Granny Favorites 4

Family and variety shows were popular in the Fifties. Nowadays, it seems MTV and reality shows have taken over. Well, they'll have a hard time beating these all-time favorites!

The Honeymooners was first aired as a skit on Jackie Gleason's Cavalacade of Stars on October 5 , 1951, on the old DuMont Network. Jackie Gleason wrote the theme for The Honeymooners ("You're My Greatest Love") He released over 20 albums but couldn't read music! (I still have a copy of his music book in my collection.)

Our Miss Brooks had originated on CBS radio in 1948,and was heard on both radio and TV throughout the mid 1950s with essentially the same cast. Unfortunately, these shows are not part of the rerun lineup, so many people have forgotten this contribution of brilliant comedy writing by Bob Weiskopf, who started his prolific career writing jokes in 1940 and later wrote for Eddie Cantor, Fred Allen, Danny Thomas, Red Skelton, Phyllis Diller and Carol Burnett. He also wrote for many TV sitcoms, including I Love Lucy, and won Emmys for All in the Family and the Flip Wilson Show. Videos of the Our Miss Brooks series may be purchased at the amazon.com online store.

This show stared Eve Arden, but also featured a squeaky voiced teenager, Walter Denton, played by Richard Crenna - now a seasoned dramatic actor, director and producer. Gayle Gordon played the part of blustery school principal, Osgood P. Conklin.

In 1948, CBS hired Ed Sullivan to host its first variety show endeavor, a new format that combined vaudeville and television and was nicknamed �vaudeo.� The show was called The Toast of the Town. It was the longest-running variety show in TV history, and an undisputed institution.

Who can forget the stiffnecked Ed, who presented some of the greatest stars of all time on his "re-e-eally big shew." Remember Ray Bloch's orchestra, the June Taylor dancers - and that cute little mouse, Topo Gigio? (Keith Alexander provided the voice for Topo Gigio.) Then, there was Senior Wences, with his hilarious puppet-head-in-a-box, Pedro, and his falsetto-voiced hand-puppet, Johnny. (Senior Wences passed away in 1999 at the age of 103!)

Ed Sullivan also introduced to his audiences some of the great rock-and-roll groups of the 50s and 60s: Buddy Holly, The Beatles, and Elvis Presley.

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