Remember when?

[Jerry Oz]

I prefer it. The idea that it's somehow emasculating confuses me.

[marv2]

I prefer it. The idea that it's somehow emasculating confuses me.

Now if she made more money than you and made you curl her hair, then that's a different story! LOL~!

[Jerry Oz]

As long as she curled my toes, I wouldn't care.

[soulster]

As long as she curled my toes, I wouldn't care.

? I thought you were...

[Jerry Oz]

? I thought you were...

Don't go there... I am not, was not, and won't ever be.

Not that there's anything wrong with that... I know a bunch of wonderful folks who are and a lot assholes who are not.

[marv2]

As long as she curled my toes, I wouldn't care.

Ummmm, you bad boy! LOL!

[soulster]

Marv! Clear out your inbox!

[marv2]

Marv! Clear out your inbox!

ok will do

[Jerry Oz]

When I first started buying them, my brother and I would get on the bus and ride downtown to a book seller that had tons of comics. They sold some with covers for their listed price but others without covers cost a nickel. Our favorite character was the Black Panther [[who is getting his own movie next year).

Later, I would walk to a drug store after church and buy a candy bar, a couple of Marvel Comics and issues of Famous Monsters of Filmland. Good times. I wouldn't let a ten year old kid out of sight in 2015, let alone let him walk two blocks to ride a bus ten miles away alone.

[marv2]

When I first started buying them, my brother and I would get on the bus and ride downtown to a book seller that had tons of comics. They sold some with covers for their listed price but others without covers cost a nickel. Our favorite character was the Black Panther [[who is getting his own movie next year).

Later, I would walk to a drug store after church and buy a candy bar, a couple of Marvel Comics and issues of Famous Monsters of Filmland. Good times. I wouldn't let a ten year old kid out of sight in 2015, let alone let him walk two blocks to ride a bus ten miles away alone.

That sounds similar to us, except we had several stores within blocks of the house. There was a bookstore downtown called Leo's Wine & Book Shop but we didn't go there until we were older. I got most of my comics from local stores like Stan's Sweet Shop. The ones without the covers were sold like 3 in a plastic wrap which I never understood. In the end we had collected upwards of 300 -350 comics between my brother Robert and myself. The Black Panther was a favorite too and near the end of my comic book days it was Luke Cage Hero for Hire!

[robb_k]

I remember in the late 1940s and early 1950s, when comic books [[64 pages and later, 52 pages) were 10¢ each, and the 100-page thick annuals were 25¢ [[the same price as the movie show [[matinee) and haircuts, and our weekly allowance [[pay for doing our chores). I had a choice of buying 2 regular-sized comic books or one annual, or going to the movie show on Saturday. Luckily, I worked in my father's store from age 5, and earned some extra money. I also regularly won money playing cards, and one-on one ice hockey, and later, hustling pool. Of course, I wasn't buying comic books anymore, when I was hustling in pool halls [[grungy pool halls-they didn't have family billiard parlours back in the 1950s [[at least not in Winnipeg or South Chicago, or The South Side.

I didn't care at all for the Superhero, military, or horror comics [[I had enough violence and scary stuff in normal life [[gangs - racial prejudice [[I carried a switchblade to school starting in junior high school), and I grew up with a steady stream of survivors from Nazi concentration camps. I bought mainly "Funny Animal", and comedy comics, and "Classics Illustrated, and some Western comics. I grew up in a large "family compound" which generally had 20-30 kids. When I was young, my parents started reading comic books to me when I was 2. I started reading them to my parents and grandparents when I was 3. I started collecting them when I was 4. I had 4 older boy cousins in my house when I was born till a teenager, so I "inherited" their old comics from about 1940through into the early 1950s. They just read them a couple times but didn't collect them. I collected them, and have all my Disney Comics from the 1940s through to about 1963 [[both English language [[bought mostly in Canada), and Dutch comics [[which I kept at my aunt and uncle's house in Den Haag, when staying there every summer, as a young kid and teenager. Disney Comics started in The Netherlands in 1952, and, unbelievably, they became a bigger part of the culture there then they ever were in USA. I got many of my many hundreds of comics from older cousins, and we also bought them second hand for 5¢ each, at a newsstand in North Winnipeg, and at an antikvariat [[used book store) in Den Haag.

Kids today ask me what we did at night before people had TVs, electronic games and computers. We read comic books, regular books, played board games, listened to radio, and told and listened to stories. I grew up in the late 1940s and 1950s in conditions more like my parents' youth in the 1920s, than my own brother and sisters, who grew up starting at the beginning of the 1960s.

[Jerry Oz]

I was a big fan of annuals except for the fact that they typically has different writers and artists from the regular books. I bought some titles more because of the creators than the subject. I also didn't like the fact that many of the stories fell out of the continuity of the monthly mags. But 64 pages were great. When I stopped reading them in the '70s, the actual comics has shrunk from 32 pages to something like 23.

