Sci-Fi Earliest Memory of SciFi in Your Life

[Tom]

At 5 years old I recall watching westerns with Dad on the old Black & White TV. I don't recall which episode but I remember watching Star Trek when it first aired. I remember throwing a fit when Dad changed the channel. My tactics must have worked because he would sit and watch the space western with me after that.
Then I became infatuated with Lost In Space. I can remember being outside looking up at the night skies dreaming of alien worlds. As I grew older, I delved into the comic books scene. My horizons expanded to the Outer Limits, Night Gallery and Buck Rogers. I was fascinated by all the monster/alien designs.

By the time I reached teen life, my imagination was in full alien/creature mode. I soaked in any movie, tv show or magazine that gave me new images of what monsters could look like.

In the service, aboard ship, a buddy was a member of the Science Fiction Book Club. His parents sent him regular supplies of paperbacks in the SciFi & Fantasy genres. We read those books on deck under the stars.
I finally joined SFBC myself and started my own collection.

I just realized that the SFBC still exists! Science Fiction Book Club
Hmm, Might join again. Raising a family caused me to sort my resources differently and I got out of the club. Perhaps it's time to rejoin?

I raised my children on science fiction and fantasy. I read them short-stories from The Year's Best Science Fiction And Fantasy at bedtime and watched shows and movies with them as they grew older.

When internet came into my life my favorites were filled with SciFi & Fantasy links. I read reams of information on all the supporting sciences from extreme biology to advanced particle physics. I found google scholar and collected folders full of scientific papers written by actual scientists. I collected hundreds of MBs of information and pictures. (Back then a MB was a lot of space)
I collected VHS, Laser disks (big CDs in a plastic case), DVDs and now video files. My MBs have turned into TBs.
Since my eyes are no longer my friends, my 'dead wood' reading has lapsed. All my literature is now on my computer and 100% zoom-able. I still love the genre. I still love monsters and creatures and aliens. I still love concepts that push the limits of science.

At 49 years of Science Fiction and Fantasy my love for it is still strong!

 

[screenersam]

My first memory is the tv show 'Lost in Space', which I hated. Later I found books, especially Heinlein and Bradbury (still two favorites). High School girlfriend was a trekkie and I eventually started watching that (limited tv choices when younger). I took her to watch ST:TMP. We were really moved seeing the new Enterprise.
I lived briefly in Tampa as a young adult, and I got to watch The Outer Limits, and was introduced to Dr. Who.

 

[Kevin]

Maybe not my first but certainly the most impressionable was watching the 'Saturday Afternoon Double Feature' movie block broadcast by a local UHF station and viewed on a tiny (9"?) B&W TV with 'bunny ear' antennas that had to be positioned just right to pick up a clear signal. They would always show an old sci-fi or horror movie from the 50's & 60's followed by a kung-fu movie. Watching those movies got me into being a fan old the old 'B-movie' features that I still enjoy watching today. The local PBS station at the time also showed stuff like Dr. Who and Blake's 7 so I was able to watch a lot of great stuff.

On the book side, as a kid I remember reading more fantasy oriented works and not getting into sci-fi & horror works until at least middle school. One of the earliest works I remember reading was The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy in elementary school which caused a bit of a problem. My teachers had an issue with me reading those works and got my mother involved. The teachers tried saying that the books were not appropriate for my age. Now, as could be expected, some of the themes in those books I really didn't catch on to until I re-read them again when I was older, but I loved those types of stories as a kid. My Mom's response was, to paraphrase, that I loved to read & I was allowed to read whatever I wanted. After that the teachers stopped giving me a hard time about my book choices and some gave me suggestions on other titles to read. Go, Mom!

 

[Tom]

I remember Saturday night sleep-overs watching the Ghoul on latenight TV.
Ron Sweed - Wikipedia

Youngstown/Cleveland's version of Ghulardi.

We used to just roll in laughter at his cut-ins on those old B movies. Later MST3K took over but for me he was the first to make bad movies fun.

Kinda reminds me of the guy on the Gong Show. Chuckie

I still chuckle thinking about those crazy times.

 

[screenersam]

Twisted After-school Kid's Show we used to have.
thread on other forum discussing these shows. I thought pretty interesting.