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Television Fifty Years Ago -- Who's Still Alive?
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peter...@gmail.com
Oct 11, 2017, 7:15:56 PM10/11/17
to
Strictly out of personal curiosity, I did a little research and have assembled a list of surviving adult cast members from American TV shows that were on the air fifty years ago today. In order to keep things manageable, I have limited the list of shows to those in the Nielsen Top 30 (readily available), defined "adult" as a cast member beyond their teens (sorry, Ron Howard), and have not included regularly recurring guest performers, musicians, etc., which probably unfairly impacts variety programs, and is admittedly as arbitrary as hell.
The Andy Griffith Show -- no survivors
The Lucy Show -- no survivors
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. -- Jim Nabors (Gomer Pyle), Ronnie Schell (Duke Slater)
Gunsmoke -- Buck Taylor (Newly)
Family Affair -- Kathy Garver (Cissy Davis)
Bonanza -- no survivors
The Red Skelton Show -- no survivors
The Dean Martin Show -- no survivors
The Jackie Gleason Show -- no survivors
Bewitched -- no survivors
The Beverly Hillbillies -- Max Baer, Jr. (Jethro Bodine)
The Ed Sullivan Show -- no survivors
The Virginian -- James Drury (the Virginian), many others (see below)
Green Acres -- Tom Lester (Eb Dawson)
The Lawarence Welk Show -- no survivors
The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour -- Tom Smothers, Dick Smothers
Gentle Ben -- Beth Brickell (Ellen Wedloe), Rance Howard (Henry Boomhauer)
Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In -- not included (see below)
The F.B.I. -- William Reynolds (Tom Colby)
My Three Sons -- Tim Consodine (Mike Douglas), Tina Cole (Katie Douglas)
Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color -- no survivors
Ironside -- Barbara Anderson (Eve Whitfield)
The Carol Burnett Show -- Carol Burnett, Vicki Lawrence, Lyle Waggoner
Dragnet '67 -- no survivors
Daniel Boone -- Ed Ames (Mingo)
Lassie -- no survivors
Notes: There are only 26 "Top 30" programs listed here; the other four were movie nights (remember those?).
I have included only those performers who were regular cast members on a given show as of October 1967. Jim Nabors (for instance) had moved on from the Andy Griffith Show by that time, as had June Lockhart from Lassie, and Tim Conway had yet to join the Carol Burnett repertory company.
The Virginian had many reasonably regular cast members throughout its nearly 250 episode run, but no survivor made even half as many appearances as James Drury. Other notable survivors from 1967 include Sara Lane, Clu Gulager, Don Quine and David Hartman, just to name a few.
Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In was a one-shot special in September 1967, and did not appear as a weekly series until January 1968. The only survivors from the single 1967 entry are Ruth Buzzi, Arte Johnson and JoAnne Worley.
Hope you enjoy this list as much as I enjoyed putting it together. Please do not hesitate to correct any errors or omissions on my part, and if anybody else wishes to dig deeper into the ratings (i.e., Star Trek) to add to this little compendium ... have at it!!
-- Doug Peterson --
The Andy Griffith Show -- no survivors
The Lucy Show -- no survivors
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. -- Jim Nabors (Gomer Pyle), Ronnie Schell (Duke Slater)
Gunsmoke -- Buck Taylor (Newly)
Family Affair -- Kathy Garver (Cissy Davis)
Bonanza -- no survivors
The Red Skelton Show -- no survivors
The Dean Martin Show -- no survivors
The Jackie Gleason Show -- no survivors
Bewitched -- no survivors
The Beverly Hillbillies -- Max Baer, Jr. (Jethro Bodine)
The Ed Sullivan Show -- no survivors
The Virginian -- James Drury (the Virginian), many others (see below)
Green Acres -- Tom Lester (Eb Dawson)
The Lawarence Welk Show -- no survivors
The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour -- Tom Smothers, Dick Smothers
Gentle Ben -- Beth Brickell (Ellen Wedloe), Rance Howard (Henry Boomhauer)
Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In -- not included (see below)
The F.B.I. -- William Reynolds (Tom Colby)
My Three Sons -- Tim Consodine (Mike Douglas), Tina Cole (Katie Douglas)
Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color -- no survivors
Ironside -- Barbara Anderson (Eve Whitfield)
The Carol Burnett Show -- Carol Burnett, Vicki Lawrence, Lyle Waggoner
Dragnet '67 -- no survivors
Daniel Boone -- Ed Ames (Mingo)
Lassie -- no survivors
Notes: There are only 26 "Top 30" programs listed here; the other four were movie nights (remember those?).
I have included only those performers who were regular cast members on a given show as of October 1967. Jim Nabors (for instance) had moved on from the Andy Griffith Show by that time, as had June Lockhart from Lassie, and Tim Conway had yet to join the Carol Burnett repertory company.
