11/13/13

Living in a Sitcom

Growing up just outside of Philadelphia in Montgomery County Pa. was pretty much a quiet non exciting and simple existence  Don't get me wrong we had tons of fun riding our bikes, swimming in the township pools, fishing at the township park, playing sports in our local athletic organization, and well just simply hanging out. But one of the crowning glories of being a kid in this suburban life during the 1970's was the bevy of prime time sitcoms which were spewed out constantly by the networks all through the decade. And there was hardly a night where you couldn't catch one of these golden oldies on the old boob tube. The Friday and Saturday night line-ups were among my favorites from the Brady Bunch to All in the Family, our family could be found nestled on the rattan couch and chairs of our basement recreation room, which happened to be decked out in orange paint, wood paneling and a shag carpet, either night ready to be entertained.

And as for me...well I was a total sitcom junky!  Aren't you surprised to hear that? No not meeee!!!


Well last night as Mr. Rosemary Lane and myself were flipping around trying to decide what our Tuesday night televiewing choices might be, we came across a new sitcom this season called "The Goldbergs". While I did manage to catch one other episode a couple weeks ago as they aired their Halloween show, I happened to pick up on the fact that one of the actors was sporting a Philadelphia Flyers jersey. I remember thinking that someone must be a fan but not giving it much more thought beyond that. Well last night's episode nearly blew me away as there was a scene in which "Mrs. Goldberg" was chasing down her neighbor "Mrs. Kremp" in the local grocery, and the sign in the store read "Jenkintown Market". I almost fell off my seat. You see I grew up in the next town over, the town of Glenside. The border between the two towns is so close to where I lived that I could literally throw a stone from my backyard and have in land in Jenkintown. As the show unfolded I made the connection that the "Kremps" of the TV show who owned a local flower shop, was not so far off from, well next to my own hometown florist Penney's Flowers, one of the best known florist in the area, Kremp Florist of Willow Grove. 

So at this point it was time for me to hop on the old computer and do an internet search. And yes it turns out that the creator, writer  and driving force behind the series is in fact a Jenkintown born and bred writer by the name of Adam F. Goldberg. Ain't that a kick in the pants. The Kremps in "The Goldbergs" are actually based on the real life Kremp family, owners of the flower shop in bearing their family name in Willow Grove. I've read that Goldberg plans to give a number of hometown shout-outs to the places and establishments which were all part of his life growing up in our little slice of suburbia back in the 1980's. 

This is so exciting to me as I am sure it is to anyone who grew up in the areas of Jenkintown, Glenside, Willow Grove and the many other surrounding towns. Seeing places so mundanely familiar on the TV screen is something I would have never ever imagined seeing as a kid. I still get all worked up whenever I watch reruns of the now syndicated show starring Brad Garret "Til Death" where Garret plays a high school history teacher at Cheletenham High school, my own high school football team's arch rival, and they show a 2 second clip of the school's exterior. 

So the show now has it's own new biggest fan...me! And I will be tuned in to watch Tuesdays at 9pm. Oh and as for the show itself...well if you were around in the 1980's there's definitely many relate-able jokes, humor, style and situations you may have completely forgotten about which made the '80's what they were. Mr. RL and I laughed our butts off last night and we will be tuning in again next week!

Before I leave you, here is the name of another famous person from the just under 5,000 people town of Jenkintown Pa...can we say Bradley Cooper?



Ciao 4 now!

XO

4 comments:

  1. Barbara, I really enjoy this show, as I have friends with that last name. I knew the show's creator based it on his youth, in fact, last night's show was dedicated to his friend, Chad. Xo

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  2. I lived in Huntington Valley for over six years, right in that neighborhood. I'll have to take a look at the show. Thanks for sharing!
    Cindy
    Wheeling, WV

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  3. Actually, Barb, Bradley Cooper lived a few doors down from a classmate of ours on Rydal Road and attended Rydal Elementary before transferring to GA. Indeed he is a fellow Abingtonian

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  4. Barbara, I just discovered your blog via a link (via Thrifty Decor Chick!) I love the blog name and after I read your "about me" and your dedication to your mom, I knew we spoke the same language!

    Well, it's funny how we're drawn to things because I just read this post and cannot believe you are from Glenside! That's where my husband grew up, and partly the place our son is named for. (The other place is a park in my hometown, where we live!) Most of his family still lives there...such a special place.

    So excited to read more!!!

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