puddintane

I have been a TV addict since I was 3 (in the late 50s). We didn't have a color set until 1968.

Our town had an early form of cable called "community antenna", which used a tower on top of a mountain to receive programming from Birmingham, AL, Huntsville, AL, and Atlanta, GA. Since we lived near the point where the line came down from the mountain, our family was one of the first in town to have this service. At the time, there were no satellite feeds. All we had was content on channels 2-13.

One of the more interesting advantages was seeing the news an hour early from Atlanta. Channel 17 from Atlanta, which eventually was built by Ted Turner into the Superstation TBS, allowed us to see great reruns, the Atlanta Braves, and occasional quirky programs.

I have also loved movies from an early age. Back during my childhood days, the fun of having a "short feature" (cartoon) before the main show was an expected treat. I came to love most all cartoons: Looney Tunes, Merrie Melodies, and Woody Woodpecker on the big screen. By the time I was about five, Saturday mornings were jam-packed with everything from older to the latest cartoons. I also liked full-length animated features such as "Fantasia".

Studios like Hanna-Barbera were making limited animation shows for TV. I got hooked on the Jetsons, since around that time everyone foresaw a bright, fun future filled with robots, flying cars, and talking computers (nearly sentient at that!).

I don't know who screwed the whole deal up, but we are into the 21st century and I want to know where my flying car, personal jet pack, robot assistant, automatic meal machine, and 20-hour work week went!? At least I finally have my 46" flat screen digital TV!

My next "future obsession" was "Lost in Space". I was locked on to the travels of the Jupiter II, the Robinsons, Robot Class M-3 Model B9, Don West, and the mischievous "Dr. Smith".

Soon after, my dad and I started watching this new show, "Star Trek". My friend Art and I later watched reruns and imagined all sorts of things that might or might not ever be possible. From that point on, I've been a space- and science-fiction fanatic. We just recently finished all of "Firefly", and are working our way through the newer "Battlestar Galactica". I saw the original series during its first run.

I often quote Warner Brothers cartoons as a signature, each tailored as close to the post as I can get. My favorite character is Marvin the Martian. Back when there were Warner Brothers Studio stores in the mall, I collected Marvin watches and other collectables. One of my all-time favorites is my Marvin Lava lamp.