# Off Topic - TV Shows prior to 1980



## wncguy (Jan 26, 2012)

Watching some old TV shows… decided to check & see what the more senior LJ's would pick as their favorite actor based on your criteria (not required to explain). I'll list my 4 favorites (& the show they were in).
Looking for shows & actors in them on the tube before 1970. 
Barbara Feldon - Get Smart
Florence Henderson - Brady Bunch
Elizabeth Montgomery - Bewitched
Barbara Eden - I Dream of Jeannie
Surprised Imogene Coca isn't on my list?

Top for me (my secret criteria) Elizabeth Montgomery
So I'm not totally seen as sexist pig, I'll also pick Bill Cosby in I Spy.

You young pups probably don't have a clue on these.


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## ClintSearl (Dec 8, 2011)

Clint Eastwood and Clint Walker, of course. Nyuk nyuk


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## patron (Apr 2, 2009)

i haven't had a good doctor
since marcus welby 
went off the air


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## ddockstader (Jun 21, 2009)

Richard Boone - Have Gun, Will Travel - sophistication AND facial hair before the 60's
Steve McQueen - Wanted, Dead or Alive
Fess Parker - Daniel Boone
Jack Kelly, James Garner, and Roger Moore (before 007) - Maverick
(There were a lot more westerns back then)
last, but not least -
Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. - 77 Sunset Strip (Roger Smith is not even considered because he married Ann-Margaret and that's more reward than any man rightly deserves)


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## DIYaholic (Jan 28, 2011)

I have to "second" Barbra Eden!!!
Then there's the "teacher" from Romper Room…...


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## wncguy (Jan 26, 2012)

You guys are more macho than I am… 
Clint - how about Clint Howard, Ronnie's little brother was he in any of the old shows… could add him to your Clint list.
Patron, was Kildare around after Welby… but then who wants a Dr with Kil in the name.
DD - absolutely agree on Richard Boone & James Garner/Jack Kelly team… others good too. You didn't come up with Amanda Blake as Miss Kitty???!!!


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

*Actors:*
Robert Klugman - Quincy ME
Carroll O'Connor - All in the Family
Alan Alda - MASH
Ed Asner - Lou Grant & Mary Tyler Moore
Red Foxx - Sanford and Son

*Actresses:*
Jean Stapleton - All in the Family
Mary Tyler Moore
Bonnie Franklin - One Day at a Time
Carol Burnett
Bea Arthur - Maude

And of course, Honorable Mentions to:
Lynda Carter - Wonder Woman
Barbara Eden - I Dream of Jeannie
Erin Gray - Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
(for obvious reasons)


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## oldnovice (Mar 7, 2009)

*ddockstader you said Ann Margret was married to Frame Zimbalist Jr. but that is incorrect! She married Roger Smith in 1967 and he is the only husband she has ever had. He was also her manager until he got ill.*

Combat-- Vic Morrow, Rick Jason
Maverick -- James Garner, Jack Kelly
M*A*S*H-- Alan Alda, Wayne Rogers, McLean Stevenson, Loretta Swit, Larry Linville, Harry Morgan
Bonanza-- Loren Green, Micheal Landon, Dan Blocker, Pernell Roberts
CHiPs-- Erik Estrada, Robert Pine, Paul Linke, Larry Wilcox
The Bionic Woman-- Lindsey Wagner
Adam12-- Martin Milner, Kent McCord
Hawaii 50-- Jack Lord, James MacArthur
Fantasy Island-- Ricardo Montalbán, Hervé Villechaize

That's enough I believe!


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## EdwardR (Mar 24, 2012)

Looks like I was beat to it

Vic Morrow …...... Sergeant Chip Saunders----Combat
Starring Christopher George,------------Rat Patrol


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## lunn (Jan 30, 2012)

Annette Funicello on the Mickey Mouse Club. I was so much in love with her !!


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## Howie (May 25, 2010)

TV now a days has no originallity. All there is,is bang bang shootem up drug dealers cop shows,or some stupid "comedy" that isn't even funny. At least the old shows has some good plots. Any of the above named shows were better than most out there today.
However,there is a few "lookers" out there….....


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## huff (May 28, 2009)

How about; The Ed Sullivan show, he brought us Elvis and the Beatles to national TV
Jackie Gleason; The Honeymooners
Lawrence Welk


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## muleskinner (Sep 24, 2011)

OP - going by what appears to be your criteria, I'm surprised at not seeing Diana Rigg (Emma Peel) on your list. She's on mine.


