Middle Aged Memories

just found these

Paw, hope I got this right

The Douglas family:

Steve (dad) - Fred MacMurray

Robbie - Don Grady

Chip - Stanley Livingston

Ernie - Barry Livingston

Mike - Tim Considine

Uncle Charlie - William Demarest

Don't remember which son is which

Remember these?

They just don't make shows like they used to!!

Actually, that's William Frawley in that picture. He also played Fred on I Love Lucy.

Demarest took over for him when he left as uncle Charley. William Frawley's name was Bub.

thanks for info SDB, totally forgot

hahaha elimar!

I've miss your sense of humor around here!!

Happy New Year to all!!

You can still get these as singles at Vermont Country Store. My son thought I was nuts when I sent him one.

Surprised I have any teeth left with all these bubble gums that were not sugarless

I didn't write this but it totally sounds like my life back then...

> WASN'T THIS US?
>
> A little house with three bedrooms,
> One bathroom and one car on the street.
> A mower that you had to push
> To make the grass look neat.
>
>
> In the kitchen on the wall
> We only had one phone,
> And no need for recording things,
> Someone was always home.
>
> We only had a living room
> Where we would congregate,
> Unless it was at mealtime
> In the kitchen where we ate.
>
> We had no need for family rooms
> Or extra rooms to dine.
> When meeting as a family
> Those two rooms would work out fine.
>
>
> We only had one TV set
> And channels maybe two,
> But always there was one of them
> With something worth the view.
>
> For snacks we had potato chips
> That tasted like a chip.
> And if you wanted flavor
> There was Lipton's onion dip.
>
>
> Store-bought snacks were rare because
> My mother liked to cook
> And nothing can compare to snacks
> In Betty Crocker's book.
>
>
> Weekends were for family trips
> Or staying home to play.
> We all did things together --
> Even go to church to pray.
>
> When we did our weekend trips
> Depending on the weather,
> No one stayed at home because
> We liked to be together.
>
>
> Sometimes we would separate
> To do things on our own,
> But we knew where the others were
> Without our own cell phone.
>
> Then there were the movies
> With your favorite movie star,
> And nothing can compare
> To watching movies in your car.
>
> Then there were the picnics
> At the peak of summer season,
> Pack a lunch and find some trees
> And never need a reason.
>
>
> Get a baseball game together
> With all the friends you know,
> Have real action playing ball --
> And no game video.
>
>
> Remember when the doctor
> Used to be the family friend,
> And didn't need insurance
> Or a lawyer to defend?
>
> The way that he took care of you
> Or what he had to do,
> Because he took an oath and strived
> To do the best for you.
>
> Remember going to the store
> And shopping casually,
> And when you went to pay for it
> You used your own money.
>
> Nothing that you had to swipe
> Or punch in some amount,
> And remember when the cashier person
> Had to really count?
>
> The milkman used to go
> From door to door,
> And it was just a few cents more
> Than going to the store.
>
>
> There was a time when mailed letters
> Came right to your door,
> Without a lot of junk mail ads
> Sent out by every store.
>
> The mailman knew each house by name
> And knew where it was sent;
> There were not loads of mail addressed
> To "present occupant."
>
>
> There was a time when just one glance
> Was all that it would take,
> And you would know the kind of car,
> The model and the make.
>
> They didn't look like turtles
> Trying to squeeze out every mile;
> They were streamlined, white walls, fins
> And really had some style.
>
> One time the music that you played
> Whenever you would jive,
> Was from a vinyl, big-holed record
> Called a forty-five.
>
> The record player had a post
> To keep them all in line
> And then the records would drop down
> And play one at a time.
>
>
> Oh sure, we had our problems then,
> Just like we do today
> And always we were striving,
> Trying for a better way.
>
> Oh, the simple life we lived
> Still seems like so much fun,
> How can you explain a game,
> Just kick the can and run?
>
>
> And why would boys put baseball cards
> Between bicycle spokes
> And for a nickel, red machines
> Had little bottled Cokes?
>
> This life seemed so much easier
> And slower in some ways.
> I love the new technology
> But I sure do miss those days.
>
> So time moves on and so do we
> And nothing stays the same,
> But I sure love to reminisce
> And walk down memory lane.
>
> With all today's technology
> We grant that it's a plus!
> But it's fun to look way back and say,
> Hey look, guys, THAT WAS US!

Loral, thanks for the walk down memory lane!

Eph, never got hooked on smoking but I did on bubble gum

Love the poem!!!!

I've just finished reading the diaries I kept from the time I started Jr High until I graduated from HS. I noted my favorite movie of all time was 'Jupiter's Daughter' with Esther Williams. Well, I know ... I'm older than the rest of you. Apparently most of the kids I ran with found 4 people to play bridge at least every couple of weeks and only played Monopoly under duress. I do remember liking Clue. We had a neighbor with a trampoline so jumping was a priority. Our mother's required "spotters" but we didn't always obey. And we walked everywhere. We only took the bus to school so we could sleep later but always walked home.