TV by the Decade :: Sept 29•Oct 5

CBS

The last few days of September leading into the first week of October yielded more new series across the decades, many of them forgotten, but there are still quite a few classics that made their debuts. Let’s take a look!

1959

• September 29 — Sitcom The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis debuts on CBS. The series was developed from the ‘Dobie Gillis’ short stories and was the first major network program to feature teenagers as the lead characters. The show broke ground by depicting the current counterculture, particularly the ‘Beat Generation’, with a stereotypical beatnik character (played by future Gilligan Bob Denver). Star Dwayne Hickman said the show represented ‘the end of innocence of the 1950s before the oncoming 1960s revolution.’ The first season and half of the second focused on the Gillis family grocery story, Central High School and Central City Park. Halfway through season two, the teens graduated and Dobie and his beatnik friend Maynard joined the Army. At the start of season three they received their discharges and enrolled in junior college. Season 4 saw Dobie’s cousin ‘Dunky’ move in (the first instance of a ‘Cousin Oliver’?) and the plots became more surreal, focusing more on Maynard than Dobie. Through it all, Dobie broke the fourth wall to narrate the stories and address the TV audience. The main cast included Hickman, Denver (in his his first actin role), Frank Faylen, and Florida Friebus. Semi-regulars included Tuesday Weld (Season 1), Warren Beatty (Season 1), William Schallert (Seasons 1-3), Jean Byron (Seasons 1, 3, 4). Recurring cast members included Darryl Hickman (Season 1), Michael J. Pollard (Season 1) and Raymond Bailey (Seasons 3-4). Pollard was brought in to replace Denver who had been drafted after completing his third episode, but before Pollard completed his first episode Denver returned, unfit for duty due to an earlier neck injury, and Pollard’s contract was bought out. The show produced 147 over its four seasons, ending on June 5, 1963. The series was preceeded by a feature film, The Affairs of Dobie Gillis, in 1953 with Bobby Van in the title role. CBS aired a sequel TV movie/pilot, Whatever Happened to Dobie Gillis?, on May 10, 1977 but that was as far as it went. CBS also aired a second TV movie, Bring Me the Head of Dobie Gillis, on February 22, 1988 and featured a subplot of Maynard being rescued from a deserted island, a nod to Denver’s Gilligan role.
• September 30 — Talk show Charley Weaver’s Hobby Lobby debuts on ABC. Cliff Arquette appeared as his Charley Weaver persona (whom many will remember fondly from his spot in the bottom left square on The Hollywood Squares), talking to celebrities and regular folks about their hobbies. A few weeks into the show’s run, variety and comedy sketches had been added and hobby discussions were dropped. Weaver’s ‘Letters from Mama’ segment were always a part of the show. The cast included Pat Carroll, Chuck McCann, Nancy Kovack and Irene Ryan (a few years away from becoming Granny Clampett), and the guest roster featured Gloria DeHaven, Gypsy Rose Lee, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Edie Adams, Dear Abby, Audrey Meadows, Cedric Hardwicke, Arthur Treacher and Maureen O’Hara. The final episode was broadcast on March 23, 1960.
• September 30 — Sci-Fi series Men into Space premieres on CBS. The series was not set in any specific year but clues in the show suggested it took place between the mid-1970s and the mid-1980s, with the first moon landing occurring in 1975. The series was unusual in that it had numerous recurring characters but only one lead, Col. Edward McCauley (William Lundigan), who appeared in all 38 episodes. McCauley and his crew were faced with accidents or technical problems during their missions, with some failing and leading to the deaths of some of the astronauts. Plotlines also included many missions to the moon, a lunar base construction, construction of a space station and two unsuccessful flights to Mars (a second season would have focused on missions to Mars and beyond). One episode featured a story similar to the Apollo 13 mission that happened more than a decade later, and other that foretold the accident that befell the Gemini VIII mission in 1966. Guest stars included Keith Larsen, Angie Dickinson (in the pilot), Robert Vaughn, James Coburn, Joe Flynn, Gavin MacLeod, Whit Bissell, Simon Oakland, Murray Hamilton, Robert Reed, William Schallert, James Best, Denver Pyle, Werner Klemperer and Marshall Thompson. The last episode was broadcast on September 14, 1960.
• October 1 — Sitcom The Betty Hutton Show premieres on CBS. Hutton starred as showgirl-turned-manicurist Goldie whose regular customer Mr. Strickland is a millionaire. When he dies suddenly, she learns he has left her everything, including his $60 million fortune and three children. Future Larry Tate David White played Strickland. Tom Conway and Jean Carson were among the regular cast. While Hutton was a popular movie actress, the show lasted just one season of 30 episodes, mainly because it was aired opposite ABC’s popular The Donna Reed Show, and ended its run on May 5, 1960. The series was originally titled Goldie, which was the title used for syndication.
