MeTV Toons - A New Cartoon Channel

On June 25th, 2024, MeTV debuted a new channel devoted strictly to cartoons: MeTV Toons. This was obviously in response to viewers requesting more cartoons than what was offered through MeTV's regular morning "toons" lineup on Toon in with Me. 

What a great selection of cartoons this new channel has to offer! In addition to Bugs Bunny, Scooby-Doo, Casper, The Jetsons, Yogi Bear and The Flintstones, there are also shows that are not as frequently shown on mainstream TV like Atom Ant, Wacky Races, The Peter Potamus Show, Marine Boy, Popeye and Pals, Inspector Gadget and The Underdog Show. Best of all is the Cartoon All-Stars Hour playing at 1pm EST and 10pm EST which features the oldies-but-goodies from the golden age of Hollywood (Warner Bros, MGM, Columbia, Fleisher and other studios). 

24-hours of toons. Sounds good to me! 

To see what channel MeTV Toons plays in your area, check out their website here. The colorful site also offers some great toon-related articles and games. 

MeTV Schedules - Old and New

MeTV has just announced a new line-up for their Super Sci-Fi Saturday Night block which includes the addition of Sventoonie, a new show based on their popular weekday morning cartoon host Toony, at 10pm EST and Batman at 10:30pm. Star Trek is now pushed to 11pm EST and Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, which previously aired at 11pm, is now moved to Sunday mornings at 6am EST. 

While I'm disappointed to see Buck Rogers leave the lineup ( we'll miss you Buck!! ) it's good to see Batman get some airtime again. This shuffling of the programming got me wondering how long I have been watching MeTV's Super Sci-Fi Saturday Night and enjoying Buck. So I let my fingers do a little walking on the laptop and tracked down old schedules from MeTV. If anyone else is curious about how the station's lineup has changed over the past five years, then you can take a gander at these listings. It looks like 2017 included the most change ( the blue highlighted shows denote changes ). The new 2022 schedule is available here: 

2022 MeTV Schedule

Previous MeTV Schedules

2016 MeTV Schedule ( back when Svengoolie was on at 10pm )

2017 MeTV Schedule ( Wagon Train premiered on weekdays at 4pm that year )

2018 MeTV Schedule 

2019 MeTV Schedule

2020 MeTV Schedule

2021 MeTV Schedule - shucks, couldn't find the PDF for that year

The Andy Griffith Show ( 1960-1968 )

It's nearly time for Me-TV to unroll their summer line-up of classic television shows and to kick up the excitement for the event the Classic TV Blog Association is once again hosting the Summer of Me-TV Blogathon. Since summer is just around the bend we thought we'd celebrate that season of sunshine, moonshine and county fairs with a nostalgic look at The Andy Griffith Show and the town-folk of Mayberry. What other show captured the lazy carefree days of summer as well as The Andy Griffith Show?

The series revolved around small-town sheriff Andy Taylor, a widower, who divides his time between raising his young son Opie, and settling the problems that arise within Mayberry, a sleepy North Carolina town filled with colorful residents. Most of these problems are comedic escapades created by his hyperactive deputy Barney Fife. Andy and Opie live with Andy's Aunt Bee, who acts as a surrogate mother to the boys serving up portions of pork chops and homemade apple pie to lift their spirits when needed. 

The Andy Griffith Show was introduced as a spin-off from The Danny Thomas Show in 1960 and was such a hit with audiences that it lasted for eight seasons, always remaining on the top ten charts and winning six Emmy awards. 

Today, the show is considered to be one of the most beloved situation comedies in television history. Its down-home humor and endearing cast of characters draws the audience into each episode making us long to be fellow citizens of Mayberry. Majority of its viewers were weened upon the show and simply whistling the familiar theme-song conjures up fond memories of childhood. Even upon the series debut it had a nostalgic feel that hearkened viewers back to the easier, gentler times of the past. Griffith once said that although the series was set in the 1960s, they aimed to capture the feeling of small-town America in the 1930s. Capture it they did, for The Andy Griffith Show is 100% pure Americana bottled up on film. 

Sheldon Leonard, who helped create the series along with Danny Thomas and Andy Griffith, was the executive producer of the show for its entire 249 episode run. All of these episodes were filmed at the Desilu Studios with the exterior shots of Mayberry being filmed at a backlot in Culver City. Producer David O. Selznick owned this land at one time and Mayberry was in fact the streets of "Atlanta" that were built for Gone with the Wind ( 1939 ). The opening scenes of Andy and Opie walking to the fishing hole ( and all of the Myers Lake sequences ) were filmed at the beautiful wooded Franklin Canyon Park, north of Beverly Hills. 

Incidentally, the voice you hear on the opening credits announcing the show is Colin Male, a little-known actor who did occasional work as a voice-over artist. As for the music, "The Fishin' Hole" theme song was composed by Earle Hagen and Herbert Spencer, who also penned most of the music for the series, including "The Mayberry March" heard in the background in most episodes in different tempos and orchestrations.

Writer Aaron Ruben, who served as producer during the shows first five seasons, was also script consultant. He had a large hand in creating the overall feel of the series and keeping the episodes united throughout each season, for over the course of the series there were as many as thirty screenwriters. Some of the best episodes from the series were penned by Everett Greenbaum, a talented screenwriter who got his start writing episodes of Mister Peepers ( 1953 ) and The Real McCoys ( 1958 ). He also wrote the screenplay to that marvelous comedy Good Neighbor Sam ( 1964 ) starring Jack Lemmon.

Unlike some series at the time, The Andy Griffith Show never underwent drastic cast changes and even with the addition of new members to the series the show remained as fresh as its first season. When familiar characters left, new ones replaced them and these new faces were welcomed with open arms in Mayberry. The earlier episodes featured Ellie the druggist, portrayed by Father Knows Best regular Elinor Donahue; Nurse Peggy, a steady date for Andy; and Floyd the Barber. These characters were replaced by Gomer the mechanic, who made his debut in season three, and Helen Crump as Andy's new girlfriend. When Gomer left to join the Marines, he passed the monkey wrench to his cousin Goober, and later, when the show switched to color in 1966, Howard the clerk came to town and became a favorite visitor at the Taylor residence.

Sheriff Andy Taylor - Andy Griffith ( 1926 -2012 )

Andy Griffith graduated from the University of North Carolina with a degree in music which he used to teach music and drama to high-school students in Greensboro for several years. After his monologue "What it Was, Was Football" made it to the record charts in 1954, Griffith landed a role in an episode of The United States Steel Hour entitled "No Time for Sergeants", where he made a hit as country bumpkin Will Stockdale. This teleplay was expanded into a Broadway play for which Griffith was nominated for a Tony Award. A year after Griffith's film debut in A Face in the Crowd ( 1957 ), he reprised his role as Stockdale for the film version of No Time for Sergeants, which also featured Don Knotts. 

