About Movie

Remember running home from school in the late '40s, pouring a glass of milk and grabbing a few cookies then plunking yourself down in front of a massive piece of furniture housing a ten TV inch screen? You'd turn it on and watch the soundless test pattern waiting for the buzz to begin. This sound signaled that in just a few minutes Howdy Doody and his friends would be pumped into your living room in glorious black and white. If this experience was part of your distant pass, you're a pre-boomer.

Howdy was a round-faced, freckled, little cowboy. He become so familiar, it was hard to think of him as a marionette. Being surrounded by live host "Buffalo Bob" Smith and Clarabelle the mute clown along with a number of other puppet characters made Howdy a household name for years. A little remembered fact is that when the show began in 1947, an uglier, horse-faced, clownish Howdy Doody graced our TV screens. Then magically, overnight the new-look Howdy came on the scene. No one minded. The new image was an instant success and is the one most everyone thinks of today.

The Howdy Doody Show ran from 1947 to 1960, so the early baby boomers grew up with him as well. It's interesting to note that during the '50s, RCA, owner of the NBC network, used the program to help introduce color television to kids in an effort to get the little ones promoting the concept to the rest of the family. Advertising people have long known the power of children when selling products, but color TV was a high ticket item compared to breakfast cereal and snacks.

During the early years of the tube, we'd watch anything - nothing aired until late afternoon. There were terrible movies, and equally bad live TV. No one cared as long as they were watching television. But there were some good variety shows that premiered back then such as the Ed Sullivan Show (first known as The Toast of The Town) and the Milton Berle Show (Texaco Star Theatre). Live dramas (first in the evening and later the daytime soap operas) along with sports were a big part of programming in those days.

Late night TV ended after the local news, because Jerry Lester's Broadway Open House did not appear until 1950. So, a minute-sermon followed by the Star Spangled Banner marked the end of the broadcast day. Soon the stations realized not everyone was ready for bed before midnight, so local shows started to appear, but the audience was too small to sustain this effort, in time this would change. Then someone had the bright idea to sell the unused time that was just sitting there. Possibly the first infomercial to run on late-night TV was for Charles Antell Formula 9. It utilized a quirky spokesman using only a hairbrush and the product that he touted as being the answer to everyone. Grooming needs, because it contained lanolin. Now infomercials, both log and short-form, are the most visible means of support for late-night television.

It's fun to recall those simple, not-very-slick days of television when the power of the medium was the technology rather than the message. Somehow the computer, with all its sophistication is not nearly as exciting as the old black and white TV.

It Depends on the Child

The first problem with trying to keep bad dreams to a minimum is that different children have different perceptions about their worlds. With very young children (1-2 years old), you may not be able to reason with them very much. Additionally, they may not be able to explain what scared them in their dream. As they get older, it gets easier. Then, you can get more detail from them as their vocabulary increases and they can tell the difference between real and not real - between the dream and their real life.

The TV Dilemma

Often parents shelter their children from the television because of scary images. It is a good rule of thumb to keep your children watching age-appropriate shows to tame their dreams. However, there will be times when they cannot be sheltered from what they see. And those are the times that require some additional attention. First, you must be aware that your child has seen scary images (whether you are watching television with them yourself, or they have seen it at a friend's house). Second, this awareness can only be achieved through open and regular communication with your child. It requires parents to be sensitive to the children's presence in the room and to talk with their children daily about their experiences at school, daycare, or in their friends' homes. Finding time to speak and listen to your children is a key element in helping them deal with the world around them!

In addition, it may be a good idea to turn the TV off at least 30 minutes before bedtime. Even with a children's show, the brain stimulation that occurs can keep them in an alert state that is more readily receptive to images in their dreams.

When Bad Dreams Do Occur

Obviously no matter what you do as parents, bad dreams will occur! Getting to the root of what has scared the child usually keeps them from being scared the next time. That means more communication, but most importantly, really listening to the child's descriptions of the "monsters" they see, the surroundings they envision, and the key characters in the dream. All of these are clues to what they really may fear, or the event which may have transpired, or images the child has seen. These fears can be explained away if the child is able to rationalize (ex. "That bear in the movie lives in the woods, don't worry there are no bears around here."), but most importantly, never underestimate the power of a good hug! The words "Mommy (or Daddy) is here and you are safe," while snuggled in your arms seems to work wonders for reducing fears in most children.