And then there were my parents, members of the original TV generation, who shared my love, rather than discouraged it. As soon as I was old enough, we watched Dallas and Falcon Crest together on Friday nights, and Love Boat and Fantasy Island on Saturdays, and I can’t even remember how old I was when they first let me stay up late to watch Johnny Carson. I’m just glad they did. Thanks to them, I was introduced to many great entertainers who were entering their twilight years when I was still very young. I often reminisce with them about how much we miss people like Johnny, George Burns, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis, all best known to us through many great TV performances and more than a few award shows and Jerry Lewis telethons.
