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1960s
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 Sixties
Television - Pre 60s Classics |
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African Patrol
ITV 1958 Grosse-Krasne Prodns Kenya Prodns |
39
x 30 minute episodes followed the adventures of a white policeman
in Kenya.
Patrol Inspector Paul Derek was played by John Bentley. The show was filmed on location in the Kenya National Game Reserve with fabulous scenery and wildlife action backgrounds |
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Alfred
Hitchcock Presents
ITV 1957 Shamley Productions / Revue |
265
episodes of this mystery thriller anthology series were introduced
and closed by the dry grave humour of Alfred Hitchcock. A further
93 one-hour shows were made under the title 'The Alfred Hitchcock
Hour'. All the shows were produced by Joan Harrison and 18 of them
were directed by the master of the macabre himself
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Armchair
Theatre
ABC 1956 - later, THAMES |
A
long-running series of both live and recorded drama presentations,
many by famous authors, some of which led to the birth of various
other series and anthologies including 'Out of This World'. The
show was also variously known as Armchair Summer Theatre and Armchair
Mystery Theatre. The many productions over the years included included
'The Picture of Dorian Gray' ( 1962 ), 'The Apprenticeship of Duddy
Kravitz' ( 1961 ), 'Dumb Martian' ( 1962 ), 'Hot Summer Night' and
'The Last Tycoon' ( 1959 )
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BBC
Television News
BBC 1954 |
First
presented by Richard Baker at 7:30 p.m. on 5th July 1954 as a news
summary compilation of stills, newsreels and interviews. The actual
newsreaders were not visible to the viewers until 1955
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Billy
Bunter
of Greyfriars School BBC 1952 |
30
minute children's show based on the MAGNET comic character created
by Frank Richards. The food-loving schoolboy was played by Gerald
Campion withKynaston Reeves as his schoolmaster nemesis, Mister
Quelch. Yarooh!
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Blue
Peter
BBC 1958 |
The
long-running children's programme started as a 15 minute slot presented
by Christopher Trace and Leila Williams under the general heading
of Children's Television. This was later increased to 30 minutes
under its own title and Trace was joined by show doyen Valerie Singleton
when Williams departed in 1962. Also joining the show in 62 was
Petra, the seriesfirst pet dog. John Noakes joined the crew in 1965
with 'Shep' and Peter Purves replaced Trace in 1967. The leading
light behind the production and success of the show was Biddy Baxter
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Bronco
BBC 1959 Warner Brothers |
This
was the 68 x 60 minute episode replacement Western 'drifter' series
for 'Cheyenne' and starred Ty Hardin as the almost impossibly good-looking
ex-Confederate soldier Bronco Layne. A hallmark of virtually all
the American 'westerns' of the 50s and 60s were the memorable title
songs, this one being no exception. Bronco, Bronco, tearin' across
the Texas plain..........
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| Cannonball ITV 1959-? CBC / Normandie / Robert Maxwell |
The
rumble of the diesel, the shifting of the gears, name your destination
and brother, he'll be there, Cannonbaaaaaaall!! Brilliant 39 x 30
minute Canadian series starring Paul Birch as Mike 'Cannonball' Malone
and William Campbell as Jerry Austin, co-drivers of an eighteen wheel
road hauler and their adventures along the highways of North America.
Other main characters were played by Beth Lockerbie ( Beth Malone
), Howard Milsom ( dispatcher Harry Butler ), Beth Morris and Steve
Barringer Ginny and Butch Malone ). The series was directed by Les
Selander and Les Goodwins |
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Cheyenne
ITV 1958 Warner Brothers |
This
American western drama series set just after the American Civil
War starred Clint Walker as the quick-draw drifter Cheyenne Bodie,
notable for his long-fringed jacket. The 107 x 60 minute series
ended when Walker walked out after a contractual dispute and it
was replaced with a similar programme called 'Bronco'
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Crackerjack
BBC 1955 |
This
long-running children's show, 439 x 40/50mins, originally compered
by Eamonn Andrews assisted by Leslie Crowther, Peter Glaze, Pip
Hinton and Jillian Comber featured Richard Hearne's character Mr.
