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

benbess

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Peter M: Great lists of favorite episodes! Very enjoyable to read.

I like all of your picks for The Twilight Zone, but I'll just try to add five more from 1959. It really was a great first season.

Where is Everybody?

One for the Angels

The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine

Walking Distance

Judgement Night
 

TravisR

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I'll cheat and use the entire first season (rather than just the episodes that aired in 1959) of The Twilight Zone (listed chronologically):

Walking Distance
Time Enough At Last
Perchance To Dream
The Hitch-Hiker (my favorite episode of the series)
The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street

Honorable mention: I'll narrow it down to The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine, Judgment Night, And When The Sky Was Opened, The Four Of Us Are Dying, Third From The Sun, Mirror Image, Long Live Walter Jameson, A Passage For Trumpet, The After Hours and A World Of His Own.
 

Mark Collins

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2 should get better from me.

The Edge of Night 1956. All I can remember is that there was a man who had sat up a plan to murder his wife in an old hotel. I would say it had to be close to 1960. This was suppose to be Perry Mason but Earl Gardner decided to pull his support hence Perry Mason did come into being on prime time. Yet Edge stayed the course and was a high rated soap in the 50s 60s and won an emmy award in 1972 for CBS as the best soap on TV.

Lucy which my Grandma loved and I was told as a baby that they put me in front I Love Lucy because I would laugh. I can only remember one first run episode from the almost very last of the half hours in 1957. My mind is a complete blank after that. I always watched Lucy in reruns in the morning on CBS growing up. I would even stay inside and not play with friends until Lucy was over. I even remember the Sunday episodes.

Lucy Desi Comedy hour would play ever summer at night on CBS as I was growing up in the 60s. Love those episodes to pieces. I would have to be home before dark to watch.

The first TV series I ever bought was Lucy. So I guess that says a great deal.

1967 there was a some sort of strike on the soaps. I was excused from school that spring due to an illness which suited me just fine. Dark Shadows went against the strike and kept airing. Loved that because it was my favorite daytime show.

I bring this up because many of the 50s show mentioned here were aired on CBS to replace the soaps during the strike. I can remember how dated these shows looked. I tuned out and waited for the great moment when I knew a new ghost or something dealing with Barnabas Collins was going to show up on Dark Shadows. I was so happy when I was right and Jonathan Frid showed up at Collinwood.

Sorry folks I just had to tell this junk.

Lucy I still love you and will most likely buy the BDs at some point in time.
 

Rob_Ray

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Some of my very earliest memories are of watching Lucy. The only first run episodes I can recall are the hour-longs, but I do remember watching the half-hour reruns first in prime-time and then in the CBS daytime reruns. (I'd love to see an episode with the CBS daytime rerun heart-on-satin notice telling us to "Stay Tuned for Part Two".) I too had to make sure I was in front of a TV set each Saturday evening throughout the summer to catch the Lucy-Desi Comedy Hours. They were somehow "special" because they were only available once a year in primetime.

Now I'm enjoying the blurays and finally watching the shows with the original commercials intact.
 

FanCollector

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Yes, the first Columbo movie in 1968 was just an adaptation of a play (which itself had been an adaptation of an episode of The Chevy Mystery Theater). There was talk of making it a series after the movie was a ratings success, but no deal could be made. When Universal and NBC were planning the NBC Mystery Movie three years later, the movie's participants were willing to produce a Columbo series on that limited basis, but then NBC asked for another TV-movie to show that the format was successfully repeatable. So the second movie was consciously created as a series pilot, while the first was just conceived as a TV-movie.
 

Mark Collins

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Rob_Ray said:
Some of my very earliest memories are of watching Lucy. The only first run episodes I can recall are the hour-longs, but I do remember watching the half-hour reruns first in prime-time and then in the CBS daytime reruns. (I'd love to see an episode with the CBS daytime rerun heart-on-satin notice telling us to "Stay Tuned for Part Two".) I too had to make sure I was in front of a TV set each Saturday evening throughout the summer to catch the Lucy-Desi Comedy Hours. They were somehow "special" because they were only available once a year in primetime.

Now I'm enjoying the blurays and finally watching the shows with the original commercials intact.

Rob you stated it so much better than I did. Exactly how I felt about Lucy and those prime time Lucy Desi Comedy hours in the summer. I would stop play time with friends just to get home for those once a week shows. I cannot remember when they started to air or when they stopped. I was so happy when CBS offered them up on VHS and I bought yes all 13 at 20 bucks a piece. I also bought the entire series from CBS on VHS which is still in my basement.