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## 280305 (Sep 28, 2008)

Two of my favorites are from the same show, The Addams Family:
John Astin as Gomez and Carolyn Jones as the always lovely Morticia.


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## whitebeast88 (May 27, 2012)

andy griffith cause you can't forget about mayberry,and lucille ball.chuck connors in the rifleman is one of my all time fav's.


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## wncguy (Jan 26, 2012)

Great input! Some I had totally forgotten, definitely Combat. 
Muleskinner, big oops on my part Dianna Rigg should have been there. I was very jealous of Patrick Macnee. Think Honor Blackman may have been on The Avengers for a bit too.


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## patron (Apr 2, 2009)

the fugitive - david jensen
route 66
hogans heroes - bob crane
twilight zone
'who loves ya baby'

'one of these days alice'


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## crank49 (Apr 7, 2010)

Red Skelton, Jack Benny, Jackie Gleason, Lucile Ball


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## 33706 (Mar 5, 2008)

*Ernie Kovacs*. his show was a scream.


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## wncguy (Jan 26, 2012)

While I was originally thinking of just actors/actresses you've taken it to a new level with the various great shows..appreciate all your suggestions..

Note to oldnovice - ddockstrader indicated that Ann Margaret was married to Roger Smith, not EF Jr.

Since you seem to appreciate the old shows, how about adding Twilight Zone, Steve Allen show & Sid Caesar's Show of Shows.

To all of you - Thanks for the memories…. oh was that a song?
Love waiting for the tube to warm up so I could see the test pattern.
Tin foil on the rabbit ears… who had to hold it in place or turn to antenna while others watched. What the hell was a remote - I thought it was the youngest kid.


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## wncguy (Jan 26, 2012)

poopiekat - re Kovacs, the guy was a genius… I remember the live ads the hosts used to do & somewhere you'll probably find the one the Kovacs' did for some cigarette company & during the whole ad he was holding a cigar! Of course Edie Adams was a pretty hot too.


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## wncguy (Jan 26, 2012)

Patron - sorry, you already had mentioned Twilight Zone.


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## 280305 (Sep 28, 2008)

Since we are straying here, how about the TV itself? Remember those days when the TV was a massive chunk of furniture?

My Dad was very handy with his tube testers and other electronic gizmos. But, sometimes there would be a problem beyond his abilities and we would wait days for the TV repairman to show up. If the problem was serious enough, the repairmen would deliver the dreaded news: "I need to take it back to the shop for diagnosis and repair." Usually this meant removing the electronic parts from the furniture and leaving the empty shell at the house.


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## craftsman on the lake (Dec 27, 2008)

Various actors- Dr. who


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## MarkTheFiddler (May 29, 2012)

I remember being jealous of Bill Mummy. I thought he had the coolest life ever. His big robot buddy shouting out WARNING WARNING Dr. Smith is Irate!

I was definitely good with Elizabeth Montgomery.

I was a little too young for the premiers of the twilight zone episodes but I remember Rod Serling's Night Gallery. There was one night I couldn't sleep at all because I was sure an Ear Wig was going to crawl into my ear and eat my brain.

Dark Shadows was pretty cool but I don't a single actors name out of the whole bunch.


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## MarkTheFiddler (May 29, 2012)

Ahh yes. Help me with the name here but the wild wild west was awesome! The only problem was that every town they went to was exactly the same!


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## oldnovice (Mar 7, 2009)

*wncguy, yes, I misread it!* Sorry about that!

I also forgot *Laugh in*; there were a lot of good stars on that show i.e. Goldie Hawn, Artie Johnson, Ruth Buzzi, Lily Tomlin to name a few!


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## crank49 (Apr 7, 2010)

Speaking of the "Repair guy", that was one of my first jobs.
And what I was doing for a living when I got married.
Now the entire circuit is on a single small board.
Nothing in there to work on.
At least not in the traditional sense.


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## lunn (Jan 30, 2012)

Was thinking about old tv shows. So i checked you tube and found the Cas Walker Farm and Home Hour. Just a local morning show i watched while waiting for the school bus plus it was on the only channel we got. Dolly Parton got her start on it. LMAO off at Cas. Need a good laugh? You Tube Cas Walker part 1 and the end of part 2, somehow a rock band got on !!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Howie (May 25, 2010)

Here's one for you. 
When I was in Vietnam in 1966, we used to watch Vic Marrow on Combat9(aftv) just to see how things were done…
Yancy Derringer was another favorite along with Amos and Andy.


