Monthly Archives: January 2014

Classic TV Shows on Hulu

Posted on by

Although I no longer subscribe to Hulu Plus, the online streaming service has an impressive selection of classic TV series in their library.

There are actually two Hulus, the original Hulu online and Hulu Plus. The latter is a subscription streaming service which costs the same as Netflix, $7.99 a month. The difference is Hulu Plus carries programming with “limited commercial interruptions.”

The commercials are kind of annoying for a pay service, but their classic TV library is pretty vast. Many shows are limited, however, so you may only see a season or two.

I spent a lot of time searching the Hulu site for classic TV shows (1950s-1960s-1970s) and put together the following list organized by category. Please note that not all series may be available on Plus. This list was researched in mid-January 2014 and is subject to change:

Adventure/Crime Drama
Adam-12, The Adventures of Black Beauty, The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, The Avengers, The Buccaneers, Dangerous Assignment, Dragnet, Ellery Queen, Flipper, Highway Patrol, I Spy, Ironside, It Takes A Thief, Kojak, Man with a Camera, Movin’ On, Naked City, Peter Gunn, The Rockford Files, Route 66, Sea Hunt

British
I Claudius, UFO, Yes Prime Minister

Cartoons/Kids
The Adventures of Flash Gordon, The Archies, Archie’s Funhouse, Dick Tracy, Dudley Do-Right, The Electric Company, Fat Albert & The Cosby Kids, Felix The Cat, Fireball XL-5, Fractured Fairy Tales, Godzilla, Gumby, The Jackson 5ive, Jason of Star Command, Johnny Soko & His Flying Robot, Lancelot Link Secret Chimp, The Mr. Magoo Show, The New Three Stooges, Popeye the Sailor, Return to the Planet of The Apes, Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends, The Secrets of Isis, The Soupy Sales Show, Speed Racer, Supercar

Comedies
The Abbott & Costello Show, All In The Family, The Andy Griffith Show, Barney Miller, Bewitched, The Bob Newhart Show, Buster Keaton (Short Films), Date With The Angels, Dennis The Menace, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Donna Reed Show, The Doris Day Show, Ernie Kovacs, Father Knows Best, Good Times, Green Acres, Here’s Lucy, I Dream of Jeannie, I Love Lucy, Laurel & Hardy (Lost Films), The Lucy Show, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, McHale’s Navy, Mister Ed, The Mothers-in-Law, My Favorite Martian, My Living Doll, My Mother The Car, Nanny and the Professor, Rhoda, Sanford and Son, The Three Stooges, WKRP in Cincinnati

Dramas
Lassie, Studio One, The White Shadow

Game Shows
You Bet Your Life

Science Fiction/Dramas
Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Battlestar Galactica, Dark Shadows, Flash Gordon, The Incredible Hulk, Land of the Giants, Lost In Space, Night Gallery, One Step Beyond, The Outer Limits, Space: 1999, Star Trek, Tales of Tomorrow, The Time Tunnel, The Twilight Zone, Voyage To The Bottom of the Sea

Variety
The Colgate Comedy Hour, The Ed Sullivan Show, The Lawrence Welk Show

Westerns
Alias Smith and Jones, The Big Valley, Bonanza, The Cisco Kid, The Lone Ranger, The Rifleman, The Roy Rogers Show

If you like classic TV and don’t mind watching on your PC, check out all the free shows on Hulu. If you’d rather watch on your TV, get a Roku or other streaming box and subscribe to Hulu Plus.

Classic TV Birthdays: January 20

Posted on by

A couple classic TV stars are celebrating birthdays today. UK actor Tom Baker, who played Who..Doctor Who that is…from 1974-81, turns 80. Arte Johnson, best known for his verrrry interesting role on Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In, turns 85.

Several January 20-born stars are no longer with us. Leon Ames starred in a number of early television series (Father of the Bride, Life with Father) but may best be remembered as next-door neighbor “The Colonel” on Mister Ed.

Others include DeForest Kelly (Bones on Star Trek) and Patricia Neal, a stage actress who starred as Olivia Walton in what would be the pilot for The Waltons (1971’s The Homecoming: A Christmas Story).

Dorothy Provine was also born on this day. She starred in some 1950s and 60s era series including The Alaskans and The Roaring 20s. She also had a prominent role in the classic 1965 Disney movie That Darn Cat, playing the sister of Hayley Mills.

A number of classic TV favorites passed away on January 20. Al Hirschfeld was not an actor, but a well-known caricaturist whose work often appeared on the cover of TV Guide magazine. Legendary film star Barbara Stanwyck portrayed family matriarch Victoria Barkley on The Big Valley.