When the concept of The Andy Griffith Show was developed by Leonard, Thomas, and Griffith, it was decided that he should reprise this character once again, making him just a little more polished to suit his role as a father and sheriff. To gauge audience response to the new series before it was launched, the producers presented a pilot episode on The Danny Thomas Show ( Ep.20 S7 - Danny Meets Andy Griffith - Feb. 15, 1960 ) where Danny has an encounter with the town sheriff while travelling with his family. It was very well received with fans writing in to ask for more episodes featuring Andy. 

Throughout the first season of The Andy Griffith Show, Andy portrayed the sheriff in a delightful carefree manner with him and Barney being a team of simpletons, much like the relationship between the Skipper and Gilligan on Gilligans Island. Visitors to Mayberry would always be amazed at how Andy could handle difficulties in such an effective and yet simple country manner. Andy gradually abandoned the "rustic Taylor" and developed the character into a patient, thoughtful and more serious man after he realized that the episodes would be funnier if he would play the straight-man to Barney and the comical characters around him. As producer Aaron Ruben recalled "in the next season he changed, becoming this Lincolnesque character". Apt words to describe the new Andy Taylor, who was now not only sheriff in town but an arbitrator to all the domestic squabbles in Mayberry. Opie turned to his pa for guidance, Barney for the final word on how to handle prisoners, and Aunt Bee for advice on her romances. It is no wonder Andy had to escape to Myers Lake upon occasion to clear his head!

While The Andy Griffith Show was still in the top ten ratings, Griffith decided to nip it in the bud and leave the series, primarily to avoid being typecast as a southern sheriff and, in the 1970s, starred in several unsuccessful television series ( including The New Andy Griffith Show also penned by Greenbaum and Ruben ) before landing the plumb role of country lawyer Ben Matlock in Matlock ( 1986-1995 ). 

Mayberry Citizens

Deputy Barney Fife - Don Knotts ( 1924 - 2006 )

"You know Barn, you beat all!" Andy was certainly right. Barney had to be the most bumbling deputy to ever wear a badge. In spite of his inept handling of criminals, he was dedicated to his duties as a deputy keeping his lone bullet sparkling clean ("Barney has the prettiest bullet in town" Asa once claimed ), his shoes polished ( especially on the back side - "that's the last people remember of you" ), memorizing the sheriff's code book and practicing the art of self-defense, making his whole body a weapon. Barney fancied himself an expert on firearms, women, child-rearing, the paranormal, and any other topic in life. He also believed he had all the answers to life's little problems and was always ready, willing, and able to pry into other's affairs to give them a helping hand, even when his "help" isn't wanted. It's a testimony to Knotts comedic ability to create a character so blundering, egotistical, gossipy and boastful, and yet make him such a beloved character, not only to television fans but to the citizens of Mayberry itself. 

Don Knotts got his start in comedy-television in the mid-1950s appearing as a member of a trio with Louis Nye and Tom Poston on The Steve Allen Show. It was Knotts who proposed to Griffith, during the developmental stage of The Andy Griffith Show, that the show needed a deputy character and Barney Fife made his first appearance on the second episode, where he was introduced as Andy's cousin, remaining in a supporting-star role until the end of season five when Barney moved to Raleigh to become a private eye. Knotts went on to pursue a career in film, making several great comedies in the mid-1960s for Universal Pictures including The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, The Reluctant Astronaut, and The Shakiest Gun in the West. Occasionally Don Knotts returned to the Griffith set for guest appearances as Barney, notably in the final season ( Ep. 21 ), where he hosts a summit meeting for Russian diplomats. Knotts most recent film appearance was in Pleasantville, where he portrayed a mysterious television repairman. For his work on The Andy Griffith Show, Knotts' received five Emmy awards. 

Aunt Bee - Frances Bavier ( 1902-1989 )

Almost everyone can associate with having a beloved Aunt Bee in their family. In our household, Aunt Bee was the spitting image of our Oma, our grandmother. It is this recognition everyone has of familiar mother-members that makes her such a welcoming presence on the show. Frances Bavier began her acting career in the mid-1920s after graduating from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. She performed in many notable plays of the 1930s and 1940s ( "On Borrowed Time", "Point of No Return" ) in a variety of different roles. Once she began acting on television, however, she found herself typecast as frontier women, mothers and aunts ( she was Arden's mother on The Eve Arden Show ). 

Bavier made her first appearance with Andy Griffith in the Make Room for Daddy episode that launched the series, originally playing a character named Henrietta Perkins. Throughout The Andy Griffith Show's run, Bavier had a love-hate relationship with the character and many of the crew recall her being difficult to work with. She may have felt that her dramatic talents were being overlooked, even though in the later seasons the character of Aunt Bee was given more script-coverage. However, she was the only principal actor to remain with the series when it spun off as Mayberry R.F.D, so she must have enjoyed it to some extent.

Eventually she escaped from the bustle of Hollywood to seek a real Mayberry and moved to the small town of Siler City, North Carolina, where she received respite for a time, until fans sought her out even there. In her last days, she became a recluse, driving her favorite 1966 green Studebaker Daytona sedan to Byrd's grocery store and living with her fourteen cats. 

Opie Taylor - Ron Howard ( b. 1954 ) 

Opie's mother died when the boy was the "least little speck of a baby" and so he grew up under the care of Rose the housekeeper and, later, Aunt Bee. Opie idolized his pa and often visited the courthouse after school. Opie never doubted that his father was the best sheriff in America, but Andy sometimes misjudged Opie and the reasons behind some of his ( seemingly ) irresponsible acts, not realizing what a prize young'n he had raised. Ron Howard's father Rance was an actor and at the tender age of 3, little Ronnie made his first first film appearance ( The Journey ), later guest starring in television shows such as The Twilight Zone and The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. While he was working on The Andy Griffith Show, Ron also appeared in films, notably The Music Man ( 1962 ) and The Courtship of Eddie's Father ( 1963 ). After the series ended, Howard didn't have to wait long before he landed another role in a regular series - The Happy Days ( 1974-84 ). Today, he is best known for his work behind the camera with A Beautiful Mind, The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons among his directorial credits. 

Thelma Lou and Helen Crump - Betty Lynn ( b. 1926 ) and Anita Corsaut ( 1933 -1995 ) 

Thelma Lou made her first appearance in season one of The Andy Griffith Show, appearing in Cyrano Andy. Later, with Helen's arrival, the two gals often double-dated with Andy and Barney and were the best of friends. Helen hailed from Kansas and arrived in Mayberry as Opie's new schoolteacher in the third season episode Andy Discovers America.  She is an independent self-reliant career woman who doesn't know a thing about cooking, but loves children and is always ready to lend a sympathetic ear to Andy's problems. Corsaut made numerous television appearances on television shows such as The Detective, Death Valley Days, and Bonanza before she landed the part of Helen. Corsaut continued to guest star in various television programs until she was later reunited with Andy Griffith on Matlock, appearing as Judge Justin for seven episodes. 

