Totally Unwatchable

[Saul Goodman]

All the Dodgers fans I interact with daily (and I'm in Los Angeles so that's a lot) are in a full-blown DOOMPANIC, and I'm loving it.

[flannj]

Giving TBS credit where credit is due.
Watching the pre-game with Rollins and Sheffield in the studio demonstrating and explaining how they see pitches with Pedro throwing was pretty cool.

I learned something today.

[R-V]

Giving TBS credit where credit is due.
Watching the pre-game with Rollins and Sheffield in the studio demonstrating and explaining how they see pitches with Pedro throwing was pretty cool.

I learned something today.

I also think Brian Anderson is a damn good play by play guy. He's clearly done his homework, he knows his shit, and he even tees Ron Darling up with some good questions.

[flannj]

So while I was setting up the DVR on WGN for this afternoons Hawks matinee game I came across what was currently being broadcast.
Apparently Channel 9 discovered a bunch of the "Bozo's Circus" episodes from the 1960's and have digitally remastered them.
So they are replaying them as an hour long special.

They shouldn't have, God it's horrific.
The stuff we we used to watch while eating lunch was not exactly formative.

[Quality Start Machine]

So while I was setting up the DVR on WGN for this afternoons Hawks matinee game I came across what was currently being broadcast.
Apparently Channel 9 discovered a bunch of the "Bozo's Circus" episodes from the 1960's and have digitally remastered them.
So they are replaying them as an hour long special.

They shouldn't have, God it's horrific.
The stuff we we used to watch while eating lunch was not exactly formative.

I don't know how we all didn't get seizures from the camera swinging around looking for Grand Prize Game contestants.

[Canadouche]

So while I was setting up the DVR on WGN for this afternoons Hawks matinee game I came across what was currently being broadcast.
Apparently Channel 9 discovered a bunch of the "Bozo's Circus" episodes from the 1960's and have digitally remastered them.
So they are replaying them as an hour long special.

They shouldn't have, God it's horrific.
The stuff we we used to watch while eating lunch was not exactly formative.

I don't know how we all didn't get seizures from the camera swinging around looking for Grand Prize Game contestants.

It's how they weened the weak out of society. Only the strongest failed to seize and die. You weren't just a fan of Bozo, you were a survivor.

[Quality Start Machine]

So while I was setting up the DVR on WGN for this afternoons Hawks matinee game I came across what was currently being broadcast.
Apparently Channel 9 discovered a bunch of the "Bozo's Circus" episodes from the 1960's and have digitally remastered them.
So they are replaying them as an hour long special.

They shouldn't have, God it's horrific.
The stuff we we used to watch while eating lunch was not exactly formative.

I don't know how we all didn't get seizures from the camera swinging around looking for Grand Prize Game contestants.

It's how they weened the weak out of society. Only the strongest failed to seize and die. You weren't just a fan of Bozo, you were a survivor.

Even getting tickets was some Hunger Games shit. People ordered tickets the day their child (or grandchild) was born, and the classified ads were full of people looking for Bozo tickets. I'm guessing that was quite the cottage industry.

[flannj]

So while I was setting up the DVR on WGN for this afternoons Hawks matinee game I came across what was currently being broadcast.
Apparently Channel 9 discovered a bunch of the "Bozo's Circus" episodes from the 1960's and have digitally remastered them.
So they are replaying them as an hour long special.

They shouldn't have, God it's horrific.
The stuff we we used to watch while eating lunch was not exactly formative.

I don't know how we all didn't get seizures from the camera swinging around looking for Grand Prize Game contestants.

It's how they weened the weak out of society. Only the strongest failed to seize and die. You weren't just a fan of Bozo, you were a survivor.

Even getting tickets was some Hunger Games shit. People ordered tickets the day their child (or grandchild) was born, and the classified ads were full of people looking for Bozo tickets. I'm guessing that was quite the cottage industry.

