Watching TV

“Watching T.V., the American shows
Watching T.V.,with those super heroes
Watching T.V., and I’m gonna be someone just like them someday
Well, I like T.V., ’cause it shows me what the world’s all about
And I watch endlessly, every car chase, every fatal shoot-out, (oh yes)
I wanna be like Starsky & Hutch,
and those Sweet Charlie’s Angels say ‘Look, but don’t touch’
I wanna be in Hawaii-Five-O, I say ‘No way, McGarrett, let’s go!’”

“Watching TV” by Charlie (written by Colbeck/Thomas) – 1977

While recovering from my knee replacement surgery I’ve certainly spent many hours watching TV. It got me thinking back to my favorite TV shows, so it’s time for another “Top 10” list- my favorite shows from the 60s. Growing up as a child of the 60s, I anxiously looked forward to watching my favorite programs each week. TV Guide in hand, I would plan what I was going to watch, assuming it was on before my bedtime. I am focusing on shows that debuted from 1965 – 1969, when I was between the ages of 8 and 13. As I got older, I got interested in other things (music, sports, Boy Scouts, etc.), but TV was certainly my favorite past-time in my pre-teen years.

Mod Squad (1968 – 1973)

Not to be confused with the subsequent movie remake (which was a box office bomb), this crime drama was described by one critic as featuring the “first and hippest young undercover cops on TV”. Groundbreaking in the realm of socially relevant drama, it dealt with issues such as abortion, domestic violence, child abuse, illiteracy, the anti-war movement, illegal immigration, police brutality, student protest, sex education, soldiers returning from Vietnam and PTSD, racism, and euthanasia. Producer Aaron Spelling intended the show to be about the characters’ relationships, and he promised that the Squad “would never arrest kids … or carry a gun or use one.” It was cool to see young people be portrayed as the good guys, as opposed to traditional cop shows like “Dragnet”, where the young people were usually portrayed as drugged out hippies getting in trouble with the law. I was very young, but I think Peggy Lipton as Julie Barnes had to be my first TV crush.

Brady Bunch (1969 – 1974)

“Here’s the story of a lovely lady, who was bringing up three very lovely girls. All of them had hair of gold, like their mother, the youngest one in curls.” While the Mod Squad was a serious drama, the Brady Bunch was just plain fun. It was particularly relatable, since the older kids in the show were the same age as me. The clothes, the sibling rivalry, the family chores, the school adventures all had a familiar ring. Even the parents reminded me a bit of my own. I looked forward to the show every week. I remember meeting Eve Plumb (Jan Brady) when I was young, as she was signing autographs in an appearance at a local store during the peak of the show’s popularity- I think I fell in love.

Batman (1966 – 1968)

Quick! To the Batmobile! Although the original Batman series didn’t age well, I loved it as a kid. I thought the batcave and the batmobile were so cool! The campy dialogue, silly costumes, and evil villains made it a fun show. Each story was in 2 episodes, with the first one always ending in a cliffhanger with Batman and Robin helplessly trapped. Then you had to “tune in tomorrow, same bat-time, same bat-channel” to catch the dramatic conclusion. I never missed it.

Green Hornet (1966 – 1967)

This short-lived series was another favorite good guy / bad guy show. Unlike the campy and humorous Batman series, The Green Hornet was played straight. For me, the sole reason to watch the show was to catch the green Hornet’s sidekick, Kato, portrayed by martial artist Bruce Lee, in action. It was the first time the majority of the American public saw true martial arts fighting and this led to its increasing popularity. Lee went on to become a major star of martial arts movies. I would love to see re-runs of this series some time.

