The LuLac Edition #4, 909, February 10th, 2023

WRITE ON WEDNESDAY

Our “Write On Wednesday” logo.

In a few dqys, Super Bowl 57 is going to take place. This week we look at Super Bowls past  and current along with local trivia with a great column by Bill O’Boyle. 

 

SUPER BOWL SOON; SUPER MEMORIES FLASHBACK

It’s been five years since the “Philly Special” play that spurred the Eagles to their Super Bowl LII victory at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

The Philly Special was that trick play between Philadelphia Eagles players Corey Clement, Trey Burton and Nick Foles on fourth-and-goal toward the end of the second quarter of Super Bowl LII on Feb. 4, 2018.

So as the Eagles prepare for Super Bowl LVII in Glendale, Arizona, we eagerly hop into the Way Back Machine to watch that spectacular play again and to keep going back to all those great Super Bowl memories and, more importantly, those pre-Super Bowl memories of the good old days.

As the Way Back Machine headed back to better, more innocent times, we pulled onto Memory Lane and we started hearing things like, “Big news tonight — film at 11!”

And “Do you know where your children are?”

And “Herrrre’s Johnny!”

Oh wow, I found myself in our living room, on the couch watching a black and white Admiral TV with aluminum foil wrapped around a rabbit ears antenna.

What’s a remote?

Hey kids, we walked to the TV to change the channel — uphill both ways and in three feet of snow! Or was that to school and back?

Either or, it was all good.

The Super Bowl was yet to be invented — heck, we hadn’t even yet heard of the AFL!

It was a Sunday afternoon. Mom was cooking in the kitchen and dad and I were watching our New York Giants against the Cleveland Browns. Jimmy Brown was running through the Giants offensive line. He would gain 12 yards, get hit and hit and hit, slowly get up and walk back to the huddle and then do it again and again and again.

Mom would call us to the kitchen table for Sunday dinner. Mashed potatoes, roast beef, green beans, bread and butter, gravy, apple pie. Gosh, it was so good.

Remember those TV sign-off phrases, like “Good night, and good luck!” “And that’s the way it is!” “Good night Chet. Good night David.” “Good night Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are.”

We had three channels to choose from and iwas enough. And it was all good stuff — comedies, dramas, variety shows.

Bob Hope, Ed Sullivan, Dean Martin, Andy Williams, the Smothers Brothers even Sonny & Cher! How about “Laugh-In” and “Hee Haw!”

“Say the magic word and a duck will appear,” said Groucho Marx on “You Bet Your Life.”

“Say goodnight Dick — Good night Dick!,” was Rowan & Martin’s famous shtick on “Laugh-In.”

“Say good night Gracie,” George Burns said to his wife.

There was “Leave It To Beaver,” “Ozzie & Harriet,” “Bonanza,” “Gunsmoke,” “Dragnet,” and “Father Knows Best.”

 We couldn’t get enough of it. We enjoyed every minute every night, every week.

“Aaayyyy!” said The Fonz.

“Come on down!” said Bob Barker.

“Live long and prosper,” said Mr. Spock.

“Sock it to me!” said Judy Carne on “Laugh-In.”

“Th-th-th-thaaaat’s all folks!” said Porky Pig.

Did Wile E. Coyote ever catch the Road Runner?

 ”See the USA in your Chevrolet!” sang Dinah Shore.

The Way Back Machine is out of control, bouncing from year to year like a silver pinball in those machines at Boikey Matus’ Newsstand. Rack ’em up, where’s the chalk?

”Hello I’m Goody Golden, delicious as can be. Just choose your favorite flavors from the Golden Family,” made us run for a CMP or a cherry Coke or a banana split.

What time is basketball practice? Which church bazaar are we going to tonight?

 Wast that a GTO? A Road Runner? A Camaro?

And after too many Mergo’s hot dogs, we might listen to Speedy Alka Seltzer say, “Plop plop, fizz fizz, oh what a relief it is.”

Or District Forester Manny Gordon, who implored us to “Enjoy! Enjoy!”

Time out — “It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s Superman!” He’s “faster than a speeding bullet.” Bullets bounced off of him, but he ducked when the culprit threw the gun at him? Wait. What?

“Hi-ho Silver!” says the Lone Ranger.

The Way Back Machine keeps going and we hear, “M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E!” Mom, where are my Mickey ears?

Wait, no it’s “Howdy Doody time?” Hey Captain Kangaroo, where’s Mr. Greenjeans?

Another sonic boost and we hear, “Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome — “The Beatles!”

“Wake up, wake up! The game is on.”

And then the Way Back Machine headed back to 2023.

We hover over State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, and we see Mr. George Toma watching over the field preparations for Super Bowl LVII. The Edwardsville native has performed this duty at all 57 Super Bowls.

Amazing — Mr. Toma is simply the best.

We will drop off some authentic Polish food for Mr. Toma — kielbasa, pierogi, haluski, piggies, plotzkis, horseradish and then some.

That was a fun trip.

 Time to boil the eggs and think about all those memories and to make some new ones in this almost post-pandemic time.

Gather for your Super Bowl parties, or visit your favorite sports bar with all those big-screen TVs.

Make sure you have a designated driver.

Cheer for your team, or just enjoy the day.

Maybe another Philly Special will save the day.