tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post8237753683211412791..comments2024-03-19T10:41:35.976-05:00Comments on Bronze Age Babies: Take 5: Fabulous Childhood MemoriesDoughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04248324005584963229noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-80080744516248003462016-08-03T08:11:42.423-05:002016-08-03T08:11:42.423-05:00Wow, a lot of great responses on this!
#1 marvel ...Wow, a lot of great responses on this!<br /><br />#1 marvel comics. Had a store down the street, but the real joy came when dad did his bowling league and I tagged along and got to visit the deli that always had the best and newest Marvel's!<br /><br />#2 Godzilla movies, James bond, 6 million dollar man, the wild, wild west, universal monster movies, twilight zone and star trek.<br /><br />#3 KISS- these guys were like real life superheroes.<br /><br />#4 playing outside with the "gang"<br /><br />#5 drawing/ sketching/ tracing marvel charactersspencerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14576369979304207262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-18719548017595695752012-04-22T17:12:29.576-05:002012-04-22T17:12:29.576-05:00Steve: there were shortages in the early 1970'...Steve: there were shortages in the early 1970's here in the US, too. The biggest was the oil crisis in 1973. To put it in perspective, gas went up to $0.55 a gallon (about 0.34 British pounds). Then there was the Great Toilet Paper Shortage of 1973. Johnny Carson told a joke on his late-night talk show about a rumored tissue paper shortage (the rumor was unfounded, BTW). It started a panic. Stores were swamped with customers buying toilet paper to stock up. They sold out by the next day. So then there really was a shortage for about three weeks. A sort of self-fulfilling prophecy.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-4865204052703530942012-04-22T16:57:52.471-05:002012-04-22T16:57:52.471-05:00I think Charlton Heston said in an interview that ...I think Charlton Heston said in an interview that he didn't want to do an "Apes" sequel and he agreed to do it only when they promised that he would only have to appear in it briefly. He also thought the ending would prevent any more sequels, but of course, they found a way around it. He admitted that continuing the series made sense financially, if not artistically.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-51878052849650650572012-04-22T13:22:11.786-05:002012-04-22T13:22:11.786-05:00I remember the Planet of the Apes feature films on...I remember the Planet of the Apes feature films on TV. The first one co-written by Rod Serling is far and above the best. <br /><br /><br />I only wish Charlton Heston had made more sequels instead of making The Omega Man and Soylent Green. Both of them had the main character sacrificing themselves at the end in a way very much like the first Planet Apes film. Instead of manking the Apes films bigger and more spectacular they went with a smaller budget each time. <br /><br />I did like the CBS TV series with Roddy McDowell. It did last only 13 or 14 episodes but it was very good for its time. Like Star Trek they had a moral to each episode. Mark Leonard (Sarek of Star Trek fame) portrayed General Urko. I wish CBS gave the show a chance. It kept being delayed and changed time slots so you never knew when it was on. The network did the same with Logan's Run: The TV Series. There were so many time slot changes it never found an audience.Fantastic Four Fan 4evernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-75918691012170874702012-04-22T13:09:20.125-05:002012-04-22T13:09:20.125-05:00I have a lot of memories of Mego action figures. ...I have a lot of memories of Mego action figures. I went to the store every week to get the first ones. They were Batman,Superman, Tarzan,Shazam (DC's Captain Marvel), Spidey and all the rest too numerous to mention. I couldn't believe it when they had the Hulk, Fantastic Four, Captain America and the Falcon. It was like I was in action figure heaven. About 10 years before Robot Chicken aired, I sold them all without the packaging to a collector for a nice sum. It paid my taxes for that year! Taking care of my toys finally paid off.<br /><br />I remember reading that Mego turned down George Lucas to develop a line of Star Wars action figures. <br /><br /><br />That was that a huge mistake. They thought they had something better in the (at the time) Buck Rodgers action figures. At the time they were making Star Trek:The Motion Picture action figures also. They failed miserably and the company went out of business in 1983. I always think if only they made those Star Wars figures they would still be in business!Fantastic Four Fan 4evernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-83072652681519044532012-04-21T14:50:34.562-05:002012-04-21T14:50:34.562-05:00Good times. I had a bunch of the Megos (my Batman...Good times. I had a bunch of the Megos (my Batman had the removable mask, very cool). The other toy that I remember was the Big Jim sets, including the set with him, and three others that formed the super group....I think one had a whip, plus the guy with the steel hand, and a couple I can't remember now.