Everyone loved Lucy in the 1950’s and tuned in to see what the Beaver was up to.
Television boomed in the 1950’s. The days of gathering around the radio to listen the favorite shows were fading away and more and more households were buying television sets. Even dinner time started to change as families enjoyed their TV dinners from the couch, watching the popular shows of the day. The 1950’s were truly the Golden Age of Television.
1950’s television featured a great deal of family comedies and game shows. I Love Lucy enjoyed three consecutive years as the number one television show, but was bumped to number two in 1955 by The $64,000 Question. Variety and sketch shows, such as The Red Skelton Show, and The Dinah Shore show were also popular. Towards the end of the decade westerns like Gunsmoke and Maverick took over the ratings and that momentum continued into the 1960’s. Crime dramas like Perry Mason, Dragnet, and 77 Sunset Strip were also a big part of 1950’s television.
The Huffington Post compiled a list of the 40 best 1950’s television show. Here are their top ten:
10. The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet (1952-66)
9. The Milton Berle Show (1948-56)
8. Father Knows Best (1954-60)
7. The Steve Allen Show (1956-60)
6. Leave It to Beaver (1957-63)
5. The Honeymooners (1955-56)
4. Gunsmoke (1955-75)
3. The Ed Sullivan Show (1948-71)
2. I Love Lucy (1951-57)
1. Your Show of Shows (1950-54)
Check out the full list at http://www.aoltv.com/2009/10/27/best-50s-tv-shows/
