Thursday, April 21, 2005

Jim and Tammy have left my building.....

Years ago, when my son was small, his favorite TV program was The Jim and Tammy Show, filmed in a local station in Portsmouth, VA. They always showed a cartoon called "Davey and Goliath" and my boy loved it, but he also loved to see Jim and Tammy. They taped the show live everyday and we decided to take our son to a taping for his 3rd birthday. The children sat on bleachers on the set, and parents were seated nearby, but off camera. During the show, Tammy was blowing up balloons and making animals, and she dropped a balloon. My baby jumped down off the bleachers and picked up the balloon and tugged on Tammy's sleeve to get her to notice so he could give the balloon back to her.
What happened next almost caused me to leave the set and scream. She swatted at my boy and told him in a tight-mouthed hiss to "get back in your seat and stay there!!", while flapping her arms in the general direction of the bleachers. I. was. livid., as you might imagine, and as I was also 5 months pregnant with my second child, hormones were raging. My poor baby did as he was told, but sat for the rest of the taping looking as though he had lost his best friend. All she had to do was take the balloon and say thanks. It made me so sad to see him hurt, and it was hard to explain to him later why she acted the way she did, without taking all of his sense of wonder away or making him cynical at way too young an age.
From that time forward, I didn't trust Jim or Tammy. We moved away from VA., and forgot about the Jim and Tammy Show. Lo and behold Jim and Tammy show up on TV many years later, acting all loving, and moral, and sweet and caring and Christian as all get out. I was not impressed, and I didn't believe they were sincere. I guess I was right.

19 comments:

Weary Hag said...

Excellent post. (I used to LOVE Davy and Goliath and later used it as a tool when assistant-teaching religion study to toddlers)I know this happened long ago but I felt your pain when your little one got "stung" like that. Ouch! You know, it's funny but I have always, always felt those two were the phoniest things going. Guess I was right too!

Karen said...

Hi there! Michele sent me..

Tammy said...

Why oh why does she have to have my name?! It just isn't fair.

Great post...gets you thinkin'.

Visiting via Michele today, altho I tend to wander thru on my own. :)

brendalove@gmail.com said...

Well, you see where their behavior got them eventually. People usually get what's coming to them.

Anonymous said...

How terrible for your little one! Ruined a good thing hey? At least I believe with people like 'The Wiggles' what you see is what you get....

I am here via Michele's meet and greet. I might poke around for a little...don't mind me! (I think I will be back!) Cheers.

Anonymous said...

You showed remarkable restraint. I don't know if I could have. I enjoyed reading your blog.
gina
www.findingmygroove.blog-city.com

Anonymous said...

You and commenters seem out of date. I understand your feelings back then, but Jimmy in particular has turned important corners and is not the same guy. Diagnosis is a simple matter but tracking and cutting a little slack to former
grandstanders is another. It's called "grace" and we all need it.

kenju said...

Stan, you may be right, but I know nothing about the way Jim Baker is now. If he has turned corners, great. My lasting impression is the one I got 37 years ago, and I have seen nothing lately that would change it.

annie said...

That's hilarious!
My friend always used to watch them. The first time I saw them Tammy came out with all this make-up and this glittery outfit with epaulettes on the shoulder pads, and I said "Oh my God, what a phoney baloney materialistic wanna be Christian is that!"
My friend was touched by her crying and the black pools of mascara that would run down her face.
Oh brother.

Anonymous said...

It's odd that out of the hundreds of great things I've read and seen posted on Tammy Faye Messner you're the only one who had a negetive thing to say about her. I hate that she seemed so insinsitive to your son, but everyone no one is perfect.

Anonymous said...

With the web we can check on losers like them and also share our experiences.I remember the kids show then later saw the religious show. I knew from the start they were phony.It was all about the money! Now we can post our thoughts on folks like them and maybe save people from being duped.The Bakers were nothing short of predators.No one should get rich from donations intended for the truly needy.Do the research!

Anonymous said...

hi my name is virginia jeffers...i wish they would show reruns of every single jim and tammy show right here right now. my sons ray and andrew and richard were on the show.i just cant remember what year. richard the youngest i think was 4.i dont judge people and i say it helped me to be a good mom and gave them something good to watch...and i loved tammy for who she was and yes they were human cause i saw them shopping in the food lion on airline boulevard...

barbra cooper said...

HELLO JIM AND TAMMY FANS OF OLE. I WAS ONE OF THE KIDS ON THE BLEACHERS TOO WITH SOME OF MY NEIGHBORHOOD FRIENDS WE WERE ALL EXCITED BEING ON THAT SHOW IF I AM CORRECT THE ADDRESS IS STILL IMPLANTED IN MY MEMORY WE WOULD ALL WOULD EXIT THE SHOW BY SAYING JIM AND TAMMY BOX 111 PORTSMOUTH,VA 23705 MY NAME WAS BARBARA ALSTON.... AND IF MY MEMORY SERVES ME CORRECT I MIGHT OF AIRED ON THE SHOW BETWEEN 1967-68

Anonymous said...

the jim and tammy show was da bomb...so let the sunshine in...this was a great way for local kids to experience some good ole' fun...wasn't Pat Robertson's TV station at the end of Elm Ave?...Jim and Tammy Veteran, P-town born and bred. Portsmouth maybe a shell of a place to alot of us but it continues as a place rich with history, community and love...Chrystal W.

Unknown said...

Does anyone know how to get a copy of any of those shows?
I was on there when I was four, and would LOVE to chase down a copy!
Thanks!

Unknown said...

Does anyone know how to get a copy of any of those shows?
I was on there when I was four, and would LOVE to chase down a copy!
Thanks!

NH rocks! said...

Does anyone know how to get a copy of any of those shows?
I was on there when I was four, and would LOVE to chase down a copy!
Thanks!

Unknown said...

I was on that show back in '68. My Dad tells me I rolled 2 strikes in a bowling game to get baseball cards. He said I was excited about the strikes, I was bugging Jim and Tammy to bowl again!
All I remember about that day was looking behind the facade of the stage prop where they had the puppets. I remember seeing them lying on the floor where no one could see them. If I could only get ahold of that episode to see how crazy my Dad says I was.

DiBailey said...

I was one of the kids sitting in the bleachers nearly every night. It was one of the family things we did. I never saw Jim or Tammy act impatient with any of the children. But since they are human,it may have occasionally happened. Remember too, they were very young at the time, and were not yet parents (their daughter was born during the time the show taped). Tammy suffered miscarriages during those years, and very likely had some hormonal issues because of it. I am sorry for what happened with your son. But please don't judge an entire life because of one impatient act. Many people came to Christ through those shows.