Betty Lynn was a popular actress at 20th Century Fox during the late 1940s, often in roles as teenage ingenues. She appeared in such classics as June Bride, Mother is a Freshman and Cheaper by the Dozen. In the early 1950s, she made the switch to television appearing as a regular on Ray Bolger's original series Where's Raymond? and doing the usual round of western guest appearances just like Corsaut before she got the part of Thelma Lou. Today, Thelma Lou makes monthly appearances at the Andy Griffith museum signing autographs for fans. 

The Townspeople - 

What made Mayberry such an idyllic town was its people. This broad range of southern folk included retirees, myriads of children, a handful of eligible bachelors and bachelorettes, some moonshiners, church ladies, eccentrics, bums, and a large number of hard-working average American citizens. Oddly enough, very few of your typical sitcom quad families ( father, mother, daughter, and son ) lived in Mayberry. Some of our favorite regulars include Gomer Pyle, who keeps busy as the mechanic at Wally's filling station when he isn't being sworn in by Barney as an assistant deputy; Floyd the Barber ( Howard McNear ) who is quite liberal with the witch-hazel and talcum powder, and Goober, Gomer's cousin. He does a mean imitation of Edward G. Robinson. 

Among the womenfolk there is Clara, Aunt Bee's gossiping friend who once walked crooked after spraining her back lifting the kitchen refrigerator; Ellie Walker ( Elinor Donahue ), the original lady druggist who sadly left Mayberry after only one season; Nurse Peggy ( Joanna Cook Moore ), a sweet-talkin' blonde who caught Andy's fancy until Helen arrived in town, and our favorite county nurse, the lovely Mary Simpson ( Julie Adams ) who was featured in only one episode. Then of course there were the Darlings, the singin'ist bunch of hillbillies you ever did see; little Leon ( Clint Howard ), offering peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches to every passerby he sees; Howard Sprague ( Jack Dodson )....good ol' Howie, he never could let go of his mother's apron-strings; Emmett Clark ( Paul Hartman ), the fix-it man, and Otis Campbell ( Hal Smith ), the town drunk, who was always sober enough to lock himself in jail for the night. 

"They're Goooood"

Since General Foods was the sponsor for The Andy Griffith Show throughout its run, the principal characters were often featured in the commercials for its products, such as Sanka coffee ( "The coffee for folks who love good coffee...outstandingly good coffee!" ), Post Toasties cereal, and Jello pudding ( "for that extra creamy taste" ). These sponsor spots were as amusing as the episodes themselves and when Andy Griffith concluded these promotional plugs with a hearty declaration of "Goooood!", it made you want to run to the corner drugstore and pick up a box of vanilla pudding. That's mighty potent endorsing, by golly. 

Spin-offs & Reunions

Gomer Pyle was such a popular character in the series that Sheldon Leonard and Aaron Ruben concluded that he deserved a spin-off series of his very own and, inspired by No Time for Sergeants, it was decided that his character would join the Marine Corps. Gomer Pyle USMC aired on September 25, 1964 and Sergeant Carter continued to yell at him for five seasons with the show becoming one of the top rated comedies of the era. Even though Gomer's character wasn't quite the same, the series often overlapped with Gomer visiting Mayberry and Andy, Aunt Bee and Opie visiting Gomer at the barracks. 

In the final season of The Andy Griffith Show, Ken Berry had a recurring role as farmer Sam Jones and he too, wound up with his own spin-off, this time as the new Mayberry sheriff. Frances Bavier joined the cast for Mayberry RFD too which lasted for three seasons, ending in 1971. 

Top 5 Favorite Episodes

Most Andy Griffith fans do not list favorite episodes, rather they pick favorite seasons since there were far too many excellent episodes to choose from. My favorite seasons are the first, third and fifth. However, if it came to doing desert-island picks these would be the episodes I could watch again and again : 

Alcohol and Old Lace ( Season 1, Episode 17 )

Opie comes home talking about a "flower making machine" owned by sisters Clarabelle and Jennifer Morrison, the spinsters who run the local flower shop. Andy and Barney do a little investigating - and discover the contraption is actually a still and the kindly sisters are in the moonshine business! 

In this episode Andy is in his old lovable bumpkin characterization with Barney playing the straight-man. It's a clever spin on Arsenic and Old Lace with two sweet little old ladies running a moonshine business unaware that it is illegal since they only sell "elixir" for special occasions....like Mohammad's birthday and the Landing of Sir Walter Raleigh Day. 

The Bank Job ( Season 3, Episode 13 )

Barney becomes convinced the Mayberry bank is ripe for a robbery and tries to prove his point by staging a fake one. When he discovers a weak spot in the security system, he unknowingly relays this information to a couple of actual robbers.

Barney is all hyped up about the complete disregard Mayberry's business owners have for security precautions and, in his usual inimitable manner, tries to awaken everyone in town to this problem. However, most of the citizens saw Glenn Ford in G-Men, the latest film showing at the local theatre, and they think that Barney is just playing cops and robbers. This running gag, along with Knotts going in drag as a cleaning woman, makes this one of the funniest episodes of the third season. 

The Class Reunion ( Season 3, Episode 19  )

Andy and Barney reminisce about old flames and decide to throw a class reunion. When the big night finally comes, they both find they have a lot to learn about how much things have - and have not - changed. 

The Andy Griffith Show never preached to its viewers but each episode had a subtle moral in it. This one focuses on what people want in life. When Andy's high-school sweetheart returns to town for the class reunion sparks fly between them once again, until they realize that they have different perceptions on what they want in life and must part once again. 

Barney's First Car  ( Season 3, Episode 27 )

Barney learns that the car he's spent his life savings on is a lemon, and the little old lady he bought it from may have put one over on him. When Barney and Andy set out to return the car and arrest her, however, they find the hardest part may be just getting to her hideout.

This is undoubtedly one of the best Andy Griffith episodes created. Barney's expression is priceless when he, Thelma Lou, Aunt Bee, Opie, and Gomer hop into the newly purchased car for the first test run and Barney discovers he has been duped. When the car then breaks down on the road, even Aunt Bee and Opie have to help push it back to Mayberry. 

A Date for Gomer ( Season 4, Episode 9 ) 

Thelma Lou's bachelorette cousin is coming to Mayberry for the town dance and Barney decides to set her up with Gomer. On the big night, they all meet up at Thelma Lou's and everything seems to be going great, until Gomer suddenly disappears.

Gomer is just classic in this episode. He is a character all the way and in his efforts to make a good impression on his blind date goes out and spends over $10 buying a purple necktie ( with acorns on it ), yellow socks and brass-buckled shoes . Mary Grace Canfield, who portrayed cousin Mary Grace in the episode was often called upon to play homely roles such as these and it is a wonder that she didn't take all the ugly remarks personally. 

Runner-Up Favorites : The Pickle Story, The County Nurse, Man in a Hurry, Fun Girls, Haunted House, and Convicts-at-Large. 

