Sixties City - Bringing on back the good times

Car 54 Where Are You? U.S. NBC 1961-63		60 x 30 minute episodes were made of this American police comedy starring Fred Gwynne as Francis Muldoon and Joe E. Ross as Gunther Toody. The oddly-assorted duo were patrol-car partners in the Bronx, New York's run-down 53rd precinct and found themselves in many unlikely situations, more often than not caused by Toody's habit of sticking his nose into other people's business just a bit further than the more reserved Muldoon might have liked. Other show regulars were Paul Reed ( Captain Martin Block ), Beatrice Pons ( Lucille Toody ), Al Lewis, Charlotte Rae, Hank Garrett, Nathaniel Frey, Jack Healy, Albert Henderson and Patricia Bright among many others. Fred Gwynne, of course, is probably better known to you as Herman Munster. The sharp-eyed will have noticed that fellow Munster Al Lewis also appears in this series
Crane A-R 1963 - 65		Starred Patrick Allen doing what we all wanted to do - give up our jobs and run a cafe in Casablanca with a bit of seafaring smuggling on the side. Even better in Crane's case as the cafe was run in his absence by a gorgeous exotic dancer called Halima (Laya Raki). The thorn in his side was the dapper Moroccan Chief of Police, Mahmoud, played by Gerald Flood. Crane's illicit 'Import & Export' business partner was the beachcomber Orlando (Sam Kydd) who took the character into his own children's series, 'Orlando', in 1965
Dr. Who BBC 1963 - 200?		Although originally intended for younger viewers, this science fiction series was soon adopted as compulsive viewing by the adult audience of the time, nothing to do of course with the succession of gorgeous 'assistants' who accompanied him on his adventures through time and space. See my Doctor Who pages for more info on the Sixties series and, naturally, those assistants!
Espionage ITV 1963 - 64 Plautus Productions / ITC		24 ( possibly 26 ) x 60 minute self-contained episodes were produced by George Justin of this anthology suspense drama series, filmed in Europe, which featured the activities of undercover agents in various countries and at various times in history from the American Revolution to The Cold War.
Love Story ATV 1963 - 67, 1969, 1972 - 74		A long-running anthology series of drama plays from a variety of producers concerning various aspects of love. Writers of individual shows included Doris Lessing, Jacques Gillies, Roman Polanski and Mordecai Richler. Famous names littered the various credits, often in types of role not normally associated with them, such as Rodney Bewes and Dudley Moore
Mr. Ed U.S. CBS 1961-66		Newlyweds Wilbur and Carol Post ( Alan Young and Connie Hines ) inherit a horse with their new home at 17230 Valley Spring Lane. Architect Wilbur discovers that the horse can talk, but will only do so to him. The stories revolve around the multi-talented Mr. Ed's adventures ( he can use the phone, surf, play baseball, drive and even fly a plane ) and the hapless Wilbur's efforts to cover up for his 'outings' and the fact that he can talk. 143 x 30 minute episodes were made of this gentle comedy, plus an unaired pilot episode titled 'The Wonderful World of Wilbur Pope' which was produced by George Burns. Other regulars included Larry Keating, Edna Skinner, Leon Ames and Richard Deacon among many others, including a lot of guest stars and 'personal appearances'. Allan 'Rocky' Lane was the 'voice' of Mr.Ed ( 'real' name Bamboo Harvester )
Our Man at St. Mark's A-R 1963 - 65		A classic low-key sitcom featuring first Leslie Phillips then, in the second series, Donald Sinden as the Rev. Andrew Parker, the parish priest of St.Mark's. Anne Lawson was Phillips' girlfriend in the first series and Joan Hickson played the housekeeper, a role which she retained throughout. The second series saw the introduction of Harry Fowler as a 'reformed' crook which tended more towards the farcical than the first. Eric Maschwitz produced the James Kelly and Peter Miller-written series
Sergeant Cork ATV 1963 - 66		John Barry played this Victorian detective ably assisted by William Gaunt as Bob Marriott in this atmospheric and historically realistic series created by Ted Willis and produced by Jack Williams. The 'Sherlock Holmes' comparison is unavoidable, with the difference being that the detection was viewed from a police point of view rather than showing up their inefficiencies
Space Patrol ITV 1963 - 64 National Interest Picture Prodns Wonderama Prodns		39 x 30 minute episodes were made of this puppet-based children's science fiction series created by Roberta Leigh. Leigh had previously worked with Gerry Anderson on his earlier puppet series and brought her creative expertise to this new undertaking along with Arthur Provis, the 'P' of AP films. The series featured the adventures of Captain Larry Dart, a space operative for the United Galactic Organisation. Other characters included blonde beauty Marla, Slim the Venusian, Husky the Martian and 'The Gabbler Bird'
Stars andGarters The New Stars and Garters A-R 1963 - 66		'Traditional' pub entertainment was brought into your living room by this variety series hosted by Ray Martine with resident singers Clinton Ford and Kathy Kirby. Other regular performers were Susan Maughan, Vince Hill, Julie Rayne, Kim Cordell, Al Saxon and Tommy Bruce. Series writers were Dick Vosburgh and Marty Feldman. In 1965, the show changed its title to 'The New Stars and Garters' for a few weeks, being introduced by William Rushton and Jill Browne
