A BATCH OF 23 TV INTROS FROM THE '50s TO THE '70s

[@brianthomas2434]

Amazing. I'm 67 and I went through the introductions of the 50s and 60s, not only not having watched any of the shows but never HEARING of them. The first 70s show, "Headmaster " was ballyhooed at the time as Griffith's return to the tube. Never saw, neither did most. Incidentally, Steve Lawrence is still alive. Only 86 !

[@robmclean4352]

"Headmaster" was cancelled after 14 episodes and basically vanished off the face of the earth; quoting Wiki: "Viewing this series now is a rarity, despite the big name lead. It is not on KZbin, has had no DVD release, did not show up in syndication, and seldom is available with private collectors. One episode, "One for the Gipper," is archived in the collection at the Paley Center for Media." (It was immediately replaced on CBS in early 1971 with "The New Andy Griffith Show", a shameless redux of the old hit Griffith series, but that lasted only ten episodes!)

[@supergristmill6195]

I don't remember any of these shows either and as a kid during the 60's and 70's I was pretty much glued to the TV. Didn't realize there were so many flops!!

[@RagingCanuck]

Brian, I agree with you! I do remember the Steve Lawrence Show, with his wife, Edie Gourmet. But, certainly, the stars of these forgotten shows are notable: Barry Sullivan; William Demarest; Peter Lawford, Larry Storch, many of whom were movie stars in their own right and went on to star in iconic series, including William Bendix (The Life of Riley) and Alan Young (Mr. Ed).

[@francescaa8331]

That's interesting about Steve Lawrence only being 86. He did look a little younger than the other entertainers he tended to perform with.

[@fromthesidelines]

Andy, his partner (and agent) Dick Linke and writer/producer Aaron Ruben realized they had made a mistake presenting a "new" Andy on "HEADMASTER". They tried to bring back the flavor of his original series with "THE NEW ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW" {even having Don Knotts guest star as "Barney Fife" in the premiere episode!}, but it was pretty hopeless. The commitment for a full season of 24 episodes was completed, and the series ended {repeats of "HEADMASTER" were seen that summer, as "filler"}. Because he owned them [ADA Productions], Andy insisted that no one would *ever* see either series again.

[@psf334]

Rollergirls, starring some guy. Also starring these girls. And this guy.

[@laurabeane8862]

I think one of the guys was "Bernie" from "Weekend At Bernie's"😄

[@laurabeane8862]

@1:24 "The wine like Grandma used to make!"😄

[@BELCAN57]

"The wine that Grandma used to sneak."

[@laurabeane8862]

"The wine that Grandma called her 'medicine'"

[@RobCamp-rmc_0]

Maybe not my grandma, but I could totally see some members of my family brewing something like Mogen David. The modern Mad Dog 20/20 bum wine though, not this classy stuff from the ‘50s here

[@laurabeane8862]

@@RobCamp-rmc_0 TBH we got that Electric Blue MD 20/20 in college towns😄😄😄

[@jricks3909]

"Still better than the gin that Grandpa used to make in the bathtub"

[@ParsnipPizza]

It's also fascinating to see a show in the 50s use Love and Marriage seriously, it's literally what Married with Children was satirizing with its opening

[@eydie57]

Finally! Some really obscure shows I've never heard of! (But now I want to watch.)

[@luisreyes1963]

Even The Montefuscos? 😆

[@dariowiter3078]

I'll watch them with you, Eydie! 😀

[@francescaa8331]

I recall James Franciscus being in 5 million TV shows and movies when I was young. Sometimes the star, sometimes a supporting character. Also I used to confuse him with Tony Franciosa, so it literally seemed like he was everywhere.

[@gogoyubari366]

Hazel Court was beautiful!

[@dillysgirl4ever]

I grew up in the ‘60s and ‘70s and the only show from this group that I remember is The D.A. None of the others I recall.

[@fromthesidelines]

6:34- "PICTURE THIS" was Jack Benny's 1963 summer replacement (for the same sponsors- State Farm Insurance and General Foods [Jell-O]).

[@BELCAN57]

I'd rather watch these shows than that reality crap that passes for today's entertainment.

[@scottandrews9453]

Pretty much, primarily because the tobacco companies had the bigger pockets and had been willing to spend major advertising bucks since the days of radio. It was the government that outlawed them in the 70s.

[@dariowiter3078]

@@scottandrews9453 Yeah, January 2, 1971.

[@ferociousgumby]

They didn't seem to know what to do with James Franciscus. I only remember him in Mr. Novak.

[@robertsprouse9282]

Longstreet where he played a blind guy who helped cops was a modest hit..

[@ferociousgumby]

@@robertsprouse9282 He was mistaken for Richard Chamberlain a lot. Missed out on Dr. Kildare.

[@robertsprouse9282]

@@ferociousgumby, and was the victim of bad, kitschy scripts..