• October 1 — Western Law of the Plainsman premieres on NBC. The series starred Michael Ansara as Sam Buckhart, an Apache Indian who saved a U.S. Cavalry officer from an Indian ambush. When the officer died, he left Buckhart money that was used for an education, and he then returned to New Mexico where he became a Deputy Marshall. Future M*A*S*H star Wayne Rogers appeared in three episodes. Guest cast included Richard Anderson, Dabbs Greer, J. Pat O’Malley, Denver Pyle, Lee Van Cleef and Robert Vaughn. The lasted a single season with 30 episodes, ending on May 5, 1960.
• October 1 — Western Johnny Ringo premieres on CBS. The series starred Don Durant, Mark Goddard (later of Lost in Space fame), Karen Sharpe and Terence De Marney, and was based loosely on the life of notorious gunfighter Johnny Ringo, who tangled with Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. Guest stars included Raymond Bailey, Whit Bissell, Dyan Cannon, John Carradine, Lon Chaney Jr., Robert Culp, Royal Dano, Buddy Ebsen, Dabbs Greer, Alan Hale Jr., L.Q. Jones, Martin Landau, Vic Morrow, Ed Nelson, Warren Oates, Debra Paget, Burt Reynolds, Wayne Rogers, William Schallert, Harry Dean Stanton, Stella Stevens and Harry Townes. The series ran for one season of 38 episodes, ending on June 30, 1960.
• October 2 — Western Hotel de Paree premieres on CBS. Earl Holliman starred as gunfighter Sundance, just released after 17 years in prison. In the first episode, he kills the Georgetown, Colorado villain and is urged to become the new marshal. He accepts and also becomes part owner of the Hotel de Paree with two French women, played by Jeanette Nolan and Judi Meredith. On the evening of the show’s premiere, Holliman also starred in the premiere episode of The Twlight Zone, which aired an hour later on CBS. Guest stars included Theodore Bikle, Sebastian Cabot, Royal Dano, Jack Elam, Martin Milner, Peter Mark Richman and Vic Tayback. The series ran for a single season of 33 episodes, the last broadcast on June 3, 1960.
• October 2 — Anthology series The Twilight Zone premieres on CBS. Created and hosted by Rod Serling, each stand-alone episode featured characters finding themselves dealing with disturbing or unusual events, often with a surprise ending and a moral. During production on his 1957 anthology Patterns, Serling desired to delve into more serious storytelling that tackled social issues and felt a science-fiction setting with robots, aliens and supernatural occurrences would give him more freedom to do so. Serling pitched a pilot in 1957 featuring a man who time travels back to 1941 Honolulu to warn about the impending Pearl Harbor attack. The script was rejected, but producer Bert Granet discovered it and produced it as an episode of Desilu Playhouse. The success of the episode enabled Serling to move forward with The Twlight Zone. During the show’s second season, CBS was under new leadership and James Aubrey was very tough on the costly half hour series, which was alsready in a deficit after five weeks into the season with more than half of the season’s shows already filmed. To cut costs, Aubrey ordered the final six episodes be shot on then then primitive format of videotape, which was almost impossible to edit and required shooting mostly on a sound stage with four cameras. Even with the new format, the show only saved $6,000 per episode. The format was dropped and returned to film for the following seasons. As the show was late in finding sponsors for the fourth season, it appeared the show had been cancelled after the third season. The show was renewed and brought back as a mid-season replacement, but the time slot it was filling was an hour so the show was expanded to an hour format over Serling’s objections. Season 5 reverted to a 30-minute format but behind-the-scenes turmoil and network interference led to the show’s cancellation. Serling quipped that he had cancelled the network. ABC showed interest in picking up the show with the new title Witches, Warlocks and Werewolves but Serling was not interested in producing a show with weekly ghouls saying he didn’t want to be booked into a graveyard every week. Serling eventually sold his 40% share of the show to CBS and he went on to create the new supernatural series Night Gallery in 1969. Since the original airing, The Twilight Zone has been rebooted three times in 1985 (CBS), 2002 (UPN) and 2019 (CBS All Access). An anthology feature film was also produced in 1983. 156 episoded were produced over five seasons, with the series ending on June 19, 1964.
• October 4 — Western series The Alaskans premieres on ABC. The series starred future James Bond Roger Moore as SilkyHarris and Jeff York as Reno McKee, a pair of adventurers intent on swindling travelers bound for the Yukon Territories during the Klondike Gold Rush. This was Moore first regular work for American television. It wouldn’t be his last as he was cast to replace James Garner when he left Maverick the same year The Alaskans was cancelled. Moore was not thrilled with the new job, realizing that his former show had been using script from the new show with just the names and titles changed. Both shows were produced by Warner Bros. Television and cannibalizing script was not uncommon. Because of that, it was easy to envision Moore speaking Garner’s dialog. Moore eventually referred to the series as ‘my most appalling television series ever.’ Regular cast members included Dorothy Provine (with whom Moore fell in love during filming, causing strife in his marriage), Ray Danton and John Dehner. Among the guest cast were Julie Adams, Claude Akins, Robert Conrad, Troy Donahue, Alan Hale Jr., Werner Klemperer, Ruta Lee, Simon Oakland, Jerry Paris, Rex Reason, Madlyn Rhue, Dick Sargent, Lee Van Cleef and Efrem Zimbalist Jr. The series ran for 37 episodes and concluded on June 19, 1960.
