July 12, 2002 ~ After many years of deep thought and consideration, I believe that I have discovered the root problem of America’s youth – and their boomer parents.

With the advent of television in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s, the Old Hollywood movie studios began to realize that they were going to be forced to embrace the ‘little box’. One of the ways, which this could be done, was to sell the television the broadcasting rights to the film industry’s motion picture library. After all, you could only watch Uncle Miltie, Lucy and the Honeymooners so many times. The news programs lasted about 5 minutes at first (later 15, then 30, an hour – voila’ – all day) – so there was a lot of time to fill in those eight hour broadcast days. I don’t even think that Jack Paar had been born yet, or Brittany Spears mother.

In the early years of licensing, the films most often shown were those from the very late 1920’s through the late 1930’s. I specifically remember seeing the 1936 production of ‘Romeo and Juliet‘ with screen legends, Leslie Howard and John Barrymore (an oh-so-distant relation to Gertie from E.T.).

Of course the early blockbuster films of the 30’s were not being let out to the TV folks yet, because there was still big-bucks to made in theater re-releases. By the mid-1950’s, films such as Red River (late 1940’s) were finally being shown – to further whet the appetite of a nation still fascinated with the American Western – when it was still cool to pack a Mattel six-gun and carry a Roy Rogers or Gene Autry lunch-pail. Those two Republic Pictures cowboy stars had grasped the little screen and probably raked in more dinero than they ever did in the movies – and Hopalong Cassidy (starring Hollywood has-been and former drunk, William Boyd) was kicking the bad guy’s butt every Saturday afternoon. You didn’t question the sexual preference of Gail Davis as Annie Oakley and Robert Blake’s character of Little Beaver was just Red Ryder’s sidekick. High Noon and Shane were still recent western theater releases, and Gunfight at the O.K. Corral and other more modern western classics were about to be released. Hollywood was not stupid – they used the medium of television to pre-sell the concept of upcoming theater releases.

And then the true ‘rub’ began. By the early 1960’s, television had already experienced the phenomenal success of such timeless tales as ‘Peter Pan‘ with Mary Martin, in addition to Howdy Doody Time and the Shirley Temple Theater. MGM knew that the time to strike had come. The rights to broadcast ‘The Wizard of Oz‘ were sold for an undisclosed sum of money (remember the advertising bucks”?). Well, this movie took a lickin’ but has kept on tickin’ for over 40 (nearly 80) years now – eventually in the late 1960’s in it’s full, glorious (if not somewhat washed out) color. Then came the advent of video cassette players and recording technology – and now DVD and home, by-god theaters. Is there an American adult or youth alive who has not ventured down the yellow brick road on many occasions?

Therein lies the problem of America – we’ve all been down that damned yellow brick road so many times, that we have become a nation of lazy, robotic gold-brickers!

NOTE: The above column was originally written and published on July 12, 2002. So – what’s changed – other than today no one speaks of ‘Boomers’ – merely ‘Snowflakes’ and ‘Whiners.’

Oh well, see you at the movies….

Without Apology I am,

Jeffrey Bennett

~ About the Author ~
A veteran of Viet Nam, student of history (both American and film), Jeffrey Bennett has broadcast for nearly 29 years as host of various programs and has been considered the voice of reason on the alternative media – providing a unique and distinctive broadcast style, including topics such as health and wellness, news, financial well-being, political satire (with a twist), education and editorial commentary on current events through the teaching of history. In addition, he is the CEO of Kettle Moraine, Ltd.