remember watching the political convention where Eisenhower was nominated for President.
Another one is that Jeff was Lassie's boy, long long before Gramps died and Timmy showed up.

The Beatles appearing on the Ed Sullivan Show

What great memories, history.

Gee Wizz you're old Nancy!

I'm young enough we always had TV. But the first thing that comes to mind is watching TV at my grandparents house. My grandmother babysat me a LOT when I was young. In nice weather I was outside as much as possible but on rainy or very cold days we'd watch TV. A canadian kids show called Mr. Dressup came on at 10am, followed by the Price is Right at 11. Noon to 3 was soap opera time. Santa Barbara, Days of our Lives, then As the World Turns. When As the World Turns came on at 2 I had to be inside no matter the weather. Grandma would NOT miss a minute of her show wasting time checking on me outside... I had to sit inside for that hour, lol.

Here's Johnny !!

Had to be 1976. I could hear it in my bedroom at 10:30 when i was supposed to be sleeping.

Yankee baseball. It seems like they had their own network in the late 50s

Davy Crockett series on Disney including the song they sang for the shows. Must have been about 1954.

I sure remember that White snow

Batman / Gumby and Romper room
Also the 1st Men being sent to the moon

Her Haw kinda sticks out and so does Dark Shadows with Barnabus Collins

1969 5 years old moon landing at grandpas house

You guys never heard of it. "Rinky Dink And You". You were supposed to take a crayon and follow the dots on the TV screen.
LOL
Mom said NO after the first time.lol
Next was Something like Flash Gordon.
Only way before the movies.
Guy sat on a folding chair dressed in "space suit " and talked into a microphone. Don't remember what he said or to who.
Them was in the 50s.
Oh Yeah Howdy Doody.
just

Howdy Doody
Capt Midnight, sponsored by Ovaltine
Sky King, Whoa Nelly!
Superman
Texas Bruce, a locally sponsored cartoon show
Charlotte Peters show

I'm 73

Maple leaf wrestling
Commander Tom show
Bowling for dollars
Davey and Goliath

Didnt have one, went to the neighbors after school to watch Mickey Mouse club.

Big time wrestling and Houlihan and big Chuck out of Cleveland.

we were poor I remember dad bring home a tv probably in 1969or 1970 everyone coming over to see it cousin and friends

Soupy Sales on a B&W in the early 60's. We used to go over to the neighbors farmhouse and watch Batman on their color tv around 1966. Also watched the first Superbowl in '67 in B&W between the Packers and the Chiefs.

We didn't grow up with a TV, but had a lake front house instead (mom and dad always said). Grandma and grandpa lived 1/4 south, so that's where dad watched the Detroit Lions, Detroit Tigers, Detroit Red Wings often, but I never really was an indoors kid, so I fished, hunted, trapped and played whatever sport was in season.

We still don't watch TV. We'll watch something on a laptop sometimes but I'm still the outdoors guy.
My family and friends have always said, "Wow, you're busy."
I've always thought, "Not too much."
I just don't sit and watch what mom called the boob tube.
You can get things done when you're hinny isn't parked all the time.
But then again, some people prefer hinny parks and that's good for them.

Blessings!
Mark

Sesame Street was my first memory. Early 70’s. Speed Racer, Bullwinkle, and Underdog were the morning cartoons before school that I got up early for in grade school. I don’t remember watching much after school in grade school. There was too much to do on the farm.

The very first? I don’t remember the very first. I remember many others but not sure what was first memory.
I remember cartoons, news, mom like her afternoon shows soap operas, talk shows, and so forth. Late 60s and early 70s would have been some initial tv shows in our house back then.
Jim

While glassing for deer I thought of,
The Rat Patrol.

You must have been watching The Twilight Zone.
Kennedy was killed on a Friday

Actually as I was thinking back to the year 1967 (or so) I recall my mother telling my father that the next door neighbors on the lake were getting divorced. When my dad asked, "What! Why?" I recall my mom's answer.... because Jill says Stan watches too much TV.

Yep. Remotes.... the marriage wedge.

Blessings,
Mark

AWA All Star wrestling. The Crushed and the Mad Dog kept me on edge of my chair every Saturday.

Too much work on the farm for any TV the rest of the week.

WS

Kukla Fran & Ollie, Twilight Zone, Dark Shadows, Mission Impossible and Chiller Theater.

I did not remember the day but we were in school. Everybody was sent home after an announcement on the class loudspeaker.

We didn't watch too much TV because when Dad saw us watching he'd say " if you got time enough to watch that crap, you got time to work"
Although he really liked to watch Hee-Haw and it wasn't just for the music lol

I have fond memories of Sundays watching Wild Kingdom with Marlin Perkins, The Wonderful World of Disney Movie, then off for bed.

We were one of the later families to get TV and we rarely watched it. I don't remember much, but I think our first TV was in probably 1967.

