Being a highly nostalgic person, I've often visited the Tube looking for my retro-fix. During those visits, certain videos have proven to have a special kind of power, evoking my childhood years in a particularly potent way. Here, I share some with you, in the hopes that you'll share some of your favorites with me!
Ready? Here we go!
KTLA Channel 5 Movie Theater - Green Card Commercials (Circa 1994)
I grew up in Yucca Valley, California, a small town about an hour and a half from Los Angeles. One great thing about growing up in that area was that all our UHF/VHF stations came out of L.A. Since there's so much Hollywood talent in Hollywood, even our local stations felt legit. KTLA isn't exactly a "local station" (it's actually a "superstation"), but it felt like one in the SoCal area, and I loved that.
My strongest KTLA memories involve the KTLA Movie Theatre, the network's weekday night (and weekend afternoon) movie block. I have strong memories of sitting in my childhood home's darkened living room and watching that silver ball bearing enter that neon movie theater. Those memories are among my fondest, and this video brings them back in vivid detail!
TNT's MonsterVision With Joe Bob Briggs: The Road Warrior
Those of you who know me well are aware that I LOVE cheesy books and movies. The cheesier and more full of action/scares it is, the more I'll like it. Several times, I've tried to figure out where this passion came from, since it definitely didn't come from my parents. There were probably many bits of pop culture that helped me develop this love, but Joe Bob Briggs and MonsterVision probably played a role.
Really, it's a miracle I got to see MonsterVision at all, since most of the movies featured were not meant for young fifth-graders. (Thanks, mom and dad!) Anyway, the movies were wonderful, but Joe Bob Briggs was what made the feature great. His quirky redneck shtick drew me in, and his irreverent jokes kept me around. In fact, watching them now, I think they're responsible for at least some of my sense of humor. Thanks, Joe Bob!
Kids' WB Bumpers (1997-1998)
Oh, how I loved The WB! Running from 1995 to 2006, the network started as a fledgling channel and quickly turned into a purveyor of all things cool. From family-friendly dramas (7th Heaven) to supernatural melodrama (Buffy The Vampire Slayer) to sappy teenage soap operas (Dawson's Creek), The WB had something for every sensibility. I loved it ALL! I didn't watch Dawson's Creek, since I was too young to understand teen angst, and I didn't catch Smallville, because I wasn't into superheroes yet. Other than that, however, I considered every WB show amazing. The network never had a fallow period, either; thanks to later shows like Supernatural, The WB was great right up until its demise.
As much as I loved all of The WB's programming, I considered Kids' WB to be the network's crown jewel. In fact, I still do! During those two-hour blocks, you could get everything from crime drama with Batman: The Animated Series (which I got into later) to crazy comedy with Animaniacs and Tiny Toon Adventures to anime with Toonami. It was a truly special chunk of TV, and possibly the best animation in the history of weekday cartoons. Anyway, here are the promos for Kids' WB. They conjure up a lot of warm memories in me!
Days Of Our Lives Theme Song (1972- Now)
People like to make jokes about how most elderly people watch Matlock reruns and soap operas. I'm sure that's not true of all senior-aged people, but it was DEFINITELY true at my grandparents' home! I distinctly remember being at my grandma and grandpa's house on weekday afternoons and picking up on that TV schedule. I rarely watched daytime TV at my grandparents' house, but I distinctly remember Matlock always being on in the late morning, right before lunch.
After lunch, my grandma (or Nana, as we called her) hijacked the TV so she could watch her "stories." Days of our Lives came first, followed by All My Children, and Another World wrapped up the trifecta. I didn't watch soap operas then, and I don't now, but the Days of our Lives theme holds a very special place in my heart! One listen, and I'm seven years old again, playing with action figures on the kitchen table while my Nana takes in her shows!
Supermarket Sweep (1990-2003)
Here's the part where I tell you just how weird I am. While I loved the shows that were meant for my age group, I also liked a lot of stuff not meant for kids, like The Price Is Right and The Frugal Gourmet. In most cases, I can see how my love of those shows were harbingers of interests that later became much stronger, like my love of cooking. Another case in point: Supermarket Sweep!
In this case, I think what drew me to Supermarket Sweep was my burgeoning love of advertising and marketing. Most of the quiz-type games on the show revolved around ad slogans, product names, and logos, and I just ate stuff like that up with a spoon. I'm able to own that love today; it's part of who I am, and I'm not ashamed! However, when I was a kid, I wasn't brave enough to be different. I used to hide my love of Supermarket Sweep then, but not anymore!
So... yeah. I guess we're done. Tune in next time for five more videos that remind me of my childhood!
In this case, I think what drew me to Supermarket Sweep was my burgeoning love of advertising and marketing. Most of the quiz-type games on the show revolved around ad slogans, product names, and logos, and I just ate stuff like that up with a spoon. I'm able to own that love today; it's part of who I am, and I'm not ashamed! However, when I was a kid, I wasn't brave enough to be different. I used to hide my love of Supermarket Sweep then, but not anymore!
So... yeah. I guess we're done. Tune in next time for five more videos that remind me of my childhood!
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