My TV Shows in Third Grade

[Martin Hash]

I was a TV fanatic as a kid. TV Guide was my favorite magazine but my parents didn't get it so I couldn't wait to go to my grandparent's house to read it, especially if it was still in date! This infatuation probably began at my particular age because cartoons were actually shown in Prime Time: “The Flintstones,” “The Jetsons” & “The Wonderful World of Color.” I was very young but my strict bedtime parents would let me stay up to watch those. Then as I got older & my bedtime got later, I was able to watch seasonal shows so that by the time I was 10 there was a Perfect Storm of television programming, cultural change & my maturity.

1966/67 Season
Lost In Space
Star Trek
Wild, Wild West
Green Hornet
Branded
Batman
Gilligan's Island
Man from U.N.C.L.E.
The Time Tunnel
It's About Time

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I could impress people with my TV time recall facility, at least until 9 pm when I had to go to bed: want to know what's on Monday night, ask Marty. Some shows, like “Star Trek,” I had to sneak out of bed with my brother, Todd, and crawl down the hall to look around the corner to watch. “Star Trek” was too scary for Todd, and I could only watch until I was caught, but actually it was a relief because “Star Trek” was really scary, but I had to at least try & watch because the boys at school all played “Star Trek” at recess & I wanted to be Dr. McCoy. It is not lost on me now that girls did not play “Star Trek” so all those budding Dr. Spock scientists were not inspired at that important formative time.

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“Lost In Space” was my favorite program but it was scary too, so “Wild, Wild West” was my besty favorite, plus Ross Martin, the sidekick, had my name. I always looked for shows with Robert Conrad in them after that. A show I only got to see occasionally but really appealed to me was “Branded.” Chuck Conners had previously starred in “The Rifleman” which I liked but it just predated me. I knew the theme-song to all the shows, and still do.

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The boys liked "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." & drew the logo on their desks, but it was too complex for me, but I would try to draw it on my desk too. Similarly, "The Green Hornet" & "Time Tunnel" were somewhat boring & "Bat Man" was too silly, and as a kid I didn't "get" satire. "It's About Time" really appealed to my interest in dinosaurs & cavemen but when it moved into the future halfway through the season, yuck.

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I was always disappointed with television after that magical year in Third Grade, and was optimistic that the next season would be better, but never again did so many new concepts & creative ideas appear in a single season, or at least it seemed that way to me... Until now! Modern television programs are the new Golden Age. I'm so happy, and it also brings back thoughts of my youth.

[Martin Hash]

YouTube is a Treasure Trove of trivia. This unaired pilot is virtually unwatchable yet it got the Green Light from the studio, who added The Robot & Dr. Smith, and had this cut up and put in the first 5 episodes.