59 full episode MAN AGAINST CRIME (1952)
Ralph Bellamy starred as tough crime fighting detective Mike Barnett smoking Camel cigarettes.
This episode: Barnett comes to the aid of a Damsel In Distress. (DuMont)
60 TED STEELE'S BANDSTAND (1956)
Who introduced Hillbilly Rockers Bill Haley & The Comets to metropolitan New York?
No, wasn't Alan Freed, Clay Cole. nor Dick Clark, It was lesser known Ted Steele.(RKO)
61 THE LIVE REFRIGERATOR COMMERCIAL CATASTROPHE (1954)
Poor Westinghouse. If their built in antenna TV fiasco wasn't enough, came this chagrin
the automatic referigerator door that jammed on a live national broadcast promo. (CBS)
62 ARTHUR GODFREY: HIS WAY OR NO WAY (1952)
He ridiculed sponsors, fired staff on air, fixed talent contests & made Godlike demands at CBS.
Yet, he still garnered big ratings, got a share of the network's revenue & plays the uke.(CBS)
63 BUILDING THE DODGE CARS 1956-58: INSIDE THE FACTORY
An automotive retrospect! A TV industrial film goes inside the Dodge automotive plant.
Plus a gallery of Classic Cars including Jaguar, Porter, Nash-Rambler, Packard & more!
64 BOXING CLASSIC: ROCKY MARCIANO vs. JERSEY JOE WALCOTT (1952)
Highlights from that historic championship boxing match in Philadelphia September 12, 1952
You'll see that boffo KO comeback in the 13th round~this is the true Rocky. (DuMont).
65 THE SMALL SCREEN'S BIGGER THAN LIFE ICONS (1952-59)
Nixon's '54 scandal, John Wayne's PSA, Marilyn Monroe's Motor Oil, Jimmy Durante's Schnozz,
Jack Benny & Dennis Day, Laurel & Hardy, Jackie & Art's "Hello, Ball!"
66 full episode ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS (1959)
"Good evening," then came the thriller from the Master Of Suspense, Alfred Hitchccock
The man whose big screen flix had us on seat edges brought same to small screens (NBC).
67 THE SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE~~ BEFORE SNL (1954-58)
All Broadcast Live Sat Eves: The Bob Hope Show, The Liberace Show, The Ken Murray Show,
Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis, Steve Allen Show, Pat Harrington Show, Jackie Gleason Show
Watch many surprises with shows' regulars & guests. (ABC-CBS-DuMont-NBC).
68 THE JUDY GARLAND SHOW (1962)
Judy Garland with guests Barbara Streisand and Ethel Merman. What else to say?
One of television's greatest events ever and still a goldmine today (CBS)
69 THE DONNA REED SHOW: 'JOHNNY ANGEL' DEBUTS (1958)
Donna mugs nervously when daughter, Mary (Shelley Fabares) sings at a school dance.
It's Shelley's first new vinyl 45 release, "Johnny Angel." Dad (Carl Betz) gleams proudly (NBC)
70 full episode THE GOLDBERGS (1955=5)
Gertrude Berg created the show first on radio,, served as executive producer, writer & star
of this beloved sitcom about the matriarch (Molly) of a struggling middle class Jewish family In NY.
Co-stars Robert H. Harris, Arlene Mc Quabe, Eli Mintz. This episode was a viewer fave. (synd.)
71 LUCILLE BALL & CAROL BURNETT (1965)
Two queens of comedy together with Gale Gordon as straight man on "The Lucy Show".
Lucy wants to join Carol on a trip to Palm Springs, they scheme to fool Boss Mooney. (CBS)
72 DICK CAVETT PRESENTS LOUIS ARMSTRONG LIVE AT FT. HOOD (1967)
Legendary journalist and TV talk show host Dick Cavett produced this televised UFO show
featuring the legendary jazz trumpeter and vocalist, Louis Armstrong with his orchestra
Louis & co. perform "Sleepy Time Down South" and "Hello, Dolly." Oh yeah! (ABC)
73 full episode  HIGHWAY PATROL (1956)
Stars Broderick Crawford as State Police Chief Dan Matthews. Episode: "Dead Patrolman."
Before "Book 'em, Dano!" & joining "Just The Facts Ma'am," Broderick's Cathphrase was "10-4!"
This popular, syndicated series was considered the "Dragnet of the roadways."(MGM).
74 THE LEGENDARY MARILYN MONROE (clips 1950-60)
TV and Hollywood remembers the legend of the underestimated actor
Her life, career and tragic, mysterious death at the young age of 32.
75 full episode ETHEL WATERS AS BEULAH (1951)
Long before The Jeffersons and Sanford & Son even before Amos & Andy on TV.
there was the talented Ethel Waters as supermaid Beaulah & Butterfly Mc Queen as Orio
Sadly, Proctor & Gamble canceled the highly rated, popular show after only two seasons. (CBS)
76 full episode BEWITCHED (1966)
Wriggle your nose, it's Elizabeth Montgomery as that saucy, sassy, beautiful, bedazzling witch
& Dick York as befuddled hubbie, Darren ...or as Agnes Moorehead said,"Durwood" (NBC)
77 full episode I DREAM OF JEANIE (1966)
Out of the bottle comes that ravishingly capricious Jeanie, Barbara Eden (blink-blink).
Larry Hagman is her adopted master, Bill Daly is the bewildered buddy (CBS).
78 full episode LASSIE 1954
Aww, no one could resist that Sunday night lovable and courageous collie!
This holiday season episode co-starred humans Tommy Rettig & Jan Clayton (CBS)
79 full episode! SKYKING (1951)
Kirby Grant stars as Sky King with aviation stories old western style Gloria Winters co-stars.
The show's unique blue sky and dusty trail hybrid made it a cult following (NBC)
80 THE MILTON BERLE SHOW (1957)
Featuring Arnold Stang & guest Mickey Rooney; Berle's swan song after 8 Tues. Nite Years.
Bit: Berle wants Gleason like publicity, so he feigns a broken leg for a press conference (NBC)
81 DOO WOP BOULEVARD: 50s-60s STREET CORNER HARMONY (1955-64)
Remembering Sunday Night Doo Wop Radio and the groups the listeners requested to hear:
Host: "Doo Wop Shop's" Don K. Reed, performances by The Crests, Frankie Lymon, The Jive Five.
Plus our exclusive Radio Doo Wop DJ hosted web radio show on demand (FM audio)!
DJ Gus Gossett named it Doo Wop, the group harmony that will never die. It's here again for you!
82 MIKE WALLACE & EDWARD R. MURROW (1952-54)
If you thought Mike Wallace was tough on "60 Minutes," wait 'til you see him in the fifties!.
You won't believe what he said to Steve Allen, but Kirk Douglas got his say)
+Edward R. Murrow & Sen. Joseph McCarthy go at calling the other "un-American." (CBS)
83 full episode HIGH CHAPPARAL (1954)
Lief Erickson & Cameron Mitchell head a huge cast wild'n'woolly western that holds no punches
Joseph Pevney ("Star Trek") directed conflicts between Rednecks, Mexicans, Apaches (CBS)
84 two full episodes ONE STEP BEYOND (1957, 1962)
"The Twilight Zone" mimic? No, John Newland started production in the UK a year before!
Episode 1 The Burning gives a whole 'retro-new' meaning to today's catch-phrase "Hot Chic!"
Episode 2 The Clown starring Yvette Mimieux shows the surreal dark side of Carnies
85 THE TONIGHT SHOW starring JOHNNY CARSON (1963)
Heeerrre's Johnny! Guest Don Rickles whoops it up with Johnny in a Japanese spa sketch
There were many "Tonight Show" hosts, none knew their audience like Mr. Late Night (NBC)
86 full episode OUR MISS BROOKS (1952)
Eve Arden and Gale Gordon starred in this sitcom set in a not so typical suburban high school.
Brooks falls for teacher colleague Boynton, but off the roof of the school building? (Synd)
87 full episode VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA (1962)
Richard Basehart is the captain of the futuristic submarine and was the Capt Kirk of the sea,
The crew must infiltrate a spy network to save a kidnapped scientist (syndicated)
88 full episode DEATH VALLEY DAYS (1954)
This series bought to oats the heretofore drama only anthology format
Pilot: David Janssen plays a con artist saving a frontier town from corrupt politicians (Synd.)
89 the original HOLLYWOOD SQUARES (1965)
Redd Foxx, Demond Wilson, Eva Gabor, Tony Randall join regular center square Paul Lynde
The classic Squares hosted by the most personable Peter Marshall (syndicated)
90 full episode THE BETTY WHITE SHOW: DATE WITH THE ANGELS 1952
Before Mary Tyler Moore, Golden Girls, Hot In Cleveland, Betty White scored with this sitcom
Her co-stars included Bill Williams and Nancy Kulp (Beverly Hillbillies) (CBS)
91 POPEYE THE SAILOR MAN VS. SINBAD (1950)
Popeye, Olive Oil, and Wimpy meet Sinbad who bears a strange resemblance to Bluto
Enjoy Max Fleischer's classic seaman in an animated venture not for small children. (synd.)
92 I MARRIED JOAN (1952)
Tagged as the "Queen Of Comedy," Joan Davis stars with Jim Backus in this early sitcom
Joan falls for a movie casting scam and winds up doing a screen test with a monkey. (NBC)
93 full episode THE PEOPLE'S CHOICE (1955)
Child star Jackie Cooper, all grown up, headed the sitcom with Patricia Breslin as fiance
Socrates Miller (Cooper) in the doghouse with talking dog Cleo for ignoring his intended. '(NBC)
94 full episode MY LITTLE MARGIE (1954)
Charles Farrel as Vern Albright was single father to Margie, played by Gale Storm
in this ahead of it's time sitcom. Margie can create havoc even when she sleeps! (CBS)
95 full episode ANNIE OAKLEY (1954)
Gail Davis as the legendary woman gunslinger (and single mom), Annie Oakley
A masked gunman steals Annie's charity money ~ but Annie's got her gun! (synd.)
96 THE BO DIDDLEY REVUE (1965)
The legendary Bo Diddley brought the house down with his dynamic performance on
the trend setting prime time TV show, "Shindig"~notes by Bo's historian David Blakely (ABC)
97 full episode THE RIFLEMAN (1958)
Chuck Connors stars as sharpshooter Lucas McCain out in the wild west.
A crazed frontiersman kidnaps Lucas' son to lure The Rifleman to a shootout.(synd.)
98 full episode TOPPER (1952)
starring Leo G. Carroll, Anne Jeffreys, Robert Sterling, Lee Patrick, Kathleen Freeman
Banker Cosmo Topper has his refined life turned topsy turvy by two sensual ghosts only he can see.
George & Marion Kirby (the ghosts) help Topper get rid of unwanted guests as only they could.(CBS)
99 Full Episode THE ROY ROGERS-DALE EVANS SHOW (1954)
Happy Trails! Roy Rogers and wife Dale Evans star in this endearing TV western
Roy and Dale intercede in a deadly battle between landowners & ranchers. (synd)
100 THE LES PAUL & MARY FORD SHOW (1957)
Les Paul, the guitarist and father of of multi-track recording and his wife, Mary Ford
teamed also for numerous hit recordings & TV, this segment "The Battle Of Guitars" (NBC)
101 full episode BORIS KARLOFF'S THRILLER (1960)
Before John Newland starred in/directed "O.S.B" he starred in/directed this "Thriller" saga.
Boris Karloff sets the stage for a haunted estate with an evil sorcerer and evil spirits. (NBC)
102 full episode THE ADDAMS FAMILY (1964)
Morticia, Gomez & Uncle Fester try to mend Kung Fu Fighter Aunt Ophelia's broken heart.
The show ran only two years, became a cult memory until the Broadway Show Revival (ABC)
Will the rival family, "The Munsters" also invade Oldies Television? You never know!
103 REMEMBERING BELA LUGOSI (1960)
Sure you remember Bela as Dracula, as Chandu in serial quickies, portrayed in Ed Wood...
but how about romacing young girls and doing an infomercial for his Evolution Master? (Monogram)
We call these "Great Moments In Cult Horror." Bela Lugosi was a staple on weekend 50's-60's TV
104 THE PERRY COMO SHOW 1962
From his long running Saturday night weekly show, Perry sings & dances to his hit, 'Papa Loves Mambo'
with The Modernaires, orchestra and chorus. Remember great television with "Mr. C" (NBC)
105 full episode MAMA (I REMEMBER MAMA) 1949
Emmy Award winning TV drama based on the book by Barbara Bel Gaddis and movie adaption
Series starred Peggy Wood as matriarch of a Norwegian family struggling in San Francisco (CBS)

