Family, Rat Patrol and Soap Operas : Part One

Today my post is about memories as a young girl watching television with my family. It would start off with a black and white set of course because in those days that is how it was.

You always had to watch what the parents watched because there was only one set in the house. Can you believe it? Only one TV. The Dad when in the house had the charge of the set...what no remote control??? NO Remote control they hadn't been invented yet.

My earliest memories sitting with Daddy would be of Westerns, WWII Shows and that is about it. One of the Shows he would watch was The Rat Patrol. I imagine with good reason he had come home from fighting that war and did start out in Africa in doing so this show was quite interesting to him. We did have color Television before this show came out thankfully.

The Rat Patrol is an American Television program that aired on ABC during the 1966-1968 seasons.  The show follows the exploits of four (three American and one British) Allied Soldiers who are part of a long-range desert patrol group in the North African Campaign during WWII.  their mission "to attack, harass and wreak havoc on Field Marshall Rommel's vaunted Afrika Korps".


 

A notable enemy on the show

Hauptmann (Captain) Hans Dietrich

A dedicated, but honorable German officer and the Patrol's main nemesis.  by the end of the series, it becomes clear that Dietrich, although a cunning opponent, never stoops to the cruel methods of fellow Nazi officers.  Gudegast later became famous as a soap opera star under the pseudonym Eric Braeden born Hans Gudegast in Kiel, Germany, during WWII.

So began my love affair with Hans, Eric, "VICTOR NEWMAN"

 

Melody Thomas Scott as Nikki Newman (my favorite of course)

Eric Braeden as Victor Newman (my hero)

SOAPS

My earliest memories of staying with my Grandmother Johnson were of her coming in from the fields, they farmed, cooking delicious food and watching soap operas. As The World Turns, The Guiding Light, I remember her saying that Lisa Hughes is something else!

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Chris, Lisa, and Nancy Hughes

As The World Turns

Charita Bauer & Hubby

The Guiding Light

Mama was a stay at home mom until I was a teenager so I also remember her cooking, cleaning and watching soap operas. Remember what I said if you were a child you had little say-so about what was to be watched on the television. Saturday mornings were the kids half-day and you'd better have your chores done in order to watch. How about that youngster of today?  When some of the racier parts (that's a laugh now) would come on we had to leave the room while Mama and friends or relatives watched, laughed and talked about the shameful goings-on. By today's standards, it would have been a cartoon...G rated...

"The women would say don't watch this it isn't real, don't ever think it is real life." Most have gone off the air and I am beginning to think I know why. Real-life is more of a soap opera than soap operas. whew, the writers can't keep up with real-life and how people live today. .laughing. I don't live by them but when I can I certainly do watch for fun. I hope my favorite of course Y & R stays on for a little while.

I love it when the men you know come in when you are watching and of course no manly man would ever watch a soap opera but they can't help but say," What is Victor doing now? " No, they don't ever watch that stuff.

2017 Video Eric Braeden Talking about himself and his new book

Part two coming up with photos of When Dolly met Victor or Eric!

When Dolly Met Victor