Watching Television in the 1960s

The 1960s were my childhood. It was amazing how many interesting TV shows appeared, and you have to give credit to the imagination and creativity of everyone that made these shows work. Being too many to mention, I chose those that caught my attention as a child and I am happy to find that many of them became classics and can still be seen today in reruns. So let me bring you down memory lane to the 1960s and tell you about these amazing shows.

The Munsters 1964–1966

If you would ring the bell of the large mansion at 1313 Mockingbird Lane you would see Frankenstein at the door. Then you’d look closer and see a friendly smile and realize this was the father of the family Herman Munster portrayed by Fred Gwyne. He’d invite you in to meet his family. His lovely wife Lily played by Yvonne de Carlo, who you could say was a vampirella since her father lived with them, and he was Count Dracula, fondly called Grandpa.They had a son named Eddie, played by Butch Patrick, who was a werewolf, and Lily had her niece living with them, the only human in the bunch a beautiful blond-haired young woman named Marilyn played by Pat Priest. I loved Eddie’s fire-breathing pet dragon Spot who lived under the stairs, and there was always something going on in Grandpa’s laboratory. The show brought a bit of Halloween into your house every time it aired.

The Addams Family 1964–1966

You could find this strange family at 0001 Cemetery Lane, a wonderful address where you would see a very haunted-looking mansion. The entire family came from the imagination of cartoonist Charles Addams. Gomez Addams portrayed by John Astin, was a businessman/investor who had enough money to not work and support his family. His beautiful wife, Morticia, was played by Carolyn Jones. She had the slimmest figure; I often wondered what she ate. They had two children: Wednesday, played by Lisa Loring and Pugsley played by Ken Weatherwax. The children had great fun playing in that big old house whether it was causing explosions or throwing knives they always had interesting activities to occupy them taught by their Uncle Fester played by Jackie Coogan. He was a tall, handsome, bald man but with the long dark robe or tunic he always wore, he could not stand up to his suave and handsome brother, Gomez. Cooking in the kitchen was done by Morticia’s mother Grandmama Addams played by Blossom Rock. There was a disembodied hand that popped up out of a box to be of any assistance or give out the mail known as Thing. Then there was their butler very tall and handsome Lurch who always tickled me pink every time someone rang the doorbell and he opened the door and said in his gravelly voice, "You rang? Oh, yes, who could forget Kitty, the family pet, a large male lion who roamed the house?

Bewitched (1964–1972)

Now this was truly a magical show. People popped up out of nowhere, had magical powers, and could even turn humans into inanimate objects or animals. In other words, there was not a dull moment after mortal human Darrin Stephens, played by Dick York in the early seasons and later by Dick Sargent, married the witch Samantha, played by Elizabeth Montgomery. They were a loving couple starting out married life and Sam did her best to try to live the human life. Darrin had to be on his toes around his mother-in-law, Endora, played by Agnes Moorehead, and she tolerated no nonsense. Darrin had his normal moments when he went to work as an ad executive with Larry Tate played by David White, and his wife Louise, played by Kasey Rogers became friends with the Stephens.Throw in nosy neighbors across the street, Abner Kravitz, played by George Tobias, and his wife, Gladys, played first by Alice Pearse and later by Sandra Gould, and there were humorous moments. Some unusual relatives, like Aunt Clara, played by Marion Lorne, and Uncle Arthur, a prankster by Paul Lynde, and the fun was non-stop. Later Sam gave birth to a little witch, Tabitha, and later a warlock, Adam.

I Dream of Jeannie 1965–1970

His days as a carefree bachelor ended when Captain Tony Nelson, an astronaut played by Larry Hagman, stumbled over a magic lamp with Jeannie, played by Barbara Eden, inside. Taking a look at the astronaut and sizing up her situation, Jeannie made sure she and her magic lamp went home with Tony. Tony’s best friend was on hand to attempt to help at the most improbable moments: Captain Roger Healey, played by Bill Daily. The humorous situations were amusing, especially the magic constant when Jeannie wanted Tony all to herself and he wanted to date attractive women.

Gilligan’s Island 1964–1967

The story is about a group of people who become castaways on a tropical island in the middle of nowhere. The Skipper, played by Alan Hale Jr, with his buddy Gilligan, played by Bob Denver, takes out a group of people on the little ship SS Minnow for a two hour tour, and when a storm breaks out no one returns. The group of castaways included Thurston Howell III, a millionaire played by Jim Backus, and his wife Lovey, played by Natalie Schafer; an aspiring actress, Ginger Grant, played by Tina Louise; the Professor, played by Russell Johnson; and Mary Ann, played by Dawn Wells. The show became a runaway hit and the castaways had housing, clothing, and food to eat as everyone tuned in every week to see what they were up to.

The Monkees 1965–1968

The fabulous rock band The Monkees—Davy Jones, Mickey Dolenz, Peter Tork, and Mike Nesmith—played four musicians living at the beach who wanted to break into show business. With wild antics, strange guests, silly episodes, the show worked very well.Who could resist when each show had The Monkees perform their music and sing songs? It was an irresistible combination.

Green Acres, 1965–1971

This unexpected comedy show actually starred the Hungarian-American actress Eva Gabor. I guess due to her and the rest of the cast the show actually became popular. The plot is that New York lawyer Oliver Douglas, played by Eddie Albert, gets tired of the daily grind and decides he wants a farm with plenty of fresh air. The poor guy gets duped when he purchases a farm sight unseen in of all places, Hooterville. Well, it was a hoot because his wife, Lisa Douglas, played by Eva Gabor, wanted New York City stores, Broadway, and restaurants. She got a run-down farmhouse instead. Throw in the funny residents of Hooterville and an awesome pig named Arnold that some neighbors kept more like a son than a pig and you have a show.