1950s television Archives - Retro Reminiscing Video and Pictures

Alfred Hitchcock Presents

“Good evening.” With those two words, Alfred Hitchcock welcomed viewers into a weekly world of murder, mystery, suspense and wonderfully dark humor.

Alfred Hitchcock Presents premiered on CBS in 1955 and ran for seven seasons as a half-hour anthology. In 1962, it expanded into The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, continuing for three more seasons until 1965. Each episode told a separate story, usually ending with an unexpected twist or a criminal discovering that the perfect crime was not quite perfect.

The opening became almost as famous as the stories. Hitchcock stepped into a simple outline of his unmistakable profile while Charles Gounod’s “Funeral March of a Marionette” played. Hitchcock had drawn the nine-stroke caricature himself.

Although he introduced every program, Hitchcock directed only 17 episodes of the original half-hour series. Producers Joan Harrison and Norman Lloyd helped select stories, writers, directors and actors who could deliver a complete suspense film in less than 30 minutes.

The television series also influenced Hitchcock’s movies. He later used members of the show’s experienced television crew to make Psycho, helping him film quickly and economically while creating one of the most famous thrillers ever made.

Did the theme music make you uneasy before Hitchcock even said, “Good evening”?

Sea Hunt and the Shows We Watched With Dad

Sea Hunt was another show I watched with my dad. Combat!, The Rat Patrol and, heck, even Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. were shows many of us watched beside our fathers. We were entertained, but we also learned from them about courage, responsibility, loyalty and doing the right thing.

Lloyd Bridges starred as professional diver Mike Nelson, a former Navy frogman who took on dangerous underwater rescues, criminals, sabotage and sunken mysteries. Sea Hunt ran from January 4, 1958, through September 23, 1961, producing 155 episodes over four seasons.

The show never belonged to one major television network. It was sold directly to local stations through syndication, so families watched it on different nights and at different times depending on where they lived.

Bridges learned to scuba dive for the role and eventually performed many of his own underwater stunts. Since actors could not easily speak underwater, much of the action was explained through Mike Nelson’s narration. Many scenes were filmed in the clear waters of Silver Springs, Florida.

I do not want to sound old, even though I am, but there do not seem to be as many father-and-son bonding shows anymore. Maybe it was not only the programs that made those nights special. Maybe it was simply sitting beside Dad and sharing something together.

Did you watch Sea Hunt with your father, and what other shows brought the two of you together?

Clarabell’s Big Surprise

Clarabell speaks is from the final episode of The Howdy Doody Show, which aired on Saturday, September 24, 1960, on NBC. The episode was called “Clarabell’s Big Surprise,” and for kids who grew up with Howdy, Buffalo Bob, and the Peanut Gallery, it really was the end of an era.

What still surprises people is that the final show was in color. Color TV was still not common in most homes, so many viewers probably saw it in black and white. But NBC was already using certain shows to show off color television, and Howdy Doody was one of those early programs that helped introduce it.

The big moment came at the end. Clarabell the Clown, who had spent years communicating with horns and gestures, finally spoke. As the show ended, he looked into the camera and said, “Goodbye, kids.” That quiet little line became one of the most remembered farewells in early television.

It was reported and remembered as Clarabell’s big surprise because nobody expected the silent clown to finally talk. For a generation of children, it was not just the end of a show. It felt like saying goodbye to part of childhood.

Do you remember Howdy Doody? Was it Clarabell’s horn, the seltzer bottle, Buffalo Bob, the Peanut Gallery, Princess Summerfall Winterspring, Chief Thunderthud, Flub-a-Dub, or maybe a Howdy Doody toy or lunchbox?

Did You See the U.S.A. in Your Chevrolet?

“See the U.S.A. in Your Chevrolet” was one of those ads that did more than sell a car. It sold the idea of getting out on the road.

The song became closely tied to Dinah Shore, who sang it on her Chevrolet-sponsored television shows in the 1950s. By the time she smiled into the camera and sang about seeing America from a Chevy, the line was already becoming part of American TV memory.

