Classic TV Shows

Many of us can never forget the classic TV shows of our youth. Not only did those early television programs entertain us, but they created fond memories that can last a lifetime.

Who can ever forget watching a favorite TV show with friends and family members? Even now, whenever you watch an old series on YouTube, those wonderful memories come flooding back.

Remembering the Classic TV Shows

RCA Indian Head Test PatternRCA Indian Head Test Pattern, circa 1939
(PD Source: Wikipedia.com)

Many of the early TV series had been carried over to television from their corresponding old time radio programs. People Are Funny, Our Miss Brooks, Amos 'n Andy, Fibber McGee and Molly, Gunsmoke, and The Lone Ranger are just a few that come to mind.

Gale Gordon and Eve Arden, Stars of TV Sitcom Our Miss BrooksGale Gordon and Eve Arden in "Our Miss Brooks"
(PD Source: Our Miss Brooks CBS TV Series)

It was such a thrill to finally get to see the actual characters, sets, and locations on that tiny screen. Some shows and stars were as we imagined, but after all the anticipation, others were sometimes disappointing. It was truly a unique time in home entertainment.

The Golden Age of Television

As a young boy, I loved to rush home from school to watch Sea Hunt starring Lloyd Bridges, The Roy Roger's Show starring Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, and The Cisco Kid starring Duncan Renaldo and Leo Carrillo as Pancho.

Leo Carrillo (Pancho) AutographLeo Carrillo Autograph
(Source: ©Don Bell)

Getting Pancho's (Leo Carrillo) autograph at the 1960 Peterborough Exhibition was one of my biggest boyhood thrills. He was such a kind and gentle man.

In the evenings, who could ever forget watching those wonderful situation comedies? The "I Love Lucy" show starring the incomparable Lucille Ball was one of the all-time favorites.

Take a moment to relive one of TV's classic comedy moments as you watch Lucy in the short YouTube video below.


And, of course, there was the popular family sitcom "Leave It to Beaver" with Tony Dow as Wally, and Jerry Mathers as the Beaver.

Jerry Mathers and Tony Dow of Leave It to BeaverLeave It to Beaver's Jerry Mathers and Tony Dow
(PD Source: Publicity Photo)

Speaking of classic TV sitcoms, here's a list of just a few favorites from years gone by, in no particular order. See how many you can remember!

  • I Love Lucy
  • Mary Tyler Moore
  • The Honeymooners
  • The Andy Griffith Show
  • The Dick Van Dyke Show
  • The Brady Bunch
  • The George Gobel Show
  • The Donna Read Show
  • The Lucy Show
  • Leave it to Beaver
  • The Partridge Family
  • That Girl
  • Dennis the Menace
  • Hazel
  • All in the Family
  • Happy Days
  • Father Knows Best
  • Three's Company
  • The Jeffersons
  • The Flintstones
  • The Bob Newhart Show
  • My Favorite Martian
  • Gilligan's Island
  • The Bob Cummings Show
  • The Milton Berle Show
  • December Bride
  • The Beverly Hillbillies
  • My Three Sons
  • The Munsters
  • I Dream of Jeannie

Classic TV Shows Remembered

If you're a fan classic TV shows, you'll have LOTS of fun reminiscing here. Relive the glorious Golden Age of Television and join in by sharing your comments.

Be sure to read the article about the "World of Giants" TV drama series. It was an unusual television show for its time with its 6-inch tall secret agent, and its dramatic special effects kept you on the edge of your seat.

Watch the short YouTube video below as secret agent Mel Hunter battles an unfriendly house cat while attempting to use a desk telephone.


And if you're a TV Western fan, you'll love watching this 5-minute YouTube clip of the 1959 Bob Hope comedy film "Alias Jesse James," and its roundup of popular TV Western stars from the 1950s.


The TV Western was hugely popular in the 1950s and into the 1960s. Here's a few series from days gone by. How many can you remember?

  • The Rifleman
  • Have Gun - Will Travel
  • Maverick
  • The Rebel
  • Wanted: Dead or Alive
  • Lawman
  • Cheyenne
  • Gunsmoke
  • The Restless Gun
  • Tales of Wells Fargo
  • Laramie
  • Sugarfoot
  • Death Valley Days
  • Shotgun Slade
  • The Lone Ranger
  • Bonanza
  • Bat Masterson
  • Wagon Train
  • The Virginian
  • Hopalong Cassidy
  • Rawhide
  • The Cisco Kid
  • The Range Rider
  • Buffalo Bill, Jr.
  • Annie Oakley
  • The Gene Autry Show
  • Zorro
  • The Roy Rogers Show
  • The Wild Wild West
  • The Guns of Will Sonnett

Share Your Favorite Classic TV Shows

Share your fond memories of Classic TV Shows with others.

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Classic TV Shows Shared by Others

Click on the links below to read stories about Classic TV Shows shared by other visitors, and the comments they received.

TV Show With 6-Inch Tall Secret Agent 
Born in 1954, as a small child I watched a television series that had a team of federal agent partners. The unusual thing was one of the agents was only …

TV Western Star Leo Carrillo 
I found the autographed picture shown above while digging through some old photo albums, and it got me reminiscing about some of the old TV shows I loved …

1950s Television Westerns 
Many popular radio Westerns had made a successful transition to television in the 1950s, and I can remember how exciting it was to finally get to see what …

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