The 55 minute timer...
In the days of black & white Television, my parents owned a model that had a timer as part of the on-off switch. My guess is people who used the TV prior to sleep wouldn't have to get out of bed to turn it off or experience the 'snow' in the middle of the night when the station wasn't broadcasting a signal.The dial went to 55 minutes maximum, but you had to turn it a little more until it clicked to keep the TV in on-only mode without the timer. A few times my father forgot to click it into on mode and it would shut off unexpectedly. Annoying, it was.
One night my mother was watching Perry Mason as many people watched religiously. For reference to anyone who isn't familiar with the series. It was a prime time weekly one-hour show that ran on CBS from 1957 to 1966. A courtroom drama about a criminal defense attorney Perry Mason... who never lost a case.
As usuall the last few minutes of the show were the most exciting and that's where the 55 minute timer would click off. Startled, my dad would run to turn the TV back on, but the time it took for the tubes to turn on and get a picture & sound, the climax of the show was over and they were playing closing credits.
"That's it" my mother shouted. The TV was moved to the bedroom and they bought a new TV... one without a 55 minute timer.
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