Ken Levine (who either owes me a lunch or I owe him one) recalls local Los Angeles television — in particular The Lloyd Thaxton Show and its many clones. Thaxton's program was an example of how a little ingenuity — and a healthy lack of inhibition — could overcome a budget that wouldn't cover three expired cans of corned beef hash at the 99-Cents-Only Store. His afternoon dance party show on Channel 13 here was kinda like what American Bandstand would have been like if Dick Clark had been willing or able to get into the fun instead of introducing it from afar. Dick was not a performer. Neither was Lloyd but he didn't let that stop him.
Ken went on one of the local shows. I can think of few things I'm less likely to do in public besides dance. Given the choice of dangling from a helicopter by my earlobes or dancing with a girl on TV, I would have told you to fire up the chopper. And yet I did dance once on a TV variety show and I don't think I've ever told that story here. I'll tell it before the week is out. Stay tuned and go read Ken.