Many years ago, when I was a child, I was addicted to one of the most famous children’s shows in the history of television. This was, of course, the redoubtable Howdy Doody Show.
Howdy Doody was a freckle faced dummy who showed up to greet us kids with a great deal of cheer and enthusiasm every afternoon at about 3:30pm Central Time. I learned a lot from watching the Howdy Doody show. I learned that a dummy with a perpetual smile would never age, nor would his smile ever fade. I learned that the mayor of Doodyville was a corrupt old grump by the name of Phineas T. Bluster, and I never trusted politicians again. Above all, I learned the greeting that preceded the beginning of the Howdy Doody show, when a buckskinned guy who actually lived in Scarsdale named Buffalo Bob would ask, “Hey kids, what time is it?”
What time is it? I learned to tell time so that I could watch the Howdy Doody Show. I've been addicted to the clock ever since. And ever since the Howdy Doody Show, whenever they told me to show up, I would always do so, and always a little bit early.
This is Tom McBride, and that's my perspective.