<br /><br />I was deep into comics, too. I really was more into DC in the beginning with Batman, JLA, Tarzan, Kamandi, etc., but soon moved over to Marvel. I really liked the oversized Treasury editions. I can remember the first Spider-Man Treasury being a big deal around here.<br /><br />Sports was also a big deal, too. My dad was a coach, so we always watched games on TV. I was into football, basketball, and baseball.....watching and playing. Loved the Celtics, the Reds, and the Raiders.<br /><br />I also remember reading a lot. I read a lot of the Edgar Rice Burroughs series (but, oddly, not many of the Tarzan books), plus the Conan series, Doc Savage, the Avenger, etc.....Why don't they still publish these like they did back then? <br /><br />The thing I remember most was riding bicycles around town. Back then, you could leave the house in the morning and go all over town and not get home until nearly dark and your folks never worried about you. Days seemed to last forever and there was so much you could cram into the daylight hours. Wish it was still that way sometimes.<br /><br />DarpyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-83780109523724941872012-04-21T11:46:20.974-05:002012-04-21T11:46:20.974-05:00Speaking of the super hero 1-page Hostess ads, I j...Speaking of the super hero 1-page Hostess ads, I just love the cheesy, one shot super villains that appear in those. What a rogue's gallery that would make!dbutler16https://www.blogger.com/profile/00046066729353639991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-25772208092967757922012-04-21T09:45:34.657-05:002012-04-21T09:45:34.657-05:00and if I could have 6, all those fantastic super h...and if I could have 6, all those fantastic super hero 1-page Hostess ads that usually had better artwork than the comics they were in. I have a folder of maybe 40 of those cut out of the comic books.<br /><br />--Matt alias AnonAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-6744698580334678542012-04-21T09:42:20.412-05:002012-04-21T09:42:20.412-05:001. Krofft Super Stars or whatever it was called
2...1. Krofft Super Stars or whatever it was called<br /><br />2. Comics at convenience stores beckoning from spinner racks, wishing I had money to buy more than 1 or 2<br /><br />3. National Parks: Yosemite, Yellowstone, grand Canyon, Mt. Rushmore, Badlands, Petrified Forest... been to all those and more by the time I was 10...also probably every reservation in the Southwest<br /><br />4. Super Friends cartoons and comic books, still my favorite incarnation of the Justice League and my vision of how super heroes should behave<br /><br />5. Beatles records, the only records I had or cared about. My mom says I asked for one for Christmas when I was 5, I got that red compilation. Didn't know that was just a random assortment. Then I got the blue one the next year, and what I thought was "the white one" the next year. I guess I thought they just chose a different color for their record every year. I still find it offputting to hear those songs in a different sequence today.<br /><br />--Matt alias AnonymousAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-48880302068241973442012-04-21T05:09:03.987-05:002012-04-21T05:09:03.987-05:00Here are the five that pop to mind.
1. Comic book...Here are the five that pop to mind.<br /><br />1. Comic books of course, especially Marvel. I dabbled in DC and Charlton at the time, as well as Gold Key and even a few Harveys and Archies, but it was Marvel for me early on. <br /><br />2. Cartoons, especially the action-adventure ones like Jonny Quest, Space Ghost, Spider-Man, and such. The late 60's was a great time for that stuff. <br /><br />3. Pop music, especially groups like the Monkees and those kinds of creations. These "Pop Sensations" really burrowed deep into my psyche. I got my music through television a lot. <br /><br />4. Pulp novels featuring the likes of Conan, Tarzan, Sherlock Holmes, and the weird worlds of Lovecraft. My local library was a main source, and even offered up a rolling book mobile which came by our country home every two weeks or so. It was so very cool picking out stuff, real gems. <br /><br />5. Late-night television movies, especially the horror and monster kind. AIP, Hammer, and other genre houses filled the airwaves with lurid color horror of all types. It would be years later when I learned to appreciate the older black and white classics. I grew up on color though. <br /><br />Rip OffRip Jaggerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09936426877024852134noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-31838049023748708032012-04-21T00:11:29.223-05:002012-04-21T00:11:29.223-05:00My God, I feel like anytime I post, I am just repe...My God, I feel like anytime I post, I am just repeating what others have more eloquently said before me. Either I am incredibly uncreative, great minds think alike, or we've all had similar experiences!<br /><br />Five Childhood Memories:<br /><br />1) Star Wars - I was 7 when it came out, so this is pretty much what I consider the defining influence of my childhood.