Recent Articles

1961 in television

See also: 1960 in television, other events of 1961, 1962 in television and the list of 'years in television'.

Events

• July 1 - The soap opera The Brighter Day airs its first episode after moving taping locations from New York City to Los Angeles. As a result, key character Babby Dennis and her love interest are mysteriously written out of the show; the actors who played them did not want to move.
• September - NBC begins its long-running Saturday Night at the Movies series with an airing of the 1953 Marilyn Monroe picture How to Marry a Millionaire.
• John F. Kennedy holds the first live televised Presidential press conference.

Debuts

• January 5 - Mister Ed debuts. (1961-1966)
• The Dick Van Dyke Show premieres (1961-1966)
• The Mike Douglas Show premieres (1961-1981)

Popular Television Shows

• Meet the Press (1947-present)
• Candid Camera (1948-present)
• The Ed Sullivan Show (1948-1971)
• The Voice of Firestone (1949-1963)
• The Jack Benny Show (1950-1965)
• Truth or Consequences (1950-1988)
• What's My Line (1950-1967)
• Love of Life (1951-1980)
• Search for Tomorrow (1951-1986)
• American Bandstand (1952-1989)
• The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952-1966)
• The Guiding Light (1952-present)
• The Honeymooners (1952-1970)
• The Today Show (1952-present)
• Panorama (UK) (1953-present)
• The Good Old Days (UK) (1953-1983)
• Face the Nation (1954-present)
• The Brighter Day (1954-1962)
• The Milton Berle Show (1954-1967)
• The Secret Storm (1954-1974)
• The Tonight Show (1954-present)
• Zoo Quest (UK) (1954-1964)
• Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955-1962)
• Captain Kangaroo (1955-1984)
• Dixon of Dock Green (UK) (1955-1976)
• Gunsmoke (1955-1975)
• The Lawrence Welk Show (1955-1982)
• This Is Your Life (UK) (1955-2003)
• Armchair Theatre (UK) (1956-1968)
• As the World Turns (1956-present)
• Hancock's Half Hour (1956-1962)
• Opportunity Knocks (UK) (1956-1978)
• The Edge of Night (1956-1984)
• The Price Is Right (1956-1965)
• What the Papers Say (UK) (1956-present)
• Leave It to Beaver (1957-1963)
• The Sky at Night (UK) (1957-present)
• Blue Peter (UK) (1958-present)
• Grandstand (UK) (1958-present)
• The Donna Reed Show (1958-1966)
• Walt Disney Presents (1958-1961) ends on September 17 to resume on September 24 on NBC as Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color (1961-1969)
• Bonanza (1959-1973)
• Juke Box Jury (1959-1967, 1979, 1989-1990)
• The Twilight Zone (1959-1964, 1985-1988, 2002)
• Coronation Street (UK) (1960-present)
• My Three Sons (1960-1972)
• The Andy Griffith Show (1960-1968)
• The Flintstones (1960-1966)

Ending this year

• This Is Your Life (US) (1952-1961)
• The Army Game (UK) (1957-1961)

Changes of Network Affiliation

• Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color moves from ABC to NBC to take advantage of the latter network's color broadcasting abilities.

Births

• January 13 - Julia Louis-Dreyfus, actress
• April 6 - Gene Eugene Andrusco, actor, lead singer of Adam Again
• June 9 - Michael J. Fox, actor