By Wally WachterRetired Herald Managing Editor
A potpourri of glimpses back into yesteryear makes us almost forget the things we are prompted to remember, like Pearl Harbor, whose anniversaries now pass without much fanfare. But for many of us it was a big era in our lives and brought about more changes in lifestyles and scientific achievements than any era in the history of man.
Our thoughts stray to Christmas and how the modern celebration has grown so much more hectic than the simple holiday we had time to enjoy in the past. Our gifts were meager, but meaningful, and were not measured by extravagance, which is often the case today.
Then there was New Year's Eve. Even before television, the new year was officially welcomed in on the radio by Guy Lombardo and his ``sweetest music this side of heaven.'' Today, the late orchestra leader's chore has been taken over by television, and by rock stars and soul singers.
Memories of the orchestra leader spur recollections of the ``Big Band Era'' when we knew the sounds of all of the nationally famous bands and singers, from phonograph records, radio and the rare privileges of dancing to them in person. We memorized the words of all of the songs and can still sing them. Words in the modern music of today are hardly understandable, and even those with clear words are hardly worth remembering.< When we look back in our aging years there are many other nostalgic events that helped shape our lives.
We could enjoy our favorite music by putting a nickel in a jukebox, found in ice cream parlors and restaurants. We could get six plays for a quarter. Some of us at home had phonographs that we had to crank to get the tinny sounds of our favorite songs from easily breakable black discs.
Without television, reading books was our favorite pastime. Movies were our main entertainment. They were black and white presentations without sound, the conversations written in words on the bottom of the screen. For a nickel or a dime, seldom more than a quarter, we got a double-feature presentation, a newsreel, a cartoon and a suspenseful serial with an episode each week. Film chillers like ``Dracula'' and ``Frankenstein,'' tame compared to Stephen King- type thrillers of today, frightened us into sleeplessness or nightmares.
We enjoyed sled riding. Winters were cold, and the snow that fell early in the season stayed on the ground until spring. There were special hilly streets roped off for us to slide safely. There also were ponds on which we could ice skate.
We had no Super Bowls or Monday night football. We went to see Babe Ruth on the playing field rather than in the movies, and were appalled to know that his $75,000-a-year salary was equal to that of the president of the United States. We remember when football teams had only one coach, and maybe one assistant. Offensive and defensive coordinators and other specialists came along much later. The 11 men on the team usually played the whole game, on offense and defense.
We remember that on radio, and even on TV's early days, it took only one person to give a half-hour newscast. That included weather and sports. Today it takes a special team.
We recall clothing styles, when men dressed up with spats covering their shoes and ankles, and when women's shoes buttoned up to mid-calf. Unmentionables for men were one-piece BVDs, buttoned down the front, and for women, one-piece step- ins. Today, men wear earrings and women wear long trousers.
When we take time from our once-busy schedules to strain our minds and stop and reflect back, many, many nostalgic parts of our past, like these, often make us yearn for the ``good old days.''
No wonder we almost forget Pearl Harbor!