classic tv

With Halloween almost here, I thought it would be fun to recall my favorite scary TV shows. I would put the 1970s show, "Kolchak: The Night Stalker" right up there at the top of the list. And, I have a family connection to the show.

The big year for "The Beatles" to break in the USA was 1964, and on this day of that year, they appeared performing three songs on the American TV show "Shindig."

When I was a kid growing up in the Cornhill section of Utica in the 1960s, we didn't have MTV or VH1 to see rock 'n roll on TV. We watched shows like "American Bandstand", "Shindig" and Hullabaloo". Yes, there actually was a show called, "Hullabaloo".

One of Utica's shining stars of the 1950s and 60s was the late Annette Funicello. We remember Annette's career starring in all those beach movies, a singer with hit records, and one of the original "Mouseketeers." On this day in 1955, "The Mickey Mouse Club" featuring 12-year old Annette debuted on TV.

One of my favorite TV spy shows of the day was "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." which debuted on NBC TV on this day in 1964. With All of the Bond films and other spy movies of the 60s, TV shows started to pick up on the theme. What made this show so cool was the suave duo who starred, and the tongue-in-cheek clever dialogue.

One of my favorite TV sitcoms, "Get Smart" debuted on NBC-TV on this day in 1965. With all the James Bond and other spy films of that era, "Get Smart" poked fun at the spy business, and it was so funny!

Even though I'm a "Treker", my all-time favorite TV show isn't "Star Trek", it's "Mission Impossible" which debuted on this day in 1966. And, the show wouldn't have happened at all without Lucille Ball!

I'm a big sci-fi fan, and even before "Star Trek" aired, "Lost In Space" debuted on CBS-TV on this day in 1965. The show later sparked a film version in 1998, but the original TV series was much more memorable, in my opinion.

I remember when our kids were small, every Friday night they would watch "Full House" on ABC-TV. It was one of those sitcoms that had lots of "kid appeal", and families liked it too. Now, rumor has it that a new "Full House" may be in the works.

As a baby boomer, I remember watching "Maverick" on TV every Sunday night, and later in the 1970s tuning in "The Rockford Files" on Friday nights. Sadly, James Garner, the man who made both shows so great, died over the weekend at age 86.

Just like 'Gilligan's Island,' fellow Nick at Nite rerun classic 'Green Acres' is also getting the big screen adaptation treatment ... as well as a Broadway production, courtesy of director Richard L. Bare, a frequent director on the original series and a man who obviously didn't take Elsa's advice in 'Frozen.'

One of my favorite sitcoms of all time was "The Mary Tyler Moore Show". It was one of several CBS comedies that made staying home on a Saturday night worth your while. On this day back in 1977, the last episode of MTM aired on CBS TV after its debut in 1970.