80 Fun Facts About 60s TV

The Andy Griffith Show is set in Mayberry, a fictional small town in which state?

Griffith himself was from Mount Airy, North Carolina, and the show ended its eight-season run at number one in the ratings.

Which actor played Deputy Barney Fife, winning multiple Emmys for the role?

Knotts and Frances Bavier (Aunt Bee) won six Emmys between them; Griffith and the show itself never won one.

Which two series, besides The Andy Griffith Show, ended their runs ranked number one before 2000?

I Love Lucy finished its final 1956-57 season ranked first, as did Seinfeld in 1997-98; The Andy Griffith Show did the same in 1967-68, never ranking below seventh in eight seasons.

Bonanza's Cartwright family lived on the Ponderosa ranch near which Nevada mining town?

The Ponderosa sat on the shore of Lake Tahoe near Virginia City, home of the Comstock Lode silver boom; Ben Cartwright's sons Adam, Hoss and Little Joe each had a different mother.

Which Bonanza son, played by Dan Blocker, was nicknamed 'Hoss'?

Eric Cartwright, the big-hearted middle son, got the 'Hoss' nickname from his Swedish mother's family; Adam (Pernell Roberts) was the architect and Michael Landon's Joseph was 'Little Joe'.

How many episodes of Gunsmoke aired over its 20-year run, a scripted primetime record until The Simpsons?

Its 635 episodes ran from 1955 to 1975; James Arness played Marshal Matt Dillon on television, while William Conrad had voiced him on the radio version.

Rod Serling wrote or co-wrote how many of The Twilight Zone's 156 episodes?

Serling wrote 92 of the 156 episodes, more than half; he also hosted and narrated, though in the first season he was heard but rarely seen on camera.

NBC cancelled the original Star Trek in 1969 after how many episodes?

NBC ended the series after 79 episodes; a fan letter-writing campaign, quietly backed by creator Gene Roddenberry, had won it a final season.

Which 1968 Star Trek episode featured Kirk and Uhura's kiss, one of the first interracial kisses on US TV?

'Plato's Stepchildren', aired 22 November 1968, has the Platonians force Kirk and Uhura together by telekinesis, a framing that helped the scene get past NBC.

The Beverly Hillbillies' Clampett family struck oil and moved to California from which mountain range?

The Clampetts came from the Ozarks; the show topped the Nielsen ratings in its first two seasons, 1962-63 and 1963-64, and the January 1964 episode 'The Giant Jackrabbit' drew a 44.0 rating.

The Beverly Hillbillies theme, 'The Ballad of Jed Clampett', was performed by which bluegrass duo?

Flatt and Scruggs' single of 'The Ballad of Jed Clampett' reached number one on Billboard's country chart in early 1963; Jerry Scoggins sang the version heard on the show while the duo played.

The castaways of Gilligan's Island were shipwrecked after setting out from Honolulu on what kind of trip?

The S.S. Minnow set out from Honolulu on 'a three-hour tour', as the theme song says, before a storm wrecked it on the uncharted island; the boat was named after FCC chairman Newton Minow.

Which producer created both Gilligan's Island and, at the end of the decade, The Brady Bunch?

Sherwood Schwartz created Gilligan's Island in 1964 and The Brady Bunch five years later; the latter was never a ratings hit in its original five-season run but thrived in syndication.

On Bewitched, which actor replaced the ailing original Darrin Stephens for the final three seasons?

Dick Sargent took over as Darrin from the sixth season; Dick York left because of chronic back pain from an old film-set injury, and the show had been the Nielsen runner-up in its 1964-65 debut season.

I Dream of Jeannie was created by which novelist, later famous for The Other Side of Midnight?

Sidney Sheldon created the series in 1965 and wrote most of its episodes; his first novel, The Naked Face, came in 1970, followed by The Other Side of Midnight in 1973.

Rob Petrie, played by Dick Van Dyke, was head writer for which fictional variety programme?

