I loved growing up in the 80's. We had Pac-Man, Masters of
the Universe, and Transformers when it was cool and awesome! However, despite
how much I loved that decade I still feel I missed something not being born a
decade or so earlier. What exactly? Here's a look.
#5.Early Saturday Night Live
I missed the glory days of SNL, when it was the Not Ready
for Prime Time cast which included Dan Aykroyd and Chevy Chase. Sure, I've seen
the clips but it's just not the same. I actually didn't start getting into SNL
until very late, so late I even missed a majority of the Dana Carvey/Phil
Hartman era. I would have loved the see the show in its prime, before it became
the empty shell it is today.
#4. Saturday Morning Cartoons
Yeah, I got to experience some of the glory days of Saturday
mornings when it was actually worth getting up and watching cartoons all
morning. However, I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had gotten to
experience Saturday morning in the 70's. I missed when it was really popular.
They had the silliest shows, many based on popular sitcoms of the time (I would
like those? Who's surprised?). Ah, the shows I missed (not The Brady Kids, I
hated that!). Fonzie and The Happy Days Gang, Laverne and Shirley Join the Army,
and the early days of Superfriends which I managed to experience in
syndication. That's only scratching the surface of course.
#3. Commercials
He likes it! Mickey likes it! I wonder who
remembers that
classic ad from Life cereal ad which ran so long that Mickey was an
adult when
it finally faded from the airways. 70's commercials were unique, while
not as
theatrical as the golden age of television there was also real care put
to those
ads. One of the most famous Christmas ads ever was the classic Coca-Cola
one
which simply has people singing. Unlike the noisy crap that fills the
airways
today, back in the 70's and 80's the clever ads were simple,
straightforward,
and as much a part of watching TV as the program itself.Today
commercials are something that give our dvr's some exercise as it fast
forwards by them, which is a shame.
#2.Tonight Show with Johnny Carson
I was too young for almost all of Carson's reign as
the king
of late night. I was familiar with him of course; in fact his cameo in
an
episode of Night Court was one of my favorite moments on that show. By
the time
I was old enough to watch, he was on his way out and Jay Leno was on his
way
in. While I loved Jay and was kind of happy he was taking over, I still
feel
like I missed something never getting the chance to see classic Carson
in his
prime. He was the quintessential entertainer. He could tell jokes, do
sketches,
and carry one a heck of an entertaining interview. He interviewed
celebrities
and regular people, and it's no wonder he reigned for thirty years
wiping out
any competition who dared to air against him. I did get to see his final
episode, and that was one very moving hour of television.
#1.Variety (Carol Burnett Show)
I'm not kidding making this #1; it kills me that I missed
out on the variety era. I know I would have loved it. Sony and Cher, The
Smother's Bros, Donny and Marie, The Brady Bunch (well, ok maybe they weren't
all good. Thank heavens I missed that disaster). However, as much I regret
missing these there is one that I truly regret more than any other, one show I
know I would have cherished and loved every second of. Which show? Let's talked
about The Carol Burnett Show.
I have a memory of being a kid and see the closing credits
to some strange show; the credits had a cartoon lady dressed as a maid watching
the scroll of names. I wondered, what the heck show was this? A few years later
I discovered Carol Burnett and Friends (a syndicated version of the variety
show), and learned to love the crazy characters and performers. The brilliant family
sketches, Nora Desmond, Mr.TuddBall, and even the famous Gone with the Wind
spoof which was great even though I never saw the movie. It was gold, and I
still haven't seen so many of the moments because only the sketches were
syndicated not the music numbers and other stuff.
Name a celebrity from that era; they were on the
show at
least once. The cast included Carol Burnett, of course, as well as
Harvey
Korman, Tim Conway, Vicki Lawrence, and Lyle Wagoner. This show was an
institution, and if there is one thing that I wish I had seen when it
was
originally on, this was it. I could go on and one talking about the
sketches and music numbers. If you're not familiar the show than check
the show out on
dvd and there are clips on YouTube.
Well, there you have it. Five things I missed being and 80’s
kid. Until next time when I discuss the things that I did get to experience
being an 80’s kid.
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