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21
Get Smart

NBC (ended 1970)

In 1965 the cold war was made a little warmer and a lot funnier due in part to the efforts of an inept, underpaid, overzealous spy: Maxwell Smart, Agent 86. The hit comedy series 'Get Smart' is the creation of comic geniuses Buck Henry and Mel Brooks. Henry teamed with Brooks to create what has undoubtedly become one of the finest parody/satires of all time. The project seemed headed for success from the start: ABC had green lighted it based on the strength of the concept, and they had an actor already under contract to play Smart. Brooks was approached to write the pilot. As he was looking for a way to finance his new movie The Producers, he agreed. Deemed "not funny", the initial script was rejected by ABC. Undaunted, the production team shopped the script around and NBC accepted it with one minor change. They wanted Don Adams in the title role. And so, an unlikely legend was born. Set in Washington, D.C., the show features Agent 86 (Maxwell Smart), his boss (The Chief), Smart's partner and later wife (Agent 99) and a host of other agents both good and evil. Perhaps one of the most important elements of the show is the gadgetry created to help Smart in his quest to keep the free world free. On this show, anything including the kitchen sink can be a phone, a tape recorder, a camera or weapon. Looking for an Agent? Check under your seat cushion. Want a weapon? Try your finger-gun. Need to make a phone call? Open up that bologna sandwich. The show was painted in the broadest of strokes and played every moment for its own delightful reality. In order to give the agents of CONTROL, a series of worthy opponents, KAOS was created. Smart and 99 battled the likes of Mr. Big, The Claw, and Siegfried. On the home front, Max and 99 had a relationship that developed as the show ran and eventually they married. 99 soon gave birth to twins (a boy and a girl) and the Smart family (and the show) began to experience some growing pains. Get Smart ran from 1965 through 1970 on both NBC and CBS. For one month in 1995 FOX attempted to bring the series back with some changes; Max as the Chief, 99 as a Congresswoman, and the Smart twins were now inexplicably only one child. Despite the lack of success experienced by the sequel, Get Smart remains a favorite by agents and civilians alike. (TV Land) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Telecast NBC September 18, 1965 - September 20, 1969 CBS September 26, 1969 - September 11, 1970 Broadcast History Sep 1965 - Sep 1968, NBC Sat 8:30-9:00 Sep 1968 - Sep 1969, NBC Sat 8:00-8:30 Sep 1969 - Feb/Apr - Sep 1970, CBS Fri 7:30-8:00 Episodes 138 Episodes On Film 1 Episode in Black And White; 137 Episodes In Color -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------moreless
22
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.

CBS (ended 1969)

Gomer Pyle, a Gas Station Attendant from Mayberry, NC replaced Floyd "The Barber" Lawson on The Andy Griffith Show. After two Seasons, he enlists in the United States Marine Corps (U.S.M.C.) and that led him to a program of his own and the result-GOMER PYLE-USMC debuts on CBS-TV on Friday September 25, 1964. He and the other sometime misfits will be turned into Marines under the command of Sgt. Vincent Carter- The Senior Drill Sergeant. In the Platoon are Pvt. Lester Hummel, Pvt. Larry Little, Pvt. Frankie Lombardi and Gomer's best friend is Pvt. Gilbert "Duke" Slater. Sgt. Carter's Partners are Cpl. Boyle & Cpl. Slater. The Superior of Camp Henderson is Col. Gray. In 1965, Sgt. Carter dated civilian Bunny Harper/Wilson and in 1967 Gomer fell in love with nightclub singer Louise "Lou-Ann" Poovie. The Biggest guest star of all is Carol Burnett. Jim Nabors also guest starred on The Carol Burnett Show. Allan Melvin appears as Sgt. Hacker, Sgt. Carter's nemesis and rival.moreless
23
Petticoat Junction

CBS (ended 1970)