106 THE PIONEERS OF KIDVID: 1950's-60's CHILDREN'S TV SHOWS
With the earliest TV production and animation techniques, these popular programs
were the 50s father of children's television, long before PBS and Nickelodeon CLICK ON TITLE TO VIEW
HOWDY DOODY segments from the first and last pioneer kidvid network show (NBC.1951-57)
WINKY DINK & YOU hosted by crayonmaster to be quizmaster, Jack Barry (CBS, 1952)
PAUL WINCHEL & JERRY MAHONEY Gee whiz, Winch'! Why didn't you tell me we got paid for the shows!(CBS, 1957)
JUNIOR FROLICS various TV hosts in different areas brought on these Farmer Gray's 30's animation (synd, 1952-56)
SPACE PATROL not bad Sat AM sci-fi aimed at teeny weeny pre-trekkies (synd, 1952)
THE BIG TOP Claude Kirscheners kiddie TV circus complete with clown and sexy showgirl (CBS, 1952)
WILLIE WONDERFUL the Sat AM puppet show that asks the question...Huh???? (synd., 1952)
FELIX THE CAT television's first screen star in 1928, he was endeared ever thereafter
THE LITTLE RASCALS '39 Our Gang shorts syndicated to 50's Saturday morning TV.
HERE COMES TOBOR Before Captain Video, DuMont made the robot a galactic hero.
LOST IN SPACE Danger Will Robinson! The 60's weird sci fi & Dr. Smith is back!.
ROCKY JONES, SPACE RANGERS Kiddies watched the galaxy fights, dads eyed Vena!.
KUKLA, FRAN & OLLIE Burr Tillstrom's "Kuklapolitans" were the first Mon-Fri network puppets.
THE PINKY LEE SHOW Pinky knocked himself, once literally, to put on a lively show.
Coming: Commander Cody's Lost Adventures, Captain Z Ro, Underwater City

where all the good songs have gone

J1 SILHOUETTES The Rays
J2 TRAVELIN' MAN Ricky Nelson
J3 ONLY YOU Tony Williams & The Platters
J4 RUBY, RUBY Dion
J5 GOOD LOVIN' Felix Cavaliere & The Rascals
J6 I'M IN LOVE AGAIN Fats Domino
J7 SUSPICIOUS MINDS Elvis Presley
J8 BYE BYE, LOVE The Everly Brothers
J9 LITTLE DARLIN' The Diamonds
J10 GOODY GOODY Frankie Lymon
J11 DREAM LOVER Bobby Darin
J12 WHY DO FOOLS FALL IN LOVE? Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers
J13 TOO MUCH Elvis Presley
J14 THAT'S WHY (I LOVE YOU SO) Jackie Wilson
J15 GET A JOB The Silhouettes
J16 DANCE WITH ME, HENRY The Platters
J17 OH WHAT A NIGHT Dinah Washington
J18 PARTY DOLL/HULA LOVE Buddy Knox
J19 CAN'T STOP (HE'S GOT THE POWER) The Exciters
J20 WHEN MY DREAMBOAT COMES HOME Fats Domino
J21 DANCE IN THE STREETS The Rockateens
J22 A LOVER'S CONCERTO The Toys
J23 YOU BELONG TO ME The original Duprees
J24 YOU ARE EVERYTHING The Stylistics
J25 SUNDAY KIND OF LOVE The Teentones with Robert Klein
J26 NEED YOUR LOVIN' Ronnie Hawkins & The Hawks
J27 YOU BETTER KNOW IT Jackie Wilson
J28 BUTTERFLY Charlie Gracie
J29 THE NIGHT HAS A THOUSAND EYES (extended version) Bobby Vee
J30 TELL LAURA I LOVE HER Ray Peterson
J31 SAVE THE LAST DANCE (remake) Ben E. King
J32 DON'T GO BREAKIN' MY HEART Elton John & Kiki Dee
J33 IT"S MY PARTY Lesley Gore
34 MIDNIGHT SPECIAL Johnny Rivers
J35 EVERYBODY LOVES A CLOWN Gary Lewis & The Playboys
J36 I GOT YOU BABE Sonny & Cher
J37 BABY, DON'T CHANGE YOUR MIND Gladys Knight & The Pips
J38 DENISE, DENISE Debbie Harry & Blondie
J39 TIE A YELLOW RIBBON Tony Orlando & Dawn
J40 HELP The Beatles
J41 BROWN SUGAR The Rolling Stones
J42 I'M NOT A JUVENILE DELINQUENT Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers
J43 NEEDLES AND PINS The Searchers
J44 CALIFORNIA DREAMIN' The Mamas & The Papas
J45 DO THE FREDDIE Freddie & The Dreamers
J46 1-2-3 Len Barry
J47 LONG TALL SALLY Little Richard
J48 WHEEL OF FORTUNE Kay Starr
J49 FIVE O'CLOCK WORLD The Vogues
J50 BE MY BABY The Ronettes
J51 SURFIN' USA The Beach Boys
J52 BABY LOVE Diana Ross & The Supremes
J53 PIECE OF MY HEART Janis Joplin
J54 RUNAWAY Del Shannon
J55 YOUNG GIRL Gary Puckett & The Union Gap
J56 BLUE SUEDE SHOES Elvis Presley
J57 HOTEL CALIFORNIA The Eagles
J58 SUPERSTAR The Carpenters
J59 IMAGINE John Lennon
J60 CAN'T TAKE MY EYES OFF OF YOU Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons
J61 SIXTEEN REASONS Connie Stevens
J62 LOUIE LOUIE The Kingsmen
J63 THESE BOOTS ARE MADE FOR WALKIN' Nancy Sinatra
J64 MONA LISA Nat King Cole
J65 OH, GIRL The Chi-Lites live concert performance
J66 MONEY HONEY Elvis Presley
J67 I JUST CALLED TO SAY I LOVE YOU Stevie Wonder
J68 TO KNOW HIM IS TO LOVE HIM The Teddy Bears
J69 JOY TO THE WORLD Three Dog Night
J70 YOU WIN AGAIN/FOUR WINDS Fats Domino
J71 PIPELINE The Chantays
J72 SUNSHINE, LOLLIPOPS & RAINBOWS Lesley Gore
J73 SEARCHIN' The Coasters
J74 HAVE YOU HEARD The Duprees
J75 SLEEPWALK Santo & Johnny
J76 NOW YOU REMEMBER, BABY Big Joe Turner
J77 I GOT STRIPES/HOW HIGH'S THE WATER, MAMA? Johnny Cash
J78 MATCHBOX Carl Perkins
J79 ALL I HAVE TO DO IS DREAM The Everly Brothers
J80 ONE OF US Abba
J81 I BELIEVE WHAT YOU SAY Ricky Nelson
J82 STRANGER ON THE SHORE Acker Bilk
J83 DANCING IN THE STREETS Martha & The Vandellas
J84 The HOUND DOG Elvis Presley
J85 CHATANOOGA CHOO CHOO Glenn Miller & His Orchestra
J86 DOWNTOWN Petula Clark
J87 AY AY AY AY AY I LOVE YOU Carmen Miranda
J88 ONLY THE LONELY Roy Orbison
J89 DON'T MAKE ME OVER Dionne Warwick
J90 OUR DAY WILL COME Amy Winehousehouse remake of Ruby & The Romantics hit
J91 GREEN ONIONS Booker T & The MG's
J92 IN THE MOOD Glenn Miller & His Orchestra
J93 JOHNNY B. GOODE Chuck Berry
J94 ROLL OVER, BEETHOVEN Chuck Berry
J95 AUD LANG SYNE Guy Lombardo & His Orchestra

            ...and the hits will keep on coming!

