Over the Christmas break, I watched so many Christmas movies and I came to the conclusion that for the most part they all had basically the same theme of boy meets girl, they fall in love, and marriage was sure to follow. I enjoy documentaries, biographical stories, and a PBS presentation of All Creatures Great and Small. I'm not a mystery story type of gal unless it's Murder She Wrote, and that's only because I really like Angela Lansbury. Things didn't seem as violent in those episodes as they do in today's mysteries.
Anyway, there is a point to all of this...truly. 😊
When January 2025 came around, I started thinking about some of the GEMS from when I was younger...some of them from when I was really younger. I thought it would be fun to start watching some of them again that were still available. I've really been enjoying some of the "oldies but goodies" and thought I would see how many of them my readers would remember...just for fun.
The Andy Griffith Show
(Dear Little Opie, Aunt Bea, Barney Fife, and Andy Griffith)
A bit of a side note regarding Don Knots who played Barney.
He was born and raised in Morgantown, West Virginia, which is my hometown.
He and my dad actually went to high school together.
We can't forget to include the Darling family.
The funniest Andy Griffith Show in my humble opinion was when Mr. Darling "declared" his love for Aunt Bea. I still laugh every time I watch it.
I'm currently rewatching The Danny Thomas Show and am loving it.
The little guy that plays Rusty, Danny's son, steals the show every time.
I know it's the way the script is written, but it seems he is almost always the one who gets the punch line.
I appreciate the strong family values that this show displays.
We can't forget Leave it to Beaver.
As a kid growing up, I always liked this show because of the age difference between Wally and Beaver, because there was 8-year age difference between me and my oldest brother.
Again, family values displayed.
Lassie was always a favorite that I remember from my early childhood days.
We had a Collie as well, only ours was black and white.
Lassie was always the hero.
I can't forget my hero
SKY KING!
And last for this post is the lady who was my idol.
Annie Oakley!
I would much prefer to watch her over cartoons any day.
As a matter of fact, I loved her so much that I had to have a cowgirl outfit like hers...including the holster and cap pistol.
I think my favorite part was all of the fringe on the outfit.
How many of these programs did you watch as you were growing up?
Which were your favorites?
They don't have to be from these I've listed...I'd just love to know what you enjoyed watching.
Please let me know in the comments!
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Awe....thanks for this step back in time. My 95 year old FIL watches Andy Griffith Show every single day. When we visit him and the show is playing, he can tell us every word of each episode. I remember Lassie..Loved watching this one. These were the good ol' days where shows were family oriented and clean. I enjoyed the light hearted humor and the characters were all so pleasant. Sweet memories today...
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome! Yes, you are so right...those were the good ol' days when shows were family oriented and clean. xx
DeleteWe didn't have a tv till I was in 5th grade. My mom took us to the library every week and we would fill a box with books. We played outside and did lots of reading. I remember being jealous of other kids who would talk about Leave it to Beaver. I also remember going to an uncle and aunts house to watch the moon landing. Now I can see that it was really good for us!
ReplyDeleteWhen we did get a tv we loved the Andy Griffith show.
I think you are smart to be watching those shows now. I should look some of them up!
I don't remember how old I was when we got a tv...and it was my grandparents who had the television downstairs in their living room. There were certain programs that came on that Grandpap required complete quiet. When our kids were growing up, we didn't have a television and did what your family did when you were growing up...we read together as a family. It was a tradition every winter that Carroll and both our children read through the encyclopedias too. I preferred other books. :) Thank you for sharing a part of your childhood with us, Mari.
DeleteWhat fun classics! Andy Griffith is a wonderful classic and still so enjoyable to watch. I don't think I ever saw the Danny Thomas show and I have to admit, I have never heard of Sky King. Do you remember Hazel or the Ghost and Mrs Muir? I don't remember really watching them too much but for some reason they popped into my head. Along with Gidget and Gilligan's Island. I think my favorite classic is I Love Lucy!! Such a fun post today!
ReplyDeleteHello Jennifer. Sky King was my hero...and I knew exactly what time on Saturdays that he was on. I do remember Hazel but can't say that I ever watched the Ghost and Mrs. Muir. I wasn't a Gidget fan, but we did watch Gilligan's Island. I don't know how I missed putting I Love Lucy on the roster today. She was a favorite.
