1960s
The original Gilligan’s Island theme song & cast you probably don’t remember (1963)
The original Gilligan’s Island pilot had three actors who were cut before the series began, and a completely different theme song. Hear it here!
theme song
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1970s
What’s Happening!! Go behind the scenes on the popular ’70s TV sitcom & see opening credits
Get a blast from the past with this 1978 article about the popular TV sitcom, “What’s Happening!!”, which soared past expectations and entertained millions.
1970s
Bea Arthur talks ‘Maude’ – the TV show made just for her (1972-1978)
Ask Bea Arthur how she resembles ‘Maude,’ the female chauvinist she plays on TV, and the stately, gray-haired actress lays it on the line – just like Maude.
1960s
The Munsters cast: Sitcom stars Fred Gwynne and Yvonne De Carlo talk TV in these vintage interviews
Spooky sitcom stars Fred Gwynne & Yvonne De Carlo talked about their lives & what it was like to film The Munsters TV show in these classic cast interviews!
1970s
‘Good Times’ TV show – including the theme song & lyrics (1974-1979)
Good Times aired from February 1974 through August 1979. Developed by Norman Lear, it was a spin-off of Maude, which was an All in the Family offshoot.
1960s
How the Flintstones TV show got its start, plus see the intro & theme song lyrics… Yabba dabba doo!
The Flintstones TV cartoon sitcom ran for 6 seasons in the ’60s. Find out how the story began, plus see the opening credits & the catchy theme song lyrics!
1970s
Ponch & John hit the roads as motorcycle cops in LA on CHiPs (1977-1983)
CHiPS, a light-hearted one-hour action-adventure series, follows the exploits of a pair of young California Highway Patrol motorcycle officers on the busy Los Angeles freeways, and their encounters with the infinite variety of people who drive there.
1970s
How ‘All in the Family’ set TV records – plus the show intro & theme song (with lyrics)
“All in the Family” was a huge hit TV show that aired on CBS from January 12, 1971 to April 8, 1979, and was number 1 in the Nielsen ratings from 1971 to 1976. Find out more here!
1980s
St Elsewhere has a long and healthy run – Plus see the opening credits (1982-1988)
For six years, the NBC series St Elsewhere literally set the standard for network programming, offering a consistently high level of realistic writing, ensemble acting, narrative experimentation and outrageous humor.
1960s
The Monkees are coming: ’60s singer-spoofers offer crazy fun + the TV show opening credits
Like most basically nice – and occasionally nutty – youngsters, The Monkees are in the throes of that “we-have-opinions-too” age. What follows is an exclusive interview granted, under rather mad-cap conditions, on the set.
1970s
The Betty White Show story – plus opening credits (1977-1978)
The Betty White Show was a snappy, well-executed 1970s comedy TV show that was meant to appeal to anyone who likes to laugh at real humor – witty, cerebral humor.
1970s
Sanford and Son an instant, impressive hit (1972)
NBC TV’s midseason situation comedy series, ‘Sanford and Son,’ about an aging black Los Angeles junk dealer, appears to be an instant, impressive hit.
1970s
Kermit, Miss Piggy and Jim Henson bring ‘The Muppet Show’ to life (1976-1981)
There’s an all-new all-family comedy-musical-variety series – ‘The Muppet Show,’ the latest offering from Jim Henson. Find out about the show, and see the opening credits and theme song lyrics here!
1970s
Laverne & Shirley theme song & lyrics (1976-1983)
Laverne & Shirley ran on ABC from January 27, 1976 to May 10, 1983. The comedy starred Penny Marshall as Laverne De Fazio, Cindy Williams as Shirley Feeney, as well as Michael McKean and David L Lander as Lenny & Squiggy.
1950s
How the TV show ‘Leave it to Beaver’ began, and made millions yearn for an idealized version of the ’50s that never actually existed
Revisit the picture-perfect view of the ’50s with the Cleaver family, and their oh-so-retro daily ups and downs on the classic TV show, ‘Leave it to Beaver.’ You’ll also find out how Alfred Hitchcock was involved with this success story!
1980s
Family Ties: A hit TV show all on its own (1985)
‘Family Ties’ has the most enviable time slot in network TV, following ‘The Cosby Show.’ But the four-year-old sitcom has managed to create its own following, and now clocks in at #2.
1980s
The ‘Cosby Show’ appeals to young and old, black and white (1986)
‘The Cosby Show’ enters millions of American living rooms precisely because it so well mirrors those living rooms. Sure, the Huxtable family is funnier, wealthier and more idealized than most.
1980s
Tom Hanks gives thanks for Bosom Buddies (1981)
For two years, Tom Hanks pounded the streets of the city searching for a job. Then he was flown to LA, screen tested, and finally selected for the role of Kip Wilson in ‘Bosom Buddies.’ And so a star was born.