Ultimately, the industry wound up being much like the music industry . The labels profited greatly without paying what many consider to be fair compensation to the creative teams. And just like music biz, many of the creators took control by the mid-90s. Good for them.

[marv2]

I remember buying the digest version of Archie I believe. There were other comic publishers out there like Charlton comics and Dell comics back in the day that I also enjoyed.

[Jerry Oz]

Don't forget Harvey Comics, which had Casper the Friendly Ghost, Wendy the Good Little Witch, Spooky the Tuff Little Ghost, Stumbo the Giant, Little Lotta Plump, and Richie Rich the Poor Little Rich Kid.

[robb_k]

Comic books are dying now because of computers, electronic games computer animation, and the tendency of each new generation to read less. Comic books started out well because there was no TV back then, and going to movies was a one day per week or one day per month treat. Companies are trying to sell their stories and books on The Internet as files, and on Kindle, but that is failing when compared to previous sales of paper comic books, as one friend in a group of 20 can buy the file and share it with all the others, and then all 20 can split the cost, making it nominal for each, while the company gets one twentieth of their former sales. There may be no future for me to continue making a living from writing and drawing comic book stories for Disney after another 7-10 years. Even when I'm 80 years old, I'll need to be earning income. So, I'll need to work more in animation and make more personal appearances and charge fans for personal drawings.

[marv2]

Comic books are dying now because of computers, electronic games computer animation, and the tendency of each new generation to read less. Comic books started out well because there was no TV back then, and going to movies was a one day per week or one day per month treat. Companies are trying to sell their stories and books on The Internet as files, and on Kindle, but that is failing when compared to previous sales of paper comic books, as one friend in a group of 20 can buy the file and share it with all the others, and then all 20 can split the cost, making it nominal for each, while the company gets one twentieth of their former sales. There may be no future for me to continue making a living from writing and drawing comic book stories for Disney after another 7-10 years. Even when I'm 80 years old, I'll need to be earning income. So, I'll need to work more in animation and make more personal appearances and charge fans for personal drawings.

Seeing the few samples of your Robb has inspired me to return to drawing. I was pretty good if I say so.

[robb_k]

Seeing the few samples of your Robb has inspired me to return to drawing. I was pretty good if I say so.

Post some of your drawings. I'm curious to see them.

[marv2]

Post some of your drawings. I'm curious to see them.

Robb, those drawings are way back at my parents house in Ohio probably fading away. If I get to do some over the holidays. I'll do that. Thanks.

[Jerry Oz]

The change in market dynamics of their printed properties is a major reason why Marvel and DC have taken to putting their characters in movies and television. A lot of people are unhappy with si many comic properties dominating the box office, but if they were not selling tickets, they would not be making the movies.

[arr&bee]

I once drew a stickman...and once he found out he threatened to beat me to death with that stick,darn stickmen..no sense of humor!!

[soulster]

I used to buy two or three Archie Comic books a week Dennis The Menace, too. The Christmas editions were special. I pretty much stopped buying them in 1976, though. I felt the stories weren't as much fun, the books were getting thinner, and by 1975, I was moving onto Mad and Cracked magazines.

[Jerry Oz]

I was all over Mad and Cracked. I stopped buying them when every issue started having Fonzie on the covers.

By the way, does anybody remember the "Happy Days" episode when LaVerne and Shirley were introduced as "easy" girls? Fonzie set Richie up to score with Shirley. They got a makeover into decent blue collar working women when they got their own show.

[soulster]

Can't say that I remember that. I was never a Happy Days fan. I remember in sixth grade the morning after the premiere of Happy Days the night before. All the other kids went on and on about Fonzie this, Fonzie that. I didn't care one bit.

One year later, all the guys talked about was the TV show Kung Fu,

[arr&bee]

Haaaaaaa,there was a guy that lived next door way back in the day who was the fonz[motorcycle,leather jacket,greased hair,chicks]we kids thought he was the coolest dude on the block...til my cousin rolled up in his block long el dorado-sharkskin suit-three chicks-moneyroll.

[Jerry Oz]

Arthur Fonzarelli was a background character the first season of "Happy Days". He was the gang banger who intimidated Richie and his friends, not through anything he said or did, but by his presence. He became wildly popular and wound up being that show's version of Steve Urkel; a character who was there as color for the show but not part of the ensemble who somehow became the lead character for the series.

[soulster]

Arthur Fonzarelli was a background character the first season of "Happy Days". He was the gang banger who intimidated Richie and his friends, not through anything he said or did, but by his presence. He became wildly popular and wound up being that show's version of Steve Urkel; a character who was there as color for the show but not part of the ensemble who somehow became the lead character for the series.

