Here in Britain, people of my generation had to endure some pretty ropy children's television when we were little. Even so, we were enthralled by the limited menu - all in black and white of course. I guess that as children we had a better capacity than most adults for making allowances for the amateurishness of it all.
This is a "down memory lane" kind of blogpost. I thought that visitors from foreign lands might be interested in getting a taste of what British children lapped up in the late 1950s through to the early sixties.
Here's "Andy Pandy"...
Here are "The Woodentops"...
And here are Bill and Ben "The Flowerpot Men"...
Of course there was no catch-up TV back then. No videos. And these shows were screened only once a week. If you missed "Andy Pandy" you would have to wait till next week to see another episode.
Looking back, it is easy to deduce that the programmes I have flagged up were crude foundation stones from which later, much more sophisticated children's television could evolve. Everything has to start somewhere.
Sorry, professor, I couldn't bring myself to watch them. My childhood t.v. watching (which didn't begin until I was 12 or 13) centered on Buck Rogers and Hopalong Cassidy! Ever heard of them?
ReplyDeleteSure old timer! My very first wristwatch was a Hopalong Cassidy one.
DeleteStuff has to start somewhere and the limitations are from the development of the technology at the time. I was in the Arctic from 63 to 69. I missed that era of television.
ReplyDeleteMy childhood Canadian TV fare was "The Friendly Giant" (to cultivate an appreciation of books and music in kids), "Chez Helene" (lessons in speaking basic French words) and "The Forest Rangers" (gripping excitement in the boreal forest with kids, park rangers and Mounties -- oh dear, that doesn't sound quite right, does it?).
ReplyDelete