In 1923, a former telegrapher turned electrician turned up in Bisbee, Arizona, with a wife named Esther and $34.00 in his pocket. No one knew that broke young man would turn out to be one of the town’s most successful entrepreneurs. From that humble beginning he created not one but two separate radio stations, KSUN in Bisbee and KAPR in Douglas. Some thirty years later in 1953, he brought television to town.
TV may have been more common in the rest of the country, but not in Bisbee. The signals couldn’t get over the barrier formed by the Mule Mountains. So Mr. Morris set about fixing that. He built a tower on Juniper Flats, the highest point in the Mules, and then created a cable network. My parents didn’t sign up immediately due to cost considerations. I seem to remember it cost $7.00 a month, but with nine mouths to feed, every cent counted. I believe wanting to watch I Love Lucy was what finally got them to knuckle under.
At the time there were three channels. Art Linkletter came on around noon. After school we watched Uncle Mac whose job it was to introduce the films on offer—The Little Rascals and The Three Stooges. On Sundays we watched Dinah Shore and Ed Sullivan. There was no such thing as recording. If you missed a show, you missed it. As for changing the channel? That’s what kids were for, and heaven knows Norman and Evie had plenty of those!
Then time passed—lots of it, and things changed with it. By the time Norman and Evie were in their eighties, (which is where Bill and I are now) my father’s eyes would get tired. As a result, when they were watching TV in the evenings, Evie would turn down the volume so he could keep his eyes closed and rest them during the commercials and then Evie would turn the sound back up once the commercial was over. That was in the nineties. Were there remotes back then? I think so, and my mother was definitely in charge of it.
As I said, Bill and I are now both in our eighties. I’ve described our family room before. His chair—a self-rising recliner—is on the right. My writing chair is on the left. We now live in a time when remotes are … well … pretty much universal. We’re both right handed. When he dozes off in front of the television set with the remote under his right hand, that device could just as well be on the moon. I can raise or lower or mute the volume by yelling at our Sonos Sound system, but if I want to change the channel? Nope. I could go over to his chair and bodily remove the clicker from under his hand, but that does two things: It wakes him up and then he wants to finish watching whatever he was watching in the first place.
Last week I had an epiphany. What would happen if we had TWO remotes? And now we have them—one for him and one for me. When he’s sound asleep with his hand on the switch as he is right now, I can watch whatever I want without disturbing him in the least.
I haven’t felt this empowered since 1960 when my dad, perched on the floorboard of the passenger seat in his new Plymouth Valiant, taught me how to operate a stick shift.
Yikes, I guess that means I really am getting old!
Maybe getting old but, still a brilliant writer
I empathize with the remote conundrum. So many times my husband falls asleep holding the remote in his hand. I’ve gotten fairly good at the slight of hand required to remove it! Excellent blog as always!
Get a second remote!
Again your blog has evoked so many memories. Our ages are not that far apart so I’m not surprised.
TV didn’t enter our house until much of the other houses. It was a cost thing. And the TV was given to us from my “uncle” (that’s how mom & dad’s friends were sometimes referred to).
Thank you for taking me down memory lane, again.
Again your blog has evoked so many memories. Our ages are not that far apart so I’m not surprised.
TV didn’t enter our house until much of the other houses. It was a cost thing. And the TV was given to us from my “uncle” (that’s how mom & dad’s friends were sometimes referred to).
Thank you for taking me down memory lane, again.
Great BLOG! I’ve read every book you’ve written. I then listened to the Beaumont and Brady series. I’m currently listening to the Reynolds series. Can’t wait for your next books. I feel such a connection with the characters in your books.
Just like the rest of us, and grateful for it.
Love your empowerment.
Blessing to you and Bill.
Two remotes–well, that makes so much sense! And as for feeling empowered, I’d say grab it where you can, young or old. My latest experience of that (I’m 75, so not too far behind you) was a couple of weeks ago, when I managed to figure out the music festival website–WITHOUT having to ask the registrar for help–and then successfully talk a student’s parent through the online registration process–someone HALF my age!
We never had TV growing up, and I still don’t, because people who have it keep telling me there’s nothing worth watching anyway. They can’t be right, though, because you find stuff to watch!
We did this @ year ago and it is helpful but I’m still second in command!
I love your books and have read each one.
Always look forward to the next – I don’t know how you keep them all going and write each character so well.
Between your books I am reading Scottish authors – they have a devious mind.
Thanks for all the work you do to enhance my reading experience.
Jill Larkin
Right up there with you. I turn 88 next week but am still on the right side of the grass.
What a GREAT idea! This 70 year old Lady didn’t think of this and can’t wait to get one for myself!
Two comments.
We are about the same age (78).
I remember sending off and receiving a plastic sheet that attached to the black & white TV screen. It was supposed to make the screen color – it sucked.
Second – our eat-in kitchen overlooks the family room. We have 3 remotes – one for each in the family room easy chairs, and an additional remote for the kitchen table, so we can change stations or the sound output.
I thought “You can’t be in your eighties ! You’re just a couple of years older than me !”. Then I remembered how old I was !!!
I think it was Erma Bombeck who had a similar light bulb moment and ordered 2 subscriptions of the same newspaper so she and her husband could do the crossword. My husband and I tag-team the crossword–one starts it, the other fills in most of the gaps, and the first puzzler finishes, if necessary.
Thanks again for your blogs and books, hi to Bill, Annie
PS : It’s 90°F in Goodyear and Tucson and will be for some time?
