Another Childhood Icon...

I am old enough to remember the change from black and white to colour television.  When I was very, very young my parents bought a colour set to replace our black and white.  This was monumental and my dad actually broke out the rarely used tools and built a special shelf in a corner of the basement to house it. 

Kids today won't relate but those of my generation recall the days when we as North Americans shared a culture that stemmed from the tiny selection of television shows we could choose to consume.  For my parents, we were a M*A*S*H, All in the Family, Carol Burnett household.  Some of my strongest memories of my formative years are images of the family in our basement watching those shows.  I don't really recall many specifics, but more a sort of warm pastiche of jammies, milk, cookies and laughter in front of the tube.  I was warm, safe and content in a way that doesn't really exist anymore.

One of my favourite non-specific memories is of the countless times Tim Conway made Harvey Korman break character and crack up during a skit.  Better still were the times that Conway worked that magic on the whole cast and sometimes even on himself.  I can still see my Mom wiping away tears of laughter. 

Sadly, we lost Tim Conway this morning.  He was 85.  When I heard the news, my childhood self had to wipe away tears too.

Thanks for the memories, Tim.  I think I need some milk and cookies.