I actually went to one of the shows. Some very long time friends of my parents were the Chicago distributors for 7-Up (could this conversation be any more 60's?) and they had connections. I was friends with their son and they invited me. I was 6 or possibly 7 which makes it 1965 or 1966. I remember bits and pieces of it. The stands are just bleachers and they herd you around in order to get everything in place because it was broadcast live. Most of the black kids were sitting towards the back. I remember being severely disappointed because i wasn't picked for the grand prize game. I think all the cast members were drinking and although I wouldn't have recognized it at the time I'm sure everyone smelled like cigarettes because everyone smelled like cigarettes back then. I wanted to meet Bozo and that didn't happen so now I just light devotional candles to Bob Bell.

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

So while I was setting up the DVR on WGN for this afternoons Hawks matinee game I came across what was currently being broadcast.
Apparently Channel 9 discovered a bunch of the "Bozo's Circus" episodes from the 1960's and have digitally remastered them.
So they are replaying them as an hour long special.

They shouldn't have, God it's horrific.
The stuff we we used to watch while eating lunch was not exactly formative.

I don't know how we all didn't get seizures from the camera swinging around looking for Grand Prize Game contestants.

It's how they weened the weak out of society. Only the strongest failed to seize and die. You weren't just a fan of Bozo, you were a survivor.

Even getting tickets was some Hunger Games shit. People ordered tickets the day their child (or grandchild) was born, and the classified ads were full of people looking for Bozo tickets. I'm guessing that was quite the cottage industry.

I actually went to one of the shows. Some very long time friends of my parents were the Chicago distributors for 7-Up (could this conversation be any more 60's?) and they had connections. I was friends with their son and they invited me. I was 6 or possibly 7 which makes it 1965 or 1966. I remember bits and pieces of it. The stands are just bleachers and they herd you around in order to get everything in place because it was broadcast live. Most of the black kids were sitting towards the back. I remember being severely disappointed because i wasn't picked for the grand prize game. I think all the cast members were drinking and although I wouldn't have recognized it at the time I'm sure everyone smelled like cigarettes because everyone smelled like cigarettes back then. I wanted to meet Bozo and that didn't happen so now I just light devotional candles to Bob Bell.

This is a great post; I'm hanging a star on it.

I had a friend who got to go and it was only because his aunt had put in a request for her kids several years earlier but by the time her number came up her kids were all grown so my friend and his sister were the beneficiaries.  His sister got selected for Bozos buckets and apparently shit the tub on bucket #4.  She was to receive a "years supply" of Bozo hot dogs  that in reality turned out to be like 5 packs.

Also, I never really cared for Bozo and wished more people yelled "Cookie" when they were asked "Who's your favorite clown?" and was very satisfied on the two occassions when I was watching and they engineered it for that to happen and punk Bozo's ass.

Also, if you want to go way back, a couple years ago my dad attended my daughter's school for "Grandparents Day".  One of the events they had was when the grandchild would "interview" their grandparent.  I read the answers when my daughter got home that day  and it was unsurprising stuff for a guy born in 1933 (Favorite President--Harry Truman etc.), but I was curious about my dad's answer to what TV show he watched.  His answer was something called Super Circus which appears to have been an ancestral predecessor to Bozo (indeed, check out the low-rent Bozo at the beginning of   this clip.)  I was delighted but also somewhat horrified to discover this--I mean...being born at the nadir of the Great Depression was bad enough but having this as your entertainment?

So now you know the rest of the story.

[flannj]

So while I was setting up the DVR on WGN for this afternoons Hawks matinee game I came across what was currently being broadcast.
Apparently Channel 9 discovered a bunch of the "Bozo's Circus" episodes from the 1960's and have digitally remastered them.
So they are replaying them as an hour long special.

They shouldn't have, God it's horrific.
The stuff we we used to watch while eating lunch was not exactly formative.

I don't know how we all didn't get seizures from the camera swinging around looking for Grand Prize Game contestants.

It's how they weened the weak out of society. Only the strongest failed to seize and die. You weren't just a fan of Bozo, you were a survivor.

Even getting tickets was some Hunger Games shit. People ordered tickets the day their child (or grandchild) was born, and the classified ads were full of people looking for Bozo tickets. I'm guessing that was quite the cottage industry.