The Virginian had many reasonably regular cast members throughout its nearly 250 episode run, but no survivor made even half as many appearances as James Drury. Other notable survivors from 1967 include Sara Lane, Clu Gulager, Don Quine and David Hartman, just to name a few.
Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In was a one-shot special in September 1967, and did not appear as a weekly series until January 1968. The only survivors from the single 1967 entry are Ruth Buzzi, Arte Johnson and JoAnne Worley.
Hope you enjoy this list as much as I enjoyed putting it together. Please do not hesitate to correct any errors or omissions on my part, and if anybody else wishes to dig deeper into the ratings (i.e., Star Trek) to add to this little compendium ... have at it!!
-- Doug Peterson --
allen.ki...@sympatico.ca
Oct 11, 2017, 7:38:45 PM10/11/17
to
On Wednesday, October 11, 2017 at 7:15:56 PM UTC-4, peter...@gmail.com wrote:
> Strictly out of personal curiosity, I did a little research and have assembled a list of surviving adult cast members from American TV shows that were on the air fifty years ago today. In order to keep things manageable, I have limited the list of shows to those in the Nielsen Top 30 (readily available), defined "adult" as a cast member beyond their teens (sorry, Ron Howard), and have not included regularly recurring guest performers, musicians, etc., which probably unfairly impacts variety programs, and is admittedly as arbitrary as hell.
>
> Strictly out of personal curiosity, I did a little research and have assembled a list of surviving adult cast members from American TV shows that were on the air fifty years ago today. In order to keep things manageable, I have limited the list of shows to those in the Nielsen Top 30 (readily available), defined "adult" as a cast member beyond their teens (sorry, Ron Howard), and have not included regularly recurring guest performers, musicians, etc., which probably unfairly impacts variety programs, and is admittedly as arbitrary as hell.
>
> The Carol Burnett Show -- Carol Burnett, Vicki Lawrence, Lyle Waggoner
- Tim Conway is also still alive.
allen.ki...@sympatico.ca
Oct 11, 2017, 7:50:46 PM10/11/17
to
On Wednesday, October 11, 2017 at 7:15:56 PM UTC-4, peter...@gmail.com wrote:
> Strictly out of personal curiosity, I did a little research and have assembled a list of surviving adult cast members from American TV shows that were on the air fifty years ago today. In order to keep things manageable, I have limited the list of shows to those in the Nielsen Top 30 (readily available), defined "adult" as a cast member beyond their teens (sorry, Ron Howard), and have not included regularly recurring guest performers, musicians, etc., which probably unfairly impacts variety programs, and is admittedly as arbitrary as hell.
>
>
> The Jackie Gleason Show -- no survivors
- Surprising as it might be, Joyce Randolph (Trixie Norton) is still among the living.
By the way, nice list!
--
You know you're getting older when the songs you used to rock out to you now fold laundry to.
cathyc...@aol.com
Oct 11, 2017, 7:54:47 PM10/11/17
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Johnny Whitaker from Family Affair is still alive. And of course he’s a main cast member which should be the only criterion
peter...@gmail.com
Oct 11, 2017, 8:18:19 PM10/11/17
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To Allen:
Thanks for the kind words. As to your comments (both appreciated), Tim Conway did not join the Carol Burnett Show until 1975, which is why I did not include him in my "snapshot" from 1967. Similarly, Joyce Randolph only played Trixie Norton in the original Honeymooners (1950s), and not the later revivals. It's good to hear that she's still with us, however, and I sincerely hope that she remains off topic for a very long time to come.
To Cathy C:
Johnny Whitaker was only eight years old in 1967, and -- since I made a point of excluding child performers to keep things manageable -- was purposely left off the list. If I were to have included pre-teens and teenagers, there would have been considerably more entries, but that's a project for another time.
-- Doug Peterson --
Thanks for the kind words. As to your comments (both appreciated), Tim Conway did not join the Carol Burnett Show until 1975, which is why I did not include him in my "snapshot" from 1967. Similarly, Joyce Randolph only played Trixie Norton in the original Honeymooners (1950s), and not the later revivals. It's good to hear that she's still with us, however, and I sincerely hope that she remains off topic for a very long time to come.
To Cathy C:
Johnny Whitaker was only eight years old in 1967, and -- since I made a point of excluding child performers to keep things manageable -- was purposely left off the list. If I were to have included pre-teens and teenagers, there would have been considerably more entries, but that's a project for another time.
