1960s Timeline

Sept. 30, 1961 - The seventh season of "Gunsmoke" premieres tonight in its new hour-long format. Ex-con Perce McCall (Ed Nelson) helps save Matt's life in a shootout, and then falls for a beautiful but greedy saloon girl (Norma Crane), who puts him under great pressure to return to a life of crime. 10 p.m. on CBS. #tv #classictv #classictelevision #western #westernmovie #westerns #entertainment #podcast

Sept. 29, 1961 - Tonight on the "The Twilight Zone," a suburban dinner party is interrupted by a bulletin warning of an impending nuclear attack. As the neighbors scramble to prepare themselves, they turn against the one family that has installed a permanent bomb shelter. 10 p.m. on #CBS. #tv #classictv #classictelevision #scifi #sciencefiction #fantasy

Sept. 28, 1961 - The series premiere of the medical drama "Dr. Kildare" will air at 8:30 p.m. tonight on NBC-TV. Like the earlier Kildare film series, the show tells the story of intern Dr. James Kildare (Richard Chamberlain, pictured), who is trying to learn his profession at the fictional Blair General Hospital and win the respect of the senior Dr. Leonard Gillespie (Raymond Massey). On tonight's episode, Dr. Kildare's ability to get along with his patients is tested by a d

Sept. 28, 1961 - James Arness will check his guns, doff his United States marshal's badge, and turn television host for an hour-long special on CBS. The occasion will be Chevrolet's salute to itself, on the occasion of its 50th anniversary in the automobile business. The show will appear Nov. 3, at 8:30 p.m. Mr. Arness usually shows up on TV as Marshal Dillon, in the dusty environs of Dodge City, on "Gunsmoke." #tv #classictv #classictelevision #western #westernmovie #western

Sept. 27, 1961 - Tonight on "The Joey Bishop Show," Joey expects to be doing publicity work for Marilyn Monroe, but his new client is a chimp who recently appeared in a film. Joey manages to get the chimp on the "Tonight" show with Jack Paar. But, when the trainer doesn't show, Joey must join his new client before the cameras. 8:30 p.m. on NBC. #tv #classictv #classictelevision #sitcom #situationcomedy #comedy #entertainment #podcast

Sept. 24, 1961 - Premiering tonight on NBC-TV is "87th Precinct," a crime drama starring Robert Lansing, Gena Rowlands, Ron Harper, Gregory Walcott, and Norman Fell. The characters of the show previously appeared in a series of novels and stories written by Ed McBain. Lansing portrays Detective Steve Carella, who works in Manhattan's 87th precinct. The character of Roger Havilland (played by Walcott), in the books, is violent, corrupt, and thoroughly disliked by other members

Sept. 23, 1961 - On tonight's episode of "The Defenders," when mild-mannered Jim McLeery (William Shatner) kills an abusive stranger, it seems a clear-cut case of self-defense. However, the prosecution reveals that, in his army days, McCleery was trained to kill. 8:30 p.m. on #CBS. #tv #classictv #classictelevision #legaldrama #lawyers #law #entertainment

Tonight's "Twilight Zone" episode: "The Arrival" Sept. 22, 1961 - Tonight on "The Twilight Zone," Federal aviation investigator Grant Sheckly (Harold J. Stone) must deal with the following mystery: a plane has landed at an airport without pilots, passengers, or luggage. 10 p.m. on #CBS. #tv #classictv #classictelevision #scifi #sciencefiction #fantasy #entertainment

Sept. 21, 1961 - Connie Francis (pictured), Louis Armstrong, Sid Caesar, and the comedy team of Rowan and Martin are among the performers Ed Sullivan has lined up for his trip to Berlin. The TV producer and host said today he expected to leave here Sept. 30 to put on shows for military personnel in Germany. Two shows in West Berlin will be taped for telecast by CBS. Mr. Sullivan said he had not altered his plans in any way because of the recent controversy resulting from TV s

Sept. 20, 1961 - Tonight marks the series premiere of "The Joey Bishop Show," to be televised at 8:30 p.m. on NBC. Storylines during the season will revolve around Joey's misadventures concerning his public relations job and problems with his colorful family. Bishop began his career as part of a stand-up comedy act with his older brother, Maury. He has appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Dinah Shore Show, and many other variety programs. #tv #classictv #classictelevision #s

