Page One - The Day I Arrived - August 16, 1954

August 16, 1954 arriving at 6lbs & 2ozs, with a head full of black hair, it's ME!

There have been many things happen since that day.

Though only a half-century ago, in retrospect 1954 seems worlds removed from today. The United States was embarking on a period of peace and prosperity. War hero-turned-president Dwight D. Eisenhower was in the first half of his first term as president; Richard M. Nixon was vice president. The Korean War had ended the previous year. Veterans thrived and prospered as they joined the work force, bought homes and raised families. The Soviet Union was a looming, if distant, threat. Great Depression, World War II and the Korean War were in the past. Life was good in America. Changes every day made life even easier. Television was booming. From the time my Mama first layed me on a pallet in front of a television, I was hooked.. I could tell you what time it was by what I was watching at the moment. These are the shows that were on the year I was born, some of them are still showing somewhere.:
Gillette Cavalcade of Sports (1946-1960).
Kukla, Fran and Ollie (1947-1957).
Howdy Doody (1947-1960).
Kraft Television Theater (1947-1958).
Meet the Press (1947-present).
Candid Camera (1948-present).
The Ed Sullivan Show (1948-1971).
Bozo the Clown (1949-present).
The Goldbergs (1949-1955).
The Voice of Firestone (1949-1963).
Cisco Kid (1950-1956).
The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show (1950-1958).
The Jack Benny Show (1950-1965).
Truth or Consequences (1950-1988).
What's My Line (1950-1967).
Your Hit Parade (1950-1959).
Dragnet (1951-1959).
I Love Lucy (1951-1957).
Love of Life (1951-1980).
Search for Tomorrow (1951-1986).
The Roy Rogers Show (1951-1957).
Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951-present)
American Bandstand (1952-1989).
The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952-1966).
My Little Margie (1952-1955).
The Guiding Light (1952-present).
The Honeymooners (1952-1970).
The Today Show (1952-present).
This Is Your Life (US) (1952-1961).
Buick-Berle Show (1953-1954); the show was renamed
The Milton Berle Show (1954-1967) this year.

I remember most of them from repeats. I was born in Irving, Texas. My Dad was a carpet layer at the time and my Mom was a housewife. He was a nineteen year old fresh from the Oklahoma hills. Education wasn't that important in the hills. My Gramdma and Pa were migrate farm workers for awhile and they had four boys and three girls that lived and I believe that my Grandpa and his Pa had a Moonshine still up in the Hills too. Dad only finished sixth grade and Mom, who grew up in town, had an eighth grade education. Mom read all the time though and could tell you anything about history or geography or really anything you needed to know. Dad was a whiz with numbers and later became a Carpet salesman, then opened his own business selling and installing Carpet, Draperies and Furniture.. He was doing really well too, until he started making too much money and drinking with his clients. Alcohol and Dad didn't mix. That ruined our "Leave it to Beaver" lifestyle.

I am getting way ahead of myself - back to 1954.
Stevie Ray Vaughn was born in Dallas. Elvis cut his first big hit. Homes were cheap. When I was three we bought a house. A nice three bedroom on a great street. White Frame with light blue trim, fenced in backyard, lots of childrens everywhere. We went to church then. The Assembly of God, a strict Pentecostal church. We could only wear dresses, no jewelry, gospel music only. We weren't supposed to have coffee or tea, but Mama fudged a bit regarding the music and coffee. My sister is two years older than me.She was the first grandchild in the family. I remember her getting up her nerve once and singing in church. "The Devil is a Sly Old Fox, a sly old fox is he, if I could I would put him in a box and throw way the key" I was the performer in the family, so that was very unusual for her to get up like that. Church was pretty much our life for a few years then we just stopped going one day. We were just kids, so no explanation was given. Things started going bad after we quit. It started slow, but it had started.....Continued next time. (hands have decided to stop working for now)

<---I was worked in the Film/Tv business in my 40's. I worked with Richard Crenna(far left) in three Made for TV movies. Just some personal trivia.