-- Doug Peterson --
That Derek
Oct 11, 2017, 8:53:31 PM10/11/17
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ADDENBA
The Andy Griffith Show -- Betty Lynn (Thelma Lou)
The Lucy Show -- Jimmy Garrett, Lucy's TV son; however he was sent off to military school by 1967
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. -- Forrest Compton (the Colonel) -- now in his 90s
The Jackie Gleason Show -- Soupy Sales's widow Trudy was a June Taylor Dancer
The Lawarence Welk Show -- JoAnn Castle is still with us and so are all four Lennon Sisters )grown up by 1967
My Three Sons -- Tim Consodine (Mike Douglas), Tina Cole (Katie Douglas)
AND brothers Stanley (Chip) and Barry (Ernie) Livingston
Left off original list:
The Monkees: Mickey Dolenz, Michael Nesmith, Peter Tork; possibly perennial villain Monte Landis.
Petticoat Junction: some of the Bradley girls are still of-topic.
Lost in Space: Billy Mumy, Marta Kristen, Angela Cartwright, Mark Goddard, June Lockhart
Star Trek: William Shatner, Nichelle Nicholls, George Takei, Walter Koenig, not sure about Grace Lee Whitney
Batman: Burt Ward
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea: David Hedison
The Mothers-in-Law: Kaye Ballard
Peyton Place: Mia Farrow, Ryan O'Neal
The Flying Nun: Sally Field, Shelley Morrison
I Dream of Jeannie: Barbara Eden, Bill Daily
Hogan's Heroes: Robert Clary
Get Smart: Barbara Feldon
Tarzan: Ron Ely
The Invaders: Roy Thinnes
The Man from UNCLE: David MacCallum
The Big Valley: Linda Evans
F Troop: Larry Storch
The Girl from UNCLE: Stephanie Powers
I Spy: Bill Cosby
Run, Buddy, Run: Jack Sheldo
The Andy Griffith Show -- Betty Lynn (Thelma Lou)
The Lucy Show -- Jimmy Garrett, Lucy's TV son; however he was sent off to military school by 1967
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. -- Forrest Compton (the Colonel) -- now in his 90s
The Jackie Gleason Show -- Soupy Sales's widow Trudy was a June Taylor Dancer
The Lawarence Welk Show -- JoAnn Castle is still with us and so are all four Lennon Sisters )grown up by 1967
My Three Sons -- Tim Consodine (Mike Douglas), Tina Cole (Katie Douglas)
Left off original list:
The Monkees: Mickey Dolenz, Michael Nesmith, Peter Tork; possibly perennial villain Monte Landis.
Petticoat Junction: some of the Bradley girls are still of-topic.
Lost in Space: Billy Mumy, Marta Kristen, Angela Cartwright, Mark Goddard, June Lockhart
Star Trek: William Shatner, Nichelle Nicholls, George Takei, Walter Koenig, not sure about Grace Lee Whitney
Batman: Burt Ward
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea: David Hedison
The Mothers-in-Law: Kaye Ballard
Peyton Place: Mia Farrow, Ryan O'Neal
The Flying Nun: Sally Field, Shelley Morrison
I Dream of Jeannie: Barbara Eden, Bill Daily
Hogan's Heroes: Robert Clary
Get Smart: Barbara Feldon
Tarzan: Ron Ely
The Invaders: Roy Thinnes
The Man from UNCLE: David MacCallum
The Big Valley: Linda Evans
F Troop: Larry Storch
The Girl from UNCLE: Stephanie Powers
I Spy: Bill Cosby
Run, Buddy, Run: Jack Sheldo
wboenig
Oct 11, 2017, 8:58:44 PM10/11/17
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Not a top 30 show, but I believe that all six main cast members of "Please Don't Eat The Daisies" (1965-67) are still with us.
peter...@gmail.com
Oct 11, 2017, 10:10:02 PM10/11/17
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To That Derek --
Thank you very kindly for your contribution. Regarding your addenda (all of whom are still alive), Jimmy Garrett and the Livingston brothers were left off the list because they were in their teens in 1967, and I was only mentioning performers who were 20 years of age or older at the time. Betty Lynn's final appearance on The Andy Griffith Show was in 1966, though she did do the 1986 reunion movie. I did not attempt to include musicians (and singers/dancers), so thank you for your research there. Forrest Compton (Gomer Pyle) appeared in 41 out of 150 episodes, so I may very well have erred in relegating him to strictly guest performer status. Good catch! Finally, to answer your Grace Lee Whitney question, the Star Trek actress sadly went on topic about two-and-a-half years ago.
To WBoenig --
Thanks for the information about a well-remembered show (you are correct)!
