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"The Fugitive " which first crept out of the shadows 60 years ago this month was the perfect television drama. That's not to say that "The Fugitive" is superior to the dramas, or even to its finest contemporaries like "Ben Casey", "The Defenders", "Perry Mason", or "Route 66". "The Fugitive " achieved a perfection of form that was unique from the other shows during the 1960's. This was part crime drama, part police procedural, part action-adventure-suspense and part character driven melodrama. It was fusion television for its time from the first episode drew huge ratings during it's four year run. The push and pull between the contrasting generic elements meant that episodes were highly varied, but with serious variations from many different traditions to draw from that were always satisfying. "The Fugitive" achieved a phenomenally consistent level of quality-which makes this one of the best television dramas of the decade.

Under the creative force of producer-writer-creator Roy Huggins along with producers Alan Armer(Seasons 1-3), and Wilton Schiller(Season 4) along with associate producers George Eckstein, Arthur Fellows, Adrian Samish, Philip Saltzman, and William Gordon under executive producer Quinn Martin (under his production company Quinn Martin Productions in association with United Artists Television and the ABC Television Network), "The Fugitive" was a instantaneous hit running three seasons for ABC with 120 episodes with seasons 1-3 producing 90 episodes in black and white from September 17, 1963 until April 26, 1966. The fourth and final season producing 30 episodes in color from September 13, 1966 until August 29, 1967. "The Fugitive" was nominated for five Prime Time Emmys for Outstanding Dramatic Series and won David Janssen the Emmy for Best Outstanding Actor In A Dramatic Series In 1966. It was nominated for three Golden Globes for Best Dramatic Television Series(also nominated for Best Actor/Best Supporting Actor In A Dramatic Series, Outstanding Writing and Direction In a Dramatic Series).

"The Fugitive" was basically a miscarriage of justice of a man innocent of a murder he did not commit escapes on route to the death house when he is freed from a train wreck. David Janssen's character.of Dr. Richard Kimble wanders the countryside going from one town to the next under a series of aliases, working menial jobs while trying to blend in while being hunted down by the police lieutenant Philip Gerard (Barry Morse) and other law enforcement agencies that are out to get him while he searches for the one arm man who is the real killer(running from the vicinity of his home on the night of the murder). "The Fugitive" made history as well as being the first television series to be based on a real life incident.

The best episodes from this critically acclaimed series include the pilot episode "Fear In A Desert City", followed by "Angels Travel On Lonely Roads", "Never Wave Goodbye", "Nightmare At North Oak", "See Hollywood And Die", "Where The Action Is", "Escape Into Black","Running Scared", "Everybody Gets Hit In The Mouth Sometime", "The Ivy Maze", "A Taste Of Tomorrow ", "Concrete Evidence", "A Clean And Quiet Town", "Rat In A Corner", "World's End", "The Devil's Disciple", "Wife Killer", "Home Is The Hunted", "Come Watch Me Die", "Man On A String","The Girl From Little Egypt", and the explosive two part series finale "The Judgment"(that aired on August 22, 1967 and August 29, 1967).

"The Fugitive" remains the staple of what was dramatic television at its finest hour that had audiences tuning in each week to see Dr. Kimble go from one town to the next while on the run from the law and from Lieutenant Gerald in which he escapes with razor thin precision it had viewers on the edge to see what happens next. In all it was solid entertainment and even 60 years later it is still incredibly riveting to watch then and even today.

The short lived television series "Arrest And Trial" was the forefront of the critically acclaimed dramas of the 1960's. This part police procedure, part detective drama, and part courtroom drama was on the same level as "Perry Mason", "The Defenders", and "Dragnet" that lasted one season on ABC's prime time schedule airing on Sunday nights from 8:30-10:00pm (Eastern) that ran 90 minutes with commercials and station identification airing from September 15, 1963 until April 19, 1964. A total of 30 episodes were produced in black and white with the series being produced by Revue Studios/Universal Television and was filmed at the studios of Universal City in association with the ABC Television Network.

The series faced stiff competition on it's Sunday night schedule where it went up against NBC's "The Bill Dana Show", and "Bonanza ",and the second half of CBS' "The Ed Sullivan Show",and "The Judy Garland Show". The majority of the episodes consisted of two segments. First was "The Arrest" that follows Detective Sergeant Nick Anderson (Ben Gazzara) and his partner Detective Dan Kirby(Roger Perry) of the Los Angeles Police Department along with Lieutenant Detective Carl Bowie (Noah Keen) along with Detective Mitchell Harris (Don Galloway) and Joesph Higgins as they solve crimes and vicious murders as they hunt down and captured vicious criminals who may have been connected to other acts as well as other crimes in which they bring them to justice. The apprehended suspect is read his constitutional rights and is brought to trial in a court of law.

The second half of the program "The Trial" begins with the defended being assigned to the criminal attorney John Egan (Chuck Conners) who was often against the Deputy District Attorney Jerry Miller (John Larch) and the Assistant District Attorney(Barry Pine) where the defended is tried and convicted before a judge and a jury whether if they are found guilty or not guilty depending on the outcome of the case. The series was nominated for Four Prime Time Emmys for Outstanding Dramatic Series during it short lived run. With executive producer Frank P. Rosenburg along with producers Earl Bellamy, Arthur H. Nadel and Charles Russell this series was absolutely brilliant that had a plethora of guest stars each week with top notch direction and fantastic writing that set the tone in modern day 1960's Los Angeles. The best episodes from the series were "Onward and Upward", "Roll Of The Dice", "The Witnesses", "A Shield Is For Hiding Behind", "Inquest For A Bleeding Heart", "Tears From A Silver Dipper", and "Call It A Lifetime".

Creator and producer Dick Wolf Of "Law and Order" took a cue from this 1960's television series and adapted it in the 1990's that had the same format but it was more successful. But still "Arrest And Trial" remains a bonafide classic of brilliant television from the 1960's that was critically acclaimed but was suddenly canceled that still requires a good look.

One of the greatest milestones in television history the situation comedy series "Make Room For Daddy" aka "The Danny Thomas Show " was in fact a treasured gem that was great entertainment even after more than 70 years after its original telecast the series focuses on the misadventures of a showbiz entertainer(Danny Thomas) who lives in a upscale penthouse apartment in New York with his wife(Jean Hagen for Seasons 1-3 and later was replaced by Marjorie Lord for Seasons 5-11) and two kids which was his teenage daughter Terry(Sherry Jackson) and his wise cracking mischievous son Rusty(Rusty Hamer). The series was actor-producer-and executive producer Danny Thomas' most successful series along with producer-director-writer Sheldon Leonard made this one of the biggest sitcom hits of the 1950's that lasted into the mid-1960's that won Five Prime Time Emmys for Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Actor or Actress In A Comedy Series.

"Make Room For Daddy" aka "The Danny Thomas Show" ran on two major television networks throughout its entire run lasting an astonishing 11 seasons and 343 episodes all in classic black and white and was produced under Danny Thomas' production company with Sheldon Leonard as executive producer and was filmed in Hollywood at Desilu Studios. For the first four seasons it aired on ABC premiering on September 29, 1953 as "Make Room For Daddy" producing 90 episodes with Danny Thomas, Jean Hagen, Sherry Jackson, and Rusty Hamer with Amanda Randolph running until April 25, 1957. After it was canceled by ABC in the spring of 1957 numerous cast changes took place when the series switched networks this time over to CBS under the new title as "The Danny Thomas Show" producing 253 episodes that aired from October 7, 1957 until the final telecast on April 27, 1964(where it aired on Monday nights replacing "I Love Lucy" in its timeslot).

During the show's fifth season it introduced Danny Thomas' new wife Kathy O'Hara played by Marjorie Lord and her daughter Linda O'Hara from a previous marriage(Angela Cartwright) for seasons 5-11 throughout the series run with the oldest daughter Terry (Sherry Jackson) leaving for college but returning in several episodes. Only actors Danny Thomas and Rusty Hamer were the only main characters that stayed with the series throughout its entire 11 season run appearing in all 343 episodes. The phenomenal success of "The Danny Thomas Show" spawned numerous spinoffs that included "The Andy Griffith Show", "The Joey Bishop Show", "The Bill Dana Show", and "Make Room For Granddaddy". After it's initial run on both ABC and CBS, the series continued in recycle repeats where it ended up on both CBS' Daytime schedule and later for the earlier episodes for NBC's Daytime schedule as well. The February 12, 1965 telecast was basically a rerun of a earlier episode. This was a grand achievement in Television history that showcases Danny Thomas' multi talented skills as both nightclub entertainer and all around father figure to his children that became a television classic.

Premiering on January 28, 1973, the crime drama-detective mystery series "Barnaby Jones" made its debut in a episode of "Cannon" titled "Requiem For A Son" that introduce the character where he teams up with Detective-Private Investgator Frank Cannon(William Conrad) to solve a vicious murder. On the strength of tha episode along with impressive ratings, CBS greenlighted "Barnaby Jones" as a weekly series about a retired private investigator who owns and operates a private detective agency with the help of his widowed daughter(Lee Meriwether) as his secretary who runs the firm along with his cousin and former Chicago police officer(Mark Shera) who joins the firm midway through the series run.

Created and developed by Edward Hume along with producers Philip Saltzman and Adrian Samish along with executive producer Quinn Martin(under his production company Quinn Martin Productions) in association with the CBS Television Network and was filmed at the Samuel Goldwyn Studios. "Barnaby Jones" starred veteran of stage, screen and television Buddy Ebsen(of "The Beverly Hillbillies") in the title role as the elderly private investigator who takes on various cases with the help of the police department along with his assistants at the firm. The series was a major hit running eight seasons on CBS and producing 178 episodes until the last telecast of the series on April 3, 1980.

It was Quinn Martin's second most successful show of the 1970's and became Buddy Ensen's greatest role after his nine year stint as Jed Clampett on "The Beverly Hillbillies" and this was a good detective-mystery series that had a plethora of guest stars each week...William Windom, Claude Akins, Ida Lupino, Stephanie Powers, Janice Rule, Roddy McDowell, Bill Bixby, Mark Richman, Jackie Cooper, Gary. Lockwood, Dabney Coleman, Mark Goddard, William Shatner, Donna Douglas, Jacqueline Scott, Bradford Dillman, and Pat Hingle just to name a few.

The best episodes includes the two part episode "Requiem For A Son", followed by "The Price Of Terror", "Friends Till Death", "Blind Terror", "Death Leap", "To Catch A Dead Man","Sons Of Thy Father", and the two part episode "A Nightmare In Hawaii" just to name a few. During it's run it was nominated for four Prime Time Emmys and nominated for two Golden Globes for Outstanding Dramatic Series. Even after 50 years it is one of the best detective shows from the 1970's.

Named as one of the longest running documentary series in television history, "Mutual Of Omaha's Wild Kingdom" also known as "The Zoo Parade" made its network television debut on January 6, 1963 when it aired on NBC where it was first shown on Sunday afternoons and later moved to Sunday night prime time where it was scheduled with "The Wonderful World Of Disney " and "Bonanza " for the duration of its run that lasted eight seasons for NBC until February 7, 1971. The network aired repeated episodes from earlier seasons during the summer of 1971. After NBC canceled the series in the spring of 1971 the series was picked up for national syndication until 1988 where it remained for the next seventeen seasons. From 1971 until 1985 it was seen in repeated episodes with brand new episodes that were later shown in syndication. By 1985, the series continued in repeated episodes until its last and final telecast in 1988 (spanning more than 25 years on television with more than 275 episodes produced on both network television and in national syndication). Marlin Perkins was the host of this series who appeared in all 275 episodes during its tenture on the air.

"Mutual Of Omaha's Wild Kingdom " was during the early 1960's the first nature style documentary series to be filmed in location in various parts of the world and presented in living color. The show's sponsor throughout its run was The Mutual Of Omaha Insurance Company. Under the guidance of Marlin Perkins and co-creator Don Meier(who was the executive producer of this series under his production company Don Meier Productions) takes audiences to exotic places to study and conduct research on various types of animals and there behaviors.

