Television Series of the 1960s: Essential Facts and Quirky Details

By 1960, watching television had become the pastime of millions of viewers around the world. Week after week, audiences tuned in to watch their favorite programs and catch up with their favorite characters. During the 1960s, some of the most beloved shows of all time originally aired, including The Andy Griffith Show, The Fugitive, Get Smart, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and The Wild, Wild West. Even after these shows departed the airwaves, they lived on in syndication, entertaining several generations of viewers. Devoted and casual fans alike can probably remember basic facts about these shows--like the name of Rob Petrie’s boss on The Dick Van Dyke Show or the original captain of the USS Enterprise--but more obscure facts, like Barney Fife’s middle name, might be harder to recall.

In Television Series of the 1960s: Essential Facts and Quirky Details, Vincent Terrace presents readers with a cornucopia of information about more than seventy-five programs from the decade. For example, did you know that on The Addams Family, Lurch’s mother wanted him to become a jockey? Or that on The Avengers, John Steed had a pet dog named Freckles? Or that Patty and Cathy Lane of The Patty Duke Show had a distant cousin named Betsy Lane? These are but a few of the hundreds of fun and intriguing specifics contained within this volume. Shows from all three major networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC)--as well as select syndicated programs--are represented here.

This is not a book of opinions or essays about specific television programs but a treasure trove of the facts associated with each of these programs. FromMister Ed’s social security number to the zip code for Hooterville on Green Acres, readers will discover a wealth of fascinating information that, for the most part, cannot be found anywhere else. In some cases, the factual data detailed herein is the only such documentation that exists. Television Series of the 1960s is the ideal reference for fans of this decade and anyone looking to stump even the most knowledgeable trivia expert.

Vincent Terrace is a television historian for BPOLIN Productions, a film-TV production company. He has written more than thirty books, including Television Series of the 1950s: Essential Facts and Quirky Details (Rowman & Littlefield, 2016), Television Introductions: Narrated TV Program Openings since 1949 (Scarecrow, 2013), and Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010, 2d ed. (2011).