# Your childhood TV crushes **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 27, 2020, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-childhood-tv-crushes/921649 "2020-09-27T07:02:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2020, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-childhood-tv-crushes/921649/61 "2020-09-28T15:40:18Z")
“Laurie.” I was infatuated with her too, but not until I was in high school. (There was a girl in my homeroom who looked just like her, except she was a bleached blonde.) ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2020, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-childhood-tv-crushes/921649/62 "2020-09-28T15:56:37Z")
Amen to Karen Valentine. Which reminds me of another _Room 222_ beauty, Judy Strangis. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2020, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-childhood-tv-crushes/921649/63 "2020-09-28T15:59:18Z")
> [@solost](#): > > I’ll add Dana Plato from Diff’rent Strokes. **Shame what a tailspin her short life went into**. Boy, you ain’t said shit, there! > [@BigDfromLA](#): > > Singer Annabelle Lwin of Bow Wow Wow from the I Want Candy video when I was in high school. Woulda been too young for ya even then! ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2020, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-childhood-tv-crushes/921649/64 "2020-09-28T16:05:32Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > Though I was a young adult by the time the Bangles were around, I heartily agree with you! The 2:47 mark in this video is what drove home that crush for me. I knew that closeup with the sideways glance was what you were talking about without even having to watch that video, lol. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2020, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-childhood-tv-crushes/921649/65 "2020-09-28T17:18:41Z")
The first I can remember was when I was about 12, and Star Trek the Next Generation came out , I was crushing hard on Beverly Crusher (no pun intended). I figured out later I had an irrational affection for redheads (natural or not) that lead to several later crushes. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![mtnmatt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a3d4f5/32.png) [@mtnmatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mtnmatt)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2020, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-childhood-tv-crushes/921649/66 "2020-09-28T17:25:35Z")
Jan Smithers (Bailey Quarters) on WKRP. Loni Anderson got all the attention, but like Ginger vs. Mary Ann, I preferred the less-glamorous types. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2020, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-childhood-tv-crushes/921649/67 "2020-09-28T18:54:44Z")
_ **Laugh-In** _ debuted when I was 12, so Jo Anne Worley sneaks in just under the wire: [https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FeInEte\_0H\_A%2Fmaxresdefault.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DeInEte\_0H\_A&tbnid=h3GKQ6MkpFQLQM&vet=12ahUKEwi4r7ecwIzsAhXZLM0KHbZwCQYQMygHegUIARCiAQ..i&docid=mMUKNah3Dww0iM&w=1280&h=720&q=body%20joanne%20worley&hl=en&client=firefox-b-d&ved=2ahUKEwi4r7ecwIzsAhXZLM0KHbZwCQYQMygHegUIARCiAQ](https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FeInEte_0H_A%2Fmaxresdefault.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DeInEte_0H_A&tbnid=h3GKQ6MkpFQLQM&vet=12ahUKEwi4r7ecwIzsAhXZLM0KHbZwCQYQMygHegUIARCiAQ..i&docid=mMUKNah3Dww0iM&w=1280&h=720&q=body%20joanne%20worley&hl=en&client=firefox-b-d&ved=2ahUKEwi4r7ecwIzsAhXZLM0KHbZwCQYQMygHegUIARCiAQ) ---
**Author:** ![Didi44](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@Didi44](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Didi44)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2020, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-childhood-tv-crushes/921649/68 "2020-09-29T04:00:34Z")
Oh…the Angels from Captain Scarlet. Destiny and Rhapsody! ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2020, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-childhood-tv-crushes/921649/69 "2020-09-29T04:39:43Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > Honorable mentions to Joey Heatherton ([perfect sleeper, anyone?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7T__NOpOZQ) I was 20 at the time, so I was hardly a child. But how’d I miss that one? wow. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2020, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-childhood-tv-crushes/921649/70 "2020-09-29T04:46:38Z")
I didn’t think I had any crushes before puberty, which was a loooong time ago. But casting my mind back to the mid to late 50’s, I can think of a couple (unless these are fake recovered memories). Tim Considine as Spin in the Spin and Marty shorts on Mickey Mouse Club. I think I kind of liked one of the Mouseketeers, I’m not sure. I found a photo of the original cast, and none of them rang a bell. The other one I remember reacting positively to was Bud on Father Knows Best. He beat Wally from Leave It To Beaver hands down. ---