Each week your host Marlin Perkins along with assistants Jim Fowler, Stan Brock, Tom Allan, and Peter Gros takes us on a fascinating adventure through various parts of the world as they study and conduct various research on different species of animals in there natural habitat. Each week was an exciting adventure through various countries around the globe doing not only intense further study but risking chances in dealing with various types of animals. It was so successful that "Wild Kingdom"won five Prime Time Emmys for Best Documentary Series for Outstanding Programming (1966, 1967, 1969, 1970 and 1971). After its run on television it is still seen in syndicated repeats but more than 60 years after its premiere it it one of the greatest animal shows of all time. Thanks to the great Marlin Perkins, it's still great family entertainment.

The Virginian (later renamed The Men From Shiloh) became television's first prime time series to run 90 minutes(with commercials) and the first series to be filmed in color airing on NBC's Wednesday night lineup for the nine seasons it was on the air producing 249 episodes. From 1962 until 1963 the series was produced by Revue Studios. From 1963 until 1971 the series was produced by Universal Television (Filmed at Universal City). Airing from September 19, 1962 until the final episode of the series on March 24, 1971. For the nine seasons it was on the air it was network television's third-longest running Western behind Bonanza and Gunsmoke where it was one of the top ten shows on television during its long phenomenal run.

Based on the the 1902 novel by Owen Wister and produced under executive producers Charles Marquis Warren, Norman MacDonnell, Frank Price, and Roy Huggins, the series revolved around the tough foreman of the Shiloh Ranch and his assistant Trampas along with the owner Judge Henry Garth(Lee J. Cobb in Seasons 1-4) and later on other previous owners like Judd Starr(John Dehner midway through Season 4) and later on the Grainger Brothers(Charles Bickford in Season 5 and John McIntire In Seasons 6-8),and later Colonel McKenzie (Stewart Grainger in the final season of the series). Other colorful characters also included Gary Clarke(Seasons1-3), Roberta Shore(Seasons 1-4), Randy Boone(Seasons 3-5), Diane Roter(Season 5), Don Quine (Seasons 5-7), Sara Lane (Seasons 6-8), David Hartman (Seasons 7-8),Tim Matheson(Season 8), and Lee Majors(Season 9). Other characters included Deputy Emmett Ryker played by Clu Gulager(Seasons 3-7) and Sheriff Mark Abbott (Ross Elliott from Seasons 1-8 and also in Season 9).

And the town of Medicine Bow, Wyoming during the mid 1800's where most of the episodes were involved. Only actors James Drury and Doug McClure were the only two actors that stayed with the series throughout it's entire run. Several cast changes were made during the series run especially with new characters added to the cast.(during the 1966-1967 season and the 1970-1971 season). This was a series that had a vast array of guest stars on board each week with fantastic storytelling from some of the best writers in the business along with some top notch directors from Hollywood's best. This was a brillant achievement even after 60 years it still entertains.

One of the most successful police dramas to ever come out of the 1970's "The Rookies" was one of the many police dramas that came from the production factory of producers Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg that premiered on March 7, 1972 as the 90-minute pilot episode for "The ABC Movie Of The Week" which became a colossal hit. Then ABC greenlighted it as a weekly series that premiered the following fall of that year. From the first three seasons of the series(1972-1974) it aired on Monday nights where it faced competition from CBS' Gunsmoke and NBC's Laugh-In among other shows that were on prime time Monday nights. The fourth and final season saw the series moved from Monday nights to Tuesday nights where it went opposite the strong competition with NBC's Police Story, and two CBS powerhouse comedies "One Day At A Time", and "M*A*S*H" during the 1975-1976 season.

The Rookies came on the success of Joesph Wambaugh's book "The New Centurions", as well as the huge ratings success on television with Jack Webb's "Adam-12" sparked interest in depth about the realistic depiction and storytelling of the typical police officer and the situations these brave men and women faced everyday on the streets to uphold the law and to serve and protect the public gain virtual interest. The Rookies was the story of young police officers(Georg Stanford-Brown, Micheal Ontkean, and Sam Melville) straight out of the academy taking on their first assignment in the fictional community of Santa Clara under the moral authority and guidance of the Lieutenant(Gerald S. O'Laughlin) who took these young rookies under his wing and taught them to be good cops.

Out of the 94 episodes that this series produced this was indeed one of the most intense and action packed police dramas of the era...so successful that it spawn a spin-off S.W.A.T that was successful too. "The Rookies" launched the careers of Micheal Ontkean, Georg Stanford-Brown and Kate Jackson. Notable guest stars ranging from Claude Akins, Ned Beatty, Joesph Campanella, Tyne Daly, Susan Dey, Sissy Spacek, Martin Sheen, Don Gordon, Louis Gossett Jr., Roddy McDowell, Cameron Mitchell, John Saxon, Jim Nabors, John Ritter, Della Reese, David Soul, Steve Forrest, Mark Slade, Nick Nolte, Stefanie Powers, William Shatner, Don Stroud, Cleavon Little, Amy Irving, Earl Holliman and many more were among the guest stars of the series that lasted four seasons and 94 color episodes ending it's run on March 30, 1976.

The Rookies were not your average supercops or over the top showoffs neither. These young men made mistakes out there and they were inexperienced with some of the training they received fresh out of the academy. Those mistakes became the basis of several great storylines as well as several great episodes that stood out. But it was under the wing of the Lieutenant that taught these Rookies right from wrong and any other situations that many occur on the streets and how to handle them became one of the great cop shows of the 1970's.

The short lived television series "Cimarron Strip" lasted one season on the air and it was originally broadcast in prime time on Thursday nights for the 1967-1968 season running 90 minutes in length(including commercials) and had some strong competition. "Cimarron Strip" went up against ABC's "Batman", "The Flying Nun", and "Bewitched" and it went up against NBC's "Daniel Boone", and "Ironside". The series was created by Christopher Knopf who was the executive producer of the show under Philip Leacock, Douglas Benton, and John Manley and produced by Bernard McEveety and Leonard Freeman for Whitman Productions in association with the CBS Television Network. The series produced 23 episodes in color that aired from September 7, 1967 until March 7, 1968. Reruns of all 23 episodes were aired during the summer of 1971 three years after it was canceled by CBS.

"Cimarron Strip" is one of only three 90-minute weekly Western series that aired during the 1960's(the others are NBC's The Virginian, and for one season Wagon Train) and the only 90 minute series of its kind during the 1960's to be centered primarily around one lead character in every episode. The series theme music was written and composed by Maurice Jarre who also scored the Oscar winning themes to Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago. The series was set in the late 1880's in the Cimarron Territory where Marshal Jim Crown(Stuart Whitman) maintains law and order in the new territory with his two deputies as assistants one was the Scotsman MacGregor(Percy Herbert),and the young lad Francis Wilde(Randy Boone) and the caring young woman Dulcey Coopersmith (Jill Townsend).

Several great writers ranging from Austin and Irma Kalish, Christopher Knopf, Jack Curtis, Dan Ullman, Stephen Kandel, Herman Miller, Mel Goldberg, David Jones, Hal Sitowitz, and Harlan Ellison. Veteran directors from Boris Segal, Vincent McEveety, Alvin Ganzer, Gerald Mayer, Richard C. Sarafian, Don Medford and Herschel Daugherty contribute to the great episodes that this series produced. Big name guest stars included Warren Oates, Andrew Duggan, Jack Braddock, Robert J. Wilke, Morgan Woodward, Steve Forrest, Royal Dano, Richard Boone, Joesph Cotton, Suzanne Pleshette and L.Q. Jones to name a few that appeared on this action packed Western series.

The best episodes "Journey To A Hanging", "The Beast That Walks Like A Man", "Till The End Of The Night", "The Search", "The Battle of Bloody Stones", "The Roarer", "The Deputy", "The Judgment", "Nobody", "Heller", to name a few. Even 50 years later this was without a doubt not only ambitious but exciting to watch too. Cimarron Strip lived up to its title and then some.

This was one of the most successful family prime time dramas that came ever out of the 1970's that was a powerhouse within itself dominating the ratings for the entire nine seasons it was on the air becoming one of CBS' great Thursday night lineup of shows during its run. Interesting point about this show...it premiered one year after CBS' infamous purge of all its rural comedies and other shows that were canceled in favor of a more progressive urban audience. The next year The Waltons exploded out of nowhere becoming one of the most popular shows in television history. Created by Earl Hamner,Jr. who also served as the narrator of the series as well as the executive producer along with Philip Caprice and Lee Rich under there production company Lorimar Productions. The series was based on the 1963 theatrical feature "Spencer's Mountain" that was written by Earl Hamner, Jr.

Originally aired as a pilot made for television movie titled "The Homecoming: A Waltons Christmas Story" that aired as a CBS Special Movie Presentation on December 19,1971 that starred Patricia O'Neal and Andrew Duggan that became a surprise hit winning both the Golden Globe and the Emmy for Best Original Program and Best Actress Category. On the strength and the commercial success of that television pilot, CBS gave the green light for a weekly series that premiered on September 14, 1972 and ran for nine seasons and 221 episodes until the final episode of the series on June 4, 1981. When it premiered in 1972, The Waltons exploded out of the gate dethroning the widely popular "The Flip Wilson Show" which was the top rated show on television. The result was a series within its nine season run won numerous Golden Globes for Best Television Series and the Prime Time Emmy twice for Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Outstanding writing and Outstanding Drama Series.

The Waltons was a family oriented show that started during the Great Depression and throughout the series ended with the family facing World War II. This series was on the same level as another family oriented show that contained "no violence", "no swearing", and "no adult content".

Several veteran directors ranging from Harry Harris, Phillip Leacock, Lawrence Dobkin, Ralph Senensky, Lee Phillips, Bob Sweeney, Vincent Sherman, Robert Butler, Bernard McEveety, Ivan Dixon, Stan Lathan, and Earl Bellamy along with fantastic writers from Kathleen Hite, Paul Savage, John McGreevey, and William Welch, Dan Ullman, D.C. Fontana, and Earl Hamner, Jr. contribute to some of the great episodes this series produced not to mention here big name guest stars that came on board each week.

After CBS canceled this critically acclaimed series in the spring of 1981 six made for TV-movies based on "The Waltons" were produced for NBC and CBS between February 22, 1982 until April 27, 1997. Produced by Lorimar Productions which was the same company that brought you "Dallas", "Knots Landing", "Eight Is Enough", and "Family Matters".

The western-adventure series "Tales of Wells Fargo" premiered on NBC's Prime Time schedule as a mid-season replacement on March 18,1957 where it became one of the network's biggest hits that started in a era filled with television Westerns. Out of the 200 episodes that this series produced only actor Dale Robertson(who played special agent Jim Hardie for Wells Fargo) was with the series throughout it's entire six season run in all 200 episodes. Out of the 200 episodes only Seasons 1 through 5 produced only 166 black and white episodes that ran 30 minutes in length(with commercials)airing from March 18,1957 until July 10,1961. Only the first five seasons aired on Monday nights in prime time at the 8:30 eastern/7:30 central time slot where it produced 166 black and white episodes. In the sixth and final season of the series saw a change in production when NBC moved "Tales of Wells Fargo" from Monday nights to Saturday nights to an earlier time slot where the show expanded to a full hour and was what NBC would say "The Following Program Is Brought To You In Living Color" and this time new cast members were added. The sixth and final season which moved to Saturday nights at the 7:30 eastern/6:30 central time slot where 34 color episodes were produced airing from September 30,1961 to June 2,1962.