Taxi! BBC 1963 - 64		Another Ted Willis-created series featuring Sid James as taxi owner Sid Stone who had a knack of getting involved in his customers problems. Not really comedy, not really drama, but nonetheless entertaining. Also starring in the series were Bill Owen as Sid's partner Fred Cuddell and Ray Brooks as driver Terry Mills. Series producer was Michael Mills
The Dick Emery Show BBC 1963 - 81		Wonderfully over-the-top characters created and played by comic genius Emery were a perennial popular show for many years, some of the more memorable caricatures being Randy Mandy the dumb blonde ( Oooh - you are awful - but I like you! ), crusty Old Lampwick, Farmer Finch and Mr.Crump. The heyday of the show was probably in the Seventies but it all started here. Many and sometimes unexpected famous names also featured in the series over the years
The Dick Van Dyke Show U.S. CBS 1961-66		Another hugely succesful and entertaining American import of 156 ( possibly 158 ) 30 minute episodes. Dick Van Dyke starred as Rob Petrie, head comedy writer for 'The Alan Brady Show' and the sitcom revolved around both his work and domestic problems and his constant struggle against the Brady show's pompous producer Melvin Cooley ( Richard Deacon ). His long-suffering wife Laura was played by the gorgeous Mary Tyler Moore. Other characters included fellow friends and writers Sally Rogers ( Rose Marie ) and Buddy Sorrell ( Morey Amsterdam ) and their neighbours Jerry and Millie Helper ( Jerry Paris and Ann Morgan Gilbert ). On the rare occasions of his appearance, Alan Brady was played by Carl Reiner, who also created the show, sharing production, direction and writing with Sheldon Leonard and Jerry Paris
The Human Jungle ABC 1963 - 65 Independent Artists Productions / ABC TV		26 x 60 minute episodes of this drama series featuring the world of psychiatry were made featuring Herbert Lom as Dr. Roger Corder. Guest artists featured famous names such as Joan Collins. Corder's daughter was played by Sally Smith. The Julian Vintle-created series was co-produced by Leslie Parkyn and the eerie Bernard Ebbinghouse score was played by John Barry
The Marriage Lines BBC 1963 - 66		Five series totalling 43 x 30 minute episodes chronicled the trials and tribulations of the Starlings, a young couple adjusting to married life in their Earl's Court flatlet. A comedy series specially written for star Richard Briers by Richard Waring, the show also featured Prunella Scales as George's wife Kate. Neighbours Peter and Nora were played by Ronald Hines and Christine Finn. Graeme Muir produced three of the series and Robin Nash the last two
The Plane Makers ATV 1963 - 65		Superb drama series revolving around power struggles in the aviation industry featured Patrick Wymark as tycoon John Wilder - a kind of British JR. Barbara Murray ( also Ann Firbank in the last series ) played his stylish but neglected wife in both this series and the even better 'The Power Game' which evolved around Wymark's character in 1965. Series producer was Rex Firkin
The Sunday Play BBC 1963		A series of plays based on original scripts and specially written for television by modern authors, all featuring contemporary themes in a variety of styles. Contributors included Michael Gilbert, Henry Livings, Bernard Kops, Thomas Murphy, Stewart Love, Alan Plater, David Turner, Richard Nash, eith Waterhouse, Willis Hall, James Saunders, Stig Dagerman and Errol John. Series producer was John Elliot
The Telegoons BBC 1963 - 64 Grosvenor Films		Fifties radio shows featuring The Goons were the inspiration for this puppet-based series featuring the characters Neddy Seagoon, Eccles, Bluebottle, Major Bloodnok and various others. The original radio scripts were edited and used for the audio tracks, with Secombe, Milligan and Sellers reuniting to record odd bits of new or replacement material. Tony Young was the producer of the 15-minute shows
The Victorians GRANADA 1963		A series of 8 x 60 minute individual plays depicting different aspects of Victorian life between 1830 and 1890. Fairly unusually, they were performed by 'The Company of Seven' a group of artists specially assembled. Artists involved were Michael Barrington, Ingrid Hafner, Geoffrey Bayldon, Patricia Garwood, John Wood, Barrie Ingham and Charles Kay. The format was used for a later series called The Edwardians. Series producer was Philip Mackie and the titles were 'The Rent Day', 'London Assurance', 'Society', 'The Ticket of Leave Man', 'Two Roses', 'The Silver King', 'Still Waters Run Deep' and 'Sweet Lavender'
World In Action GRANADA 1963 -		A 30 minute public affairs series which featured many 'scoops' during its extremely long run. There were also 'specials' made ranging from 30 to 90 minutes in length. The original production team were Tim Hewat, Bill Grundy, Stephen Peet, Mike Wooller, Louis Wolfers and Alex Valentine. Programmes were narrated by Wilfred Thomas and Derek Cooper. One of the early programmes was called 'High Fashion' and examined the haute couture industry