Petticoat Junction centered around Kate Bradley, who ran the Shady Rest Hotel, located directly between the farming valley of Hooterville and its only slightly more "evolved" neighbor of Pixley. The only way to reach the place was by the Hooterville Cannonball, an old train which made regular stops along the way, though never adhered to a strict schedule so as to better assist those living along the rail line. Kate, an expert cook and ever hospitable, had three beautiful daughters, Billie Jo (the eldest, blonde and generally boy-crazy), Bobbie Jo (the brunette, astute and literate) and Betty Jo (the redheaded, a tomboy). Also living at the hotel was Uncle Joe Carson, a genial old gentleman who fancied himself the hotel's "General Manager", though when work was to be done, would find any way of getting out of it. In 1965, the series was changed to color and also marked the change to a different actress playing Billie Jo and Bobbie Jo. A year later, another actress took over the role of Billie Jo. Then in 1967, Bea Benaderet fell ill from cancer complications, and Kate Bradley was then seen only occasionally until her death in 1968. At that point, Uncle Joe took over running the Shady Rest (though still managed to get out of work) and June Lockhart was introduced as a lady doctor whose office was located right in the lobby. Other characters included Charlie & Floyd who were the engineer and conductor of the Cannonball. Steve was the former Air Force pilot turned crop duster who eventually won the heart of Betty Jo in 1967. They eventually wed and had a daughter, Kathy Jo. Sam Drucker ran the General Store in town. Homer Bedloe was the recurring "villain", who worked for the C&FW Railroad, and incessively attempted to shutdown the Cannonball. Petticoat Junction was one of a number of rural comedies to emerge in the 1960's. It came about due to Paul Henning's success with The Beverly Hillbillies. He was essentially given carte blanche with making a "sister" series for the show, not even needing to shoot a pilot. Paul intended to make the series a vehicle for Bea Benaderet, who had been playing the recurring role of Cousin Pearl on "Hillbillies". He also loosely based it upon his wife's youth living in a hotel in the midwest. First Telecast: September 24, 1963 Last Telecast: September 12, 1970 Episodes: 222 Episodes (74 B&W and 148 Color) Spinoff: Green Acres CBS Broadcast History September 1963-September 1964----Tuesdays----9:00 p.m. September 1964-August 1967----Tuesdays----9:30 p.m. September 1967-September 1970----Saturdays----9:30 p.m. Nielsen Ratings: (Top 25 or Better) #4 in the 1963-1964 Season #15 in the 1964-1965 Season #21 in the 1965-1966 Season #23 in the 1966-1967 Seasonmoreless
24
The Jetsons

ABC (ended 1987)

With the success of The Flintstones, the modern Stone Age family, Hanna-Barbera decided to make a similar family cartoon, but set in their vision of the Space Age in the 21st century. This new series that debuted September 23, 1962 became The Jetsons. Set mainly in sky-high Orbit City, the show featured the family of George Jetson, Jane, his wife, their daughter Judy, and son Elroy living the average life in the future with flying space cars, instant transport tubes, and various robots and gadgets than can get their work done for them in a matter of seconds.

George brought in the family income by working at Spacely Space Sprockets, run by his stocky, ill-tempered boss Cosmo S. Spacely, who's usually quick to fire George for any reason he could find. But somehow, he always managed to get his job back and continue supporting his family. He works as an indexer and is teamed with his helpful computer R.U.D.I. Other than the threats of firing by Spacely, George would also have to worry about any schemes carried out by Mr. Spacely's top business rival W.C. Cogswell, owner and president of Cogswell Cogs. If there's a dispute between the two businessmen, it's almost certain George would wind up in the middle of it. Most times, though, things always worked out in the end.

Jane is the housewife who tends to the home, but loves to shop for the latest fashions and various items that can be a help to the family, like new gadgets that can help them in new ways. She's assisted by the family's robot maid Rosey (which can also be spelled Rosie). She's one of the older-fashioned models compared to most of the advanced robot maids of the future, but the Jetsons love her and regard her as a member of the family.

Judy is the Jetsons' teenage daughter who attends Orbit High School and goes for the latest teen fashions, trends, and music, and seems to have a different boyfriend in most episodes. If she's lucky, she can even wind up dating a celebrity, like her favorite rock star Jet Screamer, much to her father's chagrin.

Elroy is the Jetsons' genius son who attends Little Dipper Elementary School and is a straight-A student. He's a part-time inventor and can make new creations in hope to make a better future, and if fortunate, a little money on the side. But most times, he likes to be an average boy by playing various sports, and with his faithful companion, the family's dog Astro, who at times is overly affectionate, and can annoy George at times. But like Rosey, he's regarded as a member of the family.
The Jetsons reside at the Skypad Apartments, which are properly cared for by superintendant Henry Orbit, who like Elroy is a mechanical genius. At times, he can invent gadgets that can help him with his maintenance work. His greatest accomplishment is his robot assistant Mac, who can get his work at the Skypad Apartments done in half the time. But he does have feelings for Rosey as the two are occasionally seen as a couple, but are mainly friends.

Other recurring characters in this series include Mr. Spacely's family, including his wife Stella (sometimes called Petunia, likely her nickname), one of few people who can actually put a scare in him if he rubs her the wrong way. They have a young son close to Elroy's age named Arthur. And he has a faithful dog named Zero, a bulldog. Common characters at Spacely Sprockets are Uniblab, an underling robot who at times is a stool pigeon for Mr. Spacely to George's dismay, as well as Spacely's secretary Miss Galaxy. Cogswell also had a few subordinates of his own. Among them were his assistant Harlan and his scientist Moonstone.

The Jetsons ran for only one season on ABC, but the series was more successful in syndication. This led to a revival in 1985 with new episodes with more advanced animation that was richer in color and made the series even more futuristic than the 1960's version of the 21st century. New characters were introduced as well, including a new alien gremlin pet for the Jetsons, named Orbitty, who has springlike legs and suction cup feet, enabling him to hang upside down. He could also tinker with machines and change color in accordance to emotion. Another new animal for the revival was a robot dog for Cogwell named Sentro, who served as a guard dog and a spy often used against Mr. Spacely in efforts to beat him to the punch on his latest projects.

