R.I.P. Tom and Mayella

As I was growing up, television was always a significant presence in our house. I mark phases of my life with the programs I watched. Family Affair, Captain Kangaroo, Sesame Street, and The Andy Griffith Show were the shows I remember watching as a very small girl. In the summers, my Mom watched soap operas during the day and we always watched "Dialing for Dollars" together, as well. At night the TV became entirely my father's and he watched Sea Hunt, Mannix, Hawaii Five-O, and the news. On Sundays we always watched Wild Kingdom, The Wonderful World of Disney, Hee-Haw, Sixty Minutes and Lawrence Welk.

I remember the shows that were considered racy back then -- Love American Style, Laugh In, and, a little later, Benny Hill. I remember my Mom always complained about them but my Dad still watched them and I would watch them with him, much to my Mom's great annoyance. She would always make an exit from the room and go find something to do and leave my father and me to our "smut."

I always loved the scary shows: Fantastic Features, Twilight Zone, The Night Stalker, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and Night Gallery were some of my favorites. Mom would always tell me not to "watch that mess and then be too afraid to go to bed" and I would roll my eyes at her. Yet I was always glad when she would leave the little light on in the den when she would be on her way to bed.

I watched the SAG Awards tonight and noticed how very many actors have died this year. The "In Memoriam" segment of these award shows always makes me sad. It's almost like losing a family member when an actor who has had a role in a very special TV show or movie passes away. To Kill A Mockingbird's "Mayella Ewell" (Collin Wilcox) died this year, as well as "Tom Robinson" (Brock Peters). It seems oddly appropriate that they should go close together since their conflict was at the heart of the story. I think when any actor from TKAM has died, it has hit me a little hard because that novel and movie has been my favorite since I was ten or eleven years old.

Rest in Peace, Mayella and Tom.