Rare Vinyl Recovered! on audio: Jimmy Dorsey Frankie Laine, Toni Fisher,
Elvis rare cuts, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Billy Myles, Timi Yuro, Lolita, Connie Francis,
Reparata & The Delrons, The Marcells, Duane Eddy, The Megatrons, Joni James
Nino Temple & April Stevens, Kyu Sakamoto, Tammy Lynn, Nina Simone, Gogi Grant,
Dale & Grace, Freddy Canon, Chris Barber Band, Bobby Rydell, ? & The Mysterians
Keely Smith, Lou Monte, Bernadette Carrol, Napoleon IV, Cathy Carr, Sue Thompson
Chuck Berry, Bill Black Combo, Johnny & The Hurricanes ...and Snooky Lansen (for real!)
Cherished '78: Kate Smith's "God Bless America" & many more turntable treasures!
CLICK HERE & GO TO GROOVED "NEEDLE" MUSIC HEAVEN!


Classic Screen Gems~No Tickets Required~Click Title To Watch

SCREEN 1: "MOVIE MADNESS" The Three Stooges, 1934
SCREEN 2: "SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE TYRANTS DAUGHTER" Basil Rathbone, 1953
SCREEN 3: "THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD" 1955
SCREEN 4: "THE NORTH STAR" Walter Brennan, Jane Withers, 1943
SCREEN 5: "NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD" dir. George Romero, 1968
SCREEN 6: "A CERTAIN SACRIFICE" Louise Ciccone's (Madonna's) first. {R-VNL} 1978
SCREEN 7: "THE ADVENTURES OF LAUREL & HARDY", 1934
SCREEN 8: "THE SHADOW" pulp fiction from 1952
SCREEN 9: "RAMAR OF THE JUNGLE" not for the squeamish jungle melodrama 1952
More feature attractions coming soon! Get your popcorn ready!

TEST YOUR TV I.Q. ALONE OR WITH FAMILY & FRIENDS! over 60 nostalgic brain twisters.
Fascinating Trivia Questions about The Golden Age Of Television & the Roots of Rock & Roll
What cigars did Ernie Kovacs smoke? Which demure screen actress was a hot dog freak?
What was the first animated TV ad? What sitcom other than Hazel did Shirley Booth star?

Post comments about your favorite Golden Age TV Shows and the stars
and the founding fathers of Rock & Roll and Rhythm & Blues
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Scroll down for the history of TV and pop music
or ^ click here to return to the Oldies Television Channel Selector
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from Oldies Television
HERE IS THE INFORMATIVE, FASCINATING HISTORY OF
THE CREATION, EVOLUTION & GOLDEN AGE OF TELEVISION
and The Roots Of Rock 'n Roll
Remembering When Video Was Monochrome & Music Was Monophonic!

What was then is very relevant to what is now

Before SCTV, SNL & Mad TV, before radio and TV itself, the popular entertainment medium, aside from movies and music, was vaudeville comedy stage revues. As the radio networks (CBS, NBC, Mutual, Westinghouse) needed more than just music and news, vaudevillian stars and their acts were recruited for comedy monologues, sketches and sitcoms. The next move was television in it's infancy. Live sketch comedy goes back to the dawn of television (1948-52): fledgling show pioneers were Sid Caesar (with great support from cast members Imogene Coca, Carl Reiner and Howie Morris), Ernie Kovacs, Red Skelton and Milton Berle (dubbed "Mr.Television" and "Uncle Miltie"). Get this: Berle hosted the syndicated Bowling For Dollars for one season and Gleason hosted a quiz show that lasted one broadcast (see our Trivia Quiz for details. While there were those vaudevillians who lasted a decade on TV, notably Berle, Jack Benny, Bob Hope, George Burns & Gracie Allen, Skelton's characterizations on all three networks, others, such as Ed Wynn, George Gobel, Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis and Donald O'Connor, lasted only a few years.

Long before "The Fonz" there was "The Schnoz," Jimmy Durante, with his trademark Inka Dinka Doo, who hosted his own musical variety shows on CBS and later NBC. Dinah "See The USA In Your Chevrolet" Shore did likewise as summer fillers, eventually winding up with a pre-Oprah style syndicated daytime talk shosw. Other 50's-60's hosts of the now extinct entertaining musical variety shows: Liberace, Perry Como, Andy Williams.

Old TV Shows is the search word most used to find vintage television on the internet. Yes, to young people today they are "those old shows," but isn't it peculiar back in the 50's and 60's when there were only a handful of TV stations in an area, yet there was always something to watch. vs. now, cable and satellite systems carry, at a hefty monthly price, 200+ channels and how often now do we hear people lament, "All those channels and there's nothing to watch."

Stars & Their Technical Ingenuity Advancements in television production in the 50's are credited to Lucille Ball (filming before a live audience), Desi Arnaz (three to five camera synched production), Ernie Kovacs (granddaddy of special effect) and Jackie Gleason (the Eletronicam system combining film and kinescope into one camera unit). Word has it that Les Paul, the celebrated guitarist who pioneered multiple track audio recording and Bing Crosby planted the seed at Ampex Electronics for recording video and audio on magnetic tape ...videotape recording.

Of course our beloved Jackie Gleason used to say about classic TV comedy, "When it's funny, it's funny and that's what makes a show endearing as a classic forever after" Many of today's successful TV show producers stated they studied the masters of yesteryear.an When it's good television, it's good television no matter how dim the picture or low the resolution. Jackie Gleason, Lucille Ball and her then husband Desi Arnaz, came up with ingenious, creative innovations, would pave the way for future TV sitcoms.

Also rans included Father Knows Best (Robert Young, Jane Eyatt, Elinor Donahue, Billy Gray, Lauren Chapan), The Bob Cummmings Show (co-starring Ann B. Davis), My Little Margie (Gale Storm, Charles Farrel) Oh Sussana (Gale Storm, Zazu Pitts), I Married Joan (Joan Davis, Jim Backus), Our Miss Brooks (Eve Arden), Mr. Peepers (Wally Cos), The Dennis Day Shoe (co-starring Cliff Arquette), The Life If Riley (see trivia quiz for original Riley, second longer running series: William Bendix, Marjorie Reynolds, Lugene Sanders, Wesley Morgan, Tom D'andrea), The Goldbergs (Gertrude Berg, Harold J. Stone), December Bride (Spring Byington), Meet Millie (Elena Verdugo, Florence Hallop, Marvin Kaplan), (The Many Loves Of) Dobie Gillis (Dwayne Hickman, Bob Denver (photo below), Tuesday Weld), The Dick Van Dykd Show (co-starring Mary Tyler Moore, Morey Amsterdam, Rosemarie, Carl Eeiner, it's creator),.

A noteworthy B&W idol mentions: While Shelley Fabares was a teen queen on The Donna Reed ShowThe Patty Duke Show that was written around a teenage girl, actually two, both played by Patty Duke (later, the suicidal pill popping starlet in Valley Of The Dolls). Patty played a bouncy, vivacious teen and a live-in twin cousin (hey, anything's possible even on early TV) who was the exact opposite - conservatively demure. Also in the cast: William Schallert (also a player on Dobie Gillis and Jean Byron. Of course, Ricky Nelson (OK, Rick Nelson now) was the girl's hearthrob on Ozzie & Harriet (with real life dad & mom as dad and mom), attempts to make Ronnie Burns with real life parents on(Burns & Allen and Dwayne Hickman Dobie Gillis girl swooners failed. Oh well, there was always lovable Maynard G. Krebs (Dobie, who would go on to become lovable Gilligan.

Noteworthy, but tragic: Honeymooners resurgence. In it's original form,as a standalone sitcom or sketches on Gleason's variety shows, The (original) Honeymooners episodes were endeared and today held as classics, in many major markets run as twelve hour marathons on New Years Eve. In the mid 1966, Jackie resurrected the sitcom as The Jackie Gleason Show presents The Honeymooners", hour musicals taped in Miami Beach. Audrey Meadows and Joyce Randolph could not relocate from New York. Shiela Mac Rae was the new Alice, Jane Kean the new Trixie and it just didn't work. In the mid 70's, Jackie regrouped the original cast and gave it a go on ABC, less the what was latter day considered politically incorrect fisting and "Pow, right in the kisser," or "To the moon, Alice," and the smacks on Norton's shoulder. After three hour runs, ABC pulled the plug on the legendary bus driver, sewer worker and wives. The kinescope episodes of The Honeymooners from 1954 to 1959 remain the loved classics. BTW: did you know Audrey Meadows was not the first to play Alice Kramden. And did you know Jackie played a blue collar worker dad on a sitcom, the role later played by another comedic actor? Find out who was the first to play Alice and what was Jackie's first 1949 CBS sitcom role in our Trivia Quiz. Of course, Jackie had success with his Honeymoonerless American Scene Magazine (1962-65) with his characterizations of The Poor Soul, Reginald Van Gleason III (often with former Marx Brothers movies character actress Margaret Du Mont), Charlie Bracken, The Loud Mouth (with Art Carney whom he bothered at a diner), Joe the Bartender (with Frank Fontaine a/k/a Crazy Guggenheim.

