Naphtali
Practically Family
- Messages
- 767
- Location
- Seeley Lake, Montana
What were the best network television shows that were black & white, never telecast in color? Here are some I remember with fondness.
1. Meet Mr. Wizard - Don Herbert as Mr. Wizard taught youngsters throughout the United States to appreciate chemistry and physics every Saturday morning. Still in my lexicon is: Gosh, Mr. Wizard. What's that?
2. The Third Man - Michael Rennie was Harry Lime. The program was sponsored by Annheuser-Busch. The Brewery's lead-in theme to Anton Karas' Third Man theme is indelibly in my memory.
3. 77 Sunset Strip - episodes starring Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. were nearly always superior to those starring Roger Smith. The one exception was an incredibly innovative episode titled "The Silent Caper," an episode without dialogue.
4. Mike Hammer - I eagerly awaited Darren McGavin, as Hammer, beating information out of his stoolie "Jeeta" played by Vito Scotti.
5. Have Gun Will Travel - with the erudite assassin spouting corruptions of Shakespeare: Three times as strong is the man whose heart is just. And four times as strong is the man whose fist is fust.
6. Maverick - James Garner had in his contract that Roy Huggins would write his episodes. Invariably, they were clever, comedic, and compelling.
7. Big Top - was a Saturday morning circus variety show. While I loathed nearly everything about circuses, it was only on Big Top that I could experience one of the great comedy acts -- the Banana Man -- whose routine was to produce bananas from everywhere and anywhere. And I'm talking about hundreds of them, each accompanied by bizarre sounds.
8. The Count of Monte Cristo - the star was, I think I remember, a French actor whose sidekick was Jacopo, portrayed by Burt Lancaster's trapeze partner, Nick Cravat.
9. Love That Bob - Bob Cummings as a philandering photographer, and his war buddy, "Hot Lips" Harvey Helm.
And yes, I loathed I Love Lucy and The Honeymoomers.
Your turn.
1. Meet Mr. Wizard - Don Herbert as Mr. Wizard taught youngsters throughout the United States to appreciate chemistry and physics every Saturday morning. Still in my lexicon is: Gosh, Mr. Wizard. What's that?
2. The Third Man - Michael Rennie was Harry Lime. The program was sponsored by Annheuser-Busch. The Brewery's lead-in theme to Anton Karas' Third Man theme is indelibly in my memory.
3. 77 Sunset Strip - episodes starring Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. were nearly always superior to those starring Roger Smith. The one exception was an incredibly innovative episode titled "The Silent Caper," an episode without dialogue.
4. Mike Hammer - I eagerly awaited Darren McGavin, as Hammer, beating information out of his stoolie "Jeeta" played by Vito Scotti.
5. Have Gun Will Travel - with the erudite assassin spouting corruptions of Shakespeare: Three times as strong is the man whose heart is just. And four times as strong is the man whose fist is fust.
6. Maverick - James Garner had in his contract that Roy Huggins would write his episodes. Invariably, they were clever, comedic, and compelling.
7. Big Top - was a Saturday morning circus variety show. While I loathed nearly everything about circuses, it was only on Big Top that I could experience one of the great comedy acts -- the Banana Man -- whose routine was to produce bananas from everywhere and anywhere. And I'm talking about hundreds of them, each accompanied by bizarre sounds.
8. The Count of Monte Cristo - the star was, I think I remember, a French actor whose sidekick was Jacopo, portrayed by Burt Lancaster's trapeze partner, Nick Cravat.
9. Love That Bob - Bob Cummings as a philandering photographer, and his war buddy, "Hot Lips" Harvey Helm.
And yes, I loathed I Love Lucy and The Honeymoomers.
Your turn.
