Lisa's Nostalgia Cafe--1960s TV


cable TV In 1948, cable TV was invented to bring the regular broadcast stations to areas with poor reception. Cable operators erected large antennas to pick up the TV signals, which they sent to their subscribers via coaxial cable. Beginning in the early 1950s, microwave transmission was also used to bring in signals from distant cities. The industry grew rapidly in rural areas and small towns, and by 1970 nearly 8 percent of American households were subscribers. In this pre-satellite era, cable TV was known as CATV, or Community Antenna Television. There weren't any original cable channels yet, just the standard network fare. In the mid 1960s, computer networking was a hot topic, and industry leaders began to see a similar future for cable TV. They envisioned a society in which cable would meet all of our information, entertainment, cultural and communication needs. At the 1968 Cable TV Convention, attendees could view demonstrations of such futuristic features as pay-per-view channels, online shopping and online libraries. In the late 1960s, enthusiasm for the new medium began to diminish. The broadcast networks saw cable TV as a threat, and forced the FCC to place harsh restrictions on cable content. At this point, cities refrained from installing systems because their TV reception was fine. UHF stations Channels 2 to 13 are located in the Very High Frequency (VHF) band. Channels 14 to 83 are found in the Ultra High Frequency (UHF) band. In 1952, the FCC made the first UHF channels available, but many older TV sets couldn't receive these stations, and they were not very successful. In 1962, Congress enacted the All-Channel Receiver Act, which required that all new TV sets receive both VHF and UHF channels. The outlook began to improve, although UHF stations were still regarded as the "black sheep" of the TV industry. In response, these stations devised ways to stand out from their peers by devoting themselves to highly specialized content, such as local sports and ethnic programming. History Of Bozo The Clown Chicago Video Veteran NET Bozo's Circus On WGN TV Horror Host Gallery Fantastic Theater E-Gor's Chamber Of TV Horror Hosts How Cable TV Works Video Clip: Say "No" To Cable TV	-----		Cable TV PBS Local Programming public television In 1952, the FCC set aside 242 channels for educational use. The first two stations began operating in 1953. The field grew to 30 stations by 1958, and to 100 stations by 1964. Some stations were owned by universities, and others were supported by subscriptions and local cultural groups. Educational stations formed their own distribution networks, which allowed them to share programming. Two of these were National Educational Television (NET), a nationwide network formed in 1952, and the Eastern Educational Network (EEN), a regional network formed in 1960. Federal funding arrived in 1967, when Congress formed the Corporation For Public Broadcasting (CPB). For the first few years, NET, EEN and the CPB worked together to fund stations and provide programming. In 1969, the CPB announced the formation of their own network, the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). NET and EEN were phased out, and PBS began broadcasting in 1970. local programming In the 1960s, local programming was still very important. Most news programs, weather reports, children's shows and public affairs programs were found here. The local station was also home to the "late, late show." When these TV stations rediscovered all those old horror movies from the past, they gave them a late-night time slot and a host dressed like Dracula, and the Creature Feature was born. Bozo The Clown was created in 1946, and starred in his first local TV show in 1949. In 1956, Larry Harmon purchased the rights to the character and began creating Bozo shows in various cities on a franchise basis. Chicago's Bozo was perhaps the most famous of them all....his show stayed on the air for an incredible 40 years, from 1961 to 2001.

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Comedy shows ranged from wholesome family sitcoms like Leave It To Beaver to the innovative topical humor of Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In. Along the way, we were treated to rural sitcoms like Green Acres, and we had no trouble believing that five passengers on a three-hour tour would pack enough provisions to survive for three years on a deserted island.	-----	The Many Faces Of Ginger Grant Laugh-In Photos
family values The Andy Griffith Show Mayberry RFD Father Knows Best Leave It To Beaver My Three Sons The Patty Duke Show Family Affair Hazel The Farmer's Daughter The Donna Reed Show The Danny Thomas Show Gidget Please Don't Eat The Daisies The Many Loves Of Dobie Gillis The Joey Bishop Show scary fun The Munsters The Addams Family Hooterville & Beverly Hills Green Acres Petticoat Junction The Beverly Hillbillies on the job The Dick Van Dyke Show The Good Guys Car 54, Where Are You? campy fun Batman Get Smart romantic fun Here Come The Brides The Ghost & Mrs. Muir		unbelievable Bewitched I Dream Of Jeannie Mr. Ed Gilligan's Island My Favorite Martian The Flying Nun It's About Time liberated ladies That Girl The Doris Day Show Julia The Lucy Show at ease, men! McHale's Navy Gomer Pyle, USMC Hogan's Heroes F-Troop the "now" generation The Monkees Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In