Noteworthy: The DuMont Television Network launched The Honeymooners and the career of Jackie Gleason, DuMont also KO'd the venerable Uncle Miltie on Tuesday nights with not another comedian, but a Catholic Bishop, Exc. Fulton J. Sheen.
For the fascinating history of the innovations and downfalls of The DuMont Television Network and it's founder, click here.. The story of the "forgotten network"is an eye opening overview of the brutal competitiveness of and governmental bias toward the broadcast industry even at it's inception.

Another struggle of survival in the business of broadcasting was within the "minority" (race) oppressive 1950's, Black principal roles were portrayed by white stage minstrel (blackface) comics as Amos and Andy. A second black theme sitcom, , starred noted black film actress Ethel Waters as a maid. It would take Norman Lear, in the 70's, to bring network television prominence to Afro-American based situation comedies.

There would be no weekly comedy sketch show series hosted by a woman until many years later when a young female supporting cast member from The Gary Moore Show and on a failed sitcom Stanley starring Buddy Hackett, the femme talent named Carol Burnett finally got her own showcase on CBS with cast members Harvey Korman, Lyle Wagoner, Vickie Lawrence and Tim Conway. The long awaited success and chemistry became legendary. Entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan became the rigid but endearing presenter of entertainers, opera singers to acrobats, dancers to sword throwers, lion tamers to puppet mouse Topogigo Sunday nights on CBS. When rock and roll proved it was here to stay, poker faced Sullivan challenged teen favorite Dick Clark (ABC) for booking Elvis and The Beatles, who never appeared on either Clark's American Bandstand or Saturday Night stage show (see teen dance and variety shows below). Sullivan even allowed so/so R&R one hit wonders such as "The Sparkletones" (Black Slacks) share his stage with the likes of Renata Tibaldi and Alan King. There was also Your Hit Parade on which four vocalist regulars sang the top ten tunes for the week. Who were the crooners? See our Trivia Quiz/

Hard to categorize was NBC's Colegate Comedy Hour brcause some weeks it was more musical than comical. The weekly fare had rotating hosts which included Eddie Cantor, the team of Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis, Bud Abbot and Lou Costello, the latter having also their own weekly syndicated half hour show. The Colegate endeavor, which failed miserably in the Nielsons, except for Martin & Lewis weeks, was more like Sullivan's show because it had an array of song and dance musical guests including Danny Kaye, Kay Starr and ol' blue eyes himself, Frank Sinatra; but even the Chairman of the Board couldn't dig this one out of the ratings cellar. It would have been funnier if Don Rickles were around TV screens, then, in the late 50's, to heckle Sinatra ("Hey Frank, make yourself at home...hit somebody" was one of Rickles' most famous barbs to blue eyes years later on the The Deab Nartin Show)

Producer Don Fedderson had no ratings problem with The Millionaire. No, not a quiz show, but a weekly series drama in which Michael Anthony, played by Marvin Miller, gave away a million smackers to some poor soul at the benevolence of the unseen, but heard billionaire, John Beresford Tipton, who was just curious about human nature and how sudden wealth could change it. Viewers were also intrigued and the show ran for several seasons in the late 1950's and early 60's on CBS. (Most of the recipients were better off without the mysterious windfall).



50's Kiddie TV Delights: Notable children;s shows: Bob Smith's Howdy Doody, with Clarabelle The Clown (Bob Keeshan, later Lew Anderson (pictured page top) Burr Tilstrom's Kukla Fran & Ollie,, Pinky Lee (pictured left), who collapsed while dancing frenetically during a live broadcast, Winky Dink, Fearless Fosdick (marionettes), Shari Lewis & Lambchop, Paul Winchell & Jerry Mahoney; these kidvid shows were on the networks, while local stations concocted ultra-low budget cartoon shows, such as Newark New Jersey's (Junior Frolics) had hosts like "Uncle" Fred Sayles (discussed on the blog below) narrating silent screen cartoons (Farmer Brown a/k/a Farmer Grey, KoKo The Clown, et al) over instrumental records. There was notably also Chicago's kidvid, Burt Tillstrom's Kukla, Fran & Ollie (Fran Allison interacted with named pupper clown and dragon as well as Beulah Witch, Mme. Oglepuss and Cecil Bill (who could only say tooey ta tooey ta tooey). Chicago was also the home of Miss Fraces' Ding Dong School (also discussed in the blog). and one of the hundred's of TV's Bozos (the Clown)

Too hip for kids In the sixties, a rodent-like faced comic named Soupy Sales hosted what had started out to be a kiddie show for Metromedia stations, originating from then WNEW-TV Ch. 5 New York. The following were college kids who hee-hawed at Sales' suggestive antics and double entendres. MM axed the show after "The Mouse" (Soupy and his semi-hit record) received parental complaints during FCC license renewal time. A decade later, Jersey comedian Floyd Vivino would revive the spontaneous comedy routines of "The Uncle Floyd Show," beaming first via cable access, then by on again off again on again UHF channel 68 in West Orange, NJ. Spaced college kids joined the kiddie set laughing at mature puns and the show was then nationally syndicated, unsuccessfully. Uncle Rupert pulled the same act on a low power LA station in the late 60's, a bikini clad dancing teen got viewers' attention and a pink slip.

Animation Nation The first animated cartoons in national syndication (with a sizeable viewership) were: Rocky< & Bullwinkle, Gumby, Underdog, Superman were the favorites. Curiously, Bullwinkle with villains Boris Badeniff and Natasha, had overtones of cold war propaganda, a la Animal Farm. but "Moose and Squirrel" was a weekly syndicated series. Major market independent TV stations had cartoon blocks of Felix The Cat, Looney Toons,(Bugs, Daffy, Tweety, et al); Allied Artist Toons; Little LuLu, Betty Boop, among others. 50'S.

Horses, Dogs & Other Creatures Non-animated-animal series faves doggies Lassie (debut 1954 with Tommy Rettig, June Lockhart, Jon Provost, syndicated), Rin Tin Tin (orig, 30s-40's movies, then ABC in 1954 starring Lee Aaker); horsies My Friend Flicka (40's movie turned to TV 1954 with Roddy Mc Dowall, Preston Foster. a syndie), Mr Ed (the talking horse, of course, of course, with Alan Young, Connie Hines, early 60's on CBS). There was also Cleo, the talking dog, on The People's Choice sitcom starring Jackie Cooper as Socrates Miller and Patricia Breslin as fiance Mandy Peopkes, her huge papa played by John Stephenson, Mary Jane Crost the voice of Cleo, which ran on NBC 1954-58.

Mr. Wizard: The Unsung Hero Of 50's Educational Kidvid Before public television, parents turned to an unassuming TV personality, Don Herbert, who, to children and elementary school teachers, was affectionately known as Mr. Wixard who today would be teaching us all about DTV, but in those analog only days, he would demonstrate gravity, static electricity, rocket propulsion and other fascinating science basics. Don was a general science and English major at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (then it was La Crosse State Normal College) who was interested in drama. His career as an actor was interrupted by World War II when he enlisted in the United States Army as a Private. Herbert later joined the United States Army Air Forces, took pilot training, and became a B-24 bomber pilot who flew combat missions with the Fifteenth Air Force, flying out of a base in Italy. When Herbert was discharged in 1945, he was a Captain and had earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters. After the war, Herbert worked at a radio station in Chicago, then formulated Mr. Wizard and a general science experiments show that had a lad or lass assist him in a TV studio fashioned lab. Herbert debuted the show on Chicago NBC station WNBQ, aon March 3, 1951. The televised experiments, many of which seemed impossible at first, would be taught to young viewers. Well over five hundred episodes were televised on the entire NBC network before it was canceled in 1965 (replaced by adventure cartoons to sell sugary cereal and drinks, this more significant to network advertisers and programmers. Now you know why PBS became sorely needed to inspire kids minds in the latter 60's).

Yes, NBC had a late night talk show debuting with Fred Allen, then Jack Paar, Johnny Carson, Jay Leno; fill in-hosts: Steve Allen (no relation to Fred), Georgie Jessel, Jerry Lewis, Helen Reddy, Joey Bishop, Don Rickles, Joey Bishop (for predecessor Carson). The show was eventually packaged as "The Tonight Show starring..." and high audience followed triggered late night talk wars: Dick Cavett, Geraldo Rivera on ABC, which eventually conceded and went "Nightline" news magazine, the perennial David Letterman on CBS after years as NBC also ran.

In time slots other then after the late night local news, ABC had the venerable Joe Franklin (who went local in New York on then WOR-TV in every time slot imaginable until the 2AN end). Merv Griffin, who vied with Carson to host The Tonight Show on NBC, found success in syndication with co-host Arthur Treacher.

Poignant early TV evening network news anchors included Edward R. Murrow and John Cameron Swayze ("Hop-scotching the world for headlines!") Morning guys were Dave Garroway, (pictured left, who prolifically signed off with "Peace"). Robert Q. Lewis, Arthur Godfrey, among others (these after stations decided to go on the air at 9AM rather than 5PM, see "remember when..." below). Independent stations, strapped financially, aired armed forces advertorials provided by the Army,Navy and Marines...along with Three Stooges, Laurel & Hardy and Little Rascals film shorts. Interesting clips of early television commercials can be found included with our Oldies Television Trivia Quiz,link below our channel selector. Were there infomercials back in the early days of television? There was Star Nail, Jon Gnagy Learn To Draw Kits, Leg Magique, Jack La Lane Super Juicer The independent stations relied on moldie oldie theatre cartoons and the schlocky but loveable Bela Lugosi (click here to see clips) schlockploitation movies, the cheapie, quickie ones other than his signature Dracula, churn outs like Chandu that were still endearing to viewers who didn't care for westerns or Championship Bowling from Syosset.

