American 1950s TV shows.
Television was rapidly becoming an exciting medium for every New York actor and writer, during the 1950s. Some excellent television dramas resulted.
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- StarsAlfred HitchcockHarry TylerJohn WilliamsSeries of unrelated short stories covering elements of crime, horror, drama, and comedy about people of different backgrounds committing murders, suicides, thefts, and other sorts of crime caused by certain motivations, perceived or not.
- StarsRobert StackWalter WinchellNicholas GeorgiadeSpecial Agent Eliot Ness and his elite team of incorruptable agents battle organized crime in 1930s Chicago.
- CreatorRod SerlingStarsRod SerlingRobert McCordJay OverholtsOrdinary people find themselves in extraordinarily astounding situations, which they each try to solve in a remarkable manner.
- CreatorNat HikenStarsPhil SilversHarvey LembeckPaul FordMaster Sergeant Bilko, regularly helped by the soldiers at Fort Baxter's motor pool, spends little time performing his duties by constantly trying to obtain money through various get-rich-quick scams and promotions.
- CreatorJackie GleasonStarsJackie GleasonArt CarneyAudrey MeadowsA bus driver and his sewer worker friend struggle to strike it rich while their wives look on with weary patience.
- StarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceThe wife of a band leader constantly tries to become a star - in spite of her having no talent, and gets herself (along with her best friend) into the funniest predicaments.One of the most overrated TV shows in history.
- StarsHarry BellaverHorace McMahonPaul BurkeThe cases of the N.Y.P.D.'s 65th Precinct.
- CreatorCharles Marquis WarrenStarsClint EastwoodPaul BrinegarSteve RainesGil Favor is trail boss of a continuous cattle drive. He is assisted by Rowdy Yates. The crew runs into characters and adventures along the way.Great fun!
- StarsFrank McGrathTerry WilsonRobert HortonStories of the journeys of a wagon train as it leaves post-Civil War Missouri on its way to California through the plains, deserts, and Rocky Mountains.
- StarsClint WalkerClyde HowdyChuck HicksAfter the Civil War, nomadic adventurer Cheyenne Bodie roamed the West looking for fights, bad guys to beat up, and women. His job changed from episode to episode.
- CreatorRoy HugginsStarsJack KellyJames GarnerRoger MooreBret and Bart Maverick are well-dressed gamblers who migrate from town to town always looking for a good game.
- CreatorCharles Marquis WarrenClyde WareStarsJames ArnessMilburn StoneAmanda BlakeMarshal Matt Dillon keeps the peace in rough-and-tumble Dodge City.
- CreatorDavid DortortFred HamiltonStarsLorne GreeneMichael LandonDan BlockerThe Wild West adventures of Ben Cartwright and his sons as they run and defend their Nevada ranch while helping the surrounding community.
- CreatorHerb MeadowSam RolfeStarsRichard BooneKam TongHal NeedhamThe adventures of a gentlemanly gunfighter-for-hire.
- StarsDesi ArnazBetty FurnessBruce GordonAn anthology series hosted by Betty Furness in the first season, and Desi Arnaz in the second. Stories came from several genres, often based on fact. A two part episode was spun off as the popular show The Untouchables (1959).
- CreatorFrank P. BibasStarsBoris KarloffRobert HardyHarry BartellAn anthology of horror stories hosted by actor Boris Karloff.
- StarsGeorge ReevesNoel NeillJack LarsonThe Man of Steel fights crime with help from his friends at the "Daily Planet."
- StarsSteve McQueenWright KingOlan SouleA Civil War veteran with a sawed-off rifle as a holstered weapon makes a living as a bounty hunter in the Wild West of the 1870s.
- CreatorMerwin GerardStarsJohn NewlandRobert DouglasOlan Soule"One Step Beyond" was a collection of tales about paranormal events, horrifying folklore, and the world of the unknown.
- StarsLee MarvinPaul NewlanGail KobeThe hard-hitting adventures of tough Lieutenant Frank Ballinger, a member of the Chicago Police Department's M Squad, an elite crime-fighting unit.
