Did these '62-'63 shows flop?

Added: 2026-05-17

[00:00:00]How do you walk up to your best friend and say you're fired? If only there was an easy way, a nice gentle way of telling him. I don't think there is any gentle way of telling your best friend he's fired. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. I got it. I got it. I'll just say, "Arch, take the day off tomorrow for the rest of your life."

[00:00:18]>> [music] >> Uh-oh, 1962, Goldfish crackers were introduced. And speaking of aquatic creatures, Sea Monkeys first came onto the scene. And the first ever Walmart opened. But I'm talking about TV shows with rollback ratings. Yeah, I can explain. Paul here, actor and former radio host. The top three that year were Beverly Hillbillies, Candid Camera, and The Red Skelton Show, a sweep for CBS. But I'm talking about shows that got swept under the rug. The one-and-done shows from the '62-'63 TV season. Should they have lived another year? Well, I count them down, you decide. Number 10, I'm Dickens, He's Fenster.

[00:01:06]>> [music] >> I'm Dickens, he's Fenster.

[00:01:12]Starring John Astin, Marty Ingels, with Emmaline Henry.

[00:01:20]>> [music] [music] >> Created and produced by Leonard Stern.

[00:01:34]>> [music] [music] >> Presented by Crest. Yeah, it's about two carpenters.

[00:01:48]By the way, John Astin is Dickens, he's married. Fenster is single. Now, here's the classic plot of Dickens is up for a promotion at work, and he's nervous. We just today like any other day.

[00:01:59]>> Like any other day. Now, if Harry doesn't mention the promotion, why should we? If he's not nervous, there's no need for any discussion.

[00:02:04]>> No need.

[00:02:05]Hi, Arch. Morning, dear.

[00:02:12]>> [laughter] >> I think it's time to open THE DISCUSSION, KATE.

[00:02:23]HARRY, WHAT KIND OF A DAY IS IT TODAY?

[00:02:25]Today is just like any other day.

[00:02:27]>> Where's Mel? It's almost 7:00. Relax.

[00:02:29]Don't get nervous.

[00:02:30]>> I'm not nervous, but look AT THE TIME.

[00:02:34]ALL RIGHT, HONEY.

[00:02:35]>> I'M ALL RIGHT.

[00:02:36]YOU KNOW, THIS actually looked pretty good. Ran 32 episodes. Number nine, Stoney Burke.

[00:02:44]>> [music] [music] >> Stoney Burke.

[00:03:07]>> [music] [music] >> Yeah, Jack Lord plays a rodeo rider who wants to win the golden buckle, but he gets mixed up in all kinds of trouble along the way.

[00:03:34]What's going on?

[00:03:35]Checking out some old trash.

[00:03:37]Well, you better clean that up. Yes, sir.

[00:03:41]What's it about, Stoney?

[00:03:44]Well, we located your prisoner.

[00:03:47]Where?

[00:03:56]>> Put away your piece.

[00:04:00]Well, I can't [music] say that I blame you, Stoney.

[00:04:03]But I got to tell you this.

[00:04:06]If the tables was turned, I'd make sure you was on the first freight train out.

[00:04:10]Ran 32 episodes. Number eight, oh, Gene Kelly's only TV series, Going My Way.

[00:04:18]>> [music] [music] [music] [music] >> Yes, adapted from the 1944 film, Kelly plays a priest that gets relocated to a lower-class New York City parish. See if you can recognize these guest stars. Oh, uh I talked to my mother the other day.

[00:04:56]She sends you her regards. Oh, that was sweet of her. What else did she have to say?

[00:05:01]Just the usual.

[00:05:02]What is the usual?

[00:05:04]When am I going to get married?

[00:05:07]>> [music] >> Hello.

[00:05:14]Hello, Tom. How are you? Fine. How are you?

[00:05:18]Oh, good.

[00:05:19]Chuck, I just called to let you know that uh George Conroy went to see the friend of yours, Dr. Stevens.

[00:05:24]He liked him very much. Any hope? No, there's no chance. He's uh deaf for life.

[00:05:31]Oh.

[00:05:32]What about Louise? Well, she goes to see him this afternoon. As soon as I get any word, I'll let you know.

[00:05:37]Thanks, Tom. I'd appreciate it.

[00:05:39]So long.

[00:05:44]Richard Long and Ellen Burstyn there with Dick York. The show ran 30 episodes. Number seven, oh a military school sitcom, McKeever and the Colonel.

[00:05:55]FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE, FIRE.

[00:06:02]>> [screaming] [music] >> MCKEEVER.

[00:06:16]MCKEEVER, IF I HAVE TOLD YOU ONCE, I'VE TOLD YOU 20,000 TIMES, STAY WITH YOUR SQUAD.

[00:06:23][screaming] >> [music] >> PRETTY MUCH WHAT YOU'D EXPECT. A young cadet at a boy's military academy is always getting into trouble with Yeah, the Colonel. They uh I had two openings.

[00:06:48]This one here was more whimsical.

[00:06:53]>> [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] >> As you can imagine, it had a lot of scenes in the show like this.

[00:07:28]What's going on here? Why aren't you boys working up a space problem? We are, sir. Who are you kidding, McKeever? What kind of space problem could you possibly test with this ridiculous outfit? Fire.

[00:07:42]Fire.

[00:07:44]Fire. Colonel.

[00:07:50]Ran 26 episodes. Number six, Fair Exchange.

