Events that crossed my radar and memories, these many years later.
Note: I think it may be interesting to consider which events of each year — political, cultural, music, movies — actually made an imprint on me. These are things that go beyond the photo album memories of the other posts. This effort is aided and abetted by reviewing Wikipedia’s listings of each year’s events, in this case, 1963 and 1964.
My earliest memories start around 1963 when I was five (see Bill: Pre-Aruba album post). The initial impetus for writing this post was music and the early recordings I remember listening to around the house. They started with some folk music classics that Sue and Laurie played, with approval from Mom and Dad who also liked them.
- Kingston Trio, especially Tom Dooley, The MTA Song, 500 Miles, Where Have All the Flowers Gone. I know we had the College Concert album and others as well.
- Peter, Paul & Mary, we wore out their first album (released in 1962), and second and third albums (released in 1963). Big hits for me included Blowin’ in the Wind, Where Have all the Flowers Gone, 500 Miles, Puff the Magic Dragon.
- Bob Dylan, Freewheeling Bob Dylan, released in 1963, this was mostly Laurie’s album but I liked Blowin’ in the Wind and Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright.
Mom and Dad also played a lot of Broadway show albums, especially Camelot, West Side Story, King and I, Fiddler on the Roof, Hello Dolly, and Man of La Mancha (some of which came later).
I don’t really remember the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962, even though we were in South Miami and I was starting in pre-school (Pinewood School?). I vaguely recall duck and cover drills where we hid under our desks but I don’t think I had a real sense of what was going on other than it was time to be a little bit scared.
The space race and launches at Cape Canaveral were certainly on my radar, but I think the Gemini launches were more of a deal for me. Most of the Mercury launches were in 1961-62, a little before I can remember. I wanted to be an astronaut, though. I clearly remember riding around on the floor of the backseat of our car in South Miami, fitted into the floor well like I was ready for space.
I don’t specifically remember the day Kennedy was shot in November 1963, but I have a definite memory of watching the memorial service on TV, especially the march of the funeral cortege and the reverse boots on the riderless horse and the famous shot of John John saluting.
We faithfully watched the Wonderful World of Disney and Ed Sullivan show on TV on Sunday evenings, and I watched the Mickey Mouse Show during the week. Combat! and The Rifleman were two of my favorite TV shows, and I lived for Saturday morning cartoons including Rocky and Bullwinkle, The Jetsons, Yogi Bear, Dudley Do-Right, The Flintstones, Bugs Bunny and Underdog. We also watched standbys like the the Dick Van Dyke Show, Andy Griffith Show, Beverly Hillbillies, Petticoat Junction, the Fugitive, McHale’s Navy, My Favorite Martian, Mr. Ed, Lassie, and variety shows from Red Skelton, Jackie Gleason, and Jack Benny.
The Beatles made a huge impression right away. I remember their appearances on the Ed Sullivan show, their initial records which came in such a flurry in early 1964, their press conferences and riotous arrivals at airports, including Miami International. Beatlemania was in the news all the time, and their music was on the radio constantly. I don’t remember so much having their albums — Mom and Dad didn’t think much of them — but their music was everywhere, nonetheless. In the summer, their movie A Hard Day’s Night came out; I’m not sure when I actually saw it but I remember acting out various bits from the film.
The 1964 World’s Fair in New York made a big splash over the summers of 1964 and 1965. It painted a vivid picture of the future, with technological marvels all around. It was featured regularly on the news and on Walt Disney. We visited the site at some point (probably at same time we went to some US Open tennis matches at Forest Hills) but I’m not sure it was when the fair was fully operational. Nevertheless, I’d seen so many of the exhibits on TV it feels like I was there.
I wasn’t a big sports fiend yet. The Winter Olympics at Innsbruck and Summer Olympics in Tokyo came and went but I don’t remember watching much of them, nor did I pay any attention to the Cardinals beating the Yankees in the World Series.
Mary Poppins came out in late August of 1964 and was a sensation, heavily promoted by Disney and injected directly into my brain. I’m not sure where or when I saw it because by then we had moved to Aruba.
Perhaps by virtue of being in Aruba, I have minimal memories of the 1964 presidential campaigns (Goldwater vs. Johnson), Civil Rights marches around the country, or the rise of the war in Vietnam.
Related Post: Bill’s Story So Far: Pre-Aruba
Related Post: Cultural Memories, 1964-1966
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