Sharing My Story

Another TV genre that I faithfully watched during
the 1950s was the detective show. Warner Brothers
had a whole slate of such shows that seemed to take
over prime time during several seasons. These were
private eye shows as opposed to cop shows that are
currently very popular. The major Warner brothers
detective show of the time was 77 Sunset Strip (1958)
with Efrem Zimablist, Jr., Roger Smith and Ed “Kookie”
Byrnes. Zimablist was the senior and cool “Stu Bailey”
(my favorite). Roger Smith played his younger and
handsome partner. They usually did not work together
but each had their own program segments and stories.
77 Sunset Strip was on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles
and was the address of the private detective agency
across from Dino’s Restaurant. The shows involved
mysteries, murders and beautiful woman. It seemed
as if either of the PIs would fall in love with a different
beautiful woman each week. This was as much fantasy
as any science fiction film. Ed Byrnes was Kookie the
comb wielding, (There was even a song “Kookie, Kookie
Lend Me Your Comb) jive-talking parking lot attendant
at Dino’s who later became more of a major player in
the series. For years 77 Sunset Strip held a prominent
hour long slot on Friday nights. Another popular Warner
Brother PI show was Wednesday night’s Hawaiian Eye
(1959) which starred Robert Conrad with pretty much
the same format as “77 Sunset Strip” only set in Honolulu,
Hawaii. Monday’s had "Surfside 6" (1960) at similar
PI agency in Miami. and I believe Tuesdays had
“Bourbon Street Beat (1959)” with Andrew Duggin
and Richard Long as private eyes in New Orleans.
I liked this more than the other two but still 77 Sunset Strip
was the best of the lot.

Thursday nights was the home of one of the forbidden
fruits of late fifties crime drama. It was the Untouchables
(1959) with Robert Stack as federal agent Elliot Ness.
This was a history based hour long drama about
Ness’ battle against the gangsters of the Chicago
of the early 1930s. It was narrated by Walter Winchell
which give it an authencity beyond it’s script writers
imagination. Elliot Ness fought far more famous
gangsters of the period on television than he did
in real life. Usually this program was beyond my
bed time and was quite violence for it’s time. I enjoyed
seeing the Thompson sub-machine guns that were
fired a lot on this show. The show lasted into the
early sixties and I progressively got to see more
episodes before in was canceled. Cop shows were very
big then but I do remember watching epsodes of
Highway Patrol (1956) with a very overweight
Broderick Crawford, Naked City (1958), Robert
Taylor’s The Detectives (1959) and M-Squad (1957)
with tugh guy Lee Marvin.

1957-1964
During this period westerns and detective/police shows
became very popular. I liked the adult western,
Have Gun Will Travel(1957). The hero Paladin,
was a ethical and moral “hired gun” played by
Richard Boone who had a very strong screen
presence. He was a tough guy who often encountered
difficult moral dilamenas. As the series theme song
say Paladin was “a knight without armor in a
savage land.” A year or so ago I purchased the
first season of HGWT (1957-58) and found it a
real delight. My memories of Paladin was of a
very gruff, stern, judgmental hero. He was that
but so much more. He smiled, laughed and was
chargrined at the foibles and shortcomings of
others. He also had a conscienous. In one episode
Paladin was confronted by the wife of a outlaw he
had killed was was geniunely grieved and disturbed
by his fatal though necessary actions. Paladin was a
highly educated Renaissance man fluent in a number
of languages (including native American dialects) and
knowledge of cultures and people.

One of the very best western was Warner Brother’s
Maverick(1957). Maverick was a lot different than
Cheyenne or Bronco. Maverick told the (mis)-adventures
of the brothers Bret (James Garner) and Bart Maverick,
two very smooth gamblers in the old west. This show
subtly poked fun and satirized the TV western genre
that so dominated the TV airwaves at the time. This
was probably of the most literate and humorous
western to come out of the 1950s TV western craze.
This certainly launched a later successful TV career
for James Gardner and a major motion picture
several years ago starring Mel Gibson. I remember
wanting to stay home on Sunday nights from evening
church service to watch Maverick.This was also the
weekly popcorn night ritual when Dad fired out our
ancient electric popper and popped delicious home
made pop corn.

Perhaps the other major show that arrived at the
end of the 1950s was Bonanza(1959). Bonanza was
about the weathly Cartwright family (Pa and his three
adult sons) set in the period before and during the
Civil War. During this time America was celebrating
the centennial of the Civil War and interest was high
about it. The oldest son Adam was for the Union and
Little Joe was for the South. However the major
important aspect of Bonanza was it was one of the f
irst if not the first prime time show shot and
broadcast in full color. At this time color television
was just starting to come into play. They were very
expensive in comparison to the black and white
models. Bonanza may have caused some people to
buy color sets but the transition was fairly gradual
—at least it was in our house. I don’t think we got
a color TV until the late sixties or early seventies.

The Rifleman(1958) with Chuck Connors(Lucas McCain)
and Johnny Crawford (Mark McCain, his son) left me
with mixed feelings. I watched the show faithfully
but I didn’t really like Mark(Johnny Crawford) too much.
He was too much of a crybaby! He made me feel
uncomfortable. But the action scenes were good and
it was dramatic. As I think about it years later it became
very melodramatic. It took itself a little too seriously.
Gunsmoke was a much better drama and Wyatt Earp
was a better role model. For me The Rifleman was a
little too emotionally sloppy and syrupy.

