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BLACK & WHITE TELEVISION Here is a list of my favorite black & white TV shows. I tried to keep it to 5, but I just couldn't. ~Wayne, 10.20.2005 7. Superman (1953-1957) - I was really happy when this show came on. The silliness of it all, with the star changing into his outfit in strange places and then flying in to save the day ... I didn't care. The fact that his girlfriend could not recognize him just by taking off his glasses and changing his clothes was OK. The idea that Clark Kent was never around when Superman showed up ... none of that mattered. Clark knew how to use a doorknob, but when he turned into Superman, somehow he forgot how to use the device and resorted to smashing through all doors. I loved all of the things that he could do and I loved watching him do them. I had many of his comic books, which cost 10¢ at that time. I also had several Superboy comic books. "Faster than a speeding bullet ... more powerful than a locomotive ... able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Superman. Yes, it's Superman - strange visitor from another planet who came to Earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men. Superman - who can change the course of mighty rivers, bend steel with his bare hands, and who, disguised as Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper, fights the never ending battle for Truth, Justice and the American Way." 6. The Lone Ranger (1949-1957) - Wow, I spent a lot of time watching westerns on television when I was young. Some of my favorites include Hopalong Cassidy, Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Wagon Train and The Rifleman, but none of them can score higher with me than the man with the silver bullets and white hat. It was so predictable, so silly ... I could see that even as a kid, but I didn't care. I wanted him to always win and then ride out of town without any thank you. I loved his horse, Silver. My sisters were always playing with plastic horses and I had mine ... a white one with a rider with a white hat. I think that I had Tonto and Scout, too. "Me go to town, get information on desperados." "Hi-Yo Silver, away!" 5. Leave It To Beaver (1957-1963) - I watched this show almost every week. I identified with Wally who was just a little older than me at the time. He seemed like a great guy and I wanted to be like him. The show was set in Mayfield and now I live in the Cleveland area. On the east side of Cleveland, there is a Mayfield Heights. This show has been shown over and over on TV through the years and many have seen it. I think that an interesting fact is that Eddie Haskle became a policeman in real life. I can't image getting pulled over by him. 4. Father Knows Best (1954-1960) - In this show I identified with Bud. He is actually 7 years older that me in real life, but in the show he played the part of a guy only 4 years older than me. I could see what he was doing and thought that I might be doing similar things in just 4 years. I distinctly remember an episode where Bud was driving his very old car and came upon a rich guy with a fancy car, no gasoline and a need to get somewhere in a hurry. They traded cars and Bud got to keep the fancy one. Wow, I thought that was great. I never did like either of his sisters in the show ... Kitten or Princess.
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