Take 5: Fabulous Childhood Memories

Doug: In the past few weeks, we've done posts where we've asked you to list things you'd keep and things you'd intentionally lose. Today, as sort of a variation on that theme we're asking you to choose your top five elements of your Bronze Age childhood that you get all warm and fuzzy thinking about. In other words, if someone were to write a biography of you, or give a speech at a roast in your honor, how would they characterize your leisure time as a child in the 1970's (and if you're a bit older than me, feel free to reminisce on the 1960's)? Another way to look at is having a personal time machine -- what elements of your childhood would you want to relive? I'll start.

1. Comic books. As a child of six or seven years old, even eight, I'm sure I didn't have more than 30-40 comics. But what a magical world lay within that small stack! I know at that time, among others, there were Avengers, Fantastic Four, Amazing Spider-Man, X-Men, Justice League of America, Captain America, Batman, Rima the Jungle Girl, Tarzan, Marvel Two-In-One, and Marvel Team-Up. I read those books over and over, traced off of them onto tissue paper, cut out the corner boxes and Marvel Value Stamps -- never concerned with collectability or future value. I know when I was very small I had no sense that the comics came out monthly, so stringing together stories wasn't always possible. It didn't take too long to figure out the "to be continued" motif, and then I tried to keep my eyes peeled whenever I was in places that had magazine racks. I do distinctly recall figuring out that some places had more choices than others. For example, grocery stores may have stocked only 10-12 titles; drugstores with spinner racks were the gold standard of choice!
   
   
2. Megos. Building off my love affair with comics, Megos were a dream come true. I was very fortunate to have a sizable collection of these: Batman, Robin, Spider-Man, Captain America, Green Arrow, the Hulk, the Thing, the Human Torch, Conan, Tarzan, Thor, Iron Man, the Penguin, Mr. Mxyzptlk, the Lizard, Aquaman, the Green Goblin, and Kid Flash. I wiled away hour after hour with these, especially with friends who had other guys -- Shazam, Superman, Mr. Fantastic, Batgirl, the Joker, etc. I'm smiling as I type this. It was a really, really good time. Sometimes the stories would just continue endlessly -- it became almost episodic, breaking for dinner or to go to bed, only to resume the next day. Man...
   
   
3. Planet of the Apes. Most of these memories today come from the short period in my childhood when we moved from the far south suburbs of Chicago to Milwaukee. I was there between June 1973- March 1976, and while I missed Channel 44 out of Chicago that aired the Marvel Super-Heroes and Spider-Man cartoons, I discovered many classic films and even old serials while in Milwaukee. It was also during this time that the Apes movies were first broadcast on television. Captivated isn't the word. Spellbound? I don't know, but whatever it was, they had me hook-line-sinker. In addition to the superhero Megos I listed above, I had 5-6 Apes figures, the treehouse, and a couple of other playsets. When it wasn't the Marvel and DC guys mixing it up, it was the Apes! And when the TV show hit? Catch me, I'm falling! Again, I am washed over by a nostalgic feeling of wide-eyed wonder.
   
   
4. Tarzan. We discussed the Lord of the Jungle just a few days ago. Again, it was during my time in the Badger State that I first beheld Johnny Weissmuller and Maureen O'Sullivan. I loved those old black and whites. I'll throw in here, too, that I saw most of the Bob Hope/Bing Crosby "Road" films during this era. How formative! But back to Tarzan -- again, I was insatiable. The Ron Ely television show was a "can't miss", and was every bit as popular in my elementary aged brain as the $6 Million Man. Did I mention The Wild, Wild West? Jeez -- get me that time machine! Anyway, in the midst of all of this digressing, it was fun to play Tarzan outside with friends. One of us would be a native ally (we didn't care about political correctness back then), or Boy, and we'd explore the neighborhood letting our imaginations run wild. It was quite awhile later, around the bridge between junior and senior high school that I discovered the ERB novels. It was like falling in love all over again.
   
   
5. AM radio. One of my prized possessions as a kid was my black transistor radio with the white ear plug. Just one. It was AM, after all -- who needed two? McCartney's Live and Let Die and Band on the Run, Paper Lace's Billy Don't Be a Hero and The Night Chicago Died, the BeeGees' Jive Talkin', Elton John's Your Song, Someone Saved My Life Tonight, and Rocket Man, Three Dog Night's Joy to the World, and Johnny Wakelin's Muhammad Ali: the Black Superman were all favorites that spilled out of WOKY in Milwaukee. FM radio and album rock? No idea at the time. Just give me those sappy songs and catchy tunes!

