Remember...
Coonskin caps, Hula Hoops and Pop-It necklaces?
"Cat" "dig" and "hip"?
Bomb shelters in the backyard?
Sock hops at the gym?
Burma Shave wisdom on the highways?
Liz, Eddie and Debbie?
Donna, Margaret and Harriett?
Fabian, Frankie Avalon and Bobby Darin?
Kookie, Clarabelle and Hoss?
Silver, Trigger and Nellybelle?
The second thing you need to know is that... it was black and white. Actually, it was various shades of gray. Dithered, sort of.
And, ladies, just think of it, No Remote Control!!!!!!!
We were enthralled. This beat the hell outta radio. You became very popular, very quickly if your family had a T.V.
Our view of the world around us would forever be shaped by the images on the television.
Before Rather and Brokaw and Jennings, there was Murrow, Huntley and Brinkley in the infancy of television NEWS.
Thank heavens for the Ricardos and the Kramdens. You could figure they would be a little offbeat, afterall, they lived in apartments
The Best of the Rest...
Amos and Andy ('52)(*Amos and Andy began on radio with Freeman Gordon as Amos and Charles Correll as Andy. These white men caricatured two young African American men.
When the show went to TV, the roles were played by Alvin Childress as Amos and Spencer Williams as Andy.Although both actors were black, the racial stereotypes were offensive.
The show attracted the attention of the NAACP and CBS pulled it in '53.
( The times they were a changin'.)
(Bud Abbott and Lou Costello)(*Sadly, these two had a terrible falling out. When he died in 1959, Costello was suiing Abbott for $200,000)
(Eve Arden as Connie Brooks and Gail Gordon as Osgood Conklin, the Principal)
(Leo G. Carroll and Lee Patrick as Cosmo and Henrietta Topper and Robert Serling and Anne Jeffreys as "ghosts" George and Marion Kirby)(Stephen Sondhein was a scriptwriter - before West Side Story)
(Danny Thomas as Danny Williams and Jean Hagen as Margaret Williams)
(Bob Cummings as photographer Bob Collins and Ann B. Davis as Charmaine "Schultzy" Schultz)
(George Burns and Gracie Allen)*It will never get any better than these two.
The Real McCoys ('57)
(*They left their home in West Virginny and headed for Califor-eye-ay)
Walter Brennan as Grandpappy Amos McCoy
Richard Crenna as Luke McCoy
Kathy Nolan as Kate McCoy
Lydia Reed as Hassie McCoy
Michael Winkleman as Little Luke McCoy
Dennis the Menace ('59)
Jay North as Dennis
Joseph Kearns as Mr. Wilson ('59-'63)
Gale Gordon as Mr. Wilson ('63)
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis ('59)
(*Dobie was always contemplating life under Rodin's statue The Thinker)
Dwayne Hickman as Dobie Gillis
Tuesday Weld as Thalia Menninger
Bob Denver as Maynard G. Krebs
William Schallert as Professor Leander P
Michael J. Pollard as Jerome Krebs
Sheila James Kuehl as Zelda Gilroy
Darryl Hickman as Davey Gillis
Warren Beatty as Milton Armitage
Silver, Trigger and Buttermilk. The horse, of course.
The last half of the Fifities was a giant Wagon Train rolling toward a Bonanza of WESTERNS.
TV Families of the Fifties
We all wanted our families to be just like these. Perfect. Nobody ever raised their voice and all problems were resolved equitably - in less than half an hour!
Women gladly cooked and cleaned, dressed in pearls and high heels, no less, while awaiting the arrival home of the all knowing husband.
While it all seems rather silly and innocent now, I am part of a generation who thought these women were what we were supposed to grow up to be.
Thank heavens for Roseanne.
Ozzie and Harriett ('52)
Ozzie Nelson
Harriett Nelson
David Nelson
Rick Nelson
Ricky Nelson sang his version of Fat's Domino's I'm Walkin' on the show - launching his career as a singer and Teen Idol.
Home - 607 South Maple Street in Springfield
Father Knows Best ('54)
Robert Young as Jim Anderson (Manager of General Insurance Co.)
Jane Wyatt as Margaret Anderson
Elinor Donahue as Betty "Princess" Anderson
Billy Gray as James "Bud" Anderson Jr.
Lauren Chapin as Kathy "Kitten" Anderson
Hometown is Mayfield
Leave It To Beaver ('57)
Hugh Beaumont as Ward Cleaver (Accountant)
Barbara Billingsley as June Cleaver
Jerry Mathers as "Beaver" Cleaver
Tony Dow as Wally Cleaver
Ken Osmond as Eddie Haskell
Hometown is Hilldale
The Donna Reed Show ('58)
Donna Reed as Donna Stone
Carl Betz as Dr. Alex Stone (He was a Pediatrician)
Shelley Fabares as Mary Stone
Paul Peterson as Jeff Stone
Patti Peterson as Trish Stone
Yes, she's the woman from "Coach"!!!
* In 1962 Columbia Pictures, under their Colpix label, set Stu Phillips about the task of producing hit singles for the teenage stars of the show.