Nedra Volz was not a household name, but many remember the character actress for her roles on such shows as The Dukes of Hazzard, Filthy Rich and Diff’rent Strokes (she played Adelaide, replacing Charlotte Rae’s character who moved on to The Facts of Life).

Also passing on this day: Johnny Weismuller. He’s well known as an Olympic swimming star and for playing Tarzan in the movies, but Weismuller also starred in a short-lived 1950s TV series called Jungle Jim.

Classic TV Shows on Netflix

Posted on by

I’ve had Netflix for several years now and L-O-V-E it! 8 bucks a month and you can stream on multiple devices…what a bargain!

I currently have it set up on 3 Roku boxes, my desktop PC and my Kindle Fire.

100,000 + Videos to Watch In Roku Player

Being a self-confessed classic TV junkie, I’m not very interested in movies. Netflix does have a nice selection of classic series and that’s what keeps me hooked.

Although I couldn’t found a simple directory of all classic TV shows in their library, I did some manual searching and came up with my own list of classic TV (1950s-1960s-1970s) on Netflix (as of January 2014):

Adventure/Crime Drama
Adam-12, Columbo, Dragnet, Emergency!, Hawaii Five-O, McMillan & Wife, Mission: Impossible, Quincy M.E., The Rockford Files

British
All Creatures Great and Small, Classic Doctor Who, Fawlty Towers, Upstairs Downstairs

Cartoons
Felix The Cat, Star Trek: The Animated Series

Comedies
The Andy Griffith Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Leave It To Beaver, The Munsters

Science Fiction/Mysteries
Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Battlestar Galactica, Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, The Incredible Hulk, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Star Trek, The Twilight Zone

Keep in mind programming on Netflix comes and goes, so series may disappear and reappear from your queue. Still, for only $8 a month I can’t complain. I was even able to use my USA Netflix account when I visited Finland last year…not as big of a selection but it works for me 🙂

January Classic TV DVD Releases

Posted on by

New on DVD this month: the 1970s cop comedy Barney Miller (Season 4), Bill Bixby in The Courtship of Eddie’s Father (Season 3), Shirley Booth as bossy maid Hazel (5th & Final Season), plus a pre-Gilligan Bob Denver in The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis (Season 2).

Enjoy some classic comedies and help support ClassicTVBlog.com with your purchase!

Classic TV Birthdays: January 19

Posted on by

A bunch of classic TV stars are celebrating birthdays today, starting with Desi Arnaz Jr. The son of Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball turns 61…he’s probably best remembered for his guest role on the Brady Bunch.

Other January 19 birthdays: Shelley Fabares (The Donna Reed Show, One Day At A Time, Coach) is 70, Tippi Hedren (starred in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds, guested on a number of classic TV shows), veteran NBC/PBS newsman Robert MacNeil is 83 and Fritz Weaver (character actor, appeared in 3 episodes of The Twilight Zone) is 88.

Several old favorites who have passed also share a January 19 birthday: Nicholas Colasanto (TV director and actor, best known for his role as Coach on Cheers) and Jean Stapleton (All In The Family).

Today also marks the anniversary of two classic TV stars’ deaths. Anthony Franciosa starred in a number of series, including The Name of the Game and Matt Helm. Suzanne Pleshette guested on many series, but her biggest role was Emily, Bob’s wife on The Bob Newhart Show.

Antenna TV: TV How It Was Meant To Be

Posted on by

Antenna-TV-logo

In an earlier post, I raved about MeTV, a national classic TV programming service. Weigel Broadcasting launched MeTV in Chicago in 2005, taking it national in 2010. It’s now carried on local television stations across America, mostly on digital subchannels.

Less than 3 weeks after MeTV’s national launch, a competing service was born: Antenna TV. It too has Chicago roots, owned by Tribune Broadcasting.

Unfortunately, there are currently no Antenna TV affiliates where I live (Johnstown-Altoona-State College DMA). I’m keeping my fingers crossed someone will pick it up eventually…are you listening WTAJ?

Even though I haven’t been able to sample Antenna TV personally, I have followed their programming schedules online. Here’s a list of the classic TV shows they carry as of January 2014:

Comedies
All In The Family, Bachelor Father, Barney Miller, Bewitched, Burns and Allen, Dennis the Menace, Diff’rent Strokes, Father Knows Best, The Flying Nun, Gidget, Good Times, Green Acres, Hazel, I Dream of Jeannie, The Jack Benny Program, Maude, McHale’s Navy, Mister Ed, The Monkees, The Partridge Family, The Patty Duke Show, Sanford and Son, The Three Stooges and WKRP in Cincinnati.

