Surf and Skate historian extraordinaire Scott Starr turned me on to this clip from Green Acres that originally aired in 1967. There’s a community play production of The Beverly Hillbillies that Oliver and Lisa have to step in at the last moment when the leads get injured. Jethro finds a skateboard by the “cement pond” which was what the hillbillies called their pool. This is probably the first time a skateboard was ever used as a plot device on a TV show – the inevitable “unsuspecting tv character gets injured on a skateboard.” I believe there were earlier skateboarder appearances on talk shows and game shows such as What’s my line?, not to mention some ABC sports action, but if this aired in 1967 it was probably after the skateboard fad had died a seemingly overnight death. According to Starr, 1965 was the big commercial year for skateboarding, and Christmas catalog research seems to validate this. Watch the skateboarding segement after the jump.
Thanks again to Scott Starr for somehow knowing this scene existed and letting me know about it. I’d link to his YouTube account but he can’t keep them anymore, and his website isn’t up yet. After you hit play, hit the “High Quality” (HQ) button that appears next to the volume control.
In the inevitability that this clip gets removed from YouTube, here are some stills.
Yuck Yuck Yuck! It’s a skateboard and I’m a hillbilly!
I found it out by the see-ment pond! Possibly the earliest TV reference to pool skating.
Aaaaaay! Oops, wrong show.
Setting the skateboard down just around the corner… I’m sure nothing bad will happen.
Whoaa!!!
look out for that scenery!
Is it Eddie Albert actually skating or is it a stuntman?
Verdict: Stuntman. You never see his face while he’s skating, and there’s a cut before they show Eddie picking himself up.
8 comments
Jeffrey e Knutson
I believe the skateboard is a Hot Curl. Does anyone know the make that was used? I still have my Hot Curl skateboard.
Kilwag
Looks like it might be this Sears Hot Dog
pam
Scotty has a ton of this stuff. He’s done YEARS of searching and collecting to bring skate history together. Love that it’s getting out. Thank YOU Scotty and Kilwag for posting.
brad
sounds cool scott starr!
scott starr
Hey Kilwag.. yeah.. this episode has to be the first connection to a pool and skateboarding on tv.. i see you started a new youtube channel, you should put up all the new tv commercials with skateboarding, seems like i see a new one every day from Tampons to life insurance… i am now working on my ’60’s skateboarding imagery book as we speak.. man, i have i dug up some forgotten ’60’s skater type folk, Turns out the guy who shot the cover of the first issue of SKATEBOARDER mag in 1964 lives in my town and i’m gonna pick his brain and archives.. someone has to gather up the ’60’s stuff before it’s too late.. more coming soon.. Keep up the stOke as we used to say.. i’ll be back but it might be on a different video website..
cbskates
looks green acres is where the shoestring “belt” trend started…
Kilwag
Well, I thought so… This is where the negative stereotype started. (he said, tongue in cheek)
Bob Pribble
this is important skateboard history and must be discussed