TV by the Decade :: October 3•9

FX Network

We got a reprieve with the promise of streamlining things and more pictures, so we’re back to take a look at the TV series that premiered this week over the last seven decades. 1971 in which there were no series debuts, and 1951 and 2011 both had one premiere, and both are anthology series. 1961 debuted a classic sitcom and what is said to be one of the worst shows ever put on television; CBS tried and failed with a weekly, late night soap opera, 1991 had a show with a strong fan base but low ratings, and 2001 had two long-running sitcoms. Let’s take a look to see if you remember — or still watch — any of these shows!

1951

October 5 – Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

• Hosts: James Mason, Irene Dunne, Robert Paige
• Notable Guests: Hayden Rorke, Lee Van Cleef, Barbara Billingsley, Vincent Price, John Forsythe, Kevin McCarthy, Carolyn Jones, Eddie Albert, Vera Miles, Keenan Wynn, Michael Landon, Anthony Quinn, Walter Brennan, June Lockhart, Helen Hayes, Frances Bavier, Hugh Beaumont, Lee Marvin, Peter Lawford, Rod Steiger, Faith Domergue, Charlton Heston, Celeste Holm, Polly Bergen, Basil Rathbone, Sebastian Cabot, Jessica Tandy, Jackie Cooper, Mike Connors, John Beradino, Cesar Romero, Cedric Hardwicke, Barbara Hale, Marjorie Lord, Patrick O’Neal, Macdonald Carey, Richard Deacon, Dan O’Herlihy, Jack Albertson, Angie Dickinson, Barbara Bel Geddes, Robert Cummings, Yvonne De Carlo, Ricardo Montalban, Joan Blondell
• Synopsis: Anthology series offering both comedies and dramas.
• Network: CBS
• Broadcast History: Eight seasons, 347 episodes, last broadcast on March 27, 1959
• Trivia: Three episodes served as pilots for NBC Westerns: The Restless Gun, Tales of Wells Fargo, and Shotgun Slade.

1961

October 3 – Calvin and the Colonel

• Voice Cast: Freeman F. Gosden, Charles J. Correll, Virginia Gregg, Beatrice Kay, Paul Frees
• Synopsis: This show is about a mis-adventures with Colonel Montgomery J. Klaxon (a cool fox), and Calvin Burnside (a dim witted bear). Oliver always makes mischief, he is also a lawyer.
• Network: ABC
• Broadcast History: One season, 26 episodes, last broadcast on June 9, 1962
• Trivia: Produced in color but broadcast in black and white. Characters were based on Amos ‘n’ Andy radio characters.

Calvada Productions

October 3 – The Dick Van Dyke Show

• Cast: Dick Van Dyke, Rose Marie, Morey Amsterdam, Larry Mathews, Mary Tyler Moore, Richard Deacon, Ann Morgan Guilbert
• Notable Guests: Carl Reiner, Jerry Van Dyke, Jamie Farr, Doris Singleton, Jackie Joseph, Don Rickles, Ken Berry, Madge Blake, Garry Marshall, Vic Damone, Jack Carter, Van Williams, Jesse White, William Schallert, Richard Dawson, Reta Shaw, Jack Albertson, Gavin MacLeod, Robert Vaughn, Bernie Kopell, Barry Van Dyke
• Synopsis: The misadventures of a TV writer both at work and at home.
• Network: CBS
• Broadcast History: Five seasons, 158 episodes, last broadcast on June 1, 1966
• Trivia: Danny Thomas appeared uncredited in one episode. The series won 15 Emmy Awards. CBS nearly cancelled the series after the first season, but Procter & Gamble threatened to pull advertising from the network’s daytime line-up if they did, and the show jumped into the Top Ten in its second season. Dick Van Dyke objected to Mary Tyler Moore’s casting, feeling she was too young to play his wife but their on-screen chemistry changed his mind. The last network series to be filmed entirely in black and white. Filming in color would have added $7000 to the budget. The show’s sixth season would have been in color but executive producer Carl Reiner decided to leave after the fifth season, and with him gone the show ended.

