Television Remembered - Gareth McCray
On Monday May 11 I presented a Nine O'clock Special that re visited some of those great television shows that we grew up loving. In the special we were able to recall and relive such experiences.Do you remember the Martian on a backward planet called Earth in My Favorite Martian; the fictionalized lives of police officers Gunther Toody and Francis Muldoon in Car 54 Where are You?; the life of a beautiful Bayou girl in Tammy; the struggles of a girl to make her mark in the world of showbusiess with That Girl; how about looking into the awe and mystery that reaches from the inner mind to The Outer Limits or Twilight Zone; then there's the daily, abounding lives in The Mickey Mouse Club; the evolvement of characters in Zorro; The Adventures of Superman; Sea Hunt; Tombstone Territory; Wyatt Earp; Hopalong Cassidy; The Fugitive; The Lone Ranger; L.A. Law or any one of the myriad of early TV that came to us from either the USA or Great Britain.
With that in mind I thought I might share just a few of those special programs with you in this newsletter.
Combat (1962-1967)
Extremely well written and well produced, Combat was the story of the exploits of a small platoon in World War II from D-day through VE-day. It appeared on ABC's schedule and was the longest running of a series of WWII TV shows (The Gallant Men; The Lieutenant; Twelve O'clock High and Rat Patrol) lasting 5 seasons. It starred: Vic Morrow as Sgt. "Chip" Saunders; Rick Jason as Lt. Gil Hanley; Pierre Jalbert as Paul "Caje" LeMay; Jack Hogan as William J. "Wildman" Kirby; Dick Peabody as Littlejohn and both Steven Rogers and Conlan Carter as Doc (the Medics). Other regulars were: Tom Lowell as Billy Nelson and Shecky Greene as Pvt. Braddock. The pilot film was written by Robert Pirosh who scripted the excellent film "Battleground". Among its directors were Robert Altman; James Komack; Laslo Benedek; Bernard McEveety and Richard Donner. Some of the best episodes were written by the husband and wife team of Bob and Esther Mitchell. Among its guest stars were: Robert Duvall; James Coburn; Lee Marvin; Charles Bronson and John Cassavetes.
Lassie (1954-1974)
This story of a courageous and intelligent collie named Lassie began in books and appeared on film and radio before becoming an enduring TV series. On TV the series began in 1954 as the story of a boy and his dog. It centered on the Miller family; Jeff, the young boy, his widowed mother and his grandfather who all lived on a farm. In 1957 a runaway orphan boy named Timmy, joined the family. That same year Gramps died and the Millers could no longer run the farm so they sold it to the Martin family and moved to the city. Timmy became attached to the Martins and he and Lassie eventually stayed on with them at the farm. In 1964 the Martins moved to Australia and left Lassie in the care of an elderly friend named Cully Wilson. When Cully later died, Lassie befriended forest ranger Corey Stuart. At this point Lassie traveled the entire country with Corey and the stories were open to all kinds of situations.
In 1968 Corey was seriously hurt and Lassie fell under the care of two other rangers, Scott Turner & Bob Erickson. In syndication Lassie became a "wanderer" and each week encountered new people. Later she hooked on with the Holden family at a ranch in Solvang, California. Lassie always remained the focal point of the series. The cast included: Tommy Rettig as Jeff Miller; Jan Clayton as Jeff's mother Ellen Miller; George Cleveland as Gramps; Donald Keeler as Jeff's friend "Porky" Brockway; Paul Maxey as Porky's dad, Matt Brockway; Jon Provost as Timmy; Cloris Leachman & June Lockhart as Ruth Martin; Jon Shepodd & Hugh Reilly as Paul Martin; George Chandler as Uncle Petrie Martin; Andy Clyde as Cully Wilson; Robert Bray as ranger Corey Stuart; Jed Allan as ranger Scott Turner; Jack De Mave as ranger Bob Erickson; Ron Hayes as Garth Holden; Skip Burton as his son Ron Holden; Joshua Albee as Garth's son Mike Holden; Larry Wilcox as rancher Dale Mitchell; Pamelyn Ferdin as Lucy Baker and Sherry Boucher as Sue Lambert. Rudd Weatherwax was Lassie's trainer.
