Novelties

My father taught us a few things about his childhood. He told us fantastic stories of collecting wild watercress after a rainstorm, riding a bus cross-country overcrowded with sweaty people and live chickens, raising pigeons and making excellent soup out of them. In other words, he taught us about a time and place that's just a little more old fashioned than our contemporary suburban existence. That said, it's no wonder that certain things, which for many are mere novelties or faint memories, are very much part of our childhood memories. Here are some examples.

Radio dramas.
I love radio with a passion--the kind that engages your mind and imagination, not the kind that makes a sort of white noise sountrack to much of our lives. With the exception of the Wave (KTWV) when it first started--it's a much different station now--I never listened to FM radio. Today I listen to tons of talk radio, but when I was a kid I used to listen to those old timey radio dramas and comedy shows. Even when I was a kid in the late seventies and early eighties these shows were relics and aired for their nostalgic value, but I was experiencing for thefirst time and absolutely loving them. George and Gracie, The Shadow, Sergeant Preston of the Yukon, The Whistler, Dragnet, The Lone Ranger, Jack Benny, all the greats.

Wooden tops.
Ya, the kind you tie a string around and throw to the ground. Toys R Us used to sell them for like a dollar in a blister pack. I can't find them anymore and I've tried. If you cut notches in the top just right they would whistle as they spun down. For a while when I was growing up yo-yos made a comeback and were cool again. I think tops are due for a resurgence.

Black and white movies.
These I haven't watched enough of, but I just absolutely love the old Bogey movies. I have to admit I've had a bit of a crush on the strong females in these movies (a post WWII phenomenon?). They have this witty, stylized, just-the-right-thing-to-say way of speaking that's just wow! And of course, no one looked so cool in a trenchcoat and fedora as Bogart himself.