Pastry as a regular 'guest'. Highlights included the 'Double or
Drop' quiz with losers getting a cabbage and the winner receiving,
amongst other prizes, the legendary 'Crackerjack pencil'. Other
hosts of the 50s and 60s included Jack Douglas, Ronnie Corbett and
Michael Aspel
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Criss
Cross Quiz
Junior Criss Cross Quiz GRANADA 1957-67 |
342
shows were made of this TV version of noughts and crosses, presented
by Jeremy Hawke ( until 1962 ) and Barbara Kelly. It featured two
contestants battling against each other to complete a three-in-a
row line. Noughts or Crosses were 'won' by answering questions correctly
to win games worth up to the princely sum of £100. There were
also 391 shows made of a children's version called 'Junior Criss
Cross quiz', for the 12 - 14 age group, which screened early on
Wednesday evenings. These were presented at various times by Chris
Kelly, Bob Holness, Mike Sarne, Chris Howland, Gordon Luck, Peter
Wheeler, Bill Grundy and Danny Blanchflower
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Dixon
of Dock Green
BBC 1955-76 |
For
21 years and 429 episodes, originally154 x 30 minutes, later 275
x 40 - 45 minutes, Jack Warner starred as the famous P.C. ( promoted
to Sergeant in 1964 ) whose character (created by Ted Willis) originated
in the 1949 Ealing film 'The Blue Lamp'. Billie Whitelaw played
his daughter in early episodes
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Dotto
ATV 1958-60 |
50
dots concealed the portrait of a personality, which was slowly uncovered
by the correct answering of contestants in this early quiz show.
Presented initially by Robert Gladwell, later Jimmy Handley then
Shaw Taylor, the prize money consisted of £5 for each dot
not filled in, by the contestant guessing the personality first
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Double
Your Money
A-R 1955 - 68 Arlington Television and Radio Ltd |
In
tandem with 'Take Your Pick', this was one of ITVs first, and most
successful quiz shows. Hughie Green presided over proceedings assisted,
at various times, by Nancy Roberts, Jean Clarke, Valerie Drew, Julie
deMarco, Sabrina, Alice Earrey and Monica Rose. The finale, a £1000
'treasure trail' saw the contestant answering questions in a soundproof
booth
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Dragnet
ITV 1955 Mark VII - MCA |
30 minute episodes featured the activities of two Los Angeles detectives.
Sgt Joe 'just the facts, ma'am' Friday was played by Jack Webb (
who also produced and directed the show ) with Officer Frank Smith
played by Ben Alexander. This character was later replaced by Officer
Bill Gannon ( Harry Morgan ). 'The story you have just seen is true.
Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent'
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Emergency
- Ward 10
ATV 1957 |
This
was the first, and extremely successful, twice weekly soap opera
produced by ITV. It was set against the medical background of Oxbridge
General Hospital, following the private and public lives of the
doctors, nurses and patients. It enjoyed half-hour slots on Tuesdays
and Fridays and ran for ten years, also producing a spin-off series
in 1961 titled 'Call Oxbridge 2000'. The series was created by Tessa
Diamond and regular early stars included Jill Browne, Richard Thorp,
Glyn Owen, Ray Barrett and Charles Tingwell. John Alderton joined
the cast in 1963 as Dr Richard Moone
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Face
To Face
BBC 1959 |
John
Freeman was the hard-nosed presenter of this 15 minute ( later 30min
) interview programme produced by Hugh Burnett. Famous names to
suffer his inquisition included Adam Faith, Gilbert Harding, Tony
Hancock, Evelyn Waugh, Professor Carl Jung and Doctor Martin Luther
King. The programme series lasted three years and is memorable for
the opening and closing credits which frequently featured charcoal
drawings of the week's victim by artist Feliks Topolski
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Frontiers
of Science
BBC 1956 - 60, BBC2 1968 - 69 |
A
30 minute programme which examined many and various aspects of modern
science, including the possibility of space travel. Originally produced
by James McCloy
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Gardening
Club
BBC 1955 |
Popular,
long-running programme presented by Percy Thrower which began life
from the roof-top garden of the Lime Grove studios. It later evolved
into Gardener's World
( BBC2 1968 ) with guest appearances and location filming |
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Garry
Halliday
BBC 1959 |
Silver
City Airways of Lydd provided the real-life facilities for this
series about the 'Biggles'-style adventures of Garry Halliday (
Terence Longdon ), a pilot for a commercial airline company. The
other main characters were played by Terence Alexander and Ann Gudrun.
Richard West produced
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Grandstand
BBC 1958 |
This Saturday afternoon non-stop sports programme remains the longest-running
of its type in the world. Based at Lime Grove studios, it was fronted
in the 50s and 60s by Peter Dimmock (2 weeks), David Coleman ( until
1968 ) and Frank Bough. Football results were read by Leonard Martin.
