80 Fun Facts About 60s TV

The Andy Griffith Show is set in Mayberry, a fictional small town in which state?

Griffith himself was from Mount Airy, North Carolina, and the show ended its eight-season run at number one in the ratings.

Which actor played Deputy Barney Fife, winning multiple Emmys for the role?

Knotts and Frances Bavier (Aunt Bee) won six Emmys between them; Griffith and the show itself never won one.

The Andy Griffith Show is one of three series to end its run at number one in the Nielsens. Which are the other two?

The show was never ranked lower than seventh in eight seasons and spun off Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.

Bonanza's Cartwright family lived on the Ponderosa ranch near which Nevada mining town?

Ben Cartwright had three sons by three different wives; Bonanza ran 14 seasons, making it NBC's longest-running Western.

Which Bonanza son, played by Dan Blocker, was nicknamed 'Hoss'?

Adam (Pernell Roberts) was the architect who built the ranch house, and Michael Landon's Joseph was 'Little Joe'.

How many episodes of Gunsmoke aired over its 20-year run, a scripted primetime record until The Simpsons?

James Arness played Marshal Matt Dillon on TV; on the radio version the role belonged to William Conrad.

Rod Serling wrote or co-wrote how many of The Twilight Zone's 156 episodes?

He also hosted and narrated, though in the first season he was heard but almost never seen on camera.

NBC cancelled the original Star Trek in 1969 after how many episodes?

Fans had already saved it once with a letter-writing campaign secretly funded by Gene Roddenberry; a later campaign failed.

Which 1968 Star Trek episode featured Kirk and Uhura's kiss, one of the first interracial kisses on US TV?

In the story the pair are being controlled telekinetically by the planet's rulers, which is how the scene got past the network.

The Beverly Hillbillies' Clampett family struck oil and moved to California from which mountain range?

Its season-two episode 'The Giant Jackrabbit' is still the most-watched half-hour sitcom episode ever broadcast.

The Beverly Hillbillies theme, 'The Ballad of Jed Clampett', was performed by which bluegrass duo?

Their single reached number one on the country chart, the only TV theme ever to do so.

The castaways of Gilligan's Island were shipwrecked after setting out from Honolulu on what kind of trip?

The boat was the S.S. Minnow, and the island's location was given as conflicting coordinates in three different episodes.

Which producer created both Gilligan's Island and, at the end of the decade, The Brady Bunch?

The Brady Bunch premiered in September 1969 and was never a ratings hit until syndication.

On Bewitched, which actor replaced the ailing original Darrin Stephens for the final three seasons?

York left because of chronic back pain; the show had been the second-highest-rated program in America in its debut season.

I Dream of Jeannie was created by which novelist, later famous for The Other Side of Midnight?

Barbara Eden's genie was 2,000 years old; the show was set at Cape Kennedy but the office exteriors were NASA's centre at Edwards Air Force Base.

Rob Petrie, played by Dick Van Dyke, was head writer for which fictional variety programme?

Carl Reiner played the show-within-a-show's star and based the whole series on his own years writing for Sid Caesar.

The 1966 Batman series aired how many times a week during its first two seasons?

Cliffhangers ended the first episode of each week; the show ran 120 episodes on ABC with Neal Hefti's theme.

The Flintstones was inspired in part by which earlier live-action sitcom, whose star considered suing?

Jackie Gleason's lawyers told him he could probably get the cartoon pulled off the air; he decided he did not want to be the man who did that.

The Flintstones was the first animated series to do what on American television?

It ran on ABC from 1960 to 1966 and was also the first animated sitcom; Mel Blanc voiced Barney Rubble.

The Jetsons holds what distinction in ABC's broadcasting history?

Only 24 episodes were made in 1962–63; new ones were not produced until 1985.

The Addams Family TV series was based on single-panel cartoons from which magazine?

Charles Addams's cartoon characters had no names until the show gave them some; Vic Mizzy wrote and sang the finger-snapping theme.

On The Munsters, the family pet Spot was what kind of creature?

Fred Gwynne's Herman was modelled on Frankenstein's monster and Al Lewis's Grandpa on Dracula; it aired on CBS opposite ABC's Addams Family.

Get Smart was created by Mel Brooks and which other writer?

They pitched it as a mix of James Bond and Inspector Clouseau; the shoe phone was Brooks's idea.

Hogan's Heroes was set in which fictional German prisoner-of-war camp?

Werner Klemperer played the oblivious commandant Colonel Klink and John Banner the guard Sergeant Schultz; it ran 168 episodes on CBS.

In The Fugitive, Dr. Richard Kimble spent four seasons hunting his wife's real killer, described as what?

David Janssen starred; the 1967 finale drew a 72 percent audience share, a record that stood until Dallas revealed who shot J.R.

The 1967 series finale of The Fugitive was watched by roughly how many people, a US record at the time?