These episodes aired in syndication, which generated the same level of success as the originals when they went in that direction. This led to 10 more episodes to finalize the series in 1987, as well as two TV movies, the music-themed Rockin' with Judy Jetson, which was preceded by the epic crossover The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones, which brought the Space Age and the Stone Age together as Hanna-Barbera's most famous families had a grand adventure spanning two eras. The Jetsons had its true finale when Jetsons: The Movie hit theaters in 1990, as this would be among the last voice work for actors George O'Hanlon (George Jetson) and Mel Blanc (Mr. Spacely) for they both had died around the movie's release.

Overall, The Jetsons may not have had the supreme popularity of The Flintstones, but it did have a wide appeal for families of any generation and certainly had a place in the heart for those who would turn on and watch the series.

The Jetsons, like many Hanna-Barbera series, can be seen on Boomerang from Cartoon Network. Check your local listings.moreless
25
Green Acres

CBS (ended 1971)

Successful New York lawyer Oliver Wendell Douglas gives up the rat race to fulfill his dream: living the life of the traditional American farmer. Fighting the move to rural life is his glamorous, boa-wearing, city-loving wife, Lisa. This quaint premise, however, doesn't begin to capture the screwball absurdity of Green Acres. After a few episodes that were somewhat rooted in reality, the series' true oddness started to bloom. The characters see the opening credits as they appear on screen (or on chicken eggs); they talk with baseball-playing pigs who become movie stars; fife music accompanies Oliver's patriotic speeches and is heard by everyone but him; a full-sized Eiffel tower is built on the Douglases' lawn. Hooterville is clearly operating in its own bizarre universe where Oliver is the only normal, reasonable person--and that's questionable at times. The tiny town revolves around Sam Drucker's General Store, where Sam acts as shopkeeper, postmaster, justice of the peace and publisher of the "Hooterville World Guardian". He's one of the more level-headed residents of the valley, but that's relative. The other locals are considerable more bizarre and are a constant frustration to Oliver. Hank Kimball, the county agricultural agent, is a prime example. His short-term memory is so poor he regularly forgets what he's talking about mid-sentence. Fellow farmer Fred Ziffel is an elderly overalls-wearing man who, with his wife Doris, treats their pig Arnold like an actual child. Arnold attends school, reads, writes, skates, and speaks several languages (though they all sound like oinking). Con man Eustace Haney, who sold Oliver his dump of a farm, is always trying to fleece someone out of their cash. Apparently possessing ESP, he shows up outside of Oliver's door with whatever he and Lisa have just been discussing. The Douglases' farmhand, Eb, lives in their barn and considers Oliver and Lisa to be his parents. Lisa, a stylish Hungarian woman who Oliver met during the war, is hardly cut out for domestic life. Wearing ostrich feathers and diamonds around the farm, she can only cook "hotscakes" (badly) and her mangling of the English language is impressive. Matt Groening once accurately described Green Acres as "Oliver Douglas in hell". All he wants to do is farm, but the constant interruptions from the loony locals, the endless double-talk, the ambitious pig all conspire to make it impossible. Oliver earns his reputation as a "hothead" as his face turns red and he bellows about the latest aggravation.
Green Acres
began when CBS handed Paul Henning, the very successful producer of The Beverly Hillbillies and Petticoat Junctionmoreless
26
The Addams Family

ABC (ended 1966)

The Addams Family centers around one of the two "creepy" families that premiered on television in 1964. ABC aired The Addams Family and CBS aired The Munsters.

The Addams Family consisted of Gomez and Morticia Addams and their two children, Pugsley and Wednesday. Also included are Uncle Fester, Grandmama, the hairy Cousin Itt, the butler Lurch and Thing! The series is based on a one-panel cartoon created by Charles Addams that had appeared in The New Yorker magazine since the 1930s. The show's title came from the cartoonist's name; The family in the cartoon is never referred to by name. The finger-snapping theme song was written by Vic Mizzy, who also write the theme for Green Acres. The series lasted two seasons, yet gained much more success in syndication. The series was later transformed into a the 1991 feature film starring Raul Julia and Angelica Huston.

ABC Broadcast History: Sept 1964-Sept 1966 Fridays 8:30 p.m.moreless
27
Father Knows Best

CBS (ended 1960)

