On Halloween, 1968, I was twelve years old—almost too old for trick-or-treating. It was a Thursday night. And this year I did a sneaky thing, something I’m not proud of now. But it seemed cool at the time.
Somehow, this year, I had access to two Halloween costumes. Don’t ask me what the outfits were—but we can say with certainty that both involved masks.
After darkness fell, I made the neighborhood trick-or-treat rounds and stocked up on candy. Then I came home, changed into the other costume, and went out again, to the same houses.
I remember this caper of shame for two reasons. At one house the lady said, “Haven’t you already been here tonight?” How did she know? I was dressed completely different, including a mask over my face! But when she said that, friends, I felt about this tall. I wasn’t raised to be a cheater, but here I was—acting like one.
Memory number two of this night: When I wandered home, Mom and Dad were watching Raymond Burr in Ironside. A vague ancillary memory recalls part of the episode taking place on what I recall as a surrealistic TV stage or play set, surrounded by darkness.
And that’s how I was able to pin down the date for this memory! “I, the People,” from Season Two of Ironside, is the only episode of that show’s run to air on a Halloween night. The date was Thursday, October 31, 1968.
And, as you can see from the first and following images, much of the show does indeed take place on a TV stage. The story involves a populist, controversial talk-show host (played by Milton Berle) who receives death threats.
So, you can see that my memory was pretty accurate!
Happy Halloween memories!
See you on Monday!
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