Get Smart (1965 – 1970)

Would you believe… Get Smart made my list? This James Bond spoof starred Don Adams as the clumsy secret agent Maxwell Smart, and it cracked me up every week. I loved imitating him (“Sorry about that, chief!”) This Mel Brooks / Buck Henry comedy was the winner of 7 Emmy awards. Barbara Feldon was great as his partner, Agent 99, but Don Adams stole the show. I also loved the special props they came up with for each show, including the famous shoe-phone. As much as I love Steve Carell, his portrayal of Maxwell Smart in the 2008 film of the same name could never match the Don Adams version from the original show.

Mannix (1967 – 1975)

While there were plenty of detective shows on the air, I particularly enjoyed Mannix. He was a no-nonsense private investigator. Mannix was notable for the high level of physical punishment he withstood. During the course of the series, he was shot and wounded over a dozen separate times, and knocked unconscious around 55 times- definitely a tough guy! HIs assistant Peggy was played by Gail Fisher, one of the first black actresses featured in a regular series role. She won a well-deserved Emmy Award for the role. I also loved the great instrumental theme song, by Lalo Schifrin, who also wrote theme for “Mission Impossible”.

Adam 12 (1968 – 1975)

Adam-12 was produced in cooperation with the actual department it was based on, the LAPD. It aimed to be realistic in its depiction of policing and helped familiarize the American public with police procedures and jargon. As a young child, I thought it was cool to see what policeman in their daily job, catching the bad guys and helping citizens in trouble.

The Monkees (1966 – 1968)

“The Monkees” was an American television musical sitcom that followed the adventures of four young men trying to make a name for themselves as a rock ‘n roll band. The show introduced a number of innovative new-wave film techniques to series television and won two Emmy Awards in 1967, including Outstanding Comedy Series. The Monkees were originally a fictional group with Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork cast to portray members of the band. At first, the band members’ musical contributions were primarily limited to lead vocals and the occasional composition, with the remaining music provided by professional songwriters and studio musicians. Though this arrangement yielded multiple hit albums and singles, the band members revolted and, after a brief power struggle, gained full control over the recording process in 1967. Most of the plots and characters were very silly, but as a young kid, I really enjoyed it- and it had great music. Some 50 years later, I was honored to sell merchandise for the late Peter Tork at Sellersville Theater.

Room 222 (1969 – 1974)

Like “The Brady Bunch”, “Room 222” also felt like I was watching a snapshot into my life- a show about daily life in school. And Karen Valentine as “Miss Johnson” was the teacher I always wish I had. Having grown up in a predominantly white school district, I think the show also helped give me a better understanding of people who didn’t necessarily look like me. The Television Academy Foundation has credited Room 222 for not only in the way it portrayed a racially integrated classroom and revolved around “a dedicated and student-friendly African-American history teacher,” but also for predating Norman Lear’s 1970s sitcoms when it came to invoking serious social issues, stating that “A season and a half before Norman Lear made “relevant” programming a dominant genre, Room 222 was using the form of the half-hour comedy to discuss serious contemporary issues. During its five seasons on the air, the show included episodes that dealt with such topics as racism, sexism, homophobia, dropping out of school, shoplifting, drug use among both teachers and students, illiteracy, cops in school, guns in school, Vietnam war veterans, venereal disease, and teenage pregnancy”. It was a comedy with some great life lessons.

Hawaii Five-0 (1968 – 1980)

“Book ’em Danno!” Yet another cop show in my top 10- this one starred Jack Lord as Detective Captain Steve McGarrett, the head of a fictional state police task force in Hawaii. The theme music composed by Morton Stevens became especially popular- it was subsequently recorded by the Ventures, whose version reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart in 1968. The title of the show refers to Hawaii’s status as the fiftieth U.S. state. At the time of the show’s premier, Hawaii had officially been a U.S. state for only nine years. (When I was born, Hawaii wasn’t even a state- yikes, I’m old!) Aside from the great characters and story lines, I think what made this show stand out to me was the exotic location. Very few episodes were shot outside of Hawaii and the beautiful landscape and culture were foreign to me as a young child. Thankfully I did get to visit there many years later after I got married.

What were your favorite television shows from the 60s?