I am a procrastinator when it comes to trying new technology. I think my parents instilled that in me at a very young age. If it ain’t broke, don’t replace it! I’m sure that’s what they were thinking. Way back in the 60’s, we had a single black and white television in the family room of our house. There were three VHF channels which would be received looking quite unwatchable unless one of us went into the attic to adjust the rickety old antenna. Three networks, NBC, CBS, and ABC, broadcasting so much quality television programming, and six family members of so many different ages and with so many different tastes could result in so many conflicts! I remember the Lucy versus Laugh-In debacle, as well as Disney versus 60 Minutes, and so on. So many great programs broadcast simultaneously, and someone didn’t get to see his or her choice of programming. An irreparable dilemma…or so I thought!
My own first internal conflict with programs scheduled at the same time happened when Batman on ABC, and Lost in Space on CBS, were telecast on the same night at the same time. I remember Batman would air Part One of a two part episode on Wednesday nights, and on Thursday nights, the conflict was resolved, but to watch the drama unfold in the two part saga, I had to miss the first half of Lost in Space…and if I wanted to see the entire episode of Lost in Space, I’d have to miss the crime be committed on Batman. Batman, of course, won the battle because every fourth grader, including myself, loved the show and wanted to emulate the caped crusader when Halloween arrived. Well, half of Lost in Space was better than none, but there would never be a better solution to this problem…..or so I thought!
I remember going to visit my Grandparents and Aunt in South Philly on Sunday nights, and we were often in the car on the way home between nine and ten o’clock, and I had to miss watching Bonanza! I loved Bonanza, and I had a Bonanza lunch pail with a Bonanza thermos! It was my favorite! I knew there would never be a solution to missing a program I liked as much as Bonanza. There were also the ten o’clock programs when I was a kid that I wasn’t allowed to stay up to see, like Carol Burnett, or Danny Kaye, or The Fugitive. No, these programs were going to be broadcast once, never to be seen or heard again…or so I thought!
One of my favorite memories as a child was watching The Wizard of Oz on our black and white television, or one of my Grandparents’ black and white televisions. The only reason I knew that part of it was in color was that I remember the black and white NBC peacock telling me so. I remember the film being shown only once a year on television, usually in the spring. We always knew when it was coming, as it was an annual must see! I also remember knowing where the commercial breaks would be from year to year. I wasn’t fond of having to wait until after one or two commercials for the movie to return. It was a long ninety seconds for a ten year old! There was no way I would ever see The Wizard of Oz without commercials…..or so I thought!
Well, my parents’ technological advancements were astounding in the 70’s. Our first color television arrived in 1972, right after the black and white one passed away. The first time I turned on that TV, I was mesmerized at the color and the seemingly three dimensional picture. We also were now the new proud owners of an amazing novelty that had apparently been around a few years, but it was new to us – UHF. Now I found myself watching some sixties programs all over again to see them in color. The new TV had a little round antenna on it to try to get a good signal, but, alas, the picture was not clear, but it was in color! I was older now and able to stay up to watch the ten o’clock shows. When The Wizard of Oz was aired that spring, the introductory peacock and much of the film was in color. The timing of the commercial breaks, however, was unchanged. It would be nice to be able to see the film in color and uncut. Surely, advances in technology would never enable such demands….or so I thought!
By the end of the 70’s, we had cable television for the first time. A channel called Prism would feature full length films on television! Our distorted picture was now a thing of the past, and UHF channels were now a part of the cable channel lineup. There were so many choices with cable television. The family dynamics had changed with my two older sisters now being married and out of the house. The four of us that remained could usually agree on what to watch. I found that only a few of the movies on Prism were box office hits, and most were flops. No Wizard of Oz on Prism! I did wish that, with cable, I could somehow watch two programs that were on at the same time, but on different channels. It wouldn’t work to have two TV’s next to each other. There was no remote control at that point, so there was no switching back and forth between the two programs. I would just have to miss one of the programs whenever this situation emerged…or so I thought!