-- Doug Peterson --
Thank you very kindly for your contribution. Regarding your addenda (all of whom are still alive), Jimmy Garrett and the Livingston brothers were left off the list because they were in their teens in 1967, and I was only mentioning performers who were 20 years of age or older at the time. Betty Lynn's final appearance on The Andy Griffith Show was in 1966, though she did do the 1986 reunion movie. I did not attempt to include musicians (and singers/dancers), so thank you for your research there. Forrest Compton (Gomer Pyle) appeared in 41 out of 150 episodes, so I may very well have erred in relegating him to strictly guest performer status. Good catch! Finally, to answer your Grace Lee Whitney question, the Star Trek actress sadly went on topic about two-and-a-half years ago.
To WBoenig --
Thanks for the information about a well-remembered show (you are correct)!
-- Doug Peterson --
Michael OConnor
Oct 11, 2017, 10:26:41 PM10/11/17
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> F Troop: Larry Storch
James Hampton
Ken Berry
Michael OConnor
Oct 11, 2017, 10:28:54 PM10/11/17
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> The Big Valley: Linda Evans
Mr. Briggs
Oct 11, 2017, 10:46:29 PM10/11/17
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Mission:Impossible - Barbara Bain, Peter Lupus,from 1967
From 1969 on: Leslie Ann Warren, Sam Elliot, Lynda Day George, Barbara
Anderson.
From 1969 on: Leslie Ann Warren, Sam Elliot, Lynda Day George, Barbara
Anderson.
David Carson
Oct 12, 2017, 12:57:58 AM10/12/17
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On Wed, 11 Oct 2017 17:53:29 -0700 (PDT), That Derek <that...@yahoo.com>
wrote:
>Star Trek: William Shatner, Nichelle Nicholls, George Takei, Walter Koenig, not sure about Grace Lee Whitney
She's dead, Jim.
wrote:
>Star Trek: William Shatner, Nichelle Nicholls, George Takei, Walter Koenig, not sure about Grace Lee Whitney
cathyc...@aol.com
Oct 12, 2017, 10:09:49 AM10/12/17
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Star Trek was not a top 30 Show. You also left off It Takes a Thief which was a Top 30 Show. Robert Wagner still lives.
Diner
Oct 12, 2017, 2:21:26 PM10/12/17
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On Wednesday, October 11, 2017 at 8:58:44 PM UTC-4, wboenig wrote:
> Not a top 30 show, but I believe that all six main cast members of "Please Don't Eat The Daisies" (1965-67) are still with us.
Good call. Wikipedia says: "To date (2017), it is the earliest television series in which the entire main cast is still alive."
> Not a top 30 show, but I believe that all six main cast members of "Please Don't Eat The Daisies" (1965-67) are still with us.
peter...@gmail.com
Oct 12, 2017, 4:07:11 PM10/12/17
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To Cathy C:
Regarding Robert Wagner and "It Rakes a Thief," please note that -- although it was tied with "Lassie" for #30 in the official 1967-68 Nielsens -- the show did not premiere until January of 1968, thereby making it ineligible for my list. That being said, I probably should have noted the omission as I did with "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In."
And thanks to everyone for all of the additional perspectives!
-- Doug Peterson --
Regarding Robert Wagner and "It Rakes a Thief," please note that -- although it was tied with "Lassie" for #30 in the official 1967-68 Nielsens -- the show did not premiere until January of 1968, thereby making it ineligible for my list. That being said, I probably should have noted the omission as I did with "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In."
And thanks to everyone for all of the additional perspectives!
-- Doug Peterson --
edg...@gmail.com
Oct 12, 2017, 4:32:54 PM10/12/17
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For the Lawrence Welk show, Arthur Duncan is alive and I think still appears in shows doing his tap routines occasionally. Also Ex-Mouseketeer Bobby Burgess is still on this side of the veil and maybe his dancing partner Cissy too.
edg...@gmail.com
Oct 12, 2017, 4:35:51 PM10/12/17
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Anyone remember Leigh French the hippy dippy weather girl on Smothers Brothers? She was my favorite at that time. She's still alive and it seemed to me she was a regular. Certainly not a one-shot.
RH Draney
Oct 12, 2017, 5:05:54 PM10/12/17
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On 10/12/2017 1:35 PM, edg...@gmail.com wrote:
>
> Anyone remember Leigh French the hippy dippy weather girl on Smothers Brothers? She was my favorite at that time. She's still alive and it seemed to me she was a regular. Certainly not a one-shot.
I don't remember her bits having anything to do with the weather....
>
> Anyone remember Leigh French the hippy dippy weather girl on Smothers Brothers? She was my favorite at that time. She's still alive and it seemed to me she was a regular. Certainly not a one-shot.
Bob Einstein (Officer Judy) is still with us as well....r
edg...@gmail.com
Oct 12, 2017, 6:13:08 PM10/12/17
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peter...@gmail.com
Oct 13, 2017, 12:16:50 AM10/13/17
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The decision to leave Leigh French off the list was a tough one, but since the IMDb credits her with only 17 appearances (out of 71 episodes) on "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour," I reluctantly excluded her as a regularly recurring guest performer, but she is certainly deserving of a mention here.