Sports without ESPN: Baseball legends like Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson (left) Pee Wee Reese, Joe Di Maggio or Yogi Berra were not seen nationwide as they played ball in the early days of television, games were carried on local stations where the games were played. Ditto football.Tennis, hockey and golf were not considered hot sports events in the early 50's when air time was at a premium. The networks began broadcasting World Series and Super Bowls, other games remained locally broadcast. Boxing and wrestling films were shown late night on weekends, bowling was relegated to the weekend afternoons when a station had no baseball. After Milton Berle's ratings declined on NBC in the mid 60's, the network loaned him to the syndicated Bowling For Dollars The thinking was to turn tenpin into a game show and since Groucho Marx's sardonic wisecracking gained popularity on his quiz show, maybe Berle could do likewise and popularize TV bowling. Of course it didn't work. Berle was awkward, not familiar with the sport. The most celebrated early TV baseball announcers were Mel Allen (pictured above) and Red Barber.

Enter The Medics There was the never fail medical drama that began with Medic (Richard Boone as "Konrad Steiner, Doctor of Medicine"). It's the grandaddy of all medical shows and could hold up today with E/R or Chicago Hope (see our ch. 45). Created by James E. Moser, Medic was carefully researched, well written and an Emmy Award Winner back in the mid 50's. More melodramatic was Janet Dean, Registered Nurse. with Ella Raines as the dutiful sometimes hospital, sometimes visiting RN. Then came...

The inopposite docs: Who can forget the boyish, mild-mannered "Dr. Kildare" (Richard Chamberlain) and the obnoxious Dr. Ben Casey (Vince Edwards).
The Simile Docs Ben Casey is grandfather to and, Hugh Laurie admits, inspiration for Fox's top rated medical drama House, Marcus Welby, MD (Robert Young), Medical Center and Jack Webb's Emergency. (One of our viewers got one up on us by submitting Breaking Point, the forgotten TV medic show that sort of a psychiatry version of Ben Casey starring Paul Richards which ran on ABC in 1963 after Vince Edwards hung up his stethoscope. Today, E/R, Gray;s Anatomy ...on and on ...people always were and are fascinated by medical melodrama). General Hospital is the long running daytime medical serial...soap opera The Daytime soap operas (so called, given the name by predominant advertisers) go back also to 1930's radio and 1950's television: The Secret Storm, The Edge Of Night, The Guiding Light to name only a few of many. If you weren't there, you would be surprised, maybe even be amazed, by how much the golden age of television really has inspired today's vast videodrome (homage to Debbie Harry for the term.)

Dancing With The Stars became an instant smash hit when it premiered 2006 on ABC, but in the fifties Arthur Murray Dance Party, which also featured dance contests with luminaries, got big ratings. Dance studio mogul Arthur Murray gave viewers dance lessoms, but his personable wife, Kathryn, hosted the long running summer replacement series.

Howdy, Podner! Annie Oakley (Gail Davis), Hopalong Cassidy (William Boyd), Roy Rogers, Gene Autry and The Lone Ranger (Clayton Moore), among others, began the weekly western TV series craze in the early 1950's. By the latter part of that century, prime time top rating oaters emerged, including Gunsmoe (James Arness), Maverick (James Garner), The Rifleman (Chuck Connors), Bat Masterson, (Gene Barry) The Virginia( James Drury), Have Gun, Will Travel (Richard Boone as Palladin)., Ponderosa Ranch honcho Ben Cartwright (Lorne Greene) and sons (Michael Landon, Dan Blocker, Pernell Roberts would take TV westerns to a new height with Bonanza. When the Emmy award winning series ended in the mid 1950's, horses, podners and varmints faded from the video screen as regular first run network TV offerings.Happy Trails.

Book 'em, Dano Leonard Freeman created "Hawaii Five-0" premiered on CBS in 1968 with Jack Lord as the invincible Steve Mc Garrett, heading a governor assigned crime fighting task force, co-starring James Mac Arthur as partner Danny. The series zoomed to the Nielson's top ratings spot and remained on the network for twelve seasons, longer than either "Dragnet" series, longer than "All In The Family." In 2010, over thirty years later, history repeats itself. A new "Hawaii Five-0" premiered with Alex 0'Loughlin reprising Mc Garett with history and how the partner nickname "Dano," played now by Jean Smart came into being (we won't be the spoiler, it's in the pilot debut episode sure to be repeated). Like it's predecessor, the new "Hawaii Five-0" rocketed to the ratings top on CBS. You can watch episodes of the original or the new spawn at cbs.com.

Sci-Fi & TV While Flash Gordon's enemy Ming the Merciless was watching his nemesis on a "Televisor," the aforemention men of science (Farnsworth, Zworkyn. et a;) were perfecting the once dream of transmitting an image over the wireless medium that Marconio (and others) made into reality. In the 1950's, television sci-fi was ablaze with Rod Serling's Twilight Zone and mimicker One Step Beyond OTV Viewer P. Moholland corrected our trivia: "in your scifi tv area you had quoted an episode of One Step Beyond with William Shatner returning from a space trip from Vulcan..that is wrong. It actually was an episode of the The Outer Limits; titled "Cold Hands, Warm Heart." The project was called Vulcan, not the planet. It was a trip to Venus and he came in contact with an alien that caused his body temperature to drop"

One of Du Mont's biggest hits, aside from The Honeymooners and the good Bishop, was Captain Video & His Video Rangers which was the outer space craze of it's time (more info about Captain Vid on our ch. 46. Science Fiction was always a ratings getter, save a few bomb's like the mid 50's syndicated Top Secret also on DuMont, But distrib Ziv wasn't about to transport itself into oblivion; it's highly successful Science Fiction Theatre with host Truman Bradley combining real science with the futuristic dramas that aired on CBS and NBC. In the early 60's, young public television used Flash to rattle the tin cup, Serling was still going strong (not so his immitators) and when NBC agreed to launch Star Trek from Desilu/Paramount to get their Mission Impossible, they were unaware the craze and two decades of syndicated spinoffs that would support Paramount's UPN foray. When NBC pulled the plug on Trek in it's third season, England's ATV launched Space: 1999 with Mission's Martin Landau and Barbara Bain at the helm. Even after 40 years, < the original Star Trek is still somewhat broadcast TV syndicated, in limited markets and same full length episodes, plus ST:TNG, DS9, ST:Voyager & ST:Enterprise on the internet, you can find links and listings on Blinkx-TV (we got canned).

Gabfest TV talk shows were around since TV itself. early 50's Pioneers On Networks: Dave Garroway (original NBC "Today" show host, pictured here with signature peace hand gesture and with Fred J.Muggs, celebrity chimp, the original "Tonight" show host, Steve Allen, followed Fred Allen (no relation that we know of and briefly), then followed by Jack Paar, Johnny Carson, Jay Leno (presently) with guest hosting by Joey Bishop, Phyllis Diller and Don Rickles, among others.

Lest we forget, the inevitable Joe Franklin, who claims he had "the first eyeball to eyeball talk show." Problem with the claim? It was on the johnny-come-lately network, ABC; prior named were already gabbing on the other networks. Perhaps the first two daytime talkers in the early 50's were Robert Q. Lewis (see also our trivia quiz), Arthur Godfery and Art Linkletter, who started the "kids say the darnest thing" craze. Later would come, via syndication, Dinah Shore, Merv Griffin, Mike Douglas, Virginia Graham and the first Tabloid-TV gabber, Phil Donahue .(Phil would be farthest from the last, albeit Phil was soft spoken....remember Morton Downey jr?). The noted 50's newscasters: John Cameron Swayze ("hop scotching the world for headlines"), Edward R. Murrow and a young upstart, Walter Cronkite.

...and now, for a 50s=60s musical interlude:

Big Band and Swing had, by the mid fifties, given away to pop vocals and eventually the combining of Gospel, Blues and Rockabilly hence known as Rock & Roll. Teens and young adults loved it (it was groovy) and older adults despised it as "the devil's music," caucasian racists called it "jungle music" with doo wop groups recording mocks of it ("Lost In The Jungle," "Shimmy Shimmy Ko Ko Bop," for two).

The Early TV Scandals. Rock & Roll revealed not nice things thqt had nothing to do with the music. Payola, Dance Shows & Hiked Skirts, and, on a different video note, Rigged Quiz Shows.

The TV teen dance craze started on the East Coast and spread worldwide, with their (then critiqued) provocative movements.. "Dick Clark's American Bandstand" that went from local Philadelphia WFIL TV 6 (4PM Mon-Fri) in 1957 to the nationwide ABC network and into syndication up to the 1980's. (Did you know Dick took over the helm after a previous host was discovered dating one of the high school dancers?) There were also the local shows hosted by Alan Freed (1958-62 5-6PM Mon-Fri, 8PM Sat WNEW-TV 5 NY), Clay Cole, Rate The Record 6-7PM Mon-Fri 1958 WNTA-TV 13 Newark NJ, then The Clay Cole Show 5 to 6PM M-F & Sat 5PM lip synchs with co-star Angela Martin, 1959-62 WPIX-TV 11 NY), Al Jarvis, movie actor (Make Believe Ballroom) and KECA-TV Los Angeles talk show host got in on the dance party craze with his weekday afternoon show on KABC-TV (also L.A.) which spanned the late fifties through early sixties. Jerry Blavatt the Geeter with the Heater on WPHL-TV 17 PA and John Zacherle, who morphed from host-spook-spoofing horror flicks on WABC-TV 7 NY 1957-61 to DiscoTeen, 6-7PM Mon-Fri 1962-3, on WNJU-TV 47 Newark NJ, the latter two on UHF frequencies that many TV "sets" then could not yet receive!

