Do you remember when you only had television through the air by antenna or maybe rabbit ears on the television set? With those rabbit ears, you were always moving them this way or that to try to get a better picture. And you had to get up and walk to the television set to change the channels or to adjust the sound. We had a television where the channel tuning knob wore out and wouldn’t switch channels any longer. We took the knob off and kept a pair of pliers handy on top the television. Now if the remote gets lost or stops working, it’s panic time.
Television was sort of magic back then. No color. Lots of snow. Only two or three stations. No way to record the show if you weren’t home. You just missed it. In the daytime, game shows and soap operas ruled. People, especially women, talked about not being able to miss “my show.”
And in the summer, you had reruns. Same shows you might have watched in the winter. But that didn’t matter with many of the shows, especially the 
half hour comedies. They were still funny the second time around or now the hundredth plus time around since those shows are still reruns on some stations.
You had the Beverly Hillbillies. “Come and listen to my story about a man named Jed.” There was “Petticoat Junction” where if an actress quit the show, the producers just moved in a new actress and the show went on without anybody having to be killed off. They did that with “Bewitched” too. Changed husbands in midstream, but we knew it was just a television show anyway. What we all wanted was to be able to wiggle our noses and get the house cleaned without effort. Or blink our eyes like Jeannie on “I Dream of Jeannie” and be transported somewhere without the travel time. That show was always one of my favorites. “The Addams Family” was fun too. Remember Lurch?
Then there was everybody’s favorite “Mayberry RFD.” Barney could always make us laugh. And I can’t forget “I Love Lucy.” It would probably be amazing to know how many times some of her shows have aired. You hear people claiming a favorite Lucy show.
There are dozens more. Now we have hundreds of stations with all sorts of programs. I think if I was picking, I’d hunt around and find those old reruns. That’s not my husband’s choice though and since he likes TV much more than I do, he keeps the remote and does a lot of station hopping. I can’t handle that, so I just pick up a book. These days I’d rather read than watch. Unless my Kentucky basketball team is playing. Then the remote is mine and we watch basketball AND the commercials to be sure we don’t miss even a minute of the game. LOL.
Which old shows from the good old days of television comedies were your favorites?
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Hi, Ann. I remember the pliers on top of the T.V. And the cat used to sit up there to keep warm! So few channels, so much more “family” content. We still have antenna TV. No cable bill!
Does anybody remember Donna Reed? “I Remember Mama” was a favorite. I guess even as a teen I liked detective shows like Perry Mason and 77 Sunset Strip!
For comedy: Jack Benny, Cid Ceasar, Carol Burnett, Honeymooners, Red Skelton , Dick Van Dyke.
Shows: That Girl, Leave it to Beaver My Three Sons.
Saturday morning: Sky King, Circus Boy on Buster Brown Theater.
Wow there were soooo many good clean family shows. But I think people get to like what is available so things evolve as people in charge shape them. Glad we can still get some of those shows on the oldies channel.
Happy Viewing and Remembering!
Happy
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You named some good ones, Paula, and some I don’t remember. I do remember watching Red Skelton and Carol Burnett. Her skits were hilarious. I don’t remember watching The Honeymooners much, but people quoted them all the time. Some of those skits would never make it in our politically correct world today. I liked Perry Mason, and a little later on Wild, Wild West and The Rockford Files. Always liked James Garner. We could go down this memory lane for a while, couldn’t we? Thanks for chiming in.
I still watch TV with an antenna, and I still watch the Beverly Hillbillies and I still love Andy Griffith show and Gunsmoke. and I Love Lucy, all these old shows are sooooooo much better than the stuff on TV today
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My daughter got an antenna of some sort they hung on the wall last year, but they didn’t get very good reception. But you don’t have to worry about a cable bill with an antenna, Lois. Smart. And good shows too. Gunsmoke was one of my dad’s favorites.
I still watch reruns. My favorite is Father Knows Best. Hubby and I watch The Andy Griffith show every evening. Also, enjoy Hazel and My Three Sons. I enjoy Turner Classic Movies channel, too.
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All those sound good, Melissa. I liked how the old shows had strong family feelings. You miss that in some of the newer shows where husbands are portrayed as not too bright and kids aren’t always respectful of their parents. I watched Father Knows Best when I was a kid, but don’t remember too much about it for some reason.
My hubby flips threw the channels too and i cant watch tv with him either, so i either go into the bedroom and watch tv are read a book, since theres not much i like on tv now days i read a lot. i loved all the old tv shows you listed i can watch Andy Griffit all day long lol
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I see you know what I mean about those flipping channels, Shirley. My husband likes to watch at least two shows at once and sometimes more. I think it’s different when you’re the one doing the channel changing. But I like reading better anyway.
I love all those you mentioned. Andy Griffith is an all time favorite of my family’s.
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Andy Griffith is the favorite of a lot of people, Joy. I watched some reruns of some of old shows with my grandkids who would pick those to watch instead of cartoons. And I was glad. Those shows were lots better than the new cartoons. At least to me. They really liked The Addams Family and the Munsters. My granddaughter enjoys the Bonanza reruns now. She likes all those western themes and even reads Zane Gray. I told her on Bonanza, you didn’t want to be the girl Little Joe fell in love with because his romances didn’t last over one show. Those girls often came to a bad end. 🙂
I still watch Andy Griffith, makes me laugh out loud, and that is good for soul and body!
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Indeed, Phyllis. The Bible says so in Proverbs. “A merry heart worketh good like a medicicine.”
Oh my! There are so many “favorites!” Father Knows Best, I Love Lucy, Ozzie and Harriet, My Little Margie, Happy Days, Mr. Ed, My Three Sons, Thr Donna Reed Show…..and the list goes on and on!!! Not like today that’s for sure! Like you, I’d rather read, but when I do watch it’s never one of the major networks (with the exception of DWTS). My go to networks are The Food Channel, HGTV, and both Halmark Channels. That’s it out of the myriad of channels that we pay cable TV for in order to be able to have those favorites! It’s crazy!
Author
I didn’t think about Happy Days, Karen, but those were shows that were so fun. The Fonz and things he said became part of our family lingo. I don’t remember My Little Margie and I never watched Ozzie and Harriet. I remember Mr. Ed talking though. I think I like I Love Lucy reruns better now than when they were new on television. It could be my dad didn’t like Lucy and we didn’t watch them much. I don’t remember. You have some good favorite channels. I’m a sports nut so I like the sports channels, but my husband doesn’t so much. He likes dramas and movies and news shows.
Those shows back then made more sense then most of the stuff that’s on tv today .
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I agree, Evelyn. At least for me. I guess younger people like the new shows better and that’s why they’re on. The TV people want to attract the young folks.
When I was really young it was “Father Knows Best.” Later I loved “Marcus Welby, M.D.” I think that may have contributed to me deciding to become a nurse?
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That’s neat, Pat, that watching Marcus Welby, M.D. gave you such a good picture of medicine that you decided to go into nursing. That was a good show, but it took a while to quit thinking about him as Father Knows Best.
I am going to date myself but as a girl, I loved The Real McCoys, Ozzy and Harriett, Bachelor Father, My Three Sons, Hazel, Family Affair, and the list could go on and on. Thank you Ann, for stirring up great memories.
Author
I liked Family Affair too, Melanie. I was never that crazy about The Real McCoys, but seems like I remember my dad liking those. I don’t remember Bachelor Father or Hazel. I must have missed out on those.
It is fun remembering the old shows. And what about Hee Haw? That was a different type of show, but we watched it a lot.