Sunday 6 May 2012

Storytelling Sunday - H.R. Pufnstuf

I came across this picture that someone had pinned on Pinterest and it brought back such memories that I knew it would be my background picture for Storytelling Sunday.
This is a still shot from the TV programme H.R. Pufnstuf that was on the television between about 1969/70.  I loved it.  Partly because it had Jack Wild as one of the main characters and I had really fallen for him when he was the Artful Dodger in the film 'Oliver'. 
At the time of my story I was 12.  I had been on a school trip during the day and had come home with raging stomach ache.  I was really ill all evening, and got even worse overnight.  My mum rang the doctor in the morning (even though it was a Saturday and she didn't like to bother him at the weekend) and he came round.  Mum was convinced I had eaten other people's sandwiches on the school trip and something had disagreed with me.  I knew I hadn't but she wouldn't believe me.   The doctor took my temperature, poked my stomach a bit and suggested that mum and dad rang for an ambulance - immediately.  Why had they left it so long before calling?  he asked.  The 'we didn't like to bother you at night time' comment was received with a stern look and raised eyebrows.  Dr Booth told them that I was not making a fuss over nothing, that it wasn't anything to do with food, that I had been really brave putting up with the pain overnight (Dr Booth was by now my most favourite doctor in the whole wide world.  Well, apart from Dr Who of course) and that he thought I had appendicitis and we needed to go to hospital fast as if it had gone on overnight, it may be close to rupturing.  I'm pretty sure that if I had felt a bit stronger I would have pulled my 'See - I told you I hadn't been eating anyone else's food' face.
So into hospital I went, an emergency appendectomy was performed, mum felt suitably guilty and I felt better.  But this was back in the olden days when an appendectomy took 10 days recovery time in hospital, a 4" incision and a whole bunch of stitches.  What made it even worse was that I was going to be in hospital when H.R. Pufnstuf was on and there was no TV in the wards.  Told you it was the olden days didn't I?  When mum and dad came to visit the next day, they brought in a tape recorder on which they had recorded the whole episode for me.  Although I couldn't see it, I could get the gist of the episode from what I heard.  Poor old dad had to sit right up close in front of the television for half an hour holding a microphone up to the speaker so it would record.  Of course being such a long time ago, video recorders had yet to be invented!  I sat in my hospital bed for hours on end listening to that recording and imagining what was happening, and it was the absolute best Get Well Soon present anyone could have brought me.

26 comments:

Amy said...

That is just simply magnificent - your Dad is ace! What a great man :-)

Missus Wookie said...

Oh what a lovely present! Was telling small people about the lack of video recorders, I don't think they believed me!

Unknown said...

What a great story. I love that your Dad did that for you, a little bit of guilt goes a long way doesn't it!Of course he would have to be super too to have thought of it.

My appendix ruptured when I was about 33, I held on and on thinking it would wear off. I can still feel the pain now!! When the Doc gave me the morphine I literally could have kissed him :)

scrappyjacky said...

What a great dad.
I remember being in hospital for 2 weeks as a child....not a great experience back then.

Sian said...

Wow, what a great story - it has brought back so many memories. I had my tonsils out when I was 7, in those days when parents were only allowed in for an hour a day and I had to stay in hospital for a week. I'm glad things have changed. I can remember Pufnstuf too - great times!

Lou said...

A lovely story and a lovely dad :)

Scrappi Sandi said...

I didn't watch pufnstuf but I did have a crush on Jack Wild at that time too!! What a lovely thing for your Dad to do & isn't it amazing that back then, if you missed a programme, you just had to wait until it was rescheduled, probably months later, if at all!! Great story TFS :D

Ruth said...

Now that's love ~ what a wonderful thing to do for you.

Jen said...

What an amazing dad!! Great story - what a wonderful thing is love!

humel said...

What a fabulous story :) I'm sorry for your pain, you poor thing - but how sweet of your Dad to do that for you!

furrypig said...

ooh you poor thing with all that pain, you had a very good dr and your dad was so sweet!

Alison said...

Jack Wild...yum! I had my tonsils out 'in the old days' and remember only seeing my mum and dd a couple of times that week..it was awful!
Alison xx

Fiona@staring at the sea said...

What a great story. How did we ever manage without all our children have today!

Sabrina DS said...

Hi,
What a nice story. It was so thoughtful of your parents to tape record the whole episode… So sweet!
Have a nice Sunday,
Cheers from France

Cheri said...

What a wonderful Dad! I still have my appendix - hope it never decides to act up!

Ifa said...

OMG how scary. You were brave! I am glad you had something nice to recover to. Thank you for sharing.

Beverly said...

What a great and thoughtful gesture :)

Anonymous said...

What a lovely gesture from your dad for his brave little girl.

Irene said...

You have captured the time so well. I can imagine the guilt your parents would have been feeling. My granddaughter is always asking about the 'olden days'. I am going to read your story to her. I can hear her now saying, 'what! no pause button on the tv'.

Denise said...

Oh i remember HR pufnstuff and I also remember tape recording stuff from the 'telly' too. Good old Dad x x

Unknown said...

Your dad was wonderful!! He must have been a special guy. I hope that the recording helped with a speedy recovery :-)

Maria Ontiveros said...

A great story today - it has drama, humor and love all together! I definitely had a crush on Jack Wild as well. All those Brits appealed to us American girls. Now I think I'll have the theme song stuck in my head for quite a while.
Rinda

Susanne said...

What a great story for you to share - so wonderfully told - you had me feeling your emotions and wanting to know what happened next all the way through.

Gail said...

Great story and what a super Dad to have done that for you.

Jo said...

Great story and what a lovely thing for your dad to do.

Jo said...

Great story and what a lovely thing for your dad to do.