In the 1960s, the variety show was king. Along with music shows like Shindig and Hullabaloo, these programs provided us with a chance to see our favorite singers, rock bands and comedians perform. They were also instrumental in giving many new performers their start.	-----	The Beatles On "Ed Sullivan" British Music Shows Ed Sullivan Does Broadway
Shindig music for squares The Lawrence Welk Show Sing Along With Mitch		the groovy new sound Hullabaloo Top Of The Pops American Bandstand Shindig Ready Steady Go! Kraft Music Hall Where The Action Is Colour Me Pop variety The Ed Sullivan Show The Carol Burnett Show The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour The Jack Benny Show The Dean Martin Show The Red Skelton Hour The Jackie Gleason Show The Andy Williams Show The Judy Garland Show The "Tennessee" Ernie Ford Show The Hollywood Palace The Johnny Cash Show


Westerns and science fiction shows were as popular as ever, and the exciting world of the secret agent gave us shows like Mission Impossible and The Avengers. And as for Dr. Kildare and Ben Casey...they can remove my appendix any day!	-----
westerns Gunsmoke Bonanza Have Gun Will Travel Daniel Boone Wagon Train The Virginian The Big Valley Cheyenne Maverick The Wild Wild West covert operations The Man From UNCLE I Spy The Avengers Mission Impossible Honey West doctors, lawyers & cops Ben Casey Dr. Kildare Perry Mason Dragnet drama Peyton Place Lassie		exotic locales Flipper Daktari Sea Hunt Hawaii Five-O on the road The Fugitive Route 66 science fiction Doctor Who Star Trek Lost In Space The Time Tunnel Land Of The Giants Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea The Prisoner freaky The Twilight Zone The Outer Limits Dark Shadows Alfred Hitchcock Presents


Game shows, celebrity talk shows and specials were also popular during this decade. In 1962, Jackie Kennedy's Tour Of The White House was watched by an unprecedented 80 million viewers. The 1960s also gave us the first animated Christmas specials.	-----	Rankin/Bass Cartoon-O-Rama: Rankin/Bass Productions Merry Christmas From TV Party
game shows Beat The Clock To Tell The Truth I've Got A Secret G.E. College Bowl What's My Line The Dating Game The Newlywed Game Concentration potpourri Disney's Wonderful World Of Color Candid Camera Mutual Of Omaha's Wild Kingdom The French Chef After developing her cooking skills in the 1950s, Julia Child opened a cooking school and published her first cookbook in 1961. When The French Chef first aired on Boston's public station in 1963, it brought the art of French cooking to the average American homemaker. In 1964, the show was distributed nationally by the NET educational network. In 1966, Julia was the first public television personality to win an Emmy award. news & talk The Dick Cavett Show The Tonight Show (Johnny Carson) This Is Your Life The Joe Pyne Show The Tonight Show (Jack Paar) The Mike Douglas Show Today The Huntley-Brinkley Report		special presentations Rodgers & Hammerstein's "Cinderella" Miss America Pageant Miss USA Pageant Peter Pan Miss Universe Pageant A Tour Of The White House 1960 Nixon/Kennedy Debates 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee My Name Is Barbra Elvis Comeback Special holidays Andy Williams Christmas Specials Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer Bing Crosby Christmas Specials A Charlie Brown Christmas How The Grinch Stole Christmas Frosty The Snow Man Peanuts Specials The Little Drummer Boy Perry Como Christmas Specials The Story Of Christmas The jazzy soundtrack for A Charlie Brown Christmas was quite revolutionary in its day. It always puts me in the holiday spirit! (Scroll to the top of the page to hear it in MIDI format)