Be sure to check out the other fantastic posts on your favorite television classics over at the Classic TV Blog Association . Also, don't miss out on Me-TV's Summer Schedule. Episode summaries used for this post were courtesy of the Paramount DVD set descriptions. As Andy would say, "Thank you for reading this post, I appreciate it and good night!"

Classic TV Channels Over the Airwaves

Less than ten years ago non-cable-television subscribers had very little chance of catching any classic TV programs over the airwaves via analog signals, let alone seeing any pre-1975 films on television. For classic TV couch potatoes, the cancellation of analog broadcasting in 2009 and the arrival of digital broadcasting meant purchasing a small digital converter box with the possibility of catching THIS TV or Retro TV on one of the new "sub-channels". Eventually digital flat-screen televisions replaced the necessity of having a converter box altogether. 

Today, there are seven different "over-the-air" ( FREE ) stations available which play 24-hour classic TV/movie programming....a sheer delight for hobby-less baby-boomers, mesothelioma victims, and incontinent housewives. We never thought we'd live to see the day when we'd utter the words "there is too much on television!". During a Hart to Hart commercial break we can now hop on over to MeTV and watch The Andy Griffith Show, or click on RetroTV and see Doctor Who, or even catch the ending of The Trouble with Angels on the GET TV channel. Holy TV overload, Batman! 

Anyway, as a tiny service to any of our Eastern readers who were not aware of what cult-classic riches were lurking within their boob-tubes, we have put together this brief post highlighting some of these stations and their current scheduling. Note : some of the stations change their schedules for summer. 

The Mega-Four: 

MeTV - Channel 19.2 in Cleveland. Click here to view the schedule in your area. 

Antenna TV - Channel 8.2 in Cleveland. Click here to view the schedule in your area. 

COZI TV - Channel 5. 2 in Cleveland. Click here to view the schedule in your area. 

Retro TV - Channel 29/35 in Akron. Click here to view the schedule in your area. 

 _______________________________________________________

MORNING 

8:00AM   

The Andy Griffith Show - MeTV ( 2 Episodes )
Father Knows Best - Antenna TV ( 2 Episodes )
E/I Programming - Retro TV 
The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp - COZI TV ( 2 Episodes )


9:00AM 

Daniel Boone - MeTV
The Patty Duke Show - Antenna TV ( 2 Episodes )
Black Beauty - Retro TV 
The Lone Ranger - COZI TV ( 2 Episodes )


10:00AM

Perry Mason - MeTV
Mr. Ed - Antenna TV ( 2 Episodes )
Moviestar - Retro TV 
Walt Disney's Zorro - COZI TV ( 2 Episodes )


11:00AM 

Quincy M.E - MeTV
Green Acres - Antenna TV ( 2 Episodes )
Crosswords - Retro TV ( 2 Episodes )
Dragnet - COZI TV ( 2 Episodes )

AFTERNOON 

12:00PM

The Rockford Files - MeTV
Bewitched - Antenna TV ( 2 Episodes )
The Doctors - Retro TV ( 2 Episodes )
Adam-12 - COZI TV ( 2 Episodes )

1:00PM 

Gunsmoke - MeTV
I Dream of Jeannie - Antenna TV ( 2 Episodes )
Naked City - Retro TV 
Starsky and Hutch - COZI TV

2:00PM 

Bonanza - MeTV
Dennis the Menace - Antenna TV ( 2 Episodes )
Route 66 - Retro TV 
Charlie's Angels - COZI TV

3:00PM

The Riflemen - MeTV ( 2 Episodes )
Leave it to Beaver - Antenna TV ( 2 Episodes )
The Campbells - Retro TV ( followed by Ozzie and Harriet )
Murder, She Wrote - COZI TV

4:00PM 

Star Trek - MeTV
Mr. Belvedere - Antenna TV ( 2 Episodes )
The Cisco Kid - Retro TV ( 2 Episodes )
Murder, She Wrote - COZI TV

5:00PM

Emergency! - MeTV
Three's Company - Antenna TV ( 2 Episodes )
Tarzan - Retro TV ( followed by The New Zorro ) 
The Dick Van Dyke Show - COZI TV ( 2 Episodes )

EVENING

6:00PM 

C.H.I.P.S - MeTV
Barney Miller - Antenna TV ( 2 Episodes )
Lucy Show/Beverly Hillbillies/Petticoat Junction/Dusty's Trail/Soupy Sales - Retro TV ( followed by The Joey Bishop Show )
Here's Lucy - COZI TV ( 2 Episodes )

7:00PM

MASH - MeTV  ( 2 Episodes )
Sanford and Son - Antenna TV ( 2 Episodes )
Highway to Heaven - Retro TV
Make Room for Daddy - COZI TV ( followed by My Favorite Martian )

8:00PM

The Andy Griffith Show - MeTV ( 2 Episodes )
Good Times - Antenna TV ( 2 Episodes )
Doctor Who - Retro TV ( 2 Episodes )
Hart to Hart/Starsky/Six Million Dollar Man/Charlie's Angels/ or Murder She Wrote - COZI TV


9:00PM 

Hogan's Heroes - MeTV ( followed by The Twilight Zone ) 
All in the Family - Antenna TV ( 2 Episodes )
The Doctors - Retro TV ( 2 Episodes )
Hart to Hart/Starsky/Bionic Woman/Magnum P.I/ or Murder, She Wrote - COZI TV 

10:00PM

The Odd Couple - MeTV ( 2 Episodes )
The Jeffersons - Antenna TV ( 2 Episodes )
Police Surgeon - Retro TV ( 2 Episodes )
It Takes a Thief/Knight Rider/Bionic Woman/Magnum P.I/ or Murder, She Wrote - COZI TV 

11:00PM

Carol Burnett and Friends - MeTV  ( followed by Perry Mason ) 
One Day at a Time - Antenna TV ( 2 Episodes )
Cold Squad - Retro TV 
Miami Vice - COZI TV ( followed by The Avengers ) 

SATURDAY PROGRAMMING

COZI TV, MeTV, and Retro TV continue on the Saturday Morning Cartoon tradition with a line-up including The Lone Ranger, Roy Rogers, Hopalong Cassidy, H.R Pufnstuf, Land of the Lost, Harveytoons, Archie, Lassie, Mr. Magoo and He-Man : Master of the Universe. 

The afternoon arrangement changes with Antenna TV featuring Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, Mr. Ed, Flipper, The Monkees, and The Partridge Family. Retro TV has a Saturday Movie Matinee at 1pm for the big-kiddies, followed by Hopalong Cassidy, Sherlock Holmes, and One Step Beyond to cap off the afternoon. MeTV gives us westerns galore with The Big Valley, Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Wanted Dead or Alive and The Rifleman, while COZI has two feature films ( usually 1980s flicks ) followed by several comedy episodes of The Dick Van Dyke Show to wash away the taste of the former. 

