Tomyamaguchi’s Weblog

Anna Campbell’s Stories

If there is a gay gene, I know mine is defective.

Some examples:
1. I have no gaydar. George Takei came out of the closet? I never saw that one coming. Seriously!
2. I have no fashion or decorating sense. If it is comfortable and it fits, I’ll wear it. If not, forget it.
3. I was never really hot for Judy Garland. I did like Barbra Streisand when I was a teenager, so I guess I am not totally defective. Then again, I’d dump both of them for my middle school gym teacher.
4. I never got into watching soap operas.

The last one amazes me the most because I should have inherited the soap opera gene from my mother. She was absolutely hooked and would stop everything she was doing to watch her “stories.” She never missed an episode of Search for Tomorrow and The Guiding Light. After that came As the World Turns. She didn’t watch that as religiously, but close. Now, two of those soaps are canceled according to the news from the past week. Guiding Light was canceled a few years ago. World will end this coming year (the show, not the planet). If Mom wasn’t already dead, the news might have killed her. Hopefully, wherever she is now has reruns.

The only thing I can remember about Search for Tomorrow and The Guiding Light was that when they were first on TV they were only 15 minutes long each and broadcast during the same half hour. I found that odd, but that was how they were scheduled when they came to TV from radio. Both later expanded half hour shows.

Mom found that ironing clothes was a good way to multitask. She positioned the ironing board in front of the TV so she could watch her stories while getting some housework done. During Christmas vacation, if the weather was too lousy to play outside, I would play with my toys on the floor in the living room, between the ironing board and the TV.

It was during one Christmas vacation that I witnessed a live TV blooper moment. I can’t remember when or on what show. Mom’s stories, like many TV shows, were live then. If mistakes happened, they went out over the air. The scene was a married couple standing in front of a huge, beautifully decorated Christmas tree. They were having some intense conversation about their relationship that I really wasn’t paying attention to. Maybe the only thing that caught my attention was the Christmas tree. Both stepped away from the tree, but stopped to face each other and continue their conversation. The camera zoomed in so that only their heads and upper torsos were on screen. Suddenly a loud crashing sound interrupted their dialogue. It was the sound of a thousand Christmas balls smashing to the floor. Both actors immediately turned and faced the direction where the Christmas tree was supposed to be. Then, just as quickly, both turned to face each other and continued to read their lines as if nothing had happened. When the scene finished, the show went to commercials.

Since those days, the soaps have gotten more steamy. Yes, there are hunks for the suburban housewives and gay men. There are also hot women to attract an increasing number of heterosexual male viewers. It is still not enough to get me to invest that much time out of my short life. If I am going to commit my life to a TV show, it better be good. On that front there is hope. Last October, I decided to watch an episode of Glee. I haven’t missed an episode since and can hardly wait for the new season in spring. I think hearing Rachel sing Streisand sealed the deal for me. Now I don’t know if you could call Glee a soap opera. It’s close enough for me. I believe I could use that to perform a bit of gay gene reparative therapy.

December 13, 2009 - Posted by tomyamaguchi | Uncategorized