- StarsBroderick CrawfordArt GilmoreWilliam BoyettPowerful patrol cars, fast motorcycles, and superheterodyne two-way radios combine to fight crime on the rural highways of America's wide open spaces.
- CreatorJoe ConnellyBob MosherDick ConwayStarsJerry MathersHugh BeaumontBarbara BillingsleyThe misadventures of a suburban boy, family and friends.
- StarsRod CameronRobert ArmstrongDon HaggertyRod Blake, a State Trooper is an officer of the Nevada Department of Public Safety. The setting is in the 1950s American West.
- StarsDarren McGavinBart BurnsVito ScottiThe adventures of Mickey Spillane's tough-talking, brawling, skirt-chasing private detective Mike Hammer, who's always ready to use his fists on a "mug" or his charm on a "skirt" to get the case solved.
- StarsRobert TaylorTige AndrewsRussell ThorsonCaptain Matt Holbrook leads a squad of brave and tough detectives in a large, unnamed city. Instead of leading personal lives, they spend all of their time tracking murderers, thieves, corrupt cops, con-men and other lawbreakers. Holbrook's squad always consisted of three detectives, and rarely were all four men on a case at the same time.
- StarsLassieJon ProvostJune LockhartThe ongoing saga of the Martin family and their beloved collie, Lassie.
- StarsWill HutchinsCharles FredericksGil PerkinsCorrespondence-school law graduate Tom Brewster travels west to seek his fortune. Unfortunately, his "cowboy" abilities leave a lot to be desired and earn him the nickname "Sugarfoot", which is one step lower than a "Tenderfoot".
- StarsWilliam FormanDanni Sue NolanArthur FranzCrime anthology series with twist endings; based on the popular radio drama and several B-movies.
- StarsMichael AnsaraGina GillespieDayton LummisSam Buckhart, an Apache, rescues a Cavalry officer who later funds his Harvard education. Buckhart becomes a Deputy Marshal in New Mexico under Marshal Morrison. He boards with Martha Commager and had earlier saved orphan Tess Logan.
- CreatorJack WebbStarsPaul BurkeVictor RodmanMay WynnDrs. Sam Rinehart and Noah McCann are veterinarians working in a veterinary hospital. Rinehart, the older of the two, is confined to a wheelchair. Liz Clark is the secretary. The stories revolved around the animals that are treated and the interactions between the three humans.
- StarsHugh O'BrianJimmy NoelEthan LaidlawLoosely based on historical fact, the series portrays the gunslinging Wyatt Earp and his successful determination for law and order.
- DirectorArthur HillerStarsRichard JoyEverett SloaneJohn DerekThe story of the Sand Creek massacre, an 1864 massacre of Cheyenne and Arapaho people by the U.S. Army.
- CreatorJoe ConnellyBob MosherStarsRay MillandPhyllis AveryGordon JonesOriginally Ray McNutley is an English professor at an all girls school where every female swoons for him except for the Dean. Luckily he has an understanding wife Peggy. By the second year he is a drama teacher at a co-ed college and their name is now McNulty.
- CreatorFrederic DannayManfred LeeStarsGeorge NaderLes TremayneLee PhilipsEllery Queen was a mystery writer who assisted his father, a detective with the New York Police Department, in solving murders. Queen's methods were arcane and intellectual rather than action oriented, and he always astounded his father by arriving at a correction solution by purely deductive reasoning.
- CreatorRoy HugginsStarsEfrem Zimbalist Jr.Edd ByrnesRoger SmithStu Bailey and Jeff Spencer are the wisecracking, womanizing private-detective heroes of this Warner Brothers drama.
- StarsRoger MooreDorothy ProvineJeff YorkA pair of adventurers are intent on swindling travellers bound for the Yukon Territories during the height of the Klondike Gold Rush.