[@allenjones3130]

I chiefly recall James Franciscus in "Beneath the Planet of the Apes".

[@fromthesidelines]

"BOSS LADY" was the 1952 summer replacement for Procter & Gamble's "FIRESIDE THEATER" on NBC.

[@bobbie6468]

These seem to be pilots that never made it to TV. Hollywood made hundreds of pilots that we didn’t know existed. There used to be evenings of screenings during which the audience would enter onto an electronic device their opinion of a pilot. That info helped studios decide what would be on TV in the upcoming year

[@Ian16545]

I'd know Johnny Olson's voice anywhere in the _Glenn Miller Time_ intro. And that's *gotta* be Gene Wood introducing the Steve Lawrence Show.

[@fromthesidelines]

Indeed, that IS Gene's voice.

[@WertyQ543]

Nobody told me Stephanie from bold and the beautiful was a stunner Hells bells.

[@damianmagee1581]

I'm 61, Born in Australia, I remember watching, The Queen & I, Headmaster, The D.A. I would think these shows were short lived

[@jeffcee500]

These shows are seriously obscure! The only one I’m familiar with was “Rollergirls.”

[@TheTruthResearchers]

Fantastic Channel! Thank you so much for these rare gems!

[@fromthesidelines]

7:27- "GLENN MILLER TIME" was the 1961 summer replacement for Jackie Cooper's "HENNESSY".

[@jricks3909]

I am both impressed and concerned about the person or people involved in putting together these compilations because, even if I had the time to do all the editing necessary, I'm not certain I would have the mental fortitude to watch some of these introductions multiple times and catalog them all. However, the results are entertaining and the effort is appreciated.

[@gregggoss2210]

Never heard of any of these shows. The one with James Franciscus as a doctor sounded interesting. Thanks for the upload sir.👍

[@fromthesidelines]

15:41- "MEN AT LAW" was a reworked version of "THE STOREFRONT LAWYERS", and lasted one season.

[@CarlB_1962]

Mogen David wine: “The wine like grandma used to make!” 😂

[@ferociousgumby]

I like how the Montefuscos go "nuclear" at the end.

[@RobCamp-rmc_0]

The D.A., with, for some reason, Chopper Dan the Traffic Man

[@klipkultur2951]

As always, fascinating!!! Thank you.

[@brianthomas2434]

The Montefuscos....I remember at the time critics said it was filled with Italian American stereotypes. (Apparently producers were inspired to use the name of John Montefusco, at the time a pitcher for San Francisco. ) The show was referred to, inevitably, as "The Montefiascos."

[@psf334]

Looks like proto-sopranos

[@ScreamingScallop]

Gotta confess, when the title popped up for a split-second I thought it read something else entirely. "Wait, what? _The Motherf_____s???"_ But yeah, just watching Joe Sirola's broad gesturing in that horrible makeup I'm glad there's no dialog in the audio. You can just imagine the "Why-a you gotta break-a you fathah's heart-a?"

[@robertsprouse9282]

@@ScreamingScallop, before his Wendy's spots' voiceover days..

[@allenjones3130]

I believe "The Montefuscos" was originally known as "Sunday Dinner".

[@RwDt09]

Don't know about "Montefuscos," but there was the Norman Lear sitcom "Sunday Dinner" with Robert Loggia that aired very briefly and on, appropriately enough, Sunday nights on CBS in the summer of 1991.

[@0supermoose804]

Dear lord, was EVERYTHING sponsored by cigarettes back then?

[@jricks3909]

If Americans stop smoking, the Commies win!

[@robertsprouse9282]

Wine, don't forget Wine..

[@robertsprouse9282]

@@jricks3909, try for it, again.

[@brianthomas2434]

@@robertsprouse9282 and Kosher at that. Mogen David (TM).

[@luisreyes1963]

Know a better way to push a noxious product? 🚬

[@brianthomas2434]

The DA. Heard of it, never watched. Robert Conrad couldn't catch a break for years, one unsuccessful series after another. Oddly I can tell by the title lettering that this was a Universal production.

[@scottandrews9453]

The character originated on an episode of Adam 12, it was another Jack Webb spin-off that didn't last long. I think Dick Wolf was inspired by him, and was much more successful at developing multiple series (Law & Order, Chicago Fire, etc.). In fact some years ago he tried to revive Dragnet.

[@chrisw6164]

Pat Morita was around forever.

[@CrossJeniel]

Nice

[@psf334]

Smoke, smoke, smoke

[@MrMatteNWk]

"Are ya smokin' yet??"

