I was always fascinated by commercial television. Viewing was limited with only two local stations. The first stations were WABI and WLBZ channels 2 and 5 out of Bangor. Unlike today I looked forward to Saturday night’s television lineup. Starting with “The Jacky Gleason Show” which included parts of “The Honeymooners” with Ed Norton and the whole gang. Than of course Jacky had his own gags including Joe the bartender parrying against Crazy Googenheim. Jacky began the show with his trademark line “And away we go.” As he kicked his leg out and began. It was just wholesome stuff and fun television to watch. Later in the evening, we watched a little more serious stuff with E.G. Marshall in “The Defenders”. But the best stuff was on later. I loved Robert Stack as Elliot Ness in The Untouchables. Reingold Beer that came in gray colored wide-mouth Chug-A Mug bottles, an irony that I didn’t overlook, sponsored the show. The drama arose from the Chicago gangs led by Legs Diamond and Frank Netty feuding with the G-men. Gangster’s Tommy guns blazing from 32 Ford roadster running boards as they whizzed past the speak easys. It struck me as kind of funny that the scenes included women screaming, but didn’t always include a woman in the scene. Both good and bad guys fighting over the virtues of alcohol during the Great Depression. It was a documentary on how the Kennedy’s became wealthy I think. After The Untouchables, a local TV personality Eddy Driscol hosted a scary show called “Weird”. Eddy dressed in goofy costumes and made off colored and outrageous remarks. I still think he was one of the funniest personalities on local TV. I hedge that remark only to remind you that the best characters on Saturday night local television were Stacy and his walk on guests from “Stacy’s Fuel Mart Jamboree”. Stacy started the show by saying “These hands pump gas.” And they did. He owned his own gas station in Brewer and hosted the show as a lark.

“Get your G-78 14 ty-ahs rite heah,” he challenged as he slapped the side of the tires he held in front of him for the camera. Than we all looked forward to listening to the toothless old lady on Stacy’s Jamboree sing “On the Wings of a Snow White Dove.” Remember? . I ran into servicemen all over the world when I was in the Air Force who laughed about that show when I said I was from Maine
Fred