Mr. Bronze Age Turns Golden !!

On February 6th , 2019 , I turned Fifty Years Old !!

Fifty year is one of THE milestone birthdays in ones life. As a kid, they come fairly quick -- 13, (The start of your teenage years !!), 16, 18, 21, 25, -- and then Fifty, followed by 75 and 100 !!

Turning Fifty brings with it a sense of reflection. When I was a young boy back in the 1970's, there was a run of TV shows that dealt with the concept of a man turning Fifty!! It seemed as if every TV Show with a prominent male lead had their Fiftieth birthday in the series run !! And, it started with " Walter's Fiftieth Birthday " on the TV series "MAUDE."



On the Fifteenth episode of the first season ( original air date of January,the 23rd 1973 ) Walter is depressed upon turning Fifty. He is facing his own mortality for the first time.

In an effort to get him out of his funk, Maude arranges for Walters childhood friend to visit. The surprise works -- until Walter's friend drops dead right in front of him !! This drives Walter even further into his shell.

It takes Maude's version of "Tough Love" to bring him back out !!

That very next year, on the Seventeenth episode of Season Four of the classic sitcom "All In The Family !! " has Archie staring at the onset of his fifties !!

The episode was/is titled "Archie Feels Left Out !!". In the episode, Archie repeatedly claims that it is his Forty - Ninth birthday. He persists in this, until his son-in-law Micheal (The Meathead, Of Course !!), finds Archie's birth certificate. Then, it is "Happy FIFTIETH Birthday, Archie !!".

Turning Fifty so depresses Archie that he abandons his own party to seek refuge at Kelsey's Bar. It takes the octogenarian, Mr. Quigley (Portrayed by noted character actor Burt Mustin !!), to make the "Youngster" cheer up !! The episode first aired on January 12, 1974.


Turning Fifty next occurs to "Mel Sharples", (Played by the late Vic Tayback), on the TV series "Alice !!" This time, "Mel" tells everyone that his fiftieth birthday is no big deal, and not to make a big fuss over the whole thing. And, when everyone seems to be doing just that, "Mel" gets the blues.

However, all ends well, and Mel enjoys himself and see how well liked he really is !! (The party soon becomes a Roast of the birthday boy !!). This episode ( Episode 18 of Season 2 ), first aired on March 5th, 1978 !! It is called "Mel's Big 5 - 0".


Next up is "George Jefferson", on the March 2nd, 1980 episode of "The Jefferson's. "Georges' Birthday" (Season 6 ; Episode 19 !!).

George decided to invite all of his family and friends to his birthday party !! Unbeknownst to George, his wife Louise has ALREADY invited everyone to George's surprise birthday party that SHE has planned for him !!

This features a very funny ending scene, as an upset George tells off all of his friends and family where to get off, before realizing that this IS his 50th Birthday Party !!

And, the final Fiftieth Birthday episode was/is "on the classic TV Series" One Day At A Time". The original air date was on February 12th, 1984.

It is Season 9: episode 13, and is called simply: "Fifty". Schneider is turning Fifty this time. To add to this, Schneider's old high school fame is coming to town, and she wants to see Schneider !! This stirs up all sorts of past memories for Schneider. It does the same for the old flame as well !!

When I was a kid, turning Fifty was shown as both a celebration and a time for reflection. (I even remember when my own Father, Jessie Frazier, turned Fifty on September 18th, of 1983. It was just another day for him!! My Father was ultimately cool with this: " Just A Number").

As for me -- turning Fifty was a day spent with family, and at one of my favorite restaurants, followed by a trip to one of my absolute FAVORITE Used Bookshops !! It was a fun day, and I enjoyed myself a great deal.

As for turning Fifty itself ?? Many of the characters in the TV Shows listed above, saw it as a bad thing. But, I see it as a chance to pause and reflect upon all of the good times from over the years. I know that there will be many good times to come !!