Texas Tidbits: Icky, Harold and Mrs. Baird

Icky Twerp***

I wrote in this post that I had been thinking of some of the stuff in Texas that was a part of my childhood. Having traveled around the country, there's one thing that I can't believe that's not a national product. It's the best in it's class as far as I'm concerned and since the business has been around for over 100 years, it appears that the company has been doing something right. And it's still made in Fort Worth, Texas. The product of which I speak is Mrs. Baird's Bread. That's right, dammit! Mrs. Baird's Bread! I saw Vernon Baird and other Baird brothers doing TV commercials for their bread so often., I felt like I was one of the Baird Family! Somebody ship me loaf! Quick! When I was less than three years old, my Dad worked at the Baird's Bakery on the West Freeway in Fort Worth for a while before becoming a truck driver. Ah, the memories.

I know many of my friends in the Metroplex will say "Oh, yeah!" when I mention this next guy. Harold Taft. Harold was a weather man for Channel 5 in Fort Worth for about 100 years. He was there when the call letters were WBAP-TV. Ole Harold knew how to do a weathercast so even a kid, like me, could understand it. I remember the old weather gauges he had to work with. They looked like some cheap ass clock you'd see in a school room or at Family Dollar. But, dammit, Harold made it interesting with those relics. Mr.Taft was slicker than greased owl shit on a glass door knob. He was The Man. God bless his soul.

I've got three words for you that'll make you come up out of your chair. Slam Bang Theater. For those unfamiliar with Slam bang Theater, it was a kids show that played The Three Stooges, Felix the Cat, Popeye and assorted other kids programming. It came on at 7:00am on weekdays. The show was hosted by Icky Twerp and his sidekicks, Ajax and Delphineum. Every kid who lived in the Metroplex in 60's watched this show at least once, more likely hundreds of times. It was great TV. I couldn't just put up one link and do the show justice, so I'll put up the entire results page of a "bing" search right here. Better yet, hit this link to YouTube and have a laugh with Icky and the Gang.

I hope you liked the journey back through time to a simpler life for kids, where Icky, Felix, Popeye, Harold and Mrs. Baird were not just people on TV, they were a part of our families. And today, like so many members of our real life families, they are gone, but never forgotten.

***photo from ickytwerp.net)***