What are your top 5 favorite shows from the 1950s? (1 Viewer)

[JohnMor]

In alphabetical order:

Alfred Hitchcock Presents
I Love Lucy
Leave it to Beaver
The Untouchables
What's My Line?

 

[Roy Wall]

Random episodes....absolute favorites.The Honeymooners...the Lost Episode..."Ralph's Sweet Tooth'....Gleason at his funniest...episode's ending is priceless.I Love Lucy..."Cousin Ernie Visits"...many, many great episodes but Ernie's arrival in NYC is the killer 4 me.M Squad....overkill police half hour complete with machine guns, bazookas and just about everything in the kitchen except Clint and his 44 magnum..."Pitched Battle at Bluebell Acres"The Adventures of Superman..."The Evil Three"...Psychotic Threesome at the Bayou Hotel remind me of those living under my roof.Naked City (half hour version)..."Burst of Passion"...Woodrow Parfrey steals the show as a very repected citizen going off fully cocked on a killing spree as he randomly kills people on the street and in businesses and good luck understanding his "rationale".

 

[BobO'Link]

Favorites that decade as a 4-5 year old:
The Lone Ranger
Roy Rogers
The Adventures of Superman
Zorro
Amos 'n' Andy (This one *NEEDS* a DVD/BR release!!! It's as funny now as I remember when a kid!)

Also remember watching and enjoying:
Have Gun, Will Travel
The Donna Reed Show
The Rifleman
The Real McCoys (1959-60 season)
Father Knows Best
December Bride
The Adventures of Robin Hood
Maverick
Leave it to Beaver

Favorites now:
Maverick
The Adventures of Superman
Zorro
Peter Gunn
Amos 'n' Andy

Almost made the top 5 (no particular order):
Burns and Allen
The Donna Reed Show
I Love Lucy (primarily the first 3-4 years - I like it less as it progresses)
The Lone Ranger
Leave it to Beaver
Naked City (I've only seen a half dozen or so episodes so far but I'm really liking it)
Wanted: Dead or Alive
The Adventures of Robin Hood

 

[Ron1973]

I should've given honorable mention to The Real McCoys now that Bob mentioned it. I don't think I've ever saw it unedited (it REALLY deserves a proper release) and I haven't saw all the seasons but it's a cute show. It and The Andy Griffith Show were the more believable shows of the rural sitcoms.

I can see similarities between The Real McCoys and The Beverly Hillbillies and I've always wondered if Paul Henning was a little liberal in borrowing from it. Both moved to California and Granny could be just as cantankerous as Amos. Past that I don't see many similarities but it does make one wonder.

I may get shot down here but I just don't care as much for I Love Lucy as others do. It's a good show and certainly relevant from a historical standpoint but just not in my top picks. The Tennessee Ernie Ford episode where he slept sideways in the roll away was side-splitting funny and Superman's appearance was funny, too. Past those it just seems like the episodes all blend in together. I certainly won't say I'd never pick it up on DVD but it's not the top priority for me.

I also have to give a shout-out to The Cisco Kid. My dad talked about it all the time when I was growing up and he finally saw it on cable in the 80's. He said it didn't hold up for him as well as when he was a kid. I've caught it on Netflix and I think it stands the test of time pretty well. It would be nice to see beautiful HD transfers of the show but my understanding is the show was filmed on 16mm film.

 

[BobO'Link]

^I'm pretty much with you on I Love Lucy. While I *do* enjoy the first two seasons very much, once they went to Hollywood the series started a downhill spiral in my book. It seemed to be more and more a "What movie star can we get to be on this week" with the gags built around that guest appearance. I enjoyed the Europe trip more than Hollywood but many episodes seem(ed) contrived. That's not to say there were not some comic gold episodes in those years because there are some true classics from those seasons but those great episodes seemed to become fewer each season as time went on. By the time they moved to the country they'd pretty much lost me. During that original airing we watched it as much out of habit than anything else (and there may have been nothing running opposite we wanted to see more - I've not checked). I *do* own the entire series but that's because I got a superb deal on seasons 5 and up (under $4 each, new).

