Memories of a TV Childhood

While contemplating our new huge high-definition TV I recalled how much of a big deal it was just to have color. When I was little, our house and that of just about everyone we knew had black and white. Many of the programs were in B&W and the complete transition to color happened gradually from the late 60s to the 70s. I can remember watching most of the Mary Tyler Moore Show in black and white which premiered in 1970 and ran until 1977 (When the last episode aired, I was acting in a high school production of The Sound of Music. We had a set backstage and as I was playing Herr Zeller, the mean Nazi, I didn't have many scenes and I could watch it.)

My great-aunt Lilly and great-uncle Carl had a color TV and it was so exciting to visit them because we could watch our favorite shows in living flesh-tones. One time we had dinner with them and I remember we watched Time Tunnel which was on Thursdays (I think). I asked if we could have dinner with them on a Wednesday because that was when Lost in Space was on. The first season of Lost in Space had been broadcast in black and white. Then the second year the cast got all new colorful costumes--which I couldn't appreciate because of our cheap b&w set. Back then, I didn't understand why they suddenly change their clothes if they were wandering aimless in the cosmos. Where did they get the new duds? It was like the castaways on Gilligan's Island. Only the Howells had a complete wardrobe. The Robinsons had their black and white space suits and their color ones. Later I realized it was just to take advantage of the color. Judy in particular benfitted from the makeover. In season one she wore this drab dark skirt thing. In season two she was in a bright yellow and purple pants suit. (I later got Marta Kristin's autograph at a sci-fi convention, but that's another story.)

Speaking of visiting relatives and TV, another time we were visiting my Uncle Joe and Aunt Marion in January 1966 to go sledding with my cousins. I remember the date because my sister and I watched the George Sanders Mr. Freeze episode of Batman with my cousin James. (There were three Mr. Freezes, Otto Preminger and Eli Wallach were the other two) That was the third or fourth Batman episode. It was a Wednesday because it was part one. Part two was on Thursday. It was an unusual experience because in those days before DVRs, we would watch Lost in Space on Wed. from 7:30 to 8:30 and see part two of Batman on Thurs. Anyway, we kids were all excited because we thought with all the snow we'd have to stay overnight. I was only six so this was a big deal. But my dad said it was time to go home. Driving back, our car hit a patch of ice and we crashed into a fence. I don't remember how long we were there, but my dad must have called a tow truck to get us out and we got home eventually.

Riding the Subway with Mr. Sulu

Friday morning I was riding the subway to work and George Takei, Mr. Sulu from the original Star Trek series got on at 42nd Street. I wasn't sure if it was him since he was wearing dark glasses, but as soon as he started talking to the man with him--I assume it was his partner whom he married in California before the hateful Prop. 8 was passed--I recognized his voice.

"We need to get off at 8th Street--NYU," he said. That was my stop. I figured I would say something to him when we all left the train so he wouldn't have to deal with all the people in the car who would recognize him.

I had a perfect reason to say hello other than just "I'm a big dorky Trekkie fan." About 23 years ago I was a volunteer guest escort--no, not that kind--at a sci-fi convention where Takei was a guest speaker. At the time I was a member of UNYT—The New York-based Doctor Who fan club. Yes, I admit it, God help me. I forget what the initials stood for, but it was a variation on UNIT, the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce that dealt with extraterrestrial stuff in the Doctor Who series. Anyway, the group was involved with organizing this event which took place at the Ethical Cultural Society on the Upper West Side. Also in attendance were the second Doctor Who (Patrick Troughton) and the fifth Doctor Who (Peter Davison) and some British horror movie queen named Caroline Munro.

I wound up serving as George’s guest escort when a friend of mine who was coordinating speaker relations grabbed me at the convention—it was called Infinicon—and told me Sulu’s original guest escort failed to pick him up at the hotel. It turned out the guy overslept. What would I have to do?, I asked. Here’s his schedule, she said, all you have to do is take him from event to event. First he gives his talk and question and answer session, then he signs autographs for an hour, then take him to lunch, there’s a talent show tonight, then tomorrow a special luncheon for people who have paid extra. So I said okay. He was a lot of fun and it was great to be with him as people on the street recognized him.

I haven’t been to one of these things in a long time. Comic Con and the other comic-book conventions I’ve been to aren’t really the same thing; they are too big or they don’t concentrate on intimate interaction between stars of old sci-fi shows and the fans. I used to go all the time. During the course of my convention-going, I met or saw most of the crew of the original Enterprise, most of the Doctor Whos, several of his companions, Jonathan Harris (Dr. Smith from Lost in Space) and Judy from the same show, Joyce Randolph from the Honeymooners, Dawn Wells from Gilligan’s Island, some cast members from V and Blake’s Seven, Adam West (the original Batman from the 1960s series which was my favorite TV show), and Chewbacca from Star Wars.

It would be fun now to go to one, but these days the cons are either enormous media whore shows like Comic Con with little interaction or they are rinky-dink things with D-List people like wrestling stars or Mason Reese (the former commercial child star who looked like a tiny old man) or Larry Storch or Bill Daly from I Dream of Jeannie, The Bob Newhart Show, and Match Game sitting at tables and selling their autographs from $10.

When the train got to 8th Street, Takei and his partner were not making to get up. But I had to in order to make it to work. Should I tell him “I was listening in and heard you say you should get off at this stop”? Instead I just shook his hand and said “George, I just wanted to say hi. Twenty years ago, I was your guest escort at a convention.” He smiled and said “Is that right?” The doors were opening and I said “It’s nice to see you” and left. He was still on the train. There’s wasn’t time for me to say “I thought you wanted to get off here.” So I am guilty of making George Takei miss his stop, I guess he wasn’t a very good helmsman. Get it?