• October 4 — Sitcom Dennis the Menace, based on the popular comic strip, premieres on CBS. Jay North starred as the energetic and mischievous Dennis, with Herbert Anderson and Gloria Henry as his parents and Joseph Kearns as the harried Mr. Wilson. Sylvia Field played his wife Martha. The series came about after CBS lost Leave It to Beaver to ABC. Early episodes featured outlandish disasters that resulted from Dennis’ actions, usually at Mr. Wilson’s expense, but by the seventh episode, the character and situations had been toned down. After filming the 100th episode on February 17, 1962, Kearns suffered a fatal cerebral hemorrhage that co-star Henry later revealed may have been the result of the Metrecal diet he had been following. The next two episodes were filmed without the Mr. Wilson character, and Gale Gordon joined the series for the last six episodes of the season as Wilson’s brother John. Sylvia Field was let go at the end of the season with the explanation that George and Martha had moved. Sara Seegar joined as John’s wife Eloise. George and Martha were referred to in early Season 4 episodes, but they were not mentioned by name after the first episode. After the seventh episode, they were never mentioned again. The series ended after its fourth season on July 7, 1963 with 146 episodes.
• October 3 — Adventure drama Five Fingers premieres on NBC. The series was set in Europe during the Cold War and was based on the 1952 film 5 Fingers which starred James Mason. David Hedison took the lead for the series as Victor Sebastian, an American counterintelligence agent with the title code name. The cast also included Luciana Paluzzi and Paul Burke. Guest stars included Eva Gabor, Edgar Bergen, Nehemiah Persoff, Michael J. Pollard, Arlene Francis, Viveca Lindfors, Clu Gulager, Peter Lorre, Alan Young, Martin Balsam and Cesar Romero. Hedison recalled that he was preparing to come to work on the 17th episode when he got word the show was abruptly cancelled. 16 episodes were produced with the final one airing on January 8, 1960.
• October 4 — Western The Rebel premieres on ABC. Nick Adams starred as Confederate Army veteran Johnny Yuma, an aspiring writer haunted by his memories of the Civil War, and striving for inner peace as he roams the American West. Adams was the only regular actor on the series. Guests included Claude Akins, Michael Ansara, James Best, Robert Black, Dan Blocker, Victor Buono, John Carradine, Johnny Cash, Ellen Corby, Vic Damone, Jack Elam, Jamie Farr, Mark Goddard, Clu Gulager, Ruta Lee, Agnes Moorehead, Leonard Nimoy, Jeanette Nolan, Warren Oates, Madlyn Rhue, Soupy Sales, William Schallert, Kenneth Tobey and Robert Vaughn. The series was a success for ABC over its two seasons (76 episodes) and was due to be renewed for a third as an hour-long series retitled The Rebel & the Yank which would have co-starred James Drury. ABC ultimately passed on the new series due to the vionlent content and because of its new strategy of counterprogramming against the other networks. Instead of a Western against a Western, ABC cancelled the series and replaced it with a Steve Allen variety series … which lasted four months. After The Rebel ended its run on ABC on June 18, 1961, NBC picked up the show to re-run as a summer replacement series from June to September 1962. The series was produced by Goodson/Todman Productions, known primarily for their game show output.
• October 5 — Adventure series Adventures in Paradise premieres on ABC. Gardner McKay starred as Adam Troy, the captain of a schooner who sailed the South Pacific looking for passengers and adventure. The varying supporting cast included George Tobias, Guy Stockwell and Linda Larson. Guests included Barbara Bain, Yvonne De Carlo, Barbara Eden, Anne Francis, Alan Hale Jr., James Hong, David Janssen, Tor Johnson, Werner Klemperer, Martin Landau, Patrick Macnee, Simon Oakland, Dan O’Herlih, Susan Oliver, Suzanne Pleshette, Vincent Price, Juliet Prowse, Barbara Steele, Anna May Wong, Jo Anne Worley and Dick York. The series ran for three seasons, producing 91 episodes, ending on APril 1, 1959.
• October 5 — Private eye series Bourbon Street Beat premieres on ABC. The series starred Richard Long, Andrew Duggan, Van Williams and Arlene Howell. To make the series’ setting authentic, ABC bought a half-interest in the New Orleans French Quarter restaurant the Old Absinthe House and placed the detective agency office above the eatery … although the series was still filmed on the Warner Bros. lot in Los Angeles. This was one of several detective shows from WB that aired on ABC, but it was not as successful, ending after one season of 39 episodes on July 4, 1960. The character Rex Randolph (Long) migrated to 77 Sunset Strip for a year and Kenny Madison (Williams) went to Surfside 6. Duggan’s character Cal Calhoun was featured in a 77 Sunset Strip episode where it was explained he had retired from the business and went back to work for the New Orleans police force.