Horse racing commentators were Peter O'Sullevan and Clive Graham
with results read by Tim Gudgin
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Gun
Law
ITV 1956 CBS |
Later:
Gunsmoke - 30 minute episodes later increased to 60 minutes. |
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Hancock's
Half Hour
BBC 1956, ATV-MacCONKEY 1963 ABC 1967 |
The
classic Galton & Simpson 30-minute TV comedy series starring
the tragic genius started life as a radio show in 1954. He was ably
supported by other comedy giants including Bill Kerr, Sid James,
Hattie Jacques, Kenneth Williams and Warren Mitchell. The episode
that everyone knows is 'The Blood Donor' ( a pint? that's nearly
an armful! ). The show became 'Hancock' in 1961 and 'Hancock's'
in 1967 where he played the owner of a night club in swingin' London
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Hawaiian Eye ITV 1959-63 Warner Brothers |
134
x 60 minute episodes were made of this detective / action series which
starred ( at various times ) Robert Conrad as Tom Lopaka, Troy Donahue
as Philip Barton, Anthony Eisley as Tracy Steele, Connie Stevens as
Cricket Blake and Poncie Ponce as 'Kazuo Kim' Quisado. Similar in
style to '77 Sunset Strip' ( not surprising as the two series were
made at the same studios at the same time ) this Private Eye series
was set in Hawaii where the team were house detectives at the Hawaiian
Village Hotel |
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Hawkeye
and The Last
of The Mohicans ITV 1957 Normandie Prodns ( Canada ) |
A
Canadian western-type action series consisting of 39 x 30 minute
episodes and 4 telefeatures based on stories by James Fenimore Cooper.
Set in North America before the revolution it starred John Hart
as the buckskin-clad Nat 'Hawkeye' Cutler and Lon Chaney Jr as Chingachgook,
'the last of the Mohicans'. The titles of the telefeatures were:
'Along The Mohawk Trail', 'The Pathfinder and The Mohican', 'The
Redmen and The Renegades' and 'The Long Rifle and The Tomahawk'
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Highway
Patrol
ITV 1956 ZIV-UA |
The
classic American police action drama shot and chased its way through
the 30 minute episodes which starred Broderick Crawford as Highway
Patrol Chief Dan Matthews and ensured that the expression 'ten-four'
would become, forever, a part of our language
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I
Love Lucy
ITV 1955 CBS, Desilu Prodns |
The179-episode classic American sitcom which featured Lucille Ball and real life husband Desi Arnaz. ( They founded Desilu studios which was later to be the home of Star Trek ). Long-suffering neighbours Fred and Ethel Mertz were played by William Frawley and Vivian Vance. The show was resurrected twice in the sixties as The Lucy Show, minus the now-divorced Desi, and Here's Lucy, with Gale Gordon as her bank manager employer |
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Ivanhoe
ITV 1958 Sydney Box Prodns Screen Gems / ITC |
Based
on Sir Walter Scott's historical character and set in the time of
Robin Hood, 39 x 30 minute episodes of this action show saw Roger
Moore play the title role in his debut on British television. Other
characters were portrayed by Andrew Keir (Prince John), Robert Brown
( Gurth the squire) and John Pike (Bart, Gurth's son). Herbert Smith
and Bernard Coote produced the series, filmed at Beaconsfield studios.
Ivanhoe, Ivanhoe, to adventure, bold adventure, watch him go........
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Jim's
Inn
A-R 1957 |
This
was probably the best-known of a curious type of programme known
as an 'Admag'. Essentially one long advert for various products
in a contrived storyline framework, admags were banned in 1963.
This particular programme centred around a local pub in 'Wembleham'
which was run by Jimmy and Maggie Hanley who happily spent their
time discussing the merits of various products over the bar with
their customers. Other admags included 'About Homes and Gardens'
(ATV 56), Elizabeth Allen Goes Shopping in London', 'Where Shall
We Go?' (ABC 56), 'What's In Store?' (ABC 56), 'Shop In The South',
'Over The Hills' (AR 56/57), 'Slater's Bazaar' (ATV 57/59) and 'What's
New?' (AR 57)
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Jungle
Boy
ITV 1959 |
a.k.a.
'Adventures Of A Jungle Boy', this junior tarzan-like lad swang
through the trees of East Africa for 39 half-hour episodes after
being made an orphan when his parents failed to return from a jungle
expedition. The friends sharing his bamboo tree-top house (or its
surrounds) were Cheetah (no prizes here!), Simba (nor here!) and
Quaggo the Zebra. Michael Carr Hartley played the title role
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Knight
Errant 59
GRANADA 1959 |
The
action/drama stories of a team of mercenary adventurers starring
John Turner as Adam Knight and his partners Peter Parker ( Richard
Carpenter ) and Liz Parrish ( Kay Callard ). The series curiously
changed its name with the times, becoming first 'Knight Errant 60'
then 'Knight Errant Limited' for the 60/61 series. The lead characters
changed, being taken over by Wendy Williams and Hugh David for the
61 shows with Kay Callard returning for the final series
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Life
With The Lyons
BBC 1955-6 A-R 1957 |
A
fortnightly TV domestic comedy spin-off of a radio programme which
featured a real-life family. Bebe Daniels, Barbara Lyon, Ben Lyon
and Richard Lyon. The show switched channels in 1957, retaining
the same format and 'guests' which included Molly Weir and Richard
