The Mummy's Hand TV - 1958

In 1958 on the 15th of September, having traveled to Idlewild Airport (now John F. Kennedy Airport) in New York, from Tacoma, Washington, we then flew to Madrid, Spain.

That's me, at the airport, on the way to Spain. That was taken by a photographer for TWA and sent around the world. My first modeling job, press release, and notification to the world that, I was out and about.

Things happened. Then we flew back to New York on 21st of October and took up residence in Philadelphia where most of our family was. We lived there for a couple of years until we moved back to Tacoma.

My mom liked to watch a midnight scare show and all these years, I've wondered about it.

One night I got sick and woke up in the middle of the night. My mom took me to bed with her and we continued to watch a show. I liked it so much, the next time it was going to be on, I asked if I couldn't watch it again with her. She said it was too late but I insisted, so she said she would flash the flashlight in my eyes, and if I woke, she'd let me watch it. Its possible, that was a Friday night, when I had been sick, and then Saturday night it was on again.

So at the right time, she flashed the light and I woke up and we watched the show. What I remember was on the TV, a "dancing" hand, undulating, coming out of an exotic maybe woven, maybe copper pot and it said it was, as I remember it anyway, "The Mummy's Hand". But in researching this now, I'm not so sure, what I remember being and what actually happened.

A week later, I asked about it and she said, she'd try the flashlight device again, but alas, this time I didn't wake up. Looking back, and now having myself been a parent, I suspect she thought it wasn't best waking me up and I probably was cranky the next day. I complained the next day about it (precocious for a 5 year old yes?) but she said I hadn't woken up. I wanted to argue but didn't see a way to win it, and so after that, I simply forgot about it. Its strange being able to remember something going back so far. But I can remember back to when I was about eighteen months old. But that's another story.

Now, what's interesting about this, is that with the internet, you can find out all kinds of things. I looked up the dates for our leaving and returning from New York and Spain. I looked up the city and dates of the show and what show it might have been and what shows, showed when...and amazingly, I found this:

From the web site http://www.broadcastpioneers.com/roland.html>Broadcase Pioneers:

"Unless otherwise stated, all Monday, Tuesday and Friday airings started at 11:25 pm. Saturday shows began at 11:20 pm. Airing station was WCAU-TV, Channel 10 in Philadelphia. Originally called "The Shock Theatre," later shortened to just "Shock Theatre.""

Friday, February 28, 1958
The Mummy's Hand (1940) Philadelphia TV Debut
Archeologists set out in search of the tomb of a princess.
Starred Dick Foran and Tom Tyler.

The Mummy's Hand

So, we were watching a show called, "The Shock Theatre".
But the film, "The Mummy's Hand" seems to have been on before we ended up living in Philly.

Its pretty amazing what you can find out online now a days.