October 3 – The New Breed

• Cast: Leslie Nielsen, John Beradino, John Clarke, Greg Roman, Art Gilmore
• Notable Guests: Brett Somers, Sydney Pollack, James Doohan, Martin Balsam, Charles Bronson, Joan Hackett, Robert Redford, Victor Buono, Peter Fonda, Ron Howard, Anne Francis, Yvonne Craig, Telly Savalas, Keenan Wynn, Peter Falk, Jack Klugman, Michael Constantine, William Windom, Sandra Gould, Bill Mumy, Richard Benjamin, Jeanne Cooper, Keir Dullea, Tina Louise, Fritz Weaver, Eddie Albert, Bea Benederet, Robert Blake, Cloris Leachman, Vic Morrow, William Schallert, Grace Lee Whitney
• Synopsis: Crime drama series centered on Lt. Price Adams, who works on ‘The Hot Shot Detail’ of the LAPD Metro Squad.
• Network: ABC
• Broadcast History: One season, 36 episodes, last broadcast on June 5, 1962
• Trivia: First series from Quinn Martin Productions. Leslie Nielsen was cast after making an impression in a guest role on The Untouchables, which was produced by Martin for Desilu Productions.

October 4 – The Alvin Show

• Voice Cast: Ross Bagdasarian Sr., Shepard Menken, June Foray, Lee Patrick, Bill Lee, Johnny Mann, Don Messick, Joe Besser, Mel Blanc, Paul Frees, Tim Matheson
• Synopsis: Manager David Seville spends his days taking care of his young chipmunk charges, Alvin, Simon and Theodore, as they regularly get into one type of trouble after another. Included in each episode was a cartoon featuring inventor Clyde Crashcup and his assistant, Leonardo.
• Network: CBS
• Broadcast History: Two seasons, 26 episodes, last broadcast on September 12, 1962
• Trivia: Produced in color but originally broadcast in black and white. The show was broadcast in color on CBS from 1962-1964, and again in 1979.

October 4 – Mrs. G. Goes To College

• Cast: Gertrude Berg, Cedric Hardwicke, Mary Wickes, Skip Ward, Karyn Kupcinet, Paul Smith, Aneta Corsaut
• Notable Guests: Marion Ross, Stuart Margolin, Peter Lorre, Mae Questel, Jackie Cooper, Fabian, Arlene Francis, The Kingston Trio, Yvonne Craig, Ken Berry, John Astin
• Synopsis: A middle-aged widow enrolls in college as a freshman when her children are grown up, and her experience of life outside academia together with her gentle humor and emotional dignity prove an invaluable asset to the students’ young minds.
• Network: CBS
• Broadcast History: One season, 26 episodes, last broadcast on April 5, 1962
• Trivia: Gertrude Berg’s ‘Sarah Green’ had been introduced on an episode of Hennesey earlier in 1961, and Hennesey star Jackie Cooper made an appearance on this series. After 13 episodes, the show was moved to a new time slot and the title was changed to The Gertrude Berg Show, but CBS abruptly cancelled the series and did not air any reruns.

October 5 – The New Bob Cummings Show

• Cast: Robert Cummings, Murvyn Vye, Roberta Shore
• Notable Guests: Raymond Bailey, Whit Bissell, Edgar Buchanan, Charles Lane
• Synopsis: Charter pilot Bob flew everywhere, often playing amateur detective. He had an aerocar, a vehicle which worked like a car until he attached its optional wing and flew off. He was aided by bodyguard Lionel and by Hank, tomboy daughter of the owner of his airstrip.
• Network: CBS
• Broadcast History: One season, 22 episodes, last broadcast on March 1, 1962
• Trivia: Originally titled The Bob Cummings Show, but the ‘New’ was added beginning with the December 28 episode to avoid confusion with Cummings’ 1955-1959 series of the same name.

October 5 – Frontier Circus

• Cast: Chill Wills, John Derek, Richard Jaeckel
• Notable Guests: J. Pat O’Malley, Eddie Albert, Alex Cord, Irene Dunne, Vera Miles, Elizabeth Montgomery, Aldo Ray, Thelma Ritter, Red Buttons, Sammy Davis Jr., Carolyn Jones, Mickey Rooney, Rip Torn, Dick York, Cloris Leachman, Jay Silverheels, Iron Eyes Cody
• Synopsis: A one-ring circus travels through the American West in the 1880s.
• Network: CBS
• Broadcast History: One season, 26 episodes, last broadcast on September 6, 1962
• Trivia: Grace Lee Whitney appears in an uncredited role.

