Where Are You Pinky Lee?

There are certain things I miss when I reminisce about my childhood, including watching one of my favorite television shows of all time: The Pinky Lee Show ("Yoo hoo, it's me, my name is Pinky Lee"); Little Lulu comic books (who has had a better friend than Tubby?); Dave Garroway signing off the Today Show with one word -- "Peace" -- and everything (with the exception of cigarettes) The Statler Brothers sing about in their song "Do You Remember These:"

"Saturday morning serials, chapters 1 through 15
Fly paper, penny loafers, Lucky Strike Green
Flat tops, sock hops, Studebaker, "Pepsi, please"
Ah, do you remember these?

Cigar bands on your hand, your daddy's socks rolled down,
(Pick-up) Sticks, nose plugs and aviator caps with flaps that button down
Movie stars on Dixie Cup tops and knickers to your knees
Ah, do you remember these?

The Hit Parade, grape Tru-Ade, the Sadie Hawkins Dance
Pedal pushers, duck-tail hair and peggin' your pants
Howdy Doody, Tutti-Frutti, the seam up the back of her hose
Ah, do you remember those?

James Dean, he was keen, Sunday movies were taboo
The Senior Prom, Judy's mom, rock and roll was new
Cracker Jack prize, stars in your eyes, ask daddy for the keys
Ah, do you remember these?

The boogey man, lemonade stand and takin' your tonsils out
Indian burn and wait your turn and four foul balls you're out
Cigarette loads and secret codes and savin' Lucky Stars
Can you remember back that far?

The boat neck shirts and fender skirts and crinoline petticoats
Mum's the word and a dirty bird and a double root beer float
Moon hubcaps and loud heel taps and "he's a real gone cat"
Ah, do you remember that?

Dancin' close, little moron jokes, and cooties in her hair
Captain Midnight, Ovaltine and The Whip at the County Fair
Charles Atlas Course, Roy Roger's Horse, and "only The Shadow knows"
Ah, do you remember those?

Gable's charm, froggin' your arm, loud mufflers, pitchin' woo
Going steady, Veronica and Betty, white bucks and Blue Suede Shoes
Knock Knock jokes -- who's there? Dewey! Dewey who?
Do we remember these? Yes we do!
Ah, do we, do we remember these!"

Listen (and watch) here if you relate to those lyrics and want some real memories to latch onto. You'll love the melody.

The "good ol' days" are relative. Every generation has their own nostalgic memories, and I have to admit I miss the good ol' days that relate to mine. TV Land, The Hub and Antenna TV are three go-to channels for baby boomers who miss shows like Bonanza, Gunsmoke, Leave It to Beaver, I Love Lucy, The Andy Griffith Show, Burns and Allen, The Loretta Young Show, Bachelor Father, Father Knows Best, The Three Stooges, Jack Benny, Dragnet and so many more. They also televise shows that my adult children remember watching when they were kids.

I long for the days of being a self-indulgent five-year-old who counted on my mother to be home when I got home from kindergarten to hand me my cookies and milk, and being a 9-year-old who waited patiently for her to come home from her part-time job to give me a big hug and let me watch Howdy Doody while she fixed supper as we waited for daddy to pull up in the driveway with a big smile. He was probably smiling because he knew he didn't have to fix supper.

Memories are priceless. My childhood is over, but I still think about lying on the grass flat on my back, looking up at the sky, and making pictures out of cloud formations. I hope the next big invention will be a time machine. How nice it would be to go back in time for a day or two to relive old times.

I miss Pinky Lee... and probably always will.