As is Bob Einstein, although he actually made only about half as many appearances as Leigh French (coulda sworn it was a lot more)!
-- Doug Peterson --
As is Bob Einstein, although he actually made only about half as many appearances as Leigh French (coulda sworn it was a lot more)!
-- Doug Peterson --
Victor Marino Jr.
Oct 13, 2017, 9:46:21 AM10/13/17
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On Wednesday, October 11, 2017 at 7:15:56 PM UTC-4, peter...@gmail.com wrote:
J.D. Baldwin
Oct 13, 2017, 1:46:43 PM10/13/17
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Nancy Sinatra was a regular, as I recall. Maybe Connie Francis, too?
> The Jackie Gleason Show -- no survivors
Trixie is still with us. I believe we discussed her here within the
last few months.
> The Lawarence Welk Show -- no survivors
All the Lennon Sisters are still here. Until I just looked it up, I
would have sworn Pete Fountain was still alive. (He isn't.)
> Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color -- no survivors
This was an anthology show and, by your criteria, never had any
"survivors" because it never had any cast members. (Even Disney
himself didn't appear in every show.) But Dick van Dyke was a pretty
regular fixture on the show, and he's still around.
> Lassie -- no survivors
Cloris Leachman was a principal on this show and is still around. Not
sure whether she was active in 1967. Pretty sure Jed Allan was a
principal in 1967.
--
_+_ From the catapult of |If anyone objects to any statement I make, I am
_|70|___:)=}- J.D. Baldwin |quite prepared not only to retract it, but also
\ / bal...@panix.com|to deny under oath that I ever made it.-T. Lehrer
***~~~~----------------------------------------------------------------------
> The Jackie Gleason Show -- no survivors
last few months.
> The Lawarence Welk Show -- no survivors
would have sworn Pete Fountain was still alive. (He isn't.)
> Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color -- no survivors
"survivors" because it never had any cast members. (Even Disney
himself didn't appear in every show.) But Dick van Dyke was a pretty
regular fixture on the show, and he's still around.
> Lassie -- no survivors
Cloris Leachman was a principal on this show and is still around. Not
sure whether she was active in 1967. Pretty sure Jed Allan was a
principal in 1967.
--
_+_ From the catapult of |If anyone objects to any statement I make, I am
_|70|___:)=}- J.D. Baldwin |quite prepared not only to retract it, but also
\ / bal...@panix.com|to deny under oath that I ever made it.-T. Lehrer
***~~~~----------------------------------------------------------------------
Michael OConnor
Oct 13, 2017, 3:12:44 PM10/13/17
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> > Lassie -- no survivors
>
> Cloris Leachman was a principal on this show and is still around. Not
> sure whether she was active in 1967. Pretty sure Jed Allan was a
> principal in 1967.
peter...@gmail.com
Oct 13, 2017, 5:46:53 PM10/13/17
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Thanks to everybody for the additions to the list, especially with respect to the musical/variety performers who certainly deserve acknowledgement. While I felt fairly safe relying on the IMDb for scripted series data, its listings for variety shows seem to be much less reliable ... or did the Lennon Sisters really appear just 28 times throughout the program's entire run?
To J D Baldwin:
I should probably have treated "Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color" in the same manner as the movie nights, since it became -- as you pointed out -- a host-less anthology series following Disney's death in 1966. That being said, I cannot find any reference to Dick Van Dyke ever appearing regularly, either before or following Walt's passing. Am I just missing something here perhaps?
To address a few other comments:
June Lockhart had left "Lassie" in 1964, while Cloris Leachman appeared in just one season in the 1950s. Jed Allan did not join the cast until 1968. In a similar vein, the role of Trixie in the 1966-70 Jackie Gleason show was played by Jane Kean, who unfortunately went on-topic back in 2013.
And I would like to thank Michael O'Connor for his invaluable translations of Lassie's dialogue. Doctor Dolittle clearly has some serious competition. ;)
To J D Baldwin:
I should probably have treated "Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color" in the same manner as the movie nights, since it became -- as you pointed out -- a host-less anthology series following Disney's death in 1966. That being said, I cannot find any reference to Dick Van Dyke ever appearing regularly, either before or following Walt's passing. Am I just missing something here perhaps?
To address a few other comments:
June Lockhart had left "Lassie" in 1964, while Cloris Leachman appeared in just one season in the 1950s. Jed Allan did not join the cast until 1968. In a similar vein, the role of Trixie in the 1966-70 Jackie Gleason show was played by Jane Kean, who unfortunately went on-topic back in 2013.
