Vintage TV Recalled In 2009 Postage Stamps

It think it was 1982 when the Post Office honored Philo T. Farnsworth with a commemorative stamp.  The series of four also recognized Nikola Tesla, Edwin Armstrong, and Charles Steinmetz as forgotten pioneers of the electronics revolution.  Now the service is going to reawake the Baby Boomers' collective memories with a series of stamps recalling the TeeVee shows of the 1940s and 50s:

WASHINGTON – Lucy and Ethel lose their struggle with a chocolate assembly line. Joe Friday demands "just the facts" with a penetrating gaze. A secret word brings Groucho a visit from a duck.

Folks who grew up as television came of age will delight in a 20-stamp set included in the Postal Service's plans for 2009 recalling early memories of the medium.

The Early TV Memories stamp set is scheduled for release Aug. 11 in Los Angeles.

One recalls the quiz show "You Bet Your Life," on which the unflappable Groucho Marx awarded prizes to contestants who answered questions. If they said a secret word, a toy duck dropped down with a cash reward.

In a memorable scene from "I Love Lucy," Lucille Ball and sidekick Ethel Mertz work at an assembly line that speeds up and they can't wrap the candy quickly enough, causing panic.