- StarsCharles BronsonJames FlavinLudwig StösselFormer combat cameraman Mike Kovac is now a freelance photographer in New York City, specializing in difficult and dangerous assignments where he can get the kinds of pictures that other photographers can't, or won't take. He sometimes gets help, often reluctantly, from his contact in the police department, Lt. Donovan, and advice from his immigrant father Anton.
- StarsEve ArdenGale GordonJane MorganMiss Brooks is an English teacher who has a low paying job, lousy boss, has a crush on a teacher and whose student drives her to school. She lives in a boarding house.
- StarsJohnny WeissmullerMartin HustonDean FredericksJungle Jim is a 26-episode syndicated adventure television series which aired from 1955 till 1956, starring Johnny Weissmuller, as James "Jungle Jim" Bradley, a hunter, guide, and explorer in, primarily, Africa.
- CreatorRichard QuineStarsMickey RooneyRegis ToomeyClaire CarletonThe misadventures of an eager but somewhat bumbling young actor who gets a job as a page at a television studio in Hollywood while trying to break into show business.
- StarsRay MillandSimon ScottHenry CordenA private investigator, who had been a successful lawyer, solves crimes almost anywhere in the world, although he is based in New York City.
- CreatorJean HollowayStarsKathleen FreemanThomas MitchellJean ByronThomas Russell is the gregarious mayor of Springdale whose attention to his electorate extends to their personal lives. He also has his own affairs to attend to, with his housekeeper Marilly certain to offer her opinion.
- StarsPhilip CareyLaraine DayWillis BoucheyThis show started in New York City, with Broadway actors and actresses. It then moved to Hollywood, California, where Hollywood actors and actresses headed the cast.
- StarsJane WymanPaul BryarTim GrahamAn anthology series hosted by Jane Wyman.
- StarsDavid NivenDick PowellCharles BoyerThis show featured four rotating stars, Charles Boyer, David Niven, Ida Lupino, and Dick Powell in individual episodes consisting of everything from comedy to drama.
- CreatorDon QuinnStarsRonald ColmanBenita HumeRay CollinsCharming Dr. William Hall is the urbane president of rural Ivy College. His pleasant life include his attractive wife, former actress Vicky and their all knowing housekeeper Alice. Occasionally school chairman Clarence Wellman causes a disruption.
- StarsPaul HartmanFay WrayNatalie WoodAlbie works in advertising for a newspaper and is full of innovative ideas that don't quite work. He goes home to his devoted wife Catherine, 15-year-old daughter Ann, and 14-year-old son Junior.
- StarsBuster CrabbeFuzzy KnightCullen CrabbeA captain in the French Foreign Legion in North Africa tries to keep the peace and battle bandit tribes while also taking care of his son, who lives with him at the Foreign Legion fort.
- CreatorRichard SaleMary LoosStarsJock MahoneyX BrandsKevin HagenAn adventurer, gambler, and widely respected southern gentleman is recruited to work as a secret agent, at no pay, in post-Civil War New Orleans, helped by his companion, a silent Pawnee Native American.
- StarsJohn HowardFrances MercerPhilip TongeBased on Lloyd C. Douglas's 1939 novel of the same title, the widowed Dr. Hudson lives with his daughter and housekeeper; he and his protege deal with a variety of medical (mostly psychological) traumas.
- CreatorJack WebbStarsJack WebbBen AlexanderOlan SouleSgt. Joe Friday and his partners methodically investigate crimes in Los Angeles.
- CreatorDick ChevillatRay SingerStarsWilliam BishopMichael O'SheaFrances BavierTwo ex G.I.'s Denny and Steve return home and take a room at the boarding house of the doting Amy Morgan. Also in the house are the young and beautiful Cathy, and Amy's irascible, penny-pinching chiseler brother Earl. The series follows "the boys'" exploits as they try to get rich quick and meet the girls of their dreams while working as vacuum-cleaner salesmen.
- StarsJack LescoulieThe June Taylor DancersRay BlochLive variety show with Jackie Gleason.
- StarsReed HadleyHugh BeaumontKeith RichardsThis series dramatizes confidence games which fall under the jurisdiction of Captain John Braddock.