Rob Petrie wrote for The Alan Brady Show alongside Buddy Sorrell and Sally Rogers; the set-up drew on the creator's own years writing for Sid Caesar's Your Show of Shows.

The 1966 Batman series aired how many times a week during its first two seasons?

It aired twice a week, Wednesday and Thursday, with a cliffhanger ending the first episode; the show ran 120 episodes on ABC with Neal Hefti's theme.

The Flintstones was inspired in part by which earlier live-action sitcom, whose star considered suing?

The Honeymooners' Ralph Kramden and Ed Norton were the models for Fred and Barney; Jackie Gleason's lawyers said he could probably get the cartoon pulled, but he did not want to be the man who did that.

The Flintstones was the first animated series to do what on American television?

The Flintstones became the first animated series to air in prime time when it debuted on ABC on 30 September 1960; it ran six seasons, with Mel Blanc voicing Barney Rubble.

The Jetsons holds what distinction in ABC's broadcasting history?

Only 24 episodes were made in 1962–63; new ones were not produced until 1985.

The Addams Family TV series was based on single-panel cartoons from which magazine?

Charles Addams drew the family for The New Yorker from 1938; the characters had no names until the 1964 series, and Vic Mizzy wrote and sang the finger-snapping theme.

On The Munsters, the family pet Spot was what kind of creature?

Spot was a fire-breathing dragon who lived under the stairs at 1313 Mockingbird Lane; the show ran two seasons, from 1964 to 1966, as a rival to The Addams Family.

Get Smart was created by Mel Brooks and which other writer?

Buck Henry co-created the series with Mel Brooks for producers Talent Associates; they pitched it as James Bond crossed with Inspector Clouseau, and Henry later wrote the screenplay for The Graduate.

Hogan's Heroes was set in which fictional German prisoner-of-war camp?

Stalag 13, near Hammelburg, was run by the oblivious Colonel Klink (Werner Klemperer) and guarded by Sergeant Schultz (John Banner); the show ran 168 episodes from 1965 to 1971.

In The Fugitive, Dr. Richard Kimble spent four seasons hunting his wife's real killer, described as what?

The one-armed man, played by Bill Raisch, was finally cornered in the August 1967 finale, which drew a 72 percent audience share, a record until Dallas revealed who shot J.R. in 1980.

The 1967 series finale of The Fugitive was watched by roughly how many people, a US record at the time?

That is 25.7 million households, a 45.9 rating and a 72 share; it beat the Beatles' 1964 Ed Sullivan appearance.

Who composed the theme music for Mission: Impossible, first heard on CBS in 1966?

Lalo Schifrin, the Argentine jazz pianist and composer, wrote the 5/4-time Mission: Impossible theme, which won him two Grammys in 1968; he also scored Bullitt and Dirty Harry.

Which series won the 1967 Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series?

The Monkees, built around the made-for-TV band of Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork, took the 1967 Emmy over Bewitched, Get Smart and Hogan's Heroes, and lasted just two seasons.

Which Laugh-In cast member was regularly tricked into saying 'Sock it to me' and then doused?

Judy Carne, the show's 'Sock It to Me' girl, was drenched, dropped through trapdoors or otherwise ambushed after saying the line; Richard Nixon said it as a 1968 cameo guest without getting wet.

Laugh-In began as a 1967 special and then took over the Monday 8 pm slot of which cancelled spy series?

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. was cancelled midway through its fourth season in January 1968, and its replacement in the Monday 8 pm slot went on to top the Nielsens for two seasons and run until 1973.

The Beatles' first live appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in February 1964 drew roughly how many US viewers?

A typical Sullivan broadcast drew about 21 million; the record stood until The Fugitive's finale three years later.

Johnny Carson took over The Tonight Show in October 1962 from which host?

Jack Paar hosted from 1957 until March 1962, and after months of guest hosts Carson took over on 1 October 1962, broadcasting from 30 Rockefeller Plaza until the 1972 move to Burbank.

Which satirical variety show did CBS abruptly cancel in April 1969 after repeated fights over content?