The "Payola" scandal (1957-60) investigated by the Feds got top 40 radio, TV teen music and dance shows, even rock and roll concerts all shook up. WNEW-TV and WOR-AM radio fired Alan Freed, he and Dick Clark were summoned to testify at Senate hearings (we have the press statements from both on Oldies Television Ch. 15. Freed had previously been bounced from the ABC network after a brief national run of his show. Clark survived until the late 80's, when "American Bandstand" ratings went into the cellar, the Tribune Company syndicated "Soul Train,"originally hosted by founder Don Cornelius, retained a strong viewership through today, especially in LA, Chicago, Baltimore and New York.Shemar Moore took over hosting duties in 1999, Cornelius still pushing the buttons as an executive producer

The Broadway Stage Finds Success In 60s Rock & Roll Groups In 2004, the 80's group Abba was profiled on the Broadway Stage with "Mama Mia." The box office success of that, and the "Grease" revivals, prompted "Jersey Boys" which loosely traced the careers of once Newark area lounge act "The Four Lovers" who, under record producer Bob Crew's baton, spawned The Four Seasons who would create #1 hits for Vee Jay Records and, in 2010, "Rain" which tributes The Beatles from bubble gum to acid rock. Both shows, and the re-enactment of a jam session between Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins & Johnny Cash at Sun Recording Studio, met with unprecedented attendance and rave reviews for the heretofore backsliding New York Stage.

The success of these S.R.O. sellout Broadway shows about the founding fathers of rock demonstrates what Disc Jockey "Cousin Brucie" Bruce Morrow told an NBC reporter (when a NY Oldies station changed formats to hard rock and then back again when the first switch lost 30% of the station's listeners), "There will always be a market for oldies." And maybe that is why Oldies Television's "hit" (unique visitor) rate more than quadrupled over the last year. There will always be people, young and old, who want to see and hear the fifties and sixties.

The Day The Music Died February 3, 1959. It was a cold, blistery, snowy winter night when the plane crashed, which claimed the lives of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, Jiles .P. "Big Bopper" Richardson and the pilot, Roger Peterson. The three 50's rock and roll idols were headed to a dance party tour scheduled to run in 24 cities from January 23rd to February 15th in 1958. Dion & TThe Belmonts, also booked on the show, took a tour bus along with backup musician Waylon Jennings. Unfortunately, there was controversy in this tragedy, too. Tabloid newspapers alleged a cover-up of an onboard shooting. There are more details about the harrowing music event along with a tear evoking final performance of The Big Bopper, J. P. Richardson, on The Dick Clark show on Oldies Television Channel 22.

Yes, Virginia, there was a Snookey Lansen Who was Snookey Lansen? That's the number one question we see on search engines leading to our Trivia Quiz page. The answer is there. Hint: he was on network TV every Saturday night at 10PM. Okay, we'll cheat and give you the answer here, too. The venerable Snooky Lansen was one of an ensemble of four singers appearing each week to sing homogenized versions of top ten songs on Your Hit Parade. The Snook was joined by three other relatively unknowns: Dorothy Collins, Russel Arms and Giselle MacKenzie who, in '54, had a mild barely breaking #20 hit with "Hard To Get" on an RCA bumpoff label, X Records, which the show "phonyously" placed one week at #2.

Things got rough in the late 50's on Your Hit Parade when the fortysomething big band era singers had to perform teen craze rock & roll tunes like Stagger Lee & Hound Dog. It was humorous to see conservatively dressed Dorothy Collins do a jitterbuggy jump dance to the rockabilly Blue Suede Shoes. Actually, Snooky Lansen adapted the best to Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry tunes, but with a name like Snooky you have to be good. CBS pulled Your Hit Parade off the turntable permanently in 1962, that year airing only sporadically on various nights, sort of like the way NBC tried to kill Star Trek five years later. We know where Shatner went, but Snooky, where are you?

The second most asked question to search engines eludes to TV censorship back in the fifties. In a nutshell: the word "pregnant" was taboo (the forbidden word list was not just seven as it is today, but well over seventy). Visually, a married couple could not be seen in the same bed together (thus the twin beds on sitcoms). Permitted then, was smoking on camera. On general entertainment shows today, smoking on camera is disallowed by network censors, which would be quite an enigma for Ernie Kovacs. George Burns and Groucho Marx, if their shows were on right now. Visual depictions or words deemed to make fun on mainstream religion were also censored on TV in the 1950's and most of the 60's. Jokes about Snooky Lansen, however, always fair game.

The Beatles, The British Invasion and Ed Sullivan Unfortunately, Ed Sullivan could not get the credit for the first to have Elvis on TV (more about Ed Sullivan and rock music stars below). The Tommy & Jimmy Dorsey Show beat him to it. So did Berle. In 1963, when Brian Epstein showed Sullivan a film of The Beatles performing She Loves You on Britain TV (the very performance we have for you on Oldies Television Channel 54), Ed inked the foursome to debut in America on his show after the stadium arrival brouha. Thus began the British Invasion and Ed Sullivan, knowing attracting young viewers was attractive to television advertisers) would debut not only The Beatles, but their opposites, The Rolling Stones, complete with Mick Jagger's tongue, along with Herman's Hermits, The Dave Clark Five, and countless appearances by Petula Clark, Sullivan's personal talent favorite of all the British pop stars. While EMI's Capitol Records was tickled with the money from three to five Beatle's songs being in the top 20 at the same time during most of 1964 amd '65, not everyone was tickled to death over the British invasion. American artists felt squeezed out of the record charts and TV appearances from such shows as Sullivan's. Eventually, things equalized and Elvis' Burning Love and even a non rock & roll Patti Page record, Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte were in the top ten with Nowhere Man and DC5's Needles and Pins (-ah)

Did Ed Sullivan really "dig" rock and roll? Ed Sullivan had the then much misaligned Elvis on his show numerous time, once calling the now King of Rock & Roll a "Fine, fine boy." Sullivan introduced the Beatles to American television and had all the most popular British Invasion groups on at least once: The Rolling Stones, The Dave Clark Five, Freddie & The Dreamers, Petula Clark (although she was not really a rock and roll singer) among others. Ed Sullivan even gave obscure rock bands a spot, if one can remember such less than top ten hits as "Black Slacks" by The Sparkletones. Truth known, it was The Ed Sullivan Show sponsors who wanted the rock and roll acts featured. The reason, of course, the teen to thirty demographics.

Oft appearing Catarina Valente, Rise Stevens, Alan King, The Four Aces et al appealed to the Lawrence Welk crowd (30+). Topogigo the Mouse and dancing bears were for the kiddies. Some artists, such as The Platters and Rodney Dangerfield cross-appealed to young and old. But Madison Avenue wanted assurance young adults were glued to Sullivan's Sunday Night variety show. And so, Ed's talent bookers went after top ten rock and roll acts. Truth be known, Ed was not exactly thrilled and stated so in his newspaper column.

The week after defending Elvis against the backlash of daddys' vulgar pelvis protests, Ed, on the air, called rock and roll "rubbish" when introducing Robert Goulet: "And now, ladies and gentleman, to bring us away from the rubbish of rock and roll, here now on our stage, Robert Goulet."

Clearly, the celebrated presentation of rock stars on The Ed Sullivan Show was about advertisers and money, not Ed Sullivan's personal likes. He did, however, like Elvis' remakes of such old 40's crooner tunes like "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" "Can't Help Falling In Love With You," and "Love Me Tender," the movie theme to the tune of "Aura Lee." But The Beatles and Stones (and probably The Sparkletones) music would not be found on Ed Sullivan's home phonograph (for you teens, that's a record player, vinyl).

What was it like to watch television in the 1950's? The most asked question on search engines by college students which brings them here, answered by OTV moderator, Lou)

I was born in 1945 (please don't scurry for a calculator). My parents bought their first "TV set" in 1947, an Admiral brand, with ten inch screen and a built in AM/FM radio with record player ("changer") on the side, all contained in a beautiful solid oak cabinet with a 12" speaker (woof).

Being in the metro New York area, we were lucky. There were seven channels, all on VHF because there were only 12 VHF frequencies at the time, designated as channels 2-13. No UHF until two decades later. A good outdoor antenna around the New York area could pick up WCBS-TV 2, WNBC-TV 4, then WABD-TV 5 (ill fated Du Miont), the rest, WOR-TV 9, WPIX-TV 11 and WATV 13 all independent. No PBS yet. LA had a similar set of choices, but other areas were limited to two, three, or four network affilliates. The stations went on the air with a test pattern about 3PM, national anthem and programs followed until about midnight when stations signed off with a Priest, Minister, or Rabbi (no joke follows), the national anthem, and a long, dragged out speech about the stations operating power (usually two million watts circular radiation), who owns it, and how the station so wonderfully complies with FCC public service regulations. The exaltation was spoken while a robot camera pointed one of it's three turret lenses at an art card of the stations logo.

There were no electronically generated graphics in the fifties. Station ID's, show titles and credits, and ad words were drawn, printed, pasted on a square cardboard. After Desi Arnaz and Jackie Gleason pressed for multiple camera set-ups in the mid fifties, super imposition of lettering over video emerged. Aw, I still loved the picture Uncle Fred['s clown holding the "Junior Frolics" title card.