The result was Shelley Fabares' '62 hit Johnny Angel, and Peterson's '63 hit, My Dad.
('52) (Jack Webb as Sgt. Joe Friday and Herb Ellis, then Ben Alexander as Frank Smith and Harry Morgan as Bill Gannon)
(Peggy Wood as "Mama" Marta Hansen, Judson Laire as "Papa" Lars Hansen, Dick Van Patten as Nels, Robin Morgan as Dagmar and Rosemary Rice as Katrin)
I Led Three Lives ('53)(Richard Carlson as Herbert Philbrick)
Kirby Grant as Sky King
Songbird was his Cessna 310
Flying Crown Ranch was home.
(Marvin Miller as Michael Anthony, Ray Gordon as the Banker and Paul Frees as the voice of John Beresford Tipton)
(BroderickCrawford)
(*This character makes those guys on today's real life cop shows look downright wimpy. He was TOUGH)
(Richard Greene as Robin Hood and Donald Pleasance as Prince John)
(Peter Lawford, Phyllis Kirk, Jack Albertson and Nina Talbot)
Perry Mason ('57)
(*It is a myth that he never lost a case. He lost one, but only because his client lied to him.)
Raymond Burr as Perry Mason
Barbara Hale as Della Street
William Hopper as Paul Drake
William Talman as D.A. Hamilton Burger
Richard Anderson as Lt. Steve Drumm
Ray Collins as Lt. Arthur Tragg
Guest stars included: Betty Davis, Robert Redford, Walter Pidgeon, Ryan O'Neal and Leonard Nimoy.
Alfred Hitchcock Presents ('56)
(Good Evening, Ladies and Gentleman)
In the late Fifties, they decided it would be a great idea to set a bunch of private eye stories in sunny seaside locals - 77 Sunset Strip, Hawaiian Eye, Adventures in Paradise and Surfside Six.
Richard Diamond (David Jansen and Mary Tyler Moore as the leggy answering service operator, Sam)
(* Actually, you never saw any part of Mary Tyler Moore except her legs.)
Sea Hunt ('58)(Lloyd Bridges as Mike Nelson)
Peter Gunn ('58)
(Craig Stevens, Lola Albright, Hershel Bernardi and Hope Emerson)
The Untouchables ('59)
(Robert Stack as Elliot Ness, Jerry Paris as Agent Martin Flaherty, Paul Picerni as Agent Lee Hobson)
The Twilight Zone ('59)
(Rod Serling)
Here is the introduction:
You unlock this door with the key of imagination
Beyond it is another dimension
A dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind
You are moving into a land of both shadow and substance Of things and ideas
You have just crossed over - into The Twilight Zone
The original, featured Mousketeers...
Sharon Baird
Bobby Burgess
Lonnie Burr
Tommy Cole
Annette Funicello
Darlene Gillespie
Cubby O'Brien
Karen Pendelton
Doreen Tracey
and
JIMMY DODD
There is an official Annette Funicello watch.
Who's the leader of the club
That's made for you and me?
M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E!
Hey, there! Hi, there! Ho, there!
You're as welcome as can be!
M--I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E
Mickey Mouse! Donald Duck!
Mickey Mouse! Donald Duck!
Forever let us hold our banners high!
High! High! High!
Come along and sing a song
And join the jamboree
M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E
And, the ending...
(Softly)
M-I-C - See ya real soon!
K-E-Y - Why? Because we like you!
M-O-U-S-E!!
The first television show for children was Howdy Doody. Buffalo Bob Smith and the wooden freckled-faced Howdy Doody were so popular that there became a huge waiting list for tickets to the show. Bet you didn't know that Bob Keeshan (Captain Kangaroo) was the original Clarabell, the seltzer wielding clown. Now Clarabell never spoke. Except once. On the last show he said "Good-bye kids."
Human characters were Chief Thunderthud (Bill LeCornec) and Princess Summerfall Winterspring (Judy Tyler). "Other" characters were Phineas T. Bluster (the mayor), Dilly Dally and Flub-a-Dub.
Buffalo Bob opened every show with the classic "Hey Kids, What Time Is It?
Kukla, Fran and Ollie appeared in 1952. Burr Tillstrom, by the way, is the fellow's name. He provided all the voices.
I loved Captain Kangaroo, played by Bob Keeshan. And, Mr. Greenjeans.
Before he played the Captain, Bob Keeshan was Clarabell, the clown on Howdy Doody!
Two horses, Fury and Flicka,captured my heart. At the Broken Wheel Ranch, widower Jim Newton (Peter Graves) bestowed words of wisdom on adoptee Joey (Bobby Diamond) from 1955 until 1959. My Friend Flicka, starring Gene Evans, Anita Louise, and Johnny Washbrook delighted from 1956-1958.
The original show mirrored the theme park with segments called Tomorrowland, Adventureland and Fantasyland. One of the Fifties best loved characters, Davy Crockett with his coonskin cap, was originally from a segment of Frontierland.
