And on this channel, my childhood
- Bat Masterson 1958-1961
- The Rifleman 1958-1963
- Have Gun Will Travel 1957-1963
- Wanted: Dead Or Alive 1958-1961
The local cable company is advertising this week in the way that actually gets attention from potential clients. The additional of a dozen “unlocked” channels means that those of us enjoying a break from the office can sample before agreeing to increase the monthly tab for the TV we normally don’t watch anyhow. This afternoon, I took a Lonestar break. Lonestar, otherwise labelled “this channel; my childhood”.
I lived in a time when two channels on TV was a concept, not a reality. CFCY presented ALL of our culture, and between 1958-1963, that was a Western one. Not in the academic sense. In the Western sense; horse opera. For the child of the videogame age, as alien as the one found on the Science Fiction channel a bit lower on the digital dial.
Not necessarily my heroes, these were my role models. Bat and his cane, Lucas and his rifle, Paladin and his derringer, Josh and his “Mare’s Laig”. At this point the week would only be half-over. I probably owned a replica of half of the weapons I saw on TV; the toy section at Eaton’s didn’t sell much else. I still remember my friend Melvin receiving a holster with a leg tie, all made from real cowhide. Collectively, our favourite word was “Pow!”. On the hats, I wasn’t quite as fortunate; my family never was big into hats.
Statistically, I should have a personal armoury that would make any NRA fellow “Right Proud”. Realistically, nada. Not even a functional pistol nozzle for the garden hose. I guess the role model went more to being chivalrous, loyal, trustworthy, brave. A friendly dog with a coat of arms. What we watched was to get us through those long winter nights. What we learned was that all things must change. The West was won, and along came the Beverly Hillbillies. Banjo dancing.
It’s fun to get a look at old TV shows. Not enough to subscribe (sorry, Cable guy), but a short jaunt down memory lane, watching out for the bad guys in the rocks above town and the alleyways around the square. Saloon doors didn’t keep out much. Log cabins were really in style. The trains ran on time, with lonesome whistles. And the horse never ran away, or failed to start in bad weather. Utopia.
