Even Howdy Doody had to wait Until The Fat Lady Sang

Image Courtesy of Pinterest, original source unknown

My first recollections of things was living at the Healey Farm. In the Winter time Uncle Rob sat in a chair in the living room reading paperback books. I used to sit on his lap and he would get me to sound out letters in whatever he was reading. I remember the distinct smell of his chewing tobacco. It was in that living room that I first saw a TV set, of course it was Black & White. Grandma Healey ruled the roost, at least Grandpa Healey let her have that impression. So, Grandma Healey was in charge of TV programs if she was in the living room. One day I got to see the Howdy Doody program for the first time and it was like magic. The downside was that Howdy Doody came on after the Kate Smith Show. So, until she closed her show with "God Bless America", there was no watching the Howdy Doody Show. To make matters worse those old sets had a vertical control and an horizontal control. If they were not adjusted just right the screen would roll as if you were watching a roll of film, one frame at a time. My little mind did not comprehend that at all. Worse yet, Grandma Healey was not so adept at the controls, so when the screen started rolling another adult would be summoned. Why did it seem to always happen when Howdy Doody was coming on? They would try to get the picture to stop rolling and then it would start again. I thought they were trying to select one to watch, and I kept thinking to myself, "That one's OK stop there!" In the end I got to watch Howdy Doody. So even to this day when I hear someone say, "Its Not Over Until The Fat Lady Sings!" I can't help thinking, Howdy Doody couldn't even start until she sang.