The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour aired Sundays opposite Bonanza and still drew young viewers with guests like Pete Seeger and the Who; the network pulled it that April over censorship battles.

Which 1968 sitcom starred Diahann Carroll as a widowed nurse whose husband had been shot down in Vietnam?

Julia ran on NBC from 1968 to 1971, with Diahann Carroll as nurse Julia Baker; her son Corey was played by Marc Copage and the theme was by film composer Elmer Bernstein.

Which producer, later behind Charlie's Angels and Dynasty, executive-produced The Mod Squad?

Aaron Spelling produced it with Danny Thomas through Thomas-Spelling Productions; the squad of Pete, Linc and Julie were young offenders turned undercover cops, and the show ran from 1968 to 1973.

Steve McGarrett's catchphrase on Hawaii Five-O, which debuted in 1968, was 'Book 'em, ...' who?

Danny 'Danno' Williams, played by James MacArthur, was McGarrett's right-hand man; Jack Lord's task force ran for 12 seasons and Morton Stevens's theme became a hit for the Ventures the following year.

Which vampire became the breakout character of the gothic daytime soap Dark Shadows?

Barnabas Collins, a vampire played by Jonathan Frid, arrived in April 1967 and turned a struggling soap into a hit; the show later added werewolves, witches and time travel.

The Prisoner's mysterious Village was filmed in which real Welsh location?

Portmeirion, Clough Williams-Ellis's Italianate village on the coast of Gwynedd, stood in for the Village; Patrick McGoohan created the 17-episode series and starred as Number Six.

The Daleks first appeared in Doctor Who in 1963 in the show's which serial?

They are mutated Kaleds from Skaro sealed inside armour; William Hartnell was the Doctor at the time.

How did the character name 'Emma Peel' in The Avengers come about?

Diana Rigg debuted in the role in October 1965; the show's dresses and suits were made by Pierre Cardin.

Lost in Space, which premiered on CBS in 1965, was inspired by which 1812 novel?

Johann David Wyss's The Swiss Family Robinson gave the show its Robinson family; Dr. Smith's sabotage of the Jupiter 2's robot is what got them lost in the first place.

In The Man from U.N.C.L.E., what did the letters U.N.C.L.E. stand for?

United Network Command for Law and Enforcement was the agency run by Mr Waverly (Leo G. Carroll), employing Robert Vaughn's Napoleon Solo and David McCallum's Illya Kuryakin from 1964 to 1968.

The Wild Wild West was pitched by its creator Michael Garrison as 'James Bond on' what?

Garrison's 'James Bond on horseback' pitch put Robert Conrad and Ross Martin in the 1870s Secret Service; the series ran four seasons from 1965.

The talking horse in Mister Ed was a palomino gelding with what real name?

Bamboo Harvester, a palomino foaled in 1949, played Ed; former Western star Allan 'Rocky' Lane supplied the voice, and Ed talked only to his owner Wilbur, played by Alan Young.

Before Daniel Boone on NBC, Fess Parker played which coonskin-capped frontiersman for Disney?

Davy Crockett, in Disney's 1954-55 serials, set off a coonskin-cap craze; Daniel Boone ran six seasons on NBC from 1964 but never matched it.

Which 1964-66 'Supermarionation' series ended when its backer failed to sell it to a US network?

Thunderbirds made only 32 fifty-minute episodes; Lew Grade cancelled it in 1966 after failing to secure a US network sale, and Gerry Anderson moved on to Captain Scarlet.

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! premiered in September 1969 on which network?

CBS aired it on Saturday mornings, with Joe Ruby and Ken Spears creating it for Hanna-Barbera, Casey Kasem voicing Shaggy and Don Messick voicing Scooby.

Which spin-off did The Andy Griffith Show launch in 1964?

Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. debuted in September 1964, with Jim Nabors taking his gas-station attendant into the Marine Corps for five seasons under Frank Sutton's Sergeant Carter.

Which 1963-65 anthology series opened with 'There is nothing wrong with your television set'?