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## mtenterprises (Jan 10, 2011)

Barbara Feldon - Get Smart … Oh Yes! My 7th, 8th and 9th grade science teacher Mrs. MacKrell looked just like her. I just loved science back then, sooo lucky to have her 3 years in a row. I got high 90s for grades too.
MIKE


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## WoodenFrog (Jun 4, 2010)

I always liked-MR ED!, Lassie and Flipper!!


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## patron (Apr 2, 2009)

' eh pancho …. eh cisco'

'hi-yo silver away'

f troop

wagon train

hopalong casidy

superman


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## carver (Nov 4, 2010)

james arness in Gunsmoke. Just about every future famous actor went through that show first


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

I love all these folks:


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## EdwardR (Mar 24, 2012)

Ok I am going to test your memery skills My Mother The Car Jerry van ******************** Ann Sothern


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## Howie (May 25, 2010)

I suppose I would not be "Politically Correct" if I said what I really think of todays TV shows. Besides LJ's would probably ban me.


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## wncguy (Jan 26, 2012)

H Mike - think you are pushing the envelop… was Night Court on before 1980? I do think Harry Anderson was great with various cast though. Especially the role John Astin (Adams Family too) had. Harry Anderson now lives in Asheville NC close to our area. 
K daddy - I think it was High Chaparral. 
I'm beginning to think a new topic would be Old time radio shows for us ole farts.
Many thank to all for your input!


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## patron (Apr 2, 2009)

zorro
guy williams


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

OK, I'm guilty… ;-(

This is what I grew up with:


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## mtenterprises (Jan 10, 2011)

Zorro, my wife loves that. She has all the videos.
MIKE


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

I'm pretty sure you had to grow up in or around Indianapolis IN to see this, back in the early 1960s. I remeber being allowed to stay up late on Friday nights To catch the "Sammy Terry Nightmare Theater"


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

Mike we had a guy like that in Ohio, Fritz the Nite Owl; host of Nite Owl Theater.


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## wncguy (Jan 26, 2012)

H Mike , I don't know out the Samuel Terry Show…. do you feel it had any lasting impact on your mental well being? !!!


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

Wail… I stillz remembers it!

Surely you guys remember Elvira!


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

Barbara Eden - I Dream of Jeannie
Annette Funicello-Mickey Mouse Club
Fess Parker - Daniel Boone
Clint Eastwood-Rawhide
Clint Walker-Cheynne
James Arness-Gunsmoke
Dennis Weaver-Gunsmoke and McCloud
Jack Benny
Lucy


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## roman (Sep 28, 2007)

The 3 stoogies

Moe

Shemp

&

Larry


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

I used to watch a lot of The Phil Silvers Show as Sgt Bilko:


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

Red Skelton Show as Clem Kadiddlehopper and Freddie the Freeloader. This guy was the best comedian that I know of, and he did without profanity or insinuation of lewd behavior:


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## huff (May 28, 2009)

I believe Red Skelton has to be one of the best comedians of all time.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

Definitely Red Skekton. And, Fred Flintstone!


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## tierraverde (Dec 1, 2009)

This will bring back the memories

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=JEfotdZCguk&pop_ads=null


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## tierraverde (Dec 1, 2009)

Yep 
Red Skelton (whom I shook hands with in Las Vegas)
Jackie Gleason
Carol Burnett and the entire cast.
All the variety shows in the 50's and 60's.


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## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

Mike, your Sammy Terry reminds me of Morgus the Magnificent, who has been around New Orleans television since 1959.


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## tierraverde (Dec 1, 2009)

For sitcom

How about WKRP in Cincinnati
Knocked me off the couch


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## wncguy (Jan 26, 2012)

Some of the Carson shows were great back in the day. This clip with Dean Martin & George Gobel was great… check out the smoking, drinking & clothes - but towards the end watch what Dean Martin does with his cigarette ashes!





As an observation, seems most or all input has been from males… perhaps says something of our mentality?


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## greg48 (Nov 7, 2010)

Linda Carter (Wonder Woman) has my vote


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