MercyA Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 (edited) One of my earliest childhood memories involves watching tv with my family. A commercial featuring a ventriloquist's dummy came on the screen. I watched most of it, but at the end, my mom clapped her hand over my eyes and said in a shocked voice something about how they shouldn't allow that sort of thing when children might be watching. Naturally, I've always wondered what exactly happened at the end of the commercial. :) I've googled fruitlessly a few times. I always thought the dummy was Charlie McCarthy (you know, the one with the monocle.) So, today I was reading Slate, and I came across this: "Years before the overrated Silence of the Lambs made Anthony Hopkins a household name in horror, he gave the best performance of his career as ventriloquist Corky Withers in this 1978 shocker...Even Magic’s TV spot was horrifying—it was taken off the air at the request of parents whose children were given nightmares by the sight of the film’s ventriloquist dummy, 'Fats.'" [The tv spot, while not graphic, is creepy and disturbing. You are forewarned. :) ] Eureka! Mystery solved, after 35+ years! (And apparently my mom wasn't alone in her displeasure with the commercial, although I did expect something more gruesome.) Do you have any unsolved childhood mysteries, major or minor? Edited November 1, 2016 by MercyA 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 I remember that commercial--never saw the show but still remember a lot of the poem he recited. "Magic is fun...we're dead." Or you're dead--don't really remember I guess! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 I watched that link, and is that ever creepy! A light-hearted mystery I want to investigate someday has to do with the old British Avengers TV series. My parents had all of the episodes on videos, and we watched them with our kids every time we visited them. One video had a paper wrapped around it saying, "NO CHILDREN ALLOWED TO WATCH THIS." So, I figured my mother knew what she was doing and we never watched that one. But now, all of my kids and I keep wondering what in the world it was about! It was an old-fashioned Avengers series with John Steed and Emma Peel. What could have been all that bad in it? Someday I'll watch it, except I can't remember the name of that particular episode. I do have another more serious mystery that I will try and solve someday, but not yet. My father's father died in a mysterious way that no one talks about, and I know it's upsetting so I don't push it. But someday I'd like to dig into that. He was a prominent person in his town so I imagine there are records somewhere. My own children's biggest family mystery is a trunk we keep in our attic! It does have a long story attached to it and was given to us by someone who did some pretty shady stuff during WWII -- so shady that we decided not to tell our kids. Now they're old enough to know, but it's kind of fun to keep it a mystery. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethben Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 There was a Little House on the Prairie episode that scared me. All that I remembered at the time was a guy in a mask pulling a girl into the forest and later she wound up pregnant. I was 10 and had no idea what happened. It took me years to find that episode and watch it as an adult. I couldn't believe they allowed that to air with the audience they knew they had. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teachermom2834 Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 There was a Little House on the Prairie episode that scared me. All that I remembered at the time was a guy in a mask pulling a girl into the forest and later she wound up pregnant. I was 10 and had no idea what happened. It took me years to find that episode and watch it as an adult. I couldn't believe they allowed that to air with the audience they knew they had. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk I remember this and it is the reason we have never watched Little House even though it is always remembered as wholesome and I have a 8 yo dd who has loved the books. I know most episodes are harmless but I'd have to pre-screen and everytime I think about it I remember this episode. It was one of the few shows I was allowed to watch as a kid so that was very shocking to me. I certainly hadn't been exposed to anything like that before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 There was a Little House on the Prairie episode that scared me. All that I remembered at the time was a guy in a mask pulling a girl into the forest and later she wound up pregnant. I was 10 and had no idea what happened. It took me years to find that episode and watch it as an adult. I couldn't believe they allowed that to air with the audience they knew they had. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk I don't remember that episode. But I do remember several episodes with fire. Those terrified me. Fire was so real -- and so hard to avoid. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 Somewhere around second grade, I borrowed from the class library the book, "Aliens for Breakfast". About 2/3rds of the way through the book, the main character starts melting because one of the evil aliens is trying to kill him. And then the bell rang, and I had to put the book back on the shelf for tomorrow. And the next day... THE BOOK WAS GONE!!! AND IT NEVER RETURNED TO THE CLASS LIBRARY! I told this story to my best friend when we were teens. And she bought me a copy of Aliens for Breakfast for my 21st birthday. And THAT, folks, is why she is, really and truly, my BFF. 