Uh, we remember all that. I just didn't care for the show. I didn't think it was funny or entertaining. I also could not relate to it in any way.

[robb_k]

Uh, we remember all that. I just didn't care for the show. I didn't think it was funny or entertaining. I also could not relate to it in any way.

The first few episodes were okay. But it soon got too repetitive, "cutesy", formulaic, and just not funny. It was basically insulting to intelligence, as most US mass appeal commercial network sitcoms are [[in my opinion).

Of course, I was already an adult when that show started. And I had been a late teenager in the early 1960s, and had lived in Chicago, and knew Milwaukee enough. And, like Soulster, I didn't identify with the characters in that show.

[soulster]

The first few episodes were okay. But it soon got too repetitive, "cutesy", formulaic, and just not funny. It was basically insulting to intelligence, as most US mass appeal commercial network sitcoms are [[in my opinion).

Of course, I was already an adult when that show started. And I had been a late teenager in the early 1960s, and had lived in Chicago, and knew Milwaukee enough. And, like Soulster, I didn't identify with the characters in that show.

After the first couple of years it was all about Fonzie's "Aaaayyyyy" getting canned laughs.

But, if you think U.S. TV was bad, you may not remember "Maude", "All In The Family", "Mary Tyler Moore", "Carol Burnett", "Family, "M*A*S*H", "The Waltons", and other highly rated shows. You may not agree, but John Ritter's comedic excellence rivalled Carol Burnett and Lucille Ball" on "Three's Company".

[arr&bee]

Yep and today the[cool]fonz is an old man doing commercials for home loans...motorcycle one day...scooter the next.

[Jerry Oz]

The show was funny to me when it focused on Richie and his family dynamics. When Potsy's hair was nearly long enough to touch his shoulders, it killed much of the idea that the show was set in early '60s Milwaukee. When I saw Mr. Cunningham wearing a quartz watch, I stopped watching it altogether. Even at age 14, I thought people should have taken enough pride not to let that happen. If they didn't care, I sure as hell wasn't going to.

[soulster]

The show was funny to me when it focused on Richie and his family dynamics. When Potsy's hair was nearly long enough to touch his shoulders, it killed much of the idea that the show was set in early '60s Milwaukee. When I saw Mr. Cunningham wearing a quartz watch, I stopped watching it altogether. Even at age 14, I thought people should have taken enough pride not to let that happen. If they didn't care, I sure as hell wasn't going to.

Pride? It wasn't about pride. It was just the social norm back then. Long hair on a man was seen like a man wearing a dress. It just wasn't done. That's why it was so shocking to see when The Beatles came here.

[Jerry Oz]

When I mentioned pride, I meant on the part of the show creators. When they started, they took care to give Richie, Ralph, and Potsy crew cuts that were everywhere in the early '60s. But eventually, Potsy's hair was quite clearly styled like that of a lot of the white kids that I went to school with in the mid-70s, not like the Beatles or any pop artists from the 60s. It was like the actors showed up, put on 60s style clothes and went to work. And the digital watch was ridiculous.

[soulster]

When I mentioned pride, I meant on the part of the show creators. When they started, they took care to give Richie, Ralph, and Potsy crew cuts that were everywhere in the early '60s. But eventually, Potsy's hair was quite clearly styled like that of a lot of the white kids that I went to school with in the mid-70s, not like the Beatles or any pop artists from the 60s. It was like the actors showed up, put on 60s style clothes and went to work. And the digital watch was ridiculous.

OK, I see what you're saying. But, that show was originally set in the late 50s, not the early 60s.

After a time, no one really cared. Laverne And Shirley had been spun off and was becoming more popular. I never watched that show either - it just didn't interest me. Three's Company, One Day At A Time, and Welcome Back Kotter were funnier and more contemporary, as America lost its infatuation with the 50s era.

As far as getting period props wrong is concerned, I was always annoyed by the show The Wonder Years. They always got something wrong, be it props or the music.

[Jerry Oz]

And that makes me remember when I actually watched network television with some amount of regularity. These days, there is little of interest to me on TV [[except sports) and I don't think there's one show that I try to watch. It's not worth the effort to be there when it comes on. I watch black-ish when I notice it's on but I don't try to be available.

[soulster]

And that makes me remember when I actually watched network television with some amount of regularity. These days, there is little of interest to me on TV [[except sports) and I don't think there's one show that I try to watch. It's not worth the effort to be there when it comes on. I watch black-ish when I notice it's on but I don't try to be available.

As a fan of medical dramas, I do watch Code Black today, just as I watched ER, Emergency. and Medical Center before those. I also used to watch cop shows.