Things take a turn to the horror/sci-fi genre for the evening with MeTV's line-up of Batman, Wonder Woman, Star Trek and the mystery/cult movie hosted by Svengoolie ( who, just for the record, copied off of the Cleveland icon Ghoulardie ). Retro TV has the classic Doctor Who and Mystery Science Theatre 3000. Antenna TV tries to tickle your funny bone with comedies such as Small Wonder, The Ropers, Doogie Howser, and Too Close for Comfort, while COZI concludes the day with Miami Vice, Fantasy Island and I Spy. 

SUNDAY'S FUN DAY

The week kicks off with MeTV's Sunday lineup which includes back-to-school classics such as Welcome Back Kotter, Gilligan's Island and Saved by the Bell before beginning their Sunday Brunch with four episodes of The Brady Bunch followed by The Love Boat, Remington Steele, and The Streets of San Francisco. Sunday nights are "murrrrder!" as Lionel Stander would say, and MeTV puts The Mod Squad, Hawaii Five-O, and Black Sheep Squadron in the mix before Columbo begins at 8pm. Then it is spy time with The Man from UNCLE, Mission Impossible and Get Smart. 

COZI TV got My Favorite Martain, The New Howdy Doody Show, and Maverick with a Make Room for Daddy marathon in the afternoon. In the evening, Here's Lucy acts as the appetizer for two episodes of Murder, She Wrote and the Sunday night flick. 

Retro TV rotates some of their weekly programs with Robin Hood, Ozzie and Harriet and The New Zorro starting off the lineup while Bonanza, Movin' On and Mystery Science Theatre 3000 play until the Sunday night movie begins. 

Lastly, Antenna TV gets off to a flying start with The Flying Nun, Gidget, The Monkees, Green Acres, Small Wonder, Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie before beginning their 1970s sitcom programs : All in the Family, Maude, Good Times, The Jeffersons, and Sanford and Son.

THE WEE HOURS

Some of the best programs get the worst time-slots and all four stations seem to have the gems playing in the night : The Saint, Peter Gunn, Mr. Lucky, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and The Real McCoys are just some of the titles. 

THE FILM CHANNELS 

Get TV : Sony's own classic film channel features some rare Columbia Pictures films and a lot of the big name films from the Sony Pictures archive. Features include the Get Out of Town westerns on Saturday, Get Groovy Tuesdays ( 1950s/60s films ), Afternoon Delights spotlighting legendary actresses, and an Icon of the Week ( usually in conjunction with a stars birthday ). Channel 61.3 in Cleveland. 

Click here to visit their website. 

Movies! : Since Fox owns the lion's share of this classic film network, you can be sure that a lot of 20th Century Fox rarities will show up here, but some Columbia and Paramount Picture releases sneak in upon occasion as well. Some of their titles included : Anna and the King of Siam, Rhubarb, The Flying Tigers and the Mr. Moto collection. Channel 55.3 in Cleveland. 

Click here to visit their website. 

THIS TV :  This channel puts a few good titles in the mix ( especially among the westerns ), but mainly their focus is on 1960s/1970s films and some really corny 1980s movies. They also toss a few television programs in such as Sea Hunt. Formally Channel 55.3 in Cleveland. 

Click here to visit their website. 

The Saint ( 1962-1969 )

"Templar...Simon Templar." 

The world was a safer place when the Saint was there to quench the evil desires of the wicked foes scattered across the planet. Simon Templar aka "The Saint" came to the rescue of any poor soul in need, be they wealthy or penniless....provided there was a pretty face nearby. Zipping around in his sporty Volvo P1800, this modern Robin Hood came to aid in the fight for truth, justice and the British way. Via film clips and painted backdrops the Saint traveled all over the world for this cause. From the pearly oceans of Japan to the revolutionary countries of Eastern Europe, Simon would be found taking the law into his own hands and rattling the nerves of the most confident of criminals. 

Roger Moore was "The Saint" for seven years on ITC's hour-long mystery/spy thriller series, becoming a veritable tiny-tele James Bond in the course of the decade. 

The Saint has its profound moments of sleep-inducing splendor and is overall quite charming and strangely addictive. Alongside The Avengers this saintly series was the longest running show of its genre in British television's history. Undoubtedly a testament to Roger Moore's appealing persona and the show's snappy dialogue.

HOW SAINTS ARE BORN

Simon Templar, part gentleman thief/part detective, first appeared in Leslie Charteris' 1928 novel "Meet the Tiger". This story was a commercial success when it was first published and convinced Charteris to stick to writing Saint stories from then on. For over 100 novels, he placed his man in the frays of danger, but Simon Templar ( S.T. for the Saint ) was always prepared to fight the ungodly, whether they be drug runners, gangsters, arms dealers or Nazis. 

In 1936 Leslie Charteris sold RKO the idea of obtaining the screen rights to his hallowed hero, and the studio successfully thrust him into a series of B-grade films, some being of note, others being mediocre. Louis Hayward was the first actor to portray Simon Templar in The Saint in New York, released in 1938. He promptly dropped out of the series after this stupendous start and then the venerable George Sanders took over for five more films before he too stepped down and left the crime-fighting to Hugh Sinclair for the final two films. 

By 1944 the series was washed up and NBC snatched the opportunity to send The Saint into saintly syndication nationwide on its own radio program. Illustrious actors such as Brian Aherne, Edgar Barrier, Tom Conway, Vincent Price and Barry Sullivan all got their chance to play Simon Templar during the show's 6 year run. 

WHEN THE SAINT COMES MARCHING IN...

"I want you to meet the most fantastic man...this is Simon Templar"

When The Saint launched in Britain on ITV on October 4, 1962, it bore little resemblance to the RKO films of the 1940s and instead created a look of its own, a stylish identity that later shows were to emulate, namely the more entertaining The Baron and the benumbingly boring Man in a Suitcase. 

Edwin Astley's jazzy high-pitched opening theme lured audiences into watching each episode every week, but his skill in composing did not extend to penning action-centered filler music and the strength of the series rested solely on Roger Moore's capable shoulders. 

"A buccaneer in the suits of Savile Row, amused, cool, debonair, with hell-for-leather blue eyes and a saintly smile..." these were the words that Charteris used to describe his favorite character. In spite of the fact that Roger Moore fit his description down to the hair root, the author was not all too pleased with the television incarnation of The Saint. This changed overtime however and eventually Charteris became good friends with the producer of the series, Robert S. Baker.

Roger Moore made Simon Templar all his own and embodied his graces of being a sociable, well-tailored gentleman, subtly strong, and always ready to aid a damsel-in-distress. He is not your macho Rambo, bulging with muscles and spiteful vengeance...rather, he's a dandy. But don't underestimate his sophisticated appearance, the Saint would never shirk a fight in the cause of justice. He's just the kind of guy who would look in the mirror and fix his hair afterwards. 