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldberry Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 I was 6 years old when The Exorcist came out. The commercials scared me so badly that to this day I remember running from the room in a terror. It is kind of weird the stuff the show on commercials, sex, violence, etc. It catches you unsuspecting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 There was a Little House on the Prairie episode that scared me. All that I remembered at the time was a guy in a mask pulling a girl into the forest and later she wound up pregnant. I was 10 and had no idea what happened. It took me years to find that episode and watch it as an adult. I couldn't believe they allowed that to air with the audience they knew they had. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Wow, I never saw that one. I'm surprised they allowed it given it was such a family-based show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janeway Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 The biggest mystery of my childhood was about the farm my cat Lucky had gone to live on. I was 4 at the time. I always wondered where the farm was, and how my city parents even knew a farmer. I never really questioned that he had gone to the farm...my concerns were all tangential to this central fact. Then, one day, not so very long ago, when there was a 4 in the front of my age, I suddenly realized. Lucky had gone to "the farm" aka cat heaven. All my pets moved to the farm when they got old. Even the one we found dead. Somehow, he went to the farm too. LOL 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janeway Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 Wow, I never saw that one. I'm surprised they allowed it given it was such a family-based show. Little House on the Prairie did not follow the books or even the culture of the books after the first season. I get that they were a successful Hollywood production, but it does kind of bother me that most people think that what they see in the show was in the books. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 Ok that commercial was creepy. I don't remember it even though as a kid I watched tons of tv. My mystery. We watched a lot of Japanese shows on tv--mainly Kikaida. And I was trying to remember a couple of shows that aired (probably) in the 70s. Both were comedies. I was able to remember the one with the family robot: Robocon. But I couldn't remember the other one about a married couple. She's in college (I think?) and he's the instructor. In public they pretend not to be married though other students wonder as the couple have the same last name. I tried searching for it, just out of curiousity, but couldn't find which show this was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 Ok that commercial was creepy. I don't remember it even though as a kid I watched tons of tv. My mystery. We watched a lot of Japanese shows on tv--mainly Kikaida. And I was trying to remember a couple of shows that aired (probably) in the 70s. Both were comedies. I was able to remember the one with the family robot: Robocon. But I couldn't remember the other one about a married couple. She's in college (I think?) and he's the instructor. In public they pretend not to be married though other students wonder as the couple have the same last name. I tried searching for it, just out of curiousity, but couldn't find which show this was. Scarecrow and Mrs. King? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 Scarecrow and Mrs. King? No, it was a Japanese sit-com. I guess my mystery doesn't really qualify, though. It was a show I watched in my childhood and the mystery is now wondering what the show was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 Ok that commercial was creepy. I don't remember it even though as a kid I watched tons of tv. My mystery. We watched a lot of Japanese shows on tv--mainly Kikaida. And I was trying to remember a couple of shows that aired (probably) in the 70s. Both were comedies. I was able to remember the one with the family robot: Robocon. But I couldn't remember the other one about a married couple. She's in college (I think?) and he's the instructor. In public they pretend not to be married though other students wonder as the couple have the same last name. I tried searching for it, just out of curiousity, but couldn't find which show this was. This kills me because I remember that show but not the name! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 There was a time when I was terrified of the Wolfman. So the local phone company for some reason had an ad showing a man's face as he transformed..my mom reached over to cover my eyes and by doing so accidentally prevented me from being able to reach my ears to plug them - it was the SOUND that terrified me! Mom meant well, but....aaargh! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 No, it was a Japanese sit-com. I guess my mystery doesn't really qualify, though. It was a show I watched in my childhood and the mystery is now wondering what the show was. I'm pretty sure it is called Okusama wa 18sai. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okusama_wa_18-sai Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 This kills me because I remember that show but not the name! :svengo: Oh, Jean. I thought if anyone would know it would be you. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 I'm pretty sure it is called Okusama wa 18sai. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okusama_wa_18-sai Maybe? I really can't remember. But do you remember if the wife was in college? Or high school? Because I keep thinking she was actually in high school and that was why they were so secretive about their marriage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 Maybe? I really can't remember. But do you remember if the wife was in college? Or high school? Because I keep thinking she was actually in high school and that was why they were so secretive about their marriage. I talked to one of my Japanese friends who is my age (and who watched a lot of the same shows and this is the one she remembered. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 There was a Little House on the Prairie episode that scared me. All that I remembered at the time was a guy in a mask pulling a girl into the forest and later she wound up pregnant. I was 10 and had no idea what happened. It took me years to find that episode and watch it as an adult. I couldn't believe they allowed that to air with the audience they knew they had. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk The infamous Sylvia Gets Raped by a Mime episode! aka Creepy Rapist on the Prairie. The teen girl had breasts before the others, several of the boy characters peeped into her window. Charles told the town that it was normal for boys to want to look at pretty gals ( ??) . Yes, the reaction of Pa (and Laura, iirc) really adds to the creep factor in this epi. What I really want to know is how he found that white mask out there on the prairie. Did Mr. Olsen sell it to him? Did he mail order it from the Sears Roebuck catalog? Exactly how long has he been planning this? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 Eureka! Mystery solved, after 35+ years! Well, I shouldn't have watched that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MercyA Posted November 1, 2016 Author Share Posted November 1, 2016 Well, I shouldn't have watched that. Ah, I'm sorry. I should have posted a warning. I'll do that now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 Ah, I'm sorry. I should have posted a warning. I'll do that now. Eh, somebody had Halloween 72 playing on the tv at the gym today, it's not like I was going to sleep anyway. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MercyA Posted November 1, 2016 Author Share Posted November 1, 2016 Eh, somebody had Halloween 72 playing on the tv at the gym today, it's not like I was going to sleep anyway. Maybe you just need to fill your head with other stuff, like the puppy who can't get up, the infamous cat knocking the glass off the table, or anything starring Maymo the beagle. Unless dogs and cats give you the creeps--in which case I don't have much for you. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MercyA Posted November 1, 2016 Author Share Posted November 1, 2016 Speaking of things that creeped us out when we were young--the ghost in the attic scene from the Brady Bunch terrified me every time. I *knew* it was just the girls messing with the boys, but still, the whole "I must have air" thing...shudder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 It wasn't scary, but there was a train advert when I was small that had the (fairly awful) jingle 'Have a trip! Kids love it! Have a good trip! By train. It's oh so easy there and back, and I spy rabbits by the track, it is the family's favourite way! Have a good trip, today!'. That's the kind of thing that the internet (particularly train nerds) would have preserved. I spent a happy half hour a few months ago trying to find the video, but I couldn't. I've asked Brits of my generation, but it hasn't stuck in their heads like in mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesertBlossom Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 Ah, I'm sorry. I should have posted a warning. I'll do that now. Am I missing something. It's weird. But scary? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Marmalade Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 There was a Little House on the Prairie episode that scared me. All that I remembered at the time was a guy in a mask pulling a girl into the forest and later she wound up pregnant. I was 10 and had no idea what happened. It took me years to find that episode and watch it as an adult. I couldn't believe they allowed that to air with the audience they knew they had. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Yes, Sylvia was a really awful episode. As were the ones later on when Albert comes back to town hooked on morphine. In earlier episodes when it was Mr. Edwards hooked on hooch it wasn't so bad and serious. Albert hooked on drugs was a whole different ball game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ikslo Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 There was a Little House on the Prairie episode that scared me. All that I remembered at the time was a guy in a mask pulling a girl into the forest and later she wound up pregnant. I was 10 and had no idea what happened. It took me years to find that episode and watch it as an adult. I couldn't believe they allowed that to air with the audience they knew they had. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk I loved Little House on the Prairie growing up and was excited to have DS watch it with me when we came across it on tv one day. This was the very episode that was airing, and have questioned my memories of that show every day since! I was definitely not ready to answer the questions I found myself answering that day. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 Am I missing something. It's weird. But scary? Ventriloquist dummies, like clowns, are inherently scary. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MercyA Posted November 2, 2016 Author Share Posted November 2, 2016 Am I missing something. It's weird. But scary? I think katilac's remark may have been tongue-in-cheek, but I'd rather err on the side of someone not being unnecessarily freaked out by my link. :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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