Bellaers as Robin
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Look
BBC 1955 |
A
long-running series of wildfe programmes shot in exotic locations
and introduced by Peter Scott. There was also a children's edition
shown in an early time slot
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Mark
Saber
ITV 1957-62 Danzigers |
This
was essentially a series of stories derived from a US series called
'Mystery Theatre' in which a British police inspector was working
for an American police department. During i's life it went through
an extraordinary number of title changes which were: 'Inspector
Mark Saber - Homicide Squad', 'The Vise', 'Mark Saber', 'Saber of
London'. Characters were played by many different artists and the
storyline basis also changed as it switched between being an American
and a UK series. The first Saber was played by Tom Conway. Donald
Gray took over the part for 'The Vise'
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Maverick
ITV 1959 Warner Brothers |
Light-hearted
60min semi-comedy western series about a gambler, Bret Maverick,
brilliantly played by James Garner. Curiously, alternate weeks featured
Bret's brother Bart, played by Jack Kelly and later, even more of
the Maverick clan as they were joined by another brother, Brent
( Robert Colbert of 'Time Tunnel' ) and an English cousin Beau played
by Roger Moore
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No
Hiding Place
A-R 1959 |
236
x 60 minute episodes of this police drama series were made, which
evolved from two earlier series:' Murder Bag' ( 55 x 30 min episodes
) and 'Crime Sheet' ( 17 x 30 minute episodes ). The central character
throughout was Chief Detective Superintendent Lockhart, played by
Raymond Francis. The other main characters were DS Russell ( Johnny
Briggs ), DS Perryman ( Michael McStay ), DS Gregg ( Sean Caffrey
) and DS Baxter ( Eric Lander ) whose character, promoted to Detective
Inspector, appeared in a 10 x 30min spin-off series called 'Echo
Four-Two' (A-R 61). Francis, as Lockhart, also appeared in a Rediffusion
Christmas special called 'Deep and Crisp and Stolen' which was essentially
a comedy
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On
Safari
BBC 1957-59 1961-65 |
Superb
series of beautifully-filmed wildlife programmes made mainly in
Kenya and Uganda by the husband and wife team of Armand and Michaela
Denis. Previous series by them included 'Filming Wild Animals' (BBC
54/55), 'Filming In Africa' (BBC 55), 'Michaela and Armand Denis'
(ATV 55/58)
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Opportunity
Knocks
A-R 1956 ABC 1964-67 THAMES 1968 |
Hosted
by the legendary Hughie 'I mean that most sincerely folks' Green
this was a talent show which boosted many of its participants to
stardom. The studio audience voted for their favourite by means
of the 'clapometer' which registered the loudness of their applause
and the home audience were invited to send in votes to decide the
winner
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Panorama
BBC 1953 |
Originally
a fortnightly magazine programme this grew into TVs oldest-established
current affairs programme. Presenters included Richard Dimbleby,
Chris Chataway, Michael Barratt, Leonard Parkin and Robin Day
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Picture
Parade
BBC 1956 |
Peter
Haigh and Derek Bond ( later Robert Robinson - 1959 ) presented
this weekly magazine programme featuring film previews, new cinema
releases and the world of cinema in general, often with famous studio
guests
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Pinky
And Perky
BBC 1957 THAMES 1968 |
Highly
successful pig puppetry show based on popular music, created by
Czech puppeteers Jan and Vlasta Dalibor. The extraordinary success
of this format continued through various series right up until 1970.
Many famous names appeared as guest stars on their shows, which
always took on the appearance of a number of 'cabaret-style' scenes.
By the way....Perky wore the hat
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Probation
Officer
ATV 1959-62 |
A
55-minute series which was fictional, but almost a documentary drama
about the probation service and problems faced during their operations
in London's Notting Hill area. The original cast featured David
Davies, John Paul and Honor Blackman, later joined by Jessica Spencer
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Rawhide
ITV 1959 CBS |
Head
'em up! Move 'em out! Rollin', rollin', rollin....is there anybody
who does not know the title theme to this series, so superbly sung
by Frankie Laine. Eric Fleming starred as trail boss Gil Favor and
featured 217 x 60 minute stories about the drovers problems as they
steered their longhorns along the Sedalia trail of the 1870s. Top
hands assisting in fighting off everything from indians to outlaws
to women of dubious virtue were Rowdy Yates (Clint Eastwood), Pete
Nolan (Sheb Woolley) and the chuck-wagon masters Wishbone (Paul
Brinegar) and Mushy (James Murdock). Still brilliant!
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Saturday
Playhouse
BBC 1958-61 |
A
long-running collection of plays derived from stage productions
and recorded at various studios
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Sea
Hunt
ITV 1958 Ziv-UA |
Highly
popular and superbly filmed action / drama series starring Lloyd
Bridges as Mike Nelson, who found himself involved in many underwater
adventures as the result of being hired by treasure-hunters, sub-aqua
expeditions and diverse, unscrupulous people for devious means.
