Rant #1,754: 1966

Boy, television was so much better 50 years ago than it is today.

Even with less choice, we had so many good choices to make back then.

As I did last week, I want to look back at TV 50 years ago, and tell you about two TV shows that debuted on yesterday's date, 50 years ago to the day.

One was one of the most popular sitcoms of the day, the other was a short-lived musical comedy that was highly influential, and is highly influential to this day.

"Family Affair" starred Brian Keith as Bill Davis, a playboy character, hot with the girls, and also very wealthy, traveling around the world to ply his trade as a civil engineer. He was so wealthy that he had his own butler, Mr. French, played to perfection by Sebastian Cabot.

Due to deaths in his family--I believe it was his brother and sister-in-law in a car accident--Keith inherited his two nieces and one nephew from a group of other relatives who did not want to care for them anymore, and all of a sudden, his life was turned upside down, and not only his life--and this is really what made the show so interesting--but the life of breakout character Mr. French.

The three kids on the show--Kathy Garver, Anissa Jones and Johnny Whitaker--were your All-American kids, thrown into a tough situation, but somehow, they, their uncle and Mr. French all managed to get along for five very good seasons on CBS.

Developed by the same people who did "My Three Sons," the show often fell into the dramedy range--making it one of the first shows of this kind--but there were always some light chuckles to keep things moving.

The show was so successful that it had its own spinoff, "To Rome With Love" that lasted a few seasons, and the term "Uncle Bill!" became part of the country's lexicon, as did the presence of Mrs. Beasley, the weird looking doll on the show, during "Family Affair's" run.

Yesterday was a Monday night, and 50 years ago, it was a Monday night, too, and if you were in the Eastern time zone, at 7:30 p.m., and you were between five and about 12 years old in 1966, you were probably watching the premiere of "The Monkees" on NBC.

The show, the brainchild of Bert Schneider and Bob Rafelson--two guys who used the show as a springboard to enter into the movies, including "Five Easy Pieces" and "Easy Rider"- actually stemmed from an idea which had bumped around for a few years prior to 1966.

First, the show was going to be about a folk group, then when rock and roll was really becoming center stage, a real group was considered as the leads, including Jan and Dean and the Lovin' Spoonful.

When the Beatles hit, that was the direction that the show took, trying to "ape" the Fab Four's success on the small screen.

Through endless open auditions and screen tests, four young actors/musicians were chosen amongst hundreds of applicants--Michael Nesmith, Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz, and Peter Tork.

And with that, the foursome were the stars of a situation comedy about four struggling musicians, living in a Malibu beach house, and all the complications that followed them as they tried to become stars.

With the best songwriters contributing music to the show, "The Monkees" TV show was never a huge hit ratings-wise, but on the record charts, the foursome had three number one records, numerous other hit singles and albums, and were among the largest record sellers of the day.

Although the show lasted just two years, its influence is still being felt today. It laid the groundwork, at least partially, for everything from MTV to "American Idol," from the way rock groups are marketed to how they are perceived by the public, and the group has toured off and on literally since their formation to this day, with their popularity once again solidified with a very successful new album and concert tour this year, celebrating 50 years of success.

So there you have it.

Two more TV shows debuting in 1966 that continue to be popular, and influential, 50 years later.

Who would have believed that these shows would be so important way back when?