We are of the same era, and your article brought back many fond memories. I wish my kids would watch those old shows and movies, but when I put them on, they are not interested. They connected me to the people who lived in the 30s and 40s and help me understand better where we came from. One of the social problems that is developing is the loss of a common culture based on common experiences, which has paradoxically developed due to the myriad of choices that we have when we choose entertainment.
Someone coined the phrase “The Tyranny of Choice”. I think it’s quite apropos. One need only look at “The Ed Sullivan Show” to understand how profound an effect it had on American culture at the time, and like you mentioned, a shared experience.....