30 minute episodes
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Skyport
GRANADA 1959 |
A
drama series surrounding the life, loves and innumerable problems
of a large commercial airport. 52 x 30min shows were made starring
George Moon, Gerald Harper, Barry Foster and Lisa Gastoni
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Sportsview
BBC 1954 |
Originally
introduced by Peter Dimmock, later Brian Johnston. Features included
the first 4-minute mile and a studio boxing exhibition by world
champion Floyd Patterson. A children's version, Junior Sportsview,
was presented by Danny Blanchflower and Billy Wright from 1957
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Spot
The Tune
GRANADA 1956-62 |
209
x 30 minute shows featuredthis musical quiz show in which the contestants
had to guess the song from only a few bars of the tune. Resident
singer was Marion Ryan (pictured - mother of Paul and Barry) backed
by the Peter Knight orchestra. The show's presenters included Ted
Ray, Jackie Rae ( pictured ) and Ken Platt
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Spycatcher
BBC 1959-61 |
Bernard
Archer starred in this wartime series based on the true life stories
of spycatcher Lt Col Oreste Pinto. 19 x 30min episodes were made
telling the tales of Britains attempts to prevent enemy infiltration
by any means at its disposal. Written by Robert Barr and produced
by Terence Cook
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Sunday
Night At
The London Palladium ATV 1955-67 |
Superb
all-round entertainment show with world-class variety guests topping
the bill and featuring the fabulous high-kicking Tiller girls. The
shows were produced by Val Parnell and included a game segment called
'Beat The Clock' in which members of the audience had 60 seconds
to perform a variety of inane tasks, usually including balloon popping.
Top-line comedians acted as hosts and MCs. The first of these was
Tommy Trinder, followed by Dickie Henderson, Bruce Forsyth, Norman
'swingin, dodgy' Vaughan and the irepressible Jimmy Tarbuck. Probably
the most memorable feature was the revolving stage finale at the
end in which famously, the Rolling Stones refused to take part
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Sword
of Freedom
ITV 1958 Weinstein Prodns / Sapphire Films |
One
of Sapphire's classic historical action shows set in Florence during
the Italian renaissance. Edmund Purdom swashbuckled his way through
39 x 30 minute episodes as freedom fighter Marco del Monte, pitting
his wits against the evil Machiavelli and the de Medicis. The series
also starred Adrienne Corri as Angelica and Rowland Bartrop as Sandro.
Original series title was 'The Florentine'
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Take
Your Pick
A-R 1955-68 |
The
highly entertaining quiz-show stablemate to Double Your Money which
featured Michael Miles as the questionmaster and the voice of Bob
Danvers-Walker announcing the prizes. The two sections of the show
were a 60 second 'Yes / No' interlude with the famous gong, wielded
by Alec Dane, following which the winner, if they answered a further
three questions correctly, was tempted to 'take the money' offered
by Michael or withstand his appeals and choose to 'open the box',
the choice of one of ten, which possibly contained the Star Prize,
a chance to open 'Box 13' or, in three cases, a Booby Prize. The
organ riff between segments was played by Harold Smart
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The
Adventures
of Champion BBC 1956 Flying 'A' Prodns ( Gene Autry ) |
26
x 30 minute episodes featured Champion the Wonder Horse, Ricky (
Barry Curtis ) and Rebel the dog in this children's adventure programme
originally intended to promote Gene Autry's horse. The ranch owner
, Uncle Sandy, was played by Jim Bannon with another regular, Will
Calhoun ( Francis McDonald ) providing a light-hearted element.
The memorable title song was sung, yet again, by Frankie Laine
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The
Adventures
of Long John Silver ITV 1957 Isola del'Oro Productions - Australia |
26
x 30 minute colour episodes were made of this Australian series
which featured Robert Newton as the one-legged swashbuckling hero
immortalised in Robert Louis Stevenson's 'Treasure Island'. Connie
Gilchrist played Miss Purity Pinker and Kit Taylor played the young
Jim Hawkins
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The
Adventures
of Robin Hood ITP 1955 ABC / Sapphire Films |
143
x 30 minute episodes and a spin-off film featured Richard Greene
as Robin Hood, Bernadette O'Farrell ( later Patricia Driscoll )
as Maid Marian, Archie Duncan ( Little John ), Alexander Gauge (
Friar Tuck ), Paul Eddington ( Will Scarlett ) and Alan Wheatley
as the Sheriff of Nottingham. Donald Pleasence made an occasional
appearance as Prince John. Hugely successful in both the U.K. and
U.S.A.
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The
Adventures
of Sir Lancelot ITV 1956 Sapphire Films |
30
x 30 minute episodes starred William Russell ( later to appear in
Doctor Who ) as the gallant Arthurian knight of the round table
along with King Arthur ( Bruce Seton, Ronald Leigh-Hunt ), Queen
Guinevere ( Jane Hylton ) and Merlin ( Cyril Smith ). Made at the
Nettlefold studios, Walton-on-Thames
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The
Adventures
of William Tell ITV 1958-59 ITC - NTA |
Fabulous
action / adventure series starring Conrad Phillips as the famous
freedom fighter in 14th century Switzerland. 39 x 30 minute episodes
were made at National Studios and on location in the Welsh mountains,
telling the story of Tell's outlaw struggles against Austrian overseer
Landburgher Gessler, played by the wonderful Willoughby Goddard.