You know... I picked up one of those PD sets of Cisco Kid episodes and have yet to watch any of them. I figure I'd like it since I like many of the westerns of those years.

I recently purchased a couple of seasons of The Real McCoys and found myself enjoying them more than I thought I would. That's one of those that by the end I think we watched more out of habit and then in reruns it became "routine" - much like *several* series from the late 50s and 60s. One of those shows you would turn on but not really pay much attention to as you'd seen it over and over so it didn't need much attention. Then one day it's not on and you don't see it for *years* (if not decades) so you don't know if you'd still like it or not. The "Is it *really* good or did I watch it too much as a kid to like it now?" type things. I'd like to see that one fixed and re released - at least until the season Kate left the show. I *do* recall it not being quite as good after she was gone.

 

[Ed Lachmann]

And all but one of them, and little of that, are still not available on DVD:
ADVENTURES IN PARADISE
77 SUNSET STRIP
SURFSIDE 6
PEOPLE'S CHOICE (4 Episodes DVD)
BACHELOR FATHER

 

[JoeDoakes]

^I'm pretty much with you on I Love Lucy. While I *do* enjoy the first two seasons very much, once they went to Hollywood the series started a downhill spiral in my book. It seemed to be more and more a "What movie star can we get to be on this week" with the gags built around that guest appearance. I enjoyed the Europe trip more than Hollywood but many episodes seem(ed) contrived. That's not to say there were not some comic gold episodes in those years because there are some true classics from those seasons but those great episodes seemed to become fewer each season as time went on. By the time they moved to the country they'd pretty much lost me. During that original airing we watched it as much out of habit than anything else (and there may have been nothing running opposite we wanted to see more - I've not checked). I *do* own the entire series but that's because I got a superb deal on seasons 5 and up (under $4 each, new).

The first two seasons were definitely the best. Two big reasons for that were that many episodes built on prior episodes of My Favorite Husband (a radio show), so that the writers were able to take a developed plot and concentrate on making it funnier. Also, the first two years used Desi Arnaz's existing musical portfolio, which I think added a lot to the show. After that, the show did go down hill, but there were some great bits, like the William Holden episode where Lucy's nose caught on fire. According to the extras on the DVDs, Jack Benny was so impressed with that episode that he borrowed a print and showed it to his entire crew. Even by the 6th season, which was when things really slowed down, there were still some gems. The Superman and the Bob Hope episode are among my favorites.

 

[JohnMor]

I find the first season of I Love Lucy to be the weakest, although it does have some good/great episodes scattered throughout.

 

[Darby67]

Zorro

Twilight Zone

Perry Mason

Naked City

Have Gun Will Travel

Honorable Mention: Mike Hammer and Alfred Hitchcock Presents

Darby

 

[Dave Lawrence]

As with my 60s picks, I'm sticking with scripted shows, so no game/panel shows like What's My Line or variety shows like Jack Benny. Also, I already included Twilight Zone and Hitchcock on my 60s list, so I'm not including them here.

1) The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show
2) The Honeymooners (the series of 39 episodes as well as the sketches)
3) Dragnet (I just wish I could see the whole series; with the 50s version, I've been limited to the PD episodes that have been released.)
4) The Adventures of Superman
5) Highway Patrol
6) The Goldbergs
7) Gunsmoke
8) Johnny Staccato
9) Perry Mason
10) Peter Gunn

Others have mentioned Our Miss Brooks. I've never had the opportunity to see this comedy, but it's one I would blind buy if it's ever released since I've enjoyed Eve Arden's work in other shows.

 

[TravisR]

I find the first season of I Love Lucy to be the weakest, although it does have some good/great episodes scattered throughout.

I'd say that many shows don't have their best season right out of the gate but once I know a series really well (I Love Lucy, Seinfeld, The Simpsons, The X-Files) and look back on the early years, I find something oddly enjoyable about seeing the writers finding their way to greatness. I guess I like the weird bumps in the road that I don't see once they hit their groove.

 

[benbess]

I'd say that many shows don't have their best season right out of the gate but once I know a series really well (I Love Lucy, Seinfeld, The Simpsons, The X-Files) and look back on the early years, I find something oddly enjoyable about seeing the writers finding their way to greatness. I guess I like the weird bumps in the road that I don't see once they hit their groove.