[@laurabeane8862]

@11:37 "Rollergirls"

[@robmclean4352]

An impressive collection of obscurities! (There are actually *23* intros here, but "Women in White" was apparently never a series, only a TV movie.) And the timeline is interesting: the 50s shows weren't necessarily flops (10 of the 11 shows* ran an average of 22.8 episodes), it's just that they're all 60+ years old and were rarely, if ever, shown in reruns, so nobody remembers them, like, at all. (*NOTE: I can't find any info on "The Johnson's Wax Program" [Dear God, why would anyone *ever* watch a show with a name like that?!] a/k/a "Starlite Theatre"...there was a "Star *light* Theatre" which aired 46 eps in 1950-51, but I don't know if this was the right show, so I'm not including it.) But after 1960? Yeah, all flopperinos, averaging about 12 eps apiece. ("Men at Law" ran the longest: 23 completely forgotten airings in 1970-71.) The only one I even vaguely remember is "The Roller Girls", which aired exactly four times in the spring of 1978. (I was a 13-year-old boy then. 'Nuf said.)

[@RwDt09]

You're right, 23 intros. Men at Law was a last-minute addition and I forgot to correct the total number. While I changed the number in the title below the video screen above, it was too late to do so in the video as I had already uploaded it. And you're right again about Women in White being a TV movie. Not sure why I included that one other than its intro looking very much like that of a TV series. Oh, well. As for The Johnson's Wax Program/Starlight Theater, the video quality, along with the announcer describing it as a half-hour series, would suggest it was the CBS 1950-51 series. But apparently, NBC also aired The Johnson's Wax Program, seemingly with no mention of Starlight Theater, from fall '52 till late '53/early '54 that alternated with Robert Montgomery Presents Your Lucky Strike Theater, probably more as an alternate sponsor than a show of its own, and that one was an hour-long version.

[@robmclean4352]

@@RwDt09 Thanks for the reply, and welcome back!

[@fromthesidelines]

"STARLIGHT THEATER" was seen on CBS in 1950 and '51. During the period S.C. Johnson [Johnson's Wax] sponsored the program, it alternated with "THE GEORGE BURNS AND GRACIE ALLEN SHOW" on Thursday nights.

[@GOOSEYGOOSE9]

KIRO 7 CBS Affilliate In Seattle Pre-Empted The Steve Lawrence Show By The Syndicated TV Series Of Land And Sea.

[@robertsprouse9282]

Whomever that was guesting on STEVE LAWRENCE's show..so and so and the Witnesses..did they go into the protection program? I've never heard of them..

[@GOOSEYGOOSE9]

@@robertsprouse9282 The Steve Lawrence Show Was Not On In The Seattle-Tacoma Area On CBS Affilliate KIRO 7 Of Land And Sea Aired That Instead.

[@robertsprouse9282]

@@GOOSEYGOOSE9, I know, Steve was not on..you can say that again..

[@GOOSEYGOOSE9]

@@robertsprouse9282 Of Land And Sea Aired On CBS KIRO 7 At 10 PM Aired In Color.

[@fromthesidelines]

Too many CBS affiliates pre-empted (or rescheduled) Steve's program in the fall of 1965- to the point where the network decided to replace it with "ART LINKLETTER'S HOLLYWOOD TALENT SCOUTS" that December, for the rest of the season.

[@lyndadiaz1]

Does anyone remember a sitcom called Cristina, from the early 60's? I have searched for information without finding it.

[@robmclean4352]

3:22 Ronald Reagan's voice?

[@fromthesidelines]

Reagan was hosting "GENERAL ELECTRIC THEATER" at the time. The narrator of "FRONTIER" (1955-'56) was Walter Coy.

[@eLEMENTARYimage]

Weird, Stuart Whitman not getting any billing in the show's opening? 14:29

[@lp-xl9ld]

Always great to see new material from you. Even if most of it is kind of on the...shall we say ,"obscure"?...side.

[@RwDt09]

What would TV intro videos be without including the obscure stuff? Just same old same old, I guess.

[@psf334]

A woman doctor? What will they think of next.

[@ma55aracin9]

@ 14:21 - 15:39 Looks like no one at the IMDB heard about or even saw that particular miniseries as there's ALMOST no info about it, let alone any factoids or trivias for that matter. #PleaseUpdate

[@RwDt09]

Actually, it is briefly mentioned on IMDB - www.imdb.com/title/tt0078710/ But, unlike ABC's other short-lived medical drama in the same 1978-79 season, Doctors' Private Lives, it didn't air in a regular weekly time slot, so it might've played as a pair or trio of TV-movies under the mini-series label on separate nights in the same week, as was a common practice back then.

[@luisreyes1963]

Some rarities from the 50's, but their sitcoms were corny as all out. But at least they weren't as insulting to one's IQ as the ones from the 70's.

[@GOOSEYGOOSE9]

I Like Andy Griffith In Salvage 1 And Matlock,As Well As Better Than The Andy Griffith Show,And In Headmaster And The New Andy Griffith Show.Jimmy Brown My Late Dad's Friend And My Dad As Well As The Late George Cowles And Ronnie Smith And My Mom And Miss Evelyn Ward My Friend,Like Andy Griffith In Matlock Better.