I watched the program as a child in 1960. I was in the 5th Grade. I was TOTALLY INVOLVED in every episode. I saw myself on that Dairy Farm with the Brown Family. During an era when there were racial divisions among us, somehow, this program didn't convey any of that at all. It was wholesome, & refreshing.
This Program allowed me to come out of myself & really make an attempt to identify with the characters in the cast.Being African-American did not matter in terms of relating to the characters. I STILL felt the compassion & the emotional "up's & down's" with this Family. I found that I even had a "crush" on the "Velvet" character. I found it amazing that I could have those feelings just as if the Brown Family were my neighbors. I also felt a sense of "freedom" that I could experience those feelings of "passion" & "compassion" for this Family without having to be "Socially Regulated" just because I was black. THAT FELT GREAT!!!
This show (like so many others of that time), really made me curious as an African-American. It made me want to see how people of other ethnics lived, thought, functioned & reasoned about things such as life in general. It truly sowed the seeds for me to broaden my ethnic horizions, & let me see that ALL people go through periods in life of happiness, sadness, anxiety, grief/loss, life & death.
So this show really touched me in a big way & I'm thankful for it.
