January 15, 2024 marked the 50th anniversary of Happy Days, a show predating my existence nearly 30 years. Despite missing the opportunity to watch the show while it was still on the air I had grown fond of the picturesque 1950s Milwaukee that would sometimes play on my family's now outdated tube television when older relatives made appearances on thanksgivings and christmases.
Only later on did I realize these relatives were much younger than I had originally thought as I had come to learn Happy Days was not filmed in the 50s as it appeared but in the 1970s and 80s. Now, looking back I see Happy Days and other relics of television history as pasts that have never existed and never will.
Channel Surfing examines memory as it relates to the human experience, identifying technology and the image as a primary access point for romanticization of the past.