And I would like to thank Michael O'Connor for his invaluable translations of Lassie's dialogue. Doctor Dolittle clearly has some serious competition. ;)
RH Draney
Oct 13, 2017, 7:04:45 PM10/13/17
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Message has been deleted
A Friend
Oct 14, 2017, 5:16:02 PM10/14/17
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In article <fa9f6530-4580-4bb8...@googlegroups.com>,
<allen.ki...@sympatico.ca> wrote:
> On Wednesday, October 11, 2017 at 8:53:31 PM UTC-4, That Derek wrote:
> > ADDENBA
Ronnie Schell ("Duke") is also alive. He's 85 now, turns 86 in
December. He has three IMDb credits this year.
<allen.ki...@sympatico.ca> wrote:
> On Wednesday, October 11, 2017 at 8:53:31 PM UTC-4, That Derek wrote:
> > ADDENBA
> >
> >
> >
> > Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. -- Forrest Compton (the Colonel) -- now in his 90s
> >
>
> - Jim Nabors, Gomer himself, is also still alive. Turned 87 this year.
> >
> >
> > Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. -- Forrest Compton (the Colonel) -- now in his 90s
> >
>
Ronnie Schell ("Duke") is also alive. He's 85 now, turns 86 in
December. He has three IMDb credits this year.
daniel anderson
Oct 16, 2017, 2:53:07 AM10/16/17
to
On Wednesday, October 11, 2017 at 7:15:56 PM UTC-4, peter...@gmail.com wrote:
> Strictly out of personal curiosity, I did a little research and have assembled a list of surviving adult cast members from American TV shows that were on the air fifty years ago today. In order to keep things manageable, I have limited the list of shows to those in the Nielsen Top 30 (readily available), defined "adult" as a cast member beyond their teens (sorry, Ron Howard), and have not included regularly recurring guest performers, musicians, etc., which probably unfairly impacts variety programs, and is admittedly as arbitrary as hell.
>
> The Andy Griffith Show -- no survivors
> The Lucy Show -- no survivors
> Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. -- Jim Nabors (Gomer Pyle), Ronnie Schell (Duke Slater)
> Gunsmoke -- Buck Taylor (Newly)
> Family Affair -- Kathy Garver (Cissy Davis)
> Bonanza -- no survivors
> The Red Skelton Show -- no survivors
> Strictly out of personal curiosity, I did a little research and have assembled a list of surviving adult cast members from American TV shows that were on the air fifty years ago today. In order to keep things manageable, I have limited the list of shows to those in the Nielsen Top 30 (readily available), defined "adult" as a cast member beyond their teens (sorry, Ron Howard), and have not included regularly recurring guest performers, musicians, etc., which probably unfairly impacts variety programs, and is admittedly as arbitrary as hell.
>
> The Andy Griffith Show -- no survivors
> The Lucy Show -- no survivors
> Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. -- Jim Nabors (Gomer Pyle), Ronnie Schell (Duke Slater)
> Gunsmoke -- Buck Taylor (Newly)
> Family Affair -- Kathy Garver (Cissy Davis)
> Bonanza -- no survivors
> The Red Skelton Show -- no survivors
> The Dean Martin Show -- no survivors
> The Jackie Gleason Show -- no survivors
> Bewitched -- no survivors
> The Beverly Hillbillies -- Max Baer, Jr. (Jethro Bodine)
> The Ed Sullivan Show -- no survivors
> The Virginian -- James Drury (the Virginian), many others (see below)
> Green Acres -- Tom Lester (Eb Dawson)
> The Beverly Hillbillies -- Max Baer, Jr. (Jethro Bodine)
> The Ed Sullivan Show -- no survivors
> The Virginian -- James Drury (the Virginian), many others (see below)
> Green Acres -- Tom Lester (Eb Dawson)
> The Lawarence Welk Show -- no survivors
> The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour -- Tom Smothers, Dick Smothers
> Gentle Ben -- Beth Brickell (Ellen Wedloe), Rance Howard (Henry Boomhauer)
> Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In -- not included (see below)
> The F.B.I. -- William Reynolds (Tom Colby)
> My Three Sons -- Tim Consodine (Mike Douglas), Tina Cole (Katie Douglas)
> Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color -- no survivors
> Ironside -- Barbara Anderson (Eve Whitfield)
> The Carol Burnett Show -- Carol Burnett, Vicki Lawrence, Lyle Waggoner
> Dragnet '67 -- no survivors
> Daniel Boone -- Ed Ames (Mingo)
> Lassie -- no survivors
>
> Notes: There are only 26 "Top 30" programs listed here; the other four were movie nights (remember those?).