Father Knows Best was the classic wholesome family situation comedy. It was set in the typical Midwestern community of Springfield, where Jim Anderson was an agent for the General Insurance Company. Every evening he would come home from work, take off his sport jacket, put on his comfortable sweater, and deal with the everyday problems of a growing family. In contrast to most other family comedies of the period, in which one of the other parents was a blundering idiot, both Jim and his wife Margaret were portrayed as thoughtful, responsible adults. When a family crisis arose, Jim would clam the waters with a warm smile and some sensible advice. When Father Knows Best went on television in 1954, the three children were aged 14 [Bud], and 9 [Kathy]. As the seasons passed two of them graduated from High School, first Betty [1956] and then Bud [1959]. Neither left home, howevery, both electing to go to Springfield's own State College. The Andersons were truly an idealized family, the sort that viewers could relate to and wish to emulate. The children went through the normal problems of growing up, included those concerning school, friends, and members of the opposite sex. They didn't always agree with their parents, but the bickering was miminal, and everything seemed to work out by the end of the half-hour. Father Knows Best began as an NBC radio series in 1948, with Robert Young in the starting role. He was the only member of the radio cast that made the transition to TV in 1954. The TV series was not partculiarly successful at first and CBS cancelled it in March 1955. A flood of viewer protests demanding that the program be reinstated and moved to an earlier time slot so that the whole family could watch it, prompted NBC to pick it up for the following season with an 8:30 p.m. started time. Father Knows Best prospered for the next five years.moreless
28
Family Affair

CBS (ended 1971)

Family Affair was one of those successful family comedies of the 1960's. Bill Davis' carefree existence as a swinging bachelor was just about perfect. A highly paid consulting engineer, he maintained an elegant apartment off Fifth Avenue in Manhattan and had his domestic needs cared for by a very English gentleman's gentleman, Mr. French. Into this life of independence came three young orphans, the 6-year old twins Buffy and Jody and 15-year-old Cissy. Their parents, Bill's brother and sister-in-law, had died in an accident, and other relatives felt that Bill could best provide for them. Despite initial misgivings, Bill and French became very attached to the children and learned to adjust their lifestyle to make room for the new members of the household. Mr. French, a stickler for neatness and order, had the toughest adjustment to make, he was with the children all the time while Bill was often out of town on assignments. All in all, they were a happy family. Family Affair aka Fedderson & Hartmann's Family Affair is A DON FEDDERSON PRODUCTION in association with the CBS Television Network. Distributed by Paramount-VIACOM Television and CBS Television Network Distribution. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Broadcast History: {CBS Nighttime} Sep. 12, 1966-Sep. 15, 1969, CBS Monday at 9:30-10:00pm Sep. 25, 1969-Sep. 9, 1971, CBS Thursday at 7:30-8:00pm. {CBS Daytime} Sep. 7, 1970-Sep. 1, 1972 at 11:00-11:30am on CBS-TV Sep. 4, 1972-Jan. 12, 1973 at 4:00-4:30pm on CBS-TV. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Ranks in the top 30 Nielsen Ratings No. 14 (tie) in the 1966-1967 Season (with "The Dean Martin Show") No. 4 (tie) in the 1967-1968 Season (with "Gunsmoke" & "Bonanza") No. 5 in the 1968-1969 & 1969-1970 Seasons No Ranking in the 1970-1971 Season.moreless
29
The Lucy Show

CBS (ended 1968)

The Lucy Show was Ms. Ball's follow-up series to her classic I Love Lucy and subsequent Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour series of specials. To insure its success, she brought along many crew members from her previous series, including the writing staff. During the course of its run, the show underwent several format changes. Initially, the series was set in small town Danfield, New York. Lucy Carmichael was a widow with two children, Chris and Jerry, who shared a house with her buddy Vivian Bagley (Vivian Vance) and her son Sherman. In the first handful of shows, neighbor and occasional boyfriend Harry Conners (Dick Martin) was featured. Many of the plots during the show's first few seasons revolved around parenting and Lucy and Viv's involvement in the community. But Lucy was still Lucy, meaning trouble for anyone who became involved in her ingenious schemes. Holding the keys to her trust fund was tightwad banker Mr. Barnsdahl (Charles Lane) who endured Lucy's numerous attempts to get at more of her money. At the start of the second season, Lucille met her perfect foil in Gale Gordon, who as banker Theodore J. Mooney, was now in charge of Lucy's account. He bellowed ("Mrs. Carmichael!!!"), huffed, puffed and launched into hothead mode at the slightest provocation. Season two also marked the beginning of the series being filmed in color. Oddly, CBS was still transmitting its programming in black and white. It wasn't until later reruns that these episodes were ever seen in color. (Desilu knew that color was inevitable and having shows shot in color would improve their value later in syndication.) Tired of commuting from her home in the east for a supporting role, Vivian Vance left the show as a regular at the end of the third season. (She still made guest appearances every year or so.) This brought about major changes in the format of the series. In the fourth year, the writers had Lucy's daughter go to college and her son enrolled in a military academy, effectively making Lucy single and childless. (Her kids were basically sent to that same black hole where son Chuck on Happy Days would be sent--the place where characters just disappear, never to be mentioned again.) Lucy moved to an apartment in Los Angeles where, in one of TV's most unbelievable coincidences, Mr. Mooney had also transferred to work at the Westland Bank. He still had control over Lucy's money; he would eventually hire her to work at the bank. In an effort to fill the void left by Viv's departure, Joan Blondell was hired to play Lucy's neighbor and partner in crime. Unfortunately, the two actresses did not get along and Blondell was released from her contract after just two shows. Soon, I Love Lucy alumnus Mary Jane Croft would take over the sidekick role as Mary Jane Lewis. As the plots became centered on Lucy and Mr. Mooney at the bank the situations became increasingly more far-fetched. By the end, the series generally featured a weekly appearance by a famous star playing him or herself. The series was brought to a close by Ms. Ball who had sold Desilu Studios to Paramount. Rather than do a show she didn't own, she canceled The Lucy Show, reformatted and returned in the fall with Here's Lucy. Note: In the listing for this series, the writer who began the series as "Madelyn Martin" worked under many variations of her name. Here, she's listed on episodes as "Madelyn Pugh Davis", regardless of how it appeared in the episodes' credits.moreless
30
The Carol Burnett Show

