Radio-TV mirror (July-Dec 1954)

Record Details:

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(Continued from page 51) Then, one night, he addressed the husky little fellow, "What do you say we run up and see your mother for a couple of days?" Jeff kicked his legs in delighted approval of the proposition. "Good," Jack stretched out a finger to be clasped by a firm little hand. "We'll start out in the car Monday around noon." Jeffrey never had been any trouble on previous driving trips, his father reflected with satisfaction. When the three of them rolled happily along the highway, Marcia kept an eye on Jeffrey while Jack concentrated on the road. But Marcia wouldn't be with them this time, Jack suddenly remembered! "How can I watch where I'm going, keep my hands on the steering wheel, and see that you don't play with buttons on the dashboard?" Jack regarded the wriggling figure lying in the crib. Jeffrey threw his plump arms into the air and waved them about like wings. "Oh, so that's it," Jack looked at his son with admiration, "you think we ought to fly? Good idea. While the pilot handles the ship, you and I can relax in the passenger compartment." Jack tucked the covers around Jeffrey, picked up a miniature rubber boxing glove which had been tossed gleefully to the floor, dimmed the light and went into the adjoining room for dinner. He could hear Jeffrey's faint half-cry for attention, but knew that in a few minutes the protests would stop and the baby would be asleep; Like all parents, Jack could discern instantly when the crying was a signal of real need, but this was just a bid for further conversation. It was nearly ten o'clock. Jeff would sleep for the next twelve hours. Since Jack's TV work keeps him busy late in the evening, he rises around ten in the morning. The Barrys had early adopted the rather unusual retiring hour for their son so that he would not be clamoring for company at dawn. Jack looked out at the lights of the Queensboro Bridge spanning New York's East River, just beyond their terrace. La Guardia Airport glimmered in the distance, and Jack was pleased with his decision to fly to Connecticut. The trip would take less than an hour. Then he began pondering how Jeffrey would react to the mysterious business of riding through the sky. Suppose the flight should be bumpy, and the plane take a sudden drop through an air pocket? Would Jeffrey cry out in genuine fright? Maybe get sick? Riding in an automobile with both parents was a familiar experience. But leaving the ground — soaring into the air — that would be new and strange. Jack decided he had better consult their doctor. The next morning, the pediatrician was reassuring. "Don't be afraid, and everything will be okay," he advised Jack. "If the plane dips or sways or bumps around, just laugh and Jeffrey will laugh, too." Jack felt better when he left the physician's office. He dressed the chubbycheeked youngster in a trim new outfit and boarded the plane in a confident mood. Not a sound of protest escaped Jeffrey's two front teeth as the plane took off and climbed toward the clouds. The baby contented himself with his treasured boxing glove and an occasional grab at his R father's ear or necktie. All was fine until a violent air current sent the ship into a dive. It tossed and 104 Kids Are Like That rocked and pitched. Tense with surprise as he lurched in the seat, Jack's hands tightened around the baby's small form. Father Barry was filled with panic. Then he recalled the doctor's words, "Don't be afraid. If the plane dips, just laugh and Jeffrey will laugh, too." Jack forced himself to laugh loud and hard. Jeffrey looked up at his grinning father and laughed right back, not the least bit frightened. He was still laughing when the plane landed. Waiting for them at the airport, Marcia stood poised and serene, her long dark hair falling in soft waves against her shoulders. She took the baby in her arms and smiled, "He seems to have enjoyed his first airplane ride." "Yes," murmured Jack, mopping his brow. "The whole trip was just another big joke to Jeff." Jack, feeling like a nervous wreck, sank back exhausted into the car as they drove away. But the experience was just another in a chain of events filled with laughter for Jeffrey. Tumbles during his learning-towalk days had been greeted with gentle laughter by his father and mother, so — instead of crying — Jeff always joined in the fun. .His parents find their child's antics so amusing that they don't miss the night clubs and theaters which used to keep them entertained during their courting days. Marcia was acting in the Broadway production of "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" when she first met broadcasting's popular panel-leader. She still appears occasionally on television programs, but watching Jeffrey's day-to-day development is so fascinating that she doesn't accept many professional assignments any more. She and Jack get a bigger kick out of