<br /> <br />2) Comics - bronze age era comics are such a wonderful memory and remain a strong pull for me. As such, I visit this - my favorite comic blog - for a taste of the familiar and to remind myself that I am not alone.<br /><br />3) Baseball and baseball cards - looking through the collection of mid to late 70s baseball cards that my brother and I put together transforms me immediately to the sitting on the floor in our room (on ugly brown carpet) and repeatedly organizing them into different stacks (alphabetical, teams, year, etc).<br /><br />4) Saturday morning TV - Land of the Lost, Super Friends, Woody Woodpecker, Pink Panther, and certainly others. I still get an excited feeling when I wake up early on Saturday morning before the rest of the family and can enjoy that escape for an hour or so (though these days it involves a cup of coffee and a new book that fills that time). <br /><br />5) 70s AM Radio - Seals & Croft strikes me as the ultimate in this mellow, yachty, sound but no song (or sight or smell) transports me back to childhood like Rita Coolidge "We're All Alone".Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00267401771086411957noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-49452903850406561832012-04-20T20:35:59.168-05:002012-04-20T20:35:59.168-05:00By the way, Doug, liked the image from the comic s...By the way, Doug, liked the image from the comic spinner rack. As I recall, the one from our local store read "Wholesome, entertaining comics!". Made them sound a bit like Wonder Bread.Redartznoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-45473391133845087422012-04-20T20:31:13.703-05:002012-04-20T20:31:13.703-05:00What a terrific thread today; I'm all mushy ju...What a terrific thread today; I'm all mushy just reading it!<br /><br />Oh, those childhood memories. In no particular order:<br /><br />1. Comic books- Obviously. They accompanied me under the covers at night in the bunk bed. They were there in the back seat of the car during long road trips. Still recall reading Disney Comics Digest 5 with a great Barks duck story, keeping me busy one trip.<br /><br />2. Saturday morning cartoons- Now, when animation is everywhere and at any time, it loses a bit of its special aura. There was the anticipation; friday night staying up with a friend and then getting up early with Bugs, Jonny Quest, Spiderman and all the rest. <br /><br />3. Hot Wheels- My brother, my friends and I spent hours arranging raceways, and more hours challenging each other. Would pull out my "Jackrabbit Special" when the cartoon series came on...<br /><br />4. Mason's Root Beer- "the one with the blue dot cap". It came in a fine ribbed glass bottle, cold from the machine by the drug store. Often plugged on "Popeye and Janie", an afternoon kid's show from Indianapolis.<br /><br />5. Charlie Brown holiday specials- From Vince Gauraldi's unforgettable jazz soundtrack to the Dolly Madison Zingers commercials, they were always a highlight of any holiday. Still watch the Great Pumpkin every Halloween.Redartznoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-69035016695631081292012-04-20T16:43:36.268-05:002012-04-20T16:43:36.268-05:00I don't remember ever seeing a Frito Bandito e...I don't remember ever seeing a Frito Bandito eraser, although I remember the character from TV commercials. I did have two W. C. Fritos erasers. That character (obviously, a W.C. Fields cartoon parody) replaced the Bandito in ads after complaints about the ethnic stereotype.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-15640097783429169092012-04-20T13:46:28.412-05:002012-04-20T13:46:28.412-05:00(Had a longer version written out but lost it afte...(Had a longer version written out but lost it after I hit the wrong key, Grrr)<br /><br />1 - Bicycles: Hard to overestimate the freedom a bike gives you. Suddenly you are able to travel further and faster than ever before. And it makes getting there fun too.<br /><br />2 - Water pistols & water sprinklers: The perfect antidote to a hot, lazy afternoon.<br /><br />3 - 25 cent videogames: There was only one thing standing beween those aliens and earth: Me. That is, assuming I had any quarters on me.<br /><br />4 - Dungeons & Dragons: Roll-playing games open up whole new worlds for me. Man, I spent hours reading those rule books, modules and the Monster Manual.<br /><br />5 - Mada Magazine: The "Usual Gang of Idiots" sure knew how to make me laugh.Inkstained Wretchnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-72788545464720166382012-04-20T12:25:21.568-05:002012-04-20T12:25:21.568-05:00Richard and Steve: Supernatural made an impression...Richard and Steve: Supernatural made an impression on me. I was about 14.