Memory Lane

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The Prime Time of Our Lives: Sunday, Oct. 22, 1961 (the U.S. TV network lineup 62 years ago tonight)​

Oct 22, 2023


9:16

Maverick, Disney, Lassie, Bonanza, Candid Camera and more.

 

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You Might be Old…If You Remember This! - Part 10​

Oct 27, 2023


10:17

Your memories from childhood may be some of the most vivid and cherished. What seemed like a much simpler time, was actually filled with so many things that made life exciting and unforgettable. From family time to spending lots of time outside with friends, the good old days have been etched into our minds because of all the small details that filled our lives. So once again, you might just be old, if you remember this.

 

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TV Dialing 1960s Commercials #1: Reflections of what we watched, what we bought and what we thought​

Nov 2, 2023


12:57

Yes, that is Maureen McCormick in the Barbie ad.

 

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13 Things from the 1970s, Kids Today Will Never Understand!​

Nov 3, 2023


9:58

There are some things that are unique to the decade that we grew up in. The 1970s was no different, having a distinct style that is easily recognizable, even to newer generations. But aside from the obvious disco and bell bottom trends, there were more minute details that people living during that time will easily recognize. So, here are 13 things from the 1970s that kids today would never understand.

 

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A Look Back At Christmas Through The Years (1950s-1990s)​

Nov 5, 2023


8:01

Christmas has changed quite a bit since the 1950s. In this video, we are looking back at how Christmas used to be from the 1950s through the 1990s.

 

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An Old Time Radio Thanksgiving​

Nov 5, 2023


18:07

Happy Thanksgiving everybody! I hope you have a great November!

 

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You Might be Old…If You Remember This! - Part 11​

Nov 10, 2023


9:05

As we get older, many of us long for the days of our younger years. The details that made up life decades ago are easy to forget, but we are also quickly reminded of things that seem to transport us back in time. Usually it is something small or unimportant that stirs our memories and brings back to life some random moments from childhood. So, sit back and enjoy, because you might be old, if you remember this.

 

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Video Vault Vol. 41: More rare clips of our shared pop culture past (mostly 1960s)​

Nov 16, 2023


13:41

 

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Vintage Beer Brands That Are Sadly Missed!​

Nov 17, 2023

9:35

Americans love their beer, and it's a big industry with a long history. But over time, there are always winners and losers in this competitive market. Some beers that were once extremely popular have simply fallen out of favor and vanished, never finding their way back into a bottle, can, or keg. So, these are the vintage beer brands that are sadly missed.

 

[searcher]

This Meant You Were Rich…in the 1970s​

Nov 19, 2023


9:45

If you think back to middle or high school, we all had friends that we thought were rich. They always seemed to be one of the cool kids and all of them had certain things that everyone else wished they had. The biggest house, the nicest clothes, and the best toys always set them apart. So, here are some things that meant you were one of the rich kids during the 1970s.

 

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FredFlix Favorites: Top 30 Films Of The 1960s (even if you don't agree you can enjoy the music)​

Sep 29, 2018

12:24

 

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Baby Boomer Life Skills, That Are Useless Today​

Nov 24, 2023


9:51

There used to be certain skills that were taught to us that prepared us for living a productive life. These were things that our parents would pass along, maybe they were even taught to us in school, or maybe we just figured it out ourselves, but regardless, they were essential to us. Now-a-days, many of these life-skills have been abandoned, especially with newer generations. So, let’s take a look back at these baby boomer life skills that seem useless today.

 

[searcher]

13 Things from the 1960s, Kids Today Will Never Understand!​

Dec 1, 2023


10:04

There are many things that are completely unique to the 1960s. If you grew up during that time, then you know how different they are from today. Entertainment, culture, and just basic daily routines have changed drastically. So, here are 13 things from the 1960s that kids today would never fully understand.

 

[searcher]

The Prime Time of Our Lives: Wednesdays, Fall of 1967 (the U.S. network TV lineup 56 years ago)​

Dec 6, 2023


7:41

The Avengers, Lost in Space, The Beverly Hillbillies, Run for Your Life and more. Note: Batman by this time had been reduced to once-a-week showings on Thursday.

 

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Things Rich Kids Had in the 1980s...That You Wanted!​

Dec 8, 2023

8:38

The 1980s was a time when everything was changing. Some kids always seemed to be on the cutting edge of technological advances and fashion trends, and they always seemed to have expensive tastes. We all grew up knowing someone who had it all, it might have been one particular friend or maybe it was just a random kid who was spoiled rotten. So, let’s take a look back at some things that meant you were rich during the 1980s.