>
> I have included only those performers who were regular cast members on a given show as of October 1967. Jim Nabors (for instance) had moved on from the Andy Griffith Show by that time, as had June Lockhart from Lassie, and Tim Conway had yet to join the Carol Burnett repertory company.
>
> The Virginian had many reasonably regular cast members throughout its nearly 250 episode run, but no survivor made even half as many appearances as James Drury. Other notable survivors from 1967 include Sara Lane, Clu Gulager, Don Quine and David Hartman, just to name a few.
>
> Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In was a one-shot special in September 1967, and did not appear as a weekly series until January 1968. The only survivors from the single 1967 entry are Ruth Buzzi, Arte Johnson and JoAnne Worley.
>
> Hope you enjoy this list as much as I enjoyed putting it together. Please do not hesitate to correct any errors or omissions on my part, and if anybody else wishes to dig deeper into the ratings (i.e., Star Trek) to add to this little compendium ... have at it!!
>
> -- Doug Peterson --
As far as Lawrence Welk, Ralna English is still around, and so is Sandi and Sally. Is Bob Warren still around? He was Welk's announcer for years.
> Gentle Ben -- Beth Brickell (Ellen Wedloe), Rance Howard (Henry Boomhauer)
> Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In -- not included (see below)
> The F.B.I. -- William Reynolds (Tom Colby)
> My Three Sons -- Tim Consodine (Mike Douglas), Tina Cole (Katie Douglas)
> Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color -- no survivors
> Ironside -- Barbara Anderson (Eve Whitfield)
> The Carol Burnett Show -- Carol Burnett, Vicki Lawrence, Lyle Waggoner
> Dragnet '67 -- no survivors
> Daniel Boone -- Ed Ames (Mingo)
> Lassie -- no survivors
>
> Notes: There are only 26 "Top 30" programs listed here; the other four were movie nights (remember those?).
>
> I have included only those performers who were regular cast members on a given show as of October 1967. Jim Nabors (for instance) had moved on from the Andy Griffith Show by that time, as had June Lockhart from Lassie, and Tim Conway had yet to join the Carol Burnett repertory company.
>
> The Virginian had many reasonably regular cast members throughout its nearly 250 episode run, but no survivor made even half as many appearances as James Drury. Other notable survivors from 1967 include Sara Lane, Clu Gulager, Don Quine and David Hartman, just to name a few.
>
> Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In was a one-shot special in September 1967, and did not appear as a weekly series until January 1968. The only survivors from the single 1967 entry are Ruth Buzzi, Arte Johnson and JoAnne Worley.
>
> Hope you enjoy this list as much as I enjoyed putting it together. Please do not hesitate to correct any errors or omissions on my part, and if anybody else wishes to dig deeper into the ratings (i.e., Star Trek) to add to this little compendium ... have at it!!
>
> -- Doug Peterson --
That Derek
Oct 16, 2017, 12:06:34 PM10/16/17
to
According to "The Complete Directory to Prime-Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946 - Present, Ninthe Edition" (2007)by Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, Ralna English did not join "The Lawrence Welk" until 1967 and Salli (Jensen) and Salli (Flynn) joined in 1968.
The operative for this dynamic is 1967.
The really sad thing about all this is that there really are no more regular scheduled TV encyclopedia/reference books. Granted, Vincent Terrace keeps issuing expensive updates of his original competing book (1976's "The Complete Encyclopedia of Television Programs, 1947-1976") through McFarlsnd Publications, but these are not readily available for the average TV buff. However, the Brroks/Marsh tome used to be updated every 3-4 years and there hasn't been a new iteration for the past ten years.
A blurb on the last Brooks/Marsh offering cites TV Guide who superlatively called the publication the "Guinness Book of World Records" and the "Encyclopedia Brittanica" of television. For me, it was the one-volume equivalent of what Leonard Maltin's annual guide gave us regarding movies.
But what has occurred in the foregoing ten years has doomed the concept of an accessible one-volume reference work regarding television -- the Internet, the expansion of venues (streaming, Netlix, etc.) where one can access TV series, and the sheer volume of television programmes that would never be able to fit into a single volume (the Brooks/Marsh work I've cited clocked in at 1833 pages and retailed for a whopping #29.95 -- and that's in 2007 dollars!).
The operative for this dynamic is 1967.
The really sad thing about all this is that there really are no more regular scheduled TV encyclopedia/reference books. Granted, Vincent Terrace keeps issuing expensive updates of his original competing book (1976's "The Complete Encyclopedia of Television Programs, 1947-1976") through McFarlsnd Publications, but these are not readily available for the average TV buff. However, the Brroks/Marsh tome used to be updated every 3-4 years and there hasn't been a new iteration for the past ten years.