playing peek-a-boo and patty-cake with Jeff than attending the most gala openingnight performance. While the expert's advice on meeting small and major crises with merriment has proved helpful in these early stages, Jack has several notions of his own regarding child-rearing, which he has gained from observations of young people who have appeared on his programs. One ten-year-old boy, Ronny Molluzzo, who has been on Juvenile Jury for three years, possesses many characteristics which Jack hopes his son will display. Ronny, the son of a butcher, has nice manners, is astute, observant, interested in everything, respectful, and a strong-minded individual whom nobody is going to push around. Jack has noticed that Ronny 's parents are quiet and calm in their treatment of the boy. They don't try to make a national hero out of him, simply because he has been on a television program. At the same time, they give him plenty of free rein to express himself, and encourage his interests. Right now, he is particularly absorbed in science, and they are providing all the books and tools in this field which Ronny wants. That's what Jack plans to do for Jeffrey — give him all the equipment he needs to develop his special interests. Regarding other phases of child-raising, Jack feels that parents should not indulge in family quarrels in front of their children. He believes that such wrangles can have a very disturbing effect on young minds — perhaps cause lasting damage. But he is a little puzzled about how much he and Marcia should refrain from frankly discussing other subjects in Jeffrey's hearing, when the boy is old enough to understand their conversation. Can't children learn that people may disagree about politics, music or' art, without any harmful effects resulting? Jack intends to consult an expert for advice on this matter. When it comes to honesty, Jack is earnest in his desire to teach Jeffrey to be truthful by setting an example of truthfulness. But even this already is leading him into perplexities. What about Santa Claus? Jack and Marcia have discussed the situation, she insisting that Jeffrey should not be denied any childhood fun, Jack equally determined that their son must never feel that his parents have told him a lie. They have now agreed to relate the Santa Claus myth as they would "Peter Pan," or any other childhood story for Jeff's enjoyment. In most matters, Jack defers to Marcia's opinion. When the baby was brought home from the hospital, there were some conflicts with nurses who held strong and opposing theories to the mother's. The attending physician suggested that a mother's instincts are usually right, so why not abide by them? Father thinks that's a pretty good rule to follow — along with those his fans have taught him. During the first six months of Jack's animated cartoon and drawing series, Winky Dink And You, a wealth of revealing letters came into the penthouse office which Jack shares with partners Dan Enright and Edwin S. Friendly, Jr. There were also a half-million requests for "Winky Dink" kits, which contain a plastic window (to be placed over the TV screen at home), a set of four crayons (green, black, yellow, and red) and an erasing cloth. As Jack draws a boat, a house, a tunnel or a "moon man" in the studio, children at home can follow his lines and draw them on their own magic window. While Winky Dink — the pixie-voiced character created by artists Harry Prickett and Ed Wyckoff — scampers across the screen, host Barry is always careful to say, "Now remember, boys and girls, if there's more than one of you playing along with us, you must share your crayons." 1 his concept of "sharing" has become such a boon to mothers throughout the country that one of them wrote: "There is never an argument or quarrel while you are on — and, believe me, that is a record. It is the most peaceful half-hour during the whole weekend." That writer had four children, but the mother of an only child reported: "My four-year-old boy won't draw any more. Just sits and watches. I finally discovered that, since he had nobody to 'share' the crayons with, he felt he shouldn't play the game. Secondly, his art work does not always turn out as well as yours and he feels he cannot participate if he isn't perfect." A letter went back to the youngster, explaining that it was quite all right to use all the crayons himself, if there weren't any friends to watch the show with him, and that it didn't really matter if his drawings weren't perfect. Just to make sure that the program material meets the approval of experts, it is supervised by Mrs. Irma Simonton Black, teacher and author of several books on child psychology. Jack is firmly convinced that all parents want to do the best for their children but frequently and unknowingly make mistakes which he hopes to avoid. By the time he himself is old enough to be a panelist on that other program of his— Life Begins At SO— Jack Barry figures maybe he'll know all the answers.