"Tales of Wells Fargo" was the brainchild of creators Frank Gruber and Gene Reynolds where Nat Holt served as executive producer of the series and was produced by Earle Lyon and Al C. Ward which produced a total of 200 episodes airing from March 18,1957 until June 2,1962. Actor William Demarest(later of "My Three Sons" fame)joined the cast in the final season of the series. "Tales of Wells Fargo" as a series was a well written satisfying western that followed the exploits of special agent Jim Hardie, agent for Wells Fargo who served during the first five seasons as narrator/agent and later on became a rancher while still protecting the law and order for Wells Fargo.

Big name directors from Earl Bellamy, Sidney Salkow, R.G. Springsteen, to William Witney, Christian Nyby, William F. Claxton, to George Waggner, Boris Segal and Gene Nelson contribute to some of the great episodes. Writers were Samuel A. Peeples, James Brooks, Gene Reynolds, Dwight Newton, D.D. Beauchamp, Ken Pettus, Barney Slater, Jack Turley, Sam Peckinpah, Frank Price, to Louis L'Amour and A.I. Bezzerides. "Tales of Wells Fargo" was produced by Revue Studios(the same studio that brought you "Wagon Train" and "The Virginian") for NBC Television.

The guest star roster consisted of Chuck Connors, Michael Landon, Hugh Beaumont, Robert Vaughn, Dan Blocker, James Coburn, Claude Akins, Denver Pyle, Jack Elam, Edgar Buchanan(who appeared in six episodes). Other guest stars were Nick Adams, Charles Bronson, Eddie Albert, John Dehner, Royal Dano, Martin Landau, Simon Oakland, Jan Merlin, Celia Kaye, to Jack Nicholson, Paul Fix(who appeared in six episodes), Buddy Ebsen, to Ray Teal, Lee Van Cleef among others.

Cannot believe that the series "Eight Is Enough" is 40 years old! The series was based on Thomas Braden's 1975 New York Times best selling novel which was modeled on the syndicated newspaper columnist who was a real life parent who raised eight kids on which the television series was based. The show centers on a Sacramento, California, family with eight children(from oldest to youngest: David, Mary, Joanne, Susan, Nancy, Elizabeth, Tommy and Nicholas). The father, Thomas Bradford, was a newspaper columnist for the fictional Sacramento Register. His wife Joan(Diana Hyland)took care of the children. Hyland appeared in four episodes before she took gravely ill; she was written out of the show for the remainder of the first season and died after after the second season aired. The second season began in the fall of 1977 with the revelation that Thomas Bradford(Dick Van Patten)was a widower. Tom fell in love with Sandra Sue "Abby" Abbott(Betty Buckley)a schoolteacher who came to the house to tutor Tommy who had broken his leg in a football game. They were married in one of the series TV Movie broadcast titled "Children of the Groom" which aired as a two hour event on November 9, 1977. In another television event two other Bradford children were married in Season four episode titled "I Do, I Do" that was originally broadcast on September 19, 1979. As the series progressed Abby got her doctorate in education and started a job counseling students at the local high school; Mary became a medical doctor,while second youngest son Tommy became a singer in a rock and roll band.

In the pilot episode, the role of David was played by Mark Hamill while the role of Nancy was played by Kimberly Beck and Tommy played Chris English. Beck and English only appeared in the pilot and was abruptly replaced by Dianne Kay and Willie Aames for the remainder of the series. Mark Hamill was replaced by Grant Goodeve for the rest of the series entire run. As far as the rest of the cast were only actors Dick Van Patten, Lani O' Grady, Connie Needham, Susan Richardson, along with Adam Rich and Laurie Walters were with the series throughout its entire five season run appearing in all 112 episodes. Dianne Kay and Grant Goodeve appeared in 111 episodes while Willie Aames appeared in 109 episodes of the series and Betty Buckley appeared in 102 episodes.

"Eight Is Enough" was the brainchild of creator-writer and executive producer William Blinn along with producers Philip Capice and Lee Rich who served as executive producers along with producers Gary Adelson, Greg Strangis, Robert L. Jacks, and Philip Fehrie for Lorimar Productions for ABC-TV airing for five seasons and 112 episodes from it's mid-season premiere(which replaced "The Bionic Woman")on March 15, 1977 until May 23,1981. Repeated episodes from it's fifth and final season aired as summer replacements from May 30,1981 until August 29,1981. The series aired on ABC's Wednesday night prime time schedule at the 8:00 eastern/7:00 central time slot which was a ratings winner. Regular writers for this series included Peter Lefcourt,and writing teams of Gwen Bagni and Paul Dubov along with Greg Strangis, William Blinn, Thomas Braden, Gil Grant, Bruce Shelley, Norman Lessing, Martin Roth, Matt Robinson, Bruce Kalish,and Paul Schneider. The rotating team of seasonal directors including Irving J, Moore, Vincent McEveety, Phillip Leacock, Earl Bellamy, Hollingsworth Morse, Arnold Laven, David Swift, Leslie H. Martinson, Ralph Senensky, Barry Crane, Marc Daniels, Gerald Mayer, Jack Bender, William F. Claxton, Robert Friend to name a few.

Big name guest stars ranging from seasoned veterans like Jack Elam, to Will Geer, Frank Cady, David Wayne, Noah Beery, Abe Vigoda and Barry Van Dyke to guest stars Ellen Travolta, Julia Duffy, Susan Dey, to Judy Strangis, Sherry Jackson, Don Johnson, Tricia O' Neal, Danny Bonaduce, Charlene Tilton, Robin Williams, Ike Eisenmann, Stephanie Kramer, Jonathan Frakes, Timothy Van Patten, Karen Valentine, Gregory Walcott, Adrienne Barbeau, Kevin Schultz, Beth Howland, Corey Feldman, Billie Bird just to name of the big name guest stars that appeared on this show.

Eight Is Enough throughout it's run was nominated for an impressive six prime-time Emmys for Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Actor or Actress in a Prime Time Series, Best Supporting Actor in a Prime Time Series and Best Film Editing. It won the People's Choice Award in 1978 for Best New Dramatic Television Series and was nominated for 2 Golden Globes for Best Actor(Dick Van Patten),and Best Writing for a Prime Time Series. The best episodes that came from "Eight Is Enough" were "Turnabout", the two part "Yes, Nicholas There Is A Santa Claus", to "V is for Vivian", "Seven Days In February", "Long Night's Journey into Day","Here We Go Again", to the two part "You Won't Have Nicholas to Kick Around Anymore" to "Moving Out", "Mother's Rule", to "Marriage and Other Flights of Fancy", "And Baby Makes Nine", "The Idolbreaker", to "Father Knows Best" just to name a few of the great episodes of the "Eight Is Enough" television series. When it was abruptly canceled in the Spring of 1981, ABC replaced it on it's Wednesday night schedule with "The Greatest American Hero" that starred William Katt and Robert Culp.

As we commemorate the 65th anniversary of one of the greatest police dramas of all time it is no doubt that "Dragnet" is one of the most famous and influential police procedural dramas in television history. "Dragnet" broke ground as innovative and original and from the show's first episode it became a huge hit with a cult following that still is prevalent to this day. This was a series that gave audience members a realistic portrayal of the police officers and detectives who put their lives on the line everyday for the safety of the public. Actor-producer- director Jack Webb in full collaboration of the Los Angeles Police Department gave the show the stamp of authenticity where most the episodes of "Dragnet" were based on actual cases-real cases and the full cooperation of how modern police departments work.

The program opened each week with these words of Jack Webb's character Detective Sergeant Joe Friday: "This is the city. Los Angeles, California. I work here. I carry a badge." The most successful cop drama in television history where it became one of the biggest hits at NBC, Dragnet's hallmark was its appearance of realism,from the straight documentary style of narration by Joe Friday to the cases drawn from the files of the Los Angeles Police Department to it's accuracy and attention and the details of police work("It was 4:30..We were working the day watch out of homicide. The boss is Captain Murphy. My partner is Frank Smith. My name's Friday."). Viewers were reminded of the unglamorous dead ends and the constant interruptions of their private lives that plague real policemen,and this made the final shoot-out and capture of the criminal more exciting. At the end of each episode and before the final commercial break(On March 10th, trial was held in Department 182 Superior Court of the state of California,in and for the county of Los Angeles. In a moment the results of that trial)after the criminal was apprehended,an announcer would describe what happened at the subsequent trial and the severity of the sentences he or she received.

The origins of "Dragnet" started on radio for NBC that aired on June 3,1949 and lasted for 314 episodes until July 26,1957(the radio program was still on the air when the television version was just starting out)and on December 16,1951 made the transition to television where it lasted eight seasons and 276 black-and-white episodes until August 23,1959 when it's creator-actor-producer Jack Webb abruptly pulled the plug on this series when it still getting high ratings. Then after a eight year hiatus, NBC revived it under the new title "Dragnet:1967" with Jack Webb at the helm as Sgt. Joe Friday that lasted four seasons and 98 episodes in color that aired from January 12,1967 until April 16,1970. NBC was set to renew the series for a fifth season when Jack Webb again abruptly pull the plug on this series due to other factors. It was revived again in syndication under the title "The New Dragnet" that lasted two seasons and 52 color episodes from October 24,1989 until January 21,1991. This was followed by a short-lived revival in 2003 when creator-producer Dick Wolf(of "Law And Order")launched "L.A. Dragnet" for ABC with Ed O'Neill in the role of Sgt. Joe Friday that lasted 22 episodes airing from May 11, 2003 until May 5, 2004.

"Dragnet" was so successful that in 1954 a full length theatrical feature was based on the television show in color(Starring Jack Webb as Sergeant Friday and Ben Alexander as Detective Frank Smith)that became the first ever television series to ever be made into a motion picture. The film was a monster box-office hit becoming one of the highest grossing pictures of that year. Another theatrical feature based on "Dragnet" came out in 1987 with Dan Ackroyd and Tom Hanks also surfaced(with an appearance by Harry Morgan as Bill Gannon,who worked with Jack Webb in the 1967-1970 series as Captain Bill Gannon).

"Dragnet" was the launching pad for future actors like Lee Marvin, Robert Vaughn, Leonard Nimoy, Carolyn Jones, Martin Milner, Dennis Weaver, Henry Corden, Francis Bavier, Ellen Corby, Charles Bronson, Parley Baer, Claude Akins, James Dobson, Lee Meriwether, Michael Ansara, Strother Martin, Kenneth Tobey, Fess Parker, Robert Bray, Glenn Corbitt, along with Raymond Burr, Hans Conried, Kevin Hagen, Alvy Moore, Yvonne Lime, Warren Oates, Richard Boone, and James Coburn just to name a few of the guest stars and actors who got their start on this series that would go on to bigger careers. "Dragnet" also had the intentions of using the same recurring actors in many of the episodes among them were Virginia Gregg and John Stephenson which were known as Jack Webb's regular players.

"Dragnet" also set the standard as well as the architecture for future police dramas to follow. And even after 65 years it still sets the standard for one of the great television programs that began on radio, made the transition to television during the 1950's and beyond. So here's to the anniversary of "Dragnet"..Happy 65th!!!

When it comes to outstanding dramas no one will ever come close to one of the greatest cop dramas of the 1980's perhaps the best police drama in television history. "Hill Street Blues" was indeed groundbreaking and realistic in its portrayal of the men and women who put there lives on the line everyday in order to protect and serve the citizens of the city. When "Hill Street Blues" burst onto the scene as a mid-season replacement in January of 1981, no one had never seen a show like this before and it reinvented the cop show genre like no other. Hand-held cameras,stories that lasted multiple episodes and large ensemble casts were pretty new to audiences but it didn't click at first. Ratings for the first season of the series were so low that cancellation seemed imminent. But through critical acclaim,the show grew to become one of the defining shows of the decade,one that set the standard for police dramas to follow. Despite incredibly low ratings during its first season, it surprised audiences and critics alike when "Hill Street Blues" won eight Prime Time Emmy Awards in 1981,breaking the record for the most Emmy wins for a show's first season. That record stood until 2000 when another critically acclaim NBC drama "The West Wing" surpassed it.