The Outer Limits' 'Control Voice' opening, 'There is nothing wrong with your television set. Do not attempt to adjust the picture,' introduced 49 episodes on ABC from 1963 to 1965.

Who played Samantha's disapproving witch mother, Endora, on Bewitched?

Agnes Moorehead, a four-time Oscar nominee, played Endora for all eight seasons; Hanna-Barbera animated the opening and closing credits.

Which Paul Henning rural CBS sitcom was set at the Shady Rest Hotel?

Petticoat Junction, set at Kate Bradley's Shady Rest Hotel in Hooterville, ran from 1963 to 1970; its success led to the spin-off Green Acres, which sent city folk to the country instead.

Which stars played the New Yorkers who move to a farm in Green Acres?

Eddie Albert's Oliver Wendell Douglas and Eva Gabor's Lisa left Manhattan for Hooterville; despite solid ratings the show was cancelled in 1971 in the 'rural purge' that also ended Hee Haw and The Beverly Hillbillies.

Who played the Penguin in the 1960s Batman series?

Burgess Meredith's Penguin, with his cigarette holder and squawking laugh, was one of the show's most frequent villains; Cesar Romero was the Joker and Frank Gorshin the Riddler.

Who created The Dick Van Dyke Show?

Carl Reiner created the show from his own years writing for Sid Caesar, originally casting himself as Rob Petrie in the 1960 pilot 'Head of the Family' before Dick Van Dyke took the role.

Which 1960s Western starred Barbara Stanwyck as ranch matriarch Victoria Barkley?

The Big Valley ran four seasons on ABC from 1965, with Barbara Stanwyck as Victoria Barkley and Lee Majors and Linda Evans among her children on the Stockton, California ranch.

Which actor played Herman Munster?

Fred Gwynne, 6 ft 5 in and fresh from Car 54, Where Are You?, played Herman under heavy Frankenstein-monster make-up; Al Lewis was Grandpa and Yvonne De Carlo his daughter Lily.

Which future Dallas star played astronaut Tony Nelson on I Dream of Jeannie?

Larry Hagman played Major Tony Nelson for all 139 episodes from 1965 to 1970, a decade before his J.R. Ewing on Dallas; Bill Daily was his friend Roger Healey.

Mister Ed, the talking horse, first appeared in short stories by which author?

Walter R. Brooks, better known for his Freddy the Pig children's books, introduced Mister Ed in a 1937 Liberty magazine story; the show began in syndication in 1961 before a network picked it up.

Which future Oscar winner was a Laugh-In regular alongside Ruth Buzzi, Arte Johnson and Lily Tomlin?

Goldie Hawn, the giggling go-go dancer of the cast, won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Cactus Flower in April 1970 while still on the show; Gary Owens was the announcer.

Who led the Impossible Missions Force in Mission: Impossible's first season, before Jim Phelps?

Steven Hill played Dan Briggs in the 1966-67 first season; his Orthodox Jewish observance limited his working hours, and Peter Graves' Jim Phelps replaced him from season two.

Sesame Street premiered in November of which year?

Sesame Street debuted on 10 November 1969; early testing found children drifted during the street scenes, so Jim Henson's team added Muppets such as Big Bird and Oscar to the street itself.

Which 1968 CBS debut, created by Don Hewitt, made a ticking stopwatch its trademark?

60 Minutes debuted on 24 September 1968 with Harry Reasoner and Mike Wallace as its first correspondents; Don Hewitt produced it for the next 36 years.

Who was the original host of Jeopardy! when it debuted on NBC in 1964?

Art Fleming hosted the NBC daytime Jeopardy! from March 1964 to 1975 and a brief 1978-79 revival; Merv Griffin created the show and Don Pardo was the announcer.

The Wild Wild West's Secret Service agents James West and Artemus Gordon served under which president?

President Ulysses S. Grant, played by several actors over the run, personally dispatched the agents on missions; the network dropped the show after four seasons amid congressional pressure over TV violence.

Which 1963 sitcom starred Ray Walston as 'Uncle Martin'?

