I wonder if 5 O'Clock Charlie made me
the person I am today?
Let me explain. I'm currently reading
Norman Lear's autobiography; Norman Lear being the guy who turned
television comedy on its head in the 1970s with shows like “All in
the Family” and “Maude”. While I did watch several Norman Lear
shows growing up (“All in the Family” and “Good Times”
foremost among them), they didn't have as much of an effect on me as
did two other shows. And it wasn't until I started reading Lear's
book that I realized a fictional character named “5 O'Clock
Charlie” may be one of the reasons I turned out the way I did.
When I was eleven or twelve I came
across a repeat of an episode of a TV show that featured the
character “5 O'Clock Charlie”. I was quite taken by the episode
and the absurdity of “5 O'Clock Charlie”, so I began watching all
the episodes I could of the show, both in first run and reruns, and
found myself enchanted by not only the writing but the characters,
the way they acted, and what they believed in. All these decades
later, I can tell you that I really think watching the show growing
up formed a part of who I became, the way I act (especially my sense
of humor), and what I believe in.
I turned out the way I did because a
toss-off, one-shot character named “5 O'Clock Charlie” was
featured on an episode of “MASH”.
I've always known growing up watching
“MASH” had a big influence on me, but I never actually realized
WHY I watched it. It seems like the show was always on, and it seems
like I always watched it. That why I was surprised when I was
reading Norman Lear's book and, for some reason, the character of “5
O'Clock Charlie” popped into my head. I've always loved the
episode from the show's second year, and I've probably seen it a
dozen times over the years. But for whatever reason I never actually
remembered that particular episode was my gateway to the show. Why
Norman Lear's book made me recall that, I don't know. I just know
that it did.
I think I know why the eleven or
twelve-year old me liked the episode “5 O'Clock Charlie” so much.
It was actually rather goofy and absurd, about a near-sighted North
Korean pilot who flew over the unit every day at 5 and tried to blow
up a nearby ammo dump. He was so bad that the doctors would take
bets on how far off he'd be, and his daily fly-over was cause for a
big party. Unlike many of the “MASH” episodes I would like in
the future, the first one I watched was more goofy and strange than
serious and thoughtful. Maybe if “5 O'Clock Charlie” hadn't been
the first episode of the show I watched, the eleven or twelve-year
old version of me would've been bored, and I never would've viewed
the series again, probably changing the way I turned out.
I could've been a very different person
if it hadn't been for “5 O'Clock Charlie”.
I highly recommend Norman Lear's book.
Not only does he have all kinds of great TV history in it, but he's
an amazing storyteller, as well. And who knows—maybe in reading
it, you'll have some sort of weird flashback to the “5 O'Clock
Charlie” in your life. You never know...
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