So how about you? What five elements of your childhood brought a grin to your face as you were reading my recollections?

5 Songs to Love

Do you have those memories that are triggered by a certain song? For me, there are a handful of songs that take me back to the time in my childhood when I lived in Milwaukee for a couple of years. Those were formative years, as I was between the ages of 7 and almost-10. My prized possession was a small black transistor radio -- AM only, of course -- with an earpiece! I thought I had died and gone to heaven! I have always loved music -- I don't play, can't read it, but just love it. My station of choice in those years was WOKY, a Top 40 station that always pumped out pleasing tunes to my pre-adolescent ears.

So, here are some tunes from those days of yore -- are any of them favorites of yours?

Someone Saved My Life Tonight by Elton John (reached #4 in the US in 1975)

For whatever reason, I remember the line in the song where Sir Reginald sings,

"Prima Donna lord you really should have been there
Sitting like a princess perched in her electric chair"


A friend and I used to get together and play Megos in his basement. It was one of those cool basements that was packed to the gills with boxes and other storage items. It made for great landscapes/cityscapes for the good guys and the do-badders to hold epic battles. His mother had an old hair dryer, like from a beauty shop -- padded chair with the overhead dryer dome. We used to plot that one of the crime bosses would get the heroes positioned on that chair and the dome was some huge electric chair-type device!

The other thing I remember about that song is the line,


"And someone saved my life tonight sugar bear"


Now for you youngsters, these were the days when cereal could still have the word "sugar" in the name. Does anyone remember Post Super Sugar Crisp? The mascot back in the day was none other than Sugar Bear! I thought that was so cool that this song had a line in it about this bear that I saw every Saturday morning on the commercials!

The Night Chicago Died by Paper Lace (reached #1 in the US in 1974)


Being a transplanted Illinoisan, this song resonated with my young mind, longing for home. This was a fun song, as we used to sit on another friend's porch and sing it a cappella, like some sort of junior do wop group. Of course, it wasn't a do wop song, but hey -- what did a bunch of 8-year olds know?

We certainly didn't know at the time that the events of the song's lyrics were totally ficticious. Still a catchy tune though.

Love Will Keep Us Together by the Captain and Tenille (reached #1 in the US in 1975)


Don't throw anything at me -- but I still like this sappy '70's hit! Seriously. It's also a catchy tune. Originally written and recorded by Neal Sedaka, it wasn't a hit until this cheesy married couple got 'hold of it. Does anyone recall their variety show that ran about a year after this was a hit? Lordy, it was the in the days of Muskrat Love -- now that one you can have. I still grimace whenever I happen across Muskrat Love -- and no, that song isn't on my iPod!!


Man, you can't beat two big ol' bulldogs on that album cover...

Black Superman (Muhammad Ali) by Johnny Wakelin (reached #1 in Australia, #7 in the UK; spent six months in the Hot 100 in the US in 1975)


Admit it -- you used to sing along with this. Or at least hum along.


"Muhammad.
Muhammad Ali.
He floats like a butterfly
and stings like a bee"


That's awesome! What's not to like. This and other gimmick songs like Kung Fu Fighting are so anchored in the "Have a nice day" decade that they just scream out from that era. I could never sing well, but rest assured -- when this came on the radio, I tried!


Oh, and by the way, these were the days when Ali's fights were aired on Wide World of Sports. For free. I know, seems a bit strange in these days where everything is pay-per-view.


Jive Talkin' by the Bee Gees (reached #1 in the US in 1975)

I love the Bee Gees. There. I said it. I live about 50 miles from Chicago, where local DJ Steve Dahl once blew up a huge stack of disco albums at a Chicago White Sox game -- it was in between a double-header, a riot ensued with fans storming the field and tearing it up -- the Sox had to forfeit the second game! But this song was pre-disco, and it has one of the best opening beats of all time!! Barry Gibb tells that they picked up on that rhythm while riding in a cab. At any rate, it's a fun song. And yes, this one is on my iPod!