I would say Lucy without a doubt is the most I have ever spent on any TV series. Dark Shadows would be second. Since I also rebought that series from VHS to DVDs.

I have to say I am getting very tempted to buy season 1. Lots of good memories from my childhood are connected with Lucy. I of course watched The Lucy Show and Here's Lucy but they were never the same. Looking at the later shows you can spot I Love Lucy plots being redone in her later shows.

Thanks for stating just how I feel about Lucy.
 

Neil Brock

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Although the first one was not intended as a pilot, per se. (It was similar to The Night Stalker in that regard.)All in the Family had two pilots also.
Other shows with 2 pilots:The D.A.The Bold Ones - Lawyers segmentChanningSarge
 

Jeff Willis

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I was going to try and avoid crossover-decade shows from this list but there's too many for me that are among my favorites that started in the late 50's so here's my list:

1) Perry Mason

2) Rifleman

3) Lassie Long-running but can't leave it out here since it began in 1954. I preferred the "Timmy" years but after watching most of the "Jeff" years, it's a close call.

4) Father Knows Best

5) Fury & Sky King


Several of my favorites started in the late 50's so this list could have been longer....

Leave it to Beaver

Rawhide

Wanted Dead or Alive

Sea Hunt

Donna Reed Show , my best blind-buy sitcom

This is a shout-out to my good friend, Gary, who, back when the golden-release age of TV/DVD releases began, got me off my fence with collecting more 50's shows.

r0403c.jpg
 

EdG

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Leave It to Beaver
The Untouchables
The Twilight Zone
Have Gun Will Travel
Maverick
 

BobO'Link

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I mentioned in the "What are your Top 5 Least Favorite shows from the 60s" thread that I'm not a fan of Gunsmoke and put it in my top 5 least favorite shows of that decade - BUT Amazon has it as one of their TV Deals of the week with it going for as little as $9.99 per season/half-season going up to $13.99 for the later season sets. In spite of not being a fan I'm looking at picking up Season 1 ($9.99) "just because."

That price is pretty much my threshold for shows I'll purchase for my collection because of their historical significance, even if I don't personally care for them. I try to ensure my library has films and TV shows I think *should* be seen by my kids/grandkids, even if I don't care for them, and encourage them to explore the collection to widen their horizons.
 

upperco

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THE GEORGE BURNS AND GRACIE ALLEN SHOW (1950-1958, CBS)
I LOVE LUCY (1951-1957, CBS)
OUR MISS BROOKS (1952-1956, CBS)
THE HONEYMOONERS (1955-1956, CBS) + the sketches on Gleason's show from '51-'55 and '56-'57
THE BOB CUMMINGS SHOW (1955-1959, NBC/CBS)
 

Regulus

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BobO'Link said:
I mentioned in the "What are your Top 5 Least Favorite shows from the 60s" thread that I'm not a fan of Gunsmoke and put it in my top 5 least favorite shows of that decade - BUT Amazon has it as one of their TV Deals of the week with it going for as little as $9.99 per season/half-season going up to $13.99 for the later season sets. In spite of not being a fan I'm looking at picking up Season 1 ($9.99) "just because."

That price is pretty much my threshold for shows I'll purchase for my collection because of their historical significance, even if I don't personally care for them. I try to ensure my library has films and TV shows I think *should* be seen by my kids/grandkids, even if I don't care for them, and encourage them to explore the collection to widen their horizons.

RATS! I'm as poor as a Church Mouse at this time. I'll just have to wait for "The Next Wave" on this one. Speaking of Lassie I'm one of the "Minority" I liked the "Ranger/Ranch" versions over the other two Back then I preferred the "Ranger/Ranch" version over the other two. (That's "Jeff's Collie & "Timmy and Lassie for those of you in Rio Linda). I had no Idea those three "Versions" where, in fact ONE GIGANTIC SERIES! That's because the Imbeciles that "Broke Up" the show for syndication LEFT OUT Season Four (Where we are first introduced to Timmy, and midway through that season becomes Lassie's new Master (One of the Cast, the Fellow who played "Gramps" Had the misfortune of assuming room temperature midway through the season). They also left out seasons nine and ten, which had several "Experimental" Episodes that were used to determine who would become Lassie's new owner (Timmy had a "Problem, He was GROWING UP). and, Season 11 where, in the first episode (A Three-Parter Called "The Wayfarers) Lassie ends up with the Rangers. (After Timmy and his parents moved to ozzy-land and had to leave the dawg behind because of that Country's Quarantine Law).