"Hill Street Blues" premiered in prime time on January 15,1981 as the mid-season replacement for two canceled NBC shows("A Man Called Sloane" and "Good Time Harry")and from the first episode became one of the biggest hits in the history of NBC that was nominated for an impressive 98 Prime Time Emmys and was victorious in winning 8 Prime Time Emmys for Outstanding Drama Series,Outstanding Writing and Direction,Outstanding Actor, Outstanding Actress,Outstanding Supporting Actor,Outstanding Supporting Actress and was nominated for 4 Golden Globes winning 3 Golden Globes in 1982,1983 and 1984 for Best Outstanding Drama Series. For the seven seasons and 146 episodes it produced the show became part of NBC's "Must See Thursday Line-Up" of prime time shows that included "Cheers","Family Ties","Night Court" and "The Cosby Show" for all of Seasons 1 thru 6. The seventh and final season saw the series moved from Thursday nights to Tuesday nights in mid-season until May 12,1987. The show was produced by MTM Productions(Mary Tyler Moore's production company and her ex-husband Grant Tinker) the company that not only produced "The Mary Tyler Moore Show",but also produced "The White Shadow", "St. Elsewhere", "Newhart","Remington Steele", "WKRP In Cincinnati",and also "Rhoda" just to name a few.

"Hill Street Blues" was the brainchild of creators Steven Bochco and Michael Kozoil and was set somewhere in the fictional police headquarters of a large metro city(taking place on the mean streets of Chicago)and it dealt with the men and women of the police department taking on the baddies,but it was way more than that and took it's characters to even more dealt than any show like it. The characters are real,candid and rather than just stereotypes that had real problems and realistic situations. The writers who were behind this series consisted of Anthony Yerkovich, David Mamet,Steven Bochco, Micheal Kozoli, Dick Wolf, Walon Green, Jeffrey Lewis, David Milch and top notch directors from Gregory Hoblit, Christian Nyby, Rick Wallace, Thomas Carter, Gabrielle Beaumont, John Patterson, Stan Lathan, George Stanford-Brown, Corey Allen, Don Weis, Oz Scott, Bill Duke, Randa Haines, Arnold Laven and Alexander Singer.

Big time guest stars ranged from David Caruso, Talia Balsam, Meg Tilly, Anne-Marie Johnson, Howard Rollins, Frances McDormand, Lindsay Crouse, Alfre Woodard, Morgan Woodward, Jennifer Tilly, Linda Hamliton, Danny Glover, Michael Lerner, Chris Noth, Dolph Sweet, James Remar, Ally Sheedy, Cuba Gooding Jr., Michael Biehn, CCH Pounder, Ron O'Neal, Lynn Whitfeld, James Avery, Meshach Taylor, Alan Autry, Steven Bauer, Hector Elizondo, Yaphet Kotto, Joanna Kerns, Don Cheadle, Clarence Williams III, Laurence Fishburne, Ralph Manza, Lauren Holly, to Renny Roker, Lynne Moody, Lee Weaver, Jane Kaczmarek, and Mykelti Williamson just to name a few of the great actors who were guest stars on this series. When NBC abruptly canceled "Hill Street Blues" after seven seasons and 146 episodes,it didn't them executives in charge of prime-time programming long to find its replacement that was also under Steven Bochco that was also critically acclaim...."L.A. Law" that premiered in the fall of 1987.

Fifty years ago in 1966, the television special "It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" aired as "A CBS Special Presentation In Color" on October 27,1966. It was the third Peanuts special(and the second holiday themed special,following the phenomenal success of "A Charlie Brown Christmas" in 1965 that became a colossal hit)to be produced and animated by Bill Melendez and was written by Charles M. Schulz,based on his Peanuts comic strip and serving as executive producers Lee Mendelson along with Bill Melendez with the original theme music composed by Vince Guaraldi. "It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" was also the first Peanuts special to use the titular pattern of a short phrase,followed by the main character "Charlie Brown", a pattern which would remain the norm for almost all subsequent Peanuts specials for many years. The initial broadcast of "It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" took place in prime-time on Thursday October 27,1966 on CBS-TV In Color ,preempting "My Three Sons" on it's regular schedule.

The original sponsors,as seen during the opening sequences(almost never seen afterward in its entirely since the original telecast)were The Coca-Cola Bottling Company and Dolly Madison Snack Foods which would go on to be a longtime co-sponsor of the Peanuts specials that originally aired on CBS. From the original telecast it was a colossal hit and the animated special was nominated in 1967 for three Prime Time Emmys including Outstanding Children's Program, Outstanding Animation Director(Bill Melendez),and Outstanding Outstanding Animation Writer(Charles M. Schulz). It was also nominated in 1967 for the Golden Globe for Best Animated Special. "It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" really encapsulates childhood, the camaraderie and the spirit of Halloween in this classic tale of Charlie Brown and his friends going out for trick or treats and seeing Charlie Brown and his bag of rocks while everybody else gets candy and goodies; Linus and Sally waiting for the Great Pumpkin to arrive while Charlie Brown and the gang get invited to Violet's Halloween party. The classic Snoopy and the Red Baron(in one of the greatest animated scenes ever)sets the tone for what's to follow. The scene where Sally really gives Linus the scolding of his life is the best of this holiday special where Sally misses Halloween and Treats while calling Linus "You Blockhead!" while sitting all night in a pumpkin patch waiting for the Great Pumpkin to arrive but instead rises Snoopy from the patch. The musical score from Vince Guaraldi is in regards a classic among classics and the score is just as brilliant today as it was when audiences first heard this back in 1966. I heard there is a soundtrack album to this television special too.

"It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" aired annually on CBS from 1966 until 2000 with ABC picking up the rights beginning in 2001(as with all of the Peanuts specials)where it airs annually during the Halloween season. Until the 2013 broadcast, the other Peanuts special "You're Not Elected Charlie Brown" aired immediately after "It's The Great Pumpkin" as if the emphasize the proximity of Halloween to Election Day. Also,the Great Pumpkin is mentioned in "You're Not Elected Charlie Brown" which aired twice on ABC in 2014. When ABC aired the first-ever animated special based on the "Toy Story" movies titled "Toy Story of Terror" that animated special "It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" immediately followed afterward. Even after its initial broadcast more than 50 years ago this Peanuts special still entertains while enjoying the holiday spirit. So, here's a golden 50th anniversary to the Great Pumpkin and Charlie Brown.

As we commemorate the 50th anniversary of one of the most innovative if not successful espionage television series of all time the original "Mission:Impossible" for the seven seasons it was on the air for 171 episodes held the record for the longest running espionage series in television history for over 35 years(about 10 more episodes than its nearest rival, the British-produced "The Avengers" with 161 episodes)until its astounding record was broken in 2010 by Kiefer Sutherland's "24" that surpassed it with 195 episodes. But what makes "Mission:Impossible" one of the greatest shows of all time? It was well- written with more intrigue and excitement if not suspenseful than any other show of its era with superb production, big-time guest stars and explosive action and high adventure each week that kept viewers tuned in(that was in an era loaded with a ton of espionage theme series but "Mission:Impossible" went beyond the norm of the regular "spy" show and took it to heights never before seen during its run).

"Mission:Impossible" was the created brainchild of Bruce Geller who was also the executive producer of the series along with producers Barry Crane, Joseph Gantman, Bruce Lansbury, Stanley Kallis, Laurence Heath, Allan Balter along with Robert E. Thompson and William Read Woodfield, that became one of the biggest hits of the mid-1960's and remained on the air as a CBS-TV staple throughout the early-1970's. The series chronicles the missions of a team of secret government agents known as the Impossible Missions Force that went after ruthless dictators, evil organizations in foreign lands and in later episodes taking on organized crime with the strictest attention to detail and timing in order to save the world.

About the cast...out of the 171 episodes of this series only actors Greg Morris(Barney Collier),and Peter Lupus(Willy Armitage)were the only main cast members that were with the series throughout its entire seven-year run. Steven Hill(Dan Briggs)appeared in 28 episodes of Season One only. Steven Hill was replaced by Peter Graves(Jim Phelps)from Seasons 2 through 7 for 143 episodes. Martin Landau(Rollin Hand)was in the first three seasons of the series for 76 episodes. Barbara Bain(Cinnamon Carter) was also in the first three seasons of the series for 78 episodes. Landau and Bain left at the end of the Season 3 and were replaced by Leonard Nimoy(Paris)in Season 4 for 49 episodes of the series. Nimoy left at the end of Season 6. Lesley Anne-Warren(Dana Lambert)came on board in Season 5 for 23 episodes and left at the end of its fifth season. Sam Elliott(Doug Roberts)join the cast in Season 5 for 13 episodes. Other IMF agents were Lynda Day-George(Lisa Casey) in Seasons 6 and 7 for 44 episodes,and Barbara Anderson(Mimi Davis)in seven episodes of Season 6.

The series was produced during the first two seasons by Desilu Productions from September,1966 to January,1968. From January,1968 until March,1973 the series was produced solely through Paramount Television. The original broadcast history of the series aired on CBS-TV from September 17,1966 until March 30,1973 producing 171 episodes all in color. Season 1 was on Saturday nights at the 9:00-10:00 time slot from September 17,1966 until January 7,1967. On January 14,1967 it moved to the 8:30-9:30 time slot until April 22,1967. From Seasons 2 through 4 aired on Sunday nights at the 10:00-11:00 time slot from September 10,1967 until March 29,1970. Season 5 saw the show move back to Saturday nights at the 7:30-8:30 time slot from September 19,1970 until March 17,1971. Season 6 also move the show to a later time slot on Saturday nights at the 10:00-11:00 time slot from September 18,1971 to December 9,1972 and again until February 26,1972 with repeats airing until August 30,1972. The seventh and final season of the series saw the show moved from Saturday nights to Friday nights in an earlier time slot from 8:00-9:00 in prime time from September 16,1972 until the final episode of the series on March 30,1973.

During its run the series was nominated for an impressive 15 Prime-Time Emmys winning 7 of them for Outstanding Acting, Outstanding Direction, and Outstanding Writing and won 3 Golden Globes for Best Television Series,Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series,and Best Actor in a Television Series and won the Edgar Award for Best Episode in a Television Series. "Mission:Impossible" was without a doubt a series with big time writers from Bruce Geller, Allan Balter, Paul Playdon, Kenneth Pettus, Stephen Kandel, Jackson Gillis and top-notch directors from Barry Crane, Paul Krasny, Lee H. Katzin, Leonard Horn, Alexander Singer,Virgil W. Vogel, Joesph Pevney, Marc Daniels,to Leslie H. Martinson, Sutton Roley, Paul Stanley and Alf Kjellin.

Big time guest stars from Ricardo Montalban, Cicely Tyson, William Marshall, Eartha Kitt, Fritz Weaver, Anthony Zerbe, John Vernon, Lloyd Bridges, Pernell Roberts, Lee Meriwether, Joan Collins, Edward Asner, Robert Conrad, Carl Betz, William Shatner, Bradford Dillman, Barbara Luna, to Malachi Throne, Antoinette Bower, William Windom, Wally Cox, Ed Nelson and James Daly just to name a few whose performances were both convincing and enjoyable during the show's seven season run on CBS.

"Mission:Impossible" also saw a remake of the TV-series in the late- 1980's with Peter Graves(that was on ABC from 1988-1990) in the cast and spun a series of seven theatrical films starring Tom Cruise beginning in 1996. Even 50 years later it was one of the best ever conceived for its era.

For the five seasons that it was on the air,Oscar-winning actress Shirley Booth played an independent,opinionated,extremely talkative,in control housekeeper on "Hazel",but on the other end there was never a more lovable and respectable maid who became television's favorite.

Based on the popular single-panel comic strip by cartoonist Ted Key which appeared in the "Saturday Evening Post",the producers(James Fonda along with executive producers Harry Ackerman and William D. Russell for Screen Gems) took some of the harshness out of the cartoon character and replaced it with the warmth and wholesome family values that made "Hazel" a huge television hit for the early-1960's.