The early 1960s gave us cartoons that adults could enjoy along with their kids, such as The Flintstones and Rocky & Bullwinkle. In the late 1960s, the live-action shows of Sid & Marty Krofft began to adopt a wild, psychedelic look.	-----	WingnutToons Hanna-Barbera Page Children's Television Workshop
educational Romper Room Mister Rogers' Neighborhood Captain Kangaroo Sesame Street Davey & Goliath In 1954, Fred Rogers became a producer and puppeteer at Pittsburgh's educational station, WQED. Between 1964 and 1966, he hosted his own show in Toronto. He brought this show with him when he returned to WQED in 1966. Mister Rogers' Neighborhood was distributed regionally in 1966 and nationally in 1968 via the EEN and NET educational networks. It moved to PBS in 1970. live action The Banana Splits H.R. Pufnstuf		animation The Jetsons The Flintstones Rocky & Bullwinkle Speed Racer The Pink Panther Gumby In 1966, Joan Ganz Cooney wanted to produce a show that would help inner-city children get a head start in school. The Children's Television Workshop was formed in 1967 to produce this show, which would make learning fun by combining animation, puppets, live action and fast-paced editing. The name Sesame Street was chosen as a variation of the phrase "Open, Sesame." The show premiered on the NET educational network in 1969, and moved to PBS in 1970. The rest is history!


more 1960s topics Nostalgia Cafe main page Nostalgia Cafe site map	TV in the 1960s


Audio/Video Collections TV Tunes Online TV's Greatest MIDI Hits Star Trek Sound Bites & Humor Toon Tracker Classic Kid Show Themes My Playlists 1960s Comedy & Variety 1960s Dramas & Other Shows 1960s Kids TV 1960s Holiday Shows 1960s Complete Episodes ======================================== ======================================== Great TV Moments Tiny Tim marries Miss Vickie on The Tonight Show* Ladies and gentlemen....The Beatles! The chase is over for Richard Kimble on the final episode of The Fugitive The tape-recorder self-destructs at the beginning of Mission Impossible* ======================================== ======================================== MIDI Music Hawaii Five-O Linus & Lucy Christmastime Is Here Skating O Tannenbaum The Pink Panther	-----	Quotes Look that up in your Funk and Wagnalls! --Laugh-In Would you believe...? --Maxwell Smart (Get Smart) Sock it to me! --Judy Carne & every guest star on Laugh-In To the Batcave! --Bruce Wayne (aka Batman) Eeep Opp Ork Ah Ah --Means I Love You...as sung by Jet Screamer (The Jetsons) Well gawwww-lee! --Jim Nabors as Gomer Pyle, USMC To boldly go where no Man has gone before! --Star Trek You bet your bippy! --Laugh-In Yabba dabba doo! --Fred Flintstone Here come da judge! --another goodie from Laugh-In ======================================== ======================================== General TV Sites TV Spinoffs & Crossovers TV Single Dads Hall Of Fame Emmy Awards Year-By-Year TV Behind The Scenes Photos


	Everyone remembers getting their first TV in the 1950s. Getting your first color TV in the 1960s was a similar experience. In 1953, the FCC chose the RCA color system as the industry standard. During the 1950s, a limited number of color programs were aired by NBC, who adopted the NBC peacock as their color logo in 1956. Because many network affiliates didn't have the proper equipment for broadcasting in color, most TV shows were in black & white until the mid 1960s. In 1965, the networks were each broadcasting a varying amount of shows in color: ABC at 35 percent, CBS at 50 percent and NBC at 95 percent. The three major networks went "all-color" in 1966. When the networks aired color programs, they used it to their full advantage. The NBC peacock and shows like Disney's Wonderful World Of Color made sure you knew that this show was IN LIVING COLOR. Variety shows seemed to go out of their way to make their sets extra-colorful. Network Color Logos From The 50s & 60s In Living Color On NBC

TV in the 1960s