Today’s memory challenge is inspired by me being a total flake, at least for a little while, to watch some television. Which got me to remembering television as a child. A really young child.

The two shows I remember most of all were the Red Skeleton show and The Ed Sullivan. Red Skeleton was my grandfather’s favorite and Ed Sullivan was my grandmother’s. I loved Red Skeleton, especially when he did the hobo clown. Ed Sullivan was boring except for Topo Giggio. Oh and there was Lawrence Welk, another one of my grandmother’s favorites.

Watching television with my grandfather meant climbing into his lap when he sat in his red nubby chair. If I was lucky, he’d have a peppermint lifesaver to share. Watching television with my grandmother could never happen until all the dinner dishes had been washed, dried, and put away.

We watched Rifleman and I had a major crush on the son, Mark. When I started to make up stories because I was afraid to go to sleep at night I’d imagine that Lucas (the Rifleman) came to my house and told me I was really his daughter and I was going to go to the ranch and live with him and Mark. When I got older I told the same story with Blue and Manalito from High Chaparral.

We watched the Real McCoys and my mom liked to tell the story about how Richard Crenna grew up around the corner from where she lived.

On Sundays I got to watch the Wonderful World of Disney as long there wasn’t something on that my grandparents wanted to watch first. After school I watched Leave it to Beaver.

Your turn. What do you remember about watching television as a child?