Museum Of Television & Radio

by Linda Dove

If you're too young to have seen the original 'Leave It To Beaver', or too foreign like me; if references to 'Amos and Andy' leave you mystified; or if you wish you'd actually watched the moon landing broadcast, now you can catch up. The Museum of Television and Radio has thousands of old TV and radio shows, often with their original ads included.

Recently I spent an afternoon in the museum's distinctive building in Beverly Hills. A very easy-to-use computer search led me to some fascinating old programs. I watched the quintessentially American 'Leave It To Beaver' and filled in some gaps in my cultural education by watching the first stupid dog tricks followed by Liberace doing the Twist on 'The Ed Sullivan Show.' You can't really grasp what conservatives mean by "wholesome entertainment" until you've seen the Clancy Brothers (in 1962) singing 'Gyspsy Rover'.

The Museum of Television and Radio, 469 N. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills; (310) 786-1000.