- CreatorErle Stanley GardnerHarry SteegerStarsLyle BettgerCarleton G. YoungRobert AndersonThe Court of Last Resort was founded by Erle Stanley Gardner in the 1950s. The team sought to reveal whether someone already found guilty might really be innocent. The show dramatized the original crime then followed the investigation. Actual cases were used.
- StarsDouglas EdwardsSandy BeckerBob SherryDocumentary dramas, plays that were based on true stories, were the forte of Armstrong Circle Theater. Many movie actors and actresses got their start here.
- StarsRobert MontgomeryJohn NewlandVaughn TaylorActor, Producer, and Director Robert Montgomery introduced each telecast, sometimes interviewing one of the stars, and sometimes appearing in the play.
- StarsTim O'ConnorJames ValentineHurd HatfieldThe award winning bing play of Mary Chase came to television in 1958. It tells the story of Elwood P. Dowd (Art Carney), a personable chap who drinks a little, and befriends a "pookah", a six foot rabbit he calls "Harvey". Unfortunately, his sister and main caregiver Veta Louise Simmons formation Lorne, and her spinster daughter Myrtle Mae, have had Elwood's condition negatively affect their social lives. Elwood's engaging personality with its one flaw creates problems for those around him. So his sister, thinking it is in his best interests, seeks a cure for her brother's problem. But nothing is ever that simple.
- StarsLynn BariSummer replacement show featured filmed suspense and melodramatic shows featuring Hollywood stars.
- StarsRobert EmhardtMilton BerleJimmy DuranteA show featuring various specials. Some specials were comedy, and others were serious drama by famous authors.
- StarsWalter MatthauDavid WhiteConstance FordThe show featured original plays plus plays adapted from works.
- CreatorNorman KrasnaStarsDavid NivenRobert RyanJane PowellGoodyear Theatre is a 30-minute dramatic television anthology series telecast on NBC.
- StarsMaxine MillerAlfie ScoppJames DoohanThis is a somewhat Canadianised version of the NBC counterpart. Film inserts on nature and travel were added and a Canadian forest ranger named Timber Tom replaced Buffalo Bob as emcee.
- StarsJohn ContePeter HansenSarah ChurchillA daily anthology show, featuring original material, as well as adaptations of literary classics.
- CreatorWilliam RobertsStarsDonna ReedPaul PetersenCarl BetzA loving mother and wife deals with situations and problems of a middle-class family in the late 1950s and the early 1960s.
- StarsMilton BerleEd HerlihyBilly MayThe second incarnation of 'Mr. Television' Milton Berle's variety TV series.
- StarsScott ForbesWilliam SchallertJohn LaingThe adventures of frontier hero Jim Bowie are brought to life in this popular children's television series.
- StarsPolly BergenBill BergenBill WendellThe Polly Bergen Show was a half-hour 18-episode comedy/variety show, starring then 27-year-old Polly Bergen, which aired on NBC in the 1957-1958 television season.
- StarsPat BooneAndy WilliamsJoel GreyPat Boone hosted and sang in this half-hour variety series, and featured a wide variety of guest performers.
- StarsGuy WilliamsGene SheldonHenry CalvinDon Diego de la Vega opposes the corrupt tyrants of Spanish California as the masked swordsman, Zorro.
- StarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceFollow-up to I Love Lucy (1951), Lucy Ricardo continues her wacky schemes as she travels with her husband, Ricky and their friends Ethel and Fred to various locations and meeting celebrities.
- CreatorJames BuxbaumStarsLloyd BridgesKen DrakeCourtney BrownMike Nelson is a scuba diver in the days when it was still very new. He works alone, it was mostly carried through his voice-over narrations. These gave the show a flavor of a radio program.
- StarsGene BarryAllen JaffeAllison HayesBat Masterson roams The West and defends the innocent.