"Hazel" ran for five seasons on two major television networks running from 1961 to 1965 producing 154 episodes. The show aired during the first four seasons on NBC's Thursday night Prime-Time lineup from September 28,1961 until March 25,1965 for 125 episodes with the first season episodes in black and white producing 35 episodes(with the exception of "What'll We Watch Tonight",from Season 1,Episode 6 that was the only episode in its first season in color)airing from September 28,1961 until June 7,1962. The next three seasons of the series were "Brought To You In Living Color" for 90 episodes airing from September 20,1962 until March 25,1965(Seasons 2 thru 4). The fifth and final season saw the series moved from NBC to CBS for 29 color episodes airing from September 13,1965 until the final episode of the series on April 11,1966. The broadcast history of the series aired on NBC's Thursday night schedule for the first four seasons of the show's run at the 9:30 eastern/8:30 central time slot where it preceded "Dr. Kildare" from 1961-1965. After the series was canceled by NBC in the Spring of 1965 saw the series moved to CBS in its final season from Thursday nights to Monday nights at the 9:30 eastern/8:30 central time slot preceding "The Andy Griffith Show" in its prime time slot until April 11,1966.

Interesting point about the cast here only actors Shirley Booth and Bobby Buntrock were the only cast members of the series that stayed throughout its entire run and appeared in all 154 episodes. Actors Don De-Fore and Whitney Blake were the only cast members that appeared in 125 episodes in Seasons 1 thru 4 when the series aired on NBC from 1961- 1965. Both De-Fore and Blake left the series after the end of Season 4. In the final season of "Hazel" actors Ray Fulmer, Lynn Borden, and Julia Benjamin appeared in all 29 episodes in color when the series was on CBS from 1965-1966. During the first four seasons, "Hazel" was sponsored by the Ford Motor Company and during Season 4(the show's final season at NBC)was sponsored by The Bristol-Myers Corporation. In the show's final season the sponsors were The Proctor & Gamble Company and Philip Morris.

The show's first season placed fourth in the 1961-1962 Nielsen ratings. Actress Shirley Booth won two Prime-Time Emmys in 1962 and 1963 for Best Actress in a Series and was nominated for her third season in 1964. Booth also received a Golden Globe Nomination for Best Actress in a Television Series in 1964. Out of the 154 episodes that were produced William D. Russell directed 136 episodes of the series. Charles Barton directed 10 episodes while E.W. Swackhamer directed 7 episodes. Veteran director Hal Cooper was behind one episode. Outstanding writers for "Hazel" consisted of Ted Key(the show's creator for 153 episodes) along with Peggy Chantler Dick, Robert Riley Crutcher, Norm Liebmann, James Fonda, Dorothy Cooper, Phil Leslie, Keith Fowler, Louella MacFarlane, and R.S. Allen.

The notable guest stars that appeared on "Hazel" were Frank Gifford, Howard Smith, Cathy Lewis, Mala Powers, Alan Hale Junior, Ellen Corby, John Astin, Leif Erickson, Dick Sargent, Lee Meriwether, Claude Akins, Harvey Korman, Ken Berry, Parley Baer, William Schallert, Virginia Gregg, Malcolm Atterbury, James Doohan, Leo G. Carroll, to Sterling Holloway, Jack Dodson, Luciana Paluzzi, Gloria Henry, Eleanor Audley, Alan Hewitt, Jamie Farr, Hugh Marlowe, Dub Taylor, Harold Gould, and Oskar Homolka and Bonnie Franklin just to name a few of the guest stars that were on the show.

The first four seasons of "Hazel" saw huge ratings but when the series when to CBS in its final season it had fallen out of the top 30 programs and this is when the producers made numerous cast changes when lead to its abrupt cancellation in the Spring of 1966(the series was replaced in the fall of 1966 when CBS replaced it with the Don Fedderson produced series "Family Affair")

The television series "Family Affair" was the created brainchild of powerhouse producers Don Fedderson and Edmund L. Hartmann(who also served as executive producers of this series) who were also known for "My Three Sons",and "The Millionaire" television series along with producers Fred Henry, Edmund Beloin and Henry Garson that made "Family Affair" one of the most heartwarming comedy-drama series of the mid- 1960's. The series was one of CBS' most popular shows spanning five seasons and producing 138 episodes in color that premiered on CBS' Monday night prime-time schedule on September 12,1966 where it preceded "The Andy Griffith Show" and went opposite "Peyton Place",and "The Danny Thomas Comedy Hour". During its first three seasons the series aired on Monday nights at the 9:30 eastern/8:30 central time slot from 1966 to 1969. By the show's fourth season CBS moved the series from Monday nights to Thursday nights in an earlier time slot for its final two seasons(1969-1971) at the 7:30 eastern/6:30 central time slot until its cancellation on March 4,1971. "Family Affair" became so successful that CBS put the series on its daytime lineup schedule also known as "The Family Affair Morning Show" aka "The Brian Keith Show" which consisted of repeated episodes from various seasons airing from September 7,1970 until January 12,1973. Repeated episodes from the best of the series aired from March 11,1971 until September 10,1971.

"Family Affair" basically was a good series that had a "Disney" type theme to it that had a basic story-line, great actors, and impressive guest stars that made it not only fun to watch but made it one of the most popular heartwarming sitcoms of its era. The series chronicles the trials of a successful civil engineer and bachelor Bill Davis(Brian Keith)who life has suddenly changed when he learns that he is given custody of his brother's orphaned children in his luxury Fifth Avenue apartment in New York City. Davis' English Butler and counterpart Giles French(Sebastian Cabot) also had adjustments to make as well as he became the guardian and the second parent of caring for teenage daughter Cissy(Kathy Garver),and his brother's 6-year-old twins Jody(Johnny Whitaker),and Buffy(Anissa Jones) not to mention Buffy's treasure possession Mrs. Beasley her doll that was the heart of the show. This was a series that had basic "family values" and "morals" that was still on the airwaves that were successful during that era. Out of all the actors associated with the series only actors Brian Keith, Kathy Garver, Anissa Jones and Johnny Whitaker were the only cast members that stayed with the series throughout its entire run. Sebastian Cabot appeared in 130 episodes of the series. When Sebastian Cabot left the series for medical reasons, his brother Nigel French(John Williams) was introduced for nine episodes in 1967. In the show's final season Nancy Walker was added as a part-time housekeeper Mrs. Turner for six episodes for the 1970-1971 season.

Creators Don Fedderson along with Edmund L. Hartmann were writers for all 138 episodes of the series. Other outstanding writers that contribute were Henry Garson, Edmund Beloin, Austin and Irma Kalish, Elroy Schwartz, George Tibbles, Seaman Jacobs, Peggy Chantler Dick, Fred Fox, Joesph Hoffman, Phil Davis, and Phil Leslie among others. Charles Barton directed 106 episodes of the series while William D. Russell directed 31 episodes of the series. James Sheldon directed one episode. Notable guest stars consisted of child actors Eve Plumb, Erin Moran, Veronica Cartwright, Butch Patrick, Kym Karath and Pamelyn Ferdin. Other guest stars were June Lockhart, Robert Reed, Ida Lupino, Jamie Farr, Jackie Coogan, Joan Blondell, Sterling Holloway, James Hong, Brian Donlevy, Martha Hyer, Ann Sothern, Doris Singleton, Vic Tayback, Dana Andrews, Paul Fix and Lee Meriwether among the many who made guest appearances on the show.

As for some of the best episodes of "Family Affair" there were several that were very good if not downright dramatic with a hint of comedy. But I start with the show's pilot episode "Buffy" from Season 1. Other great episodes included "The Joiners"(Season 5,Episode 20), "The Substitute Teacher"(Season 3,Episode 5),"A Member of the Family"(Season 2,Episode 23), "Christmas Came a Little Early"(Season 3,Episode 7), "A Matter of Tonsils"(Season 2,Episode 22), "Oliver"(Season 3, Episode 6), "Mrs. Beasley,Where Are You?(Season 1, Episode 7), "Mr. French's Holiday" (Season 2,Episode 27), "Fat,Fat,The Water Rat"(Season 2, Episode 7),and "The Baby Sitters"(Season 2, Episode 29),and the two-part episode "Lost in Spain"(Season 3, Episodes 18 and 19) to name a few. During its five season run "Family Affair" was nominated for eight Prime-Time Emmys between 1967-1969 for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series,Outstanding Directorial Achievement and Outstanding Writing Achievement. Nominated in 1971 for the Golden Globe for Outstanding Television Series and nominated for Outstanding Actor in a Comedic Role(Brian Keith).

When the series was abruptly canceled in the Spring of 1971 after five seasons and 138 episodes,audiences started turning to more "realistic" and irreverent television shows that were more of a urban and gritter appeal and by that time it was "harder" to find a wholesome family oriented program that was not only family friendly but successful and "Family Affair" exceeding all expectations as a television series. The 2002 remake of this was not successful nor did it do right to the original show. Happy 50th anniversary.

Being this was the spin-off to the successful "Happy Days" television series the characters of Laverne and Shirley made their debut premiere in a classic episode "A Date With Fonzie"(Season 3,Episode 10) from the "Happy Days" television series that originally aired on November 11,1975 and from that episode Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams made an astounding impression. The lead characters were introduced in that episode as acquaintances of "The Fonz"(Henry Winkler). It was from that episode and due to the high ratings it achieve,the producers thought it would be a great idea to create a spin-off to "Happy Days" which was at the time the highest rated show on the air not to mention a colossal hit for ABC-TV(which had five of the top ten shows in the Nielsens).

"Laverne and Shirley" was the created brainchild of Garry Marshall along with Mark Rothman, Edward L. Milkis and Thomas L. Miller(who also served as executive producers of this series)along with producers Lowell Ganz, Jeff Franklin, Arthur Silver along with Mark Rothman and Milt Josefburg that premiered on ABC's Tuesday night prime time schedule on January 27,1976 as the mid-season replacement for "Welcome Back Kotter"(which moved to Thursday nights). The series from the first episode was a colossal hit becoming ABC's top-rated sitcom that lasted eight seasons and 178 episodes until May 10,1983. During its eight year-run it went through major changes as the network moved the show to different time slots. For the first four seasons it was on Tuesday nights from January 27,1976 until May 15,1979. Then in Season 5 it moved to Thursday nights from September 13,1979 until December 13,1979 and on January 7,1980 moved to Monday nights until February 11,1980 where it was losing viewers and falling ratings. Then for the next three seasons the network moved it back to its original Tuesday night time slot after "Happy Days" from January 26,1980 until May 10,1983.

Only actress Penny Marshall was with the series for all 178 episodes. Cindy Williams was with the series for 159 episodes from 1976-1982. Williams left the series at the end of Season 7 to pursue other interests. Other recurring characters included actors David L. Lander("Squiggy" for 156 episodes); Michael McKean("Lenny" for 150 episodes),and Eddie Mekka("The Big Ragoo" for 150 episodes). Phil Foster appeared in 149 episodes while actress Betty Garrett appeared in 97 episodes of the series. The series "Laverne and Shirley" started roughly in the same time period as "Happy Days" with the timeline starting in 1958 when the series began through 1967 when the series ended.

