by Felicia Arnold

Created on: June 04, 2009   Last Updated: June 16, 2009

The 1960s provided television viewers with some of the most diverse comedy shows. It was the time when television was able to entertain a variety of tastes. Look at the titles of the shows and see if you can find an old favorite!

For the country-minded viewers television presented the comedy of the Beverly Hillbillies, Petticoat Junction, and The Andy Griffith Show. The actors on these shows portrayed simple, hard working folks who worked, solved their problems and had time to sit on their porch in their rocking chairs, and rock.

Family rules and acceptable behavior were always touched on in the families of the Father Knows Best show and The Brady Bunch. When Robert Young's character arrived home from work, his wife would usually have a crisis for him to solve. On the Brady Bunch, the stories had more to do with the blending of these two families and their troubles. Having Ann B. Davis' character involved in many of the crises added to the fun.

Speaking of fun, audiences chuckled as Bewitched was on the screen. Elizabeth Montgomery's twitching nose was a sign that trouble was up ahead. With the hilarious Agnes Moorehead playing her mother, it was inevitable that this show would be a hit for the entire family.

More family humor was enjoyed as we watched Dennis the Menace and Leave it to Beaver. The boys on these shows got into all kinds of mishaps, and the adults were always in the middle. Keeping a peaceful household was not always easy .

The classic Lucille Ball was the Queen of Comedy on the I Love Lucy shows. The writers found the most unbelievable situations for her to find herself struggling with. The constant "Ricky, can I be in the show?" was a key to all viewers that she was going to do something pretty strange.

A more sophisticated humor was provided by the characters in That Girl, The Dick Van Dyke Show, and The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. Marlo Thomas was the perky girl trying to find her way on That Girl. On the Dick Van Dyke Show you had the comedy routines of RoseMarie, and Morty Amsterdam to add to the Petrie household troubles. Fantastic group of performers. Young love was usually the topic on the Dobie Gillis show...aimed at the older dating audiences.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, there was something for every viewer to watch on TV in the 1960s. Why, we even had a Flying Nun! Who would've known that Sally Field would go from a flying nun to the striking Norma Rae! What an amazing time for TV.

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