So, it's 5PM EST and this then 5 year old kid wanted to watch "Howdy Doody" (in black and white, of course). Mom turned on the Admiral TV at 4:55PM. It's 28 vacuum tubes needed two minutes to bring sound, then picture. All TV sets back then did. No HDTV, guys, not even HQ. The monochrome image was fuzzy, blurry, streaky and that's before reception problems. If a plane flew over the house, Clarabelle would wiggle and flutter. If a nearby hospital turned on diagnostic equipment, bars of squiggly lines (called "diathermy") rolled up the ten inch CRT picture. If a car passed by, Dilly Dally would have white lines dashing through him. Indigenous to old, tube TV's were horizontal and vertical rolls when anything (like electrical surge) bothered the hand wired circuitry or the huge power transformer inside the thing. There were knobs to fix the nuisance, also focus knob and fine tuning knob. Channels were changed on the set by a big ratchet-contact round (vernier) tuner and a fine tuning knob usually inset on the click tuner. Yes, Mr. Tudbury's secretary, you had to get up and change the channel. No remotes, although hospital and maybe nursing home patient rooms used a motor rotor wired to a forward button.

The shows we watched from 5PM to midnight are described and shown on the Oldies Television website. Slowly, TV stations increased on air time to 16 hours on weekends, 16 hours every day and then, voila, 24/7 which played havoc with vacuum tube transmitting equipment that was eccentric already. Enter the "Please Stand By" signs. Some days, we'dl be "standing by" a particular station for hours. Even when IBM invented the transistor (grandaddy of integrated circuits and chipsets) and computer (a huge, klunky, tubey, tubby Univac), the technics of television broadcasting during the fifties was rough going. Young people, curious about what TV was like during the 50's, often send e-mail about "the fuzzy pictures" on some of our streams not re-mastered. Well, boys and girls, that was the picture and sound quality further degraded by kinescope which recorded video pictures off the screen or camera viewer. At home on our Admiral, we were watching video with about 80 lines of resolution (about 340x150 pixels at 5MB now). Better than the spinning disc configuration of the 30's, but not much better via early Cathode Ray/ The first "color TV" was a multicolored transparent sheet over the black and white screen (yeah, right). When RCA developed the first tri-striped vidicon system (sensing primary three colors), we lived for awhile in the early 60's with a green Red Skelton and Connie Stevens with purple hair (at least now it'd be in goth fashion).

That's how it was in the early 50's. Grooved records, sound produced by a vibrating "needle" (stylus), crackly AM, multipath distorted FM, jumpy, fuzzy tiny size picture TV. Refrigerators that had to be defrosted (better than changing ice in the previous decade), no three prong electrical outlet shock protection, nary a polarity, no cable (community antennas for Andy Griffith country), no PC, no YouTube or Facebook (unless you went to Parochial school and got hit by a book by a Nun), no e-Mail and Spam was salty processed ham.

The Evolution Of Television & Recording.

A CRT Is Born In 1923, the iconoscope, a crude but functional form of the CRT Cathode Ray ("Picture") Tube, laid the path for today's big screens and digital pictures. (There was also the mechanical scanner patented in the same year). By the mid 1930's, experimental TV stations operated as the "red" and "blue"network, which blossomed into Du Mont (named after Allen B. Du Mont), CBS, NBC and later ABC. Our Oldies Television Trivia Quiz has historic information about videotech pioneers Vladimir Zworkyn and Philo Farnsworth.

Once Upon A Time, In The Beginning....
...When programs were frequently interrupted by a "Please Stand By-Technical Difficulties" sign,
...When TV stations didn't go on the air until 5PM and went off the air at midnight
...When there was 20+ hot vacuum tubes the size of a ketchup bottle inside the TV that too often burned out
...When a white dot stayed in the center of the picture tube for minutes after the TV was turned off
...When TV sets had focus, horizontal hold, vertical hold and rotary channel selector knobs
...When pseudo-color TV was simulated by placing a tri-tinted plastic sheet over the screen
...When "instant on" tube TV sets caught fire and had to be recalled.

Earliest television receivers ("TV sets" as then called) used vacuum tubes and the cathode ray ("picture") tubes were round, Cabinet front screen cutout bezels were usually squared, cutting off top and bottom of the transmitted picture (studio camera operators sometimes, not always, compensated). Eventually, RCA developed the square picture tubes and the NTSC picture ratio standard was set into place. Picture screen sizes began with 10" diagonal, then edged up to 21" by the early 60's. Console TV's boasted large 12" speakers and television-radio (FM/AM)-phonograph (record players, usually automatic changers), average price tag $500, were very popular. There are interesting facts about Vladimir Zworkyn and Philo Farnsworth, the pioneers of television in our trivia quiz.

What was the DuMont Television Network (the "forgotten network")? For the fascinating history of the innovations and downfalls of The DuMont Television Network and it's founder, click here.

After Edison claimed to invent the "Talking Machine," (other inventors created electro-mechanical machines that also recorded and reproduced sound), a wire wrapped on a tin foil encased cylinder, Vitaphone, in association with RCA Victor (some historians say Columbia), in the early 1900's, perfected the monophonic flat disc record, a first one-sided, then two sided ten inch disc made of easily breakable vinyl. The first "Victrolas" used a crank which turned the disc at approximately 80 rpm with wow and flutter galore.

By the late 1930's, electric motor "Phonographs" played the disc at 78 rpm. Admiral and Emerson debuted the record changer with a little help from British Industries Corporation (40's-to-60's Garrard, Collaro and BIC-Monarch brands). At first steel "needles" held to a piezo-electric transducer ("cartridge") at the tip of the curved tone arm had to be replaced every few spins until Vaco (now Varco) came up with sapphire, later diamond tipped "stylus" and the transducers were refined to "high fidelity" cartridges in the late 40's, just about the time RCA, Columbia and MGM touted the "non-breakable" vinyl 7" 45 rpm records, then the 12" 33 1/3 rpm "Long Play" albums.

Released records were "pressed" after several pre-press steps. A lacquer coated aluminum master was cut on a lathe from the completed tape recording. A reverse stamper (the grooves cut into the master were, at a plating company, used to make a cutting disc with the groove inside out to cut into the pressing) was then delivered, to the pressing plant as were the paper labels from a printing company. It was this process: master tape to master discs (2 sides), master discs to stampers (2 sides), stampers to press - stamper side 1 placed in a lower base, side 2 placed in an upper swing down base, labels on each side of a "bun" (glop of vinyl) - and then the upper base would swing on a hot press to the lower and, voila, the record. Usually, a "protection plate" would be made in the event the stampers broke, avoiding the need to start back from the audio tape.

Two companies, Synthetic Plastics in Newark, NJ and New York Office based Audio Fidelity/Pickwick Records, which had been pressing "soundalike" cheaper cover singles of hit songs in the 40's and 50's lay claim to the dollar record album, usually consisting of songs and music discarded by the major labels. Both owned their own pressing plants, both distributed to mass market department stores. Synthetic Plastics incorporated as Ambassador Record Company, with Prom, Promenade, Diplomat and Spanish Embajador, they also made "Golden" (yellow vinyl) records for the kiddie set. Only two buck albums made the national charts below 75: "Twist With Randy Andy & The Candymen" (1961) and "A Tribute To John F. Kennedy" (1962). Their Johnny Ponce produced "Beatlettes" girl group or mimic Beatles Manchesters (actually Randy Andy & The Candymen again) did not score. All were on the Diplomat label.

Audio Fidelity marketed on their label, eventually becoming Stereo Fidelity, with only one album, "101 Strings Play Love Songs," previously on RCA's Camden label, hit 92 on the national charts. The Pickwick label was assigned for a special deal with Capitol. Other record marketers tried to emulate the dollar LP boom and failed for lack of shelf space and the cost fact they did not own their own pressing plants. By the 70's, the dollar album inched up to two, then three dollars, then oblivion.

In the early 1950's, audio engineers at Ampex and Rek-0-Kut-Rondine, manufacturers of professional recording studio equipment, worked on stereo two channel recording, evoked from guitarist Les Paul's multi track overdubbing genius. vinyl Stereophonic ("stereo") records (first attempts at quad sound bombed) would be the record releasing standard, even over failed 8 track and successful cassette tapes, until the Compact Disc ("CD") and digital audio blossomed in the 80's.

SOME eMAIL COMMENTS WE RECEIVED
ABOUT OLDIESTELEVISION.COM

Adam Wade Thanks so much! This (site) is amazing!!!

Barbara Harris (The Toys) Great site. Keep bringing back these memories!

Shirley "This is so wonderful,to be able to relive the most wonderful years of my life. Such great memories. I'm so glad I found this website. I lived through all of these things. Please keep going and I'll keep enjoying and reliving the past. Those were the days,ahhhhh, yes."

50sGirl4Ever "Ever since my parents died, I have been searching for pieces of my past. Now that I have found this wonderful site, I feel whole again. The biggest surprise was that there are so many others like me who enjoy remembering these wonderful times. So, thank you, Lou! I am just thrilled with this site."

Aleta "How wonderful to relive the past and bring back memories of my childhood. I still havn't gone thru everything, but I will, thank you Lou"

Reggie "This was GREAT! I love watching the old shows and hearing the oldies. And it was for FREE! there should be more websites like this. Keep them coiming! Once again I LOVED IT!"

Mzukowski, PA "What a wonderfull site. When my friend sent it to me I was going to open it. Now I wish someonevwould sent it to me a longtime ago. The memory of some of the shows. I'm 59 but I remember sitting with my parents glued to the tv. Now looking back I get tears in my eyes from allvthe joy and still laugh with great fillings. thank you and your staff I know I'll have hours of enjoyment and memory of my childhood with my parents"

. Eppi "thank you so much for the "memory stroll" it was very much worth-while. i will be going thru each and everyone of these and most probably go back and watch the ones that really hit home for me."

Gene1, "I cannot remember any website I've enjoyed more...thanks!"