One thing I do remember very distinctly, was watching the moon landing in July, 1969. Sitting on the couch as a 10-year old watching a man set foot on the moon was a surreal experience. Even at that age I knew I was watching something that would change the world, the thought of watching a person on the moon as it actually happened was so captivating, that I just stood up. I guess I just couldn't watch something like that sitting down!

Gramma and grampa had a color TV. Moon landing was in black and white but the whole family went there to watch. Bernie was a big deal I think to everyone

Whole family went there to see the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show. Was quite scandalous that there were musicians, all males, with long hair.

kinda funny what was long hair

You weren't the only one.

Im still a fan

Mutual of Omaha. Wild Kingdom.

Hated the bugs^^^

You cant forget about George "Scrap Iron" Gadaski.

I can't seem to recall as much about my early years as others do. Pretty sure I took to many shot in the head slamming around. LoL

I know Dad had a 1959 Buick Station wagon hauled us kids around in replaced in 1965 with Plymouth 9 passenger wagon.
Can't recall for sure what the first TV was? I believe was a black white Philco? Rabbit ears with of course the standard tin foil between them. As for programs I know we watched RawHide. When ever the old man wanted all us kids in car he say " Headed Up! Move-em Out!"
There was a Sunday program parents watched had Statler Brothers on it. I of course recall Andy Griffith which I believe became Mayberry RFD?? And Red Skelton. Saturday morning was Looney Tunes and I don't remember if it was Saturday or Sunday was a show I liked called Industry On Parade. Guess older time version of the now How's it Made. I of course remember lots of shows other have named. Just not sure what time frame they fall into.
I can even get past the TMan filter what all the old man said watching the Beatles on Ed Sullivan.


Mac

Victor Rivera too

Lol... !

I never cared for that wrestling was on back then, seemed as phoney back then as does now. Roller Derby seemed the same just phoney and I was a big time Roller skater.
It was a hoot however watching the Midgets. That I could watch. Probably be considered some kinda wrong now days.

Mac

Lot mentioned above,,The Rifleman was one of my favorites.

Car 54 Where Are You

Watching the moon landing at age 5 in 1969. Little did I know the next day my wife was born in Cody Wyoming. I tease her saying she was hached from a moon rock. Daniel Boone was my favorite show as a child.

My dad liked wrestling. On Saturday seems like about 10 pm after wrestling star trek would come on. My dad hated it but sometimes he would go to bed and let me stay up to watch it. Those nights, after star trek, old horror movies came on. Then the star spangled banner and tv was done till the Sunday morning preachers came on.


OOPS, according to Wiki musta been friday nights i watched it

My head hitting the corner of the console TV when I tripped fell while running from mama. My first stitches, lol. I would've been two or three.

SNOW !

Wouldn't be the last time getting dinged up while running from something I shouldn't of been doing, lol.

My earliest memories from TV are either Flo telling Mell to kiss her grits of Archie Bunker sayin "you people"

As a small child I remember being allowed watch Lassie and Rin Tin Tin before bed. They came on at 6:30.

My memory is a bit different.

I had my first TV when I was 2yo. Black&White with the phonograph on the bottom and a radio in the middle. My brother had a TV in his room too. Mom&dad had one in their bedroom. One in the living room. One in the basement. One in dad's workshop.

We were not rich. Dad fixed TVs and we got clunkers that he fixed up. All older B&Ws.

I remember being in grade school and only about 50% of homes had TVs. Families that had money had maybe 2 or even 3 if they were very wealthy. None of my classmates believed me when I told them we had 6. Nobody had that many TVs back then. However , spent many a Saturday in Radio Shack with dad as he tested tubes on their tube tester.

The moon landing.

Can't tell you anything about it now, but "crusader rabbit" was my favorite cartoon --late 40's-early 50's?

I forgot about Twilight Zone! Watch that then try to go to sleep. My old man wasn't one to ever pass up scaring the crap out of us kids. So took advantage of that after we watched any spooky TV show. Dang monkeys in Wizard of Oz scary stuff when was kid.
I actually got away with throwing a cup of hot coffee on my old man once. We were watching I believe Frankenstein movie. He sent me to the kitchen to get him coffee. I Didn't know he followed me ducked in to bedroom. I'm coming back with cup coffee and he jumped out at me. I threw the coffee on him and ran, thought it was monster going get me. So I'm crying in fetal position on my bed scared stiff. The old man just called me big baby, knock that bellering off. LoL I can't remember if I watched the rest the movie or not..
Early childhood lesson on fight or flight.
People wonder why I am how I am..

LMAO..

Mac

My grand parents had a TV with a 6 inch screen. First thing I remember was a puppet show called Time for Beany. Some character with a beanie on and a sea serpent interacting with a boat called the Leakin' Lena. 1949

The next thing was watching the McCarthy hearings in 1950. Quite the change of subject from the previous programming.