Several writers contribute to some of the hilarious hi-jinks and slapstick comedy each week ranging from Lowell Ganz, Garry Marshall, and Mark Rothman(who were the writers for all 178 episodes of the series) along with Jeff Franklin, David W. Duclon, Marc Sotkin, Milt Josefburg, Fred Fox, Ron Leavitt, Winifred Hervey, Babaloo Mandel, Bob Brunner,and Michael Warren. Big time directors ranging from James Burrows, John Tracy, Alan Rafkin, Howard Morris, Joel Zwick, Alan Myerson, Garry Marshall, Jay Sandrich, Jerry Paris, Carl Gottlieb, Chris Thompson, and Tom Trbovich just to name a few. The guest stars who made appearances on this series featured Vicki Lawrence, Ed Begley, Jr., Carrie Fisher, Ed Marinaro, Fred Willard, Billy Sands, Jay Leno, Michael Mann, Anjelica Huston, Laraine Newman, Robert Hays, Roger C. Carmel, Scatman Crothers, Charlene Tilton, Conrad Janis, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Howard Hesseman, Fabian, Pat Carroll, Hans Conried, Troy Donahue, Toni Basil, G.W. Bailey, Severn Darden, Scott Brady, Christopher Guest, Jerry Belson, to Carl Ballantine, Mark Harmon, Fred Dryer, Dennis Haysbert, Ted Danson, and Art Garfunkel. Even had cameos from Jim Lange and Ilene Graff too.

During the peak of the show's run "Laverne and Shirley" got there own Saturday Morning cartoon show that aired on ABC on October 10,1981 with Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams as the voices of there characters where it was part of "The Laverne & Shirley/Fonzie Hour". But with the original series the cast was electric not to mention the adequate writing and above average direction not to mention the slapstick antics made this show a solid ratings winner for the eight seasons it was on the air. Several great episodes do stand out here and I will start with the show's top ten which includes the two-part episodes "Murder on the Moose Jaw Express"(Season 5),"The Bardwell Caper"(Season 6), "We're In The Army Now"(Season 5). Other great episodes included "The Diner" (Season 5), "Look Before You Leap"(Season 2), "The Defiant One"(Season 7),and "Laverne and Shirley Meet Fabian"(Season 3). When the series was suddenly canceled by ABC in 1983 it faced strong competition of NBC's "The A-Team" that crushed it in the ratings. The series that replaced it in the fall of 1983 was "Foul Ups,Bleeps and Blunders" aka "The Dick Clark Show" on ABC's Tuesday night schedule.

Premiering on NBC's prime-time schedule on September 28,1961, "Dr. Kildare" became a widely successful television series that was based on the theatrical MGM "Dr. Kildare" movies starring Lew Ayres and Lionel Barrymore that were released in theaters during the 1930's and 1940's. There was also a successful radio version of "Dr. Kildare" that became a household name within itself even before it made the transition to television by the early-1960's. The television series quickly achieved success and made a star of Richard Chamberlain,who played the title role(along with an ABC medical drama "Ben Casey" that premiered at the same time but premiered a week after "Dr. Kildare" on October 2,1961)that inspired many television series dealing with the medical field.

Produced with the American Medical Association along with the Physicians Advisory Committee and the Hospital of the Good Samaritan of Greater Los Angeles for their valuable assistance the television series "Dr. Kildare" became one of the biggest prime-time successes at NBC produced a total of 191 episodes airing from September 28,1961 until August 30,1966. Out of the 191 episodes that were produced a total of 135 hour long episodes were in black and white for Seasons 1 thru 4 from September 28,1961 until May 11,1965(with the exception of "The Burning Sky" in Season 2 that was in color). Then on September 13,1965 for it's fifth and final season,the show went from it's hour long format to an half-hour weekly format and the series was now in color for 56 episodes airing from September 13,1965 until April 5,1966. Repeated episodes of it's fifth and final season continued in constant airings until August 30,1966. Seasons 1 thru 4 of "Dr. Kildare" were on Thursday nights in prime-time for NBC. The fifth and final season saw the series moved from Thursday nights to Tuesday nights for the remainder of it's run.

Under the creation of James Komack and producers Norman Felton and David Victor(who served as executive producers of this series under there production company Arena Productions/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television and NBC),the series like the MGM film series of the same title(1938-1942) centered around the young intern Dr. Kildare(Richard Chamberlain) working at the fictional metropolitan "Blair General Hospital" to learn his profession,and dealing with not only the problems of the patients,but confronting medical issues while winning the respect of the Senior Dr. Leonard Gillespie(Raymond Massey) while surrounded by all artistic obstacles both personal and professional. The results of this series was riveting drama with big name guest stars to boot along with the superior writing. The result gave the series three Prime Time Emmy Nominations for Best New Series and Best Actor in a Television Series and won Richard Chamberlain the Golden Globe in 1963 for Best Outstanding Actor in a Television Series.

The list of big time writers for this series consisted of Gene Roddenberry, Douglas Benton, Don Brinkley, Sy Salkowitz, E. Jack Neuman, Arthur Weiss, Al C. Ward, Christopher Knopf, Edward J. Lakso, Chester Krumholz, Phillip Saltzman, William Bast, to Theodore Apstein, Louis S. Peterson, Jerry De Bono, and Jim Thompson. The big time list of directors who made "Dr. Kildare" a standard quality of great entertainment included Jack Arnold, Alvin Ganzer, Don Medford, Marc Daniels, Alf Kjellin, Leo Penn, Ida Lupino, Lawrence Dobkin, to John Brahm, John Newland, Herschel Daugherty, Sydney Pollack, James Goldstone, Alexander Singer, Boris Sagel, Paul Wendkos and David Friedkin along with James Komack, Richard C. Sarafian, Don Taylor and Elliott Silverstein.

In addition to the recurring characters including Ken Berry, Jud Taylor, Jean Inness, Robert Paget, Joan Patrick, John Napier and Cynthia Stone among others big name guest stars ranging from Leslie Nielsen, Lee Meriwether, Hayden Rourke, Diane Baker, William Shatner, Robert Redford, James Mason, Boris Karloff, Suzanne Pleshette, Robert Culp, Yvette Mimieux, Ricardo Montalban, Leonard Nimoy, Robert Vaughn, Ed Asner, to Sorrell Booke, James Best, Dick York, James Franciscus, Richard Beymer, Ross Martin, Donna Douglas, Fred Astaire, Barbara Parkins, William Schallert, Dean Jagger, James Earl Jones, Diana Sands, Gene Hackman, Greg Morris, Angie Dickinson, Kim Hunter, Carroll O'Connor, Basil Rathbone, Edgar Buchanan, Steven Hill, Anne Francis, Joanne Linville, Charles Bronson, Jack Lord, James Coburn, Burgess Meredith, Yvonne Craig, and George Kennedy.

Several great episodes of "Dr. Kildare" do stand out as brilliant and I will start the show's pilot episode "Twenty Four-Hours". Other great episodes "An Island Like A Peacock", "The Administrator", "An Ungodly Act", "One for the Road", "For The Living", "The Chemistry of Anger", the two-part "Tyger,Tyger", to "To Each His Own Prison", "The Good Luck Charm","Whoever Heard Of A Two-Headed Doll?","A Miracle For Margaret" just to name a few. The phenomenal success of "Dr. Kildare" was a landmark series for many reasons largely because it let audiences see for the first time a show that combined high drama and medical information that was unheard of when this series premiered in 1961. And it has been much imitated.

The year 1961 brought two outstanding medical dramas to television even though they aired only a week apart. One was "Dr. Kildare" that premiered over at NBC. The other was the medical drama series "Ben Casey" that premiered a week after "Dr. Kildare". "Ben Casey" upon its premiere on October 2,1961 became one of the biggest television hits at ABC spanning five seasons and 153 episodes all in black and white until March 21,1966. "Ben Casey" was just that...a gritty riveting medical drama that was so realistic that it brought on superior acting from it's guest stars not to mention the astounding writing and big production values made this show such a colossal hit and a ratings winner for ABC. Interesting note about this show...Actor Vince Edwards was discovered by Bing Crosby whose production company Bing Crosby Productions produced this series and was filmed at Desilu Studios. Vince Edwards took the character of "Ben Casey" and made him into one of the biggest television icons of the early-1960's. Vince Edwards appeared in all 153 episodes of the series. Veteran actor Sam Jaffe who played Casey's mentor and friend Dr. David Zorba appeared in 127 episodes of the series,and was replaced in the show's final season by Franchot Tone(Dr. Niles Freeland),and also by Harry Landers(Dr. Ted Hoffman). Actress Jeanne Bates(Nurse Willis) appeared in 42 episodes of the series from 1961-1966. "Ben Casey" came at a time when America was at a crossroads within itself especially with the subject of the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War, the confrontations in the Southern states against Jim Crow,and the sudden death of President John Kennedy.

Given the support and assistance from the American Medical Association which was behind some of the scenes during production, the series "Ben Casey" was groundbreaking for it's era with some tough issues and hard hitting drama especially with some of the medical issues that each week Dr. Casey and his staff at fictional County General Hospital had to face. The success of "Ben Casey" brought 11 Prime-Time Emmy Nominations winning the Prime-Time Emmy in 1963 for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role(Kim Stanley),and also Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role(Glenda Farrell)Big time name directors ranging from Leo Penn, Irvin Kershner, Sydney Pollack, John Meredyth-Lucas, Mark Rydell, Arthur Hiller, Alvin Ganzer, Marc Daniels, Richard C. Sarafian, Alan Crosland, to Jerry Lewis, Gerald Mayer and even Joesph Pevney and Paul Wendkos contribute to some of the great episodes not to mention superior writing from the show's creator(James E. Moser for all 153 episodes),along with Jack Laird, Chester Krumholz, Don Brinkley, Alvin Sargent, Al C. Ward, Lester Pine, Wilton Schiller, Ken Kolb, Harry Julian-Fink, Dean Riesner, Norman Katkov and William Bast.

Big name guest stars ranging from Peter Falk, Shelley Winters, Cesar Romero, Millie Perkins, Eddie Albert, Tom Bosley, Stella Stevens, Dick Clark, Mary Astor, Ricardo Montalban, Anne Francis, Davy Jones, Barry Sullivan, Bradford Dillman, Brett Somers to George C. Scott, Jerry Lewis, Roddy McDowell, Robert Culp, Greg Morris, Eartha Kitt, Percy Rodriguez, Antoinette Bower, Ellen Burstyn, Jack Warden, to Carroll O' Connor, James Best, Hari Rhodes, Peter Breck, Jack Klugman, Telly Savalas, Bruce Dern, Cliff Robertson, Beau Bridges, Sally Kellerman, Norman Fell, Neville Brand, Patricia Barry, Brooke Bundy, Suzanne Pleshette, Piper Laurie, and even Richard Basehart, Ray Walston, Larry Hovis, Ivan Dixon, Yvonne Craig, William Windom, Patricia Blair, Marlo Thomas, Lee Marvin, Charles Bronson, Simon Oakland not to mention Tuesday Weld, Pippa Scott and James Caan and even Jerry Lewis and Sammy Davis,Jr. made a special guest appearances.

The best episodes from this Emmy award winning series starts with the pilot episode "To The Pure" to "I Remember A Lemon Tree", "The Sweet Kiss of Madness", "And If I Die", "A Little Fun to Match the Sorrow", "And Even Death Shall Die", "Behold a Pale Horse", "When You See An Evil Man", to the two-part "A Cardinal Act of Mercy". Other great episodes were "If There Were Dreams to Sell", "The Echo of a Silent Cheer", "A Certain Time, A Certain Darkness", "But Linda Only Smiled", "Courage At Three-AM", "A Woods Full of Question Marks", "Where Did All The Roses Go?", "Every Other Minute,It's The End of the World", "Dress My Doll Pretty", "In Case of Emergency,Cry Havoc","One Nation Indivisible" to "A Falcon's Eye, A Lion's Heart, A Girl's Hand", "The Fireman Who Raised Rabbits", "A Horse Named Stravinsky", "If You Play Your Cards Right,You Too Can Be A Loser", "Allie", "A Hundred More Pipers", "Between Summer and Winter,The Glorious Season", along with "Legacy from a Stranger" were some of the great episodes that this series produced during its astounding five season run.

