Off the Bookshelf: Big Little Books- Big Fun in a Small Package...

Redartz:  One of the 'little' pleasures of my youth was a series of small books, combining text with panel illustrations on a facing page. Featuring a wide array of familiar characters placed into novel-length adventures, and priced at a level my allowance would cover: yes, Big Little Books! 

 



BLB's actually first appeared in 1932, published by Whitman (the same company who provided them for our perusal in the 60's and 70's). In those days the books were filled with tales of Slam Bradley, Mickey Mouse, The Gumps, The Shadow, and many other stars of film, radio and the pulps. 










In our era, of course, they added in many favorites from television: Flipper, Lassie, Daktari, Frankenstein Jr., and many many more. I had quite a few of these thick tomes, stacked alongside my beloved comics. Some of those I recall most fondly: Popeye ("Ghost Ship to Treasure  Island"), Bugs Bunny ("Double Trouble on Diamond Island"), and Donald Duck ("The Fabulous Diamond Fountain") . I know, we see a pattern of sorts here- they all seemed to combine the lure of treasure and some element of menace; a pairing hard to resist for any kid. 

One I recall especially well:  Woody Woodpecker ("The Meteor Menace"). Indeed, this is one I've managed to reacquire in recent years, and got a kick out of reading it again. Here you see the opening page, showing the standard format of text on the right, illustrations on the left. No credits were given for the creators, unfortunately (The Fantastic Four BLB has art that greatly resembles Kirby, but I don't think it actually was). The story itself is full of gimmicks, tricks, gadgets, and mysteries (Woody's nephew Knothead even has a secret spy kit that proves integral to the plot). At 250 pages, it makes for a pretty long tale, albeit a quick one to read (after all, you only get about a paragraph on a page).

Those old BLB's from the 30's to the 50's were all in 'hardback' form (actually a sort of cardboard cover). The late 60's versions also had a stiff cover, although the spines didn't hold up very well. The later books from the 70's were soft paper covers, and basically reprinted  many of the previous decade's offerings. Hard or soft cover, the Big Little Books offered a lot of reading enjoyment for the price of a couple of comics. And they were easier to fit in a backpack or suitcase or camp bag, and less likely than a comic to end up crinkled to unreadability. Now here's a few to jog your memories. Which ones did you have?

Rank And File: Rural, Western and Nature Television!

Martinex1:  When I was growing up in the 70s, it was so common to turn on the television and find shows with settings in the country or in the wilderness or in the American west.   Whether on the networks or in syndication, nearly every channel was showcasing at least one program where the characters wore cowboy hats, ranched or farmed, and generally avoided city life. 

In and around 1971, there was a trend amongst the big three networks to move away from such programming and start to focus on the larger demographic and modern challenges of city life.   This is commonly referred to as the " Television Rural Purge."  CBS who had many such sitcoms made a  very conscious effort to end programs that had the country feel.   That movement spawned some great shows like The Mary Tyler-Moore Show, The Bob Newhart Show, and many others. But it left behind a trend that I doubt we will see resurge again in nearly the same magnitude. 

Many of the examples I share below were made before I was born, but they still were a part of my childhood through the magic of "repeats."  In the Chicago area, we had channels like WFLD 32 and WSNS 44 that constantly ran such shows.   When I was sick with the flu and home from school, I would catch countless hours of these gems on daytime TV.

I could not avoid the lunacy of Green Acres, or the adventure of The Lone Ranger, or the drama and action of Bonanza.  So let's rank our top three favorites of the "rural, western, nature" genre and also name a runt that would never make your top ten litter.

Here are my top choices:

1) Green Acres - The Paul Henning produced series was my favorite of his trio of comedies including The Beverly Hillbillies and Petticoat Junction that centered around or referred to the farming community of Hooterville.   When Oliver Wendell Douglas (portrayed by Eddie Albert) would get taken advantage of by the local town folk or just befuddled by their way of life, I couldn't help but laugh.   And when his wife Lisa (Eva Gabor) poured his coffee and it was thick as molasses - oh, I roared with laughter.   Do you remember the closet door that opened to the outside air?  Or the telephone that could only be reached by climbing a pole?   Or the Ziffel's son who was a pig?  The theme song was a classic, and I am sure I still know all of the words.   The Beverly Hillbillies may be more famous, but I liked this reverse-take on the topic (city life vs country life) much better.
2) Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom - I include this program in the nature category.  It has a very nostalgic meaning to me as we would always watch this show with my father on Sunday late afternoons.   The zoologist and host Marlin Perkins always seemed like the most serious and intelligent person in regards to anything animal related.   I sometimes got bored waiting for a cheetah to attack, but like I said this brings back great memories for me.
3) The Andy Griffith Show - Honestly it took me a while to appreciate this show.  As a kid, it seemed slower paved and more meandering than some other comedies.   But I've grown to really like it and to admire Griffith's acting and the humor shared between him and other characters like Deputy Barney Fife and Gomer Pyle.   Plus, who could ever forget that whistling for the  opening?  Have you ever heard the lyrics to that tune?

My least favorite was:

The Dukes of Hazzard - this series came much later into the arena, but I never warmed to it.   I guess it had some similar character nuances and exaggerations, but it always seemed slightly off and perhaps condescending.   I may have to watch it again all of these years later as maybe I missed something, but I have a feeling it lacked some of the charm of earlier shows.

So what do you say?   Whether Gunsmoke, The Rifleman, Little House on the Prairie, Maverick, Lassie, Mr. Ed,  The Waltons, Hee-Haw, or even Deputy Dawg - what was your favorite from this TV genre long dismantled?