Except for a show here and there, i've pretty much stopped watching sitcoms and dramas. I'll watch science shows and the news. I have absolutely no interest in sports of any kind, unless it's women's nude oil wrestling.

[Jerry Oz]

Ummm... I checked my program listings and that's not in it. What channel is it on, again? I used to watch "St. Elsewhere" and "Hill Street Blues" every week, two of the best shows ever [[many don't remember Denzel Washington was on St. Elsewhere). After that, the only cop show I recall watching was "New York Undercover".

These days, it's hard for me to watch police dramas because I have a hard time finding sympathy for the cops. I loved "The Wire" because the cops were portrayed to be as shady as the criminals on it.

[soulster]

Ummm... I checked my program listings and that's not in it. What channel is it on, again? I used to watch "St. Elsewhere" and "Hill Street Blues" every week, two of the best shows ever [[many don't remember Denzel Washington was on St. Elsewhere). After that, the only cop show I recall watching was "New York Undercover".

These days, it's hard for me to watch police dramas because I have a hard time finding sympathy for the cops. I loved "The Wire" because the cops were portrayed to be as shady as the criminals on it.

Code Black is a medical show and been coming on Wednesday night at 9:00PM PST on CBS. If you have a cable or satellite service that lets you watch recent shows, it's there.

[Jerry Oz]

Code Black is a medical show and been coming on Wednesday night at 9:00PM PST on CBS. If you have a cable or satellite service that lets you watch recent shows, it's there.

LOL. I was referring to the nude oil wrestling...

[arr&bee]

lol. I was referring to the nude oil wrestling...

what channel,what channel???

[soulster]

what channel,what channel???

Women's nude oil wrestling is one of those things you just have to see live in person! Up close and personal!

[arr&bee]

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaa...we all agree that tv today sucks,just to show how much it stinks the main shows other than sports are[the flash-empire]why do i still have a tv????????

[Jerry Oz]

There were plenty of good shows [[subjectively speaking). With that said, the 70s were pretty brutal for shows that followed formulas. SWAT, Baretta, Starsky and Hutch, The Rookies, and tons of other cop shows were pretty similar. Archie Bunker and M.A.S.H. changed sitcoms for the better, but most of them pretty much sucked. Sanford and Son easily stands out as an exception early in the decade.

[soulster]

There were plenty of good shows [[subjectively speaking). With that said, the 70s were pretty brutal for shows that followed formulas. SWAT, Baretta, Starsky and Hutch, The Rookies, and tons of other cop shows were pretty similar. Archie Bunker and M.A.S.H. changed sitcoms for the better, but most of them pretty much sucked. Sanford and Son easily stands out as an exception early in the decade.

Again, all subjective.

[arr&bee]

Sounds a little slippery to me.

[arr&bee]

Remember when you had to meet a girl's whole family before the first date?

[robb_k]

Remember when you had to meet a girl's whole family before the first date?

YES! And sometimes [[depending upon the parents) You had to get her home by 11:00 PM, or even 10:00 PM!

[Jerry Oz]

Nope. But I remember the dirty looks I got from their dads while I waited for them to get ready.

[arr&bee]

I REMEMBER EVERY CHICK I DATED IN THE SIXTIES HAD AT LEAST TEN AUNTS AND A BIBLE TOTING GRANDMOTHER,WHO WOULD SIT IN THE SEMI-CIRCLE OR THE CULDREN[as we called it]AND ASK THE ONE QUESTION THAT NO DUDE WANTED TO HEAR[and few could actually answer]YOUNG MAN,WHAT CHURCH ARE YOU AFFILIATED WITH??[by this time I'm damn near drowned in sweat]WHY COULDN'T SHE ASK A SIMPLE QUESTION LIKE[do you drink alchohol?]WELL BY SOME MIRACLE I WOULD BLERT OUT SOMETHING AND PASS THE TEST...TALK ABOUT TRIAL BY FIRE.

[marv2]

I REMEMBER EVERY CHICK I DATED IN THE SIXTIES HAD AT LEAST TEN AUNTS AND A BIBLE TOTING GRANDMOTHER,WHO WOULD SIT IN THE SEMI-CIRCLE OR THE CULDREN[as we called it]AND ASK THE ONE QUESTION THAT NO DUDE WANTED TO HEAR[and few could actually answer]YOUNG MAN,WHAT CHURCH ARE YOU AFFILIATED WITH??[by this time I'm damn near drowned in sweat]WHY COULDN'T SHE ASK A SIMPLE QUESTION LIKE[do you drink alchohol?]WELL BY SOME MIRACLE I WOULD BLERT OUT SOMETHING AND PASS THE TEST...TALK ABOUT TRIAL BY FIRE.

Been there, done that many times JAI. I know the feeling.

[soulster]

Been there, done that many times JAI. I know the feeling.

I never heard of that.