Pink Poodle "Thank you with much appreciation for preserving old TV clips from such a truly missed era, forever lost in time!"

Pete, Monaca, PA "thanks for the memories, please more more more"

Phyllis, IL "What a wonderful service you are providing!"

Janice "i found your site so interesting. As a kid my favorite show was Winky Dink & I remember this blue tinted screen. No one in my area remembers this show - no matter what age they are. It was followed by John Gnagy drawing. I remember them so well. Then I saw Winky Dink on your site. Yes, Virginia there was a Winky Dink!! Thank you"

George, "Thank you for bringing back the many memories of an era when TV and music was really enjoyable without all these Computer generated images in shows. Stories were interesting. Modern movies (remakes) of past TV shows are terrible."

Wayne "Great site. Thanks from a retired baby boomer on social security who remembers most of your downloads. Thanks loads."

Dan from New York: "These are so awesome, it has been a long time since i have seen these shows and it sure brings back memories, thanks"

"This is a wonderful website! So many forgotten memories that go with each show I forgot. When I was little I watched a local show called Pixanne know anything about that show? I'd love to find out the story behind it. Especially since I had to fight with my brothers to watch it!!! Thanks again for a great site!!! I truly enjoy scrolling through it!!"


Note From Lou @ Oldies Television: The delightful "Pixanne" was seen on WCAU-TV in Philadelphia and WPIX-TV in New York from 1960-1969. There are no archives or DVD's we know of, but Jane Norman (Pixanne) has a website, pixanne.com where she offers her music on audio CD and shares her memories.

Emmylou "I had a lot of fun watching all the 50"s and 60's shows. Brought back many memories. Thanks!"

Pepa: "I cannot begin to tell you how much I enjoy your website. Please keep it going."

Aussieone "WOW!!!! Thank you for a great site. I love all the old songs, and also the old shows from when I was younger. Please keep up the good work. Looking forward to more Elvis, Roy Orbison and so forth."

Elaine "What a wonderful blast from the past!"

Myrna Thanks for the memories.. I have lived most of your oldies time.. I appreciate your work on this... wonderful!"

Miller Man, MI:"I spent the better half of the day watching the old videos. Thanks for the memories."

Patty: "have ALWAYS LOVED the old shows. I may not have been born when these shows were on but I did fall in love with them years ago on Nick At Nite. My Little Margie, Bachelor Father, Donna Reed -- I could keep going but... Please Please, PLEASE bring moreand put them here -- especially Dark Shadows, Twilight Zone, Outer Limits, and all the others from the 50's and 60's. I really miss those good wholesome shows."

Clay: "This is wonderful -- the best I have seen . There is no doubt you have a gift -- Please keep up the good work. Thank you for the gift of memories long gone. I feel like I have just received a breath of fresh air."

Tom: "Just awesome!"

Ernie "Great Job! I get goosebumps like I havn't had since childhood. Keep them coming."

Herb: "This site is the ginchiest!! The videos of REAL tv are pricless and brought a tear or two to my eye. I'll be spending a lot of time here. Thank you."

Martha: I love this site. you guys are great. I love old TV and movies!!

MusicLover: Great to have a place where you can find good free old music from a great time in music

"Great site. Brought back a lot of memories."

(From the UK): "What a magnificent trip down memory lane where everything was so simple"

"Thank you very much for your website. It is wonderful and brings back many fond memories."

"Thanks For The Memories"

Arline: "Wow, I really love these oldies!"

PapaBear: "I LOVE all the old shows from 50s & 60s

"I truly believe this era, at least in the United States of America, was the best in the history of mankind. May God Bless and Help us in the future."

"Thanks for the fun!"

"Now there's some clean fun...decent entertainment on the internet"

"It's nice to see those old shows...good job!"

Maggie OMG! For us "Baby Boomers" - this was reliving the past and enjoying it, and for the "Young Ones" - it's a whole new world. This IS what WAS!!! I truly love it! Thank you for this piece of Heaven!

"I love this site! Jerry Lee and The Del Vikings!"

"My mother danced on The Alan Freed Show in New York, thanks for finding a clip"

"I lived about a hour from New York city and I remember watching tv in the late 50's and 60's and you described it to a "T:. I watched American Bandstand, Captain Kangaroo and Superman. It was great. Thanks for the memories.

"I'm a college student working on a thesis on early TV

"I looked for reference material and found stuff I really enjoyed,
"Lou, thanks so much for completely answering my "Oldies"question. What a great site. Thanks so much"
Lou responds: Thank YOU! But, don't give me all the credit - many of our fantastic visitors provide some great insight and correct MY mistakes!"

: "Hey, Oldies TV, I especially like that old time rock and roll"

The Pieman "This is a great web site! Brings back many old memories of T V the way it used to be when the the country and the television industry had morals and knew how to produce quality entertainment."

"Great Nostalgic Entertainment!"

"Thanks for the great talent"

"Just found your site. It's Great!"

From Charlene: "...thanks for bringing back these great shows."

"Rock & Roll At It's Best."

"Great to see some of these oldies but goodies"

Keep them (the oldies) coming!"
...and thanks to all the great people who mention OTV on blogs and forums. Much appreciation!

"I have to tell this is the best site i have seen on the web for oldies stuff

Lou @ oldiestelevision.com Blessings and much appreciation to all of you who take the time to write! Thank you all for making this worthwhile.


The Kardashians? Repo Man? No, thanks. Exterminators, worm eaters, jailed convicts, street fights? We'll pass.Here at oldiestelevision.com, it's all about real entertainment when television was television, movies were movies, and top 10 rock hits had family safe language.

Our Pledge To You To continue to bring 50's and 60's television and musical performances to you *24/7 on demand without charge, without subscriptions, without asking for donations and without the need to sign in, provide personal information or fill out online forms, unless you choose to contact us. Our formmail delivery is SSL/SSQ safe, private and secure. If you choose to provide your e-mail address for a personal reply, know we never provide your e-mail address to any other party as to our parent company privacy assurance policies.

*Server breakdowns, power outages, or technical difficulties beyond our control may interrupt services.

Please note that when you click on an ad, you are leaving our website and are re-directed to the advertiser's site and server. We have no control over an advertiser's privacy policies. We do not provide downloads. Download, Play & Watch buttons within an ad perimeter are not ours, buy an external site advertiser's. We urge caution is clicking on these superficial buttons, we are endeavoring to have the as agency remove them.

The ad agency is Adbrite (adbrite.com) in San Francisco, CA.

Oldies Television is part of the Xoteria.tv internet television network, owned and operated by Carlson International Entertainment-Communications Group in New York.




OLDIES ELSEWHERE NEWS



OUR FAVORITE NY TV STATION, 'PIX 11'
(WPIX-TV channel 11 in New York)
HAS AN ON AIR BIRTHDAY BASH!

The year was 1948, the price of a stamp was 3 cents, a subway ride 10 cents, and a gallon of gas a whopping 16 cents when WPIX hit the air on June 15 as New York City's first independent television station. was born.

For 60 years, the award-winning WPIX-TV has been New York's home for groundbreaking television, and to celebrate, WPIX will air WPIX AT 60 BIRTHDAY BASH, a special marathon of classic programming on Saturday, June 14 (from 12 noon to 9pm) followed by a one hour retrospective hosted by News Anchors Jim Watkins and Kaity Tong.

Beginning at noon, the PIX AT 60 BIRTHDAY BASH will feature 9 hours of vintage programs including: The Little Rascals, Abbott & Costello, The Three Stooges, The Adventures Of Superman, Get Smart, My Favorite Martian, I Dream Of Jeannie, The Odd Couple and The Honeymooners.

9 hours...19 episodes...and all the nostalgia you can cram into a day. Did you know Abbott and Costello were the first non-baseball players to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame (for "Who's On First?) or that Jeannie's bottle in "I Dream of Jeannie" was actually a bottle of Jim Beam painted gold? Interstitials will run throughout the BIRTHDAY BASH and will feature PIX program trivia and fun facts.

At 9 pm, WPIX will air a 60th Anniversary Special hosted by Jim Watkins and Kaity Tong. The hour-long program will take a look back at WPIX from 1948 to 2008. Today, WPIX is the CW11, the home for great programs like "The CW11 News," "America's Next Top Model," New York Mets baseball and many first run and syndicated hits. In the last 60 years, WPIX has celebrated many milestones including the first instant replay (July 17, 1959 Yankees vs. White Sox) and The Rolling Stones' first New York TV appearance on WPIX's "Clay Cole Show" (1964). From the Giants to the Yankees to the Mets...from Cap'n Jack McCarthy to Officer Joe Bolton to Bozo the Clown...From Dawson to Buffy to Serena, the WPIX 60th Anniversary Special will track the stations' growth from a small independent station to the powerhouse it is today.

Remember playing the PIX PIX PIX game? Did you warm your hands over "The Yule Log" fire? Do you long for "Peanut Butter and Jelly Time?" WPIX is inviting viewers to share their favorite memories (go to wpix.com for details). WPIX has also created a commemorative insert which will run in Newsday and amNewYork on June 13 featuring a comprehensive timeline of PIX's greatest moments with vintage photographs.

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OTV Trivia The television set that inspired our "Oldies Television" banner logo was the 1959 Sylvania 21C8044 model 21" color TV, sold also under the Sears Silvertone brand, one of the first sets to combine vacuum tubes (16 of 'em) with transistors (and your kids/grandkids ask, "what are tubes? What are transistors?"). Yes, dears and you turned a click stop dial to choose channels. It was Sylvania's first consumer color television line and actually had a better color rendition than color TV proprietor RCA. You couldn't tell by the awful color bars used in the industrial show promotional photo. Now, Sylvania's trade name is slapped on China mass produced value price sets sold at Fingerhut. O how the mighty hath fallen.

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