TV SHOWS WE GREW UP WITH
| The Fugitive 1963 - 1967 Black&White/Color 120 episodes ABC 60 minutes Fugitive Cast David Janssen as Dr. Richard Kimble Barry Morse as Lt. Philip Gerard Bill Raisch as. Fred Johnson (The One-Armed Man) Diane Brewster (flashbacks) as Helen Kimble Descritpion: Dr. RIchard Kimble and his wife Helen are having an argument over whether or not to adopt a child. Kimble storms out of the house. Enter the one-armed man. He bashes Helen over the head .. Kimble returns home and sees this man in his headlights. Kimble is convicted of Helen's murder but as he is being transported to death row, a train wreck allows his escape. Richard Kimble dyes his hair black and begins the quest to find the one-armed man, becoming a fugitive. He is relentlessly pursued by Lt. Philip Gerard . Unique for its time, the Fugitive resolved their storyline at the conclusion of the series. The two parter called "Judgement" was the highest rated television show until 1967 |
| "Gidget" 1965 - 1966 ABC 30 minutes Gidget Cast Sally Field as Frances Elizabeth 'Gidget' Lawrence Don Porter- Professor 'Russ' Lawrence Betty Conner as Anne Cooper Pete Duel as John Cooper Lynette Winter as Larue Jimmy Hawkins as Paul Martin Milner as the Great Kahuna DESCRIPTION: Gidget lives with her widowed father Russell a professor, in Santa Monica, California. Her sister Anne was married to a psychology student, John . Anne likes to mother Gidget, while John does analysis.Gidget loves to surf at Malibu Beach. What about Moondoggie? Well, if you have Gidget, you gotta have Moondoggie because everybody had seen the Sandra Dee and James Darren movies. But in the TV show, Jeff, Moondoggie, was at Princeton! |
| To Tell The Truth Mark Goodson -Bill Todman Production 1956-1968 30 minutes Bud Collier, host Panelists included Kitty Carlisle, Orson Bean, Polly Bergen, Tom Poston, Peggy Cass, Bill Cullen, and Don Ameche Description : Each contestant claimed to be the same person and panelists had to guess which one was telling the truth. The phony claimants could lie but the actual person had "to tell the truth" when questioned. At the conclusion of the show, Collier would say, "would the real ________ please stand up." Ding Dong School 1952 - 1956 NBC Ding Dong School Cast Dr. Frances Horwich aka Miss Frances Seen Monday through Friday, the Ding Dong School was one of the first educational shows for kids. It pioneered the style later used by Mr. Rogers and others. Our "teacher" was Dr. Frances Horwich, who was head of the Education Department at Roosevelt College in Chicago. But we knew her as "Miss Francis."The opening sequence was a hand ringing a bell. This prompted producer Reinald Werrenrath's three year old daughter to give the show it's name! |
| I SPY NBC 60 minutes 1965-1968 Mon. 10:00-11:00PM Produced by Sheldon Leonard, 82 episodes Cast: Robert Culp as Kelly Robinson Bill Cosby as Alexander Scott Antoinette Bower as Shelby Clavell Sheldon Leonard as Sorgi France Nuyen as Sam-than McLean Description:. Historically, I Spy will be remembered as the first television show to feature a Black actor, Bill Cosby, in a lead role. Kelly Robinson was an Ivy Leaguer whose spy cover was that of a top-seeded tennis pro. Alexander Scott was a scholar and language expert who posed as Kelly's trainer. The show was filmed all over the world in exotic locales as the American intelligence agents plied their secret trade. Culp and Cosby never took life too seriously and often found the humor even in dangerous situations. I Spy was an excellent vehicle for Cosby to show that he was more than a standup comic. oomic. |
| The cisco kid 1950-1955 Syndicated Color - 156 Episodes Cast: Duncan Renaldo as The Kid Leo Carrillo as Pancho Horses: Diablo and Loco Description: These guys operated a lot like Robin Hood. Although the law regarded them as desperados, they defended the weak and helpless. One of the reasons for this show's longevity in syndication was the early decision to film in color. Their signature sign off was "Oh, Cisco" and "Oh, Pancho as they rode off into the sunset. |
| " Topper " 1953 - 1955 CBS - 78 total episodes Black and White 30 mins CAST: Leo G. Carroll as Cosmo Topper Anne Jeffreys as Marion Kerby Buck -as Neil Robert Sterling as George Kerby Lee Patrick as Henrietta Topper Thurston Hall as Mr. Schuyler DESCRIPTION: Serious banker Cosmo Topper and his wife Henrietta move into a new home. Much to Cosmo's dismay, the house is haunted by the previous owners, George and Marion Kirby. Worse, only Topper could see or hear them. The Kerbys had died in a skiing accident on their fifth wedding anniversary. Their beloved St Bernard dog Neil had tried to rescue them and lost his life in the attempt. Poor Neil had developed a drinking problem with a preference for brandy. The Kerby's were fun people and they could get away with anything they wanted. Topper's life would have been very boring without them. Anne Jeffreys and Robert Sterling were married in real life. l |
| THE SOUPY SALES SHOW 1964- 1967 Soupy Sales served as host and was usually the only human. Random bits of silliness (Soupy Says) were intermixed with skits (Philo Kvetch, people coming to the door). The audience usually didn't see who was at the door, just heard the dialogue and saw Soupy's reaction.White Fang and Black Tooth were Soupy's "dogs". You only saw a paw/leg and the dialogue was unintelligible. Soupy acted as translator. His other puppet friends ppeared at the window. Hippy was a hippo and Pookie was a lion. Soupy brought pie throwing to an art form — straight to the face, on top of the head, a pie to both ears from behind, moving into a stationary pie and countless other variations. By some estimates, Soupy has been hit by over 25,000 pies. Sales' hit dance record, "The Mouse", is from this period of his career |