The Andy Griffith Show (1960-1968)
One of the most popular, folksy shows ever on television was The Andy Griffith Show. It took place in the fictional charming, endearing town of Mayberry, North Carolina and centered on Sheriff Andy Taylor, his family and friends. Mayberry was so realistically portrayed that many people believe it actually exists. What made the show so successful were its characters. The show went through a series of reincarnations with the loss of certain characters but always remained a popular show. The cast included: Andy Griffith as Sheriff Andy Taylor; Ronnie Howard as his young son Opie Taylor; Frances Bavier as beloved Aunt Bee Taylor; Hope Summers as Bee's friend Clara Edwards; Don Knotts as overly zealous Deputy Bernard P. "Barney" Fife; Elinor Donahue as Andy's girlfriend Miss Ellie Walker; Aneta Corsaut as Andy's girlfriend, teacher Helen Crump; Betty Lynn as Barney's girlfriend Thelma Lou; Howard McNear as befuddled barber Floyd Lawson; Hal Smith as the town inebriate Otis Campbell; Jim Nabors as naive gas station attendant Gomer Pyle; George Lindsey as Gomer's oddball cousin Goober Pyle; Jack Dodson as town clerk Howard Sprague; Howard Morris as hillbilly troublemaker Ernest T. Bass; Denver Pyle as hillbilly Briscoe Darling; Jack Burns as Deputy Warren Ferguson and many others. The show exuded folksiness and charm. When Andy Taylor and family left town the show was renamed Mayberry R.F.D. The theme by Earle Hagen was called "The Fishin' Hole."
The Lone Ranger (1949-1957)
Seldom has a piece of music been so recognizable with a film or story as Rossini's "William Tell Overture" and The Lone Ranger. From its opening scenes of the Lone Ranger astride his white stallion, Silver, and the strains of the Overture to its ending of each episode with the Ranger shouting, "Hi-Yo, Silver!" this program is indelibly etched in the memory of every kid who watched it regularly. The first episode told the story of a posse of six Texas Rangers searching for a gang of desperadoes who are suddenly ambushed and all six left for dead. One, John Reid, survives and crawls to safety where he is rescued and nursed back to health by a friendly Indian named Tonto. He vows to fight crime and injustice for the rest of his life donning a mask to hide his true identity. Tonto, who he had aided previously, vows to join him. The Ranger's only means of support is a silver mine which he and his brother, a victim of the same massacre, had discovered. He made his own silver bullets which became his trademark. Each episode revolved around the Lone Ranger and Tonto fighting crime and helping others. Early westerns were basically stories of good vs. evil until the Adult westerns of the late 1950s and early 1960s came along. Cast included: Clayton Moore as The Lone Ranger; Jay Silverheels as his faithful Indian companion Tonto. John Hart played the part of The Lone Ranger briefly from 1952-1954. Theme music Rossini's "William Tell Overture."
Gunsmoke (1955-1975)
One of the longest running and most popular TV series ever, Gunsmoke, which ran for 20 years, often topped the Nielsen ratings as the No. 1 show. It was the first of the "Adult Westerns" and its popularity launched a series of similar Western series. The stories centered around Dodge City, Kansas where Marshal Matt Dillon maintained justice and law & order. Dillon was infatuated by Miss Kitty Russell owner and operator of the Long Branch Saloon. Episodes often concerned various citizens of Dodge City and the surrounding area as well as assorted gunslingers, drifters and immigrants. The cast included: James Arness as Marshal Matt Dillon; Amanda Blake as Saloonkeeper Kitty Russell; Dennis Weaver as Deputy Chester Goode; and later, Ken Curtis as scraggily hillbilly Deputy Festus Haggen; Roger Ewing as Deputy Thad Greenwood; Milburn Stone as crusty old Doc (Galen) Adams; Burt Reynolds as half-breed Blacksmith Quint Asper; Glenn Strange as Sam the Bartender, James Nusser as melancholy town drunk Louie Pheeters; Sarah Selby as Boarding House operator Ma Smalley; Buck Taylor as gunsmith Newly O'Brien; Charles Seel as telegraph agent Barney; Howard Culver as Hotel Clerk Howie; John Harper as town Undertaker Percy Crump; Hank Patterson as stableman Hank; Roy Roberts as Mr. Bodkin the banker; Ted Jordan as Nathan Burke the freight agent; Woody Chamblis as Mr. Lathrop a storekeeper and Dabbs Greer as Mr. Jones another storekeeper. Pat Hingle replaced Milburn Stone temporarily as Dr. Chapman when Stone suffered a heart attack. In 1974 Amanda Blake left the series due to ill health and was replaced by Fran Ryan as Miss Hannah, new Operator of the Long Branch Saloon. The show's theme song was "Gunsmoke" (also known as "Old Trails") written by Glenn Spencer and Rex Koury.
