“Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear where The Lone Ranger rides again – Hi-Ho Silver, Away.”

Those words were voiced to the playing of William Tell Overture in introducing each episode of The Lone Ranger and Tonto, his Kemo Sabe, both on the radio and later on television. I remember listening to radio broadcasts after supper most evenings. Many of them excited and stirred the imagination of a young child, such as adventures of The Lone Ranger, the crime-solving detective shows Mr. and Mrs. North and Dragnet, and The Shadow, which always began with the narrator asking “Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows”. My family and I were fans of the more popular shows, e.g., Amos and Andy, Jack Benny, Blondie, Burns and Allen, Roy Rogers with Roy and his wife, Dale Evans, ending each episode joyfully singing “Happy Trails To You”, and Fibber McGee and Molly, a very funny husband and wife comedy team. When television arrived most of the radio shows migrated to that new entertainment medium without missing a beat. I mention them as part of my reply to the question at hand because I am old enough to have enjoyed listening to them first on the radio and then in the ‘50s watching them on television.

Television sets became affordable circa 1952. My father decided that we would be the first family on the block to own a TV. What a show-off he was. My house did become a gathering place, though, for neighbors, friends and foe alike, especially for the Gillette Cavalcade of Sports Friday Night Fights and the Saturday Baseball Game of the Week. Reception was erratic at first, but gradually improved over the decade. Channels were limited and antennas were fickle. Nevertheless, I was able to enjoy a large number of television shows in the ‘50’s. So return with me now to the thrilling days of early television and my favorite shows, listed by genre. What follows promises to be as boring as it is informative.

Kiddie Shows – The puppet shows Kukla, Fran & Ollie and Howdy Doody and The Pinky Lee Show which was a precursor of sorts to the later day Pee-wee Herman. My favorite was Howdy Doody because of the variety of its puppet characters, the antics of Clarabell the Clown, and the hosting by Buffalo Bob, with whom I felt a special kinship.

Short Films – The Three Stooges and especially The Little Rascals with Spanky who I resembled at the same age, Alfalfa with the distinctive cowlick, and, of course, Eddie Murphy breaking the television color line as Buckwheat.

League of Its Own – The Mickey Mouse Club. I was never a fan of cartoons, but I became an ardent follower of this show starring the Mouseketeers (including the lovely Annette and the charmingly handsome Bobby, with whom I felt a special kinship). It was shown every weekday and my favorites were Circus Day, Talent Round-Up Day, and the Adventures of Spin & Marty Day which was always accompanied by the catchy tune “Way Down on the Triple R, Yippi-A, Yippi-I, Yippi-O”.

Dog Shows – Rin Tin Tin, the military dog, and Lassie, everyone’s favorite collie who was able to make as many rescues and save as many lives as The Pig with the Wooden Leg.

Horse Shows – My Friend Flicka, a heartwarming series, and Fury who often was an equine Lassie.

Westerns – The ’50s TV shows were loaded with an abundance of westerns. The favorites in my household were The Lone Ranger of course, Gunsmoke (which folks watched every week to not only see Marshall Matt Dillon do his thing in Dodge City but also to see if he would ever kiss the saloon gal, the pretty Miss Kitty), Wagon Train, Have Gun, Will Travel, Roy Rogers and Gene Autry (the singing cowboys), Hopalong Cassidy (dressed all in black riding on an all white horse”), The Cisco Kid (a Mexican cowboy who with his sidekick Pancho ended every show by laughingly saying “Oh, Pancho! Oh, Cisco”), Bonanza (my father’s favorite), and Maverick, my favorite, the story of a gambling hero which had a comedic touch. While not a western in the traditional sense, I was a fan of Sky King, the stories of a rancher who flew his own airplane to fight crime.

Drama Series – I really liked Dragnet and 77 Sunset Strip but my favorite drama series was Perry Mason, a show about a lawyer who never lost a case. Unfortunately, he wound up in a wheelchair.

