Saturday Memory
January 24, 2026

We got our first TV in 1950. It had a small 10-inch screen. Black and white. One of the things that was broadcast was “professional” wrestling. My grandmother was a huge wrestling fan. Her favorite wrestler was Gorgeous George, the flamboyant figure who transformed wrestling into a public spectacle. During one of the shows, Wild Red Berry was doing bad things to Gorgeous. My grandmother was yelling and screaming. Our dog, Blackie, was running wildly in circles and barking. It was general pandemonium. At one point, grandma took off her shoe and threw it at the TV, as if that would stop Wild Red from pummeling Gorgeous. It didn’t but everyone held their breath waiting to see if the TV sateen was broken. It wasn’t. And. as often the case, Gorgeous won the match after getting completely clobbered. But that scene endeared me to grandma; I loved her passion.