Memories of UM (by a new member) - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Truth Sleuth · 01-09-2011, 06:00 PM

Hi there. I've been "lurking" on and off for a while and have finally gotten around to registering. I came across this board and was surprised (and more than a bit relieved) to find that there are so many other people like me out there who remain intrigued by Unsolved Mysteries.

In the 1980s I was a kid, yet even then I was fascinated by "based on a true story" movies on TV. One that really stuck with me was Adam, about the disappearance of Adam Walsh and the efforts of his parents to change the way police handled cases of missing children. (Of course today everyone knows who John Walsh is.) Likewise, I was also enthralled with the Missing specials, hosted by David Birney and Meredith Baxter-Birney, which showed recreations of other missing children cases and their real photographs. These were, I believe, the forerunner to UM.

But there was something different. I don't know why, but there was something in me that was truly bothered by these cases, and I very much wanted to see them resolved. I even tried to get my mom to let me call the phone number from the show and tell them I had seen a young girl walk past our house one night sometime recently. (She said no.

)

So of course when the first edition of UM aired (i.e. the one with Raymond Burr), I was glued to the TV. Likewise when the next two specials (hosted by Karl Malden) aired, that was what today we call "appointment TV" for me. I still remember seeing the first report on the Unabomber case and being scared out of my wits when the actor in the re-enactment looked right into the camera (to simulate how one witness had made direct eye contact with him and lend credence to the now-famous composite sketch.) Years later when the Unabomber became well-known, I told anyone who would listen that I had known about him years before by watching Unsolved Mysteries.

And thus when they switched over to Robert Stack, I watched all of those as well, and was delighted when NBC finally made it a regular series. Every Wednesday night, you could find me in front of the TV. I would still go and play with friends after school, but I made it very clear that I had to be home by 7, period! (By contrast, most kids my age made sure they were home in time to watch stuff like Who's the Boss? or Growing Pains.)

Now, all that said, you know how everyone has that fond childhood memory of something that at the time was more like a trauma? How you stayed up late one night when you weren't supposed to and watched some scary monster movie and couldn't get to sleep for a week after that? That's how Unsolved Mysteries was for me. On Wednesday nights I was usually the only one home. My dad was taking night school classes to earn a college degree, my brother was usually either working or at a friend's house, and my mom had a job that required her to be "on call" one or two nights a week. So there I was in that house, watching that darn show...

Plenty of times it scared the you-know-what out of me, but I wasn't going to miss it.

And what always scared me most were those hair-raising composite sketches of suspects. Something about them just hit a nerve; those mysterious, anonymous eyes staring back at me from the screen... even now I can feel that chill running up my spine just thinking about it. The worst was from a "road rage" case where a motorcycle rider was killed after being run into a pole or a tree by a hot-headed driver (I don't recall any names but I do know the case has since been solved.) I remember that night I was so spooked I literally did not get off the couch until someone else came home!

So anyway, now that I've rattled on and on about all this

, I suppose I'll finally start contributing to some discussions around here.

Oooga Chucka · 01-09-2011, 06:12 PM

Welcome. I have many of the same experiences. I was scared after watching this when I was a kid, but I always came back for more. Check out some of the threads on here - I know that there is one about composites somewhere.

I remember the case you are talking about; I think it is Lee Selwyn.

Killarney Rose · 01-09-2011, 06:29 PM

Hi- welcome aboard!

I never watched UM on the first run. I never started watching it till the Lifetime years in the early 90s when it came on late, after the late news. My daughter was terrified of Robert Stack and the theme music. I had to turn the volume all the way down and she still swore she could hear it! And she was also afraid of RS's eyes. I'd make eyes at her(big eyes) and she'd run squealing! Just last week- mind you she is now 21 and married- UM came on while the whole family was here. Her older brother made RS big eyes at her and she told him to stop- RS's eyes still scared her. But the difference is nowadays she watches UM with me!

Apostapler · 01-09-2011, 06:55 PM

Welcome! Always great to have a new member.

crystaldawn · 01-10-2011, 07:58 AM

Welcome Truth Sleuth!

Hambone2421 · 01-10-2011, 12:42 PM

Welcome to the forum Truth Sleuth!!

Zlatko · 01-10-2011, 01:02 PM

Welcome; it's always good to see new UM posters.

cocytus · 01-10-2011, 01:23 PM

Welcome.

nohwheregirl · 01-11-2011, 12:03 AM

Welcome!

I remember those Meredith Baxter specials too, and we have discussed them on this message board in the past.

Clockworkhigh · 01-11-2011, 12:35 AM

Stack scared the life out of me. Yet I'd watch it with my mother, but never alone until later in my teens. If I were in the basement waiting for it to come on and the theme music started I'd yell for my mom to get donwstairs. It just spooked me.

I remember certain cases. I remember the New Hampshire serial killer. The pictures of all the other women raped and murdered and then the whole story of that segment. Imagine being left for dead at a rest stop by some guy and then managing to survive only to speed down the street and eventually catch up to his car! Yikes. Just another reason to wonder why anyone in their right mind would stop at a rest stop. Especially a young woman - pregnant.

The Blind River murders scared me. Mostly because it happened in Canada a couple hours away from us.

MegtheEgg86 · 01-11-2011, 11:33 AM

Hi and welcome!