Some Other 1963 Television Shows Which You May Have Forgotten....

Out Of Town - Southern TV - 63-69, 72-78 - Superb countryside culture series presented by Jack Hargreaves

Citizen 63 - BBC - Social documentary on five people's lives - 5 x 30mins

Corrigan Blake - BBC - Comedy drama series based on a 1962 TV play - 'You Can't Win 'em All'

Epitaph For A Spy - BBC - Dramatised Eric Ambler novel - 4 x 30mins

Festival - BBC - Series of dramatic plays ( 63 & 64 ) produced by Peter Luke

First Night - BBC - Series of new plays written for television ( 63 & 64 )

Hornblower - BBC/Collier Young Associates - Seafaring US/GB TV series pilot - 50mins

Maupassant - Granada - Themed series of plays set in 1880s France

Moonstrike - BBC - Dramatised documentary series about wartime operations of the SDS and SOE

The Spread Of The Eagle - BBC - Nine part series based on Shakespeare's three Roman plays

Five O'Clock Club - A-R - 1963-66 - Children's show evolved from Tuesday Rendezvous

The Charlie Drake Show - ATV - 30 minute comedy series

Secret Beneath The Sea - ABC - 6 x 30 minute science fiction series ( picture )

Whicker Down Mexico Way - BBC - Travel series

Pinky & Perky's American Journey - BBC - Musical puppet show

24 Hour Call - ATV - Spin-off series from Emergency Ward 10

Junior Points of View - BBC - 1963-70 - Young viewers giving their opinions on programmes

More Faces of Jim - BBC - 6 x 30 minute comedy series starring Jimmy Edwards

The Birth Of A Private Man - BBC - Third part of a drama trilogy

Tunes Of Glory - BBC - Series on the men and music of famous regiments

Hancock - ATV - 30 minute comedy series starring Tony Hancock

The Desperate People - BBC - 6 episode Francis Durbridge drama series

The Nine O'Clock News - Start of BBC's regular nightly news programme

Mr Justice Duncannon - BBC - Spin-off series from Brothers-In-Law

Laughter From Whitehall - BBC - 63-64 - Brian Rix TV farce series

The Sentimental Agent - ATV - 13 x 60 minute spin-off series from Man Of The World

Men Of Our Time - Granada - Documentary series about 20th Century leaders

War And Peace - Granada - Two and three quarter hour drama production

Give At Seven - ITV - Short charity appeal slot

The Lovers - A-R - Controversial erotic play by Harold Pinter

Naked City - ITV - 30 minute U.S. crime drama series starring Paul Burke

1963 Television Ratings ( millions of homes )

1	Royal Variety Show	ITV	10.40
2	Coronation Street	ITV	9.70
3	Steptoe and Son	BBC	8.79
4	Dr. Finlay's Case Book	BBC	8.39
5	Drama 63	ITV	8.27
6	Miss World 1963	BBC	8.25
7	They've Sold A Million	ITV	8.24
8	The Max Bygraves Show	ITV	8.22
9	Take Your Pick	ITV	8.02
10	Val Parnell's Sunday Show	ITV	8.02
11	This Week	ITV	7.98
12	No Hiding Place	ITV	7.91
13	Armchair Theatre	ITV	7.88
14	The Funeral of John F. Kennedy	ITV	7.75
15	Here's Harry	BBC	7.74
16	The Odd Man	ITV	7.61
17	Dickie Henderson	BBC	7.59
18	Laughter U.S.A.	BBC	7.53
19	Juke Box Jury	BBC	7.50
20	The Larkins	ITV	7.47