1970s
TV’s Taxi takes off with Hirsch, DeVito & Danza (1978-1982)
Set in New York, ‘Taxi’ concerns the lives of folks laboring for the Sunshine Cab Co. Judd Hirsch plays the only real cabbie – the others are just hacking until they get a break in their real calling.
1970s
Starsky and Hutch: The TV story & the classic theme music (1975-1979)
While television hardly needs another cop series, ‘Starsky and Hutch’ may be one of the better reasons to turn on a TV set this fall There’s a quality there.
1970s
WKRP in Cincinnati (1978-1982)
His style at WKRP finds him falling asleep at the turntable as he puts a needle to the station’s current playlist. But then everything changes, and as creatures trapped at a station in transition, the WKRP folk are quite funny.
1970s
The Mary Tyler Moore Show theme song & lyrics (1970-1977)
The Mary Tyler Moore Show features Mary in the role of Mary Richards, a small-town single girl who moves to the big city (Minneapolis-St Paul) and lands a job as associate producer of a news program on a local TV station.
1970s
The Facts of Life theme song & lyrics (1979-1988)
Charlotte Rae, the lovable and comical housekeeper on ‘Diff’rent Strokes,’ brings the same characterization to ‘The Facts of Life’ as Mrs Garrett, housemother to five teenage girls at Eastlake, a college preparatory school.
1970s
Diff’rent Strokes theme song & lyrics (1978-1986)
Gary Coleman stars as Arnold, a street-wise youth from Harlem, who is adopted by a white millionaire and becomes confused and suspicious about his sudden change of fortune on the comedy series, Diff’rent Strokes.
1980s
Growing Pains theme song & lyrics (1985-1992)
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the 1985 TV season is the success of ABC’s “Growing Pains,” a family sitcom starring former talk-show host Alan Thicke as psychiatrist Jason Seaver.
1970s
The romantic hit movie ‘Love Story’ broke box-office records (1970)
Nominated for 7 Oscars, ‘Love Story’ starred Ali MacGraw as Jenny, the romantic-tragic girl, and Ryan O’Neal as the rich college boy who won her heart.
1960s
‘Hogan’s Heroes’ star Bob Crane on finding the humor in war (1965)
Bob Crane, a breezy, articulate ex-drummer and recent disc jockey-turned-actor, stars in Hogan’s Heroes, a CBS comedy series which has Col. Hogan (Crane) as the leader of Allied prisoners in a German POW camp in World War II.
1960s
Courtship Of Eddie’s Father theme song & lyrics (1969-1972)
The Courtship of Eddie’s Father was a TV sitcom about a widower, Tom Corbett (Bill Bixby) and his son, Eddie (Brandon Cruz), that debuted on September 1969 and lasted for 73 episodes. The memorable theme song, ‘Best Friend, was written and performed by singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson.
1960s
‘Lost in Space’ is out of this world (1965)
The year is 1997. On an uncharted planet, somewhere in the infinite reaches of the universe, an American family is marooned while on a voyage to colonize a new world.
1960s
TV’s ‘Get Smart’ spoofs the spies (1965)
What do you get when you mix equal parts Mel Brooks and James Bond? Get Smart – one of the most hilarious spoofs on spies and private eyes ever to be presented on television or in any other medium. (Also see the memorable opening credits!)
1960s
The classic TV show ‘That Girl’ gave Marlo Thomas a chance to shine
After ‘That Girl’ proved a comedy success for the actress who played the title role, TV executives suggested the series be called ‘The Marlo Thomas Show.’
1970s
Free to Be…You and Me: A one-of-a-kind, star-studded message to kids (1973)
The first ‘children’s liberation’ album, ‘Free To Be… You And Me’ – featuring stars like Marlo Thomas, Mel Brooks, Harry Belafonte, Alan Alda, Diana Ross and Shirley Jones – was catchy, upbeat, and like nothing else, and by 1976, had sold half a million copies.
1970s
‘The Jeffersons’ star Sherman Hemsley uses his fame for good (1975)
The Jeffersons is another hit from Norman Lear, and it has made stars out of its leading players — including Sherman Hemsley, who plays George Jefferson.
1960s
The Andy Griffith TV show’s success & that catchy theme song (1960s)
The Andy Griffith Show ran for eight seasons on CBS between 1960 and 1968 — more than enough time to establish itself as an American icon, generate a spin-off and a sequel series, and introduced the world to Jim Nabors’ singin
1960s
Gilligan’s Island show intro, theme song & lyrics (1964-67)
Gilligan’s Island ran for a total of 98 episodes over three seasons — from September 26, 1964, to September 4, 1967. Sing along to the theme song here!
1970s
Mork & Mindy intro and calling Orson (1978-1982)
Mork & Mindy was a sitcom that ran for 90 episodes, from 1978 until 1982. The ABC series starred a young Robin Williams as alien visitor Mork, and Pam Dawber co-starred as Mindy McConnell.
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