The Honeymooners (1952-1971)
Although it started as a skit segment on "The Jackie Gleason Show", The Honeymooners evolved into one of the most beloved sitcoms of all times due to its ever increasing popularity. It was so basic, so simple that it struck a chord with the viewing public. Stories centered on Ralph & Alice Kramden, a struggling, middle class couple, who lived in a starkly furnished Brooklyn apartment. Ralph was a New York City bus driver who constantly strove to improve his lot in life through moneymaking schemes which were always doomed to failure. Although the Kramdens were often bickering and arguing with each other over Ralph's "failures", their love for each other always came out in the end. Their neighbors and best friends were Ed & Trixie Norton who lived upstairs in the same apartment building. Ed was a NYC sewer worker who loved his job and was very loyal to his friend Ralph although he often got him into deep trouble. The Honeymooners had one of the smallest casts in the history of sitcoms. The Cast was: Jackie Gleason as Ralph Kramden; Audrey Meadows as his wife Alice; Art Carney as Ed Norton and Joyce Randolph as Trixie Norton, Ed's wife. Pert Kelton (1952) and Sheila MacRae (1966-1971) also played Alice Kramden. Jane Kean (1966-71) also played Trixie Norton. The show's theme song was: "You're My Greatest Love."
Captain Midnight (1954-1956)
One of the best children's shows of the 1950s, Captain Midnight, actually premiered on radio in 1939 and ran, off and on, until 1949. The on air introduction explained the show's premise in a nutshell: "On a mountaintop high above a large city stands the headquarters of a man devoted to the cause of freedom and justice, a war hero who has never stopped fighting against his country's enemies, a private citizen who is dedicating his life to the struggle against evil men everywhere...Captain Midnight!" Captain Midnight's real name was Jim Albright and, with his assistants "Ikky" Mudd and scientist-inventor "Tut" Jones, he headed an anti crime organization called "The Secret Squadron." This crime-fighting network had members, of all ages and walks of life, in every city in the world. Each had his or her own Secret Squadron number. SQ-1 was the Captain, Ikky was SQ-2 and Tut was SQ-3. The Secret Squadron was mostly involved in fighting espionage, smugglers and common criminals. Captain Midnight, an ace pilot, flew his own jet, the Silver Dart. Tut was adept at creating unique inventions used to aid the Secret Squadron in fighting crime. Every kid in America wanted to be called on to help the Secret Squadron. The show's sponsor was Ovaltine. By sending in a seal from the jar one could get a Secret Squadron decoder badge which was used to decode messages at the end of each show. Richard Webb starred as Captain Midnight; Sid Melton played Ichabod "Ikky" Mudd and Olan Soule was Aristotle "Tut" Jones. The show went into syndication and Ovaltine would not allow the use of the name or title Captain Midnight so it was changed to "Jet Jackson." The name was crudely dubbed into each episode and one could not help but chuckle when hearing Jet Jackson spoken so speedily.
Barney Miller (1975-1982)
Barney Miller, a sitcom about an average New York City Police Precinct and its captain was extremely popular with policemen all over the U.S. Why? Because it was more typical of an actual police precinct than any series portrayal, drama or comedy, before it. The series, created by Danny Arnold and Theodore Flicker, centered around Captain Barney Miller, the levelheaded, diplomatic leader of a group of police officers and detectives of New York's 12th Precinct station. Initially, the series focused on Barney, both at work and at home, but later mostly at the 12th Precinct. The series emphasized character and drama over action with its multi-ethnic corps of officers and the zany characters they dealt with daily. One was more likely to see transients, petty thieves, scam artists, domestic disputes and drunks than murderers and rapists in the halls of the 12th Precinct. Barney, much like Sheriff Andy Taylor, was able to solve many of these problems using logic and a cool head! The topnotch cast included: Hal Linden as Capt. Barney Miller; Barbara Barrie as his wife Elizabeth Miller; Abe Vigoda as curmudgeonly veteran cop Phil Fish; Max Gail as the kindly but naive Polish cop Sgt. Stan Wojohowicz; Gregory Sierra as the fiery Hispanic cop Det. Chano Amenguale; Jack Soo as the laid back Japanese cop Det. Nick Yemana; Ron Glass as the dapper, ambitious black officer Det. Ron Harris; Ron Carey as the weasely Detective wannabe Officer Carl Levitt; James Gregory as the precinct's supervisor, slow talking Inspector Frank Luger; Linda Lavin (1975-76) as female Det. Janice Wentworth; June Gable as her partner Det. Baptista; George Murdock as the cunningly sinister Lt. Hanlon of Internal Affairs; Steve Landesberg as know-it-all Det. Arthur Dietrich.
