ET the Extra-Terrestrial Learns to Speak and Spell

Greetings, Programs!

Yesterday marked the 35th anniversary of E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial with a little, squishy green guy stranded on earth to wander about a California community with the likes of the Firestarter, Yoda, and Harvey the Clown Dog.  While awaiting the next installment of the Star Wars saga, the 'Dads both checked out this endearing story of a lovable alien botanist who befriended (or possessed) a ten year-old boy who was struggling with his place in a broken home and a macabre school where frogs are killed by JediShua's fifth grade science class.  Halfway through the movie, the short man from the Green Planet raided the TechnoRetro attic for toys to build the ULTIMATE WEAPON a communication device to signal his people to extract him from this crazy world in an oversized Christmas tree ornament propelled by water vapor (evident from the rainbow left behind as it blasted into space).  One 'Dad went head-over-heels for this movie while the other resented its success in dethroning Star Wars (temporarily) in box office receipts.  We'll leave it to the EarBuds to figure out which 'Dad loved it, but it's likely the one whose love for costuming may be linked to a homemade E.T. outfit he wore for Halloween in 1982.

JediShua retrieves his brother's Speak & Spell from the attic since the buttons on his machine not only wore out, but literally fell off the Texas Instruments learning toy that nearly every GenXer played with at some point in the late '70s or early '80s.  

With some tunes, news, and feedback, this episode of TechnoRetro Dads is likely to dredge up some memories of a more innocent time of wonder and magic as we look to the past with one eye on the future.  Share and enjoy the good times as summer camp continues with shazbazzar and JediShua...and Elliott, Gertie, and Mike.