Lifestyle
The test pattern on CKSO-TV
WATCHING THE TEST PATTERN ON CKSO-TV WAS FUN
JESSIE (COTNAM) MACISAAC
Fall 2009 |
Other than the time my parents bought their brand new 1954 Ford Meteor Rideau sedan in white and
turquoise with a red flash along each side and with loads of chrome, as far
as I was concerned, our first television set was most exciting purchase they ever made.
My mother, Helen, recalls we watched our first television program while visiting Aunt Hiaffea and Uncle Gordon McAllister at their home on Kingsmount Blvd. But getting our own television set was something else. My dad, John, must have purchased it as a Christmas gift for the whole family. I had just turned eight. When the television set arrived, it occupied a prominent place in our living room. The picture was black and white. There was no such thing as colour television in those days, And, of course, it had rabbit ears for adjusting the reception.
Unimaginable in the 1950s were remote controls, channel surfing, cable TV, VCRs, DVDs or satellite dishes. We had one channel, CKSO-TV, Channel 5. Watching the test pattern on the screen, staring at that “Indian Chief” in full headdress until the first program would appear, became a favourite pastime for my brother and me. How innocent and uncomplicated times were way back then.
Television was a social experience for the family because we all gathered around one set to watch the same program, and we enjoyed watching it together.
I remember programs started around 4:30 or 5 pm and ended around 10 or 10:30 pm, which was past my bedtime. I guess there was local news, weather and sports, but I had no interest in that stuff.
Some of the local television personalities were Judy Jacobson, now Judy Erola, Bill Kehoe, Trudy Manchester, Basil Scully, Ralph Connor and Cam Church.
I recall some of the major regular programs that everyone watched such as Saturday evening’s Hockey Night in Canada, Sunday night’s Ed Sullivan Show, and the comedies, The Red Skelton , Milton Berle and Bob Hope Shows. Kraft Dinner Theatre was another favourite, except for those icky recipe commercials featuring horrible combinations such as peanut butter and pickles with mayonnaise, and marshmallow and Velveeta cheese snacks. I found them most unappetizing. Other television favourites included I Love Lucy, The Honeymooners, Prudential Life’s You are There, Our Miss Brooks, Dragnet, Adolphe Menjou, Lassie, and Father Knows Best. Didn’t everyone want to be a member of the Anderson family?
How I loved Saturday afternoons! At 5 pm, the Walt Disney Show would come on. Each week for one full hour we would wait and wonder which of the four Disneylands would be featured.
Would it be Fantasyland, Frontierland, Tomorrowland or Adventureland? I always hoped it would be Fantasy Land or Frontier Land. My brother Gary and I would watch, mesmerized.
I thought Walt Disney was one of the most wonderful and brilliant people in the world. And it wasn’t just because we shared the same birthday. My childhood wish was to one day visit Disneyland in California. That dream was finally realized when my husband, Charlie, and I travelled to California in 1977. We were still kids at heart.
By the way, did you know that CKSO was the first privately owned television station in Canada? It really is a small, small world.
About the writer: Jessie (Cotnam) MacIsaac values her Sudbury heritage and has enjoyed retired life for a decade, focusing on family and friends. She volunteers with serveral organizations, is a lector and member of the Catholic Women’s League at St. Patrick’s Church, belongs to the Sassy Scarlett Sisters, a chapter of The Red Hat Society, travels with the Falcon Five, studies the Enneagram with the Core Four, is a CARP “Zoomer” and is an avid “Cinéfester.”
