F PAGE 6, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER-8, 1973, WHITBY FREE PRESS BI1RD 'S EVE VIE W -J/M OULA IL Fi'rst .on the B lock While rapping with a technician from Pine Ridge Cable the other night about how television sets work and the differences between the sets now and the first sets two things came to mind. The first thing I thought of was how much my old RCA is like the first pioneer sets and the second thing was rem- embering when we got out first television set and the impact it had. The technician, AI Sharpe, was pointing out ail the technical features the modern sets have and then we would giance at my old job and notice that it was pretty close to the origirVIi design. The first sets had round picture tubes in the front and while mine isn't round it is not like the new square jobs they have on the market today. Mfine aiso had a littie magnet on the back on the picture tube which is used to adjust the brightness and apparentiy the new sets don't need such a device. Ail in ail though that set has been around for close to 20 years and it hasn't need- ed much work. Many of you probabiy have had the sarne problem as 1 did with an old set having a dim picture tube that shows littie or no contrast in the picture detail. I was toid i could --- - ---- à --i ., . nt nnthe hak of the nicture tube get a lurne gizinu Mawen 1, and this would increase the voltage going into the tube and consequently the pîcture becomes brighter, almost like new. AI confirmed the rumours 1 had heard that such a device wîlI make the picture brighiter but wiil also shorten the life of the picture tube but as he pointed out the tube should stili last quite a while and a black tube is no good to anybody. So the littie brightener gizmo is on the picture tube and the oid set looks almost as good as it did new. But is it sure isn't like the first sets with the round picture tub- es. They came out in the eariy 50Ãs and those were the days when Howdy Doody was the biggie on'the tube. it's funny to think back on it now but we had to be a littie bit buggy to sit around for an hour iooking at a test pattern. 1 aiways thought the test pattern was just that - a pattern the TV repairman could use 'to uine up the set with and make sure the picture was being both transmitted and received properiy. In the eariy 50"s we didn't care what it was on there for, it was a picture and some stations had background music with the test pattern and to us it was marveilous to see anything appear on that round tube.' The, recent editorial in the Free Press on television vio- lence also got me thinking about what was on during those eariy days of television and it's a sad reflection on the in- dustry to discover that some of teievision's best critics tell us those early days of television were the best to date. The cameras anid the camera work wasn't as good or imaginative as it is with the made-for-tv specials and movies they have today but there was something kind of relaxing watching live plays on television and knowing that if somebody made a goof that wasjust too bad. Variety shows iiteraliy sprang up out of nowhere and anybody who remembers those eariy days remembers Ted Mack, Burns and Allen, and of course later there was Ed Sullivan and Lawrence Welk. Some of our present day movie and television stars started out on one of those talent shows. I'm fot sure if it was because we were a new audience or whether it was because the actors and actresses put more effort into the plays but some of the Kraft Theatre pro- ductions* really kept you spellbound and the comedies had you rocking ini your chair. Somnehow television seemed more believeabie when the station breaks were accompanied by a littie dead air and commercials had bad sound tracks. To err is human they say and maybe because of the errors we realized that tel- evision was nothing without the people to run things, mistakes or not. This year television appears to be regressing and as al the violence jumps off the screen today 1 find myself longing for the good old days of the Kraft Theatre when a closeup of a woman's bare ear was considered erotic. Now if I could only get those oid programs back on my old set .... By- the way if you own one of those old round sets and you want to part with it, working or flot, cail me at the Free Press. My friend AI would like to have one and fix it up. As for me, I'm stili checking the listings for Howdy Doody reruns, COTTAGE GALLERY1 S IFT SHOP We Specialize In Original 011 Paintings Original Water Colours lmported Canadian Prints Tiffany Lamps We have the largest selection of 0.jStomn Picture Frames in Ontario and specialize in mnounting and stretching of photos, ols, prints and needlework. 728-411il The old butchers shop has carrived Now open and enjoying an increasingly thriving bus- A4ness is Joe Wainwright, But- 7cher (a shop where oid fash- ion service is a contifluous speciaity). The shop was first opened oct. 1 8th by Joe and Joyce ,Wainwright, who have been ,esidents of the area for the 4past 17 years. During this time Joe was a meat manager ,4or Chambers Frozen Foods in Oshawa 1960-67. Altogether he has been a butcher for 34 years associa- ted with large and smaii concerns. The purpose of going into business is to provide a long needed service to the town and surrounding area. The main features of the 4new shop are to provide in- 1dividual cuts and custom cut freezer orders for anyone who wishes this service. The butcher has been in- <volved in many community projects'including the Whitby Theatre Guild. He also heip- ed find the CountyTown Sing- ers and assisted with forma- tion of the Whitby Sea Scouts and the Whitby Minor Soccer Association. Both Mr. & Mrs. Wain- wright expressed their app- reciation for the many fr- iends, acquaintenances who helped make the opening of their new shop such a huge I 1 FreeGIsor Ki~, qmn nc Cdnmers. I 'l W fflv a m ýodak's famous Hawkeye pocket Instamnatic camea outfit is yours free when you deposit $500 or more in eithcr: *chequing accoun. now paying 3V2% *non-.chequing account- now paying 63/47% *Terrn Deposit - now paying up t 8/4% A Swing'r Suede clutch purse. (choice of five high .... fashion colours), or an elegant travel alarrm / CIO&k is yours free upon deposit of $ 100 or more ' a chequing account or a non.cheqin'g account. Speca Cetebration Offerio lt's our way of celebrating our first six mroths in downtown Oshawa. Corne ini and select your free gift while this offer lasts. Canada Perm anent lst place to go) for high interest savings. 22 Kino StreetWest, Oshawa. Phone 728-9482 Rates subject to chan$, 1-7 ' ' ' -, , -- - ý - ý-7 .1 m m m lqimw-w qqw 1401mlqw