01-09-2011, 06:00 PM	#1
Truth Sleuth Someone, somewhere knows Occasional Poster Join Date: Jan 09, 2011 Posts: 53	Memories of UM (by a new member) Hi there. I've been "lurking" on and off for a while and have finally gotten around to registering. I came across this board and was surprised (and more than a bit relieved) to find that there are so many other people like me out there who remain intrigued by Unsolved Mysteries. In the 1980s I was a kid, yet even then I was fascinated by "based on a true story" movies on TV. One that really stuck with me was Adam, about the disappearance of Adam Walsh and the efforts of his parents to change the way police handled cases of missing children. (Of course today everyone knows who John Walsh is.) Likewise, I was also enthralled with the Missing specials, hosted by David Birney and Meredith Baxter-Birney, which showed recreations of other missing children cases and their real photographs. These were, I believe, the forerunner to UM. But there was something different. I don't know why, but there was something in me that was truly bothered by these cases, and I very much wanted to see them resolved. I even tried to get my mom to let me call the phone number from the show and tell them I had seen a young girl walk past our house one night sometime recently. (She said no. ) So of course when the first edition of UM aired (i.e. the one with Raymond Burr), I was glued to the TV. Likewise when the next two specials (hosted by Karl Malden) aired, that was what today we call "appointment TV" for me. I still remember seeing the first report on the Unabomber case and being scared out of my wits when the actor in the re-enactment looked right into the camera (to simulate how one witness had made direct eye contact with him and lend credence to the now-famous composite sketch.) Years later when the Unabomber became well-known, I told anyone who would listen that I had known about him years before by watching Unsolved Mysteries. And thus when they switched over to Robert Stack, I watched all of those as well, and was delighted when NBC finally made it a regular series. Every Wednesday night, you could find me in front of the TV. I would still go and play with friends after school, but I made it very clear that I had to be home by 7, period! (By contrast, most kids my age made sure they were home in time to watch stuff like Who's the Boss? or Growing Pains.) Now, all that said, you know how everyone has that fond childhood memory of something that at the time was more like a trauma? How you stayed up late one night when you weren't supposed to and watched some scary monster movie and couldn't get to sleep for a week after that? That's how Unsolved Mysteries was for me. On Wednesday nights I was usually the only one home. My dad was taking night school classes to earn a college degree, my brother was usually either working or at a friend's house, and my mom had a job that required her to be "on call" one or two nights a week. So there I was in that house, watching that darn show... Plenty of times it scared the you-know-what out of me, but I wasn't going to miss it. And what always scared me most were those hair-raising composite sketches of suspects. Something about them just hit a nerve; those mysterious, anonymous eyes staring back at me from the screen... even now I can feel that chill running up my spine just thinking about it. The worst was from a "road rage" case where a motorcycle rider was killed after being run into a pole or a tree by a hot-headed driver (I don't recall any names but I do know the case has since been solved.) I remember that night I was so spooked I literally did not get off the couch until someone else came home! So anyway, now that I've rattled on and on about all this , I suppose I'll finally start contributing to some discussions around here.

01-11-2011, 11:33 AM	#11
MegtheEgg86 Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Jun 19, 2008 Location: The Volunteer State Posts: 5,156	Hi and welcome!
	__________________ "Why is she lying?, it makes me wonder. What is she hiding?, it makes me wonder." Go Vols!

01-09-2011, 06:12 PM	#2
Oooga Chucka Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jan 23, 2010 Posts: 150	Welcome. I have many of the same experiences. I was scared after watching this when I was a kid, but I always came back for more. Check out some of the threads on here - I know that there is one about composites somewhere. I remember the case you are talking about; I think it is Lee Selwyn.

01-09-2011, 06:29 PM	#3
Killarney Rose Member Forum Regular Join Date: Jul 24, 2010 Location: AL Posts: 656	Hi- welcome aboard! I never watched UM on the first run. I never started watching it till the Lifetime years in the early 90s when it came on late, after the late news. My daughter was terrified of Robert Stack and the theme music. I had to turn the volume all the way down and she still swore she could hear it! And she was also afraid of RS's eyes. I'd make eyes at her(big eyes) and she'd run squealing! Just last week- mind you she is now 21 and married- UM came on while the whole family was here. Her older brother made RS big eyes at her and she told him to stop- RS's eyes still scared her. But the difference is nowadays she watches UM with me!

01-09-2011, 06:55 PM	#4
Apostapler Member Forum Regular Join Date: Mar 06, 2009 Location: Indiana Posts: 872	Welcome! Always great to have a new member.

01-10-2011, 07:58 AM	#5
crystaldawn Member Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 17, 2002 Location: Illinois Posts: 4,261	Welcome Truth Sleuth!

01-10-2011, 12:42 PM	#6
Hambone2421 Member Senior Member Join Date: Dec 08, 2009 Location: Texas Posts: 2,066	Welcome to the forum Truth Sleuth!!

01-10-2011, 01:02 PM	#7
Zlatko Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Aug 04, 2008 Location: Nowhereland Posts: 367	Welcome; it's always good to see new UM posters.

01-10-2011, 01:23 PM	#8
cocytus Member Forum Regular Join Date: Sep 15, 2010 Location: NE Indiana Posts: 781	Welcome.

01-11-2011, 12:03 AM	#9
nohwheregirl THE Mystery Machine Senior Member Join Date: Apr 23, 2004 Posts: 1,057	Welcome! I remember those Meredith Baxter specials too, and we have discussed them on this message board in the past.

01-11-2011, 12:35 AM	#10
Clockworkhigh Member Forum Regular Join Date: Apr 29, 2009 Posts: 604	Stack scared the life out of me. Yet I'd watch it with my mother, but never alone until later in my teens. If I were in the basement waiting for it to come on and the theme music started I'd yell for my mom to get donwstairs. It just spooked me. I remember certain cases. I remember the New Hampshire serial killer. The pictures of all the other women raped and murdered and then the whole story of that segment. Imagine being left for dead at a rest stop by some guy and then managing to survive only to speed down the street and eventually catch up to his car! Yikes. Just another reason to wonder why anyone in their right mind would stop at a rest stop. Especially a young woman - pregnant. The Blind River murders scared me. Mostly because it happened in Canada a couple hours away from us.