MORE THAN MOORE

Moore could have easily performed in every episode single-handed and still made it entertaining, but instead the producers surrounded him with great guest stars, notably a slew of English character actors who made their livelihood by appearing in shows like The Saint, Danger Man, The Avengers, and The Prisoner simultaneously. Any British TV fan would instantly recognize the likes of Peter Wyngarde, Andrew Sachs, George Murcell, Derek Farr, Kate O'Mara, and Allan Cuthbertson.

The Saint also featured a number of cast members who later went on to befriend or aid in the annihilation of London's sole protector, 007. Julian Glover, Shirley Eaton, Burt Kwouk, Lois Maxwell, David Hedison, Valerie Leon, Paul Stassino, and Honor Blackman were just some of the actors who appeared on The Saint first. 

Templar was quite a ladies man and it's fairly easy to presume that men were the great audience judging from the amount of feminine acquaintances and dalliances Simon had with the ladies. He had a preference for blondes but eventually would settle for any gal with a shapely figure and a pleasing personality. Some of his single-episode sweethearts included Jean Marsh, Samantha Eggar, Barbara Shelley, Quinn O' Hara, Suzan Farmer, and Sylvia Syms. Good taste Templar.

INSURED AND BONDED 

Rarely did Templar resort to using a pistol, preferring the age old art of fisticuffs instead, and like the Saint, Roger Moore hardly ever relied on having stuntmen do his dirty work, preferring to handle the stunts himself. The press loved to emphasis this and thoroughly touted Moore's hand in attempting the dare-devil driving, incredible falls and long leaps that he jumped. The insurance companies were not so thrilled however. Mid-way through the series' run, they insisted that Moore allow the stuntmen to handle more of his feats and have the cameramen cut to close-ups of their leading man in the studio instead. 

One hundred and eighteen episodes of solving mysteries, and later capturing spies, and it was time for the Saint to take a permanent vacation. On February 9, 1969 the series wrapped up production with the final episode, "The World Beater". After seven years of being Simon Templar, Roger Moore was not quite ready to break the habit. Instead he teamed up with Tony Curtis for another ITC mystery/spy thriller, The Persuaders ( 1971-1972 ) in which he played Lord Brett Sinclair, a character not unlike Simon Templar. This series only lasted for one season and then Moore finally accepted the opportunity to don the James Bond persona, which he did for seven films, starting with Live and Let Die ( 1973 ). 

SIMON SAYS...AGAIN

The Saint was not ready to be laid to rest however, and reawakened in 1978 to spread his wings once again in The Return of the Saint, an ITC production starring Ian Ogilvy. Replacing Templar's beloved Volvo was a sporty new Jaguar XJS. Unlike the original series, this Saint actually visited the countries that the title cards referred to. Unfortunately, the show only lasted one season. Saints were going out of style.

HEAVENLY MEMORABILIA

The Saint was promoted in over sixty countries around the world and was immensely popular on the continent. Today, the series is available on at least seven different DVD box sets. In addition to the usual round of comic book and magazine promotional items, the Saint's untarnished image was plastered on quiz books, puzzles and paperbacks.

A particular favorite of ours is the 1/64 scale miniature model of the Volvo P1800 issued in 1966 by Corgi. These were in their standard P1800 models which they simply painted white and stuck with a decal of the saintly stick-figure, but we won't tell anyone if you won't. 

More recently, The Saint memorabilia has included an official 2003 calender released by Show Dazzle Worldwide. If you missed it, you can purchase it "used" this year and pin it up again but be quick, the year is running out. Cards Inc. issued The Saint trading cards in 2003 as well, filled with some lovely color screenshots and fun trivia.

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Currently Me-TV airs episodes of The Saint at 4am EST on Sunday mornings. If you ever have a case of insomnia and desire a potent remedy, here's Dr. Silverscenes kosher cure which will bring about instantaneous slumber - take in twenty minutes of The Saint. Pick any episode, they are all alike. There are no side effects and you'll have exciting dreams to boot! 

This post is our contribution to the Me-TV - Summer of Me Blogathon being hosted by the Classic TV Blog Association. Be sure to stop by and enjoy each of the great posts about all of the shows from Me-TV's summer schedule. 

Family Affair ( 1966-1971 )

This is back-to-back blogathon week...the Barbara Stanwyck Blogathon is coming to a close and on July 15th the Classic TV Association begun the Me-TV Blogathon, a celebration of classic television shows now airing on Me-TV. Family Affair was my choice of series mainly because it features such memorable characters, an uplifting tempo, and such a great opening theme!

From its sparkling kaleidoscopic beginning Family Affair draws us into a wonderful fantasy world of Park Avenue penthouses, gentlemen's gentlemen, and New York City life as seen from the eyes of a child. A world where all domestics are British, Central Park is only 30 yards long, and celebrities like Joan Blondell live in the room upstairs. 

Family Affair told the story of a handsome New York City bachelor who becomes the guardian of his nieces and nephew - twins Buffy and Jody, and their older sister Cissy ( and Mrs. Beasley ) - when their parents suddenly die in a car accident. William Davis ( played by Brian Keith ....sigh ), the head of the Davis engineering firm, finds that he has to put his playboy wooing on hold to ween the little ones. At first he hopes playing nanny to the youngsters is a temporary position, but by the end of the first episode he comes to adore his brood and deems Mr. French ( Sebastian Cabot ), his very own gentlemen's gentlemen, their part-time protector. 

Interestingly enough, Uncle Bill didn't have to put his romancing on hold for very long. Mr. French proved to be an excellent babysitter ( "a baby...sitter??!! Oh no sir, I could never stoop to that most undignified position!" ) and Davis' many dates were welcome distractions from the story-plots centering around the twins. 

                            


Family Affair first aired on September 14, 1966 and continued on for five seasons. It originally played on CBS at 9:30-10pm on Monday nights but then was moved to Monday evenings at 7pm. It's spectacularly bejeweled opening credits hailed the fact that it was in COLOR, one of the first series to be filmed entirely in color. The show was an enormous success and, as was the case with all hit television series, a slew of merchandise was released by toy companies and the like to feed off of the popularity of the dramatic comedy. There were Family Affair paper dolls, jigsaw puzzles, magic-slates, alarm clocks ( ! ), Viewmaster reels, Whitman coloring books and comics, a Milton Bradley board game entitled "Where's Mrs.Beasley?" and the crown jewel of them all : Mattel's Mrs.Beasley doll. Now little Buffys all across America were able to have their very own freckle-faced bespectacled doll to dress up, sleep with, adorn with "genuine orange glass beads" ( quick hide them! ), or even drop from their apartment balcony. Hasbro missed the boat and should of released a Mr. French potato head, complete with a derby, cane, removal mustache and a beard snood. 

If it wasn't enough fun to cut out and play with scantily clad paper dolls of Jody, Buffy and Cissy, the Cinderella and Tom Sawyer clothing companies released a line of Buffy and Jody clothing wear. Brightly colored shirts and richly patterned mod dresses were made to resemble the two munchkin's wardrobe as seen on your new colored television...all moderately priced at $1.80 - $8.95.  

