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The recent death of game show host Tom Kennedy, and thinking of the shows he hosted, reminded me that I used to watch a LOT of game shows when I was growing up in the 1970s. I even tape-recorded some of the theme songs and gameplay from some of the shows. I still have them in my audio archives.

What did I find fascinating about the game shows? The elaborate sets, with fancy, eye-catching lighting, moving stages, and early digit counters and electronic displays. Some featured favorite celebrities, and sharp-dressed, quick witted hosts or emcees (short for "Master of Ceremonies").

Most of the shows aired in either the morning (10am-noon) or afternoon (12:30pm-5:00pm) time slots. The evening game shows aired between 7pm-8pm. Nearly all were a half hour in length.

Which ones do I remember from that decade (1970-79)? I may be fuzzy on the details; some shows I've completely forgotten about, and some I can't remember the host.

Here's a list. )
poltr1: (Default)
50 years ago today, the crew of Apollo 11 landed on the Moon. (Technically, only Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed while Michael Collins remained in the orbiter.) What was I doing that day? Watching the coverage on CBS, with Walter Cronkite, on a black-and-white TV, and eating cherry chip birthday cake. (Yes, July 20 is my birthday.) It's the earliest memory I have; I can't remember anything from my life before that day.

What I -- or many other people watching -- didn't know how close they came to not making the landing. They had only 30 seconds of fuel remaining, and the folks in Mission Control were holding their breath. This segment from yesterday's NPR Morning Edition recounts those minutes leading up to the landing.

After they landed safely, they were instant celebrities. Neil hated the limelight and mostly kept to himself. He had a farm near Lebanon, OH, and briefly taught aerospace engineering at the University of Cincinnati in the 1970s. He passed away in 2012. I would have loved an opportunity to meet him and have a beer with him.
poltr1: (Moogerfilker 1)
30 years ago this month, I left my parents' home in Buffalo, NY and moved to Dayton, OH to start a new job.

On Thursday, June 22, I flew out from Buffalo to Dayton via Detroit, to attend an in-person interview the following day. My itinerary said I had a hotel room at the "Holiday Inn Fairborn". But none of the shuttles said that on their vehicles, and I didn't know that it was also known as the "Holiday Inn I-675". I ended up taking a taxi to the hotel. At the interview, I was offered the job, and was advised to start as soon as possible. So after flying back home, I tied up some loose ends, packed some boxes, and on Tuesday, June 26, drove down to Dayton. In the first month, I lived in hotel rooms as I searched for an apartment. I found a 1-bedroom unit in Kettering.

In the past 30 years, there have been a lot of changes. Many businesses, restaurants, and shopping centers have come and gone. Here's a list of places I remember from 1989 that no longer exist. )

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