CBS (ended 1978)

The Carol Burnett Show is one of Televisions greatest show's in history. Lasting 11 successful years starting in 1967 and ending in 1978 not without winning 25 Emmy Awards, 8 Golden Globe Awards and 3 People's Choice Awards. CBS Broadcast History
September 1967-May 1971......Monday 10:00-11:00
September 1971-November 1972......Wednesday 8:00-9:00
December 1972-December 1977......Saturday 10:00-11:00
December 1977-March 1978......Sunday 10:00-11:00
Nielsen Ratings: (Top 25 or better) #24 in the 1968-1969 Season
#13 in the 1969-1970 Season
#25 in the 1970-1971 Season
#23 in the 1971-1972 Season
#22 in the 1972-1973 Season
moreless
31
The Munsters

CBS (ended 1966)

The Munsters was one of the two "creepy" sitcoms that began in 1964. CBS aired The Munsters and ABC aired The Addams Family. Both of them lasted only two years and finished their network run within a week of each other.

The Munsters live at 1313 Mockingbird Lane.

Show Characters

Herman Munster: The irascible head of the family. One of Frankenstein's monsters, he works at a funeral parlor, and has the same intelligence as some of the "stiffs" he works with.

Lily Munster: Also known as the family homemaker. She has long flowing black hair with a white streak, and manages to keep up her appearance, despite cleaning and cooking.

Eddie Munster: A typical American boy who howls at the moon and goes to sleep with his Woof-Woof.

Marilyn Munster: The plain one of the bunch, is actually an all American beautiful blonde, who also goes to college.

Grandpa Munster: The original Count Dracula, who was born and raised in Transylvania and doubles as a mad scientist. First Telecast: September 24, 1964 Last Telecast: September 1, 1966

Episodes: 70 B&W Episodesmoreless
32
Mister Ed

CBS (ended 1966)

One of the most successful of the numerous 1960's nonsensical sitcoms was this one about a talking horse. Ed belonged to Wilbur Post, a young architect who had decided to move out of the city to get a little closer to nature. The rambling country home he and his wife decided upon came complete with a barn that doubled as Wilbur's office and a very talkative palomino named Ed. Problem was Ed didn't care to talk to just anyone, in fact he would only talk to Wilbur (the first human he'd ever met worth talking to). The confusion caused by having a talking horse, and the situations Ed got Wilbur into, and occasionlly out of, formed the stories.moreless
33
The Wild Wild West (1969)

CBS (ended 1969)

The Wild Wild West ran for four seasons, and featured the adventures of two Secret Service Agents working for President Ulysses S. Grant. The two men were James West, former Union soldier and current man-of-action, gunman, and womanizer. His partner was Artemus Gordon, a former con man and master of disguise and invention. Together, the two fought various menaces aimed at the United States and President Grant, as well as investigating other Federal crimes. Riding on the post-James Bond spy craze of the 60's, WWW featured not only all of the typical "spy gimmicks" like boot knives, miniature explosives, and spike-firing grapple guns, but featured a variety of criminal masterminds wielding high-tech items (for 1880) like robot squids, cyborgs, exo-skeletons, steam-powered giant puppets, earthquake machines, hallucinogenic drugs, shrinking potions, and much much more. Their major nemesis, the diminutive Dr. Miguelito Loveless, was a master of such gadgets and gizmos. The show's producers and writers mixed all of these with typical Western movie conventions, a nod to the old movie serials, and some modern-day stylings as well to produce a unique series that has rarely been seen since. (pictured l to r: Ross Martin, Robert Conrad)moreless
34
The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet

ABC (ended 1966)

Welcome to The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet guide at TV.com. The real-life Nelson family - Ozzie, his wife Harriet and their sons David and Ricky - played themselves in this long-running sitcom, where Ricky got his start as a teen idol. When the Nelson boys grew up and married their sweethearts, Kris and June, their real-life wives played their TV wives. The series began as a radio program in 1944. At that time David and Ricky were played by actors. It wasn't until 1949, when radio personality Bing Crosby's sons began to play themselves on Bing's show that the real David and Ricky decided to join the Nelson family radio show. The "adventures" the family experienced every week involved very little conflict or friction. Problems and misunderstandings were solved quickly and with a shared laugh over the silliness of it all.moreless
35
The Jack Benny Program

CBS (ended 1965)

Jack Benny made his television debut after a long career in vaudeville, radio and film. During his radio series he cultivated the traits that his television character would have as well. Jack's on-air persona was of a vain, stingy character who always claimed to be age 39. Jack's radio show aired on NBC & CBS from 1932-1955, overlapping the TV show.

