Remembering the early 60's as a child

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There is one "THING" that I remember VERY vividly from my very young years... When I used to roam the house at night, probably after my crib days, there was this little old slouchy man with a slouchy old hat that stood guard in the corner at the bottom landing of the stairs. He was always there every night. I was so afraid that he was going to eat me or something. But, I crept by him ever so quietly and he never got me. After seeing the movie, I now think he reminds me of Freddy Kruger! Of course, in the daylight hours, he was just an upright Hoover vacuum cleaner!

Ha Ha! I wonder if Walrus remembers him?

RADAR

Your memory is a little weak. It was a Kirby vacuum cleaner not a Hoover. Back in the days when I was only 3, we had our bedroom on the second floor. During the heat of the summer I would wake up after everyone in the house had gone to bed. I was thirsty and the water from the sink in the upstairs bath was always warm and tasted terrible, no matter how long you let the water run. Downstairs in the refridgerator there stood a cold pitcher of fresh water. I would navigate the stairs in the almost pitch dark until I got about six feet from the lower landing, and there it stood! Some odd creature in the dim light that I could not for the life of me make out what the hell it was. Yep, the Kirby vacuum cleaner! Scared the hell out of me as a child, took everything I had for courage to finally walk around it to get to the cash of cold water, then damn! I had to walk past it again on the way back upstairs, think I slept a lot of nights on the sofa in the living room instead of making the return trip upstairs.

You may laugh at this, but it gave me re-ocurring nightmares for two years becuase of it. A strange dream that was exactly the same everynight, where I had just walked past the Kirby and it started up with a furosious roar, then the lights in the dinning room would turn on and the whole family was standing around the dinning room table screaming at me to hurry up before Freddy Kuger smacked me on the head. The dream would progress to where the vacuum cleaner was chasing all of us around the table, about that time large holes opened up in the floor and you could see down into a black abyss that was the basement. You had to jump over these holes while the vacuum cleaner was chasing you. Had you fallin into the dark basement it was full of water and alligators that would eat you up! As the nightmare progressed it got worse, there were the crawler bears (black acordian looking worms that were about 6 inches in diameter and ten feet long) that would stick there heads out from under my parents bed (my parents bedroom adjoined the dinning room). These crawler bears would also try and eat you as you ran around the table, jumping over the holes in the floor while trying to escape Mr Kruger.

This nightly terror continued until I started grade school. Later on I realised the crawler bears in my dreams were actually exhaust hoses for cars that my dad had hung up in the garage (accordian shaped rubberised hoses that were about 8 feet long that attached to the tail pipe of a car to run the exhuast fumes outside).

Yep those were the days that anything could scare the hell out of you, even stupid ghost stories that we all told for fun.

As far as being afraid of the vacuum cleaner when I was young, well we have two large dogs in the house now and they are both terrified each time the wife brings it out to due the carpets.

After having this nightmare everynight for two years as a child, I can discribe in vivid detail everything that happened right down to the clothing everyone was wearing as the dream was exactly the same each and every night. How bizarre!
 
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Well, since I wasn't born until '63 my memories of the early 60s are quite vague...and I certainly don't recall what I was doing when JFK was assasinated. My earliest memories involved watching Flipper, Linus the Lionhearted, riding my tricycle and opening Christmas gifts ('65-'66). My "strong" childhood memories of the 60s involve the Detroit Tigers winning the '68 World Series, celebrating the 4th of July, and thinking to myself "what and the heck is wrong with these hippies?" :)
 
And about cheating the system, we (as teenagers) figured out how to use the pay phone on the corner hang out for free. You could drop a dime in that thing and hit the coin return about the same time and your dime would show up in the coin return and you'd have a dial tone. We use to just dial random numbers and hork with ppl from that phone booth. ;-) Yup, I was a prankster, and still am!

One other thing stands out. When I was a teenager I though the local neighborhood was hughe! I mean it seemed like a long ways around the block back then. Well, now I go back to that neighborhood about every 10 years and man, that place is as small as a cracker box! What use to seem to be a mile away is only like 200 yards. Amazing how perception changes with age!

Diddo on how things seamed to appear so big back in the day! I see you learned the pay phone trick too!

I remember our old rotoary phone was on a party line until 1965, the nieghbor lady who was 70 at the time would be on it all day every weekend so we couldn't call our friends. That is why the phone trick was so cool, we would just walk across the street and use the pay phone for free!

Hey does anyone else remember party lines?
 
Yes, my grandparents had a party line...and I remember my grandmother would occasionally "eavesdrop" on the conversations when she was waiting to make a call.