[00:07:56]>> [music] [music] [music] >> Fair Exchange, brought to you by Super Shell gasoline with nine ingredients for top performance. Pillsbury, the famous cake and frosting people. Chesterfield King, taste great because the tobaccos are. Solid sponsors. It was about war buddies from New York and London that decided to switch teenage daughters for a year. This was Judy Carne's first sitcom.

[00:08:35]Don't let me disturb you.

[00:08:36]>> You have already.

[00:08:38]Well, what's bothering you now? My breathing? No, these distractions [laughter] have got to stop.

[00:08:43]I couldn't write in your house in London and I I I I I I I can't write here.

[00:08:47]Maybe you just can't write. Everybody's gone out of their way to make you comfortable. Yes, and it's driving me mad. Oh, you're not emotionally equipped to handle decency and kindness and good manners. Oh, you're a clot. What? You can't TALK TO [laughter] ME THAT WAY.

[00:09:01]>> IT'S ABOUT TIME SOMEBODY DID.

[00:09:03]Why don't you stop blaming everybody else for your failures, angry young man indeed. I don't think you even know what you're angry about.

[00:09:10]>> Huh, you've never met my mother and my father.

[00:09:14]Ran 27 episodes. Hey, coming up I have war westerns and a really early Ted Bessell sighting. Hey, please like, hype, and subscribe if you would. It would help me out, I think.

[00:09:26]Number five, Don't Call Me Charlie.

[00:09:29]>> [music] >> Brought to you by the makers of Bayer Aspirin and orange flavored Bayer Aspirin for children. And by Lipton, the soups that taste like mother just cooked them.

[00:09:51]Well, the open told us more about the sponsors than the actual show. Um, how about the closing credits?

[00:10:08]>> [whistles] [music] [music] [music] >> Huh. Starring Josh Peine is an Iowa innocent veterinarian named Judson McKay who's drafted and goes off to France.

[00:10:36]Not many clips around. Ran 18 episodes.

[00:10:39]Oh, eight of them were unaired.

[00:10:41]Number four, The Gallant Men.

[00:10:45]>> [music] >> The Gallant Men.

[00:10:48]Starring Robert McQueeney as Conley Wright.

[00:10:52]William Reynolds as Captain Benedict.

[00:10:55]Robert Ridgely as Lieutenant Kimbro.

[00:10:58]Richard X. Slattery as Sergeant McKenna.

[00:11:02]Eddie Fontaine as Private DiAngelo.

[00:11:05]Roland La Starza as Private Lucavich.

[00:11:08]Robert Gothie as Private Hanson.

[00:11:11]Roger Davis as Private Gibson.

[00:11:16]>> [music] [music] [music] [music] >> It was simply about the 36th Infantry finding its way through Italy. Lots of war action scenes.

[00:12:12]Ran 26 episodes. Number three, The Dakotas.

[00:12:17]>> [music] >> The Dakotas starring Larry Ward, Chad Everett, Jack Elam, >> [music] >> and Michael Green.

[00:12:34]Larry Ward played Marshall Regan.

[00:12:37]Him and his deputies maintained the peace in the badlands of the Dakota territory.

[00:12:47]Marshall Frank Regan to see Mr. Manning.

[00:12:50]Got an appointment? We just arrived in town.

[00:12:54]Come back when you got an appointment.

[00:12:58]We're back.

[00:13:00]That's how they roll. Good stuff. Ran 20 episodes and uh one unaired. Number two, It's a Man's World.

[00:13:09]Now, they work the opening uh right into the uh opening scene of every episode.

[00:13:15]Hey, wait Hey, wait a >> [music] >> Hey, wait a minute.

[00:13:23]Hey, wait a Hey, wait a Hey, >> [music] >> There'll be no nonsense, understand? I run the boat my way.

[00:13:37]I'm in charge.

[00:13:39]You'll do what I say, and only what I say, and when I say it. Do you understand? Yes, sir.

[00:13:45]It was a dramedy about four younger guys living on a houseboat. It was Ted Bessell's first TV series as a regular.

[00:13:52]>> Can I start her up?

[00:14:01]Okay, Bernie.

[00:14:02]You stand by with this hammer so she knows we're serious.

[00:14:06]Hally, smile down at her, sweetie, so the first face she sees when I jolt her back into life will be a happy one. Encourage her to keep going.

[00:14:16]Ran just 19 episodes. Here we are, my number one one-year wonder from the '62-'63 TV season, Saints and Sinners.

[00:14:37]>> [music] [music] [bell] [music] >> Yes, it was about investigative journalist Nick Alexander, played by Nick Adams, and his newspaper adventures, with episode names like this.

[00:15:13]>> [music] >> In one episode, Barbara Eden plays a young actress who's not happy about the way Nick wrote about her in his paper.

[00:15:26]Anybody who can't find a way to be happy with all the things Nora Love has going for her really should have her head examined.

[00:15:35]In sport Why do they do that, those newspapers? Well, why does this Nick Alexander write things like that?

[00:15:41]Cuz it's true, baby.

[00:15:43]Yeah, he's right about that four-letter word that j e r k.

[00:15:50]Now, you are going to stop being a jerk and you're coming back to the coast with me tonight.

[00:15:55]I'm sick, Johnny. You're not sick, you beautiful, talented dope. You're well, baby, 100% well, and you're coming back.

[00:16:03]Who told you to come after me? You have no right. ran 18 episodes. There they are. Tell me what you thought about each and every one, and tell me what I got wrong or right. Yeah, who knows? Maybe I got something right. Anyway, please like, share, subscribe, and hype, and take a look at my list of one-and-dones from 1961, and they are right here.

[00:16:26]Oh, right there.