1960s Timeline

Dec. 4, 1961 - Tonight on “The Andy Griffith Show,” handyman Henry Wheeler (Edgar Buchanan, left) enters the Taylors' life, and Aunt Bee...

Dec. 2, 1961 - Tonight on “Gunsmoke,” Matt escorts a captain (R.G. Armstrong) and his troops to an Indian village, to make an exchange...

Dec. 2, 1961 - Tonight on “The Defenders,” when a defense witness is caught in a lie on the stand, he insists that Lawrence Preston told...

Dec. 1, 1961 - Tonight on “The Twilight Zone,” a businessman (John Dehner, pictured) who has recently returned from Africa is stalked by...

Nov. 27, 1961 - Tonight on “The Andy Griffith Show,” Barney and Thelma Lou successfully match-make Andy and Thelma Lou's cousin Karen...

Nov. 25, 1961 - Tonight on “Gunsmoke,” the plain but precocious daughter (Jena Engstrom, pictured) of a mean drunk (Malcolm Atterbury)...

Nov. 24, 1961 - Tonight on “The Twilight Zone,” Confederate soldiers, in June of 1863, come across a warlock who can help bring victory...

Nov. 18, 1961 - Tonight on “Gunsmoke,” Chester (Dennis Weaver, right) becomes engaged more or less accidentally, but he takes to heart...

Nov. 18, 1961 - Tonight on “Have Gun, Will Travel,” Ben Jalisco (Charles Bronson), a bounty hunter with 34 credited kills, has broken out...

Nov. 17, 1961 - Tonight on “The Twilight Zone,” when the Earth falls out of orbit, two women (Bette Garde and Lois Nettleton, pictured)...

Nov. 13, 1961 - Tonight on “The Andy Griffith Show,” Andy must put away the welcome mat when a likable drifter (Buddy Ebsen, right),...

Nov. 11, 1961 - Tonight on “The Defenders,” the Prestons defend a woman (Mary Fickett) accused of the murder of her husband. The main...

Nov. 10, 1961 - Tonight on “The Twilight Zone,” a former German SS captain returns to the Dachau concentration camp and begins...

Nov. 3, 1961 - Tonight on “The Twilight Zone,” a young boy (Billy Mumy) with vast mental powers, but lacking emotional development, holds...

Oct. 31, 1961 - Tonight on “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” while clearing out his bedroom closet, Rob (Van Dyke) finds his old army boots. Rob...

Oct. 30, 1961 - Tonight on the “Andy Griffith Show,” when a flashy new girl (Beverly Tyler) in town takes a surprising and deep interest...

Oct. 28, 1961 - Tonight on “Gunsmoke,” a man (Buddy Ebsen, right) who lost his wife and all he had returns to Dodge from gold prospecting...

Oct. 27, 1961 - Tonight on “The Twilight Zone,” Old West lawman Conny Miller (Lee Marvin) visits the grave of a once-dangerous man he...

Oct. 21, 1961 - On tonight’s episode of “The Defenders,” the Prestons are hired by a stage actress (Norma Crane, pictured) who wants full...

Oct. 20, 1961 - Tonight on “The Twilight Zone,” a Central American revolutionary (Peter Falk) comes into the possession of a mirror that...