Andy Griffith, Beverly Hillbillies, Petticoat Junction Were 1960's Super Shows

In the first decade of network television, the South was considered an afterthought. The networks were based in New York and the programming was very 'New Yorky'. Lots of boxing, stage plays, uptown talk, and supper club type of entertainment that reflected the New York scene. Of course there were westerns, but westerns were universal, and considered more historic than regional in genre. It was a reflection of our not so distant past, as the Civil War had been waged less than a century prior. Then in 1960 CBS, the 'Tiffany Network' bowed to the talents of two decidedly northern type performers, Danny Thomas and Sheldon Leonard, who were convinced that southern comic and Broadway star Andy Griffith could carry a Southern based show. The Andy Griffith Show was a bombshell and quickly the top show in the nation. Flush with that success, CBS enlisted Paul Hennings, who had made his name with the Red Skelton Show, to bring The Beverly Hillbillies to life. Another smash hit. It was so big they almost immediately spun off Petticoat Junction with Henning to take advantage of the groundswell of support for these rural shows. Who would have imagined that the urbane William Paley, after years of fighting the monster that was NBC with grace and charm, would see these down home shows give him his long awaited victory over NBC. And the run was a long one, with CBS dominating the ratings for more than a decade.

Bonanza Broke The Mold of Western Television

With the advent of color TV, the NBC execs put out the word that they wanted a bigger than life panoramic epic Western TV show designed to sell color TV sets. The result was Bonanza. Notice that the producers did not cast any of the garden variety western actors. Instead they looked for fresh faces not identified with any previous western show. They got Lorne Greene from Canada.
Dan Blocker was a newscomer. Pernell Roberts had been in many TV shows, but not identified as a western star. Michael Landon had been a drive in movie star, perfect to bring in the young viewers (and the women viewers). Of course they called the spread the Ponderosa and it all worked. In fact it worked so well that it spawned a series of epic color westerns on CBS as well, with Big Valley and The Virginian joining the fray. Of course, all of this played to the benefit of NBC, who's parent RCA sold the color TV sets regardless.

TV As a Cultural Event on American Television Academy

Sixty years of television on TV4U.Com and its affiliated IPTV channels has turned into more than just a video on demand collection of the famous, infamous, and forgotten productions of the past six decades. Much more. It has turned into a 'cultural event', a journey of six decades of American life reflected in the shows that Americans have viewed. As you scan through the shows , you not only see the parade of personalities but the views and the sights of an America emerging from World War II and heading through the fabulous 50's, the turbulent 60's, the transforming 70's, the Gen X 80's, the computer driven 90's and now the upheaval of the first decade of a new century. From the classic commercials to the iconic primetime shows, to the endearing Saturday morning trip back in time to the land of adventure and cartoons and westerns, it all weaves the fabric of our lives and reminds us how fortunate we have all been to have experienced this incredible transformation in America.