And so…it came to pass that I became a sidekick to all of the western heroes of television. A loyal follower of The Lone Ranger, Roy Rogers and Sky King. I kind of had feelings for Sky's pretty niece, Penny. Davy Crockett came to the big screen too, but was always more welcomed by kids who sat two feet from the magic box in the living room.
I was there to assist for Jim Bowie, Wyatt Earp, Maverick, Sugarfoot and of course… El Zorro.
My Grandfather owned a ranch in Colorado, wore a Stetson Cowboy Hat, hand tooled western boots and was permanently disabled by a fall from a horse while herding cattle. Not only that…my brother, Jack, was a rancher on that very spread near Limon, Colorado. I was a NATURAL sidekick with all of that family history to back me up. I had my official Davy Crockett outfit, holster, chaps, six shooters, trusty lasso and a full array of associated gear. They needed me…and I was there to serve.
The truth is that there were PLENTY of bad guys and renegade Indians all OVER the North Side of Danville. They lurked in the side yard, behind the carport and under the basement stairs. My home and my family had to have someone to protect them. My motto became, just like Palladin, "Have Gun, Will Travel". It was a wild time to be alive back in the 1950s.
Our Frontier Home in Danville, Illinois in 1956
That great big Magnavox made for terrific sleepovers with friends. We would gather around the TV and watch for hours on end. Kids who were older and probably would never have given me the time of day stopped by. My favorite drop-ins were The Cooke boys. J.D. Cooke was our trustworthy and loyal paperboy. He was “a big kid” probably a real teenager. He, and later his brother Allen, seemed to adjust their route to end up at our house. Lots of evenings, after delivering The Danville Commercial-News, JD or Allen would plop down in front of the TV with me to watch Popeye and Sheriff Sid. This was a big honor for me. Wow! Big kids! Sometimes one of the guys would drop off Joe, who was in my grade at Edison Grade School and then pick him up at the end of the route (staying for awhile themselves). Mrs. Cooke would usually have to call and remind them that dinner was ready and to come home. Joe and I would become life-long friends.
TV created two new command lines from parents to kids that are still in use today (and will probably never die). They created a friction between generations that probably set up the whole revolution thing of the 60's. They were "Turn that thing down!" and "Turn that thing off!" There were sometimes expletives that went along with the words and often followed by phrases such as "...and go outside!" or "...and do your homework!". No matter how many excuses, gnashing of teeth or whining came from us the result was always the same. The miraculous electronic friend was silent.
Stay tuned for Part Three!
