Sixties Television
Sixties television gave us an ever expanding view of our world and everything in it---the good things as well as the bad things. On the one hand, we were thrilled and entertained as new technology gave us higher resolution pictures, color
images, and even instant replay, to watch our favorite sit-coms, westerns, comedy variety, who-dun-it shows and sporting events, all with greater clarity. But on the other hand, we also watched such horrific events as the assassination of a sitting president, a presidential candidate, and a civil rights leader; an increasingly bloody civil war in southeast Asia; campus violence and urban racial strife. Sixties television changed not only the way that we saw our world at the time many of us were becoming teenagers, but gave us some pretty indelible images that we still remember today.
But perhaps most of us remember sixties television as an entertainment source for the whole family. Remember gathering around the set on Sunday nights to watch Disney's Wonderful World of Color---even before your family had a color set? Or maybe it was Bonanza or the Ed Sullivan Show? And how about the many shows featuring
family values and relationships that we identified with, such as Andy Griffith, Father Knows Best, The Danny Thomas Show, Donna Reed, Dick Van Dyke, My Three Sons, and Leave It To Beaver? All of it came to us over three networks for free--no cable and no satellite dishes, just an antennae
on the roof or some rabbit ears on top of the TV!
Highlights of Sixties Television
- By 1960, 87% of all households in the US had a TV set (up from only 9% in 1950).
- New technology brought us the remote control (1960), ultimately replacing us children as the channel changers (remotes were fully authorized by the FCC in 1963).
- Newsman Edward R. Murrow brought the practice of investigative journalism to television news (1960), ironically on his last program when "Harvest of Shame" (the plight of Florida migrant workers) was aired.
- The Andy Griffith Show began its eight year run (1960), making Don Knotts and Ron Howard big stars.
- The Flintstones (1960-66) became the first cartoon show in prime time, and two years later became one of the first series to begin broadcasting in color.
- Color television first became popular (1961), when "The Wonderful World of Disney" changed its name to "The Wonderful World of Color". But it would be another five years before network TV began broadcasting all color in prime time.
- FCC Chairman Newton Minow (1961) called television in America "a vast wasteland" in a speech urging stronger regulations. That same day, Vice President Hubert Humphrey called TV "the greatest single achievement in communication that anybody or any area of the world has ever known." Minow's "wasteland" comment was ridiculed by the TV industry at the time, and even prompted the sunken travel ship on Gilligan's Island to be named
after him---the "SS Minnow".
- The Dick Van Dyke show began a six-year run (1961),
despite being canceled by CBS after its very first year (re-instated after the producer secured his own sponsors). Other new shows that year included Ben Casey (1961-66) and Hazel (1961-66).
- Jack Paar hosted his final The Tonight Show (1961), before Johnny Carson began a thirty-year run as host the following year (1962-92).
- The CBS Evening News replaced anchorman Douglas Edwards with Walter Cronkite (1962), and a year later expanded the show from 15 to 30 minutes (NBC and ABC News followed shortly thereafter).
- Millions watched televised coverage of Martin Luther King deliver his "I Have A Dream" speech (1963).
- Network television news covered the events surrounding the assassination of President Kennedy and subsequent funeral (1963), followed days later by a live broadcast on NBC when Jack Ruby fatally shot assassin Lee Harvey Oswald during transport by lawmen in Dallas.
- A national poll (1963) found that more Americans preferred television news (36%) over newspapers (24%) as a reliable source of information.
- Instant replay came to televised sports (1963) when first featured in an Army-Navy football game, and was standard practice the following year.
- Several new shows began multi-year runs (1963), including Let's Make A Deal (1963-76), The Fugitive (1963-87), and Mutual Of Omaha's Wild Kingdom (1963-88).
- Bewitched became an instant hit (1964), starting an eight year run. Other long running shows were renewed that same year, including Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color after its 11th year, Ozzie and Harriet as well as I've Got A Secret after their 13th years, Red Skelton after its 14th year, and Ed Sullivan after its 17th year.
- Nearly a million homes in the US were wired for cable TV (1964), prompting the FCC to begin regulating it.
- Some 73 million viewers watched the beginning of the British invasion
on national television (1964) - the Beatles performing on The Ed Sullivan Show.
- NBC started calling itself "the full color network" (1965), as nearly all of its prime time schedule was broadcast in color.
- The Peanuts comic strip by Charles Schulz was animated for the first time (1965), when A Charlie Brown Christmas was aired and received a 50 share that evening.
