67 Years Ago Today, the First “TV Guide” Hit Newsstands

How cool is that? Considering that most of us are spending a lot more time at home these days watching the tube, think about that. It was 67 years ago on April 3, 1953, when the very first issue of TV Guide came out. On the cover? Lucille Ball and her new baby, Desi Arnaz, Jr. That first issue was yours for the extraordinary sum of 15 cents.

I wonder how many people were just like me as a kid EAGERLY awaiting the arrival of the new TV Guide(Especially the highly-coveted "Fall Preview" edition. What Saturday morning cartoon-loving kid couldn't wait to see the new cartoons coming in the fall?). There was even a "Spring Preview" edition for a while, but it didn't seem to carry the same weight as the "Fall Preview".

While my Grammy Tarbox was alive, she would collect TV Guides. I remember as a youngster, when my family would travel to Newburyport to visit relatives, how much I would look forward to not only seeing my cousins, but also spending hours looking through Grammy's old TV Guides. She literally had a closet filled with nothing but shoe boxes stuffed with them.

Chances are, if you were a movie fan AND you had access to Channel 38 out of Boston, you were also a fan of The Movie Loft, hosted by Dana Hersey. I probably got 75% of my love for classic cinema from Dana and The Movie Loft. They used to always show the best movies. And I, of course, would devour the listings in TV Guide to see what the line-up would be for the week.

Thanks for the happy memories, TV Guide! And, Happy 67th Anniversary!