On this dark and stormy morning, I gathered up the courage to watch Herman Cain's latest venture into the macabre. So, anyway, after I wiped the coffee off my monitor screen caused by my involuntary spit take upon viewing Herman's latest SOS video, I was suddenly overcome by a wave of nostalgia. You see, I haven't seen anything that hokey since my childhood. I grew up in Brooklyn, and we had this television show that came on Saturday evening called Chiller Theater with Zacherly. It was broadcast on Channel 11 WPIX on Saturday night. John Zacherle (pronounced ZAK-ER-LEE, and spelled Zachery for the tv) would host a horror movie and include some kind of a skit or performance that was hokey and hilarious and always well-performed. I believe that Herman Cain is our new Zacherly, but I digress. I don't want to talk politics. I want to talk television nostalgia. Let us go below the symbol of the white worm to further explore that magical land called Nostalgia.
OK, so like I said I grew up in Brooklyn and we had some fantastic local programming in the 60's. Sunday morning, we had Wonderama with Sonny Fox and Let's Have Fun with Chuck McCann. Weekdays, we had Soupy Sales, Officer Joe Bolton, Sandy Becker. For the little ones, we had Kukla, Fran, and Ollie(which, I must say, was far inferior to Time for Beanie on KTLA in Los Angeles).
I just turned 59 last month, so my memory isn't what it used to be, but on a good day I can still sing the theme to Speed Racer. And I can hum the tune to Gigantor, Tobor, the Eighth Man, and Astro Boy.
Then my brain takes me to memories of Super-Marrionation and the adventures of Super Car, Fireball XL5, and Thunderbirds Are Go! But those memories are mingled with Sky King, Fury, and the Hardy Boys.
Oh shit, what's this?...... "Who's the Leader of the Band that's Made for You and Me?....... EM-EYE-SEE..........
Goddamn it! I remember the Flintstones when they were Prime Time Television, then it was The Jetsons (Another damn tune I can't get out of my head) and then Johnny Quest!!!!!!
Oh, hell! Is that Shatner I hear? Space.................The Final Frontier...........These are the...........Damn it, Jim! I have to get back to local television!
So, once again, I'm back thinking about my early influences from local television. I got to be pretty good at playing Simon Says from Sonny Fox. I got my warped sense of humor from Chuck McCann, Soupy Sales, and John Zacherle. Good thing I got my politics from my Teamster Dad, a dye-in-the-wool liberal Democrat who once shook hands with Sen. John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts.
Damn you, Herman Cain for your bad video! Damn you to hell!!!!!!!