The McCarty Metro - A Blast From The Past

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ED NOTE: Our Blast From The Past page contains memories from 5 years to 100 years ago. I encourage all suscribers to submit their memories, photos, and ideas to reply@mccartymetro.com to have them shared with our family.

CLASSIC TV THEME SONGS

It's fashionable to lament the state of the TV theme song. Gone are the days when a show's whole premise was summed up in musical verse before every episode.

There's no denying we're past the golden age of the TV show theme song. Take a look at the YouTube video to the right as Jimmy Fallon and friends relive some of the classics from yesteryear.

http://youtu.be/NVQQjoFlsiA

METRO ARCHIVES - NOVEMBER, 2004

JERRY'S WORLD

Well its Thanksgiving and that means the Lions will be playing Football. I can picture all of those McCarty Grandbrats sitting in front the TV wearing their replica jerseys and eating their 7 layer dip. Just thinking of those football phonies stretches my patience more than the elastic waistband on John Madden’s boxer shorts.

Those Pigskin prima donnas have to have these fancy schmancy televisions. “Ooohh I want a 78” big screen television with surround sound, TiVo, and picture in picture.” Fiddle Fooey! When I was a kid we had a 19” TV and if the game was blacked out we had to go to get reception on the 14” black and white TV upstairs. My dad would play with the rabbit ear antennas to try to get reception on Channel 3 from Cleveland. He would attach aluminum foil and coat hangers until we could see the game. And when the picture came in, everyone had to freeze in that position, so my dad could watch the game. One time I watched the entire game while having one hand on the TV antenna and one hand on the windowsill. We used to watch the game through snowy static and listen to it on the radio, but we didn’t care, we loved it!!

DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!

THANKSGIVING MEMORIES...

Watching J L Hudson Thanksgiving Parade on TV with all of Mom's rules:
- Had to spot Dad in uniform among 300 other policemen at the tail end of the parade on a fuzzy B&W TV. (I think I see him, Mom!)
- Had to wave to Santa Claus on TV and he needed to wave back to you or you wouldn’t get any Christmas presents.
- Had to wave to Christmas Carol on her float on TV.
Dad taking us down to the parade to watch it (on Beaubien?) and giving us Vernor's Ginger Ale, old comic books with their covers ripped off, and a chance to look at prisoners in cells who would always yell, "Give me the phone kid."
Eating stuffed celery and stuffed dates from Mom's kitchen.
Bowling matchup of McCartys vs. Murrays/Jack/Lois. Lois was their best bowler because she was on a league and had a famous turkey trot approach.
Blind date with Sue Kelly on in 1969 to watch "Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid." This blind date was instigated by brother Rick who gave her my college address. Rick, this woman really didn't look anything like Katherine Ross as she or you had advertised.

-Happy Thanksgiving, from Dennis

BRAD SAVAGE & THE COCKROACH REUNION COMING SOON

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And nowadays you have to listen to John Madden babbling about the game and using a telestrator to show you what is happening. When we were kids we had our own fat broadcaster Van Patrick. Van Patrick weighed twice as much as John Madden and you couldn’t even understand him because he would usually be eating something during the game. He didn’t need no super-imposed fake line to show the line of scrimmage, he’d just say “The ball is at the 47 yard line, awww let’s just call it the 50.” We had mumbling sports announcers and they didn’t need to draw lines on the screen to make us understand the game.

And those Gambling Grandbrats will be betting on the game worrying about over - under or how many points they are getting. When I was a kid, the only gambling my dad did was buying a $1 square from Bob Block for the game. That game paid $25 per quarter, which is less than these losers today spend on the 7 Layer Dip. My dad would be calculating how his numbers would win, which usually meant the Lions getting a touchdown and missing the extra point or getting two safeties. And if he got close, my Dad would start calling Bob Block on the phone to make sure he had the right numbers.

So this year don’t sit in front of your big screen TV and watch the game. Instead unplug your cable and try to get reception the old fashion way and listen to the game on the radio. And if you can’t figure out the score, just give Bob Block a call.

DETROIT VIEWERS...

HUDSONS THANKGIVING PARADE

Part of the 52nd Annual Thanksgiving Day Santa Parade in Detroit, broadcast in 1978 on channel 4 and emceed by Sonny Eliot. Oopsy and Maxwell make appearances, as well as the Detroit Police Band, Mounted Division, Pontiac Unicyclists, Royal Oak Bicycle Band, and a "Merry Christmas" float from the Detroit Public School Works. This video is in 3 parts on YouTube.