I have to admit, I too would eavesdrop unintentionally. Just waiting for the nieghbor to end the conversationion so I could use the phone. Got tiered of listening but learned a lot about bunions, corns and gorters. And on ocassion I forgot to hold my hand over the phone and would sneeze, then you would her say "is there some one listening? this is a private conversation, please hang up!".

Which reminds me of the stupid phone pranks we use to call. Call a grocer and ask "do you have prince Albert in a can? well you better let him out", or "do you have peaches in the can? Well you ought to flush them down".

More than anything else this thread is nothing more than a trip down memory lane for those that were born between 1950 and 1968. Seems to me things remained a lot the same between those dates for many. Prior to 1950 it was a whole lot different, and after 1968 or the moon landing things changed again.
 
Seems this thread would'nt be complete without photos to illustrate the past:

Here is the old yellow Studabaker with us kids on the hood. Little sister is positioned next to dad, then two older brothers and finally yours truly. v12.jpg

Next is little sister and I, we just finished watching the Sunday morning Western on the tube and had to run out to play cowboys and indians. Have to say she doesn't make for a very good indian, but can yell like hell when she's napping and you start her bed on fire!Childhood_book_page_2.jpg

Last is the eveinings catch after being out at the river, loved fishing as a child.Childhood_book_page_7.jpg

Sorry, at the time these photos were taken the stork hadn't brought little brother yet!

Something about the photo of the old Studabaker, I still love the way the cars from the 50's looked. Can't recall what year Studabaker this one is but think 1959 or possibly older? Maybe one of you car buffs know.

Sorry, had to edit in this last photo (little sis and I), many days spent on the teeter totter singing that stupid ryhme.Childhood_book_page_10.jpg
 
Which reminds me of the stupid phone pranks we use to call. Call a grocer and ask "do you have prince Albert in a can? well you better let him out", or "do you have peaches in the can? Well you ought to flush them down".

Don't forget "Is your refrigerator running?" "Yes..." "Well, then, you'd better go catch it!"

:D
 
Seems this thread would'nt be complete without photos to illustrate the past:

Here is the old yellow Studabaker with us kids on the hood. Little sister is positioned next to dad, then two older brothers and finally yours truly.View attachment 67537

Next is little sister and I, we just finished watching the Sunday morning Western on the tube and had to run out to play cowboys and indians. Have to say she doesn't make for a very good indian, but can yell like hell when she's napping and you start her bed on fire!View attachment 67538

Last is the eveinings catch after being out at the river, loved fishing as a child.View attachment 67539

Sorry, at the time these photos were taken the stork hadn't brought little brother yet!

Something about the photo of the old Studabaker, I still love the way the cars from the 50's looked. Can't recall what year Studabaker this one is but think 1959 or possibly older? Maybe one of you car buffs know.

Sorry, had to edit in this last photo (little sis and I), many days spent on the teeter totter singing that stupid ryhme.View attachment 67540
the old Studabaker looks to be a 1951 might be a 1950
 
the old Studabaker looks to be a 1951 might be a 1950

I think you might be right about it being a 1950. I know my dad always kept really old cars. Googled a photo of a 1950 Studabaker and it looks like a realy close match.1950_studebaker_commander_100010651_s.jpg
Now that was a car! I remember the radio had a reverb tube in it that we had to replace (a tube that vibrated contacts open and closed to produce chopped DC that ran to a transformer to produce high voltage AC). Yep even in those days the car radios used the old tube amplifiers that required high voltage AC to run on, and the reverb tube is what converted the 12vdc to the AC voltage.

Weird songs on the radio back in those days, does anyone remember the Serendipity Singers "beans in my ears" or "don't let the rain come down"? Attached is a bizarre song I remember hearing on the radio back in 1960, also a small tid bit of info concerning it:

Jesse Lee Turner had a strong rock ‘n’ roll voice, with an Elvis-like quiver. Unfortunately, this side of Turner can be heard on only a few of his discs. He had the misfortune that his only hit was a novelty number and that fact kept haunting him for the rest of his recording career. Jesse Lee was hired as Jerry Lee Lewis’ driver in 1957. Turner’s career as a recording artist zoomed into orbit with his first real release. At a time when witch doctors, purple people eaters and chipmunks were all over the charts, a song about another alien from outer space, “The Little Space Girl” looked like a good commercial bet. “The Little Space Girl”, featuring the Chipmunk-like voice of Paul Belin, a Texas deejay, was written by Jesse Lee’s cousin Floyd Robinson, though Turner was inadvertently credited as the writer. It came out in December 1958 and was picked by Billboard as a “Spotlight winner of the week”. By February 1959, it had reached #20 on the Billboard charts.
 