I actually went to one of the shows. Some very long time friends of my parents were the Chicago distributors for 7-Up (could this conversation be any more 60's?) and they had connections. I was friends with their son and they invited me. I was 6 or possibly 7 which makes it 1965 or 1966. I remember bits and pieces of it. The stands are just bleachers and they herd you around in order to get everything in place because it was broadcast live. Most of the black kids were sitting towards the back. I remember being severely disappointed because i wasn't picked for the grand prize game. I think all the cast members were drinking and although I wouldn't have recognized it at the time I'm sure everyone smelled like cigarettes because everyone smelled like cigarettes back then. I wanted to meet Bozo and that didn't happen so now I just light devotional candles to Bob Bell.

This is a great post; I'm hanging a star on it.

I had a friend who got to go and it was only because his aunt had put in a request for her kids several years earlier but by the time her number came up her kids were all grown so my friend and his sister were the beneficiaries.  His sister got selected for Bozos buckets and apparently shit the tub on bucket #4.  She was to receive a "years supply" of Bozo hot dogs  that in reality turned out to be like 5 packs.

Also, I never really cared for Bozo and wished more people yelled "Cookie" when they were asked "Who's your favorite clown?" and was very satisfied on the two occassions when I was watching and they engineered it for that to happen and punk Bozo's ass.

Also, if you want to go way back, a couple years ago my dad attended my daughter's school for "Grandparents Day".  One of the events they had was when the grandchild would "interview" their grandparent.  I read the answers when my daughter got home that day  and it was unsurprising stuff for a guy born in 1933 (Favorite President--Harry Truman etc.), but I was curious about my dad's answer to what TV show he watched.  His answer was something called Super Circus which appears to have been an ancestral predecessor to Bozo (indeed, check out the low-rent Bozo at the beginning of   this clip.  I was delighted but also somewhat horrified to discover this--I mean...being born at the nadir of the Great Depression was bad enough but having this as your entertainment?

So now you know the rest of the story.

I love stories like these.

[Brownie]

So while I was setting up the DVR on WGN for this afternoons Hawks matinee game I came across what was currently being broadcast.
Apparently Channel 9 discovered a bunch of the "Bozo's Circus" episodes from the 1960's and have digitally remastered them.
So they are replaying them as an hour long special.

They shouldn't have, God it's horrific.
The stuff we we used to watch while eating lunch was not exactly formative.

I don't know how we all didn't get seizures from the camera swinging around looking for Grand Prize Game contestants.

It's how they weened the weak out of society. Only the strongest failed to seize and die. You weren't just a fan of Bozo, you were a survivor.

Even getting tickets was some Hunger Games shit. People ordered tickets the day their child (or grandchild) was born, and the classified ads were full of people looking for Bozo tickets. I'm guessing that was quite the cottage industry.

I actually went to one of the shows. Some very long time friends of my parents were the Chicago distributors for 7-Up (could this conversation be any more 60's?) and they had connections. I was friends with their son and they invited me. I was 6 or possibly 7 which makes it 1965 or 1966. I remember bits and pieces of it. The stands are just bleachers and they herd you around in order to get everything in place because it was broadcast live. Most of the black kids were sitting towards the back. I remember being severely disappointed because i wasn't picked for the grand prize game. I think all the cast members were drinking and although I wouldn't have recognized it at the time I'm sure everyone smelled like cigarettes because everyone smelled like cigarettes back then. I wanted to meet Bozo and that didn't happen so now I just light devotional candles to Bob Bell.

This is a great post; I'm hanging a star on it.

I had a friend who got to go and it was only because his aunt had put in a request for her kids several years earlier but by the time her number came up her kids were all grown so my friend and his sister were the beneficiaries.  His sister got selected for Bozos buckets and apparently shit the tub on bucket #4.  She was to receive a "years supply" of Bozo hot dogs  that in reality turned out to be like 5 packs.

Also, I never really cared for Bozo and wished more people yelled "Cookie" when they were asked "Who's your favorite clown?" and was very satisfied on the two occassions when I was watching and they engineered it for that to happen and punk Bozo's ass.