If you didn't have a colored television, then you were all the more amazed when you saw the brilliant colors professionally modeled by the mannequins at your local mall. Unfortunately, since the show was aimed towards the younger set no clothing manufacturer released a Cissy line of wear. Shucks. She really did have the most chic outfits. 

Family Affair was cleverly structured so that the show appealed to not only the kindergarten-set but to tweens, teens, ( there were a number of flower-power themed episodes ) and their parents and grandparents. I'm sure many a mother was more than happy to sit down with her little ones to watch an episode of Family Affair and ogle over Brian Keith. British domestics didn't warm to the show however.

Illustrious guest stars were also a drawing feature. Family Affair boasted some of the best guest stars in any TV series of the era - Martha Hyer, Dana Andrews, June Lockhart, Ann Sothern, Paul Fix, Rita Gam, Nancy Kovack, and Lee Merriwether, to name a few. 

Some actors appeared as semi-regulars : John Williams, the superb English character actor, took over as Mr. Davis' manservant "Niles French" for nine episodes while Cabot was healing a broken wrist; Betty Lynn, best known for her role as Barney Fife's girlfriend, Thelma Lou, on The Andy Griffith Show, was Bill Davis' private secretary during the first season; and who can forget dear Mrs. Faversham, played by the lovely Heather Angel, whose voice is familiar even today to thousands of youngsters who hear her voice-over as Mrs. Darling in Walt Disney's Peter Pan. 

As an engineer, Uncle Bill traveled the world ( via rear-projected screens ) to exotic locales such as Rio de Janiero, Rome, England, and Japan. On several occasions the family came along too, which was reason enough to create a two-part episode around it. There was their adventure in Spain ( "Lost in Spain" ) and a vacation in Tahiti ( "Family in Paradise" ). The Brady Bunch would later follow suit and pack their bags for a two-part Hawaiian vacation. Such copycats.

The original premise of the show included a six year old girl, a 10 year old boy, and a 16 year old girl as the three Davis children. When Brian Keith was signed to play Bill Davis he asked to have Johnny Whittaker, whom he had played with in The Russians are Coming, the Russians are Coming to test for a part. They had formed a rapport and he knew Whittaker to be a good child actor and wanted to see him have a part in Family Affair, even if it be for only a guest appearance.

However, it was apparent from the screen tests that Alissa Jones and Johnny Whittaker had an exceptional bond and so the characters of Jody and Buffy were rewritten to be six year old twins. 

THE CAST

Anissa Jones was 9 years old when Family Affair began ( almost 3 years older than Whittaker ) and did not want to be apart of the series. Her mother had pushed her into show business while acting was the last thing she wanted to do. By 1976, at the age of 18, she had fallen in with the "wrong crowd" and was found dead on August 28th, of a drug overdose. 

Johnny Whittaker went on to do many other guest appearances after Family Affair as well as star in Walt Disney's 1973 musical Tom Sawyer. The death of his "sister" Anissa Jones made him re-analyze his priorities and goals in his life. He became a voluteer missionary in Portugal for two years,  and in 1997 he became a licensed drug counselor to help others overcome their addiction, after overcoming his own bout with dependency on dope. He is also the head of his own computer consulting firm. 


Mr. French was admirably played by Sebastian Cabot, a Shakespearean actor of the highest caliber. On the set, Johnny Whittaker recalls Cabot as being not unlike Mr. French - strictly business but capable of showing emotion when pushed to the extreme. The rotund Brit gained fame on television as Dr. Carl Hyatt in Checkmate, as well as numerous film appearances from the 1940s through 1970s. He also did many voice-overs for animated characters, notably as the narrator of the Winnie-the-Pooh cartoons and as Begheera in Walt Disney's classic The Jungle Book. 

Kathy Garver was 20 years old when she got the role as 16-year old Cissy. Like Whittaker, she got her start as a child performing bit parts in films such as Crusader ( opposite Brian Keith ), I'll Cry Tomorrow, The Ten Commandments ( as an exodus slave ) and The Bad Seed. Today she continues to keep busy in television and film, as well as a doing numerous voice-overs for cartoon programs. She is also president of the Family Affair Foundation which provides reading companions to the elderly. 

Brian Keith was one of the most underrated of actors during his career ( and still is ) but he ranks number 5 on my Top Movie/TV Dads list and its really no wonder! The ruggedly handsome star loved children in real life, which was evident in every episode of Family Affair where he snuggled and gave piggy-back rides to the sugary-sweet moppets on a daily basis. He was an A-picture star since the mid-1950s, notably in westerns such as Arrowhead, Fort Dobbs, The Rare Breed, and Nevada Smith.

Keith was also extremely adept at comedy and Walt Disney snagged him for over six different feature films, his most famous being the father of Susan and Sharon in The Parent Trap.  Later he starred in The Brian Keith Show, The Zoo Gang ( excellent series by the way ), and Hardcastle and McCormack. In 1997 he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound while suffering from grief over the death of his 27-year old daughter. Keith was strikingly handsome, even if he did wear a toupee.

THE FEDDERSON FORMULA

Don Fedderson, the producer and creator of Family Affair, had a unique style, or rather, a "feel" to all of his productions. They were never quite conventional. Fedderson's first major television hit was My Three Sons ( 1960-1972 ) starring Fred MacMurray. Some aspects of what became the Fedderson Formula may have stemmed from this show. MacMurray, a shrewd businessman and also a man who enjoyed his semi-retirement, was willing to sign to a television series on the condition that he only had to work 3 months rather than the usual 8 months per season. Fedderson did not want the series to have episodes that did not feature MacMurray, hence they would film all the scenes that he was featured in during the three month period. The rest of the cast continued to work the remaining season, finishing all the episodes that they had begun with MacMurray. 

The filming structure required scripts to be completed months in advance, as well as detailed storyboards to make sure the actors would be speaking their lines in conjunction with the scenes filmed with MacMurray so he would not have to be called back on set. Sometimes it was apparent that the cast members were speaking to a cardboard figure or a stand-in rather than the actor they were supposed to be addressing. But... amazingly enough, the formula worked! So well in fact, that Family Affair followed the same filming structure. All of Brian Keith's scenes were filmed in advance with the cast, and then he got to enjoy a hiatus for the rest of the season. 

Also similar to My Three Sons, and a major style element of the Fedderson Formula, Family Affair was not a "happy ending" show. Unlike other series at the time, it realistically portrayed that life has its ups and downs and we can't always expect events to fall in place in our favor within a short period of time. 

