NBC has tempted me off my runaway Christmas prep treadmill, and gently nudged me over the curb onto Memory Lane with its promised live broadcast of "Peter Pan" this evening. Or, more correctly: Petah Pan. Wendy will, no doubt, call him Petah numerous times during the telecast. And, I can't wait to see it.
I love Peter Pan. I have loved Peter Pan nearly as long as I've been alive. I have to believe we had J.M. Barrie's book somewhere in our house when I was growing up. It can't all have been Walt Disney. I saw the movie when I was eight or nine, and had the records from it. They were the size of '45s and bright yellow. There was also a little book included in the box that had a very abbreviated story line and drawings on each page directly from the movie. There was nothing not to love about that Christmas gift.
I remember the afternoon I arrived home from school and there, in our living room, was a television set, arranged rather awkwardly in the open curve of our grand piano, its huge eye staring mindlessly into our living room. My Mom was in shock and wouldn't touch it, so we all sat down and stared at it. I, for one, thought my head would burst, I was so excited.
About the same time as Disney's "Peter Pan," TV antennas began sprouting on the rooftops of Dodge City. An NBC affiliate in Great Bend, 84 miles to our northeast, had just come onto the air, and its reception (in black and white), was the best available to us. Although most broadcasts were viewed through a filter of snow, ranging from light to white-out blizzard conditions, Daddy bought an antenna for the roof. He was an early adopter.
Within days of our television's arrival, NBC announced it's upcoming broadcast of "Peter Pan" with Mary Martin--live, I assume. Much was live in those days, so it wasn't as unusual as tonight's performance. And, just like today, I couldn't wait--but it was an intense "couldn't wait" period. I worried about the weather: What if reception was so bad we couldn't see it? I worried about strange, unexplained interference: Sunspots? Martians? And, on and on. I was a nervous wreck.
But, wonder of wonders, our reception that evening was watchable. The snow was light, the music familiar, and Mary Martin as Peter was absolutely spot on. Nana, however, was not a real dog as he will be tonight. It couldn't have been better and, obviously, I deposited that entire event near the top of my memory bank.
Only as I was writing this post did it occur to me that my father knew how much I loved Peter Pan. Considering our small house and centralized record player, he had no choice. What if the timing of his purchase of that beautiful RCA television set and the presentation by NBC of Peter Pan were connected? What if? It probably isn't so, but what a nice memory that makes. I think I'm going to leave it like that and hope for the best.
I'll check back in after Peter flies tonight..
Jackson and I have been anticipating it for weeks! We couldn't wait to get home in time to watch it last night and when we walked in at 6:50 p.m. Jackson said "thank the LORD!" And, although there was some kickball playing in the living room at times, we were both in for all three hours. There were of course things they could have done differently but all in all, we loved it and will continue to support NBC's commitment to bring back a live television event in December!
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