Star Trek (1966-1969)
In the tradition of Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits, Star Trek was a new, innovative adult science fiction series that daringly debuted at a time when sci-fi was considered "poison." Although it created a loyal audience, the numbers were not sufficient for network success and it was canceled before it really caught on. It has had more success in syndication than it enjoyed in prime time. The series involved the exploits of a Starship crew of the Enterprise, of the United Federation of Planets, in explorations of new worlds and galaxies. It introduced us to a world of aliens never seen before: Vulcans, Klingons, Romulans and Tribbles. Its creator, Gene Roddenberry, was the key to its success as he insisted on quality writing of stories of humanity and morality conflicts. The Enterprise's crew consisted not only of all Earthly ethnic types, but of aliens from the UFP. The cast included: William Shatner as the dashing and daring Capt. James Tiberias Kirk; Leonard Nimoy as the very logical half-human, half-Vulcan Science Officer Mr. Spock; DeForest Kelley as the sarcastic Medical Officer Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy; James Doohan as the tenacious Scottish Chief Engineer Montgomery "Scotty" Scott; Nichelle Nichols as Afro-American Communications Officer Lt. Uhura; George Takei as the Japanese Navigation Officer Mr. Sulu; Walter Koenig as the Russian Navigation Officer Ensign Chekhov and Majel Barrett as Nurse Christine Chapel.
The Adventures of Superman (1951-1957)
I remember so well the first day I watched "The Adventures of Superman" at age 7 and seeing his parents (Jor-El & Lara) put him (Kal-El) in a rocket ship as their planet, Krypton, was about to blow up! My eyes were bulging out of my head and I was absolutely fascinated. It was the first thing I ever became "obsessed" with. The show debuted with that captivating episode showing the orphaned infant landing on earth in Smallville where Eben and Sarah Kent (in the comic books they were called Jonathan and Martha Kent) took him in and raised him, naming him Clark, learning of his super powers along the way. As he developed his super powers (X-ray vision, super-strength and ability to fly) kids everywhere were "hooked" on this great show. As the story develops Clark Kent becomes a reporter for the Daily Planet newspaper and meets his boss, Perry White, cub reporter Jimmy Olsen and reporter and girlfriend Lois Lane. The stories revolved around the perils these reporters became involved in and Superman's rescues of them. For its time and minimal budget, the special effects were quite good. A menagerie of bad guys, thugs and villains was composed of some great old-time character actors. The cast consisted of: George Reeves as Superman; Phyllis Coates (1953-54) and later Noel Neill (1954-57) as Lois Lane; Jack Larson as Jimmy Olsen; John Hamilton as Editor Perry White; Robert Shayne as Inspector Henderson; Robert Rockwell as Jor-El Superman's father; Aline Towne as Lara Superman's mother; Tom Fadden as Eben Kent and Dina Nolan as Sarah Kent. I remember so well the sponsor Kellogg's Frosted Flakes and the debut of Tony the Tiger. The show spawned a few movies including "Superman and the Mole Men" (1951) and other series "Superboy" and "Lois and Clark."
Hawaii 5-0 (1968-1980)
One of TV's longest running crime series, Hawaii 5-0 had all the elements of a topnotch production: excellent cinematography; a terrific music score and one of the best theme songs in the history of television; tight directing, well-written scripts and fine acting. It revolved around Five-0, a fictional state run crime investigative agency that answered to the Governor of Hawaii. Stories involved everything from espionage and murder investigations and crime syndicates to scam artist and petty crimes. Heading Hawaii 5-0 was Steve McGarrett, a no-nonsense crime fighter extraordinaire and his staff of investigators and crime fighters led by his head assistant Danny "Dan-O" Williams and Chin Ho Kelly, Kono, Che Fong the lab expert, Duke Lakela, Ben Kokua and Frank Kemana all native Hawaiians. There was also a supply of regular villains and nemesis' including the sly and cunning Wo Fat and disguise expert Lewis Avery Fuller. In a daring move they killed off a popular regular in one episode where Chin Ho Kelly is murdered. Each episode ended with the now classic line from McGarrett, "Book 'em Dan-O!" The cast included: Jack Lord as Steve McGarrett; Richard Denning as The Governor; James MacArthur as Danny "Dan-O" Williams; Kam Fong as Chin Ho Kelly; Zulu as Kono (1968-72); Maggi Parker as McGarrett's Secretary May (1968-69); Peggy Ryan as Steve McGarrett's Secretary Jenny Sherman (1969-76); Al Eben as Pathologist Doc Bergman; Harry Endo as Che Fong; Al Harrington as Ben Kokua (1972-77); Herman Wedemeyer as Duke Lakela (1972-80); Douglas Mossman as Frank Kemana (1974-75); Morgan White as Atty Gen. Walter Stewart (1968-69) Glenn Cannon as Atty Gen. John Manicote (1976-78); Laura Sode as Luana (1978-80); Bill Smith as James "Kimo" Carew (1979-80); Moe Keale as Tom "Truck" Keloha (1979-80); Sharon Farrell as Lori Wilson (1979-80) and Khigh Dheigh as Wo Fat. The show was created by Leonard Freeman who produced it until his death in 1973. It was filmed entirely in Hawaii and utilized the famed Iolani Palace as the fictitious headquarters for 5-0. Morton Stevens composed its popular theme.