Jennifer Jayne played his wife Hedda and his son by Richard Rogers.
Nigel Greene turned up periodically as Tell's friend and ally, 'The
Bear'. Series producer was Ralph Smart. DAH da da DAH da Daaaaah........
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The
Army Game
GRANADA 1957 |
153
x 30 minute episodes featured the motley British Army equivalent
of Bilko based in hut 29 of the Nether Hopping Surplus Ordnance
Depot. The mainstays of the series were Sgt Major Bullimore played
by William Hartnell ( replaced by Bill Fraser as CSM Claude Snudge
in 1958 ) and Private 'excused boots' Bisley played by Alfie Bass.
Pte Popplewell was played by Bernard Bresslaw whose catchphrase
'I Only Arsked' became the title of the 1958 Hammer feature film.
A 1960 spin-off series was entitled 'Bootsie and Snudge'
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The
Arthur Haynes Show
ATV 1956 |
A
comedy mixture of sketches written by the great Johnny Speight,
and music, starring Arthur Haynes and featuring Nicholas Parsons,
Patricia Hayes, Graham Stark and Dermot Kelly. Probably most famous
for its 'tramp' characters and sketches
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The
Benny Hill Show
BBC 1955-57, 61, BBC11964-66 ATV 1967, BBC1 1968, THAMES 1969 |
The
king of innuendo and light-hearted smuttiness and slapstick started
his television career a lot earlier than most people realise. Early
shows contained, besides the ubiquitous gorgeous girls, parodies
of current hit shows, later moving on to comedy playlets and the
famous sketch sequences.
Also see 1969 for video clip |
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The
Billy Cotton
Band Show BBC 1956 |
50
minute shows featuring non-stop dancing, music and comedy fronted
by the all-round entertainer. This show evolved from the earlier
'Wakey, Wakey', ( Billy's catchphrase ) and was to become Billy
Cotton's Music Hall in 1965. Resident entertainers included Russ
Conway and Kathie Kay. Billy Cotton Jr produced the show
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The
Buccaneers
ITV 1956 Sapphire Films |
39
x 30 minute episodes told the swashbuckling tales of a band of pirates
set in the Bahamas in 1722. Robert Shaw made his TV debut in the
show as Captain Dan Tempest, battling against Blackbeard and other
undesirable cutthroats in a bid to earn their pardon from Governor
Woodes Rogers, played by Alec Clunes. Produced by Sidney Cole
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The
Count
of Monte Cristo ITV 1956 Vision Prodns - TPA |
Edmund
Dantes, the nineteenth century Alexandre Dumas hero flashed his
sword through 39 x 30 minute episodes, played by George Dolenz and
accompanied by a bearded mute and Fortunio Bonanova. The series
recounted episodes of his life following his acquisition of the
Monte Cristo fortune. First shown in America a year earlier
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The
Gay Cavalier
A - R 1957 George King Prodns |
Hardly
a title which would be considered for an action series these days!
13 x 30 minute episodes were made of this historical action drama
which starred Christian Marquand as Captain Claude Duval, swashbuckling
his way through the English civil war, directed by Terence Fisher
and Lance Comfort
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The
Good Old Days
BBC 1953 |
Old-time
Edwardian music-hall format show originally chaired by Don Gemmell,
later Leonard Sachs. The show was transmitted from the Leeds City
Varieties Theatre and produced by Barney Colehan
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The
Invisible Man
ITV 1958 Official Films |
26
x 30 minute episodes saw scientist Peter Brady, ( anonymous in the
credits but voiced by Tim Turner ) rendering assistance by virtue
of his unique talents to the police and the government. This was
in exchange for being allowed to conduct experiments to try and
return himself to normal after a laboratory accident experimenting
with the refraction of light had left him completely invisible.