Sept. 19, 1961 - Mary Fickett (left), a television, stage, and motion-picture actress, has been named hostess for "Calendar," a daytime features-and-news program to be televised by CBS. She will work with host Harry Reasoner (right). Miss Fickett said she would not be prevented from doing an occasional drama role on television, but she would be devoting virtually all her time to "Calendar." She will conduct interviews and do commercials on the show, which will be presented fr

Sept. 17, 1961 - On tonight's "Car 54, Where Are You?" pilot episode, Officers Toody (Joe E. Ross) and Muldoon (Fred Gwynne) are desperate to go fishing. But after shift-swapping with the entire precinct and avoiding any issuance of tickets (to avert court duty), will they actually go? 8:30 p.m. on #NBC. #tv #classictv #classictelevision #sitcom #situationcomedy #comedy

Sept. 15, 1961 - On tonight's Season Three premiere of "The Twilight Zone," two survivors of an apocalyptic battle, a man (Charles Bronson) and a woman (Elizabeth Montgomery) from opposing sides, approach each other suspiciously. 10 p.m. on #CBS. #tv #classictv #classictelevision #scifi #sciencefiction #fantasy #war #nuclearwar

Sept. 14, 1961 - On tonight's Season Four premiere of "The Donna Reed Show," Mary's careless driving leads to an unexpected romantic evening with a young pop singer (James Darren, left with Shelley Fabares) followed by heartbreak when he leaves for the army. 8 p.m. on #ABC. #tv #classictv #classictelevision #sitcom #situationcomedy #comedy

Sept. 14, 1961 - The "Red Skelton Show," long a television fixture at 9:30 p.m. on CBS, will be rescheduled at 9 p.m. when it begins its 11th season on Sept. 26. "Ichabod and Me," a new comedy series, will be switched to the 9:30 p.m time slot. #tv #classictv #classictelevision #sitcom #situationcomedy #comedy

Sept. 11, 1961 - "The Lone Ranger," which made "Hi-ho, Silver!" a part of the American vernacular, will be discontinued as a network program after a run of 28 years. The masked rider and his horse Silver, along with the rider's faithful Indian friend Tonto, made their radio debut in 1933 over station WXYZ in Detroit. The radio series was dropped several years ago, but the show has been on various TV networks since 1949. Effective Sept. 23, "The Lone Ranger" will be dropped by

Aug. 29, 1961 - Guest celebrities and members of the studio audience will compete together in "Password," a new television game show starting on CBS-TV on Oct. 2 from 2 to 2:30 p.m. It will be shown Mondays through Fridays with Allen Ludden as host. In the game, two teams attempt to convey mystery words to each other using only single-word clues in order to win cash prizes. #tv #classictv #classictelevision #gameshow #quizshow

Aug. 27, 1961 - Ingrid Thulin, one of the leading actresses in Sweden, will star in "Intermezzo" over the NBC-TV network on Nov. 19 from 10 to 11 p.m. Miss Thulin, a member of director Ingmar Bergman's "varsity," will be making her television debut in this country. She will play a role that was filled by another Swedish actress, Ingrid Bergman, in the 1939 film "Intermezzo." The TV drama will be adapted from the David O. Selznick movie. #movienight #movietime #movie #movies #

Aug. 23, 1961 - George Gobel, the television comedian, and his partner David O'Malley today sold their 50 percent share in the TV comedy series, "Leave It to Beaver," for $1 million. Revue Productions, the purchaser, now owns the ABC-TV series outright. "Beaver" recently completed its fourth year. The show is about an inquisitive and often naïve boy, Theodore "The Beaver" Cleaver (Jerry Mathers, bottom right), and his adventures at home, school, and around his suburban neighb

Aug. 20, 1961 - "The Defenders," a television series which revolves around a father-and-son team of lawyers, will make its debut on CBS on Sept. 16, at 8:30 p.m. The production will star E.G. Marshall (pictured left with Dennis Hopper and Robert Reed), who has appeared in many films and more than 400 television shows. As Lawrence Preston, senior member of the law firm of Preston & Preston, Mr. Marshall will be starring in his first series. Robert Reed, a young performer who h