<br />It was an anthology show and the premise was about membership of a gentlemen's club, dependent on telling a supernatural story. I vaguely recall the vampire and werewolf episodes being very unsettling. I think the theme music was Bach's Toccata and Fugue.Dougiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03965448821892833703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-13050311454490709472012-04-20T12:21:28.846-05:002012-04-20T12:21:28.846-05:00One comment about Richard's lead-off post at t...One comment about Richard's lead-off post at top. I miss the lazy days of summer with nothing important to do. I spent many a day during summer vacations just reading comics, with nothing interesting on TV, occasionally riding bikes to friends houses with Megos and GI Joes, or just sitting in my room drinking coke and munching on Freetos.<br /><br />No boy scouts, no band camp, no summer school, no soccer practice.<br /><br />And loved it.david_bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00218727673816200051noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-49135972554772502292012-04-20T11:52:28.569-05:002012-04-20T11:52:28.569-05:00Oh, I logged all my hours watching the Monkee reru...Oh, I logged all my hours watching the Monkee reruns on Saturday mornings, that's really about all I could stand from Saturday morning TV..<br /><br />Doug, I had at least 4-5 Frito Bandito pencil-top erasers.. <br /><br />LOVED 'EM, but was alway jealous of the guys with the Cheeta one from Cheetos. My parents never bought them.<br /><br />PLEASE don't bring up the dancing 'Fig Newton' guy.david_bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00218727673816200051noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-90190402829564932112012-04-20T11:43:26.069-05:002012-04-20T11:43:26.069-05:00Sorry, Matt --
Was a fan of the Kroffts, but the...Sorry, Matt -- <br /><br />Was a fan of the Kroffts, but they just don't make my Top 5 childhood memories.<br /><br />In general, I could have added Saturday mornings spent in front of the TV, however. That would have brought in the Kroffts, William's Shazam! and Super Friends, was well as Land of the Lost, Scooby-Doo, the Looney Tunes, etc.<br /><br />How about advertising icons as nostalgia? Anyone remember "Frito Bandito"?? I had a pencil-top eraser of that guy.<br /><br />Model kits?<br /><br />DougDoughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04248324005584963229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-37953844256384173272012-04-20T11:36:12.648-05:002012-04-20T11:36:12.648-05:00no Sid & Marty Krofft? Come on people! Bugalo...no Sid & Marty Krofft? Come on people! Bugaloos! Sigmund and the Sea Monsters! H.R. Puffenstuff! <br /><br />--Matt alias AnonymousAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-12097534142584248682012-04-20T11:04:29.982-05:002012-04-20T11:04:29.982-05:00'Course, I WAS going to start off my comments ...'Course, I WAS going to start off my comments with my Favorite Python sketch..:<br /><br />Monty Python - Four Yorkshiremen<br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FatHLHG2uGY<br /><br />(Just one of the many versions, not the one with Graham Chapman..)david_bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00218727673816200051noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-50766839360555092982012-04-20T11:01:52.583-05:002012-04-20T11:01:52.583-05:001. The Super Friends cartoon is one of my earliest...1. The Super Friends cartoon is one of my earliest memories of being exposed to Super Heroes. (I was probably 6 or 7 years old). I of course knew about Batman and Superman, but that was about it at the time. I remember being pretty much obsessed with the Super Friends at that age. I would be really upset if I overslept on Saturday morning and missed it. Really… upset.<br /><br />2. Mego Action Figures. Like you, Doug, these were my favorite toys as a child. I also had a large collection of them, and (along with my friends) would create days long epic adventures for them battling the forces of evil. The first one I ever owned was Aquaman, and I didn't even know who he was at the time, but I thought he looked cool. I was educated very quickly about him however when the Super Friends started airing shortly after that. I still own a Spider-Man Mego that I bought when I was around 9 years old. However, back then my favorite super hero was SHAZAM! (Captain Marvel), so he was my favorite Mego as well. Which leads me to childhood memory #3…<br /><br />3. The SHAZAM! live action TV series. To say I loved this show (at the time) would be an understatement. I never missed it. I always thought it was weird that they changed it so much from the comics with Billy and "Mentor" traveling "the highways and byways of the land" in a Winnebago. Like I said, kinda "weird". But those little details didn't detract from my enjoyment of seeing my favorite super hero come to life "with one magic word" every week on TV. He wasn't as powerful as he was in the comics (which also bothered me a little), but I understand they didn't have the budget for those kinds effects for a kids TV show in the 70's. It was still the best thing on TV at the time, as far as I was concerned. I also read SHAZAM! comics faithfully, and truthfully imagined that if I was ever in any real danger and I yelled SHAZAM! I would become Captain Marvel. Luckily I was never tossed off a bridge by a little bald mad scientist, so I never got to test my theory.