 

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Diners, Drive-Ins, & Dances: Teenage Life in 1950s America​

8:04

 

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Obsolete Things That Take You Back To Your Childhood​

Dec 15, 2023

There are certain things about growing up that are easy to forget about. The simple, but somewhat mundane details that were all around us as we got older. See how many of these you remember, as we look back on obsolete things that should take you back to your childhood.


9:06

​

 

[Casey Jones]

The story of Howard Deering Johnson is one that merits its own focus.

And how it grew to how huge it got...a testament to the American entrepreneurial spirit...how focusing on the mission...good food, control of quality, at a reasonable price, in a clean, attractive setting...how focusing on the mission, can lead to overwhelming success.

And how indolence, in the form of Johnson's unfocused son...and how the Financialists, in this case (IIRC) Marriot, who bought the chain for the land it owned and the motels...could lead to a collapse.

They were not the first. Fred Harvey, the railroad dining-car operator, moved to permanent roadside restaurants...and then collapsed, much the same fashion as HoJo's did, later. Denny's Donuts...rose, quickly; were everywhere...mediocre quality but, the only choice at 0230...but then, got mugged by the race hustlers. They chose to compromise rather than fight, and that was the beginning of their slow downfall.

Sambo's...Perkins...recently, Quizno's. To say nothing of other retailers, such as Sears, Kmart, A&P. Rise, get spoiled and sloppy, lose focus, and fall.

 

[searcher]

Past Social Norms… You Can’t Get Away With Today​

Dec 22, 2023

It is funny to think about how different society has become from when we grew up. For some it’s even sad, but change is inevitable. The things that were once considered fun, might be considered scary or unsafe today. So, let’s revisit some things that were once perfectly acceptable to do, but now you wouldn’t dare do them.


9:40

 

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Funny Things You Were Guilty Of… in the 1970s​

Dec 29, 2023

There are many things about each decade that are regrettable. Many of us became wrapped up in a fad or two, that we wish we would have skipped over. The 1970s, especially, was filled with some embarrassing, but memorable ones. So let’s revisit some of these funny fads that many of us were guilty of taking part in during the 1970s.


8:10

 

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TV Dialing 1950s Commercials #1: Reflections of what we watched, what we bought and what we thought​

Jan 3, 2024


12:23

 

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13 Things from the 1950s, Kids Today Will Never Understand!​

The 1950s was all about having a typical life, which included a small ranch style home, a mother who stayed home to care for children, and a father who left for work each morning. Times have certainly changed, not only is the family structure more diverse, but growing up in general looks nothing like it used to. So, here are 13 things from the 1950s that kids today would never fully understand.


9:48

 

[searcher]

Funny Things You Were Guilty Of…in the 1960s​

Jan 12, 2024
The 1960s was a decade that was filled with things that are unique to that time. From the fads in fashion and pop culture to the toys and habits of young people, the sixties was all about change. Things were shifting away from a more conservative time and entering into an experimental and free-spirited approach to life. So let’s revisit some of the crazy things many of us were guilty of taking part in during the 1960s.


9:07

 

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Old Home Features From The Past That Have Been Abandoned - VIDEO COMPILATION​

Jan 19, 2024
Homes have certainly changed over time. As technology has evolved and homes have become smarter, many home features have been lost all-together. This video is revisiting some of my older videos, compiling them into a longer, more comprehensive presentation. So, please enjoy the complete list of old home features that have been abandoned with the passing of time.


17:31

 

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Girls Did All These Things in the 1970s​

Life in the 1970s was special to say the least. As parents were struggling to put food on the table and fill up their gas tanks, young people were busy living their life and living in the moment. Girls especially were busy during this decade, and their lives were filled with moments that were common to many others during this time. So, let’s take a look back at things that all girls did back in the 1970s.


8:04

 

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TV Dialing 1960s Commercials #2: Reflections of what we watched, what we bought and what we thought​

12:30

 

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Funny Things You Were Guilty Of…in the 1950s​

Feb 2, 2024
The 1950s are considered the golden age of America, when life seemed like it couldn't get much better. With that outlook, there were bound to be certain trends that influenced popular culture in ways that help to define the decade. Today some of these things may seem silly, or outdated, but during the 1950s they were just how things were. So, let’s see how many of these things you were guilty of…in the 1950s.


