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A Day in the Life: Did you say color?
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Posted by tomasi Mon Apr 9, 2007 12:55:48 PDT
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With plasma televisions and high definition channels, it’s no wonder we spend so much time in front of the screen. Now, I happen to be in that category referred as “seniors” and I do watch the boob tube quite often. Anyway, for those of my generation who were children when television was in its infancy, we had the opportunity to witness many firsts.

At the age of 7, I had only seen color at the movies, but color television? Never! Then our neighbors got a color television set, the first any of us had ever seen. That night the television was unveiled to the neighborhood. Everyone crowded into that one small living room and waited. The cabinet looked like any other we’d seen, but it all changed when Mr. B. proudly twisted the many knobs on the set. We waited until the screen came into focus. Everyone moaned –– it was in black and white!

“Just wait,” Mr. B. said, “not all stations broadcast in color but something will happen soon.”

And it did. When the multicolored NBC peacock filled the screen there was a universal gasp, and while the bird unfurled its feathers to amaze us we were stunned. It was color, glorious color, By today’s standards it was awful but we didn’t care. And then came "Bonanza," nearly every 50s' household’s favorite show. Never mind that Hoss' cheeks were an odd hue of orange and the Ponderosa’s trees were a weird shade of green, we didn’t care. It was color!

Those of us who had been fortunate to have crammed into that living room were entranced and never spoke during the entire broadcast. In the middle of the show was a commercial and we were all invited to “See the U.S.A. in a Chevrolet!” When you’re 7 one car is like any other, but those heavily finned, turquoise and yellow sedans will forever live on in my memory.

Of course, after that, the rest of the evening was broadcast in black and white. The show was over and the stunned throng filed out of the living room.

At home, my sister and I began haranguing our father to purchase a color television set, but we were given what would become his stock answer to end all arguments, “No, it will give you cancer!”

Cancer? We weren’t sure what it was but we certainly didn’t want any of it, so our argument died.

Later, when I was in high school, I came home to find he had purchased a color television. I was excited and immediately plopped down to watch Star Trek, but was told to move back. You see, there was an invisible line drawn halfway across our living room and we weren’t permitted to get any closer to the set. I obediently across the living room while our father explained that sitting too close would cause cancer. Of course!

            Honestly, I don’t know of anyone who died of television cancer, or eating red M & M’s, for that matter, but our father’s excuse never fails to bring chuckles at family gatherings. He probably knew that once he left we were right on top of the screen, but he never let on that he knew.

           We will never forget how, in his own way, our father tried to protect us, but more importantly, I will never forget that first color television set we saw. It was magic!

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Comment From: dweaver3

Wow! I can remember when television turned off at night, and when it started around 6 a.m. with patriotic music and the American flag. Now television is always on with myriad stations and very little quality offered.