Adventure and Drama Series
Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Circus Boy, Flipper, Here Come The Brides, It Takes A Thief, Suspense Theatre

Antenna TV is available on broadcast subchannels nationwide, including WPIX New York, KTLA Los Angeles, WGN Chicago and WPHL Philadelphia. For a complete list of affiliates and programming schedules, please visit Antenna TV’s website.

Classic TV Birthdays: January 18

Posted on by

Celebrating a birthday today: Alison Arngrim is 52. Alison is best-known for her role as Nellie Oleson on Little House on the Prairie. She also guested on Fantasy Island and The Love Boat.

Born on this day but no longer with us, Bob Bell (original Bozo the Clown on WGN Chicago), Oliver Hardy (the bigger half of Laurel & Hardy) and Danny Kaye (film actor who guested on a number of TV series).

Classic TV stars who passed away on January 18 include Carl Betz (The Donna Reed Show, Judd for the Defense), Curly Howard (The Three Stooges), Rusty Hamer (Make Room for Daddy) and Bob May (The Robot on Lost in Space).

Classic TV Birthdays: January 17

Posted on by

Today is Betty White’s 92nd birthday. She appeared in such classic series as Date with the Angels, The Golden Girls and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. She is currently starring in Hot In Cleveland, an original comedy series on TV Land. Betty is the widow of classic game show host Allen Ludden (Password).

January 17 also marks the birthday of several stars who are no longer with us, including Andy Kauffman (Taxi), Eartha Kitt (Batman), Shari Lewis (of Shari Lewis & Lamb Chop fame) and Sheree North (veteran character actress, later played Babs Kramer on Seinfeld).

A number of classic TV stars passed away on this day, among them Richard Crenna (The Real McCoys), Don Kirshner (Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert), Allan Melvin (All In The Family, The Brady Bunch, Gomer Pyle USMC, Magilla Gorilla, The Phil Silvers Show) and Doodles Weaver (veteran character actor).

Classic TV Stars Live: Bill Cosby Tickets

Posted on by

Hey, hey hey! Bill Cosby, star of Fat Albert & The Cosby Kids, The Bill Cosby Show, The Cosby Show and I Spy, is on tour now.

Check out the schedule and ticket availability:


Classic TV Shows on Cable & Satellite

Posted on by

As a classic TV junkie, I watch most of my shows on MeTV, Netflix or DVD. I still subscribe to Dish Network but am seriously considering cutting the cord when my contract expires this summer.

Just for kicks, I went through the TV listings for a bunch of cable/satellite channels to see what classic shows (50s-60s-70s-80s) are on their schedules as of January 2014. I included some 1980s shows to pad the listings.

Even with 100+ channels, it was pretty slim pickings:

AMC
Rawhide, The Rifleman, The Three Stooges

Angel Two
Bonanza, Fat Albert & The Cosby Kids, Lassie, The Lone Ranger, The Roy Rogers Show

Boomerang
The Flintstones, Huckleberry Hound, The Jetsons, Jonny Quest, Looney Tunes, MGM Cartoons, The New Scooby Doo Movies, Scooby Doo Where Are You?, Secret Squirrel, The Smurfs, Tom & Jerry, Yogi Bear

Cartoon Network
Looney Tunes, Tom & Jerry

Centric
The A Team, The Cosby Show, Miami Vice

CMT
The Dukes of Hazzard

Encore Black
227, Amen, Diff’rent Strokes, What’s Happening!!

Encore Classic
Magnum P.I., Murphy Brown, Night Court

Encore Westerns
Bat Masterson, Bonanza, Gunsmoke, Have Gun Will Travel, The Life & Legend of Wyatt Earp, Maverick

Family Entertainment TV
Fat Albert & The Cosby Kids, Highway to Heaven, Lassie, The Lone Ranger, The Roy Rogers Show, Sergeant Preston of the Yukon

GSN
$100000 Pyramid, $25000 Pyramid, Blockbusters, Match Game, Press Your Luck, Sale of the Century, Super Password

Hallmark Channel
The Brady Bunch, Cheers, The Golden Girls, I Love Lucy, The Waltons

Hallmark Movie Channel
Matlock, Mister Ed, Murder She Wrote, Perry Mason

The Hub
ALF, Family Ties

INSP
The Big Valley, Bonanza, The High Chaparral, Little House on the Prairie, Matlock, The Virginian, The Waltons

RFD-TV
Hee Haw, Pop! Goes The Country, The Porter Wagoner Show

Syfy
The Twilight Zone

TV Land
The Andy Griffith Show, The Brady Bunch, The Cosby Show, Gilligan’s Island, The Golden Girls, Gunsmoke

UP
227, The Waltons

Please let me know if I missed any channels or programs. Thanks.