- DirectorBud YorkinStarsFred AstaireJonah JonesDavid Rose
- StarsRay MillandSimon ScottHenry CordenA private investigator, who had been a successful lawyer, solves crimes almost anywhere in the world, although he is based in New York City.
- StarsWilliam LundiganJoyce TaylorCharles HerbertThe adventures of Colonel Ed McCauley, head of the American space program. He battles saboteurs, budget cuts, defective equipment and other problems in outer space.
- StarsRichard LongAndrew DugganVan WilliamsA former New Orleans cop partners with an Ivy League lawyer to open up a private detective agency with offices on the city's famed Bourbon Street.
- StarsSteve HollandIrene ChamplinJoseph NashSpace hero Flash Gordon and his crew of the Galaxy Bureau of Investigation patrol space, battling space monsters, power-mad alien dictators and other threats to the stability of the universe.
- StarsGail DavisBrad JohnsonJimmy HawkinsA fictionalized account of the life of legendary Wild West sharpshooter Annie Oakley.
- CreatorIrna PhillipsStarsBlair DaviesMona BrunsHal Holbrook"Our years are as the falling leaves. We live, we love, we dream, and then we go. But somehow, we keep hoping that our dreams come true on that brighter day." These words opened this poignant daytime serial, which was set in the small Midwestern burg of New Hope. The sprawling Dennis family, headed by patriarch Rev. Richard Dennis, took center stage as stories developed around Richard's aspiring actress daughter Althea and Althea's dipsomaniacal brother Grayling.
- StarsJim DavisMary CastleKristine MillerRailroad detective Matt Clark roams the west, tracking down outlaws and bandits who are preying on the railroad.
- CreatorRoy WinsorStarsJada RowlandPeter HobbsLori MarchTells the story of the long-suffering Ames family and their seemingly endless domestic tragedies.
- CreatorMort R. LewisSam ShayonStarsReed HadleyJohn CloseHerschel GrahamBart Matthews defends the poor and others who cannot afford an attorney. All episodes are based on actual cases from across the country.
- CreatorLouis PelletierWilliam SpierStarsJune HavocMary TreenDanny Richards Jr.Willa Dodger opens a law practice in Renfrew, New Hampshire, USA after graduating from law school but business is slow so she left her boyfriend Charlie Bush in Renfrew, went to New York City and began representing a vaudeville group headed by Perry Bannister.
- CreatorEd JamesStarsRobert YoungLauren ChapinJane WyattThe popular radio show comes to life in this hit sitcom about a wise family man, Jim Anderson, his common-sense wife Margaret and their children Betty, Bud and Kathy.
- StarsJimmy DuranteEddie JacksonJack RothA half-hour variety show, hosted by the veteran vaudevillian Jimmy Durante. The show aired on NBC from October 1954, to June 1956.
- StarsJack CarsonConstance TowersFrancis PierlotFeaturing music, songs and comedy sketches, and sponsored by Pontiac automobiles, the show was broadcast on Friday nights on NBC, alternating with The Red Buttons Show, from October 22, 1954, until March 11, 1955.
- CreatorCy HowardStarsLyle TalbotSid MeltonHelen KleebJack Jackson, a prominent attorney, was a big football star in his younger day. His wife Alice was a successful tennis player but their son Junior inherited no athletic ability, preferring his studies. Dad still pushes him towards sports.
- StarsRobert CummingsAnn B. DavisRosemary DeCampThe romantic misadventures of Bob Collins, a suave, sophisticated bachelor and photographer operating in Hollywood, California. The show is centered around his womanizing ways with his models, and his sister's attempts to make him settle down.
- StarsLawrence WelkMyron FlorenNorma ZimmerOne of the most successful and fondly-remembered shows in TV history, "The Lawrence Welk Show" featured musical numbers and skits, with host Welk leading the band.
- StarsConnie HainesFrankie LaineA filmed music variety series.
- StarsFrankie LaineJack E. LeonardTony MarvinSummer replacement show for "Arthur Godfrey and His Friends". It was a variety series. Frankie Laine sang songs, and had a wide range of guest performers.