8:18

 

[searcher]

This Happened, But You Forgot…1970s​

Feb 9, 2024
The 1970s were jam packed with ups and downs that made the 1970s, well the 70s. The stereotypical trends established the aesthetic of the decade, but it was the details that make it unique. The events, the products, the experiences, and the people are actually what we remember the most, so let’s take a look back at some of the more obscure things that happened, that you probably forgot about… in the 1970s. 10 mins long.

 

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UNUSUAL Car Features From The Past - VIDEO COMPILATION​

Feb 16, 2024

Through the years, we have watched our cars become more and more advanced, but many of the features that were built into these older cars are ones we remember fondly. Learning how to drive and getting your very first car was a big deal, and that’s why it’s sad to think about the changes. This video revisits some of my older videos, compiling them into a longer, more comprehensive presentation. So, please enjoy this compilation of obsolete car features from the past.


17:13

 

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Did Baby Boomers Have More Fun?​

Feb 23, 2024

Some think nostalgia for the 1950s and 1960s is overrated. And most generations feel like they were lucky to have grown up in the era they did. But, I would argue that Baby Boomers may have been the luckiest of them all. So let’s take a look back at why baby boomers were able to have more fun, then any other generation.


9:54

 

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Things Not Found In Schools Anymore​

Mar 1, 2024
Through the years, schools have evolved, with many of the things that we remember about going to school becoming lost to the past. School supplies, technology, or lack thereof in the classroom, and the simple pleasures of just being a student have been lost. This video revisits some of my older videos, compiling them into a longer, more comprehensive presentation. So, please enjoy this compilation of things no longer found in schools.


15:10

 

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The 20 best movies built for nostalgia

Many of our favorite movies hooked us by evoking a powerful sense of nostalgia for the past. Some of these films are set in a time or place you experienced firsthand; others dredge up formative feelings of first love, heartbreak, and friendship so powerfully that you feel as though you lived...

www.yardbarker.com

 

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How Nostalgia Is Making the World a Better Place—One Memory at a Time - Profectus Magazine

Years ago, William Dunn encountered a young boy who was having behavioral problems. After learning that the boy’s father wasn’t in his life, William offered to take the young man fishing. For William, fishing had always been a restorative activity that helped him deal with the stressors of life...

profectusmag.com

 

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TV Dialing 1970s Commercials #5: Reflections of what we watched, what we bought and what we thought​

Mar 4, 2024

FredFlix: The World We Knew


14:35

 

[searcher]

1980s Girls Did All These Things​

Mar 7, 2024

The 1980s was such a distinct time, and much of what we remember about the trends and fads that dominated the decade centered around the things that girls were doing. There were quirky fashion statements and funny behaviors that take us right back to the eighties. So, let’s take a look back at things that all teenage girls did back in the 1980s.


9:13

 

[searcher]

Are Baby Boomers Tougher Than You?​

Mar 8, 2024

When we think about how life was years ago, it’s hard not to compare it to things today. Although the middle of the 20th century was a pivotal time with quality of life being at an all-time high, the kids growing up during this time still dealt with some challenging moments. So, here are some reasons Baby Boomers grew up tough, and why they might be tougher than you!


10:51

 

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Forgotten & Defunct Grocery Stores - VIDEO COMPILATION​

Mar 15, 2024

Throughout the years, we have had our favorites when it comes to grocery stores. Some of this loyalty may have been passed down from parents that often took you shopping with them. You may even remember the sights and smells from those trips, which bring back great memories from the past. This video revisits some of my older videos, compiling them into a longer, more comprehensive presentation. So, please enjoy this compilation of forgotten and defunct grocery stores that were such a big part of our lives.


21:01

 

[Someone_else]

You may even remember the sights and smells from those trips, which bring back great memories from the past.

I remember one local market. It was in a residential area and probably family owned (going by the name). My dad said they had the best meats. The meat counter had a distinctive smell, maybe a sour smell of aging or curing meat. They may have made their own salami there. We would often get the meat wrapped in white paper with a label showing the weight and price. A few times, they would run meat through the slicer and wrap it up in front of us.

The rest of the store had ordinary grocery goods, and we usually went to the "big" grocery store. But this smaller store brings back memories of the meat counter and the magazine racks where I would read (and often buy) Mad Magazine.

