My Show N' Tell

Last Sunday night for Valentine's Day Paula and I spent the evening at home. We ate a home cooked meal and watched the Disney movie, Lady & The Tramp.

As I watched the movie I remembered that the first time I ever heard the story was on my Show N' Tell. You may be wondering "What is a Show N' Tell"? Well let me explain.

Back in 1966, for my 6th birthday, I was given this (what was then) "state of the art" audio visual toy. As you can see from the picture it had a screen, a record player, and a place to slide in a film strip.

It was made to look like a TV to keep the first generation being raised with this avenue of media as their prime entertainment source, interested because the shape and presentation was very familiar and comfortable.

Inside the cabinet the light was projected through the filmstrip guided by a beam narrowing lens, then widened through another lens and onto the screen. It was a very basic rear projection system. Using a marker, which you aligned in the center of the window on the top of the unit (it's the black square between the turntable and the filmstrip slot in the picture) you could coordinate the music or the narration of the record with the advancement of the scenes depicted on the filmstrip.

They synchronization was a mechanical process. Years later when the unit was broken and no longer worked I took it apart and saw how gears between the turntable and the filmstrip advancing mechanism made it work.

There were hundreds of Show N' Tell programs available. Inside each package was a record and a filmstrip. Each had a different story which was either educational or entertaining. There were lessons about geography, science, literature, and lots of other educational subjects. I had programs that taught me how to tell time, what clocks did, and the many kinds there have been throughout history.

There were Bible stories and classic Disney tales available as well. I had one about the nativity and called "The 4th Wiseman". And of course I had "Lady & The Tramp". I know I had other programs as well but I can't remember all of them.

I would sit, watch and listen to the programs over and over again for hours. I also memorized the words and songs on those records. They made such an impression on me I can still sing some of them today. I can sing the "Mr. Clock" song, and tell you the story of "Bumpy Brown and the Bingtown Big Brass band". The Show N' Tell also introduced me to classical music. It's where I first heard "I'm called Little Buttercup" from Gilbert & Sullivan's comic opera, H.M.S Pinafore.

It also served as my introduction to playing, listening and enjoying records other than those that came with the programs. It gave me the ability to choose to listen to music on something other than the family stereo in our living room. This independence led me to wanting to be a DJ.

My Show N' Tell was one of my favorite toys I ever received as a kid. Because I got it when I was so young I sometimes forget about it. But every once in a while I'll remember it or recall a song I learned listening to it and remember all the cherished memories I having that gift.

As anyone who reads this blog or knows me at all knows one of the greatest pleasures of my life is remembering, and when possible, recapturing aspects of my childhood. Although I'll never be able to own one again the memories of my Show N' Tell will always be one of my favorite ways to remember being a kid.