- Star Trek: The Original Series (1966-69) began a short-lived run, falling victim to low ratings, poor funding, and a Friday night "death slot" in its third and final year.
- The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (1967-69) best epitomized the counter-culture movement of the sixties, dealing with drugs, Viet Nam, politics and other topics, as the brothers and even some of their guests continually battled CBS censors. For example, Pete Seeger was barred from performing his anti-war song "The Big Muddy" (1967), although the censors did allow it a year later. The show brought stardom to Steve Martin, Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers (later Mike and Gloria on All In The Family), Pat Paulsen, and Don Novello (Father Guido Sarducci), among others.
- President Johnson signed a bill authorizing the corporation for public broadcasting (1967). First known as National Education TV (NET) with 70 stations nationwide, it was replaced two years later by the Public Broadcasting System (PBS), but its federal funding remained an annual topic of discussion in Congress.
- Mr. Rogers (1967-2001) began its long run starting on the NET,
featuring the soft spoken Presbyterian minister Fred McFeely Rogers. Sesame Street launched two years later (1969) and became one of the most influential children's shows ever.
- The Phil Donahue Show (1967-1996) began its long run, premiering first on the Crosley Broadcast Network in Dayton, Ohio before gaining national syndication (1970) and moving to Chicago (1974).
- The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) sponsored a public opinion survey in which 63% of the participants expressed a preference for television without commercials (1967).
- The NAB increased its scrutiny of violence in television shows (1968) following the assassinations of Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.
- Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1968-73) was an instant hit with its fast paced humor, slapstick, and iconic one-liners. The show brought stardom to many of the cast members, including Flip Wilson, Goldie Hawn, Judy Carne, Lily Tomlin, Arte Johnson, Henry Gibson, and others.
- Sixty Minutes (1968) began its run as now the longest running prime
time show in TV history---now over forty years.
- The Brady Bunch (1969-74) began its run as the show considered most opposite from the counter-culture movement of the sixties.
- Hee Haw (1969-93) made a twenty year run in syndication, appealing to an older and less progressive demographic of the country.
- Love American Style (1969-74) was considered a collection of mostly failed sitcom pilots, but did spawn the seventies TV hit Happy Days.
- Millions watched Neil Armstrong take "one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind" on live television when he became the first man to walk on the moon (1969).
- The FCC banned cigarette ads from television and radio (1969), after it was determined that smoking was indeed hazardous to one's health. Tobacco companies agree to the prohibition for fear of greater restrictions that Congress could have imposed.
Top Rated Shows
Sixties Television/October 1960 - April 1961 season:
- Gunsmoke
- Wagon Train
- Have Gun Will Travel
- The Andy Griffith Show
- The Real McCoys
- Rawhide
- Candid Camera
- The Untouchables
- The Price is Right
- The Jack Benny Show
- Dennis the Menace
- The Danny Thomas Show
- My Three Sons
- 77 Sunset Strip
- The Ed Sullivan Show
- Perry Mason
- Bonanza
- The Flintstones
- The Red Skelton Show
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents
- Celebrity Talent Scouts
- General Electric Theatre
- Checkmate
- What's My Line
- The Many Lives of Dobie Gillis
Sixties Television/October 1961 - April 1962 season:
- Wagon Train
- Bonanza
- Gunsmoke
- Hazel
- Perry Mason
- The Red Skelton Show
- The Andy Griffith Show
- The Danny Thomas Show
- Dr. Kildare
- Candid Camera
- My Three Sons
- The Garry Moore Show
- Rawhide
- The Real McCoys
- Lassie
- Sing Along With Mitch
- Dennis the Menace
- Gunsmoke
- Ben Casey
- The Ed Sullivan Show
- Car 54, Where Are You
- The Flintstones
- The Many Lives of Dobie Gillis
- Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color
- The Joey Bishop Show
Sixties Television/October 1962 - April 1963 season:
- The Beverly Hillbillies
- Candid Camera
- The Red Skelton Show
- Bonanza
- The Lucy Show
- The Andy Griffith Show
- Ben Casey
- The Danny Thomas Show
- The Dick Van Dyke Show
- Gunsmoke
- Dr. Kildare
- The Jack Benny Show