Also, if you want to go way back, a couple years ago my dad attended my daughter's school for "Grandparents Day".  One of the events they had was when the grandchild would "interview" their grandparent.  I read the answers when my daughter got home that day  and it was unsurprising stuff for a guy born in 1933 (Favorite President--Harry Truman etc.), but I was curious about my dad's answer to what TV show he watched.  His answer was something called Super Circus which appears to have been an ancestral predecessor to Bozo (indeed, check out the low-rent Bozo at the beginning of   this clip.)  I was delighted but also somewhat horrified to discover this--I mean...being born at the nadir of the Great Depression was bad enough but having this as your entertainment?

So now you know the rest of the story.

Super Circus aired from 1949 to 1956, so your 16-year-old Dad was tuning in to this?

[flannj]

So while I was setting up the DVR on WGN for this afternoons Hawks matinee game I came across what was currently being broadcast.
Apparently Channel 9 discovered a bunch of the "Bozo's Circus" episodes from the 1960's and have digitally remastered them.
So they are replaying them as an hour long special.

They shouldn't have, God it's horrific.
The stuff we we used to watch while eating lunch was not exactly formative.

I don't know how we all didn't get seizures from the camera swinging around looking for Grand Prize Game contestants.

It's how they weened the weak out of society. Only the strongest failed to seize and die. You weren't just a fan of Bozo, you were a survivor.

Even getting tickets was some Hunger Games shit. People ordered tickets the day their child (or grandchild) was born, and the classified ads were full of people looking for Bozo tickets. I'm guessing that was quite the cottage industry.

I actually went to one of the shows. Some very long time friends of my parents were the Chicago distributors for 7-Up (could this conversation be any more 60's?) and they had connections. I was friends with their son and they invited me. I was 6 or possibly 7 which makes it 1965 or 1966. I remember bits and pieces of it. The stands are just bleachers and they herd you around in order to get everything in place because it was broadcast live. Most of the black kids were sitting towards the back. I remember being severely disappointed because i wasn't picked for the grand prize game. I think all the cast members were drinking and although I wouldn't have recognized it at the time I'm sure everyone smelled like cigarettes because everyone smelled like cigarettes back then. I wanted to meet Bozo and that didn't happen so now I just light devotional candles to Bob Bell.

This is a great post; I'm hanging a star on it.

I had a friend who got to go and it was only because his aunt had put in a request for her kids several years earlier but by the time her number came up her kids were all grown so my friend and his sister were the beneficiaries.  His sister got selected for Bozos buckets and apparently shit the tub on bucket #4.  She was to receive a "years supply" of Bozo hot dogs  that in reality turned out to be like 5 packs.

Also, I never really cared for Bozo and wished more people yelled "Cookie" when they were asked "Who's your favorite clown?" and was very satisfied on the two occassions when I was watching and they engineered it for that to happen and punk Bozo's ass.

Also, if you want to go way back, a couple years ago my dad attended my daughter's school for "Grandparents Day".  One of the events they had was when the grandchild would "interview" their grandparent.  I read the answers when my daughter got home that day  and it was unsurprising stuff for a guy born in 1933 (Favorite President--Harry Truman etc.), but I was curious about my dad's answer to what TV show he watched.  His answer was something called Super Circus which appears to have been an ancestral predecessor to Bozo (indeed, check out the low-rent Bozo at the beginning of   this clip.)  I was delighted but also somewhat horrified to discover this--I mean...being born at the nadir of the Great Depression was bad enough but having this as your entertainment?

So now you know the rest of the story.

Super Circus aired from 1949 to 1956, so your 16-year-old Dad was tuning in to this?

Huey should probably answer this but you do realize that there wasn't a whole lot on television in 1949?

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

I actually went to one of the shows. Some very long time friends of my parents were the Chicago distributors for 7-Up (could this conversation be any more 60's?) and they had connections. I was friends with their son and they invited me. I was 6 or possibly 7 which makes it 1965 or 1966. I remember bits and pieces of it. The stands are just bleachers and they herd you around in order to get everything in place because it was broadcast live. Most of the black kids were sitting towards the back. I remember being severely disappointed because i wasn't picked for the grand prize game. I think all the cast members were drinking and although I wouldn't have recognized it at the time I'm sure everyone smelled like cigarettes because everyone smelled like cigarettes back then. I wanted to meet Bozo and that didn't happen so now I just light devotional candles to Bob Bell.