Joining him from his radio cast were Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, as Jack's wise-cracking valet; Dennis Day, the naive, somewhat dense tenor who sang on the show; and Don Wilson the announcer.

Seen on a more irregular basis was Mary Livingstone, Jack's real-life wife. On the show Mary did not play Benny's spouse (Jack's character always remained single) but her role was never defined. In Mary's first appearances she played a fan of Jack's; later she portrayed Jack's secretary. Mary, who suffered from stage fright, made few television appearances before retiring from show business in 1959.

Also appearing were: - Frank Nelson (the man who always harassed Jack, greeting him with an obnoxious "YEEESSSS"), - Artie Auerbach (who played Mr. Kitzel), - Mel Blanc (the voice of Bugs Bunny, who often played Professor LeBlanc, Jack's violin teacher as well as many other roles).

Jack Benny moved into television slowly: - In his first season (1950-1951), he only performed 4 shows. - By the 1951-1952 season, Jack was ready to do 1 show approximately every 6 weeks. - In the third season (1952-1953), the show was broadcast every 4 weeks. - During the 1953-1954 season, The Jack Benny Program aired every 3 weeks. - From 1954-1960, the Benny programs aired every other week, rotating with such shows as Private Secretary and Bachelor Father. - Beginning in the 1960-1961 season, The Jack Benny Program began airing every week.

It is also worth noting that the show moved from CBS to NBC prior to the 1964-65 season.moreless
36
Maverick

ABC (ended 1962)

Maverick told the story of the Maverick brothers, Bret and Bart, card sharps who lived during the Old West era. The show was originally a straightforward adventure tale, but it evolved when the writers began adding comedy to the scripts. Bret quickly became the television western's first quasi-mercenary, a character who would help the forces of justice but usually only if he stood to profit from doing so. When he resorted to gunfire, he wasn't the West's finest marksman. In fact, he was much more likely to outsmart his opponent or slip out the back door once trouble began. The writers also added a foil for Bret - his brother Bart. Bart was more conservative than the devilish Bret, but just as unlikely to join any fight that could be avoided. The two characters began alternating as leads on the show as they journeyed through small towns with odd names like Oblivion and Apocalypse. Along the way, they associated with fellow card sharps like Dandy Jim Buckley and Gentleman Jack Darby. There was also Samantha Crawford, a lovely female rogue who loved to challenge the Maverick brothers to see who could out-con the other.

All these elements helped make Maverick a television western that stood apart from the crowd. Audiences responded to the mix of traditional Western adventure and good-natured humor, making the show an instant hit. Bret Maverick, in particular, became a hero for many armchair cowboys. As a result, the writers began to play up the comedy elements even more, expanding the storylines to satirize other prime time programming. Maverick lampooned everything from Gunsmoke to Dragnet. The show would also use actors known for other roles, like Edd "Kookie" Byrnes from 77 Sunset Strip, for cameo roles designed to make viewers' heads turn.

Maverick continued to enjoy solid ratings through the end of the 1950's, but hit a snag in 1960 when James Garner left the program over a contract dispute. To replace him, the producers introduced a new Maverick cousin, Beau. Beau had been sent to London for disgracing the family name during the Civil War (by winning a medal). Beau would be played by Roger Moore, who would later move on to greater fame as James Bond. The show also briefly added another brother, Brent, played by Robert Colbert, before finally ending its run in the summer of 1962. Since then, Maverick has continued to be a popular member of the cult television pantheon. Its enduring status as a beloved show led to two short-lived follow-up series, Young Maverick and Bret Maverick. There was also a 1994 movie version of Maverick which featured James Garner alongside Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster. The follow-ups proved that the magical Maverick mixture of laughter and tumbleweeds was an enduring, age defying source of great family entertainment.

Aired Sunday nights at 7:30pm on ABC. The final season aired Sunday nights at 6:30pmmoreless
37
The Benny Hill Show

ITV (ended 1989)

This guide strives to be as complete a resource as possible for the third TV series to bear Benny Hill's name in the title, which ran on Thames Television (ITV) from 1969-1989, and has appeared around the world in countless formats and re-edits ever since.

This is a guide to the original hour-long version.

In America, the show was usually presented in a specially-edited half-hour format, which ran for a total of 111 editions (although Comedy Central did screen the hour-long format in the early-to-mid '90's, albeit with sections edited out, typically the musical guest or dance numbers). 30-minute repeats (not the same as were made for the American market) often aired in Britain when the show was "between seasons."