It worked because it was simple. A friendly singer, a catchy tune, a shiny Chevrolet, and the idea that the whole country was waiting for you. You did not need a complicated sales pitch. The song did the work.

The ad also fit the time. After World War II, more families had cars, highways were expanding, and road trips became part of American life. Chevrolet was not just saying “buy our car.” It was saying, “This is how you see America.”

For many viewers, the jingle stuck for decades. Even if you did not own a Chevrolet, you probably knew the tune. That is the sign of a great commercial: people remembered the song long after they forgot the model year.

When Elvis Rocked the USS Hancock

On April 3, 1956, Elvis Presley made one of his early national TV appearances on The Milton Berle Show, but this one had a setting you don’t forget — the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Hancock.

The ship was docked at Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego, giving the live NBC broadcast a built-in military audience. There was Milton Berle, sailors packed around the deck, and a 21-year-old Elvis just as “Heartbreak Hotel” was making him a household name.

Elvis performed with his regular band — Scotty Moore, Bill Black, and D.J. Fontana — and sang songs including “Heartbreak Hotel” and “Blue Suede Shoes.” This was still early Elvis: before the full “Elvis the Pelvis” backlash, before the famous June 1956 “Hound Dog” appearance, and about two years before he was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1958.

Looking back, it’s such a perfect 1950s moment: Milton Berle, live television, a Navy aircraft carrier, and Elvis Presley bringing rock and roll to the flight deck.

The Rifleman

If you grew up on TV westerns, The Rifleman was one of the shows that stood out right from the opening.

The series premiered on ABC on Tuesday, September 30, 1958, and ran until April 8, 1963. It aired for five seasons, with 168 black-and-white episodes, starring Chuck Connors as Lucas McCain and Johnny Crawford as his son, Mark.

The story was set in the fictional town of North Fork, New Mexico Territory, where Lucas McCain was a widowed rancher raising his son while also helping keep order when trouble came to town. He was not the sheriff, but with that specially modified Winchester rifle, he was usually the man everyone looked to when things got dangerous.

What made the show different was the father-and-son relationship. Yes, there were outlaws, gunfights, cattlemen, drifters, and plenty of western action, but at the center of it was Lucas trying to raise Mark with a strong sense of right and wrong. For a half-hour western, it often had a lot of heart.

And then there was that opening. Lucas McCain walking into the street and firing that rifle so fast it almost became the show’s signature before the story even began. If you watched it as a kid, that image stayed with you.

The Rifleman had the action kids wanted, but it also had a moral lesson built into many episodes. Lucas was tough, but he was also a father first. That gave the show something a little different from the usual shoot-’em-up western.

Did you watch The Rifleman when it first aired, or did you catch it later in reruns? And were you more interested in the fast rifle, or the way Lucas and Mark stuck together?

The Cisco Kid: One of TV’s First Color Westerns

Before television westerns filled the schedule in the 1950s, The Cisco Kid was already riding into living rooms.

The TV series began in 1950 and ran until 1956, starring Duncan Renaldo as Cisco and Leo Carrillo as his cheerful sidekick, Pancho. It was a syndicated show, so unlike a regular network series, the exact day and time could vary depending on the local station. The commonly listed television debut is Tuesday, September 5, 1950. The series ran for 156 half-hour episodes.

Cisco and Pancho were not the usual stiff western heroes. They had charm, humor, and a Robin Hood quality. They often helped people who were being cheated, bullied, or ignored by corrupt officials. The show was especially popular with children, who loved the horses, the action, the jokes between Cisco and Pancho, and the feeling that the good guys would always ride away smiling.

One thing that made The Cisco Kid stand out is that it was filmed in color, even though most families watching in the early 1950s were still seeing it on black-and-white television sets. That helped the show live on in reruns for years, especially once color TV became more common.

And of course, many people remember the playful ending: “Oh, Cisco!” “Oh, Pancho!” followed by the two riding off together. It was light, fun, and easy for kids to imitate.