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My mom and dad had a party line until about 1980, I didn't use the phone much as a kid but anytime I wanted to call someone it seemed like it was the same person talking about the same stuff on the line. I was born in 67 so I can't say I personally remember anything from that era but most of my favorite music and movies are from the 50's and 60's probably influenced by my 5 older brothers and sisters, I am the next to the youngest of seven.
 
My mom and dad had a party line until about 1980, I didn't use the phone much as a kid but anytime I wanted to call someone it seemed like it was the same person talking about the same stuff on the line. I was born in 67 so I can't say I personally remember anything from that era but most of my favorite music and movies are from the 50's and 60's probably influenced by my 5 older brothers and sisters, I am the next to the youngest of seven.

Santa,

I am the youngest of six and born in '66, so I am sure we have similar experiences "handed down" from our older siblings. I too have a fondness for the music and movies of that era. That's what I was exposed to through them, so that is what shaped my personality and likes/dislikes.

RADAR
 
Great thread. Great memories. Did someone mention "Fizzies", the flavored drink you made by dropping a tablet in water like an Alka-Seltzer? I vividly remember riding busses in the South where African-Americans were forced to sit in the rear. What a terrible way to treat human beings! JFK's assassination and the three days non-stop TV coverage that followed. Coca-Cola in 6 and a half ounce bottles for 6 cents! Ed Sullivan, Red Skelton, Andy Griffith, the Beverly Hillbillies and more. Summer nights catching lightning bugs in a jar.
Winter sledding, World Series games in the daytime, walking to school without fear, going to the grocery store on the corner with 8, yes count em, 8 aisles, not the 28 we have now. Tube testers, rotary phones, AM radio, the "Red Scare" and CONELRAD.
 
Great thread. Great memories. Did someone mention "Fizzies", the flavored drink you made by dropping a tablet in water like an Alka-Seltzer? I vividly remember riding busses in the South where African-Americans were forced to sit in the rear. What a terrible way to treat human beings! JFK's assassination and the three days non-stop TV coverage that followed. Coca-Cola in 6 and a half ounce bottles for 6 cents! Ed Sullivan, Red Skelton, Andy Griffith, the Beverly Hillbillies and more. Summer nights catching lightning bugs in a jar.
Winter sledding, World Series games in the daytime, walking to school without fear, going to the grocery store on the corner with 8, yes count em, 8 aisles, not the 28 we have now. Tube testers, rotary phones, AM radio, the "Red Scare" and CONELRAD.


Everytime I tune back into this thread it brings back memorys, and yes those were some great shows. I almost had forgotten about Red Skelton, anyone remeber his sketchs as Clem Kadiddlehopper?

Hell ya I remember tube testers! I think there was even a drug store in town once that sold radio tubes and had a tube tester anyone could use. Seems like some of the old time drug stores sold just about anything, from soda pop to broom sticks and drugs included.

I still have a ton of the old 6 oz coke bottles, I was told they are collectables nowadays. Of course empty, Coke has always been my favorite drink!

Lightning bugs, have to love that. Instead of putting them in a jar, now I just sit outside at night and watch them fly around the yard.
 
I remember the tube testers. Dad would take me to the Walgreens Drug store in the mall to check them. At least I think it was the Walgreens (I am fairly sure, but not 100%).

I was a little too late in coming for the Red Skelton show (although I recall the reruns) and I used to sit and listen to the 33 LP versions of his radio shows at the library. So hilarious! "The Mean Widdle Kid" and "Clem Kadiddlehopper"! Andy Griffith is still my most favorite sit-com of all. You cannot beat Don Knotts for hilarity! Dang, he was so good at being legitimately funny!

Red Skelton: hxxp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCE3dKEbBDI&feature=related

Another "What's My Line": hxxp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6pMFsrnKOQ&feature=related

RADAR
 
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All this talk about TV shows from the late 50's and 60's has me hungering for another Reto TV station. Dee_Ann started a great thread entitled "Classic Cartoons" everyone should check it out. And she is right on! What ever happened to great cartoons of the early 60's before they all went to computerized junk, and most became soap operas for kids, or worse. I'm talking about the good stuff like Foghorn Leghorn, Heckle and Jeckle, Yogi Bear, Yakky Doddle, Huckleberry Hound, and I could go on forever listing great cartoons, many of which played in the afternoons such as Merry Melodies, those cartoons I find entertaining even today.

I was checking out old comercial adds for toys of the 60's and came apon a great tribute to TV shows of the 60's posted on youtube. Here is a link to the clip:
hxxp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BYpcOy67R0&feature=related
 
Walrus,

How about this listing?