Comedy Central aired the original hour-long format for Shows 32 - 58 (except for Show 40). Also, USA Network aired the shows in the original hour-long format in the late '80s/early '90s. At least Shows 54 - 58, possibly others, along with the independently-produced Benny Hill's World Tour: New York special (both channels had a few minutes cut for extra commercial time).

In the U.S., the original hour-long shows have been issued on DVD (Region 1) under the umbrella title Benny Hill - Complete & Unadulterated. The first three sets were released with the subheading The Naughty Early Years, covering the years 1969-1971 (Shows 1-11, including three B&W episodes previously unseen in America), 1972-1974 (Shows 12-21) and 1975-1977 (Shows 22-31, plus his 1970 half-hour silent film Eddie in August). The final three sets bore the subheading The Hill's Angels Years, and covered the years 1978-1981 (Shows 32-41), 1982-1985 (Shows 42-50) and 1986-1989 (Shows 51-58). Also, the Golden Greats set that came out in 2001 (now out-of-print) included 6 episodes, Shows 46, 47, 50, 55, 56 and 58.

In England, the original hour-long shows (complete with production slates and adcaps) have been released on DVD (Region 2) on a year-by-year basis, under the umbrella of The Benny Hill Annual, each set representing a different year. The 1970 set (Shows 3-6) contains the aforementioned Eddie in August, and the 1974 set (which only saw two new editions air, Shows 20 and 21) features his first two Thames specials from 1969. As of October 2006, the total releases go up to 1979 (Shows 34 and 35). The Benny Hill Annual sets from 1976 and 1977 onwards have adcaps but not VT slates.moreless
38
The Monkees

NBC (ended 1968)

The adventures of a musical quartet that goes from one outrageous circumstance to another that was inspired by The Beatles 1964 film “A Hard Day’s Night.” The enhanced descriptions contained within this guide are courtesy of trusted contributor Aaron Handy III (AH3RD) of the The Monkees Film & TV Vault. TRIVIA: The boys live at 1438 North Beachwood that later is stated as 1334 (their actual fan club address). The license plate number of their custom Pontiac GTO is PER 450. Broadcast History: NBC September 12, 1966-September 9, 1968 CBS Saturday Afternoon September 13, 1969-September 2, 1972 ABC Saturday Afternoon September 9, 1972-August 25, 1973 Original NBC Schedule: September 1966 -September 1968, NBC Monday 7:30-8:00 P.M. (Eastern) Original NBC A.C. Nielsen Ratings: SEASON RANK SHARE 1966-1967 N/A 31.4 1967-1968 N/A 27.2 Original Sponsors: The Kellogg Company Yardley Cosmetics of London Kool Aid Company (1969-72 CBS repeats only) Post Cereals (1969-72 CBS repeats only) Saturday Afternoon Schedules (Eastern) September 1969-September 1970, CBS Saturday Noon-12:30 P.M. September 1970-September 1971, CBS Saturday 12:30-1:00 P.M. September 1971-September 1972, CBS Saturday Noon-12:30 P.M. September 1972-August 1973, ABC Saturday 1:00-1:30 P.M. Exclusive Distributor (Syndication History): Columbia Pictures Television (1975-1985) Colex Enterprises (1985-1989) LBS Communications (1989-1996) Columbia TriStar Television Distribution (1996-Current) 58 Episodes in Color on Film Emmy Awards For The Monkees 1966-67 (presented June 4, 1967) Winner: The Monkees Outstanding Comedy Series Winner: James Frawley, "The Royal Flush" Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Comedy 1967-68 (presented May 19, 1968) Nominated: James Frawley, "The Devil And Peter Tork" Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Comedy Theme Song: Here we come, Walking down the street. We get the funniest looks from, Everyone we meet. Hey, hey we're the Monkees, and people say we monkey around. But we're too busy singing, to put anybody down. We go wherever we want to, Do what we like to do. We don't have time to get restless, There's always something new. Hey, hey we're the Monkees, and people say we monkey around. But we're too busy singing, to put anybody down. We're just trying to be friendly, Come watch us sing and play. We're the young generation, And we got something to say. Hey, hey we're the Monkees, You never know where we'll be found. So you'd better get ready, We may be comin’ to your town. Hey, hey we're the Monkees, and people say we monkey around. But we're too busy singing, to put anybody down.
First air date: September 12, 1966 Last air date: March 25, 1968 Original air time: Monday 7:30:00 pm (Eastern)moreless
39
Love, American Style

ABC (ended 1974)