Those of you who have access to the Season Ten Episode "The Disappearance" Check out the plane that Timmy and his father are riding in while trying to find Lassie. During the far shots of the plane they are riding in take a close look at the logo on the side of that plane. Look Familiar? Yup, its the plane from Ripcord! :biggrin: Too bad Larry Pennell didn't do a cameo appearance on this episode (He would become Lassie's owner during the shows final two seasons). :laugh: :rolling-smiley:
 

Neil Brock

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In this topic, I've noticed that Amos 'n' Andy is often named. I hope that someone who's in the DVD business take notice and maybe we'll have a chance of seeing this TV show on DVD someday
Interesting note on the show. A couple of days ago one of the six episodes that has not been in circulation amongst the collectors, The Fur Coat sold on ebay for $1575.http://www.ebay.com/itm/16-MM-FILM-AMOS-AND-ANDY-FUR-COAT-/121338980870?pt=US_Film&hash=item1c405dea06That brings the number down to 5 shows which have not turned up as of yet. No doubt they are out there in private collections somewhere and hopefully will one day surface. More chance of that happening than CBS ever letting them out of their vaults.
 

Roy Wall

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TravisR said:
I'll cheat and use the entire first season (rather than just the episodes that aired in 1959) of The Twilight Zone (listed chronologically): Walking DistanceTime Enough At LastPerchance To DreamThe Hitch-Hiker (my favorite episode of the series)The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street Honorable mention: I'll narrow it down to The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine, Judgment Night, And When The Sky Was Opened, The Four Of Us Are Dying, Third From The Sun, Mirror Image, Long Live Walter Jameson, A Passage For Trumpet, The After Hours and A World Of His Own.
The Twilight Zone is in a league of it's own. No series can touch it...IMO....for it's quality of writing for a anthology series. I can't imagine why it wouldn't be included on everyone's all-time top five. Excellent post.
 

Roy Wall

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TravisR said:
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.
Speaking of Twin Peaks....the Blu-Ray comes out at the end of July....already got my order in with Amazon. What a fantastic series.
 

HenryDuBrow

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A couple more I enjoy. Man With A Camera, the Charles Bronson show and My Little Margie is funny. To some extent, Medic with Richard Boone is watchable but I much prefer his later Richard Boone Show in the '60s.
 

Dave Lawrence

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BobO'Link said:
I mentioned in the "What are your Top 5 Least Favorite shows from the 60s" thread that I'm not a fan of Gunsmoke and put it in my top 5 least favorite shows of that decade - BUT Amazon has it as one of their TV Deals of the week with it going for as little as $9.99 per season/half-season going up to $13.99 for the later season sets. In spite of not being a fan I'm looking at picking up Season 1 ($9.99) "just because."

That price is pretty much my threshold for shows I'll purchase for my collection because of their historical significance, even if I don't personally care for them. I try to ensure my library has films and TV shows I think *should* be seen by my kids/grandkids, even if I don't care for them, and encourage them to explore the collection to widen their horizons.
Just wanted to say thanks for the heads-up about the Gunsmoke sale. I read your post on Monday and then ordered the sets for Seasons 2 - 9.

I'd purchased Season 1 when it first came out and intended to continue getting each new release as it came out. But then they decided to spilt the seasons into 2 volumes. On top of that, Season 2, Volume 1 included an episode from Season 4 in place of a Season 2 episode. (I've read that they eventually put the missing Season 2 episode on the Season 4, Volume 1 set as a bonus.) So I decided to stick to watching the remaining 30-minute and 60-minute B/W shows on Encore Western, and wait for either a complete set waaaaay down the line, or a very nice sale. Well, now that very nice sale is here, so I grabbed those 8 seasons (16 volumes) right away. I certainly wasn't expecting to make a big Amazon purchase this week, but I doubt we'll see the prices on those volumes get any lower than what's being offered this week.

I will go ahead and get the Season 10 sets when they first come out this summer to show support for continued releases, since there was a slowdown this year and I do want to eventually see all 20 seasons put out.

Between Gunsmoke and the complete Fat Albert set also on sale this week, it looks like I'll be able to have a nice (and certainly eclectic) mini-marathon this holiday weekend.
 

Steve...O

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Jack Benny Program
The Adventures of Superman
The Lone Ranger
The Roy Rogers Show
What's My Line

Honorable mention to The Cisco Kid simply because I spent many a half hour as a kid watching this in reruns....Leo Carillo's Pancho was great. Come to think of the only one of the above I didn't watch as a kid was WML which I discovered on the late, great Game Show Network's Classic Sunday night block.
 

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