Those sponsors literally club the viewer over the head on each & every beginning of the shows! Among the rare sights were a tractor manufacturer & Chico Marx.And let's not forget the many appearances of Betty White. Thanks for sharing.
TimelordR I watched the whole thing and no sign of anyone literally getting clubbed over the head. How do you know the viewers were always injured? Or was the club made of something soft and it tickled rather than maimed? Did they go to your house with a sample or something with their logo? It seems an odd use of their ad dollars but it was a different time and far fewer viewers so I dunno. Can you tell us exactly how they literally did this? Thanks. :)
@@653j521 I'm sure he was expressing hyperbole because of how the sponsors of the program would like people to remember who backed the show they were watching.
Wow, never knew Mike Wallace was ever a game show host! It was before my time, but I'm guessing "Nothing but the Truth" was the precursor of "To Tell the Truth", which I do remember. The concept looks exactly the same.
He was hosting "THE BIG SURPRISE" on NBC during the 1956-'57 season, as well as his late night "NIGHT BEAT" interview show on WABD {now WNYW} in New York.
what an incredible window on american culture when we were at our greatest, in economic and political power. thanks jeff for the great pearls of information
ejcherny Well...that depends on your point of view...it seems to be the same decade when Communism was at its peak of economic and political power. Could we do anything about the crushing of the liberation movement in Hungary in 1956 when their Olympic team got off the plane in Australia to learn their country was reinvaded by the Soviets, creating the drama for the most ferocious water polo match ever, between the Hungarians and the Soviet military? We could only stop the Soviets from taking half the Korean peninsula and that was with UN help. The Soviets and Americans were engaged in secret wars all over the world toppling govts they didn't like. It was tit for tat around the globe, with neither country getting the upper hand. I would vote for the toppling of the Berlin Wall as the time we were at our peak in influence and power. China hadn't yet risen to its present heights, the Soviets were on their downward projection, and we were doing quite well and going to get what was called "the peace dividend" financially.
A brunette Arlene (What's My Line?) Francis at 20:54. As per the Wikipedia entry, this episode is from 1950. At 22:45, watch Mike (60 Minutes) Wallace doing the pilot episode of Goodson-Todman's "Nothing But the Truth" which became "To Tell the Truth". Good Lord, I remember Dick Van Dyke hosting the Terrytoons. It was on in the evening, too. This was fun! Thanks RwDt09 wherever you are.
"CBS CARTOON THEATER" lasted 13 weeks in the summer of 1956......opposite ABC's "DISNEYLAND": which is why the series couldn't find a sponsor to stay in prime-time. Whn Dick and the "live" sequences were eliminated that fall, the network rescheduled it on Sunday afteroons as "THE HECKLE AND JECKLE CARTOON SHOW" {featuring new animated "bumpers" and titles}- with Tootsie Roll as a sponsor.
I like how men spoke at that time - masculine, confident and mature. So many terrific voices for narration. Boys today do not have this type of role model anymore. Add to that the intelligent writing and you have compelling spoken word entertainment.
That's Ann Baker as TV's Corliss Archer, not to be confused with Janet Waldo who played Corliss on radio, or Shirley Temple who played her in the movies.
I love seeing these 50's show openings. Most of these are before my time although I recognize most of the stars. I do remember watching Arthur Godfrey, Spike Jones, Disneyland and Father Knows Best.. My dad loved Spike Jones and had a lot of his records. It would really be fun to see whole episodes of some of these shows.
arno52 I wonder if Spike Jones was more of a guy's thing. My uncle also had a lot of his records. As I wrote this I could hear his version of Cocktails for Two in my head. :)
Yes, both Bennett and White are still with us just before Halloween 2018. A joke that regularly circulates the internet is that White, 96, peacefully DYED at home. She dyed her hair!
Wonderful clips! A few random comments..."Nothing But The Truth" was the earliest version of what would become "To Tell The Truth" which ran for years. The "Perry" of "Perry Presents" referred to Perry Como; it was his 'summer replacement' show. I believe Allan Sherman (Hello Mudduh, Hello Faddah) had a hand in producing both of those series. Also couldn't help noticing that "Dick Tracy" used the exact same 'canned' theme music as the radio detective series "Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar."
+Jeff Missinne Nothing But The Truth was the unaired pilot of To Tell The Truth. Somehow they changed the name and the host before the show premiered in December 1956.
Does anyone know if or how Disneyland's Tomorrowland changed over the years as we got farther into "tomorrow"? Clearly, we are well past the rocket that was pictured in the ad. :) I wonder how they picture our future, all these years after picturing their own future, and are flying cars part of any of this. (I'm still waiting for mine.) :) Certainly jet packs were invented but for some reason never took off with the public, pun intended. :)
"Disneyland" likely saved ABC from extinction. They earned like 45+ of ABC's revenue in the mid 50's-then the Warner Bros. westerns came along, and James Garner et. al. got em further stature/ratings.