In the 80’s, my wildest dreams were realized. I could now watch a program on TV, such as The Cosby Show, and record Magnum, P. I. on a newfangled device called a VCR! I would put this thing called a VHS tape in the recorder and Voila! Two shows airing at the same time and I got to see both of them! My disenchantment with my VCR came in the form of not wanting to spend fifty to one hundred dollars for prerecorded material, and not wanting to fast forward a tape, because it would wear out the motor in the VCR, as well as destroy the tape. I patiently watched recorded programs with commercials intact to be able to watch all my favorite programs, and to preserve the life of my VCR. I recorded The Wizard of Oz with all its ads, and now my children could enjoy the film exactly as I did so many years ago! It couldn’t get any better than this…or so I thought!
By the time the 90’s got here, I had three children, and a VCR. I continued to record programs. I still recorded programs from the sixties and seventies to enjoy. I recorded children’s programs. By now, though, those ninety second commercial breaks had expanded to three minutes, and reruns of my favorite syndicated shows consisted of butchered episodes to leave room for an expanded commercial window. Prerecorded VHS tapes had dropped in price, and now I was the proud owner of my own commercial free copy of The Wizard of Oz, and the kids and I could watch it whenever we wanted. Life could not get any better…or so I thought!
Soon it was beyond the year 2000. VHS tapes were obsolete, and there were DVD’s. Some movies, such as The Wizard of Oz, were now available on DVD, a good thing for my fourth and youngest child, who became obsessed with the film and watched it every day. The DVD did not wear out, it played beautifully, over and over and over again. Unfortunately, what I thought would be impossible was happening – I was growing tired of The Wizard of Oz! Gone were the days when it was broadcast only once a year. It was now on DVD and frequently showed up on Turner Classic Movies.
I was officially middle aged by this point, and commercial breaks on television had become so long, close to five minutes, that sometimes I couldn’t remember what had happened in the program I was viewing before the break, and sometimes I couldn’t remember what I was watching! It would take an hour to watch a forty two minute program, and a half hour to watch a twenty two minute program. Watching a movie on commercial television had become absolute torture. Reruns of my favorite old programs had virtually disappeared with the syndication of newer programs and even some currently running programs. I found that I could fall asleep during any length program. Things would never be what I wanted them to be during my leisure time again…or so I thought!
Today, we are the proud owners of a newfangled invention called DVR. We can record programs without the use of a VCR, and we can fast forward through commercials, and watch more programming in less time. Survivor and American Idol are on at the same time? No problem! Miss The Office for American Idol? I think not! Miss Chuck when Dancing With the Stars is on? Never! There is also On Demand, where we can access and watch programs when we are ready, also without commercials. Our Cable Company has them already recorded for us! In the sixties, I wasn’t allowed to stay up for any ten o’clock programs, now in the 2000’s, it had become impossible for me to stay awake during any ten o’clock program. Now, with DVR, I’ll never have to miss Hawaii Five-O or The Mentalist again!
I haven’t seen The Wizard of Oz in about seven or more years, with or without commercials, but I know if I want to reminisce and watch the film again, I could take the carefully shelved DVD and find new pleasure in viewing it, perhaps with a grandchild someday! My absolute favorite programs from the olden days have been released on DVD, most at reasonable prices because the programs are so old, and I am watching uncut and restored episodes at my convenience.
If it ain’t broke, don’t replace it. Yes, I’m cheap and afraid to buy something that is not tried and true. I have access to my favorite programming in my leisure time, thanks to DVR and DVD. Viewing pleasure couldn’t get any better…or so I thought. With two ancient RCA televisions, with nineteen and twenty six inch screens, we are a little behind the times. Rumor has it that televisions nowadays have bigger and wider screens and better clarity. As soon as those RCA’s pass away, I guess I’ll find out!
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