Superb special effects, rather than strong storylines, were responsible
for the success of this Ralph Smart produced series based on the
story by H.G.Wells. Lisa Daniely starred as Brady's sister and Deborah
Watling as his young niece
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The
Ken Dodd Show
BBC 1959-63 1966 |
The
first of various series of shows starring the genius of the buck-toothed,
shock-haired Liverpudlian who made Knotty Ash world famous and introduced
us to the delights of the Diddy Men. Despite his manic appearance,
comedy and trademark feather duster he actually had an excellent
singing voice, evidenced by his success with various songs in the
British charts of the Sixties
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The
Kilt Is My Delight
BBC 1957-63 The White Heather Club BBC 1957-68 |
'Kilt'
was a traditional offering of Scottish dancing and song , produced
in tandem with the possibly more famous and slightly more 'commercial'
White Heather Club. Both productions emanated from the BBC's Glasgow
studios. These types of show were almost compulsory viewing every
New Year's Eve and regularly featured the talents of Moira Anderson,
Duncan Macrae, Andy Steweart, Jimmy Shand, Jimmy Logan and Roddy
McMillan. The Clan Hay dancers and the Royal Scottish Country Dance
Orchestra were also frequently featured. 'Kilt' was produced by
Alan Rees and 'Heather' mainly by Iain MacFadyen
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The
Larkins
ATV 1958-60 1963-64 |
The
original 'Eastenders' - featured the comedy and farce surrounding
the lives of this Cockney family headed by the long-suffering Alf,
played by David Kossoff. His nemesis, henpecking battleaxe wife
was played by the wonderful Peggy Mount. The series was created
and written by Fred Robinson and produced by Alan Tarrant. Other
series regulars included son-in-law ex-GI Jeff Roger ( Ronan O'Casey
), his wife Joyce ( Ruth Trouncer ) and Shaun O'Riordan as son Eddie.
Their neighbours were the Prouts, Myrtle ( Hilary Bamberger - the
pretty one ) and Hetty ( Barbara Mitchell - the nosy one ). A film
spin-off called 'Inn For Trouble' was made in 1959
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The
Lenny the Lion Show
BBC 1957-58 |
A
Johnny Downes-produced show which started out as part of Children's
Television but which gradually saw host ventriloquist Terry Hall
and his mickey-taking lion-shaped doppelganger Lenny evolve into
a general entertainment show, often featuring top ten chart acts.
These series were followed in 1959 by 'Lenny's Den' which was a
series of 10min shows and another popular family entertainment show
from 1962-63 called 'Pops and Lenny'
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The
Lone Ranger
BBC 1957- Apex / Jack Chertok / Clayton Moore Jack Wrather Corporation |
If
you know nothing about this American series you shouldn't be here.
The classic 'Batman' of the wild west, the Lone Ranger, had been
championing justice on American TV since 1949. The masked man, accompanied
by his horse Silver and faithful indian companion Tonto galloped
through a huge number of 30 minute episodes. Although armed with
silver bullets, he hardly ever shot anyone, preferring to capture
'em alive, leaving behind a trademark bullet. Clayton Moore ( and
briefly John Hart ) played the masked lawman, and the role of Tonto
by Jay Silverheels. The series was based on radio stories written
by Fran Striker which were developed with George Trendle for television.
Two spin-off films were made - 'The Lone Ranger' (Warner Bros 55
) and 'The Lone Ranger and The Lost City of Gold' ( United Artists
58 ). Hi-Ho Silver.....awaaaaaay and another great theme tune. Who
was that masked man?
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The
Phil Silvers Show
BBC 1957 CBS |
One
of the all-time classic 30min sit-coms, created and produced by
Nat Hiken, still being networked today.The series, more popularly
known as 'Sgt Bilko' featured the layabout, scheming, money-grabbing
members of the motor pool platoon based at Fort Baxter, Kansas (
later Fort Fremont, California ). Silvers played the part of Master
Sergeant Ernie Bilko, whose get-rich-quick schemes were always to
the detriment of his men and long-suffering Camp Commander, Colonel
Hall ( Paul Ford ). Platoon regulars were Cpl Barbella ( Harvey
Lembeck ), Private Duane Doberman ( Maurice Gosfield ) and Cpl Henshaw
( Allan Melvin ). The series was originally named 'You'll Never
Get Rich'
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The
Sky At Night
BBC 1957- |
Unbelievably
long-running monthly astronomy and space-related informational series
which began in April 1957, originally and every episode since presented
by the ebullient Patrick Moore. It began life six months before
the launch of Sputnick and has been a feature of late night viewing
ever since. A junior version called 'Seeing Stars' ran for 8 x 4
minute episodes during children's television in 1970
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This
Is Your Life
BBC1955-64 THAMES 1969 |
A
British version of the successful NBC TV show which was presented
by Eamonn Andrews where celebrities were treated to a 'surprise'
at his appearance with 'The Red Book' and an invite to the studio
to have revealed publicly the story of their life. Things didn't
always go according to plan. Danny Blanchflower famously refused
to appear on the show, leaving
Andrews, his guests and a large studio audience in the lurch |
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This
Week
A-R 1956-68 THAMES 1968 |
This
show - 'A window on the world behind the headlines'- was a weekly
public affairs programme whose presenters included Rene Cutforth,
Michael Westmore, Ludovic Kennedy and Daniel Farson
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Tonight
BBC 1957-65 |
A
current events programme which occupied an early evening spot on
weekdays, highlighting both the important and less important, but
always controversial, news items of the day. Early reporters supporting
main presenter Cliff Michelmore included Alan Whicker, Julian Pettifer,
Kenneth Allsop, Magnus Magnusson, Derek Hart, Macdonald Hastings,
Brian Redhead and Geoffrey Johnson Smith. The show often ended with
a musical finale featuring the talents of Jimmie MacGregor and Robin
Hall. In 1965 the programme was superseded by Twenty-Four Hours
(1965-72) which was a 10:30 late night programme but which still
featured virtually the same presentation team
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Wagon
Train
ITV 1958 BBC 1962 Revue / MCA |
Another
entry from the seemingly endless supply of American classic western
series. This one featured Ward Bond as Major Seth Adams, a wagon-master
in charge of a pioneer wagon train travelling from Missouri to California
in the wild west 1860s. Story lines included all the usual elements
such as outlaws and indian attacks, but there was also a strong
human element involved, examining the nature of the various main
characters. Co-star was Robert Horton as trail scout Flint McCullough.