The show tackled real-life issues in an engaging and entertaining way. Buffy faced the blossoming of love's first buds ( "A Dillar, A Dollar" ) and the disappointment of waiting to join the Brownies ( "The Candy Striper" ). Jody had to face that Buffy was a better stick-ball player than he ( "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" ), falling in love with his substitute teacher ( "The Substitute Teacher" ) and the delicate task of clipping Mr. French's whiskers for a school dare ( "By A Whisker" ). Cissy felt the pressure of getting married when she realized that all her friends were already engaged ( "With This Ring" ), the desire to have her own apartment ( "Cissy's Apartment" ), to be a hippie ("Flower Power" ) and even the inevitable act of falling in love with "love" ( "A Waltz from Vienna" ). 

Mr. French's dilemma's were the most amusing, from his embarrassment at being a mere "gentlemen's gentlemen" ( "A Man's Place")  to his attempts to play King Henry VIII in a film production ( "My Man, the Star" ) and his disappointment at being used as a pawn by a young woman trying to attract Uncle Bill ( "Speak for Yourself, Mr.French" ).  

Whereas Buffy and Jody are taught to respect their elders, behave nicely, and be gentle to all, the children they bring home from school are often bad-influences. ( Aren't they all? ) These characters were created as foils for our little cherubs. In "A Matter of Privacy" naughty Norman tells Jody it's okay to spy on others and bug their private conversations, "Why my dad does it all the time! He says it's standard business today. You guys are just squares!" In reply to which Jody and Buffy would simple stare back blank-faced. 

Perhaps the children didn't always react to situations the way normal kids would, but they reminded us of how we should behave to one another, even as adults. Jody always considered Buffy his best friend and if his school chums didn't want to include her in their games then Jody would back out too. A chivalrous little fella he was. 

Cissy always put family first as well and never was afraid to disagree with her friends when they spoke a word against Uncle Bill or her siblings. The children always knew that what Uncle Bee-yul told them to do or not to do was right and they faithfully held to it, even when they didn't understand the reasoning behind it. 

Love was the underlying theme of Family Affair. It was a gentle show and love permeated through every episode. In spite of people wronging them or hurting their pride they always held fast to doing the right thing, whether it brought them a reward or not in the end. 

The appeal of the show continues on and the adventures of Buffy, Jody, Cissy, Uncle Bill and Mr.French still to bring smiles and squeals of glee to viewers today. Family Affair truly is an affair worth remembering. 

FUN AFFAIR TRIVIA 

Frank De Vol, the composer of the jaunty opening theme, had also created the theme music to a number of Doris Day comedies ( Send Me No Flowers, Move Over Darling ) as well as many television series, including My Three Sons, Gidget, and The Brady Bunch. 

The original Mrs. Beasley was mysteriously sacked after the first two episodes and it is in fact her replacement that becomes the star of the series. Which is just as well really, because she is much more attractive. 

Ashton-Drake Collectibles makes a genuine replica of the Mrs. Beasley doll, yours to cuddle and clasp for only $99.99. ( Gasp! ) This gal is really Cheryl Ladd in disguise and she speaks 11 different phrases. 

Gregg Fedderson, Don Fedderson's son, often appeared as Cissy's boyfriend, Gregg..in one episode they almost got married because they were so compatible - "compatible" meaning they liked the same records and the same hamburgers.

In 2002 a remake of Family Affair was made with Tim Curry in the starring role as Giles French. The show was cringingly bad and flopped after 15 episodes. 

TOP 5 FAVORITE EPISODES

Here's some of my top picks. Actually, almost every episode of the show is good and has something special about it but these seemed to stand out from amongst the rest. 

The Thursday Man ( Episode 13, Season 1 ) 

Cissy writes a report on Mr. French for a school project but when her teacher asks to make it more thorough she realizes she doesn't really know much about Mr. French and attempts to delve into his past...with disastrous results. 

This is a very interesting episode. Mr. French's past life is hinted at thoughout the series but this is the first time Cissy takes an active part in actually spying to find out more about him. French reminds me of an old man my sister and I use to know, whom we dubbed "Toot-Toot". He too had a mysterious past that we tried to delve into and got burned in the process. A valuable lesson on respecting others privacy is the moral of the story in this episode.

The Candy Striper ( Episode 6, Season 2 ) 

Cissy wants to join her friend and become a volunteer nurse at the local hospital, only trouble is she is below age and wonders whether she is mature enough to handle the responsibility. Meanwhile, Buffy wishes to join the Girl Scouts and finds that she too is below age. 

Many of the episodes of Family Affair featured parallel plots; the situation that was troubling Buffy, Jody or Cissy was often very similar to a predicament Uncle Bill or Mr. French was facing. This provided entertainment for different age levels. In "First Love" Buffy finds that she likes a boy at school several grades older than her and even when she realizes he is less than perfect, she finds she still has feelings for him. Uncle Bill was facing a similar situation having tried to pursue an attractive engineer only to find she was engaged to be married. This is another of those parallel episodes, with Buffy wanting to become a Brownie and realizing she is not old enough, and Cissy's attempts to be a candy-stripper and facing her doubts on whether she is mature enough too. The moral of the story here is don't be fooled into volunteer work by the allure of a pretty outfit. 

Star Dust ( Episode 14, Season 2 ) 

A beautiful Hollywood actress falls in love with Uncle Bill and has designs for marriage...everyone is happy with the idea - except Uncle Bill. 

This is mainly a personal favorite because it features Martha Hyer, a wonderful ( and beautiful ) actress who rarely did television guest appearances. I have a notion she did this one as a special favor for Brian Keith. Sometimes there are win-win situations in life and sometimes lose-lose ones....in this case, all parties were disappointed.

A Family Group ( Episode 15, Season 3 ) 

Cissy's friend from school boasts how wonderful being the daughter of famous stage actors can be, hobnobbing with personalities such as Laurence Olivier and the pride of being on one's own. Secretly, she desires the home life that Cissy is blessed to have.

Cissy always has school friends over for a weekend or just to spend a night. She was a popular gal! In this episode, she realizes just how special her home life is...not that she ever lost sight of that, but little events can reinforce your appreciation of the small things in life. 

The Wings of An Angel ( Episode 2, Season 4 ) 

Uncle Bill brings home an engineering friend who has recently been released from serving five years in prison. The children take kindly to him until they find out he has served sentence. They must then realize that he has paid his debts once and for all and should not be treated as an outcast.

Another personal favorite because it features that wonderful wonderful man, Dana Andrews. Andrews was one of the leading men of Hollywood from the 1940s-1950s, and although he still made a number of films in the 1960s his career was declining. It is rather to sad to see him looking so gaunt here. He was an alcoholic for many years and it obviously was taking a toll on his appearance in the early 1970s. 

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I want to give a shout-out to Amy, the author of Embarrassing Treasures blog who is doing the definitive Family Affair coverage on every episode made. ( Like wow, Scoob! ) I only discovered her website last night while feverishly searching for photos ( I snitched some of them ) but will return tonight to read her reviews in depth. They are too good to miss! 

This post is part of Me-TV’s Summer of Classic TV Blogathon hosted by the Classic TV Blog Association. Click here to view more posts in this blogathon. You can also click here to learn more about Me-TV and view its summer line-up of classic TV shows.