Yes, that was part of Disney's agreement with the network to produce other series for them. It became so successful in its first season [5pm(et), Monday through Friday], it knocked off "BARKER BILL'S CARTOON SHOW" on CBS, Pinky Lee on NBC, and forced "HOWDY DOODY" {also on NBC} to move to Saturday mornings in June 1956.
Actually, good point. It never occurred to me before, but it could very well be that theme songs for intros might've been a rarity in the 50s. Besides Love That Jill, the only other one that comes readily to mind is The Real McCoys, I really can't think of any others right now. I'll have to dig into this to see if there actually were more or if the use of theme songs only became popularized in the 60s.
2:01---Dick Tracy's theme music is the same that was used on "Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar" on CBS radio! 14:12 --- Spike Jones smoked about 70 cigarettes a day, I'm pretty sure he's holding one here!
Yes.....1:53- "Bob Bailey as the man with the action-packed expense account! America's fabulous, freelance insurance investigator......'Yours truly, Johnny Dollar!". That theme was used on "JOHNNY DOLLAR" from 1955 until it ended in 1962.
24:08- Yes, the first season of "FATHER KNOWS BEST" was sponsored by Kent cigarettes {CBS, Sundays, 10 pm(et)}- until Lorillard Tobacco discovered that not enough smokers were tuning in, and cancelled the series after 26 episodes. Scott Paper Company then "bought" it for their Wednesday night time period [8:30pm(et)] on NBC the following season.......
Sure. Lorillard Tobacco found that out the hard way. When they DID sponsor sitcoms, they were more "adult"- including Jackie Cooper's "HENNESSY", "THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW" and "THE JOEY BISHOP SHOW".
You can see episodes from two of them online. The one where she talked to the announcer was so creative and funny! I don't know anyone who ever recreated that form. The idea that only she knew he was there was choice, and the fact that she finally started sassing back to him. Oh, wonderful stuff!
Little Ricky obscures the fact that Ball and Arnaz blended real and fictional life in their show. She was really pg but the baby shown wasn't theirs and was played by a number of little boys including some twins, then by Thibodeaux at age 5 who went by the stage name Little Ricky during his run of the show, but their son did appear once as an extra, no lines, no billing. This was to keep the illusion alive that we were watching a real, but zany family. Keith Thibodeaux became Richard Keith for later work on stage and in a band, which actually was a good thing because he wasn't stuck being thought of as that kid his whole life. He had a trust fund and when he was old enough to use it, he said he ran through the money in two weeks, getting a car and apparently indulging in assorted luxuries and vices. Desi Jr, who liked him, said he was incorporated into the family on and off the show and is even in family photos. :) I don't know how he could have been treated better than that in the bizarre world of Hollywood.
Those sponsors literally club the viewer over the head on each & every beginning of the shows! Among the rare sights were a tractor manufacturer & Chico Marx.And let's not forget the many appearances of Betty White. Thanks for sharing.
TimelordR I watched the whole thing and no sign of anyone literally getting clubbed over the head. How do you know the viewers were always injured? Or was the club made of something soft and it tickled rather than maimed? Did they go to your house with a sample or something with their logo? It seems an odd use of their ad dollars but it was a different time and far fewer viewers so I dunno. Can you tell us exactly how they literally did this? Thanks. :)
@@653j521 I'm sure he was expressing hyperbole because of how the sponsors of the program would like people to remember who backed the show they were watching.
That Spike Jones sure was a zany fellow! 😆
Wow, never knew Mike Wallace was ever a game show host! It was before my time, but I'm guessing "Nothing but the Truth" was the precursor of "To Tell the Truth", which I do remember. The concept looks exactly the same.
He was hosting "THE BIG SURPRISE" on NBC during the 1956-'57 season, as well as his late night "NIGHT BEAT" interview show on WABD {now WNYW} in New York.
1:00 the first adaptation of James Bond!
Barry Nelson was "Jimmy" Bond in that adaptation. 😅
"The name that made lanolin famous"--now that is how I want to be remembered! :D
Climax Theatre must've been the first unofficial appearance of James Bond, Agent 007.
Yes, in October 1954. He was "Americanized" (in the form of Barry Nelson) for that episode.
The theme music used in the "Dick Tracy" open is the same as that used in radio's "Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar."