It’s amazing how the little things , like a second remote or a remote at all makes such a difference. I was youngest so I was the remote and the rabbit ears adjuster. Sometimes that required me to stand holding them or squish the foil on them tighter. 40+ years later when cable tv required us to move up a package $$$ just so we could watch PBS , I bought an antenna and cancelled cable. Back to adjusting the little antenna that sat on the patio. We lived in a townhome built into the hills and our living room was upstairs along with the patio. 20 years beyond I still don’t have cable but, I have subscriptions, some like AMC I join in February just to watch Dark winds and then hopefully remember to cancel when the season is over, a few I get free with my phone service and others my adult kids share with us. But, we still have an antenna that sits flat against the window so my husband can watch the news. The cats are in charge of climbing the cat tree next to the window and adjusting the antenna now.
Rather than have two remotes you could just go to voice command. I have that on my computer monitor.
Voice commands wake Bill up.
When I was 35 I fell asleep in the third quarter of Monday-night football; 75, in the first quarter; 86, during the National Anthem. That’s what old age does.
I think it was Erma Bombeck who had a similar light bulb moment when she decided to order two subscriptions for the same newspaper so she and her husband could each do the crossword.
My husband and I tag team the crossword–one starts it, the other fills in the gaps, and the first one finishes it, if necessary.
Thanks again for your blogs and books, hi to Bill, Annie
PS It’s 90°F in Goodyear and in Tucson and will be for some time?
My husband was WAY ahead of you!
(We are almost 80 ourselves and are in side-by —side recliners)…
When remotes were introduced, my husband asked for 2 remotes – you should have seen the installers face – the cost but they couldn’t conceive that maybe the wife should have some control….so we have always had 2 remotes!!
I was struck by the similarities in our lives…Ted’s (now vacant) self-rising recliner is on the left, and my recliner is on the right.
When I met Ted, he had a 1965 Valiant…
Thanks for the memories.
We got our first TV in 1956. My dad found out he could watch the Friday night fights, so that sealed the deal. Now we have two chairs, two remotes and two TVs, two outside digital antennas, and one fire stick. Everything works out fine since we both have to use closed caption because of hearing loss.
I’m in my 60’s and we just got a second remote! Love it!
I grew up in North Seattle near Northgate. We were the first one in our neighborhood to have a television – 17″ in 1954. Two stations if I recall right KING and KOMO. Every kid in the neighborhood came to our house after school to watch “Howdy Doody” and a local kid’s program. A few months later the family across the street got a 21″ and everyone deserted us to watch the larger screen. My sister and I took turns being the remote as most kids did back in then.
Fast forward 72 years. My husband passed away and my kids were single again so the three of us share the house and split expenses. We now have four TVs in the house all with remotes!!
Great story!
Great story. It brought back lots of memories. I remember our parents bought our first TV (black and white naturally) when my sister and I were spending evenings at the neighbor’s as they had a a TV. We watched Ed Sullivan and Dinah Shore. And, my dad loved to watch wrestling so, of course, we all watched it. I don’t remember who got up to change channels–probably my sister or I. And, I remember when they got a thing that you put on your TV screen so you had color–only then people’s faces could be green, red, etc.!!
My Godparents lived in Barstow when I was younger. We went out to visit them (mid-1950’s) from Carson, CA – and they had to pay for TV. I was shocked – I was also about 8 years old. Living in Carson, I had a bunch of TV shows we could watch for free! ? Naturally, in the mid-1980’s I went to work for Turner Broadcasting in San Francisco – so by then cable was a norm for me. ?? By the way, hubby and I both have “clickers”, too, so I can change the channel whenever I wish to do so. ??
You go girl ??.
WOW! What a GREAT idea! I have the same problem with my Hubby going to sleep with the remote safely tucked in his grip and the dog sleeping in between us on the love seat recliners. I either have to wait for the commercials to wake him, try to reach over Foxy to retrieve the remote and wake up both of them or endure the loud, obnoxious commercials (except the ones that have Corgis in them) Ha ha!
Love this!
What a loving couple you remain.
I’m a little past you and pushing 90 really hard. The chair next to me has been empty for almost 15 years and I traveled some really fun places and played a lot of golf. I think of myself pretty tech capable until this Christmas. I love the Sonos speaker that works for the whole house (love the stations with 1950s to 1970s BUT all the other gifts – a 32″frame that my family and friends can download pictures on!
They put it right under that big screen smart tv and I’m a BritBox/Acorn mysteries, PBS!!! So many buttons! Then the new iPhone….and the new Windows computer – well I’m sitting here trying all the new words for everything! AND I HATE AI! Whine 🙂 I will figure them out! And gosh those great grandkids have grown up also! AND I go by my middle name! All my life! Imagine my life now……..
Get the grandkids to help you make your new tech work.
I have 2 scars on my body from my interactions with my one year older sister Debi because of the tv remote from back in the ‘50’s
Love your solution to controlling the TV. I thought about it but was not sure it would work. My solution was to fix my husband up with his own office in the room the farthest from our living room. If it gets too loud I just very, very quietly walk down the hall and close his door. He thinks he is doing it each night so I can enjoy my shows. I just tell him how very considerate he is. Life is grand!
Yippie, I get to do a one up on you. I was doing this over 20 years ago, going to my dads to help him out every couple of weeks. He was very hard of hearing and his voice had gotten very quiet with Parkinsons. He cranked up the TV sound to watch TV, but when a commercial came on he would talk and I had trouble listening with his quiet voice over high TV commercial noise. Back then you could get simple extra battery operated remotes on sale for maybe $10. I kept it by me when I visited and when the commercial came on I would mute it out so he could speak and put it back on when the commercial was over.