Since this is "Memory Lane", who remembers the free record singles on super-thin vinyl? I remember getting one in a Mad Magazine ("Making Out") and I think another with a box of cereal. And my dusty old brain thinks there were also some promotional records (short, of course) on that thin medium. My memory is hazy, but I think I cut them round with scissors before putting them on the record player.

ADDED: After watching the video at 1.5 speed, I note that we had an "Alpha Beta" store where we bought most of our groceries. I remember my mom going to some computerized kiosk and running her check through it so to authorize her payment later in the checkout. Also, this is the store where I first learned (maybe 10 YO?) about bagels. And to make sure of details, there were the usual coin-fed dispensers of candy and toys at the exits.

I have removed a great deal of text because it is not "on topic". But I encourage everyone else to add.

 

[searcher]

But I encourage everyone else to add.

- Party lines
- Saturday morning cartoons, westerns, Saturday night fights
- TV stations going off air nightly
- ABC, CBS, NBC being the only stations the PBS and UHF coming along. If you were lucky your family had a rotary antenna. We could get NY stations with ours.
- Radio shack Patrolman short wave receivers, Zenith Transoceanic receivers, HealthKit catalogs, CB radio
- Silver coins taken out of circulation. Had a teacher who asked us to bring him dimes, quarters and half dollars in exchange for FRNs. He later bought a Cadillac. Was in the 6th grade.
- Bank account interest rates being stable (opening a savings account around 10 yrs old)
- Savings bonds
- Collecting bottles for cash (2 or 5 cents)
- Cutting grass and shoveling snow for money
- Door to door salesman
- Encyclopedia Britanica, World Book Encyclopedia
- Stores being closed on Sundays
- Bars closed on election days
- Milk men, bread men, Charles Chips, diaper men, fruit and vegetable hawkers, etc.
- Green stamps at the grocery stores
- Road side farm stands
- People with root cellars - usually stocked with lots of home canned stuff.
- American made appliances, clothes, shoes, tools
- Businesses showing loyalty to employees
- Quality exercise and gym equipment at reasonable prices
- Doctors making house calls
- Neighbors being neighborly - helping each other, watching kids, etc.
- Cigarette commercials on tv, in magazines, on billboards
- Talking to WWII vets about some of the things they saw in the war
- Pop Warner football, little league baseball, PAL boxing
- Day trips to the shore (Seaside Heights, Wildwood.) If you were lucky your family spent a week or two there in the summer.
- Cold war, protests, air raid sirens being tested, duck and cover, CD shelters in schools, subways, some churches. The shelters were usually stocked with certain items. This was a great time for shortwave listening.
- Car and house prices being affordable
- Book mobiles and sometimes mobile dental clinics
- Polio, iron lungs and the Salk vaccine
- Motown - British Invasion

 

[Casey Jones]

I have removed a great deal of text because it is not "on topic". But I encourage everyone else to add.

I did a column on this - when I was a weekly commentator at a site called Capitol Hill Coffeehouse. The site is gone; I believe the owner is deceased - bad car accident. No word of his death, but I never knew his full given name. He wrote under a pen name; he was an insurance salesman and former broadcaster.

But it hit me, twenty years ago...how American consumers were coming up on heavy seas.

I opened it by comparing my childhood experiences in the neighborhood supermarket, to what I was experiencing in the tail end of our Golden Age, 2004.

I leave the off-topic comments on, as they give some perspective to what are now obviously dated views.

Dingy.

That's what I remember most about it. I don't know if the word was in my vocabulary at the time...but it describes the place.

It was the Fisher Bros. Grocers (Incorporated) store in a strip mall called the Great Northern Shopping Center on Cleveland's West Side. The place was small by today's standards - a little smaller than the quaint A&Ps that came a few years later, with the sloped roofs and cupolas. The front was glass, inevitably obscured by sale items of bagged dog food, or charcoal briquettes, or peat moss or some such. The floor was a poured-resin yellow, of a kind I later saw a lot on Navy galleys. It looked dirty, always - even when it wasn't.

We'd go in, my mother, my baby brother and I...My little brother would be in the baby seat. My mother would mostly be oblivious, to us as she poured over her shopping list, working the prices into her mechanical adding tool or adding them up on the shopping list. I'd look around...a curious fellow I was, always.