In case you missed it: Betty White died of a stroke a couple weeks back, *and* just shy of her 100th birthday too. God rest her soul...
what an incredible window on american culture when we were at our greatest, in economic and political power. thanks jeff for the great pearls of information
ejcherny Well...that depends on your point of view...it seems to be the same decade when Communism was at its peak of economic and political power. Could we do anything about the crushing of the liberation movement in Hungary in 1956 when their Olympic team got off the plane in Australia to learn their country was reinvaded by the Soviets, creating the drama for the most ferocious water polo match ever, between the Hungarians and the Soviet military? We could only stop the Soviets from taking half the Korean peninsula and that was with UN help. The Soviets and Americans were engaged in secret wars all over the world toppling govts they didn't like. It was tit for tat around the globe, with neither country getting the upper hand. I would vote for the toppling of the Berlin Wall as the time we were at our peak in influence and power. China hadn't yet risen to its present heights, the Soviets were on their downward projection, and we were doing quite well and going to get what was called "the peace dividend" financially.
These are great thanks for posting.
So how in the world did I miss Dick Tracy during the 1950's?!? Never heard of it till now! Loved the comic strip, too!
Unfortunately, the series ended when Ralph Byrd died of a heart attack in August 1952. It "faded" into obscurity.
@@fromthesidelines Thanks for the explanation. Regards...
Sue Ann Nivens. Rose Nylund. Elka Ostrovsky. Betty White is a gem.
A brunette Arlene (What's My Line?) Francis at 20:54. As per the Wikipedia entry, this episode is from 1950. At 22:45, watch Mike (60 Minutes) Wallace doing the pilot episode of Goodson-Todman's "Nothing But the Truth" which became "To Tell the Truth". Good Lord, I remember Dick Van Dyke hosting the Terrytoons. It was on in the evening, too. This was fun! Thanks RwDt09 wherever you are.
"CBS CARTOON THEATER" lasted 13 weeks in the summer of 1956......opposite ABC's "DISNEYLAND": which is why the series couldn't find a sponsor to stay in prime-time. Whn Dick and the "live" sequences were eliminated that fall, the network rescheduled it on Sunday afteroons as "THE HECKLE AND JECKLE CARTOON SHOW" {featuring new animated "bumpers" and titles}- with Tootsie Roll as a sponsor.
I like how men spoke at that time - masculine, confident and mature. So many terrific voices for narration. Boys today do not have this type of role model anymore. Add to that the intelligent writing and you have compelling spoken word entertainment.
That's how the women talk now.
Hardly doubtful a series like Meet McGraw would make it in today's TV.
That's Ann Baker as TV's Corliss Archer, not to be confused with Janet Waldo who played Corliss on radio, or Shirley Temple who played her in the movies.
That version lasted 39 episodes in first-run syndication during the 1954-'55 season.
I love seeing these 50's show openings. Most of these are before my time although I recognize most of the stars. I do remember watching Arthur Godfrey, Spike Jones, Disneyland and Father Knows Best.. My dad loved Spike Jones and had a lot of his records. It would really be fun to see whole episodes of some of these shows.
See if you can find them at shout!factory...of course URL is shoutfactory, no exclamation point.
arno52 I wonder if Spike Jones was more of a guy's thing. My uncle also had a lot of his records. As I wrote this I could hear his version of Cocktails for Two in my head. :)
There are several Spike Jones videos on youtube.
Betty White, Tony Bennett - still going strong.
+ferociousgumby Alan Young, too - almost a century old!
@@MadameLil - Unfortunately, Alan Young is gone in late October 2018.
Yes, both Bennett and White are still with us just before Halloween 2018. A joke that regularly circulates the internet is that White, 96, peacefully DYED at home. She dyed her hair!
Don’t forget Dick Van Dyke
Betty White passed away in 2021. Tony Bennett passed away in 2023.
And to think Betty White is still going strong today.
She passed away in 2021 at 99.
Wonderful clips! A few random comments..."Nothing But The Truth" was the earliest version of what would become "To Tell The Truth" which ran for years. The "Perry" of "Perry Presents" referred to Perry Como; it was his 'summer replacement' show. I believe Allan Sherman (Hello Mudduh, Hello Faddah) had a hand in producing both of those series. Also couldn't help noticing that "Dick Tracy" used the exact same 'canned' theme music as the radio detective series "Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar."
+Jeff Missinne Nothing But The Truth was the unaired pilot of To Tell The Truth. Somehow they changed the name and the host before the show premiered in December 1956.
"Perry was -often refered to as "Mr. C".........
Casino Royale background music is also used from the Adventures of Superman season 1
Does anyone know if or how Disneyland's Tomorrowland changed over the years as we got farther into "tomorrow"? Clearly, we are well past the rocket that was pictured in the ad. :) I wonder how they picture our future, all these years after picturing their own future, and are flying cars part of any of this. (I'm still waiting for mine.) :) Certainly jet packs were invented but for some reason never took off with the public, pun intended. :)
"PERRY PRESENTS" was the 1959 summer replacement for "THE PERRY COMO SHOW".