<br /><br />4. The Brady Bunch. This was my favorite non-superhero form of entertainment when I was a kid. My sister and I were always in front of the TV every Friday night to watch this show. I still like to watch it sometimes if it's on and I'm not doing anything at the time. My wife (who is a few years older than me) can't understand my fondness for this campy bit of family schlock. But, it always makes me happy and brings back a lot of good memories and good feelings.<br /><br />5. COMIC BOOKS!!! This one is only in the 5th spot because I was saving the best for last. There is nothing that has had more of a lasting impact on my life than those four-color pieces of awesomeness! From Spider-Man, SHAZAM!, The Fantastic Four, Daredevil, The Avengers, The Justice League, The X-Men and oh so much more, comics have always been my favorite form of entertainment and a big part of my life and identity. Of all my childhood interests, comics are the one thing that I have continued to enjoy into adulthood. I remember walking home from school, when I was in 3rd grade, and stopping at 7-11 and looking at the comics on the racks and just being mesmerized by the artwork, and colors, and scenes of dynamic action. It's a shame that you can never recapture that sense of wonder and joy as an adult like when you're a kid. I actually feel a little sorry for kids today that they can't walk into the local convenience store and have their mind blown by a spinner rack of joy. I wonder if they get the same feeling from a video game or a digital comic on a website?<br /><br />HONORABLE MENTIONS: The Spider-Man cartoon (best theme song ever). McDonalds. Whenever my parents went out and left us with a baby sitter, we got to eat McDonalds. (Ahh parental guilt, gotta love it). The Plastic Man cartoon. (Man I watched a lot of TV when I was kid). Butternut candy bars. (Peanuts and caramel covered with chocolate). Yummy.Williamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16988016825582035390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-88476644230988736962012-04-20T10:43:57.891-05:002012-04-20T10:43:57.891-05:00Just waiting for other loyal audience members to c...Just waiting for other loyal audience members to chime in first.<br />Too many to pick from, I’d think. <br /><br />I do recall the ‘68/’69 Christmases of getting both Captain Action and MMM stuff, just early Xmas morning, opening crisp new boxes..<br /><br />I still love ’73 the best.. Having just moved into the city from the rural community, actually being able to walk/bike-ride to hunt comics in the Pharmacy store, grocery store, and this old antique place that sold newspapers/magazines. It was always odd that each of the stores got in different Marvel/DC titles. <br /><br />Carpenters and Wings now playing on the airwaves., seeing ‘Live and Let Die’ in the theater just because of the movie theme. Had a few Mego’s starting to creep into my possession, my FOOM membership and my brand new Captain America Beach Towel (from Marvel) arriving, along with buying those AMT Trek models and Blish books for 75cents, having ‘just discovered Star Trek’.. <br />The Avengers/Defenders clash, and Peter Parker coping with Gwen's death (and the resulting outrage in the letters page for months)<br /><br />And I STILL go nuts for a Hostess Apple Fruit Pie. Just ask the Mrs...david_bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00218727673816200051noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-2253196068436513932012-04-20T10:34:28.466-05:002012-04-20T10:34:28.466-05:00William P --
As I understand it, there came a Cod...William P --<br /><br />As I understand it, there came a Code in Hollywood, not unlike the CCA. This pic of Africa's cutest couple certainly predates that, as does the nude swimming scene that's been referenced a time or two in these parts in the past week. Fully (ahem...) available on YouTube. <br /><br />DougDoughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04248324005584963229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-4221455848650085802012-04-20T10:16:06.754-05:002012-04-20T10:16:06.754-05:005 things from early childhood that make me sappy w...5 things from early childhood that make me sappy with nostalgia when I think of them:<br />1. Marvel Tales #59, Marvel Team-up #38, DC Super Stars #2, among the earliest comics I remember owning - seeing just the covers brings a smile to my face.<br />2. Hawaii 5-O - probably the first show that I just could not miss; it was must-watch from ages 5 to about 7 or 8. Still love the theme music.<br />3. Bay City Rollers - it's kind of embarrassing to admit that this was one of the first bands I knew by name, and also my first favorite band. And connected to this: KGW - an AM station broadcasting out of Portland, OR, on which I probably heard my first song by the Bay City Rollers, and tons of other AM staples, like deceptively innocent-sounding "Afternoon Delight," that formed the soundtrack of my early childhood.<br />4. A Hostess snack (Twinkie, Ding-Dong, Cupcake, etc.) in the school lunch box.<br />5. Captain Kangaroo - I don't think this requires any explanation.Edo Bosnarnoreply@blogger.com