Looking back, The Cisco Kid had the feel of an early TV western made for young viewers: simple stories, clear villains, loyal friends, fast horses, and a hero who could outsmart the bad guys without losing his smile.

Did you watch The Cisco Kid when it first aired, or did you catch it later in reruns? And did you ever find yourself saying, “Oh, Cisco!” or “Oh, Pancho!”?

The Lone Ranger: “Hi-Yo, Silver!” and the TV Western That Started Early

Before TV westerns took over the 1950s, The Lone Ranger was already riding across the small screen.

The series premiered on ABC on Thursday, September 15, 1949, making it one of the early major television westerns. It ran until 1957, with 221 episodes over five seasons. Clayton Moore played the Lone Ranger for most of the series, with Jay Silverheels as Tonto. John Hart briefly took over the role of the Lone Ranger during part of the run.

The character had already been famous from radio, but television gave kids the mask, the white horse, the silver bullets, and that famous call: “Hi-Yo, Silver!” The setup was simple and memorable. A Texas Ranger survives an ambush, puts on a mask, and rides with Tonto to fight outlaws and help people in trouble.

Looking back, The Lone Ranger had everything a kid could want in a western: a hero with a secret identity, a loyal horse, a trusted partner, clear-cut villains, and a story where good usually won before the half hour was over. It wasn’t complicated, and that was part of the appeal.

For many viewers, Clayton Moore became the Lone Ranger. He carried the role so strongly that even decades later, people still pictured him when they heard the William Tell Overture or the words, “Who was that masked man?”

Did you watch The Lone Ranger when it first aired, or did you catch it later in reruns? And when you heard “Hi-Yo, Silver, away!” did you want a mask and a horse of your own?

The Untouchables: Before There Was Airplane!

Before Robert Stack showed up in Airplane! as Rex Kramer, he was dead serious as Eliot Ness in The Untouchables.

The show aired on ABC from 1959 to 1963 and gave TV viewers a gritty trip back to Prohibition-era Chicago. Stack played Ness as the calm, tough, incorruptible federal agent leading his team against gangsters, bootleggers, and mob bosses.

It had tommy guns, raids, speakeasies, gangland hits, and that hard-boiled narration from Walter Winchell that made every episode feel like a crime file being opened.

And here’s a fun connection: Leslie Nielsen, who later co-starred with Stack in Airplane!, also guest-starred on The Untouchables in the episode “Three Thousand Suspects.” So before they helped make deadpan comedy history, they were both part of this very serious crime-drama world.

Looking back, The Untouchables helped shape the TV crime drama: sharp suits, mob danger, straight-faced lawmen, and the kind of dramatic seriousness that made Airplane! even funnier years later.

CBS Cartoon Theatre

CBS Cartoon Theatre was a short-lived CBS cartoon showcase from 1956, best remembered today because it was hosted by a young Dick Van Dyke before The Dick Van Dyke Show made him a household name.

CBS had bought the Terrytoons library in the mid-1950s, which gave them characters like Mighty Mouse, Heckle and Jeckle, Gandy Goose, and other theatrical cartoons they could repackage for television. CBS Cartoon Theatre was basically a way to put those cartoons on TV with a friendly live-action host wrapping around them. IMDb describes it as a CBS summer replacement show built around the newly acquired Terrytoons cartoons.

What makes it interesting is that CBS tried it in prime time, not just Saturday morning. A TV-history write-up says the show debuted on June 13, 1956, airing in the early evening in some markets, with Dick Van Dyke hosting.

Looking back, it feels like a bridge between old theatrical cartoons and the Saturday morning cartoon era. These weren’t originally made as “TV cartoons.” They were movie-theater shorts being recycled for a new generation sitting in the living room.

The fun part is seeing Dick Van Dyke in that early host role. CBS apparently had him under contract and was still figuring out what to do with him. A few years later, of course, everyone knew exactly what to do with him.