Howdy Doody Time -- Saturday morning.

Captain Kangaroo, Mr Ed, Lassie, Wild Kingdom, Yosemite Sam , Johnny Quest, The Virginian.

These guys !

We got a great big black and white TV when I was 10, we got one channel dad watched wrestling on Saturday night. We watched the lone ranger Sunday afternoon. That was it, I remember i was in the 4th grade when batman and Robin came out, all the kids at school were wound up about seeing it but our one channel didn't have it

Lost in Space, Flipper, and the Honey Mooners !!!

walleyed

The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin.

We must have been one of the first families to have a TV. My dad had a regulation pool table and every Friday Night several families would come to watch TV until 10:00 PM while the men shot pool, the pool table was in an out building next to the house. At 10 o'clock on Friday nights boxing matches came on, that is when the pool game ended and the men came to the living room to watch boxing. The living room was lined with chairs kind of like a movie theater.

And cigarette smoke so thick...you could cut it

Zorro !

X2

Mutual of Omaha Wild kingdom and Lawrence Welk . I never could get into Lawrence Welk . Spent a lot of time pouring through the pages of outdoor life , fur fish game and trapping books

I kind of remember back in 1954-55 Mom and dad got a little B&W TV> Roy Rogers and Dale, Hopalong Cassidy and Howdy Dudy Time were the early TV shows that I remember watching on Saturday mornings. That was our only TV time allowed. That was the only time I recall wanting to get up early to watch the TV>

Not sure I remember this correctly, but commercials were at 15 minute intervals and only lasted 1 minute. Most times it was just one 60 second commercial.

Golly I forgot about lots of those shows.
Friday night boxing sponsored by Gillette blue blades with the stupid parrot.
Your Hit Parade. Sponsored by Lucky Strike cigarettes. Dad liked Teresa Brewer.
There was a show on Saturday afternoons called I believe Big Top. Featured circus acts. Had a Mistress of ceremonies that wore a swimsuit like thing.
Mom would say "she has nothing on from her neck to her waist under that.".

just

[quote=white17]My grand parents had a TV with a 6 inch screen. First thing I remember was a puppet show called Time for Beany. Some character with a beanie on and a sea serpent interacting with a boat called the Leakin' Lena. 1949

Beany and Cecil!

I remember watching those shows.

Captain Kangaroo
Wild kingdom
sea hunt and later in life was Acres Creature feature

We had 3 channels after bought a rotor.

Hockey Night in Canada
Shultz & Dooley, Speedy Alkaseltzer

I was a Fess Parker wannabe

Professional rasslin. The real deal!

I remember the day I learned to be a sceptic. I was probably 3. I asked my mom how superman could fly. She said it was because he had a cape. I thought about that for a day or two and asked my mom if I could have a cape like superman. So mom took a bath towel and using a couple clothes pins fastened it to my collar. I went out in the back yard and climbed up on the cross brace of my swing set. The one on the end about 3 feet off the ground. I launched myself and got the wind knocked out of me. Couldn't cry or call for help. It was pretty bad there for a minute. When I get enough air to go in the house my mother thought it was the funniest thing she ever heard, wanted to know why I thought I could fly. When I reminded her she told me I could she laughed even more and said TV is not real I thought you knew that. I sure did know that after that day.

As a little kid, I would go to my grandma's and watch TV because we didn't have one. It was a B&W TV, but seemed to have a green tinge to the picture. I remember it was an Admiral TV. I don't remember what her & I would watch. But, it didn't matter as TV was like going to the movies free.

We also listened to the radio too. Programs like Dragnet, Inner Sanctum, The Shadow, etc. But, my favorite radio show was Mr. Keen Tracer of Lost Persons. I was able to locate and buy a bunch of that program in CDs. My granddaughter loves them too. I told her when I die she can have them all. She liked that. Not sure how I should take that?

Saturday mornings, “The Lone Ranger”, “Gunsmoke” and “Wild Wild West” week nights.

Popeye in black and white tv.

earliest I can remember is probably Bozo the clown show

when I was 4-5 I would wakeup tell my parents I was going to grandmas , it was about 2 blocks down the street and I would watch cartoons with my Aunt and uncles on Saturday mornings.
my mom was the oldest so my youngest aunt was only 3 years older than I was some of my uncles only 8-10 years older

Hate to admit it but this story is true. I was probably around 3 and sitting on my uncle's lap watching a western. Somehow a BB gun had gotten into my hands and unbeknownst to anyone was cocked and ready. I don't remember pulling the trigger but I sure remember that little black hole in the middle of that blank black and white screen. Grandpa had to buy a used set on a neighbor's estate sale the next week so he could watch his wrasslin. I wish I could say that was the only time a BBgun got me into a load of trouble.

Ant races.

June 1953. I had to look up the date. We had the first TV in the neighborhood. All the neighbors came over to watch the Crowning of Queen Elizabeth.