TV Shows

When we moved to Dallas in 1954, my dad bought a black and white console TV which occupied one end of the living room.  We didn't get a color TV until I almost graduated from Bryan Adams High School.

My TV consisted of lying on the floor in front of the TV, my head propped up by a sofa pillow.  I remember a few times we watched TV as a family.  I watched the Friday night fights presented by Gillette and I can remember the whole family and my two cousins watching the Beatles when they first appeared on the Ed Sullivan Variety Show.

Mostly I remember watching TV as another world that I occupied.  From the early kids shows to cartoons to westerns and comedies, TV heightened my imagination and a sense of creative effort.

Today, TV occupies little of my life, save from watching the NBC national news, a local news program and an occasional program on Channel 13, KERP, our Public Broadcasting affiliate.

My imagination and creative effort comes from other directions now, but I'm glad I had early TV to get me started.

Burns and Allen - George Burns had a popular half-hour TV show which aired from 1950 to 1958 on CBS.  The show ended when Gracie decided to retire in 1958  George Burns went on to have a long entertainment career, even playing God.  He died at age 100.  Say goodnight to the audience, Gracie.

Andy's Gang - Andy Devine took over from an earlier children's show.  The star of the show, Froggy the Gremlin.  "Plunk your magic twanger, Froggy."

Captain Gallant - Starred Buster Crabbe, an Olympic gold medalist and seasoned actor.  The black and white series ran on NBC from 1955 to 1957.  It was a essentially a Western in Arab garb with the Captain chasing camel thieves rather than cattle rustlers.  Filmed originally in Morocco and later in Libya and Italy, it featured Crabbe's son Cullen as Cutty Sanders, his ward.

Captain Kangaroo - Bob Keeshan had success on TV playing Clarabeth the Clown on the Howdy Doody Show between 1947 and 1952.  The show first aired on CBS in October 1955.  Hugh Brannum played the neighborly Mister Greenjeans.

Death Valley Days - One of the earliest radio dramas, Death Valley Days premiered on NBC in 1930.  The stories of miners and homesteaders in California as told by the Old Ranger were based on actual happenings and the show earned a reputation for historical accuracy.

The TV show ran for 588 episodes on ABC from 1952 to 1975.  Sponsored by 20 Mule Team Borax and Boraxo Soap products.  Ronald Reagan became an even bigger star with this TV drama.

Dr. Kildare - Another TV doctor drama starring Richard Chamberlain.  Ran on NBC for 190 episodes from 1961 to 1966.

Dragnet - Started as a radio drama in 1949.  Ran from 1951 to 1959 starring Jack Webb as Sgt. Joe Friday.  "Just the facts, ma'am.  Just the facts."

Bat Masterson - Ran from 1958 to 1961 with 108 episodes on NBC.  Starring Gene Barry as a dapper dandy with an ever-present cane and derby hat.  Masterson used his cane (which concealed a sword), while charming women along the way.

The Beverly Hillbillies - Airing on CBS, 274 episodes were shown between 1962 and 1974.  The cast of the Clampett family included Buddy Ebsen as Jed, Irene Ryan as Granny Moses, Donna Douglas as Elly Mayand Max Baer Jr. as Jethro.

The premise of the show had Jed Clampett discovering oil on the families' Ozark Mountains land and moving his family to Beverly Hills.

Series creator Paul Flemming wrote the "Balled of Jed Clampett" theme song, which was recorded by Lester Flagg and Earl Scruggs.

Bonanza - Premiered in September 1959 and aired weekly until 1973.  It was the first western to be televised in color.  Lorne Greene was the widowed father Ben.  His sons were played by Pernell Roberts, Dan Blocker ad Michael Landon.

Bullwinkle and Rocky - Rocky the flying squirrel and his pal Bullwinkle the Moose were created by Jay Ward.  It ran from 1959 to 1963 on ABC, then from 1961 to 1964 on NBC, then back to ABC in 1973.

He battled the evil little Mr. Big and his cohorts Boris Badenoff and NAtasha.  Others regulars included Mr. Peabody the time-traveling beagle, and his human friend Sherman, the inept Mountie Dudley do-Right and his criminal foe Snidely Whiplash.

Captain Midnight - Captain Midnight and his secret squadron battled the sinister forces of evil.  the program originated on radio in 1938.

Premiered on television in 1953 and ran for four years on ABC and CBS, always sponsored by Ovaltine with the Secret Squadron mugs and decoder rings.

 Cheyenne - The Warner Brothers series ran between 1955 to 1963.  The series alternated bi-weekly with other shows.  Loosely-based as a 1947 movie, "Cheyenne."

Cheyenne was television's first hour-long series.  The basic plot had frontiersman Cheyenne Bodie played by Clint Walker roaming the West, righting wrongs.

The Cisco Kid - Appeared originally as a O. Henry short story.  A radio series aired on Mutual from 1942 to 1956.  The popular TV series starring Duncan Renolds and Leo Carrillo ran between 1950 and 1956.

Davy Crockett - five fictionalized episodes from his life were broadcast on the Disneyland series on ABC in 1954 and 1955, starring Fess Parker in a coonskin cap ad carrying his trusty rifle Old Betsy.

Buddy Ebsen co-starred as Davy's friend George Russell.  "The Balled of Davy Crockett" landed on the hit parade.

Warner Brothers Westerns - 1 hour long at 6:30pm.
1.  Bronco Lane
2.  Cheyenne Clint Walker
3.  Sugar Fost

Cartoons from the Warner Brothers Franchise - Bugs Bunny, Yosemite Sam, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, Tasmanian Devil, The Roadrunner, Sylvester the Cat, Tweety Bird, Pepe Le Pew.

Ben Casey - Ran on ABC from 1961 to 1966.  Vince Edwards starred as a brooding neurosurgeon.  The show with a drawing of life, death, birth and infinity.

I wonder how many fellow students became medical doctors because of Ben Casey's idealism.

Felix the Cat - His first animated appearance came in 1919.  By the mid 1920s, he was an international star.  Hundreds of silent shorts were distributed to television in 1953 by Pathe Films.

Felix the Cat, The magical, mystical Cat.
Whenever he gets into a fix,
He reaches into his magic bag of tricks.

The Flintstones - Premiered on ABC in 1960 and ran for six years to 1966.  Fred and Wilma Flintstone and their friends Barney and Betty Rubble are a prehistoric parody of the Kramdens and Nortons of "the Honeymooners," complete with marital bickering, get-rich quick schemes, bowling nights and lodge membership.

Added attractions included Dino, their pet dinosaur, the baby daughter Pebbles and adopted son, Bamm-Bamm.

 Gene Autry - His TV show aired on CBS from 1950 to 1956.  Filmed on his 125-acre Melody Ranch and produced by his Flying A Production Company.

The program put him back in the saddle again each week to do battle with assorted villains.  Riding his wonder horse, Champion, and with his sidekick, Pat Buttram, Autry set a consistently high moral tone for his young fans.

The Goldbergs - The first memorable Jewish comedy which starred Molly, the benevolent matriarch of a working-class family in the Bronx.  Ran on TV from 1949 to 1954.

Gunsmoke - Ran on CBS from 1955-1975, the longest-running Western in TV history.  Starring James Arness as Matt Dillon.  Other continuing characters included the saloon keeper Miss Kitty (Amanda Blake), old Doc Adams (Millburn Stone), and the Marshall's deputy Chester (Dennis Weaver), who was replaced by Festus (Ken Curtis) in 1964.