Assistant wagon master Bill Hawks was played by Terry Wilson and
Charlie Wooster the cook by Frank McGrath. John Wayne appeared as
a guest star in the episode 'The Colter Craven Story'. Most, but
not all episodes were called 'The........Story'. After Bond's early
death, John McIntire took over the role of wagon master as Chris
Hale
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Whack-O!
BBC 1956 |
A
sitcom which featured the great Jimmy Edwards in his most famous
comedy role as headmaster of Chiselbury public school, assisted
by the less-than-competent Mr. Pettigrew, played by Arthur Howard.
Frank Muir and Denis Norden were the main scriptwriters and a spin-off
feature film 'Bottoms Up' was produced in 1960
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What
The Papers Say
GRANADA 1956 |
A
topical current events programme which analysed the press's handling
of news stories during the previous week. Introduced by Kingsley
Martin and Brian Inglis, the programme became 'What the Weeklies
Say' in 1968 before being succeeded by 'The Papers'
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What's
My Line?
BBC 1951 |
One
of the first British TV panel games, based on an American idea.
A panel of players tried to guess the occupation of various guests
with strange, and unlikely, jobs by watching a short mime of their
vocational activity and then asking questions, to which the guest
could only answer 'yes' or 'no'. Originally chaired by Eamonn Andrews,
the panel consisted of David Nixon, Lady Isobel Barnett, Barbara
Kelly and Gilbert Harding
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Whicker's
World
BBC 1959- |
The
general title for many series of worldwide exploration and culture
sampling by the globetrotting reporter Alan Whicker. The programme
began life as a revisit to the slots that Whicker had made for the
Tonight programme, but soon blossomed into even more exotic travels.
Other ( sixties ) Whicker series include 'Whicker Down Under' (BBC
61), 'Whicker On Top Of The World' (BBC 62), 'Whicker Down Mexico
Way' (BBC 63), Alan Whicker Report Series: The Solitary Billionaire
(J. Paul Getty)( 1964), Whicker's World (1965-67), General Stroessner
of Paraguay (1968), Count von Rosen (1968), Papa Doc--The Black
Sheep (1968), 'Whicker's New World' (Yorkshire TV 69 ) and 'Whicker
In Europe' (Yorkshire TV 69-70)
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White
Hunter
ITP 1958 Beaconsfield Prodns |
Filmed
in East Africa, this 39 x 30 minute episode action drama series
was based on the life of big game hunter John A. Hunter. The storylines
were fairly predictable, but none the less interesting for that,
and the various ill-behaved wild animals and jungle villains were
kept in their place by Rhodes Reason in the title role
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Your
Life In Their Hands
BBC 1958-64 |
A
series of programmes which took television cameras into hospitals
and, controversially, operating theatres to give the viewing public
a 'behind-the-scenes' look at the health service. The first presenter
was consultant physician Dr. Charles Fletcher. Mobile units were
used to record the operations on videotape, using up to six cameras
to catch the 'action' from all angles
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Zoo
Quest
BBC 1954-64 |
30
minute reports based on zoological expeditions jointly sponsored
by the Television Service and London Zoo. The first show featured
David Attenborough in the West African forests
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Zoo
Time
GRANADA 1956 |
331
x half hour shows by the Granada TV film unit based at London (
later Chester ) Zoo were introduced by Desmond Morris ( later Harry
Watt and Chris Kelly ) and examined animal behaviour. Very much
aimed at the younger viewer, Morris was no less popular with the
adult audience
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Lucky Dip
- AR 1958-61 - Forerunner of Tuesday Rendezvous and Five O'Clock
Club  Imported
U.S. Western Series Made In The Fifties I can remember seeing episodes from most of these at one time or another, but I am not certain whether the entire series was bought / transmitted on U.K. television in all cases. There are certainly lots more U.S. 'westerns' but I have not been able to confirm by other means whether they have ever been transmitted in the U.K.
Click here to see FiftiesWeb - a Fifties site which has some superb pages featuring Western TV shows |
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All
Original Material
SixtiesCity 2008 |