This is a great post; I'm hanging a star on it.

I had a friend who got to go and it was only because his aunt had put in a request for her kids several years earlier but by the time her number came up her kids were all grown so my friend and his sister were the beneficiaries.  His sister got selected for Bozos buckets and apparently shit the tub on bucket #4.  She was to receive a "years supply" of Bozo hot dogs  that in reality turned out to be like 5 packs.

Also, I never really cared for Bozo and wished more people yelled "Cookie" when they were asked "Who's your favorite clown?" and was very satisfied on the two occassions when I was watching and they engineered it for that to happen and punk Bozo's ass.

Also, if you want to go way back, a couple years ago my dad attended my daughter's school for "Grandparents Day".  One of the events they had was when the grandchild would "interview" their grandparent.  I read the answers when my daughter got home that day  and it was unsurprising stuff for a guy born in 1933 (Favorite President--Harry Truman etc.), but I was curious about my dad's answer to what TV show he watched.  His answer was something called Super Circus which appears to have been an ancestral predecessor to Bozo (indeed, check out the low-rent Bozo at the beginning of   this clip.)  I was delighted but also somewhat horrified to discover this--I mean...being born at the nadir of the Great Depression was bad enough but having this as your entertainment?

So now you know the rest of the story.

Super Circus aired from 1949 to 1956, so your 16-year-old Dad was tuning in to this?

Huey should probably answer this but you do realize that there wasn't a whole lot on television in 1949?

Pretty much this. In fact, as my daughter was in 4th grade during this particular visit, the question was asked "What TV shows did you watch as a 4th grader?" to which my dad responded that they "didn't have television" when he was in 4th grade (he was certainly the only grandparent in the room whose birth pre-dated widespread television programming). Pressed to name one, he came up with Super Circus. There's a good chance he came across it when his younger brother (by 7 years) was watching it, but apparently one of the show's stars, Mary Hartline, who was considered one of television's earliest sex symbols, was an attraction. We can maybe wait for Stew to confirm, depending on whether or not this show reached California, but Hartline's Wiki entry describes her looks and figure as making her "a national star and a sex symbol for thousands of boys, young and old"

In any event, as flannj suggests, there was such a scarcity of television programming that this was probably one of the only shows he could think of.  I'm guessing he was probably trying to come up with a show that would equate to what 4th graders were watching around his time.  In short, rather than come off as true dinosaur in front of his granddaughter, he used Super Circus as a proxy. I mean, it's possible he rushed home off the Ravenswood El (today's Brown Line) after a day of attending school at Quigley Prep to catch it but, more likely, it was simply the earliest show he could think of that would equate to "children's programming", even if he was 15 (he was born in late August) when it first aired.

[CBStew]

"...but apparently one of the show's stars,  Mary Hartline, who was considered one of television's earliest sex symbols, was an attraction. We can maybe wait for Stew to confirm, depending on whether or not this show reached California, but Hartline's Wiki entry describes her looks and figure as making her "a national star and a sex symbol for thousands of boys, young and old"..."

I have a recollection of Super Circus, but I don't remember whether I saw it before or after my family moved from Chicago to San Francisco.  I definitely remember Mary Hartline.  She was a diversion from the guy with the top hat, red cutaway coat and white riding pants.  He had a whip, but even as a randy 13 year old I didn't connect that with any kinky activity.

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

"...but apparently one of the show's stars,  Mary Hartline, who was considered one of television's earliest sex symbols, was an attraction. We can maybe wait for Stew to confirm, depending on whether or not this show reached California, but Hartline's Wiki entry describes her looks and figure as making her "a national star and a sex symbol for thousands of boys, young and old"..."

I have a recollection of Super Circus, but I don't remember whether I saw it before or after my family moved from Chicago to San Francisco.  I definitely remember Mary Hartline.  She was a diversion from the guy with the top hat, red cutaway coat and white riding pants.  He had a whip, but even as a randy 13 year old I didn't connect that with any kinky activity.

In your face, TJ.