Television was still learning what it was in the 1950's, and comedy took a lot of different shapes as people began to welcome the tube into their homes. The best comedies of the 1950's are harder to define than in any other decade simply because they were so long ago. There isn't a broadcast network out there that airs these classics on a regular basis. They show up in special salutes, but that's about it. Some of the shows that blasted their way from the 50's to the 60's do manage to get aired, but so many other comedies have been ignored, which means they aren't available for viewing on a regular basis.
With a couple of qualifications, I offer up my list of the best of the fifties, comedy-wise. I feel I would be remiss if I didn't say up front that some of these shows I've only seen once or twice, and other classics of that decade I've never seen. As a child of the TV generation, though, I've probably viewed more of these than those my age and under. Over the years, I've researched television, including many of these comedies, a great deal, so my knowledge base is quite wide. My point is that quite unintentionally, a good show might be left out or misplaced. I can only do my best to pick the best based on what I know and feel.
My other dilemma was if a show was selected for the best of the 1960's comedies, an article I wrote previously, should they also be in contention for the 'best of' here as well? For the most part, the answer is yes. The one exception I made was The Donna Reed Show, which debuted in 1958. The crux of this show was in the 60's, so I'm leaving it to that decade solely.
That said, here's the list of the best comedy shows in the 1950's.
11) Our Miss Brooks - Eve Arden was full force in this show about English teacher Connie Brooks. The cast had some great standouts, including Gale Gordon and a young Richard Crenna. This was a spiffy show full of wit. It had to be to match Arden's vivacious personality. She had attitude, that's for sure. She was, as the title indicates, single as well. Though she had a very strong liking for the school's biology teacher, Miss Brooks was a strong, career-minded character who cared about her students. She brought them, and us, a lot of laughs.
10) Private Secretary - Ann Sothern played Susie McNamara, a private secretary. Efficient at the office, her personal life was another story. This series aired for five seasons and included a supporting cast of Jesse White, Don Porter, and Ann Tyrell. One of the earliest crossovers happened when Sothern appeared on The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour in an episode called Lucy Takes a Cruise to Havana. Sothern played Susie in this episode.
9) Mama - Peggy Wood played Mama and Judson Laire Papa to this very popular series. The sad thing is that the placement of this show goes mostly from public acknowledgment of its success and quality. The show was produced live and therefore not placed onto film until later in the series. Thus, most of the series is completely lost. There are no reruns to be enjoyed by the masses. The show was Dick Van Patten's TV debut, and I recall that when his show, Eight is Enough, aired that there was a lot of talk and recollections about the Mama series. It deserves a spot on this list, even if it is a show I've never seen. I trust what I've heard, and I don't believe that our failure to capture the show for posterity should negate its place here.
8) December Bride - Spring Byington is one of my favorite actresses, and in December Bride, she stars as Lily Ruskin, who has moved in with her daughter and son-in-law. Harry Morgan is her neighbor, Pete Porter. He was as funny in this show as he was in MASH decades later. In fact, there was a spin-off series from this show called Pete and Gladys. It's the earliest one that I know of. Lily was a sweet, funny, and caring person. Her family was always trying to fix her up with a husband. One of my favorites was a rich gentlemen that she really liked. At first, the family was pushing them together, but then they thought he was just a schemer. They were wrong, of course, but by then, he and Lily were finished. December Bride was a terrific show that was lots of fun to watch.
7) Mr. Peepers - Though Mr. Peepers was only on a couple of seasons, it's a show I remember fondly. Wally Cox was great as Robinson Peepers. He was mild-mannered and possessed all the stereotypical nerd qualities that this character required. He was so low key and extremely funny. I can still picture him and hear that quirky sounding voice as he tried to deal with whatever problem was going on. Perhaps in the annals of greatness, Mr. Peepers doesn't compare to something like I Love Lucy, but it's a show that is memorable and that in itself makes it worthy of being on this list.