1969

• September 29 — Soap opera Bright Promise premieres on NBC. The series revolved around the students and faculty of the fictional Bancroft College located somewhere in the American Midwest. The series was created by Frank and Doris Hursley, who also created General Hospital. This was their last project before retiring. The cast included Dana Andrews, Paul Lukather, Ruth McDevitt, Annette O’Toole, Dabney Coleman, Anthony Geary, Gail Kobe, John Considine, Philip Carey and Anne Jeffreys. The series ran for 605 episodes until March 31, 1972, beaten in the ratings by The Edge of Night on CBS and One Life to Live on ABC.
• September 29 — Comedy anthology series Love, American Style premieres on ABC. Each episode featured unrelated stories of love, usually with a comedic twist. The show was also known for its 10-20 second bridge segments done in the style of a silent movie that featured a regular troupe of actors including Stuart Margolin, Phyllis Davis and James Hampton. Some of the show’s main segments also served as pilots for other shows. On February 11, 1972 the animated segment ‘Love and the Old-Fashioned Father’ served as the pilot for Wait Till Your Father Gets Home which debuted in the Fall. The most notable pilot was the February 25, 1972 segment ‘Love and the Television Set’, a story about Richie Cunningham and his family that became the series Happy Days. For syndication, the segment was retitled ‘Love and the Happy Days’. At the start of the 1973-1974 season, ratings for the show dropped dramatically leading ABC to cancel the series mid-season. When the hour-long show entered syndication, it was easily cut to 30 minutes essentially creating nine seasons out of five. 108 episodes were produced over five seasons with the last airing on January 11, 1974.