Far overhead there were the rows of fluorescent tubes, not enough, it seemed, even then. The light was white, but too faint - that was a common feature of big stores of the time. The ceiling tiles were white, also - but dingy with unreachable dust, which also hung on the fluorescents. The whole effect was that of a pall - even in a room full of food, it seemed a depressing place.

I remember the open-top coolers of the time; I even remember the manufacturer's name - Hillman, it was. I found it so fascinating that frozen and refrigerated food could be in those open deep-trays, with no covering, when my parents were always yelling to close the refrigerator door, NOW! There were the monotonous, unimaginative displays in the poor light - pyramids of Green Giant canned peas, or interlocked walls of Charmin.

And then the shopping was completed. We'd get in the long lines at the checkout stands, with the women (always, women) working the cash registers frantically, the boys (always boys or old men) bagging the items as they were passed back. The sun would be coming through the front windows, which in direct light always seemed a bit dirty - and the manager, in his white apron and hat, would be overseeing the process and checking his watch - the store closed at 5:00 sharp every day.

And then we would be out in the evening sun, to load the groceries into the old Rambler and make it home before Dad did.

I hated that store. The place depressed me.

Fast forward forty years. Once again in the neighborhood I grew up in, I needed to make a trip to the grocery this evening.

The Fisher Bros. chain is now part of the Giant Eagle foodglomerate. They've moved, too - about a mile from the old location, which is now a CompUSA outlet. The "new" store, seven years old, is about five times the size - and worlds away in environment.

The first thing you see is the floor tile. It's synthetic stone, grouted - easy to roll a cart on but an attractive tan coloring. Then you notice the light. The ceiling is actually unfinished; you can see the corrugated steel and the trusses; but it's painted a flat maroon-brown and it's unobtrusive. Mercury vapor lights spaced intelligently cast an even, fresh light.

Then there's the layout. It's satisfying visually. Instead of monotonous rows upon rows, the areas are broken up with displays and stands and offers - and even a cafe area to sit and eat items off the in-store deli. Things are marked, things are clean - and they look fresh, vibrant, imaginative. It's a pleasure to shop in a place like that - as compared to, say, a typical Super K.

Need I mention that the store is stocked, with just about every damn food or drug or personal-care item you could conceivably need? Along with more non-food stuff than ever found its way into a Ben Franklin, in years past.

And it's there for my convenience. The best time for me to shop, I've found, is 3 a.m., unless I need some fresh meat or a deli item. No lines, no waiting, one self-serve checkout stand - and about forty employees stocking, ready and willing to help locating items.

This is progress. This is a society in affluence. No one can tell me, after I come out of such a delightful store, that we're in hard times or on the wrong track.

Alas, as I pass the newspaper vending rack - seven major-city papers available, right next to the cafe-deli - the news is not good. The news is of a fearful shortage of influenza vaccine, now that a British pharmaceutical company's stock was condemned. How did we arrive at this, here in the Land of Plenty - dependent on foreign firms to produce lifesaving vaccines?

(edited to fit)

So, as Kerry Reveals His Plan, let's take a trip down to my neighborhood Giant Eagle.

Curtailment of "outsourcing" - that is, double taxation on goods made by foreign subsidies - will price a whole class of goods out of the market. Let's face it, a lot of this stuff is just modern-day trinketry - throwaway CD players, kitchen utensils, retractable dog leashes. Gone...they cannot be made profitably using $18.00 per hour unionized Americans.

And this cuts into the profit margin of the store.

Then, there's the raising of the Minimum Wage. Even though unionized, grocery workers don't make a whole lot today.

Frankly, the job doesn't justify it. Stock the shelves, stack the boxes, wave the product over the scanner. Hell, the machine even figures the change; spits it out, even.

Higher labor costs translates to fewer bodies. Whoops!...guess we can't afford to be open all night anymore.
Higher corporate taxes - a need for higher returns on each operation. Will this store close? Don't know...but it's dead-solid sure there'll be fewer opening in the future. Less choice, less selection.

And as government gets into pricing of other basic needs, like energy, it can only have the effect it's had on vaccines, on the railroad industry, on education. Either prices will be held artificially low, with no suppliers willing to comply; or prices will be raised high enough, and possibly too high - without the checks and controls of the market, of Adam Smith's "invisible hand."

And in either case or any case, suppliers will understand who the REAL master is, and where the power lies.

And as we go marketing for our basic needs, for needs our betters in Big Government have decided we cannot do without, we will find the shelves are no longer stocked so well - or the marketplace so attractive.

16 October 2004