The Rocky and Bullwinkle show (1959 ff)
The Rocky and Bullwinkle show was an animated series about the adventures of a Moose and a Squirrel. Other segments included Fractured Fairy Tales, Aesop And Son, Peabody's Improbable History, Mr. Know It All, Bullwinkle's Corner and on every other show - Dudley Do-Right Of The Mounties. The series is also often referred to as "Rocky And His Friends" and "The Bullwinkle Show" This series could be known as the "Show With Many Names"! So here's the explanation: "Rocky and His Friends" was the name of segments which appeared on ABC from 1959-60 during their afternoon children's shows. It continued for one more season as "The Rocky & Bullwinkle Show". In September of 1961 the show was moved to NBC and they retitled it to, "The Bullwinkle Show". The show remained on the air in reruns until 1973 (Eventually returning to ABC)! Then after eight years, it even made a comeback, again in reruns as "The Bullwinkle Show", on NBC Saturday mornings for the 1981-82 season. Rocky and Bullwinkle live in Frostbite Falls, Minnesota. Bullwinkle is also the President of Moosylvania! Rocky is a flying squirrel and can only actually glide. He needs to take off from a high place or, in most cases, he gets thrown into the air by Bullwinkle. Boris and Natasha are two evil-doers whose dastardly plans must be thwarted by Rocky and Bullwinkle. They originate from Pottsylvania and they never win out over our the Moose and Squirrel! Mr. Peabody's first name was Hector. He was modeled after the actor Clifton Webb.
The series was created by Jay Ward, a businessman with a Master's degree in business from Harvard. He was actually working as a real estate agent when he began to produce the show. Perhaps due to his business background, spending was held to a minimum. If an actor made a mistake, they were encouraged to ad-lib their way out of it. On one occasion, William Conrad was having a problem getting his closing narration read within the time remaining for the episode. Jay motivated him into reading faster by setting fire to the script. Conrad had to read fast to finish before the fire reached his fingers! Speaking of Jay Ward; did you ever wonder why so many characters had the middle initial J? Rocket J. Squirrel, Bullwinkle J. Moose, Captain Peter J. Peachfuzz? Many of Boris' alias's also had the middle initial J. So, now you Know. Peachfuzz, and many of Boris's disguises The show was somewhat a conglomeration of many different productions. Individual segments were done separately by different individuals or companies and then combined to make up the episode. All of the animation was done outside the country in Mexico.
Father Knows Best
The Father Knows Best TV show was a 30 minute family comedy series with moments of drama that aired on CBS. It was about the inter-personal relationships between loving parents and their children. Each and every episode had a wholesome message such as "What's more important ... career or family?" ... or ... "How to allow your children to choose their own path in life even if you don't approve". The parents made mistakes as all parents do and so did the kids, but by the end of each episode, love prevailed and their family was secure. The cast was: Robert Young as James "Jim" Anderson Sr.; Jane Wyatt as Margaret Anderson Billy Gray as James "Bud" Anderson Jr.; Elinor Donahue as Betty "Princess" Anderson and Lauren Chapin as Kathy "Kitten" Anderson. Before the TV show, there was a Father Knows Best radio show that aired from August 25, 1949 through November 19, 1953! Robert Young was the only cast member to make the transition from radio to television.