That is 25.7 million households, a 45.9 rating and a 72 share; it beat the Beatles' 1964 Ed Sullivan appearance.

Who composed the theme music for Mission: Impossible, first heard on CBS in 1966?

The self-destructing tape gag closely resembles a device from a 1964 Nick Carter spy novel.

Which musical sitcom about four young men in a rock band won the 1967 Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series?

It was considered an upset over favourites like Bewitched, Get Smart and Hogan's Heroes; the show only lasted two seasons on NBC.

Which Laugh-In cast member was regularly tricked into saying 'Sock it to me' and then doused?

Richard Nixon famously said the line as a cameo guest during the 1968 campaign, but nobody threw water on him.

Laugh-In began as a 1967 special and then took over the Monday 8 pm slot of which cancelled spy series?

It quickly became the most popular show in the United States and ran until 1973.

The Beatles' first live appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in February 1964 drew roughly how many US viewers?

A typical Sullivan broadcast drew about 21 million; the record stood until The Fugitive's finale three years later.

Johnny Carson took over The Tonight Show in October 1962 from which host?

For its first decade the Carson show was based at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York; it moved to Burbank in 1972.

Which satirical variety show did CBS abruptly cancel in April 1969 after repeated fights over content?

It aired opposite Bonanza and still drew young viewers with guests like Pete Seeger, the Beatles and the Who.

Which 1968 sitcom starred Diahann Carroll as a widowed nurse whose husband had been shot down in Vietnam?

Her son Corey was played by Marc Copage, and the theme was written by film composer Elmer Bernstein.

Which producer, later behind Charlie's Angels and Dynasty, executive-produced The Mod Squad?

He shared the credit with Danny Thomas; the squad were Pete, Linc and Julie, three young offenders turned undercover cops.

Steve McGarrett's catchphrase on Hawaii Five-O, which debuted in 1968, was 'Book 'em, ...' who?

Jack Lord's task force ran for 12 seasons; Morton Stevens's theme became a hit in its own right.

Which vampire became the breakout character of the gothic daytime soap Dark Shadows?

Jonathan Frid played him; the show was ranked last of 13 soaps before he arrived and later added werewolves, witches and time travel.

The Prisoner's mysterious Village was filmed in which real Welsh location?

Patrick McGoohan created the 17-episode series and starred as Number Six.

The Daleks first appeared in Doctor Who in 1963 in the show's which serial?

They are mutated Kaleds from Skaro sealed inside armour; William Hartnell was the Doctor at the time.

How did the character name 'Emma Peel' in The Avengers come about?

Diana Rigg debuted in the role in October 1965; the show's dresses and suits were made by Pierre Cardin.

Lost in Space, which premiered on CBS in 1965, was inspired by which 1812 novel?

Hence the Robinson family; Dr. Smith's sabotage of the Jupiter 2's robot is what got them lost in the first place.

In The Man from U.N.C.L.E., what did the letters U.N.C.L.E. stand for?

Robert Vaughn's Napoleon Solo and David McCallum's Illya Kuryakin spawned nearly a dozen imitators by 1966.

The Wild Wild West was pitched by its creator Michael Garrison as 'James Bond on' what?

Robert Conrad and Ross Martin played Secret Service agents during the Grant administration; it ran on CBS from 1965 to 1969.

The talking horse in Mister Ed was a palomino gelding with what real name?

Former Western actor Allan Lane supplied the voice; Ed talked only to his owner Wilbur, played by Alan Young.

Before Daniel Boone on NBC, Fess Parker played which coonskin-capped frontiersman for Disney?

The Boone role lasted far longer but never matched the national craze the earlier character set off.

Which 1964-66 'Supermarionation' series ended when its backer failed to sell it to a US network?

Only 32 fifty-minute episodes were made before Lew Grade pulled the plug.

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! premiered in September 1969 on which network?

Joe Ruby and Ken Spears created it for Hanna-Barbera; Casey Kasem voiced Shaggy.

Which spin-off did The Andy Griffith Show launch in 1964?

Jim Nabors took his gas-station attendant into the Marine Corps for five seasons.

NBC moved Star Trek to Fridays for season three partly to avoid clashing with which Monday hit?

Laugh-In's producer George Schlatter had angrily demanded Star Trek not be scheduled against his show.

Who played Samantha's disapproving witch mother, Endora, on Bewitched?

Hanna-Barbera produced the show's animated opening and closing credits.

Which Paul Henning rural CBS sitcom was set at the Shady Rest Hotel?

Its success led to the spin-off Green Acres, which reversed the formula by sending city folk to the country.

Which stars played the New Yorkers who move to a farm in Green Acres?

Despite solid ratings, CBS cancelled it in 1971 in the 'rural purge' that also killed Hee Haw and The Beverly Hillbillies.

Who played the Penguin in the 1960s Batman series?

