Sixties Television

It was a different time. In 1960 John F. Kennedy would run for the White House--facing Vice President Richard Nixon in a soon to be famous debate. The decade would see a Presidential assassination, a war in Southeast Asia that became the first war truly covered by television...bringing the reality of war into America's living rooms for the first time ever. Race riots. Political upheaval at the 1968 Democratic convention, and the election of a President who would be forced to resign in shame. Men would go into outer space and walk on the moon. And all of it would be covered on television.

Don't Stop Shaking the Jiffy Pop! Even when it didn't turn out quite right, we sure had fun making it! (And we didn't have the microwave oven to blame.)

Based on the cartoons of Charles Addams, The Addams Family ran for only two seasons, with 64 half-hour episodes. Characters included Gomez Addams and his wife Morticia Frump Addams with their children Pugsley and Wednesday. Uncle Fester Frump and Grandmama Addams also lived in the house. Their butler, Lurch, and a mysterious hand named Thing also inhabited the mansion. The plot dealt with the way these rather strange family dealt with the outside world, who didn't see things quite the same way the Addams family did. The show also featured a theme song which had kids across the nation snapping their fingers!

Many people vividly remember Gomez Addams' Lionel Trains layout with the resulting "accidents." What most folks don't know is that the sequence was only filmed once, with footage from that one time being used every time Gomez played with his trains.

Morticia Addams could drive Gomez wild by simply speaking French. And any woman that could fence, cut the blooms off roses, and had an "African Strangler" plant named Cleopatra definitely had my attention!

Here's a little bit of Thing Trivia for you. Do you know who was attached to the hand that emerged from that box? Who was the talented actor who used his training and experience to provide the incredible performances required of Thing?

Ted Cassidy, who played Lurch, usually used his right hand in playing thing. Occasionally he would use his left, just to see if anyone noticed.

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Munsters' Living Room Model Kit Re-Issued by Aurora.

"The end of the Civil War was near
When quite accidentally
A hero who sneezed
Abruptly ceased a retreat
And reversed into victory!"

Naive, inept, but lovable Army Captain Wilton Parmenter was sent to Fort Courage as a "reward" for his bravery during the Civil War. Upon arrival, he encountered Sgt. Morgan O'Rourke and Corporal Randolph Agarn who have the town, the fort, and the local Indian tribe (the Hekawi--extra credit: How did the Hekawi get their name? The Answer at the end of this blurb.) well in hand. Wrangler Jane Angelica Thrift, the owner of the General Store, takes a liking to the Captain. The Indians, including Chief Wild Eagle, Medicine Man Roaring Chicken and Crazy Cat, take a liking to the money that they can scam (I mean earn) with the assistance of O'Rourke and Agarn.

The show was named after the poor, unfortunate soldiers who man Fort Courage. The members of F-Troop include Dobbs (a bugler who can't play), Hoffenmueller (a trooper who speaks no English--only German), Duffy (a grizzled veteran who fought beside Davy Crockett at the Alamo), and Vanderbilt (legally blind -- 20/900 in each eye). The single artillery piece in the fort is fired in salute time after time, but hits the post lookout tower with each shot.

The Indian tribe's name? Well, they were lost, and asked "Where the heck are we?" This was mis-heard as "We're the Hekawi," and the tribe had a new name.