1979

• September 29 — Detective series Big Shamus, Little Shamus premieres on CBS. The series focused on Arnie Sutter (Brian Dennehy), the house detective at The Ansonia Hotel in Atlantic City, and his 13-year-old son Max (Doug McKeon), who solved crimes at the hotel casino relating to legalized gambling. The series also starred George Wyner, Kathryn Leigh Scott, Ty Henderson and Cynthia Sykes. Nine episodes were produced but only seven aired, the last on October 6, 1972.
• September 29 — Police drama Paris premieres on CBS. The show marked the first ever appearance by James Earl Jones in a lead role on television as Los Angeles Police Captain Woody Paris, who supervised a team of young detectives. The cast also included Hank Garrett, Cecilia Hart, Jake Mitchell, Frank Ramirez, Michael Warren and Lee Chamberlin. While the show was critically acclaimed, CBS put it in the worst time slot possible – Saturdays at 10:00 PM. All three networks debuted shows in the time period and only Hart to Hart survived. CBS tried moving the show to Tuesdays but it was too late. 11 of the 13 produced episodes aired, with the last on January 15, 1980.

1989

• October 2 — Kids game show Make the Grade premieres on Nickelodeon. The first season was hosted by Lew Schneider and taped in a small New York studio with no audience (crowd noises were added later). For the second season, production moved to the newly opened Nickelodeon Studios at Universal Studios Orlando with Robb Edward Morris hosting. The third season was hosted by Maria Milito. 160 episodes were produced. The series ended in 1991.

1999

• September 29 — Teenage dramedy Popular debuts on The WB. Leslie Bibb and Carly Pope starred as two teenage girls who reside on opposite ends of the popularity scale at school, but are forced to get along when their single parents meet on a cruise and get married. The show was co-created by Ryan Murphy. The cast included Tamara Mello, Christopher Gorham, Sara Rue, Bryce Johnson, Tammy Lynn Michaels, Ron Lester, Leslie Grossman, Lisa Darr, Scott Bryce and Diane Delano. The second season finale was left with an unresolved cliffhanger due to the show’s unexpected cancellation as Brooke (Bibb) is run over by a drunk and angry Nicole Julian (Michaels). The series aired for two seasons, producing 43 episodes, and ending on May 18, 2001.
• September 29 — Sitcom Work with Me premieres on CBS. Kevin Pollack and Nancy Travis starred aswo attorneys who are married and work together in Manhattan. The cast included Ethan Embry, Emily Rutherfurd and Ted McGinley. The show was cancelled after four of its nine episodes aired, ending on October 20, 1999.
• October 5 — Sitcom Shasta McNasty premieres on UPN. The show focused on three friends who are part of the titular rap group who relocate from Chicago to L.A. after signing with a record label. They find out the label has gone under, but keep the advance money and rent an apartment in Venice Beach. The first half of the season focused on the band and odd-jobbing to make the rent while the second half focused on them trio working in a local bar hoping to be signed to a new label. The series final episode takes place 10 years later and is presented as a parody of Behind the Music, revealing that the group did become famous, but ego, addiction and creative differences took their toll. The show starred Jake Busey, Carmine Giovinazzo, Dale Godboldo and Jolie Jenkins. The single season consisted of 22 episodes, with the finale airing on August 1, 2000.
• October 2 — Animated series Archie’s Weird Mysteries premieres on PAX. Based on the Archie Comics characters, the series revolves around the Riverdale High physics lab gone awry, making Riverdale a magnet for B-movie monsters. The voice cast included Andrew Rannells, America Young, Camille Schmidt, Chris Lundquist, Paul Sosso and Ben Beck. 40 episodes were produced, with the last airing on February 22, 2000.
• October 5 — Supernatural series Angel debuts on The WB, a spin-off of the popular Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The show follows the character of Angel, a vampire whose human soul was restored by gypsies as a punishment for the murder of one of their own. Angel’s soul now torments him with guilt and remorse after centuries of murder and torture. Now he works in Los Angeles as a private detective where he and his associates help the helpless. While he battles his own nature, he also does battle with demons or humans allied with them. The series starred David Boreanaz, Charisma Carpenter, Glenn Quinn, Alexis Denisof, J. August Richards, Amy Acker, Vincent Kartheiser, Andy Hallett, James Marsters and Mercedes McNab. 110 episodes were produced over five seasons with the finale airing on May 19, 2004.