And, scheduled on the show to celebrate the opening of Disneyland were a bunch of kids they called Mousketeers, who were soon to have their own show named The MICKEY MOUSE CLUB.
I'm amazed that Lassie pulled off those weekly feats of derring-do. How confusing it must have been. First, they kept calling "Lassie, come here, girl" when the dog was in fact a male. Actually, six of them all trained by Rudd Weatherwax.
Then, just when Lassie would get used to one family's little quirks, along would come another. Only Doc Weaver (played by Arthur Space) and Lassie survived from one family to the next.
Lassie's first family ('54-'57): Tommy Rettig as Jeff Miller, Jan Clayton as Ellen Miller and George Cleveland as Gramps Miller.
Lassie's second family ('58-'64): Jon Provost as Timmy Martin, June Lockhart as Ruth Martin, Hugh Reilly as Paul Martin. With Cloris Leachman.
More powerful than a locomotive.
Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.
Look! Up in the sky!
It's a bird. It's a plane. It's Superman!
Yes, it's Superman - strange visitor from another planet who came to Earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men. Superman - who can change the course of mighty rivers, bend steel with his bare hands, and who, disguised as Clark Kent, mild mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper, fights the never ending battle for Truth, Justice and the American Way.
SUPERMAN
1951 - 1957
Starring...
George Reeves as Superman
Phyllis Coates ('51 and '52 only) as Lois Lane
Noel Neill as Lois Lane
Jack Larsen as Jimmy Olsen
John Hamilton as Perry Whit
Robert Henderson as Inspector William Henderson
*Regrettably, in 1959, George Reeves was found in his home, dead from a handgun shot. His death was ruled an apparent suicide caused by his depression over being unable to find suitable work because he had been typecast as Superman. However, the circumstances were conflicting, and many believe, to this day, that he was murdered. The strange case of his death has been a topic for TV's Unsolved Mysteries.
BEACH BLANKET PRIVATE EYES
It started in LA with...
77 Sunset Strip ('58)
Efrem Zimbalist Jr. as Stuart Bailey
Roger Smith as Jeff Spencer
Louis Quinn as Roscoe
Edd Byrnes as Gerald Lloyd "Kookie" Kookson II
Kookie was the carpark from Dino's restaurant next door to the detectives' offices. Running a comb through his hair, he was dreamy, I mean, we really dug him. Connie Stevens and Byrnes recorded a hit tune called "Kookie, Kookie, Lend Me Your Comb.
77 Sunset Strip proved to be so popular, they moved the idea West - to Hawaii and...
Robert Conrad as Tom Lopaka
Anthony Eisley as Tracy Steele
Connie Stevens as Cricket Blake
Grant Williams as Greg MacKenzie
Kazuo Kim as Poncie Ponce
Troy Donahue as Philip Barton (See also Surfside Six, below)
And, since the concept still played, they moved even further West - to Tahiti and...
Gardner McCay as Captain Adam Troy
Weaver Levy as Oliver Lee
Guy Stockwell as Chris Parker
George Tobias as Trader Penrose
Lani Kai as Kelly
Sondi Sodsai as Sondi
They figured the genre had a little life left, but the next stop West was China, so backtracked East to Miami Beach and...
Troy Donahue as Sandy Winfield II
Van Williams as Ken Madison
Lee Patterson as Dave Thorne
Diane McBain as Daphne Dutton
Margarita Sierra as Cha Cha O'Brien
Mousie Gardner as Mousie
*Alright, technically speaking this was not the 50's, but I couldn't bear to leave it out. See, these detectives operated out of a houseboat which really was docked across from the Fountainbleu Hotel on Miami Beach.
*For those who noticed that Troy Donahue is also listed with the Hawaiian Eye cast - when Surfside Six folded in '62, they created a character for him on Hawaiian Eye, which was still on the air.
For seven years Murrow, with cigarette smoke swirling about him, let Americans see the world from their TV screens.
Murrow was the first commentator to publicly condemn Senator Joseph McCarthy. Although many of his stands were courageous, he attracted controversy and this worried NBC executives.
NBC had already begun to explore other news options.
John Cameron Swayze reported the news starting in 1950.
As early as 1947 Lawrence E. Spivak had begun hosting MEET THE PRESS which remains the longest running program on TV.
In 1952, NBC launched THE TODAY SHOW with Dave Garroway as host and Frank Blair manning the news desk. Garroway's signature signoff was "Peace."
Eisenhower was the first presidental candidate to utilize television. Both the '52 and '56 conventions received network coverage.
NBC had paired a couple of fellows as anchors for these conventions who seemed to click. The partnership of Chet Huntley and David Brinkley was the stuff from which legends are formed. 1956 saw the beginning of the HUNTLEY-BRINKLEY REPORT a 15 minute nightly news program - the first of its kind. (It didn't expand to 30 minutes until '63.)
They had a trademark sign off...
Goodnight David, Goodnite Chet
Although he would not anchor the evening news until '62, he learned this new craft during the years of live TV news.
* Cronkite didn't begin to use his signoff until '63. His bosses didn't like it. He prevailed.
"And that's the way it is..."