Hello. Love your blog, and I had a couple of traumas I thought maybe you could help me with. Both come from television in the early 1980s, and I wish I had clearer memories of them, but here's what I can recall:
The first is an animated P.S.A. shown during Saturday morning cartoons in the early ‘80s, done in a style that, to the best of my recollection, was similar to the comic strip ZIGGY. It was about controlling or expressing your anger, and featured an animated ZIGGY-type character against a white background, getting angrier and angrier. It absolutely terrified me as a child; I couldn't have been more than 5 at the time. I think my dad might have even called the T.V. station to complain because I was so disturbed by the ad!
The second would come from probably around the same time, some sort of docudrama show on daytime T.V. during the week. All I remember is that the show ended with the main character being executed in the electric chair. At the time, I was convinced that it was a real execution. I'm not sure if it was a movie or TV show or some kind of daytime special. But I remember it being particularly bleak and grim in a gritty, late-‘70s/early-‘80s kind of way.
I grew up in Washington, D.C., if that helps at all.
I certainly appreciate any help you might be able to give in helping piece together these disturbing childhood viewing experiences.
Thanks!
AUNT JOHN SEZ: Sorry Harris, since I was not raised in D.C. nor I have ever been big on ZIGGY or daytime programming for that matter, save for game shows (NO WHAMMIES!), I really haven't a clue. Readers, help a brother out with a comment or an e-mail.