Sitcoms – The ‘50s was the feel-good decade. Those who had returned from service in WW II were getting jobs, settling in homes, and raising a family, more or less living the American dream. And so the TV comedy series of that decade were principally based on non dysfunctional family life and family situations. These included The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet, Father Knows Best, Make Room for Daddy, Leave it to Beaver, The Donna Reed Show, and The Life of Riley. They probably should be identified as “famcoms” instead of “sitcoms” which in subsequent decades has been applied to describe comedy series based on a cast of characters, rather than family, such as The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Seinfeld, Friends, Cheers, The Office, Parks and Recreation, and the like.

League of Her Own – I Love Lucy and spin-offs featuring Lucille Ball. In my view, Lucy has clearly stood the test of time. When I watch a rerun now, decades later, it is for me as funny as it was then.

Skit Comedy – Texaco Star Theatre starring Milton Berle, known to all primitive TV viewers as “Uncle Miltie”, The Jackie Gleason Show featuring the The Honeymooners and his portrayal of The Poor Soul and Joe the Bartender characters, The Red Skelton Show with his stand-up comedy, pantomime skills, and his performance of the Clem Kadiddlehopper and Freddie The Freeloader characters, Abbott & Costello and their rapport concerning Who’s On First and other pertinent topics, and the marvelous Your Show of Shows starring Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca, and Carl Reiner, possibly the best hour long comedy show ever.

Variety Show – Without a doubt, The Ed Sullivan Show, a Sunday night institution which, among other firsts, introduced Elvis to the general populace and presented the Beatles to the American television audience.

Quiz Shows – The $64,000 Question, a show on which a contestant could win a sum of money back then that would be like $1,000,000 today, Concentration, and You Bet Your Life, a show hosted by the legendary Groucho Marx which in addition to winning money for correctly answering questions a contestant could win $100 if while being interviewed by Groucho he or she said the week’s Secret Word.

Game Shows – What’s My Line, I’ve Got A Secret, and To Tell The Truth, all involving celebrity panelists asking questions to guess on a person’s occupation, secret or veracity, and Who Do You Trust hosted for several years by Johnny Carson before he moved on to bigger and better endeavors.

Science/Science Fiction – Watch Mr. Wizard was a must-see viewing every Saturday morning for me, showing on the telly right after Sky King. Mr. Wizard is the only scientist I’ve ever liked. In the science fiction arena there was Rod Serling’s awesome Twilight Zone, a show that never disappointed in imagination. I think The Adventures of Superman belong in that category as a favorite of mine as well. And then there was Topper. Not science and not really science fiction, but a show about a ghostly couple who hung around their previous home with the current owner-occupant. It would remind you of Beetlejuice, but probably only for a minute or two. So what? I liked it.

Suspense League of Its Own – Alfred Hitchcock Presents by the Master of Suspense. Enough said.

Music – Well, there was Dick Clark’s American Bandstand which was immensely popular throughout the ‘50s. Many recording artists made guest appearances on that show, especially the teenage heart throbs of the day. I remember liking American Bandstand because its locale was Philadelphia, a city in my home state, rather than New York or Hollywood. I usually watched The Perry Como Show because my grandmother loved him. She knew he was a Catholic who frequently sung a beautiful rendition of Ave Maria. My favorite music show, however, was Your Hit Parade. Four singers would sing the top seven record-selling songs of the week every Saturday night. As I recall for more than a month the number 1 song on Your Hit Parade was “How Much is That Doggie in the Window” which I often sang at bedtime (after my nightly prayers). One of the singers was the cute Dorothy Collins who also opened each show with the “L.S.M.F.T.” jingle of the show’s sponsor. I remember asking my Dad why he smoked Chesterfield and asking my Uncle Bill why he smoked Philip Morris when Dorothy Collins says that Lucky Strike Makes Fine Tobacco. They were too embarrassed to answer.

So I watched a lot of television as a child. On balance I think that probably was a good thing. It kept me off the streets of the West Side of Scranton, and allowed me to develop into a nerdy but innocent teenager.