We've come a long way from the 'Million Dollar Movie'

I recently reminisced from my youthful days, about the Saturday night 'Million Dollar Movie' that Channel 5 KCTV, presented each week at 10:30 p.m. My memory of that time slot and offering was triggered by some changes I noted in my current satellite/cable lineup.

I write this with a bit of self deprecation. In our home, we have the latest DISH Hopper system. This marvel of modern viewing technology, is really something to behold when I compare it to those seemingly archaic television systems of my youth.

I'm not advocating for or against any system, but this 'Hopper' unit allows us amazing, family-oriented television flexibility. One Hopper, allows us to watch multiple televisions in different rooms, on different channels. We can also digitally record six additional shows at the same time.

I am told this very modern system is just one of the latest methods available for viewer consumption. Young people are much more up-to-date in this area. They 'stream' video through several other systems, on their televisions, laptops and phones. One more time, I have discovered that just when I thought I was so up-to-date with the latest technological offering, I am actually behind the times.

To put this all in some kind of perspective, one must look back to the early days of television, which just happens to have coincided with the span of my life.

I have written about this subject before, but it bears repeating. We bought our first television somewhere near the time of my 5th birthday. We then resided on our farm, east of 71/I49 highway on DD, about three miles north of Sheldon.

My parents bought that first television from the Beeny Brothers Appliance/Furniture Store in Sheldon. As was the norm in those

days, the television had a smaller screen, and was housed in a fairly large, wooden cabinet. In the back of the television, there was a removable covering. More than once (televisions back then needed regular repairs), we had to have one of the Beeny repairmen come and work on the set. I can still remember watching in wonder, at the maze of glass tubes and wires inside.

That television had only black and white viewing capability. It would be about a decade before color sets became readily available. We also had to receive the television signal, via an outdoor vertical metal antenna that stood just outside of the wall behind our TV.

We were somewhat lucky, in that our house sat high atop a prairie hill. That gave us optimum and unimpeded directional tuning to the few television stations available. Even so, that antenna system's range and reception was average to poor, at best!

We had a small electric motor that allowed my father to turn the antenna in different directions to try and gain the optimum signal from a particular station. The broadcast power of those 1950's stations was often weak, and the ability to watch a show without regular interruptions was rare. Weather and airplanes also affected the signal strength.

We had only a few stations that we could, as we said in those days, 'pick up.' The first and most easily accessible was Channel 7 from Pittsburg, which still remains a viewing standard, today. Later, Channel 12 from Joplin became available.

If the weather and other conditions were right, we could sometimes pick up the two Springfield stations, Channels 3 and 10. For some reason, we were more successful receiving these than we were the three stations from Kansas City. It was almost impossible to pick them up, even with our high hilltop antenna.

Much of my father's family lived in Warrensburg, Mo., where he grew up. We made regular visits there, and I often stayed with my older cousins overnight. Allen Carpenter was about about six years older than me, and I really looked up to him.

Warrensburg is about half the distance from Kansas City, as we are here in Nevada, so my cousin's regularly watched the KC television stations. It was on those weekend visits, that I got to stay up with my cousin and watch the Saturday night Million Dollar Movie.

It seems so strange to be talking about those old movies nights. My current system has multiple movie channels that you can watch anytime. It also has what they call 'On Demand.' You can search for a movie that you want to see and watch it or record it later.

Our old Million Dollar Movies were literally in the 'Dark Ages' of television. These movies were often older shows, much like what they now offer on stations like the Tuner Classic Movie Channel. That did not matter to us back then.

The only other times we got to watch movies in those days was when we went to the movie theaters. The Million Dollar Movie was free, and we could see it in our own homes.

In the late 1950's, most of these movies were of certain genres. Westerns, war movies (especially those from the not too distant World War II era) and the traditional love story themes made up the meat of the Saturday night lineup.

Regular television before the advent of shows like the 'Tonight Show', ended after the local news and weather at 10:30 p.m. They always played the National Anthem after the news, and, in my home, that was the signal for bedtime.

Since I was still in grade school, more often than not, I fell asleep before the end of the Million Dollar Movie. I didn't care; it was such a treat that I was just glad to be there for the biggest part.

Yes, we've come a long way from that era of television movies, but I still find some of the old movies and shows to my liking. Just yesterday, I watched an episode of the 'Roy Rogers Show.' Can you still sing the entire 'Happy Trails' verses?