| Annie Oakley 1952-1956 30 minutes Black and White 83 episodes CAST Gail Davis as Annie Jimmy Hawkins as brother, Tagg Brad Johnson as Deputy Sheriff Lofty Craig Fess Parker as Tom Conrad Shelley Fabres as Trudy Target - Annie's horse The story took place in Diablo. Annie Oakley was a gun-toting, hard ridin' rancher. And she was a woman! For a female to have a lead in any series, let alone a Western was rare. The show was aimed at children and it worked. Many women who now are called "Grandma" recall Annie Oakley as a model for what women can do. Gail Davis was a crack shot and skilled rider and so did most of her own stunts. |
| Peyton Place 1964 -1969 ABC 30 MINs Black and White and Color 524 episodes Cast: Dorothy Malone as Constance MacKenzie Carson (1964-1968) Tim O'Connor as Elliot Carson (1965-1968) Mia Farrow as Allison Mackenzie (1964-1966) Ryan O'Neal as Rodney Harrington Christopher Connelly as Norman Harrington Paul Langton as. Leslie Harrington (1964-1968) Barbara Parkins as Betty Anderson Harrington DESCRIPTION Peyton Place was the first prime time soap opera. . We were mad for more of the secrets of this small New England town with the lovely gazebo and smoldering passions. For its time, both the novel and the TV series were seen as highly risque. Sexy stuff for the Fifties and Sixties. Among the other people who came and went were: Lee Grant, Gena Rowlands, Leslie Nielsen, Wilfred Hyde-White, Leigh Taylor-Young, Ruby Dee and Lola Albright. A cast of thousands. Peyton Place made stars of Mia Farrow and Ryan O'Neal |
American Bandstand 10/7/1957 - 1987 ABC 60 mins Black & White/ Color (9/9/1967) American Bandstand Theme Song - "Bandstand Boogie" Music by Charles Albertine Words by Barry Manilow Weekday afternoons were spent with the kids in Philly, the kids on American Bandstand. I knew all their names. Everybody knew the names of The Regulars on Bandstand. Kenny Rossi and Arlene Sullivan, Bunny Gibson and Eddie Kelly, Pat Molittieri, Carmen Jimenz, Joyce Shafer. I knew when couples broke up. I imitated all the dance steps, sometimes with the refrigerator door as a partner. My mother thought I was nuts. To many of you, it was about the music and the artists. Forget that. Dancing was a major feature of Bandstand. The kids who showed up every day (Bandstand aired every weekday afternoon for the first six years) knew all the most popular steps. The Slop. The Hand Jive. The Bop. They even invented a few - the Stroll, the Circle and the Chalypso. 1st song played on the national edition was Jerry Lee Lewis' "Whole Lotta Shaking Goin' On." 1st Guests: Billy Williams, Chordettes Dick Clark's first day as host: 7/9/1956 |
| THE WINKY DINK SHOW CBS, 1953-1957. Cast: Jack Barry Mike McBean Mae Questel, the voice of "Winky Dink" Description: For some reason, most every early boomer remembers this one. This was an early "participation" kids show. Parents could buy a Winky Dink kit, which contained a film to place over the TV screen. Then, kids could draw on the screen to corresponding images on the show. The problem was that some kids drew on the screen even though they did not have the kit. Oops! Winky Dink was a cartoon character; his dog was Woofer. |
| Bonanza NBC, 1959-1973. Cast: Lorne Green - Ben Cartwright Dan Blocker - Hoss (Eric) Cartwright Michael Landon - Little Joe Cartwright Pernell Roberts - Adam Cartwright Victor Seng Yung - Hop Sing Ray Teal - Sheriff Roy Coffee Description: Justice and family values in the 1800s... the Cartwright family lived outside of Virginia City, Nevada, on a large ranch called the Ponderosa. Pernell Roberts left the series before it ended. The familiar Bonanza theme was composed by David Rose. The primary sponsor for Bonanza was Chevrolet. |
| Dragnet NBC 1951-1959; Cast: Jack Webb - Joe Friday Barton Yarborough - Ben Romero (1951) Barney Philips - Sargeant Jabcobs (1952) Ben Alexander - Officer Frank Smith (1952-1959) Description: "The story you are about to see is true; the names have been changed to protect the innocent." Dragnet is one of those shows that went on and on. It was a straight-as-an-arrow cop show. Joe Friday was a stiff as a board. "Just the facts, ma'm; just the facts." He played by the book; but he always got his man. "My name is Friday; I wear a badge." Yep; Jack Webb, whose character wore badge 714, narrated the series, too. In later years, he was also the producer. The show went off the air in 1959 |
| The Little Rascals, AKA, the Our Gang comedies, Cast Spanky, Alfalfa, Porky, Darlene, Butch, Farina, Buckwheat, Dickey, Stymie, Darla, Waldo, Wheezer, and Petie, the beloved dog. Description In the mid-1950s, the 80 Hal Roach-produced shorts with sound were syndicated for television under the title The Little Rascals, as MGM retained the rights to the Our Gang trademark. The silent and early talkie shorts actually went on for over 20 years. The Little Rascals was syndicated and often appeared as short segments in local kids' shows throughout the fifties and sixties The series, one of the best-known and most successful in cinema history, is noted for showing children behaving in a relatively natural way. While child actors are often groomed to imitate adult acting styles, steal scenes, or deliver "cute" performances, Hal Roach and original director Robert F. McGowan worked to film the unaffected, raw nuances apparent in regular kids. Our Gang also notably put boys, girls, whites, and blacks together in a group as equals, something that "broke new ground," It was Porky who said, "Otay," not Buckwheat. |
