Everyone Is Entitled To My Opinion- On Superheroes Of Days Gone By

Dear Friends,

      Are you old enough to remember the end of radio shows like “Lights Out”, “Milton Berle”, “Gunsmoke” or “Wrestling”? Maybe you remember TV shows of the 50’s that came from radio; Mike Hammer, You Bet Your Life, Burns and Allen, and so many like; Father Knows Best, My Little Margie, The Life of Riley, The Jackie Gleason Show, or Topper.

      Children’s programming was big; Howdy Doody, Kookla Fran and Ollie, Looney Toons, Tom and Jerry, Rin Tin Tin, Lassie, Superman, Hop A Long Cassidy, The Lone Ranger, and Red Ryder.

      We certainly cannot leave out the movies, did you spend Saturday afternoon in the theater with two movies, cartoons, coming attractions, news reels, and a bouncing ball sing a long all that for a quarter? On any given Saturday you could enjoy Frankenstein and Tom Mix with popcorn, candy, soda, you could even hold the lucky ticket stub and win a prize like a Roll Fast bike.

      All this said; Johnny Weissmuller will always be Tarzan it doesn’t matter that Elmo Lincoln was first or that Buster Crabbe was second, no matter how many came since does not change the fact that Weissmuller is Tarzan. James Garner will always be Matt Dillon but William Conrad was Marshall first on radio. George Reeves seems to be the only one to respond when someone says “This is a job for Superman” but on radio it was Bud Collyer and the first on film was Kirk Alyn. Mike Hammer portrayed by Stacy Keach wins over Darren McGavin. How many Tarzans and Supermen have there been? And what is it that makes those of a certain age willing to debate, nay even argue that our actors are the best. I always felt that these actors who first brought these characters to life with sound and visual made such an impression that it is hard to believe that we weren’t seeing history. Further these were people that via our radio and TV, and visits to the matinee we came to know them, they became familiar, and we believed they were capable of the rolls they portrayed. Somehow these new actors don’t sell me with their pre pubic voices saying “Hi Yo Silver, away.”