My Favorite Martian ran from 1963 to 1966, with Bill Bixby as reporter Tim O'Hara, who passes the stranded Martian off as his uncle; Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie followed the magical-secret formula.

Raymond Burr's 1967 series Ironside featured a police consultant who used what?

Ironside used a wheelchair after a sniper's bullet on a holiday left him paralysed from the waist down; Raymond Burr played the San Francisco police consultant for eight seasons, 1967 to 1975.

How many new episodes a week did ABC's prime-time soap Peyton Place air at its peak?

At its 1965 peak it aired three new half-hours a week; the serial ran 514 episodes over five years from 1964, based on Grace Metalious's scandalous 1956 novel.

Which future James Bond played Simon Templar in the ITV series The Saint (1962-69)?

Roger Moore played Simon Templar for 118 episodes across 1962-69, then took over as James Bond in Live and Let Die (1973); the show was revived with Ian Ogilvy in Return of the Saint (1978).

Which future martial-arts star played the sidekick Kato in ABC's The Green Hornet (1966-67)?

Bruce Lee's Kato, with his martial-arts fights, outshone Van Williams's Hornet; producer William Dozier made and narrated the single-season show, which became a cult favourite after Lee's film stardom.

In I Spy (1965-68), Robert Culp and Bill Cosby's agents travelled the world undercover as what?

Culp's Kelly Robinson posed as a touring tennis pro and Cosby's Alexander Scott as his trainer, the 'tennis bums' cover; Cosby won the lead drama Emmy in 1966, 1967 and 1968, the first Black actor to take it.

In Flipper (1964-67), the dolphin is the pet of a chief warden at a marine park in which state?

Porter Ricks ran the fictional Coral Key Park in the Florida Keys, modelled on John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park; the show was filmed around Miami and at the Miami Seaquarium.

Marlo Thomas's That Girl (1966-71) followed Ann Marie chasing what career in New York City?

Ann Marie moved to New York to pursue acting, taking odd jobs between small roles; the show was among the first sitcoms built around a single woman living on her own, paving the way for Mary Tyler Moore.

The Western sitcom F Troop (1965-67) featured a nightclub parody called what?

The Playbrave Club spoofed the Playboy Club, one of many anachronistic gags in the 1860s-set Fort Courage comedy, which also worked rock and roll bands into its slapstick and burlesque.

McHale's Navy (1962-66), starring Ernest Borgnine, grew out of a one-hour drama on which anthology series?

'Seven Against the Sea', a drama with Borgnine as McHale, aired on ABC's Alcoa Premiere on 3 April 1962; the sitcom then ran 138 episodes and produced two 1960s feature films.

What was The Virginian renamed for its final season in 1970-71?

The Men from Shiloh brought in Stewart Granger and Lee Majors for the ninth season; James Drury played the title role for all 249 episodes of the 90-minute Western, based on Owen Wister's 1902 novel.

Who co-created Let's Make a Deal in 1963 and hosted it for nearly 30 years?

Monty Hall created the show with Stefan Hatos and hosted it from 1963 into the 1990s; its 'traders' swapping prizes for hidden ones inspired the Monty Hall problem in probability.

Hollywood Squares, which became a regular series in October 1966, is built around which game?

Two contestants play tic-tac-toe on a grid of nine celebrities, claiming a square by judging whether a star's answer, often preceded by a scripted zinger, is right.

What euphemism did The Newlywed Game (from 1966) use for sex to get past network censors?

'Making whoopee' was host Bob Eubanks's on-air stand-in for sex from the show's 1966 debut; he kept saying it for decades, long after the phrase was needed to satisfy the censors.

The Time Tunnel (1966-67) was the third science-fiction series from which producer, also behind Lost in Space?

Irwin Allen followed Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and Lost in Space with The Time Tunnel, in which James Darren and Robert Colbert tumbled through history for a single 30-episode season on ABC.

Shirley Booth's live-in maid Hazel (1961-66) worked for which family?

The character came from Ted Key's cartoons in The Saturday Evening Post, where she first appeared in 1943.