The series was so popular that repeats continued to be shown in primetime for three years after production ended and during the daytime for another 5 years after that! The public couldn't believe that the show was ending as it was still #6 in the ratings at the time. The main reason given was that the main premise of the show was a father guiding his children towards adulthood. Well, Betty and Bud were pretty much grown up. Another reason given was that after 6 years of the same series, many of those involved were "losing their creative juices". They wanted to go out on top rather than let the show deteriorate. Most programs at the time were filmed with 3 cameras in front of a live audience. Father Knows Best used only one camera and no audience. Some well-known guest stars on the TV show included Cornell Wilde, Barbara Eden, Robert Reed (Dad on "The Brady Bunch), John McIntire (Wagon Train), and John Daly (The Moderator of the "What's My Line" quiz show). Jim Anderson was the manager of "General Insurance Company".
The show's theme song was entitled, "Waiting". While they were never used on the program, there were Lyrics written. Here they are: "Waiting, for love to find us, is something worth waiting for. Someday, my arms will hold you, my lips will kiss you, forever more. Yes, waiting, can be so lonely, yet somehow we'll see it through. Knowing, there's someone waiting right there just for you".
Leave it to Beaver
The Leave It To Beaver TV show was a 30 minute comedy series that aired on CBS for its first season and on ABC thereafter. It was about a middle-class family in the 1950s. It centered around young Theodore Cleaver, commonly known as "The Beaver" and his relationships with his parents, older brother and their friends and neighbors. The Cleavers lived in the town of Mayfield and the father, Ward Cleaver, worked as an accountant. They owned two homes during the series' run. The first was located at 485 Mapleton Drive. The second home was at 211 Pine Street.
The reason stated for giving Theodore the nickname, "Beaver" was that when Wally was learning to speak, he couldn't pronounce Theodore. The pilot episode of Leave It To Beaver was lost for many years but was found in 1987. Jerry Mathers and Barbara Billingsley were both in the pilot, however, Ward Cleaver was played by Casey Adams and Wally was played by Paul Sullivan. The was no Eddie Haskell in the pilot, however, there was a similar character whose name was Frankie played by Harry Shearer. You may remember Harry as a regular on "Saturday Night Live" in the 1979/80 and 1984/85 seasons. In the 1997 theatrical movie, "Leave It To Beaver", several of the original TV series cast appeared in cameo roles. Barbara Billingsley (Original June Cleaver) played Beaver's Aunt Martha, Ken Osmond (Original Eddie Haskell) played the father of his original role - Eddie Haskell Sr. and Frank Bank (Original Lumpy) played a character named Frank. Tony Dow and Jerry Mathers declined to appear in cameo roles because the studio refused to accept Brian Levant, Richard Correll or Tony Dow as directors. Ken Osmond (Eddie Haskell) joined the Los Angeles Police Department as an officer after leaving the series. He was shot three times in the line of duty. He eventually retired from the force. Ken guest-starred on the very first episode of the TV show, "Lassie (1954)". Twelve and one-half years later, he guest-starred on the series again on episode #435, "A Matter Of Seconds". If you don't remember Richard Deacon as Lumpy's dad on the show, perhaps you'll find it easier to remember him as the producer (Mel Cooley) of the ficticious "Alan Brady Show" on the series, "The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961)" or as Sheriff Masters on the series, "B.J. and the Bear (1979)". Tony Dow's mother, Muriel Montrose, was a stuntwoman in 1920s and early 1930s' Westerns. The day (October 4, 1957) that the first episode of the show aired, just happens to be the same day that the Soviet Union launched the first man-made object (Sputnik) into space.
The cast was:
| Jerry Mathers ........... Tony Dow ................ Barbara Billingsley .... Hugh Beaumont ........ Ken Osmond ............ Frank Bank .............. Sue Randall .............. Rusty Stevens ........... Midge Blake ............ Diane Brewster ........ Richard Correll ......... Richard Deacon ........ Stanley Fafara .......... Tiger Fafara ............. Buddy Hart .............. Burt Mustin .............. Doris Packer ............ Steven Talbot ........... Jeri Weil .................. | Theodore "The Beaver" Cleaver Wally Cleaver June Cleaver Ward Cleaver Eddie Haskel Clarence "Lumpy" Rutherford Miss Landers Larry Mondello Mrs. Mondello Miss Canfield Richard Rickover Fred Rutherford Whitey Whitney Tooey Chester Gus Mrs. Ravburn Gilbert Bates Judy Hensler |
Well no more space for meanderings through TV land.
I invite you to join me on the Nine O'clock Special as each night we relive many memories through music.