October 5 – The Investigators

• Cast: James Franciscus, James Philbrook, Mary Murphy, Al Austin, Asher Dann, June Kenny
• Notable Guests: Pat Carroll, Joel Crothers, Rhonda Fleming, Ida Lupino, Gavin MacLeod, Lee Marvin, Mickey Rooney, Vito Scotti, Jane Wyman
• Synopsis: Investigators Inc. is a very successful private investigation firm with offices on Manhattan′s stylish Upper East Side in New York City. The firm specializes in investigating very large insurance claims to root out cases of insurance fraud.
• Network: CBS
• Broadcast History: One season, 13 episodes, last broadcast on December 28, 1961

October 6 – The Hathaways

• Cast: The Marquis Chimps, Peggy Cass, Jack Weston, Mary Grace Canfield, Harvey Lembeck, Barbara Perry, Belle Montrose
• Notable Guests: Joe Flynn, Robert Q. Lewis
• Synopsis: Suburban couple with three chimps as ‘children’.
• Network: ABC
• Broadcast History: One season, 26 episodes, last broadcast on March 30, 1962
• Trivia: Ratings were so poor that ABC had to self-sponsor the show on alternate weeks. Critics have called the show ‘possibly the worst series to ever air on network TV’.

October 6 – Straightaway

• Cast: Brian Kelly, John Ashley
• Notable Guests: Robert Blake, Bill Bixby, Neville Brand, Diana Dors, Jack Klugman, Gavin MacLeod, Gloria Swanson, Mary Tyler Moore
• Synopsis: Scott and Clipper are partners in the Straightaway Garage, where they design, build, and service racing cars.
• Network: ABC
• Broadcast History: One season, 26 episodes, last broadcast on April 4, 1962
• Trivia: Sponsored by spark plug manufacturer Autolite, the series was to have focused on racing but when Ford bought Autolight, they wanted to emphasize the safety of cars for family use, so all racing sequences had to be edited out of the program before it went on the air, and the title was changed from The Racers to Straightaway.

1971

• No new shows premiered this week in 1971.

1981

October 7 – Mr. Merlin

• Cast: Barnard Hughes, Clark Brandon, Jonathan Prince, Elaine Joyce
• Notable Guests: Phil Morris, Betty Garrett, Robert Mandan, Janine Turner, Richard Basehart, Whitman Mayo, Catherine Mary Stewart, Mel Stewart, Rita Wilson
• Synopsis: The misadventures of Merlin the Magician and his apprentice in modern San Francisco.
• Network: CBS
• Broadcast History: One season, 22 episodes, last broadcast on March 22, 1982

October 9 – Behind the Screen

• Cast: Mel Ferrer, Janine Turner, Joanne Linville, Scott Mulhern, Michael Sabatino, Joshua Bryant, Loyita Chapel, Mark Pinter, Claudette Nevins, Erica Yohn, Debbi Morgan, Bruce Fairbairn
• Synopsis: Behind the Screen was a dramatization of the goings-on at a fictional TV soap opera called ‘Generations’.
• Network: CBS
• Broadcast History: One season, last broadcast on January 8, 1982
• Trivia: The weekly, late-night series was created by David Jacobs, of Dallas and Knots Landing fame, and Knots star Michele Lee appeared as herself on the last episode as a guest at a party where the police mistakenly identified her as Mary Tyler Moore. Michael Sabatino went on to a regular role on Knots Landing, and Debi Morgan joined the cast of an actual soap titled Generations on NBC.