Love, American Style entertained viewers with stories about common people finding love in all walks of life. In this anthology series, each hour-long broadcast consisted of a group of vignettes, aired sequentially and separately and each with an introductory title card. Normally there were three or four vignettes to a show, although occasionally there were as few as one or as many as five. Short blackout skits would be shown in between segments whenever time allowed. The skits featured a recurring cast of players which included James Hampton, best known as Hannibal Dobbs from F Troop, and veteran character actor Stuart Margolin, brother of executive producer Arnold Margolin. The syndication rerun package consisted of 30-minute broadcasts that were edited from the original hour-long broadcasts, except for those which aired in the first half of season 2, which ran in a 30-minute time slot. The show never ranked above #25 in the Nielsen Ratings. Time slots that Love, American Style originally aired in: September 29, 1969 to January 12, 1970: Mondays, 10:00 to 11:00. January 23, 1970 to September 18, 1970: Fridays, 10:00 to 11:00. September 25, 1970 to January 15, 1971: Fridays, 9:30 to 10:00. January 22, 1971 to January 11, 1974: Fridays 10:00 to 11:00. In 1970, the show received a Golden Globe nomination for Best TV Show in a Musical or Comedy. It also won two Emmys for Charles Fox's musical compositions and was nominated for two more. The theme song was originally sung by the pop group, the Cowsills, but later replaced by an uptempo version, credited to the "Love American Style Singers." There was a short-lived revival in 1986 called The New Love, American Style, which aired on ABC's daytime schedule. One of the segments, "Love and the Happy Days," spawned a successful spin-off series, Happy Days.moreless
40
McHale's Navy

ABC (ended 1966)

A Lively, Light-Hearted Romp Through The Pacific Theater Of Operations –

An experienced South Pacific sea dog, by the name of Quinton McHale, was commissioned as a Lieutenant Commander into the U.S. Navy Reserve, at the start of World War II, and made the Skipper of the Torpedo Patrol (PT) Boat #73, stationed at the U.S. Naval Installation on the island of Taratupa, in the Southwest Pacific. Assigned to his command were 6 free-spirited, good-hearted Swabbies who loved to have fun, but who – Though they usually ignored Navy regulations – Did their jobs, and did them well, when duty called. The 73 'Family' included, among others, a con man and amateur Magician, a womanizing hunk, a dedicated Family man, a guitar-picking, moonshine-making Tennessee good ol' boy, and even a deserter from the Japanese Navy, who was an excellent cook. Second in command, was Ensign Charles Parker, a young spit-and-polish, by-the-book Officer from Chagrin Falls Ohio, who was somewhat of a klutz, but who always managed to come out on top of a situation, usually with the help of McHale and The Crew.

McHale and his men were under the command of Base Commander Captain Wallace B. Binghamton (Known as 'Old Leadbottom' to McHale and his men), in whose side, McHale and his Crew were a constant thorn. Most episodes centered around Binghamton's trying to find way to get rid of McHale and his rule-bending 'Pirates' (One would be hard-pressed to see an episode of this series without the military term 'Court Martial' being mentioned, at least once), with McHale and his fun-loving 'Eightballs' scheming to keep Binghamton from doing so, their exemplary performance in battle, more times than not, getting them out troublesome situations.

McHale's Navy was first presented a straight action drama, on ABC's Alcoa Premiere anthology series, in April of 1962. The pilot episode – Entitled Seven Against The Sea – Found enough of an audience that it was converted to a comedy series, which premiered on the ABC Television Network on the evening of Thursday, October 11th 1962, at 9:30 p.m. EST. It got off to somewhat of a slow start, opposite NBC's popular Hazel, but held it's own, and gained a small following. It cracked the top 25 in it's 2nd season ('63/'64), on Tuesday nights, in the 8:30 time-slot, with a strong lead-in from ABC's Combat, landing at #23, with a Nielsen rating of 22.8. But, from that point on, it was all uphill for McHale. In it's 3rd ('64/'65) & 4th ('65/'66) seasons, in a losing battle with CBS's powerhouse Red Skelton Hour, it was soon on it's way out. An attempt to boost it's sagging ratings, by moving McHale, his Crew, and Captain Binghamton to a base in Italy, in it's 4th and final season, proved to do more harm than good, and resulted in the cancellation of the series, in 1966.

The series was popular enough with the public to prompt the production of two full-length theatrical-release motion pictures, during it's run. McHale's Navy, released by Universal Pictures in June of 1964, featured all the regular cast members from the series, and McHale's Navy Joins The Air Force, in July of '65, this one sans Borgnine. Both were 90-minute extended episodes of the series, and mildly popular, at best. A 1997 big-budget movie, based on the series, and with Tom Arnold as McHale, was a total flop. All three are available on VHS or DVD.

Lately, it's been tough to catch McHale's Navy on TV. Programming Managers don't seem to realize just how many loyal fans the show still has, and just how many new fans the show would doubtless make, were more people allowed to experience it. However – McHale fans, rejoice! – Shout! Factory came to the rescue, and began releasing McHale's Navy, on DVD, in boxed sets, beginning on March 20th, 2007, with Season 1. Season 2 was released on September 11th, 2007, Season 3, on March 18th, 2008, and Season 4, on November 18th, '08.

With a highly talented cast including Academy Award® winner Ernest Borgnine, comic genius Tim Conway, the one-of-a-kind comic talent of Joe Flynn, and a solid supporting cast, McHale's Navy was – And is – TV comedy at it's very finest.moreless
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