1965

Speaking of television, I was thinking about the deteriorating quality of TV programming in relation to my last post. What bugs me the most about television programming today is the lack of originality. I flashed back to my youth, to the 1960s in particular, and the show “My Mother the Car.” Don’t know that show? Well, not surprising. It only lasted a single season. Basically, the show was about a man and his car. Not that unusual, you say? Consider that the man’s car was possessed by his dead mother. The car talked to him in his mother’s voice, using the car’s radio. Now that’s original! Really, really bad, but original! I did a quick internet search on the program and discovered that “My Mother the Car” was one of several “original programs” (i.e. strange) that were released in the year 1965 to compete with the avant-garde shows “Bewitched” and “The Man from Uncle,” both of which debuted a year earlier. The other unusual shows getting their start in the 1965 season included: “I Dream of Jeannie,” “Lost in Space,” “Get Smart,” “Green Acres,” and “Wild Wild West.” Just try and top that line-up.