6) The Gale Storm Show (aka: Oh, Susanna) - Many say this show is even better than My Little Margie which has received a lot of good press over the years. In this show, Gale Storm plays Susanna Pomeroy, a cruise director. The show incorporated Storm's musical talents and had a nice supporting cast which included the daffy Zasu Pitts, along with Roy Roberts and James Fairfax. I have seen a couple of these shows and what I remember is some zaniness of the best kind. I laughed, and that's what counts.
5) The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - For well over a decade, the Nelson family welcomed us into their home. The boys were young in the 50's and getting into all kinds of trouble that was the norm for youngsters. Guiding David and Ricky were their parents, Ozzie and Harriet. There were often lessons to be learned, but there were always laughs to balance it out. The neighbors were a hoot, too. I loved Don DeFore as Thorny Thornberry. When DeFore left the show, Lyle Talbot came on board as Joe Randolph. Sometimes watching Ozzie and his friends commiserating was funnier than anything else. The Nelson boys were cute as could be, and America loved watching them go through adolescence. This family comedy is definitely one of the best ever, and is, in fact, on my list of best comedies of the 1960's as well.
4) The Jack Benny Show - This show also made my top comedy shows for the sixties. With no apologies, good is good, and that's what The Jack Benny Show is. I remember in elementary school, reruns of The Jack Benny Show were aired in the afternoons. I used to race home to watch it. Benny's humor is dry and witty. He does as much by his mannerisms and demeanor as he does by actual jokes, and the cast he surrounded himself with were great at working with that. I laugh, and I laugh a lot when I watch The Jack Benny Show.
3) The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show - This show could arguably be in the number one position, not just of the fifties but of all time. There are some who do proclaim it to be better than any other show, including I Love Lucy. They could be right. I love The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show. It's different from other shows in that there's a story, but at the same time, George talks to the viewers a lot. There's a personal feel to this show that doesn't exist for others. It's like we're there, in their living room. Gracie Allen is phenomenal. Her husband, George Burns, often said that she was the star. He just stood there and let her talk. That's what he said, and Gracie could talk. She played the dumb blonde to perfection, and she earned millions of laughs as a result. The endings of the shows were always funny and gave us the classic banter of George requesting, Say Goodnight, Gracie and Gracie following it up with, Goodnight. It was like a visit with friends. Maybe this does belong higher up on the list. It would make for an interesting debate.
2) Father Knows Best - The Anderson family warmed our hearts, taught us morals and values, and made us laugh along the way. Robert Young was the perfect father with Jane Wyatt the perfect mother. Aside from The Donna Reed Show, Father Knows Best is perhaps the ideal family image in America. We all wanted our families to be like theirs. This TV show ended after the 1960 TV season, but in 1977, it returned for two television movies which featured the original actors and which took the show to a natural progression. It was like we'd never stopped watching the Andersons. This show was all about the family first and the humor second.
1) I Love Lucy - This is potentially the greatest comedy of all time. Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz owned the comedy camp with this series. Ball had to fight the networks to allow Arnaz to star in the show, and wow, was she right. Arnaz was the brains behind the comedy, though Ball often received the credit. It was sad that their marriage couldn't go the distance, especially since it's pretty much common knowledge that they always loved each other. Regardless, Lucy and Ricky Ricardo continue to be household names. Never has a Cuban bandleader been so loved as Ricky, and never has a redhead been so adored as Lucy. My favorite is the classic Vitametavegemin routine, but every I Love Lucy is magic.
Honorable Mentions: I Married Joan, My Little Margie, Make Room for Daddy, Life of Riley, The Bob Cummings Show, Bachelor Father, Leave it to Beaver - All of these shows made a mark on television comedy as well. Make Room for Daddy is actually in my top list of shows for the sixties, and both Bachelor Father and Leave it to Beaver received mentions in that article as well. I really liked The Bob Cummings Show. It had a certain classy but goofiness to it that I found very funny. Cummings has a more sophisticated style of humor, and it was a hoot.
The 1950's were really the birthing grounds for television comedy. It set the mark for all comedies that followed to meet. Some were passed, but yet others are classics for the ages. What matters most about these shows, however, is that they brought laughter into our homes, and laughter is good for the soul.