I couldn't let Walter Cronkite's passing go without a tip of the hat to him. He was literally our first news anchorman. The term "news anchor" was coined with Cronkite in mind.
I will always associate him with the death of JFK. I remember his sobering reporting and that he almost lost it, emotionally, on TV. I also, along with Lawrence Welk, associate him with my grandparents... watching the huge and heavy floor model black and white tv with Walt telling us what was going on in the world. "And that's the way it is... " I knew as soon as the news was finished, a good program would be coming on like Red Skelton or the Ed Sullivan show.
To be honest, I didn't realize Uncle Walt was still with us, but since he was 92 I'm not going to feel bad about it.
PS: Remember when tv programming didn't start until 2 or 3pm... up until then you would only see a "test pattern" on the screen. The programs would cease around midnight or shortly there after. I tell ya, I'm old as dirt!
2 comments:
I love being able to talk to people my age and remember all those old days. I remember as clear as if it happened 5 minutes ago when he almost lost it on air announcing JFK's death. Chilling. I loved Red Skeleton so much. Lawrence Welk not that much. My Dad was a cowboy at heart and we had to watch every Western that came on.
The test pattern, I forgot about that. Not the pattern just that the TV shows went off at a certain time and didn't come back on until what time?
Wouldn't you like to time travel for about a week.... back to the 50's and 60's?
Oh I remember all those things too. Yes, that test pattern...I too had forgotten about that.
Yes, Lawrence Welk and the bubble machine...
Walter Cronkite was a remarkable man. I enjoyed the tribute they gave him on the news,
LOL:Wanda
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