DeleteWell, you've certainly sent me down memory lane. :) I do remember the Andy Griffith show, though it wasn't my favorite. The episodes I liked best were about Andy and Opie. One of the best was when Opie was talking about someone he met in the woods and making him sound like a superhero. Andy didn't mind him using him using his imagination, but was disturbed that Opie insisted the man was real. Then he met the man--some kind of workman or lineman with a big tool belt and equipment, and was so relieved. Another was when Opie accidentally knocked a bird's nest out of a tree while throwing a rock. I don't remember what Andy made him do--maybe take care of the birds and then release them. But I remember them talking at the end about how good it was to hear the birds in the trees again. Another favorite non-Opie episode was when a harried businessman's car breaks down and it tales a while to get it fixed. Andy and others help him learn to slow down and relax.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to say I didn't really like Barney Fife or Goober as characters.
I know we watched the Danny Thomas show, but I don't remember much about it. We did watch Leave it to Beaver and Lassie. I heard of Sky King but don't remember seeing it.
We watched I Love Lucy, though that wasn't a favorite. We did like The Lone Ranger, Gunsmoke, Rawhide, , The Rifleman, Bonanza, (my dad liked westerns), Dragnet, Mister Ed, Lost in Space, The Fugitive, Family Affair, The Courtship of Eddie's Father, Daniel Boone, Big Valley (all my friends liked Heath or Nick, but I had a crush on Jarrod :) ). Some of those are more into the 1960s. I think we must have watched the Ed Sullivan show, but I remember more the Andy Williams show.
I know exactly what episode you are talking about with Opie and the bird he shot in the tree. It was actually his own idea to care for the baby birds until they could fly. And the lineman one I also remember...the man's name was an Irish name, but I cannot for the life of me think what it was now. He had rings on his fingers and bells on his toes...or something like that.
DeleteThe reason we enjoyed Barney Fife so much was because Don Knotts was a hometown boy. :)
All of the westerns were ones we also watched...because that's what Grandpap enjoyed...and it was his television. We didn't get one in our living quarters upstairs until I was much older. I love it that you had a crush on Jarrod! I'd forgotten about the Ed Sullivan show...but we watched that too. And we can't forget dear Lawrence Welk!
I remember every single one. Lassie was always a favorite of mine.
ReplyDeleteLeave it to Beaver is another one. We have all the seasons on DVD and have watched it a few times!!
I loved Cheyenne with Clint Walker!!
Mine, too, Karen. Such a beautiful dog.
DeleteLeave it to Beaver was a good family show...and I loved some of the antics that Wally and Beaver got into.
Yes, we watched Cheyenne as well! Thanks for sharing with us, my friend.
I watched all of them at some point many on reruns. I don't know if I had a favorite!!
ReplyDeleteThey were all good, weren't they? xx
DeleteI forgot all about Sky King. I'm sure I watched all of them but my memories are better with Lassie and Leave it to Beaver. I also remember My Three Sons and the Donna Reed Show. It was fun to read your memories and connections to these shows. We recently had our grandson watch Davy Crockett. He was impressed. (He's 4, soon to be 5) The Musketeers was one that I also remember. We are pleased that our kids monitor what our grands are able to watch these days. The 'kids' programs are so full of yuck and woke nonsense and others have subtle brainwashing going on in the midst of the stories. I'm coming in late after a Thursday that was busy from morning to night!
ReplyDeleteYes, I've watched a few reruns lately of My Three Sons. I'd forgotten all about the Donna Reed Show until you mentioned it. Yes, Ellen, these days our kids certainly need to monitor what their children watch. It's the subtle brainwashing that really gets me.
DeleteI remember watching all those programs. Truly memorable. My favorite heroes were the Long Ranger and Zorro. And I loved the Mickey Mouse Club with Annette and Cubby and Karen. And there was the glut of westerns like Have Gun Will Travel, Wagon Train, Cheyenne, Maverick, Sugarfoot....so many!
ReplyDeleteYes, we watched the Lone Ranger and I'd forgotten all about Zorro and his famous Z he would make with his sword. Oh, yes! The Mickey Mouse Club. The current season of The Danny Thomas Show I am watching has Annette in it, as a foreign exchange student from Italy who is living with the Williams family. My grandpap and my dad were both big on the westerns.
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