Besides Betty White, Patrice Munsel and Alan Young are still active, both in their 90's.
Bill Smith. Thanks for letting Us know. I am very happy to hear this. God bless them. And we all still love them.
Sadly, Alan Young & Patrice Munsel passed away in 2016.
Dick Van Dyke's still around, too.
I’ve seen this version of Casino Royale and Jimmy Bond.
And that was the ONLY time they Bowdlerized a British character.
"Disneyland" likely saved ABC from extinction. They earned like 45+ of ABC's revenue in the mid 50's-then the Warner Bros. westerns came along, and James Garner et. al. got em further stature/ratings.
Bill Smith The Mickey Mouse Club was also on ABC I believe
Yes, that was part of Disney's agreement with the network to produce other series for them. It became so successful in its first season [5pm(et), Monday through Friday], it knocked off "BARKER BILL'S CARTOON SHOW" on CBS, Pinky Lee on NBC, and forced "HOWDY DOODY" {also on NBC} to move to Saturday mornings in June 1956.
Why is the world globe turning backwards? On Schlitz commercials and on the Wire Service Show
It's their globes, let them do as they please. 🌏
Was JACK AND JILL the only instance of a theme song consisting of the *credits* being sung?
Actually, good point. It never occurred to me before, but it could very well be that theme songs for intros might've been a rarity in the 50s. Besides Love That Jill, the only other one that comes readily to mind is The Real McCoys, I really can't think of any others right now. I'll have to dig into this to see if there actually were more or if the use of theme songs only became popularized in the 60s.
2:01---Dick Tracy's theme music is the same that was used on "Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar" on CBS radio!
14:12 --- Spike Jones smoked about 70 cigarettes a day, I'm pretty sure he's holding one here!
Yes.....1:53- "Bob Bailey as the man with the action-packed expense account! America's fabulous, freelance insurance investigator......'Yours truly, Johnny Dollar!". That theme was used on "JOHNNY DOLLAR" from 1955 until it ended in 1962.
patrix springer Yep. Yours eh.......Truly.......Johnny Dollar......
24:08- Yes, the first season of "FATHER KNOWS BEST" was sponsored by Kent cigarettes {CBS, Sundays, 10 pm(et)}- until Lorillard Tobacco discovered that not enough smokers were tuning in, and cancelled the series after 26 episodes. Scott Paper Company then "bought" it for their Wednesday night time period [8:30pm(et)] on NBC the following season.......
I think a company that made paper products was a better sponsor than a coffin nail brand, don't you think?
Sure. Lorillard Tobacco found that out the hard way. When they DID sponsor sitcoms, they were more "adult"- including Jackie Cooper's "HENNESSY", "THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW" and "THE JOEY BISHOP SHOW".
Is it me, or does "McGraw" have a little seagull poop on the back of his jacket?
That Frank Lovejoy gets around!
Larry Lee Moniz Frank Lovejoy is also "Randy Stone" on radio's "Night Beat".
Disney now owns ABC
Looks like "Sea Hunt" stole their theme song from "Dick Tracy".
Spike Jones XDDDD
Damn, Betty White had a show in the 50s?
Markus Darkscribe Not just one, but three...
Markus Darkscribe She actually was on TV in the late 40's!!! Gives us all hope.
You can see episodes from two of them online. The one where she talked to the announcer was so creative and funny! I don't know anyone who ever recreated that form. The idea that only she knew he was there was choice, and the fact that she finally started sassing back to him. Oh, wonderful stuff!
Is it me or is or is the Dick Tracy theme recycled from "Yours, Truly; Johnny Dollar"?
WAQWBrentwood it's not you. same music.
CBS began using that music cue as "Johnny Dollar's" theme in 1955.
Little Ricky? Weren't they allowed to credit kid actors then?
Barney Fife Child actors often got screwed over.
Little Ricky obscures the fact that Ball and Arnaz blended real and fictional life in their show. She was really pg but the baby shown wasn't theirs and was played by a number of little boys including some twins, then by Thibodeaux at age 5 who went by the stage name Little Ricky during his run of the show, but their son did appear once as an extra, no lines, no billing.
This was to keep the illusion alive that we were watching a real, but zany family. Keith Thibodeaux became Richard Keith for later work on stage and in a band, which actually was a good thing because he wasn't stuck being thought of as that kid his whole life. He had a trust fund and when he was old enough to use it, he said he ran through the money in two weeks, getting a car and apparently indulging in assorted luxuries and vices. Desi Jr, who liked him, said he was incorporated into the family on and off the show and is even in family photos. :) I don't know how he could have been treated better than that in the bizarre world of Hollywood.
I feel a bit embarrassed for the people on these shows
Especially Frank Lovejoy. 😅