Another short-lived dramatic western was
Tombstone Territory”(1957) that portrayed
Tombstone, Arizona after the Earps. The marshall
was a Wyatt Earp type character, but the show was
more hard edged that the Hugh O’Brien vehicle.
The Zorro series (1957) with Guy Madison was
a Disney spin off from the episodes they showed
on the main Disney program. This was an enjoyable
show as were most Disney productions of the period.
Other westerns that I remember watching and liking
were Wanted Death or Alive(1958, Steve McQueen),
Yancy Derringer(1958, I liked all of his hidden guns),
the Warner Brothers westerns like Cheyenne (1956),
Sugarfoot(1957), and Bronco(1959). Some of the
westerns that I watched occasionally but didn’t
interest me that much were Wagon Train(1957,
with Ward Bond), and Rawhide(1958, with a young
Clint Eastwood), The Virginain (1962), and The Big
Valley (1965). They were several short-lived
westerns that had occasional interesting episodes
like Restless Gun (1957, John Payne), the Rough
Riders (1958), The Rebel (1959, Nick Adams), and
The Tall Man (1960, Barry Sullivan).

Most of these westerns were gone by the early
to mid sixties. Gunsmoke lasted and lasted and
made it to 1975. I probably watched it fairly
faithfully for ten or fifteen years. The TV western
had peaked and the decline of interest in the
genre was waning.

Westerns were also a huge part of my TV viewing
during the last half of the 1950s and beyond. Saturday
night was very big for westerns during that time.
Gunsmoke started in 1955 and was on at 9 PM
Saturday nights and I was allowed to stay up
(at least later on) to see it because it was a not
school day. James Arness as Matt Dillon, Chester,
Doc and Miss Kitty were all favorites.

One special western I enjoyed with the Life and
Legend of Wyatt Earp (1955) with Hugh O’Brien
in the starring role. I liked it because it was the
real old west. Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday
actually lived. As the years progressed I’ve learned
that this program was probably not very accurate
and Wyatt was not the pristine good guy as portrayed
on the show. I think this show was produced with
the idea of having the hero as a 1950s role model
for America’s youth. Even though Gunsmoke was
fictional it was probably more true to how the wild
west really was. Nevertheless I loved Wyatt Earp and
with some of my neighborhood friends (especially
Earl and Jack Cammack) we would play cowboys and
badguys and I would be Wyatt Earp or Doc Holliday.
I had a sympathy for Doc Holliday because of his
TB condition. I had asthma and so could relate to
his lung condition.

The Cisco Kid(1950) was a beloved lived western
that I remember enjoying( “Hey, Cisco, Hey Pancho”
—maybe not politically correct now, but it was a lot
of fun.) Some of the popular western film stars of the
1940s and early fifties made the transition to TV.
Roy Rogers (1951, with Dale Evans) was the successful
and his program (I believe) was on Saturday mornings.
Gene Autry also had a program(1950). Also eagerly
watched Guy Madison as Wild Bill Hickokk (1952) and
his comical sidekick Andy Devine, Broken Arrow (1956),
and, of course, the long running Long Ranger(1949).

Throughout the 1950s I watched the Superman(1953)
program with George Reeves. I enjoyed the show and
was sorry to hear in 1959 that Reeves had apparently
committed suicide. Superman committing suicide!—
how weird. The program however never got me
interested in seeking out the comic books. It wasn’t
until 1958 that I saw my first Superman comic books
and was not all that impressed. The short-lived Science
Fiction Theatre(1955) made a strong impression on me.
I enjoy the sense of wonder that it generated. Cool stuff.
I have vague memories of Capt. Video(1953) and Sheena,
the female Tarzan (1955) also.

Situation comedies were also programs that I enjoyed
watching though probably not with quite the enthuasitism
of the more kid oriented shows. I watched and enjoyed
some situation comedies like, Our Miss Brooks(1952),
Jack Benny(1950), The George Burns and Gracie Allen
Show (1950) which were all radio retread shows. My Little
Marge(1952), The Gale Storm Show (1956), The Adventures
of Ozzie & Harriet (1952), “Father Knows Best” (1954), The
Life of Riley with the great William Benedix (1953) were also
a lot of fun to watch. Also enjoyed the “Love that Bob” starring
Bob Cummings (1954) which was about a bachelor who wanted
desperately to hang on to his singleness against the machinations
of wily women. He eventually got married and the show was
short lived thereafter. I also liked “Topper”(with Leo G. Carrol,
1955) a wonderful situation comedy about an elderly married
man and two mischievious ghosts. A wonderful fantasy.

My parents also liked “The Lawrence Welk Show”(1955)
which I couldn’t stand. My friends and I used to call him
the “Bubble-brained Beatnik.” Lawrence Welk’s music
was a real anachronism in the late fifties. It was depression/
World war II music but not contemporary. Times had
changed. But Lawrence Welk had an enormous following
with the older generation.

Besides programs specially made for television there
were Saturday Night at the Movies shows which played
theatical releases from the 1930s and 1940s. Prominent
among these were westerns showcasing the B-movies of
Tex Ritter, Lash LaRue, Monte Hall, Tom Mix and others.
Around 1960 one of these network movie shows played
the 1951 science fiction classic motion picture "The Day
The Early Stood Still" with Michael Rennie. This peaked
my budding interest in science fiction.