"Ben Casey" premiered on ABC's Monday night schedule in Prime-Time from October 2,1961 until May 13, 1963. The network moved the series to Wednesday nights in Prime-Time from September 9, 1963 until April 22,1964 in favor of another produced Bing Crosby series "Breaking Point". "Ben Casey" went back to Monday nights on September 14, 1964 and remained until the final episode of the series on March 21,1966 after five seasons and 153 black and white episodes. When "Ben Casey" was canceled in the Spring of 1966, the series was replaced by the espionage British import series "The Avengers" on March 28,1966. In the fall of that year it would be replaced by the Western-adventure series "The Big Valley".

On commemorating the 40th anniversary of this show this was at its time science fiction television of the highest order and it was an incredible blend of spectacular special effects,amazing sets along with some of the most fantastic,even metaphysical/mystical stories that put you in with the action amongst the wonders and horrors the Alphas were facing in the far reaches of outer space. The short-lived award winning science fiction series "SPACE:1999" was created and produced by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson who also served as executive producers of the series. The series was the last production by the partnership of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and when it premiered in 1975 was the most expensive science fiction series produced for British television at the time it was made at a cost of $300,000 per episode. The first season was co-produced by the British television company ITC Productions and the Italian production company RAI Productions. The second season was produced only by ITC Productions. Before this series was made the partnership of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson were known for their children's action-adventure programs including "Fireball XL-5", "Stingray", "Thunderbirds!",and "Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons",and for there live-action produced shows that included the science-fiction drama "UFO",and their only live- action espionage/crime-drama series "The Protectors". "SPACE:1999" was originally pitched in the United States to all three major television networks(ABC,NBC,& CBS) with NBC expressing interest in the series as a mid-season replacement. As a result,all three major television networks rejected the offer. The series ended up in the United States shown in first-run national syndication for two seasons producing 48 episodes in color from September 4,1975 until November 12,1977. Out of the 48 episodes that this series produced, a total of 24 episodes were made from September 4,1975 until February 12,1976. Season 2 also produced 24 episodes in it's final season airing from September 4,1976 until November 12,1977. Gerry and Sylvia Anderson were executive producers throughout it's entire run. Former "Star Trek" producer Fred Freiburger was the producer for all of Season 2 and for all 24 episodes in it's final season.

The British produced series starred Martin Landau and Barbara Bain(of "Mission:Impossible" fame),and Canadian actor Barry Morse(of Quinn Martin's "The Fugitive") along with co-stars Nick Tate and Zienia Merton. Throughout the series entire run only actors Martin Landau and Barbara Bain along with Nick Tate and Zienia Merton remained with the exception of Barry Morse who appeared in all 24 episodes of Season 1. In the series second and final season actor Barry Morse was replaced by Catherine Schell. Also added to the cast for Season 2 were actors Tony Anholt, John Hug, and Jeffrey Kissoon. "SPACE:1999" drew a great deal of visual inspiration and technical expertise from Stanley Kubrick's 1968 theatrical film "2001: A Space Odyssey" along with the show's special effects director Brian Johnson who had previously worked on the "Thunderbirds!" television series and on Kubrick's theatrical film.

To basically get the idea of what "SPACE:1999" was about requires heavy viewing in spite of this was out of the ordinary when it came out in 1975. Season 1 of the series is highly recommended and I would highly recommend seeing the pilot episode "Breakaway" which sets the tone for what was to come. The original 24 episodes from Season 1 that were to follow were into a magnificent journey into the unknown reaches of space that gave viewers a retrospective that no other television series of this period has seen before or since. It was Britian's answer to "Star Trek" and "Lost In Space". An grand astounding achievement when it came out during the mid-1970's. The other episodes that stood out from Season 1 of the series were "A Matter of Life and Death", "Dragon's Domain", "End of Eternity", "Earthbound", "The Testament of Arkadia", "The Last Sunset", "Mission of the Darians", "Space Brain", and "The Alpha Child" just to name a few. The second and final season of the series also had some good episodes ranging from the two-part "The Bringers of Wonder", to other Season 2 episodes that followed included "Dorzak", "The Journey to Where", "The Immunity Syndrome", "The Metamorph", "The Seed of Destruction", "The Dorcons",and "The AB Chrysalis" and even "The Rules of Luton" were just a few of the good episodes in its second and final season. The rest of the episodes from Season 2 did not hold their own as the series basically stoop to the level of a Saturday Morning cartoon show. The guest stars ranged from some of the best British actors in the business ranging from Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Joan Collins, Sarah Douglas, Jeremy Kemp and Peter Bowles. When it was canceled in the fall of 1977 the series continued in syndicated repeats for some United States network affilate stations(where it was shown on late nights and weekends) until March of 1978.

In 1963, producer Bob Rafelson came up with the idea while vacationing on tour with a band in Mexico for a television series about the adventures of a musical act. The exception of this idea was hard to come by,but by 1964 all of that changed with the music of the British invasion. "The Beatles" was all the rage and it changed the course of the American pop scene very quickly. Developing the idea for this series would be hard to come by not to mention a hard sell. Teaming up with the executive producer Bert Schneider at Screen Gems-Columbia Pictures,work was set out to develop the concept of the show which was loosely based on "The Beatles". Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider under there production company Raybert Productions with a script that was written by Paul Mazursky and Larry Tucker sold the series idea to the head of Screen Gems in August of 1965 with a pilot script called "The Monkeys". The idea for a television series about a fictional rock and roll group was developed as early as 1960,but had a hard time interesting anyone until 1965,by which time rock and roll music and the phenomenal success of "The Beatles" two movies "A Hard Days Night" (1964),and "Help!"(1965), was entrenched in pop culture with the British invasion of music scene sweeping the country. In September of 1965, trade publication newspapers ran and ad seeking "Folk and Roll Musicians-Singers for acting roles in a new television series". As many as 400 hopefuls showed up to be considered as one of "4 insane boys". Fourteen actors from the audition pool were brought back for screen tests and after audience research, Raybert Productions chose their final four.

The final four that were selected for this series were Mickey Dolenz(who had prior screen experience),Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith,and Peter Tork. The overall part of the show followed the adventures of a folk-rock band forever on the verge of stardom in which these four talented musicians lived together in a crazy apartment and were frequently drawn into the lives of California's many eccentrics. These adventures in which the boys were involved with were interrupted by songs(the songs were written by the best songwriters in the business consisting of Neil Diamond, Harry Nilsson, Carole King, and Boyce & Hart among others). As for the development of the series producers Rafelson and Schneider wanted the style of the series to reflect avant-grade techniques such as improvisation, quick cuts, jump cuts, breaking the fourth wall, and free-flowing loose narratives which was new to audiences at the time this television series premiered which included new techniques in editing and production.

Created by Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider(who also served as executive producers of the series),and produced by Ward Sylvester(Season 2 only), the television series "The Monkees" premiered on NBC's Monday night schedule in prime-time on September 12,1966 at the 7:30pm eastern/6:30pm central time slot in color and was produced Screen Gems/Raybert Productions. The show's sponsors throughout it's run were Kellogg's of Battle Creek(Kellogg's Cereals),and Yardley Fashions of London. Season 1 of the series aired on Monday nights preceding "I Dream of Jeannie" and opposite "The Iron Horse" and "Gilligan's Island" for 32 episodes in color airing from September 12,1966 until April 24,1967. Season 2 of the series also aired on Monday nights preceding "The Man From UNCLE", "Rowan and Martin's Laugh- In",and "The Danny Thomas Show" and opposite "Gunsmoke" and "Cowboy In Africa" for 25 episodes in color airing from September 11, 1967 until March 25,1968. A total of 58 color episodes were produced from September 12,1966 until March 25,1968 with repeated episodes airing from April 5,1968 until September 1, 1968. Only Mickey Dolenz, Peter Tork, Davy Jones and Michael Nesmith were the only original cast members that stayed with the series throughout it's entire two year prime time run on NBC.

Director James Frawley directed 28 episodes of the series including it's original pilot episode. Other directors for this series included Bob Rafelson, Alexander Singer, James Komack, Bruce Kessler, Russ Mayberry, David Winters not to mention even Mickey Dolenz and Peter Tork directed various episodes of the series. The writers included the team of Dee Caruso and Gerald Gardner(21 episodes), Stanley Z. Cherry, Bob Rafelson, Paul Mazursky, Bernie Orenstein, Mickey Dolenz, Stanley Ralph Ross, Larry Tucker, Elias Davis,and Neil Burstyn among others.

The guest stars that appeared on "The Monkees" were Bobby Sherman, Melody Patterson, Julie Newmar, Rose Marie, Peter Whitney, Lon Chaney, Jr., Arch Johnson, Vic Tayback, Heather North, Jeanne Arnold, Barton MacLane, Ben Wright, Stan Freberg, Harvey Lembeck, Henry Corden, Chips Rafferty, John Hoyt, Frank Zappa and a cameo appearance by Milton Berle. The best episodes from "The Monkees" were "The Devil and Peter Tork", "Monkey Versus Machine", "Dance, Monkey, Dance", "Your Friendly Neighborhood Kidnappers", "The Monkees Paw", "The Christmas Show","The Monkees On Tour"(which was a documentary style episode),"Monkees Manhattan Style", "I've Got A Little Song Here" among others. "The Monkees" won two Prime Time Emmy Awards in 1967 for Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy(James Frawley). After NBC canceled the series in the Spring of 1968 enjoyed a resurgence on Saturday morning television in repeated episodes. First it aired on CBS' Saturday morning schedule from September 13,1969 until September 2,1972. Then went over to ABC's Saturday morning schedule in repeats from September 9,1972 until August 8,1973. After it's run on network television the 58 original episodes aired in local syndication from 1975 until 1981. The cable music channel MTV brought back all 58 episodes in repeats on February 23,1986. The success of the original series rebooted a new version titled "The New Monkees" that premiered on MTV in 1987 and later in national syndication. Even after more than 50 years..."The Monkees" are still rock and rolling thanks to a new audience and a new generation who are hooked.

Created and produced by Irwin Allen ,"Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" was ABC's long-running science fiction/adventure series based on the box office 1961 theatrical feature of the same name starring Walter Pidegon. The television series,based on the same name told the colorful exploits of the Seaview,which was the world's most technologically advanced nuclear powered submarine under the command of it's creator Admiral Harriman Nelson(Richard Basehart) of "The Nelson Institute of Marine Research". Harriman's second in command of the Seaview was Captain Lee Crane(David Hedison). Each week was explosive underwater adventure and suspense that kept viewers tuned in as the crew aboard The Seaview faced unpredictable dangers and save the world from espionagen invaders, diabolical villains, saboteurs, aliens from other lifeforms and some of the scariest sea monsters ever conceived for television.

"Voyage" premiered on ABC's Monday night schedule on September 14,1964 where 32 episodes from Season 1 only where in black and white until April 19,1965. Then on September 19,1965 in it's second season,the show moved from Monday nights to Sunday nights in an earlier time slot for 78 color episodes for the remainder of it's four-year run until March 31,1968 where it faced stiff competition opposite the long-running animal show "Lassie",and "The Wonderful World of Disney". "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" produced in all a total of 110 episodes airing between September 14,1964 until March 31,1968. Created by Irwin Allen under his production company and the first of the trilogy of action- adventure shows he would produced for the network(the others were "The Time Tunnel","The Land of the Giants",and "Swiss Family Robinson").

The series was nominated for 8 Prime Time Emmys and winning 4 Prime Time Emmys in 1965 for Outstanding Individual Achievements In Entertainment- Special Photographic Effects(L.B. Abbott); and again in 1966 for Special Photographic Effects(L.B. Abbott);Outstanding Cinematopgraphy(Winton C. Hoch), Art Direction(William J. Creber); Art Direction and Mechanical Special Effects(Robert A. Tait);and in 1967 for Film and Sound Editing(Don Hall, Dick LeGrand, Daniel Mandell, John Mills),and Photographic Special Effects(L.B. Abbott). Other Emmy nominations were for Sound Editing, Film Editing, Art Direction, and Special Effects.