1991

October 4 – Beyond Reality

• Cast: Shari Belafonte, Carl Marotte, Nicole de Boer
• Notable Guests: Colm Feore, Michael Hogan, Tom Cavanagh, John Colicos
• Synopsis: The series is about two university parapsychologists who investigate reports of paranormal phenomena that occur in ordinary people’s lives.
• Network: Syndication (US) / CTV (Canada)
• Broadcast History: Two seasons, 44 episodes, last broadcast on March 20, 1993

October 7 – I’ll Fly Away

• Cast: Sam Waterston, Regina Taylor, Jeremy London, Ashlee Levitch, John Aaron Bennett, Kathryn Harrold, Peter Simmons, RaéVen Kelly, Bill Cobbs
• Notable Guests: Harold Perrineau, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Mary Alice, N’Bushe Wright, Dorian Harewood, Wayne Brady, Bonnie Bartlett, Victor Garber, Michael Hogan, Samuel L. Jackson, Natalie Cole, Walton Goggins
• Synopsis: Forrest Bedford is a Southern lawyer in the late 1950s, generally content with his privileged life. But the winds of change are blowing, and he becomes increasingly involved with civil rights cases. Meanwhile, Lilly Harper, who cares for his children, is on her own journey of political and personal awareness.
• Network: NBC
• Broadcast History: Two seasons, 38 episodes, last broadcast on February 5, 1993
• Trivia: Jason London had appeared in the pilot at Nathaniel Bedford, but was committed to filming The Man in the Moon, so he suggested his twin brother Jeremy for the role. NBC cancelled the low-rated series without a true finale, so a TV movie was produced for PBS to wrap up the storylines, with Jason London returning to the role of Nathaniel.

2001

October 3 – According to Jim

• Cast: Jim Belushi, Courtney Thorne-Smith, Larry Joe Campbell, Taylor Atelian, Billi Bruno, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Conner Rayburn
• Notable Guests: Kathleen Noone, Dan Aykroyd, Cynthia Stevenson, Chris Elliott, Jennifer Coolidge, Michelle Hurd, Laraine Newman, Brad Paisley, Ingo Rademacher, Mary Gross, Tim Kazurinsky, Tara Strong, Jere Burns, Lee Majors, Erik Estrada, Garrett Morris, Nicole Sullivan, Cindy Crawford, Jim Rash, Doug Savant, Julia Sweeney, Crystal Bernard, Jack Coleman, Bo Diddley, Ben Falcone, Jane Lynch, Lynne Marie Stewart, Nana Visitor, Steve Guttenberg, Garry Marshall, Dweezil Zappa, Tom Arnold, James Earl Jones, Linda Hamilton, Hugh Hefner, Julie Newmar, Tim Meadows, George Takei, Dot-Marie Jones, James Lipton, Cole Sprouse, Dylan Sprouse, William Schallert, Barry Williams, Kevin McDonald, Tom Bergeron, Stephen Root
• Synopsis: A television show centered around a macho everyman, his loving wife, and their three precocious children.
• Network: ABC
• Broadcast History: Eight seasons, 182 episodes, last broadcast on June 2, 2009
• Trivia: Dave Coulier appears in one episode in an uncredited cameo as Angry Pete. Nick Swardson appears uncredited in one episode as a waiter. None of the main characters had last names until Dana married Ryan Gibson. Only guest characters had last names. ABC cancelled the show after its sixth season, but a satisfactory financial deal was worked out with Touchstone Television, and the show received a renewal for a shorter 18-episode season, followed by an 18-episode eighth and final season. The show was originally titled The Dad.

October 5 – Maybe It’s Me

• Cast: Julia Sweeney, Reagan Dale Neis, Patrick Levis, Ellen Albertini Dow, Andrew W. Walker, Daniella Canterman, Deanna Canterman, Vicki Davis, Fred Willard, Dabbs Greer
• Notable Guests: Samm Levine, Morgan Fairchild, Alan Young, Jerry Ferrara, Felicia Day, Joe Flaherty, Josh Henderson, Howard Hesseman, Naomi Judd, Vanessa Lachey, Brandy Norwood, Susan Ruttan
• Synopsis: A teenaged girl tries to deal with her idiosyncratic, Luis Buñel-esque family while putting up with the pressures of everyday life, which turns out to be more difficult than it seems.
• Network: The WB
• Broadcast History: One season, 22 episodes, last broadcast on May 3, 2002
• Trivia: The series was initially announced as Maybe I’m Adopted, which garnered negative feedback. The show had a unique gimmick — pop-up on-screen graphics.