A blurb on the last Brooks/Marsh offering cites TV Guide who superlatively called the publication the "Guinness Book of World Records" and the "Encyclopedia Brittanica" of television. For me, it was the one-volume equivalent of what Leonard Maltin's annual guide gave us regarding movies.
But what has occurred in the foregoing ten years has doomed the concept of an accessible one-volume reference work regarding television -- the Internet, the expansion of venues (streaming, Netlix, etc.) where one can access TV series, and the sheer volume of television programmes that would never be able to fit into a single volume (the Brooks/Marsh work I've cited clocked in at 1833 pages and retailed for a whopping #29.95 -- and that's in 2007 dollars!).
That Derek
Oct 16, 2017, 12:09:31 PM10/16/17
to
CORRECTION to my previous post:
>> Ralna English did not join "The Lawrence Welk" until 1967
1969 NOT 1967.
Mea culpa.
>> Ralna English did not join "The Lawrence Welk" until 1967
Mea culpa.
Michael OConnor
Oct 16, 2017, 5:02:27 PM10/16/17
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One thing that the internet brought an end to was the published reference book. A few of my friends and colleagues were the guys who created and edited the Baseball and Pro Football Encyclopedias. ESPN was the last company to put out sports encyclopedias, and they haven't done any in ten years and there are no plans to do any more. All that info is available online now.
I miss the giant sports encyclopedias, but in reality they were full of errors. With the internet, I will find an error on a football stats website, corroborate it with a document I have in a pdf or jpg, email it to the guy I know who runs it, and he fixes it in a day or two. With the big books, I would write up a letter with all the errors, send it along with xeroxes of the corroborating documents, and it would be two or three years before the new book came out with the information fixed and then there would be a bunch of different errors.
Do they still produce the Encyclopedia Brittanica in book form? If so, I hate to think how much they cost.
daniel anderson
Oct 21, 2017, 11:06:32 AM10/21/17
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On Monday, October 16, 2017 at 12:06:34 PM UTC-4, That Derek wrote:
Okiku Saji
Oct 21, 2017, 5:23:11 PM10/21/17
to
Did Terrace also write a TV quiz book in the 1970s? My middle school library had a bunch of extremely obsolete books in the system (some of the chemistry books apparently were published before elements above 103 were confirmed), and a TV quiz book from the 1970s was among them. Yellow(?) cover.
Okiku Saji
Oct 21, 2017, 5:29:30 PM10/21/17
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On Saturday, October 21, 2017 at 4:23:11 PM UTC-5, Okiku Saji wrote:
> Did Terrace also write a TV quiz book in the 1970s? My middle school library had a bunch of extremely obsolete books in the system (some of the chemistry books apparently were published before elements above 103 were confirmed), and a TV quiz book from the 1970s was among them. Yellow(?) cover.
Found the name and info for the book!
> Did Terrace also write a TV quiz book in the 1970s? My middle school library had a bunch of extremely obsolete books in the system (some of the chemistry books apparently were published before elements above 103 were confirmed), and a TV quiz book from the 1970s was among them. Yellow(?) cover.
The Official TV Trivia Quiz Book, by Bart Andrews. 1975.
So I guess not.
Will Dockery
Oct 22, 2017, 6:18:53 AM10/22/17
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On Wednesday, October 11, 2017 at 7:15:56 PM UTC-4, peter...@gmail.com wrote:
> Strictly out of personal curiosity, I did a little research and have assembled a list of surviving adult cast members from American TV shows that were on the air fifty years ago today. In order to keep things manageable, I have limited the list of shows to those in the Nielsen Top 30 (readily available), defined "adult" as a cast member beyond their teens (sorry, Ron Howard), and have not included regularly recurring guest performers, musicians, etc., which probably unfairly impacts variety programs, and is admittedly as arbitrary as hell.
>
> The Andy Griffith Show -- no survivors
> The Lucy Show -- no survivors
> Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. -- Jim Nabors (Gomer Pyle), Ronnie Schell (Duke Slater)
> Gunsmoke -- Buck Taylor (Newly)
Probably mentioned already, but Burt Reynolds was a regular for a while on Gunsmoke.
> Strictly out of personal curiosity, I did a little research and have assembled a list of surviving adult cast members from American TV shows that were on the air fifty years ago today. In order to keep things manageable, I have limited the list of shows to those in the Nielsen Top 30 (readily available), defined "adult" as a cast member beyond their teens (sorry, Ron Howard), and have not included regularly recurring guest performers, musicians, etc., which probably unfairly impacts variety programs, and is admittedly as arbitrary as hell.
>
> The Andy Griffith Show -- no survivors
> The Lucy Show -- no survivors
> Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. -- Jim Nabors (Gomer Pyle), Ronnie Schell (Duke Slater)
> Gunsmoke -- Buck Taylor (Newly)
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