Adam 12
Addams Family
Andy Griffith Show
Andy Williams Show
The Aquanauts
Arrest And Trial
Assignment Underwater
The Avengers
Baron
Batman
Beautiful Phyllis Diller Show
Ben Casey
Benny Hill Show
The Beverly Hillbillies
Bewitched
The Big Valley
Bing Crosby Show
Blue Angels
The Bold Ones
Bracken's World
The Brady Bunch
Branded
Breaking Point
Bringing Up Buddy
Brothers Brannagan
Bugs Bunny Show
Burke's Law
Camp Runamuck
Captain Nice
Car 54 Where Are You
Cara Williams
Carol Burnett Show
Channing
Cheaters
Checkmate
Chrysler Theatre
Cimarron Strip
Combat
Convoy
Coronet Blue
Court Martial
Courtship Of Eddie's Father
Custer
Daktari
Daniel Boone
Dark Shadows
The Dating Game
Days of Our Lives
The Dean Martin Show
The Defenders
The Dick Van Dyke Show
Doctor Who
Doris Day Show
Double Life Of Henry Phyfe
Dr. Kildare
Empire
Ensign O'Toole
Espionage
Everglades
F Troop
The F.B.I.
Family Affair
Farmer's Daughter
Father Of The Bride
The Flintstones
Flipper
The Flying Nun
The Fugitive
Garrison's Gorillas
General Hospital
Gentle Ben
Get Smart
Ghost and Mrs. Muir
Gidget TV Show
Gilligan's Island
Girl From U.N.C.L.E.
Gomer Pyle USMC
Governor & J.J.
Green Acres
The Green Hornet
Grindl
Guestward Ho!
Guns of Will Sonnett
Hawaii Five-0
Hazel
Here Come the Brides
Here's Lucy
High Chaparral
Hogan's Heroes
Honey West
Hong Kong
Hullabaloo
Human Jungle
I Dream of Jeannie
I Spy
Ichabod & Me
I'm Dickens, He's Fenster
The Invaders
Ironside
It Takes A Thief
It's a Man's World
It's About Time
The Jetsons
Joey Bishop Show
John Forsythe Show
Johnny Quest
Journey To The Unknown
Judd For The Defense
Judy Garland Show
Julia
Land of the Giants
Laredo
The Lawyers
The Lieutenant
The Loner
Lost In Space
Love American Style
Love On A Rooftop
The Lucy Show
Man From U.N.C.L.E.
Man Who Never Was
Mannix
Many Happy Returns
Marcus Welby
Margie
Mayberry R.F.D.
McHale's Navy
McKeever & the Colonel
Medical Center
Michael Shayne
Mickey
Mission Impossible
Mister Roberts
The Mod Squad
The Monkees
The Monroes (1966)
Mothers-In-Law
Mr. Deeds Goes To Town
Mr. Ed
Mr. Magoo
Mr. Novak
Mr. Terrific
Mrs. G. Goes To College
The Munsters
Music Scene
My Living Doll
My Mother the Car
My Sister Eileen
My Three Sons
My World & Welcome To It
Name Of The Game
The New Doctors
The New People
The Newlywed Game
No Time For Sergeants
The Nurses
O.K. Crackerby
Occasional Wife
One Life to Live
Our Man Higgins
The Outer Limits
The Outsider
Overland Trail
Patty Duke Show
Pete & Gladys
Peter Loves Mary
Petticoat Junction
Pistols 'N Petticoats
Please Don't Eat The Daisies
Popeye the Sailor
The Prisoner
The Protectors
Pruitts Of South Hampton
Queen & I
Rat Patrol
Redigo
Roaring Twenties
Rocky, Bullwinkle, and Friends
Room 222
Room For One More
Route 66
Rowan/Martin's Laugh-In
Run For Your Life
The Saint
Saints & Sinners
Sam Benedict
Scooby Doo Where Are You?
Second Hundred Years
Secret Agent
Sesame Street
Shannon
Slattery's People
Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
Star Trek
Stoney Burke
Surfside 6
Survivors Miniseries
Tab Hunter
Tammy
Target: Corruptors
Tarzan (1966)
That Girl
Then Came Bronson
Thriller
Time Tunnel
To Rome With Love
Tom and Jerry
Trails Of O'Brien
The Virginian
Voyage To Bottom Of Sea
Wackiest Ship in the Army
Wendy & Me
Where the Action Is
Whiplash
Wild Wild west
Yogi Bear Show
Zero One


RADAR
 
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