2009

• September 30 — Sitcom Hank premieres on ABC. The show revolved around Hank Pryor, a Wall Street exec who loses his job. He and his family relocate to River Bend, Virginia and reconnects with his small town family. The series starred Kelsey Grammer, Melinda McGraw, Jordan Hinson, Nathan Gamble and David Koechner. Ten episodes were filmed, but only five have ever aired on ABC. Grammer once told Jay Leno that he asked for the show to be cancelled because it wasn’t funny enough. The complete series has been seen in the UK and Croatia.
• September 30 — Sitcom The Middle debuts on ABC. The series focused on the day-to-day lives of the Heck family, led by dad Mike (Neil Flynn) and mom Frankie (Patricia Heaton), along with their three kids Axl (Charlie McDermott), Sue (Eden Sher) and Brick (Atticus Shaffer). The series was originally paired with the ill-fated Hank, following that show at 8:30 PM with less than stellar ratings. ABC moved the show to 8:00 PM at the beginning of the 2010-2011 season and ratings improved substantially, usually placing second to Survivor on CBS. The show was a critical darling but was never nominated for major Emmy Awards, scoring a single nomination in 2012 for Outstanding Makeup for a Single Camera Series (Non-Prosthetic). It did win many other awards including Critics Choice and TV Guide Awards. The series ran for nine seasons, producing 215 episodes. After the series ended, ABC announced a spin-off focusing on the Sue Heck (Sher) character but ultimately did not pick up the series. Warner Bros. Television was attempting to sell the new show to other outlets.
• October 2 — Sci-Fi series Stargate Universe premieres on Syfy. The third entry in the Stargate franchise, producers intended this one to be separate from the others, following a present-day exploration team traveling on the spaceship Destiny several billion light years away from the Milky Way Galaxy. The cast included Robert Carlyle, Louis Ferreira, Brian J. Smith, Elyse Levesque, David Blue, Alaina Huffman, Jamil Walker Smith and Ming-Na Wen. The series ran for two seasons, producing 40 episodes, ending on May 9, 2011. 34 webisodes were also produced.
• October 3 — Softcore drama Life on Top premieres on Cinemax. The series focused on young corporate professionals, with four women as the main characters. The series is implied to take place in Manhattan but was filmed in Bucharest, Romania. The cast included Heather Vandeven, Mary LeGault, Krista Ayne and Mia Presley. 26 episodes were produced over two seasons with the last broadcast on April 1, 2011.
• October 4 — Reality series Dallas Divas & Daughters debuts on the Style Network. The series focused on wealthy socialites and their daughters in Dallas, and hoped to dispel myths and perceptions of the Texas lifestyle in a tongue-in-cheek manner. Eight episodes were produced and aired, the last broadcast on November 22, 2009.
• October 4 — Medical drama Three Rivers premieres on CBS. Alex O’Loughlin starred as a famous transplant surgeon in Pittsburgh, PA. After the eighth episode aired on November 30, CBS announced the series had been pulled from the schedule due to low ratings, with no plans to air the last five episodes. The series was then offcially cancelled and the final episodes were burned off on Saturdays at 8:00 PM. The cast included Alfre Woodard, Julia Ormond, Justina Machado, Nicholas Braun and Shiloh Fernandez. The final episode aired July 3, 2010.
• October 5 — Talk show The Mo’Nique Show premieres on BET. Guests on the premiere included Steve Harvey, Monica and Jeremiah. The show aired Monday-Thursday at 11:00 PM, and produced 251 episodes over the course of two seasons. The final episode aired August 16, 2001.
• October 5 — Animated series Jungle Junction premieres on Playhouse Disney. The series featured a group of adventurous animals on wheels who live and learn in an unexplored jungle that somehow has roads, helping young viewers learn literacy skills and to care about the environment. 46 episodes were produced over two seasons with the last airing on May23, 2012. Reruns of the show were then aired on Disney Junior until August 2, 2016.
• October 5 — Sitcom Sherri premieres on Lifetime. Sherri Shepherd plays a newly single mom, para legal and part-time comedian/actress who tries to get back into the dating scene. The cast included Tammy Townsend and Malcolm-Jamal Warner, and was the first comedy series owned by the Lifetime network. However, it ran for just 13 episodes, the last broadcast on December 1, 2009.

 
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