20th Century Fox Television

October 5 – Reba

• Cast: Reba McEntire, JoAnna Garcia Swisher, Steve Howey, Christopher Rich, Melissa Peterman, Mitch Holleman, Scarlett Pomers, Alena LeBerger, Gabrielle LeBerger
• Notable Guests: Park Overall, Julia Duffy, Nell Carter, Leslie Jordan, Dan Castellaneta, James Denton, Greg Evigan, Jenny O’Hara, Jeff Yagher, Dorothy Lyman, Peter Scolari, James Avery, Niecy Nash, Colby Donaldson, Martin Mull, Patrick Duffy, Wendie Malick, Nat Faxon, Richard Kind, Dolly Parton, Kathryn Joosten, Matt McCoy, Tim Meadows, Masi Oka, Kelly Clarkson
• Synopsis: Reba McEntire stars as the titular character in this smash sitcom about a single mom of three, navigating life in a Houston suburb.
• Network: The WB / The CW
• Broadcast History: Six seasons, 127 episodes, last broadcast on February 18, 2007
• Trivia: Reba’s character was originally going to be named Sally. Reba McEntire, JoAnna Garcia Swisher, and Steve Howey are the only cast members who appeared in all one hundred twenty-five episodes. The show’s September 14, 2001 premiere was delayed to October 5 due to news coverage of the 9/11 attacks.

October 5 – Raising Dad

• Cast: Bob Saget, Kat Dennings, Brie Larson, Jerry Adler, Ben Indra, Beau Wirick, Andy Kindler, Camille Guaty
• Notable Guests: Paget Brewster, Kathryn Joosten, Ian Buchanan, Samm Levine, Romeo Miller
• Synopsis: A sitcom about a widowed father struggling to separate his professional & personal lives and keeping his sanity while raising two daughters.
• Network: The WB
• Broadcast History: One season, 22 episodes, last broadcast on May 10, 2002
• Trivia: Brandy Norwood has an uncredited cameo as ‘Mystery Caller’.

October 6 – Mutant X

• Cast: Victoria Pratt, Forbes March, Victor Webster, John Shea, Lauren Lee Smith, Tom McCamus, Karen Cliche
• Notable Guests: Krista Allen, Emily Hampshire, Art Hindle, Callum Keith Rennie, David Sutcliffe, Sebastian Spence, David Hewlett, Sasha Roiz, Laura Vandervoort
• Synopsis: A fugitive geneticist and four of his ‘creations’ search for others of their kind while attempting to stay a step ahead of a morally ambiguous government agent.
• Network: Syndicated
• Broadcast History: Three seasons, 66 episodes, last broadcast on May 17, 2004
• Trivia: The series was renewed for a fourth season, but was cancelled after one of the production companies folded, leaving it with an unresolved cliffhanger. The series was created under a Marvel Comics license but has no connection to the comic book series. 20th Century Fox sued Marvel and the production companies for breach of their licensing agreement to develop the X-Men property, forcing many changes in the series to distance itself from that property.

October 6 – Sk8

• Cast: Christopher Jorgens, Jorgito Vargas, Jr., Adrienne Carter, Claudette Mink, Blair Wingo, Noel Fisher, Darcy Laurie, Pua Kekaula, Bryce Hodgson Les, Anthony Harrison
• Synopsis: The show featured storylines concerning the life of an aspiring pro skater and his relationships with a motley crew of friends.
• Network: NBC
• Broadcast History: One season, 13 episodes, last broadcast on January 5, 2002
• Trivia: The series was part of NBC’s TNBC Saturday morning programming block.

2011

October 5 – American Horror Story

• Cast: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_American_Horror_Story_cast_members
• Synopsis: Horror anthology series.
• Network: FX
• Broadcast History: Ten seasons, 110 episodes to date
• Trivia: Producer Ryan Murphy has pursued Reese Witherspoon and Michelle Pfeiffer for guest spots. Connie Britton wanted a role in ‘Coven’ but was committed to her series Nashville. Jessica Lange turned down the role of Constance in Season 1 several times. Lady Gaga wanted to be on the show so badly she called Ryan Murphy. Chris Zylka had been cast for two episodes of Season 2 but refused to shave his head, so he was dismissed and the part was written out. The series has been renewed through Season 13.