A Saturday in 1969

It’s a Saturday in early October, 1969. 44 years ago next month. I’m 10 years old. What did I watch that day?

Well, if I was up by 7AM, I watched BATMAN. I’m pretty sure these were the Filmation BATMAN cartoons. At 8, it would have been CASPER, THE JETSONS or HECKLE AND JECKLE, depending on my mood. Up next was THE BUGS BUNNY/ROAD RUNNER HOUR which I turned of halfway through to catch THE CATTANOOGA CATS.  After that was a local show, CARTOONS A GO-GO, followed by H.R. PUFNSTUF (or sometimes HOT WHEELS). After that was SCOOBY DOO and then ARCHIE unless I watched THE BANANA SPLITS HOUR, which I often did. The last morning show was THE ADVENTURES OF GULLIVER. After that came a MONKEES rerun (often with new songs edited in during his period to sell the later albums). Then finally I’d check out AMERICAN BANDSTAND. Today’s episode had The Grass Roots and I DO remember watching when they were on! After that I’d go to a movie or go shopping for comic books or out to play.

If I was back by 5, I might catch PORTER WAGONER (with Dolly Parton) or maybe a DORIS DAY SHOW rerun. That night, if my Dad wasn’t working or out pitching horseshoes, we would have watched his favorite JACKIE GLEASON (guest-starring Carol Lawrence whom he and I would see live in SUGAR BABIES many years later). If he happened to be out, Mom and I would likely have opted for ANDY WILLIAMS, guest-starring, as he often did, The Osmond Brothers. GREEN ACRES followed—although sometimes we watched MY THREE SONS instead. After that was PETTICOAT JUNCTION and MANNIX! The only time we missed MANNIX was if THE HOLLYWOOD PALACE had a particularly good guest. Tonight’s first episode of the season had Bing Crosby hosting Bobbie Gentry, Englebert Humperdinck and the rock group Sweetwater. I love Sweetwater! But since I wouldn’t even discover the group until 34 years later...we skipped it.

At that age, I pretty much crashed by 11 PM.