Grinch on the TV, a Solar Gold Trans Am, and a calm Cronkite sign-off before bed.

Evening, friend. Jack Reynolds checking in. December 18 always takes me back to 1966, when the Grinch first growled his way onto the TV and the living room went quiet. Stick close for that Solar Gold Trans Am, my brother would have taped its picture to his locker, and for the old Memorex spot that still makes my wife smile. Then we will end with a steady voice to send you off right. Brings it all back, doesn’t it?

December 18, 1966 is when the Grinch first showed up on CBS, and my whole house went quiet. Only 26 minutes long, it still pulled huge ratings and has aired every Christmas since. Boris Karloff even won a Grammy for it. Click for the story behind that mean green fellow and his comeback heart.

This 1978 Pontiac Trans Am in Solar Gold was the poster on every locker, that big hood bird did half the talking. It ran about $5,800 new, and clean ones now often bring roughly $35,000 to $60,000. With up to 220 horsepower and over 93,000 built, it still feels special. Click for specs, prices, and production numbers.

That big blue whale-shaped car wash sat at N. 50th and Meridian in Oklahoma City, and in 1979 it probably made every kid in the back seat point and holler. Folks say it was built around 1970, and it’s gone today. My dad loved places you couldn’t miss. Click for the full scan, downloads, and the exact corner.

“Is it live, or is it Memorex?” hit like a bell in the 1970s, and I still hear it when folks argue about sound. Memorex ran these shattering-glass ads for years, starting in the early 1970s, and one jazz writer joked it did more for Ella than a hundred concerts. Click to watch the full spot and see if you can tell which is which.

Henry Winkler was The Fonz for 255 episodes of “Happy Days,” and I swear every kid tried that cool nod. Later he co-wrote the “Hank Zipzer” books, over two million sold, and his charity has helped immunize 200,000 children. Now he’s hosting “Hazardous History.” Click to read where that road led, and what he’s doing now.

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Tonight’s “Your Memory” comes from Harold in New Jersey, because folks travel a little more this time of year. He remembers riding shotgun in 1972 while his dad pulled into a Sunoco for gas and a free road map. The bell dinged, the air hose hissed, and his dad checked the oil like it mattered. It did.

Tonight’s Quote comes from Walter Cronkite, who closed the news with, “And that’s the way it is.” I heard that line for years, and it made the world feel a little steadier at supper time. My dad always said, tell it straight and sleep easy. You can learn more about him here. Click in and meet the man behind that calm voice.

See you tomorrow. Same time, same station.

– Jack

Images are AI-generated or sourced from public-domain archives. Reader photos used with permission.