I used to watch TV. Now I don't watch one minute in a whole year.
So what did I watch?
Some of you will have to be very old to remember these TV shows.
I liked the variety shows. The shows with several short segments. So for example Red Skelton always had a section with Clem Kadiddle Hopper. There was also a clown section. I also listened to Red Skelton when he was on radio.
Carol Burnette had a first class variety show. I liked her telephone monologue in each show.
Many people make fun of Ed Sullivan, but he kept us well entertained on a Saturday night.
Sullivan had great acts and we won't get that he had the Beatles.
Every Sunday night we watched Bonanza. This was a one hour show of the adventures of the Cartright family. I never missed it.
Now there were other variety shows that came and went. The variety show was gradually taken over by situation comedies.
Now it's movies or long series that we buy at one time. I haven't got time to spend on a long series.
Has anybody else seen these shows and liked them?
Tell me the good shows that I missed.
I don't watch television anymore.
ReplyDeleteThere's not much on TV and I have other things to do.
DeleteI didn't watch much TV growing up, but I do remember all those you mention here. I also watched Lassie.
ReplyDeleteI didn't watch Lassie but I knew about the show.
DeleteOh, I could go on forever about vintage TV. We watched "Bonanza" on daytime TV in reruns when I was a kid. And also "Star Trek," "That Girl," "Gilligan's Island" and "The Dick van Dyke Show" among others. I loved them all.
ReplyDeleteBut the best TV shows, in my book, were "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," "All in the Family," and later, "Seinfeld."
I also liked "The Waltons" and "Little House on the Prairie" when I was young, even though they're pretty sappy.
You watched a lot of good TV.
DeleteM*A*S*H
ReplyDeleteI'm going to say you're Uncle Bobby with that comment!
DeleteOuch… not sure who Uncle Bobby is, but as your son, I think I’m offended?
DeleteI did see those shows you watched. I loved the Ed Sullivan show even without the Beatles.
ReplyDeleteThere were just a lot of good shows.
DeleteOh my gosh! Here I was growing up in Hawaii and watching the exact same shows as you in Canada. That's so fun!
ReplyDeleteWhere do you think Canada got all those TV shows?
DeleteI remember these shows and enjoyed them too. Other ones I enjoyed were Hogan's Heros, Forest Rangers (Canadian), Rainbow Island (Canadian), High Chapparel, Ponderosa, Get Smart, Bewitched and a bunch of others. These days I still watch TV but not a lot. There are few shows that keep me engaged.
ReplyDeleteYou mention some that I'm not familiar with.
DeleteI remember those! I liked Ed Sullivan.
ReplyDeleteEd Sullivan was a winner!
DeleteI used to watch some of these when I was a kid! Carol Burnette was a family favourite.
ReplyDeleteYes, I really liked Carol Burnette.
DeleteI watched all the shows you watched plus, let's see! Carol Burnett, Bing Cosby, Red Skelton, Johnny Cash, and more had variety shows.
ReplyDeleteI do not remember a Johnny CAsh Show.
DeleteWe grew up with Bonanza! Loved that show and The Wonderful World of Disney! We still enjoy Friends and I like Reality TV and Game Shows:)
ReplyDeleteI forgot about the Wonderful World of Disney.
DeleteI remember being occasionally allowed to see some of the Ed Sullivan show, and if I had gone to bed and the little Italian puppet mouse Topo Gigio was on with Ed, I was allowed to get back out of bed to see him! I remember the Red Skelton show, too, along with many others that commenters have mentioned. The Beverly Hillbillies was a favourite. Great post, Red. Brings back memories.
ReplyDeleteI forgot about the Beverly Hillbillies. they were a classic.
DeleteCan't forget the Tommy Hunter Show, either :)
ReplyDeleteI never missed Tommy Hunter.
DeleteSome of the old comedies such as Beverly Hillbillies, I Love Lucy, Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, Bewitched. Don’t forget Saturday night, Hockey Night in Canada.
ReplyDeleteYes, I did always watch hockey night in Canada.
DeleteWe watch lots of TV, with lots of variety! We cannot go out at night, for many reasons, and like to relax in the evenings. Nature, BBC, cooking, dancing and vocal competitions!
ReplyDeleteYou're of the younger generation so you've found some newer shows,
DeleteHello ,
ReplyDeleteI remember a lot of these shows, the Ed Sullivan and Beatles was a classic and favorite. Take care, enjoy your day and the week ahead.
I liked Bonanza and Ed Sullivan…Lawrence Welk…American Bandstand…Donna Reed Show..l
ReplyDeleteI loved Red Skelton and Carol Burnett too. The thing that cracked me up about both of them is that sometimes things would get so hilarious that even they were laughing. Such good fun. We did not have regular television when I was a kid. We lived in a valley and our antenna was 500 feet up the hill. The wire draped down through the trees and the squirrels would chew the wire. It was a fairly regular job, climbing up that steep hill inspecting the antenna wire, and wrapping any bare wires with electrical tape. Our Sunday night programs were always Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom, followed by the Wonderful World of Disney. Unless, of course, the squirrels had been busy.
ReplyDeleteI remember Carol Burnett and Bonanza. I used to watch Bonanza with my Dad in the UK. Brenda mentioned Lawrence Welk. I watched that show with my parents-in-law when we visited them on the weekends. My father-in-law was from North Dakota and so was Lawrence, so they felt a certain kinship to him, but also enjoyed his show.
ReplyDeletei remember "houseful" only but i am sure it is new for you
ReplyDeletei find old shows comedy shows particularly more nice as people actin in them seemed so real and so effortless in what they were doing ,they were so natural and that is most impressive thing about old shows .
the radio anchors had powerful voices and the knowledge they had about life graved their words and accent enough to feel attached
those were beautiful times
Rawhide was one of my favourites along with Bonanza and Laramie.
ReplyDelete