- What's My Line
- The Ed Sullivan Show
- Hazel
- I've Got a Secret
- The Jackie Gleason Show
- The Defenders
- The Garry Moore Show
- To Tell the Truth
- Lassie
- Rawhide
- Perry Mason
- Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color
- Wagon Train
Sixties Television/October 1963 - April 1964 season:
- The Beverly Hillbillies
- Bonanza
- The Dick Van Dyke Show
- Petticoat Junction
- The Andy Griffith Show
- The Lucy Show
- Candid Camera
- The Ed Sullivan Show
- The Danny Thomas Show
- My Favorite Martian
- The Red Skelton Show
- I've Got a Secret
- Lassie
- The Jack Benny Show
- The Jackie Gleason Show
- The Donna Reed Show
- The Virginian
- The Patty Duke Show
- Dr. Kildare
- Gunsmoke
- Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color
- Hazel
- McHale's Navy
- To Tell the Truth
- What's My Line
Sixties Television/October 1964 - April 1965 season:
- Bonanza
- Bewitched
- Gomer Pyle USMC
- The Andy Griffith Show
- The Fugitive
- The Red Skelton Hour
- The Dick Van Dyke Show
- The Lucy Show
- Peyton Place II
- Combat
- Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color
- The Beverly Hillbillies
- My Three Sons
- Branded
- Petticoat Junction
- The Ed Sullivan Show
- Lassie
- The Munsters
- Gilligan's Island
- Peyton Place I
- The Jackie Gleason Show
- The Virginian
- The Addams Family
- My Favorite Martian
- Flipper
Sixties television/October 1965 - April 1966 season:
- Bonanza
- Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
- The Lucy Show
- The Red Skelton Hour
- Batman (Thurs)
- The Andy Griffith Show
- Bewitched
- The Beverly Hillbillies
- Hogan's Heroes
- Batman (Wed)
- Green Acres
- Get Smart
- The Man From UNCLE
- Daktari
- My Three Sons
- The Dick Van Dyke Show
- Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color
- The Ed Sullivan Show
- The Lawrence Show
- I've Got a Secret
- Petticoat Junction
- Gilligan's Island
- Wild, Wild West
- The Jackie Gleason Show
- The Virginian
Sixties Television/October 1966 - April 1967 season:
- Bonanza
- The Red Skelton Hour
- The Andy Griffith Show
- The Lucy Show
- The Jackie Gleason Show
- Green Acres
- Daktari
- Bewitched
- The Beverly Hillbillies
- Gomer Pyle, USMC
- The Virginian
- The Lawrence Welk Show
- The Ed Sullivan Show
- The Dean Martin Show
- Family Affair
- The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
- Friday Night Movies
- Hogan's Heroes
- Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color
- Saturday Night at the Movies
- Dragnet
- Get Smart
- Petticoat Junction
- Rat Patrol
- Daniel Boone
Sixties Television/October 1967 - April 1968 season:
- The Andy Griffith Show
- The Lucy Show
- Gomer Pyle, USMC
- Gunsmoke
- Family Affair
- Bonanza
- The Red Skelton Show
- The Dean Martin Show
- The Jackie Gleason Show
- Saturday Night at the Movies
- Bewitched
- The Beverly Hillbillies
- The Ed Sullivan Show
- The Virginian
- Friday Night Movie
- Green Acres
- The Lawrence Welk Show
- The Smothers Brothers' Comedy Hour
- Gentle Ben
- Tuesday Night at the Movies
- Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In
- The FBI
- Thursday Night Movie
- My Three Sons
- Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color
Sixties Television/October 1968 - April 1969 season:
- Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In
- Gomer Pyle, USMC
- Bonanza
- Mayberry RFD
- Family Affair
- Gunsmoke
- Julia
- The Dean Martin Show
- Here's Lucy
- The Beverly Hillbillies
- Mission: Impossible
- Bewitched
- The Red Skelton Hour
- My Three Sons
- The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour
- Ironside
- The Virginian
- The FBI
- Green Acres
- Dragnet
- Daniel Boone
- Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color
- The Ed Sullivan Show
- The Carol Burnett Show
- The Jackie Gleason Show
Sixties Television/October 1969 - April 1970 season:
- Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In
- Gunsmoke
- Bonanza
- Mayberry RFD
- Family Affair
- Here's Lucy
- The Red Skelton Hour
- Marcus Welby MD
- Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color
- The Doris Day Show
- The Bill Cosby Show
- The Jim Nabors Hour
- The Carol Burnett Show
- The Dean Martin Show
- My Three Sons
- Ironside
- The Johhny Cash Show
- The Beverly Hillbillies
- Hawaii Five-O
- The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour
- Hee Haw
- Movie of the Week
- The Mod Squad
- Saturday Night Movie
- Bewitched
Return from Sixties Television to Fifties Sixties Nostalgia
Return from Sixties Television to Baby Boomers R We