Cesar Romero was the Joker and Frank Gorshin the Riddler; John Astin took over the Riddler for season two.

Who created The Dick Van Dyke Show?

It was shot at Desilu Studios and centred on Rob and Laura Petrie in suburban New Rochelle.

Bonanza was NBC's longest-running Western. Which CBS Western ran even longer, for 20 seasons?

Its 635 episodes made it the longest-running scripted primetime series until The Simpsons passed it.

Which actor played Herman Munster?

Al Lewis was Grandpa (Count Dracula) and Yvonne De Carlo his vampire daughter Lily.

Which future Dallas star played astronaut Tony Nelson on I Dream of Jeannie?

The show ran 139 episodes on NBC from 1965 to 1970.

Mister Ed, the talking horse, first appeared in short stories by which author?

The show is one of the few to debut in syndication and then get picked up by a major network for prime time.

Which future Oscar winner was a Laugh-In regular alongside Ruth Buzzi, Arte Johnson and Lily Tomlin?

Gary Owens was the on-screen announcer, and Richard Dawson was another cast member.

Who led the Impossible Missions Force in Mission: Impossible's first season, before Jim Phelps?

The Desilu-produced series won 10 Emmys and later inspired the Tom Cruise films.

Sesame Street premiered in November of which year?

Early testing found kids only paid attention during the Muppet segments, so Jim Henson's team was asked to create characters for the street.

Which 1968 CBS debut, created by Don Hewitt, made a ticking stopwatch its trademark?

Mike Wallace and Harry Reasoner were the original hosts, sitting on opposite sides of a cream-coloured set.

Who was the original host of Jeopardy! when it debuted on NBC in 1964?

Merv Griffin created the show; Don Pardo was the announcer.

The Wild Wild West, pitched as 'James Bond on horseback', was set under which president?

Robert Conrad and Ross Martin played the Secret Service agents; CBS cancelled it in 1969 as a concession to Congress over TV violence.

Which 1965 sitcom starred Ray Walston as 'Uncle Martin'?

Bill Bixby played the reporter who takes the stranded alien in; Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie followed the formula.

Raymond Burr's 1967 series Ironside featured a police consultant who used what?

Chief Ironside was paralysed after being shot on holiday; the show earned Burr six Emmy nominations.

How many new episodes a week did ABC's prime-time soap Peyton Place air at its peak?

It ran 514 episodes over five years, based on Grace Metalious's scandalous 1956 novel.

Which future James Bond played Simon Templar in the ITV series The Saint (1962-69)?

NBC picked the show up as a summer replacement in 1966, and it eventually aired in more than 60 countries.

Which future martial-arts star played the sidekick Kato in ABC's The Green Hornet (1966-67)?

Batman producer William Dozier made and narrated the single-season show, which became a cult favourite after Lee's film fame.

In I Spy (1965-68), Robert Culp and Bill Cosby's agents travelled the world undercover as what?

Cosby won three straight Emmys, the first Black actor to take the lead drama prize, and the show shot on location worldwide.

In Flipper (1964-67), the dolphin is the pet of a chief warden at a marine park in which state?

Coral Key Park was a fictional stand-in for John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park; critics dubbed the show an "aquatic Lassie".

Marlo Thomas's That Girl (1966-71) followed Ann Marie chasing what career in New York City?

It was among the first sitcoms built around a single woman living on her own, paving the way for Mary Tyler Moore.

The Western sitcom F Troop (1965-67) featured a nightclub parody called what?

The 1860s-set spoof also worked in rock and roll bands among its slapstick and burlesque gags.

McHale's Navy (1962-66), starring Ernest Borgnine, grew out of a one-hour drama on which anthology series?

"Seven Against the Sea" aired in April 1962; the sitcom then ran 138 episodes and spawned three feature films.

What was The Virginian renamed for its final season in 1970-71?

James Drury played the title role for all 249 episodes of the 90-minute colour Western, based on Owen Wister's 1902 novel.

Who co-created Let's Make a Deal in 1963 and hosted it for nearly 30 years?

Audience members called "traders" swap prizes for hidden ones, a setup that inspired the famous probability puzzle named after him.

Hollywood Squares, which became a regular series in October 1966, is built around which game?

Two contestants claim squares by judging whether celebrities' answers, often preceded by scripted zingers, are right.

What euphemism did The Newlywed Game (from 1966) use for sex to get past network censors?

Host Bob Eubanks kept saying it for decades, long after the phrase was needed to satisfy the censors.

The Time Tunnel (1966-67) was the third science-fiction series from which producer, also behind Lost in Space?

James Darren and Robert Colbert tumbled through history for a single 30-episode season on ABC.

Shirley Booth's live-in maid Hazel (1961-66) worked for which family?

The character came from Ted Key's cartoons in The Saturday Evening Post, where she first appeared in 1943.