Several big time directors ranging from Jus Addiss, Jerry Hopper, Sobey Martin, Harry Harris, Leonard Horn, Robert Sparr, Nathan Juran, Sutton Roley, James Goldstone, Laslo Benedek, Gerd Oswald, Tom Gries, Alex March, Alan Crosland, and even Irwin Allen(who directed the pilot episode).

Fantastic writers contribute to some of the great stories which include Irwin Allen(who wrote the pilot episode). Others were William Welch, Allan Balter, John Hawkins, Ward Hawkins, Harlan Ellison, Don Brinkley, Sidney Marshall, Robert Vincent, Alan Caillou, Shimon Wincelberg, to Sidney Ellis and William Read Woodfield along with George Reed and Peter Packer.

The guest star roster for "Voyage" includes big time Hollywood greats including Susan Flannery, Mark Slade, Linda Cristal, Henry Jones, Malachi Throne, Jan Merlin, Leslie Nielsen, Werner Klemperer, Michael Ansara, Lloyd Bochner, Ford Rainey, Kevin Hagen, James Doohan, Eddie Albert, Richard Carlson, Yvonne Craig, June Lockhart, Brooke Bundy, Carroll O'Connor, Viveca Lindfors, Edward Asner, Ina Balin, Gia Scala, Gary Merrill, Victor Buono, Karen Steele, J.D. Cannon, Warren Oates, to Arthur Hill, James Darren, John Lupton, Michael Dunn, Vincent Price, Don Matheson, Robert Duvall,and John McGiver.

The best episodes from this series starts with the pilot episode "Eleven Days To Zero"(which was basically filmed in color but telecast in black and white). Season 1 episodes include "The Sky Is Falling", "Submarine Sunk Here", "Doomsday", "The Saboteur", "The Price of Doom", "The Fear Makers", "The Traitor", "The Mist of Silence", "No Way Out", "The Secret of the Loch","The City Beneath The Sea",and "Mutiny". Season 2 episodes include "The Mechanical Man", "The Cyborg","The Death Ship", "Jonah and the Whale", "Leviathan", "The X-Factor",and "The Phantom Strikes". Season 3 episodes include "The Lost Bomb","The Day The World Ended","Death from the Past","The Creature", "The Wax Men", and "Deadly Invasion". The Fourth and Final Season best episodes were "Edge of Doom", "No Way Back", "Cave of the Dead", "The Man of Many Faces", "Savage Jungle", "The Death Clock", "Man-Beast", "Attack!", "The Rescue", and "The Secret of the Deep" along with "Fires of Death".

When it was abruptly canceled in the Spring of 1968 after four seasons and 110 episodes, ABC didn't waste any time in finding a replacement on it's Sunday night time slot which was another Irwin Allen produced series "Land of the Giants" that ran for two seasons and 51 episodes from 1968-1970.

The short-lived television series "S.W.A.T." was another successful action-packed police dramas that came from powerhouse television producer Aaron Spelling,and under the creation of Rick Husky, Lee Stanley,and Robert Hammer. Aaron Spelling served as executive producer of the series along with Leonard Goldberg under their production company Spelling-Goldberg Productions for ABC-TV. "S.W.A.T." actually was the spin-off of another successful Aaron Spelling produced series "The Rookies" where Steve Forrest was a guest star on that episode. "S.W.A.T." premiered as a mid-season replacement on ABC's prime time schedule on February 17,1975 and lasted a mere two seasons on the air until April 3,1976. A total of 37 color episodes were produced in which Season 1 consisted of 12 episodes produced airing between February 17, 1975 through May 26,1975. Season 2 consisted of 25 episodes produced airing between September 13,1975 through April 3, 1976. "S.W.A.T." basically premiered as a mid-season replacement for ABC's Monday Night Football where it faced competition between two prime-time CBS comedies "Maude",and "Rhoda"(which was the spin-off of The Mary Tyler Moore Show),and NBC's Monday Night at the Movies. The second and final season saw the series moved from Monday nights to Saturday nights where it again faced competition from two CBS comedies "The Mary Tyler Moore Show",and "The Bob Newhart Show" which clobbered it in the ratings along with NBC's Saturday Night at the Movies.

The premise of "S.W.A.T."(Special Weapons and Tactics Unit) consisted of a group of highly skilled men that were called on to tackle cases not to mention handle dangerous situations to intense for the police to handle. These quasi-military armed men worked for the Los Angeles Police Department and were all Vietnam Veterans(that fought in Vietnam) that were called on to handle situations in a precision style manner that had to be done with split second timing in order to save lives and take down the baddies or thugs as quickly as possible and bring them to justice. The series starred veteran actor Steve Forrest(of "The Baron" television series)as Lt. Hondo Harrelson the head man of operations. His second in command was Sgt. Deacon Kay(Rod Perry),and his back up in dangerous situations were Officer T.J. McCabe(James Coleman); Officer Luca(Mark Shera); and Officer Jim Street(Robert Urich).

"S.W.A.T." brought in big time directors,big time writers for some of the great episodes,and not to mention big time guest stars in various episodes ranging Sal Mineo, Christopher George, Cameron Mitchell, to Aldo Ray, Robert Loggia, Stuart Whitman, Leslie Nielsen, Mark Slade, William Windom, Farrah Fawcett, Don Stroud, Clint Young, Robert Webber, Carl Weathers, James Darren, Susan Dey, Rose Marie, Phil Silvers, to Michael Conrad, Lesley-Anne Warren, Tom Skerritt, Belinda Tolbert, to Simon Oakland, Loni Anderson, just to name a few of the guest stars that appeared in several episodes.

The best episodes from it's First Season starts off with the groundbreaking pilot episode "The Killing Ground". The other episodes that were not only dramatic but action-packed excitement consisted of "A Coven of Killers"(Season 1,Episode 2); "Pressure Cooker"(Season 1, Episode 4); "Jungle War"(Season 1, Episode 6); "Blind Man's Bluff" (Season 1, Episode 11); "Bravo Enigma"(Season 1, Episode 8); "Death Score"(Season 1, Episode 13);and "The Sole Survivors"(Season 1, Episode 12).

The best episodes from it's Second and Final Season consisted of the two-part season opener "The Deadly Tide",Parts 1 & 2(Season 2, Episodes 1 and 2). Others included "The Vendetta"(Season 2,Episode 6); "The Running Man",Parts 1 & 2(Season 2,Episodes 16 and 17); "The Soldier On The Hill"(Season 2,Episode 23); "Kill S.W.A.T"(Season 2,Episode 3),and the final episode of the series "Officer Luca,You're Dead!"(Season 2,Episode 25).

The series was known for it's opening theme song which became a top-ten hit for the R&B/Pop group Rhythm Heritage in 1976 that were certified Gold and was Grammy nominated that same year. As far as the television series itself was concerned, it premiered in a decade that was littered with detective dramas,and police shows and it was highly criticized for it's violent content that was a rarely with cop shows of the 1970's. When "S.W.A.T." was abruptly canceled in the Spring of 1976, the powers that be over at ABC didn't waste any time for it's replacement where another successful Aaron Spelling produced cop drama "Starsky and Hutch" took over on it's Saturday night prime time slot.

**This commentary was written on January 29,2016 in commemoration with the show's 40th anniversary that was timelined to be written on February 17, 2015.

"The Time Tunnel" when it premiered in the fall of 1966,was creator- producer-director Irwin Allen's third science fiction series for television following the success of "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea",and "Lost In Space". "The Time Tunnel" was also Allen's second television series produced for ABC-TV. The series was placed on ABC's prime-time Friday night schedule on September 9,1966 which in fact survived a season run of 30 episodes in color until it left on April 7,1967. The reason why this show didn't survive was that the network put this show opposite the hugely popular "The Wild,Wild West",and against "The Man From UNCLE" that clobbered it in the ratings. "The Time Tunnel" was an escapism of a series that was big in production,big in casting and big in the array of guest stars that were featured each week. With Art Direction William J. Creber, Rodger Maus and Jack Martin Smith; Set Decoration by Walter M. Scott and Norman Rockett; Special Visual Effects by L.B. Abbott;and Cinematopgraphy by Winton C. Hoch,with an opening theme from composer John Williams(who also composed the themes to other Irwin Allen produced shows from "Lost In Space" to "The Land of the Giants" before he became famous of his theatrical scores of films like "The Poseidon Adventure","The Towering Inferno","Jaws",and "Star Wars")."The Time Tunnel" upon it's short-lived run won the Prime Time Emmy in 1967 for Individual Achievement in Cinematopgraphy and Photographic Special Effects(L.B. Abbott),and was nominated that same year for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematopgraphy(Winton C. Hoch). Most of the props used for the series were borrowed from other Irwin Allen shows like "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea",and "Lost In Space".

Top name directors ranging from Nathan Juran, William Hale, Harry Harris, Herschel Daugherty, Murray Golden, Jerry Hopper,and Paul Stanley with Irwin Allen contributing directing the pilot episode of the series. Great writers also came from creator-producer Irwin Allen,but also from Bob and Wanda Duncan, William Welch, Carey Wilber, Allan Balter, Barney Slater, Leonard Stadd, Robert Hamner, William Read Woodfield, Theo Apstein, and Shimon Wincelberg.

Believe it or not, Irwin Allen's "The Time Tunnel" debuted in the same week as "Star Trek", "The Green Hornet",and "Tarzan",the premiere episode of "The Time Tunnel" had our heroes traveling through the portals of time ranging from them going back to the days of Pearl Harbor, The Old West, Sherwood Forest, going aboard the doomed Titanic,through the Roman Legions, Greek Mythology,and in one episode transported back to the Prehistoric/Jurassic Period. The starring leads Robert Colbert and James Darren were very familiar faces with TV audiences especially Darren himself who was still idolized as a "teen idol" from his stint in the theatrical "Gidget" movies and starring opposite Gregory Peck and David Niven in "The Guns of Navarone". The series also starred Whit Bissell,John Zaremba,and former Miss USA Lee Meriwether(in her first-ever television series). Each episode had our heroes going from one dimension of history to another and still you had to respect Irwin Allen for attempting to make something more and interestingly profound than "Voyage",but it survived as one of the shortest of the Irwin Allen produced series. Big name guest stars ranging from Michael Rennie, to Gary Merrill appeared in the pilot episode. Other guest stars were Lew Gallo, Michael Ansara, Malachi Throne, Rhodes Reason, Kevin Hagen, Anne Dore, Michael Pate, Perry Lopez, Rodolfo Hoyos,Jr., John Hoyt, Carroll O'Connor, Paul Fix, Vitina Marcus, Linden Chiles, Scott Marlowe, David Opatoshu, Nehemiah Persoff, to Victor Jory, Ellen Burstyn, Ben Cooper, Torin Thatcher, Mako, John Lupton, Jim Davis, Dee Hartford, R.G. Armstrong, Regis Toomey, Ford Rainey, John Napier, Vince Howard, Susan Flannery, Don Knight, Robert Riordan, George Matsui, Abel Fernandez, Richard Jaeckel, Robert Duvall, Gunnar Hellstrom, Allen Case, Eduardo Ciannelli, Paul Mantee, Jan Merlin, Heather Young, John Saxon, and Robert Walker, Jr.

The best episodes from this short-lived science fiction/fantasy series were very good and I start with the series pilot episode "Rendezvous With Yesterday". The other episodes included were "The Day The Sky Fell In", "The Revenge of the Gods","The Revenge of Robin Hood", "The Alamo", "The Invasion", "The Walls of Jericho", "The Pirates of Deadman's Island", "The Last Patrol", "A Chase Through Time", "Crack of Doom", "The Death Trap","The End of the World",and "The Idol of Death".

When the series was abruptly canceled on April 7, 1967 the network didn't take long to find a replacement on it's Friday night schedule for the 1967-1968 season. The series that replaced "The Time Tunnel" was a Western which was also short-lived as well......"Hondo" that was produced through John Wayne's production company Batjac Productions for ABC-TV that lasted 26 episodes in color and starred Ralph Teague in the title role.