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Lassie
Lassie! Â Quick, Get Help! Â Timmy's Not in a Well!She may have rescued people from wells, lakes and caves, but our favorite collie also had to navigate an audience through an emotional minefieldLassie,...
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The Danny Kaye Show
A Smiling Face from Christmas PastBehind Danny Kaye's smile was a personal life as complicated as any of his trademark, comic tongue-twisters.The Danny Kaye Show, "Christmas Show, with Mary Tyler Moore...
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(Rerun)
"Nostalgia Ain't What It Used to Be"Yogi Berra's famous words might not have drawn so much laughter if he'd been talking about reruns...then he would've been spot-on.In 1937, a beautifully written and...
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East Side/West Side
One of the Best Shows You've Never Heard OfEast Side/West Side was dark, harsh, often depressing and even hopeless. Â It was great.East Side/West Side, "One Drink at a Time"OB: January 27, 1964, 10 p.m....
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Twilight Zone
Submitted for Your ApprovalThe dreams, nightmares and life experiences of Rod Serling become a haunting challenge to the way we think and watch TV.Twilight Zone, "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet"OB: October...
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The Magilla Gorilla Show
Megillah for a GorillaWhat happens when a warm, fuzzy childhood memory turns out to be a piece of highly commercial "dark age" animation.The Magilla Gorilla Show, "Big Game"OB: week of January 14,...
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The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Heeeeeeeerrrrrrrreeee's You Know Who!Johnny was always Johnny, but his Tonight Show evolved a lot in 30 years.The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, "Guests: Hedda Hopper, Sam Levinson, Jack Douglas...
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The Fugitive
A Relentless Pursuit of an Innocent ManThe most genius idea ever for a TV show, and how it paved the way for modern cable dramaThe Fugitive, "The Garden House"OB: January 14, 1964, 10 p.m. EST, ABCI...
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The Ed Sullivan Show
Yeah, Yeah, Yeah...It was really just like any other Ed Sullivan show...except for those two segments that, you know, changed pop culture foreverThe Ed Sullivan Show, "The Beatles' First Appearance"OB:...
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Bonanza
Don't Fall in Love with a CartwrightApparently the Ponderosa was one of the biggest fictional ranches in Nevada, yet there was still no room for womenBonanza, "My Son, My Son"OB: January 19, 1964, 9...
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The Dick Van Dyke Show
Oh, Roooobbbbbbb...How my favorite TV couple were so different from the ones who came before themThe Dick Van Dyke Show, "All About Eavesdropping"OB: October 23, 1963, 9:30 p.m., CBSI was born three...
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Wagon Train
The Way West: Right to LeftWagon Train's most tumultuous trek was perhaps its next to last season, the only one in color.Wagon Train, "The Geneva Balfour Story"OB: January 20, 1964, 8:30 p.m. EST, ABCI...
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The Price is Right
Come on Down...a Different WayThe earliest version of U.S. television's longest running game show, gives us a nice museum tour of 1960s consumerismThe Price is Right, "Guest Star: Pat Carroll"OB:...
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The Andy Griffith Show
Utopia, North CarolinaMayberry embodied most of the idealism, and none of the ugliness, of the 1960s.The Andy Griffith Show, "Opie the Birdman"OB: Â September 30, 1963, 9:30 p.m. EST, CBSI was born...
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Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
Hello, I Might Not Be Going...Groucho's play may be trying to tell us something about the last stage of his own lifeBob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre, "Time for Elizabeth"OB: April 24, 1964, 8:30...
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The Bullwinkle Show
The Moose Who Came in From the ColdNow it can be told: the true story, of the conspiracy to kill moose and squirrel. The Bullwinkle Show, "Moosylvania Parts 3 & 4"OB: January 18, 1964, 12:30 p.m....
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The Garry Moore Show
Good Evening! Much Love to You All...Most variety shows were hosted by either singers or comedians ...and then there was Garry Moore.The Garry Moore Show, "Guests: Florence Henderson and Bill Cosby"OB:...
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Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color
When You Wish Upon a Unisphere...We take Part One of a two-part trip through time to the 1964 New York World's Fair, this time with Walt Disney as our tour guide.Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color,...
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A World's Fair Diary
A Vision of Yesterday's TomorrowPart two of our look at the 1964 World's Fair is a more critical look, through the eyes of NBC Newsman Edwin Newman.A World's Fair Diary, NBC News special narrated by...
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Petticoat Junction
Lots of Curves, You Bet!Like the scenery around a moving train, Petticoat Junction seemed to change constantly...and so did our perceptions of itPetticoat Junction, "Bobbie Jo and the Beatnik"OB:...
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The Patty Duke Show
They Walk Alike, They Talk Alike...Patty Duke co-starred with herself in a now-classic sitcom that belied her ugly off-screen lifeThe Patty Duke Show, "The Tycoons"OB: January 15, 1964, 8 p.m. EST,...
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Queen for a Day
Would YOU Like to Be...?!The most embarrassingly outdated show I've reviewed for this blog is also an ancestor for one of the most modern of TV genres.Queen for a Day, "The Hairdresser Show"OB:...
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The Lucy Show
In praise of a second banana's second runA look at how Lucy's sidekick blazed her own unlikely trail in television history.The Lucy Show, "Lucy Joins an Art Class"OB: January 13, 1964, CBS, 8:30 ESTI...
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McHale's Navy
The Greatest Generation of 8-BallsMcHale's Navy didn't invent the military comedy...just the war comedy. And its roots were surprisingly dark.McHale's Navy, "The Balloon Goes Up"OB: Tuesday, January...
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The Goodson-Todman Panel Shows
"Is It Bigger Than a Breadbox?"Revisiting the original versions of the often-revived guessing games from back in the day.I've Got a Secret, "Carol Channing has a secret"OB: Monday night, January 13,...
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