SCI-FI MEMORIES
Memories of gathering around the heavy, wooden, floor-model radio that stood in the living room of my childhood home come to mind. Our entire family loved to sit close to that radio and listen to fantastic stories that entered the room over the airwaves.
I well remember The Shadow and Buck Rogers entertaining us of an evening. I also remember the night the world went into hysterics when Orson Welles' War of the Worlds was aired.
Then, TV entered our world. I was twelve before Dad could afford such a luxury for his family. Mom didn't work outside the home and it wasn't easy to provide for five people on Dad's meager wages. I never found out how he managed to scrimp and save to buy that TV, but I know he did. Dad never bought anything on credit - he didn't believe in it. One evening when he came home from work, he brought an eighteen-inch floor model into the house. My brother and I were ecstatic. Though we didn't know it, TV would open up a whole new world for us.
After supper, Dad set the black and white TV in a corner of our living room. We kids watched as the screen flickered into brightness. We danced with excitement. This was a marvelous contraption. Suddenly, disappointment overwhelmed us. We had expected to see a picture; instead all we saw was a snowy pattern. Our jaws dropped! There was something seriously wrong. Our brand new TV wasn't working.
My brother and I eyed our father, baffled. He didn't seem to be upset at all. Then, he opened a smaller box and pulled out a strange looking contraption. Rabbit ears. He hooked them up and before we knew it, we were watching a sharp, clear picture, though we could get only four channels. If reception was bad, Dad would open a metal coat hanger and attach it to the rabbit ears to bring in the shows.
Our TV watching was greatly restricted. Our homework and farm chores had to be done before we could watch any TV. At first, we were satisfied with this arrangement. Then, we discovered that we could experience adventures while watching TV.
Over the years I have watched a lot of science fiction. It still isn't my preferred choice but there have been some half-decent movies made. I remember when William Shatner was chosen for the part of Captain James T. Kirk on the original Star Trek series. Canadians were proud. Shatner was leaving his mark on the world. Everyone suddenly became a "Trekkie." I was disgusted. I never thought much of the show and thought that Shatner left much to be desired as an actor. However, I did like Mr Spock, played by Leonard Nimoy. Finally, the show ended. I breathed a sigh of relief.
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