**Author:** ![BigDfromLA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@BigDfromLA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigDfromLA)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2020, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-childhood-tv-crushes/921649/71 "2020-09-29T07:56:09Z")
With all due respect to the other girls in the band, it’s no surprise that 90% of the guys I have heard express an opinion think that Susannah Hoffs is the most attractive member of the Bangles. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2020, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-childhood-tv-crushes/921649/72 "2020-09-29T08:11:07Z")
I preferred Michael Steele as my fave Bangle. But then, my favourite Go-Go was always Gina Schock. I’m a bit off-kilter that way. ---
**Author:** ![Loggins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Loggins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loggins)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2020, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-childhood-tv-crushes/921649/73 "2020-09-29T09:23:56Z")
Although she wasnt popular amongst our kids, i thought Laura Ingalls was cute (i was 10) ---
**Author:** ![Loggins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Loggins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loggins)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2020, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-childhood-tv-crushes/921649/74 "2020-09-29T09:29:37Z")
I liked her teeth and her sister ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2020, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-childhood-tv-crushes/921649/75 "2020-09-29T10:59:23Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > Honorable mentions to Joey Heatherton I didn’t know this… > **[Joey Heatherton | Personal life](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joey_Heatherton#Personal_life)** > > In April 1969, Heatherton married Lance Rentzel, a Dallas Cowboys wide receiver, in New York City. In November 1970, Rentzel was arrested for exposing himself to a 10-year-old girl. He pled guilty, promised to undergo psychiatric treatment, and was given a suspended sentence. Heatherton filed for divorce in September 1971 and her career lost its luster; some say she never recovered from the psychological shock of Rentzel’s offense. The divorce became final in 1972. > On July 8, 1985, she was arre... Did anybody mention Valerie Bertinelli? Marie Osmond? ---
**Author:** ![LLCoolL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/llcooll/32/3596_2.png) [@LLCoolL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LLCoolL)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2020, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-childhood-tv-crushes/921649/76 "2020-09-29T11:35:59Z")
Mary Ann (Dawn Wells) on _Gilligan’s Island_. Cissy (Kathy Garver) on _Family Affair_. I think these series were both in syndication at that point. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2020, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-childhood-tv-crushes/921649/77 "2020-09-29T11:45:06Z")
[Don Johnson during his Miami Vice days!](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/yC8AAOSw2HtdXTqj/s-l64.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![LLCoolL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/llcooll/32/3596_2.png) [@LLCoolL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LLCoolL)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2020, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-childhood-tv-crushes/921649/78 "2020-09-29T11:46:45Z")
Debbie Weems on Captain Kangaroo. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2020, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-childhood-tv-crushes/921649/79 "2020-09-29T12:00:22Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > Tim Considine as Spin in the Spin and Marty shorts on Mickey Mouse Club. Ooh, yeah! Thanks for reminding me. Also, [David W. Harper](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/70/4a/93/704a934b9970c7353f413efc3742b0e3.jpg) (Jim-Bob of “The Waltons”) ---
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2020, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-childhood-tv-crushes/921649/80 "2020-09-29T12:56:41Z")
> [@Hamlet](#): > > [Erin Gray](https://groovyhistory.com/erin-gray-buck-rogers-silver-spoons) from Buck Rodgers, Silver Spoons, and, most importantly to 11 year old Hamlet, Battle of the Network Stars. Actually you rang a bell, and I looked at that, and yes it was a crush for me too. But what struck me the most is how the picture on the right looks very much like [Kirsten Bell](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0068338/) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-childhood-tv-crushes/921649.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-childhood-tv-crushes/921649.md?page=5)