This Was What America Looked Like Once

There are a whole number of reasons I feel disassociated from the generations that came after me but I think the biggest factor in the weird sense of distance I have from them is that whenever I try to explain what life was like in a world of three channels they cannot even fathom that level of existence. It is as if I were speaking a different language, which I suppose all explanations of the past are actually expressed in. Anyway, youngsters, watch the first minute of this clip here and try to imagine a time when this was the thing on Saturday night that your babysitter would let you watch while your parents were out at key parties or whatever and if you were lucky you could also sneak in a “Fantasy Island.” This in some sense formed your view of life and celebrity and seagoing. The least weird thing about this show is that one of the actors later became a United States congressman. The next time you get nostalgic about “Clarissa Explains It All” please take a moment to have pity for those of us for whom something so simple came too late to matter. Thank you for understanding. Also, the lady that they ditched Ann Curry for is completely correct, Gavin McLeod looks terrific for a man of his years.