Final Confirmation, I’m A Classic TV Nut!

I confess, I am a classic TV nut, and now I have confirmation that it's pretty much always been that way.

I stumbled across this old newspaper clipping the other day from nearly 40 years ago, not even aware that I still had it in my possession, and it was very eye-opening. At age 15, I had written a letter to the Rocky Mountain News TV Dial to express my disappointment that Get Smart had been taken off the schedule. I still can't believe they actually printed my letter.

For starters, I am old enough to remember the day when we got three channels plus PBS from an antenna on the roof. I would say it was maybe in my Junior High years when we finally got cable TV. But, there was always some great shows on after school like The Brady Bunch, The Flinstones, Gilligan's Island,The Adams Family, Bewitched, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Andy Griffith, Flipper, and Get Smart.

My comment about Get Smart in the letter is pretty hilarious "one of the better shows on television." (my face is getting red with embarrassment!)

My guess is, this is where my love for classic TV shows was born, and grew and became firmly implanted in my brain and heart. I feel the need to clarify the fact that I wasn't old enough to have seen these shows when they originally aired on network TV - only in re-runs.

In my defense, I am not in love with every classic TV show from the 60s and 70s - or 80s for that matter. There are plenty of shows I used to just love but have no interest in watching them now like One Day At a Time, The Cosby Show, Full House, Little House on the Prairie, and Family Ties, just to name a few.

Call me a nerd, call me a freak, or call me a classic TV nut. The fact is, all three words are probably accurate descriptions of me, at least when it comes to television. I'm a pretty nostalgic guy, and to this day I love to read about the lives and careers of actors, actresses, and musicians from days gone by.  (once again my face grows red.)

Maybe one day I will be brave enough to share with you the letter I wrote to Bob Denver, along with his reply to me. Then again, maybe not. Right now, it feels like I have bared my soul and stand before you completely naked, and one can only stand so much nakedness.