Posted on 02/21/2008 4:36:29 PM PST by Bender2
What are your favorite TV variety and situation comedy series from 1948-1960? I am old enough to remember most of them!
To each his own, but I found ILLucy very unfunny and predictable at the time. Now, in retrospect, it appears unfunny and painfully, embarrassingly dated.
I know the comparison usually goes the other way, but, Lucille Ball is no Carol Burnett.
For drama/action I enjoyed Rat Patrol and Combat.
TOPPER was a show that I recall in reruns.
The guy who was in charge over at the “Man from U.N.C.L.E.” was also Topper a guy who could see the ghosts who haunted his house while nobody else could.
I think that it was on in reruns when I was a kid only because of the stature of that Napoleon Solo series.
I’d have to disagree with you guys. I seem to remember that 1967 was the year that color became the standard on tv.
Some of the shows that went from B&W in 1966 to color in 1967:
The Monkees, The Beverly Hillbillies, Gilligan’s Island, etc...
“What are the best early 1948-60 TV Comedy Series?”
I’m only old enough to remember seeing re-broadcast airings of some
of the 1948-60s shows.
But I do remember the Dobie Gillis show a bit. Also notable for the
“love interest” of the main character was played by Sheila Kuehl
who became a prominent openly-lesbian state legislator in California.
Additionally, I do remember “The Honeymooners”...a great series about
an “everyman” bus driver and his long-suffering wife, as well as the
wacky neighbor and his sane wife. That series “broke trail” for all
sorts of following sitcoms (although I guess the experts say “I Love
Lucy” was the real trail-breaker).
...and if you go back farther, some of the film/media types say that
Will Rogers started the “everyman” father and nice wife sitcom with
some of his work in Hollywood.
“The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis” (1959)
TV series 1959-1963
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052490/
Full cast and crew for
“The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis” (1959)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052490/fullcredits
Sheila James Kuehl
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0473861/
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0473861/bio
: )
MR. PEEPERS with Wally Cox (also his short-lived THE ADVENTURES OF HIRAM HOLIDAY). The Phil Silvers Show (aka YOU’LL NEVER GET RICH). Sid Caesar’s YOUR SHOW OF SHOWS. The original Steve Allen TONIGHT SHOW. MEET CORLISS ARCHER. MY LITTLE MARGIE.
There were a lot more.
Yes, there was TV... but we had to rub two sticks together to power them up!
Leo Carroll played Cosmo Topper.
I know this was supposed to be situation comedy - but whatever...
Johnny Umah
Destry
Have Gun Will Travel
Wagon Train
The Littlest Hobo
Did I say
Mr. Lucky
I enjoyed shows like “Private Secretary” with Ann Sothern, “Our Miss Brooks”, “Mr. Peepers”, “The People’s Choice,” and “My Little Margie” with Gale Storm. There were also the comedy/variety shows featuring: Red Skelton, Red Buttons, Ed Wynn, Jack Benny, Spike Jones and Ernie Kovacs. One we usually always watched was “Show of Shows” with Sid Caesar and Imogene Coco. There was also the George Goebel Show.
lol!
With no Internet, we had to do someting to pass the time. :-)
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