I think you're right that most shows have rough first seasons.

The two that I think of that were great their first year are the original Star Trek and the first season of The Virginian.

Interesting Star Trek had quite a tortured launch, as everyone knows, and is maybe the only Prime Time TV show to have two pilots!

The Virginian, in contrast, never had a pilot, and went directly into full production on its first season of 30 "movies."

 

[TravisR]

The two that I think of that were great their first year are the original Star Trek and the first season of The Virginian.

I'd say the first season of The Twilight Zone is the show at its peak. The first season of Twin Peaks is great but there was only a pilot and 7 episodes so it's hard to count that since it's not a full season.

 

[John Maher_289910]

Wow, almost forgot how much I loved AMOS 'N' ANDY! Too long since I've seen an episode of it.

 

[Bob Gu]

There was a VIRGINIAN pilot with James Drury shown in 1958 on a summer replacement show, for THE LORETTA YOUNG SHOW, called DECISION.50s Favorites:ZORRO-Great fun! Even had serialized story arcs, that still made sense even if you missed some episodes.WHIRLYBIRDS- The flying stunts done for this show would probably be considered too dangerous and costly, insurance-wise, now-a-days.SERGEANT PRESTON OF THE YUKON- with Yukon King, the fastest lead dog in the Northwest! Waited fifty years to finally see this in color. Beautiful outdoor photography, with sometimes dodgy, but still colorful, interiors.CHEYENNE- Greatest lone TV cowboy ever!77 SUNSET STRIP- Fun show that didn't take itself seriously.All the ZIV series. SEA HUNT and HIGHWAY PATROL, especially, but all of them had strong lead actors and fast paced well produced stories from the first episode to the last. They are very addictive when watching on DVD.

 

[benbess]

There was a VIRGINIAN pilot with James Drury shown in 1958 on a summer replacement show, for THE LORETTA YOUNG SHOW, called DECISION...

Indeed, you're correct about that, but my understanding is that this was really a different show entirely, and not a pilot for The Virginian as it was made in the 60s. The 1958 show was a low budget 30-minute black and white show, with the Virginian as more of a dandy. The Virginian of the 1960s was a high budget color Western of 90-minutes with a completely different supporting cast, and a completely different take on the main character.

 

[Gary OS]

Another great thread, Ben. Since the 50's is, by far, my favorite decade for television shows this is going to be tough. If I stick with shows that had at least half their run in the 50's, then the following would NOT be included even though they are personal favorites and would show up in any all-time favorites list of mine. Again, these are shows that started in the 50's but had ran longer into the 60's:

Rawhide, Perry Mason, Gunsmoke, Twilight Zone, Dennis the Menace, The Rifleman and Leave it to Beaver. While LITB was evenly split between the decades, I'm putting it here because I actually prefer the seasons from the 60's to those of the 50's when it comes to this show. But make no mistake, LITB is a Top 5 show for me overall.

My Top 5 from the 50's are:

Ozzie & Harriet
Father Knows Best
Have Gun, Will Travel
I Love Lucy
Fury

Honorable mention:

Abbott & Costello Show
Highway Patrol
Lone Ranger
Lassie
Adventures of Superman
Tombstone Territory
Rin Tin Tin


Gary "it's tough because there are so many others I could have listed" O.

 

[Bob Gu]

Right, ben, I agree. It is interesting how James Drury was still attached to the Virginian character later on when it went to series.

 

[Vic Pardo]

It was easier to pick just five from the 1960s than from the 1950s. Just too many good series then, many of which lasted into the 1960s.

I'll go with:
The Lone Ranger
Dragnet
Perry Mason
The Untouchables
Sergeant Bilko/The Phil Silvers Show/You'll Never Get Rich (whatever the official title is)

Of course there are a bunch of other great westerns, but if I had to pick one I'll stick with Lone Ranger, since it was first.

 

[Dan McW]

Interesting Star Trek had quite a tortured launch, as everyone knows, and is maybe the only Prime Time TV show to have two pilots!

Columbo had two pilots, for what it's worth.