What is the first TV series you remember watching

Wow, things get a bit mixed up when you think back over some 50+ years.

Cartoon shows were the very first, starting about 1951. The reason I remember the year is that we moved from one house to another at that time and I can still recall the first house when I was only four years old.

The earliest:
I Love Lucy
Molly Goldberg Show
I Married Joan
Life of Riley (Bendix)
Andy's Gang (a truly terrible children's show)
Rocky Jones, Space Ranger

MikeF6,

I remember Your Hit Parade when the hits included "Ivory Tower" and "Green Door" at the dawn of the rock era. I had a Winky Dink drawing set and I recall watching the original Dragnet with Webb and Ben Alexander when it was new.

Oddly, I have no recollection of Crusader Rabbit, despite the ton of animated toons I must have sat through at the time. There was Ruff and Ready and their adventures on the planet Munimula (Aluminum spelled backwards).

To God There Is No Zero. I Still Exist.

I remember Your Hit Parade when the hits included "Ivory Tower" and "Green Door" at the dawn of the rock era.

I started watching it in the early ‘50s – from about 1951-2. The end came when rock became mainstream about 1956. The legendary moment (which I missed) had Big Band singer Snooky Lanson crooning “Hound Dog.” Elvis’ version of this R&B standard was released in July 1956 as the “B” side to “Don’t Be Cruel.”.

Take a look at the color picture at this Wikipedia article. This was the quartet of singers that I watched: Dorothy Collins, Snooky Lanson, Russell Arms, and Gisele MacKenzie.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Your_Hit_Parade

mf

"I'm sick of not having the courage to be an absolute nobody." -Franny

Andy's Gang (a truly terrible children's show)

This was the third incarnation of a show that began as The Buster Brown Show in 1950. When I saw it, it was called Smilin’ Ed McConnell and His Gang. One of the unforgettable segments was Billy Gilbert going up against Froggy the Gremlin. Smilin’ Ed would conjure up Froggy ( a puppet) with the words, “Pluck your magic twanger, Froggy!” There would be a puff of smoke and Froggy would appear saying, “Hiya, kids, hiya.” Then Billy Gilbert would try to lecture the audience on something while Froggy would stand to one side and confuse him. A typical gag would go something like:

Gilbert: Then you take the doughy mixture…

Froggy: And put it in your ear.

Gilbert: …and put it in your ear. (He does so. Then…) No-o-o-o Froggy-y-y-y

Hilarious stuff. Really.

It was never the same show after McConnell died in 1955 and Andy Devine took over.

Smilin’ Ed’s audience eventually grew up to be ‘60s rebels and hippie dropouts. The “pluck your magic twanger” catchphrase turned into an ironic and salacious wisecrack.

mf

"I'm sick of not having the courage to be an absolute nobody." -Franny

The first TV show I remember seeing was at a friend's house -- would you believe Liberace ca. 1951/ I also saw a few episodes of My Friend Irma and Amos 'n' Andy ca. 1952. We got our first TV set in 1953. Shows I vividly remember were Love of Life, Search for Tomorrow, The Guiding Light, The Big Payoff, Dangerous Assignment, Foreign Intrigue, Father Knows Best, Space Patrol, and Winky Dink as well as the weekday kiddie shows featuring cartoons and movie serials. Of course our entire family watched Arthur Godfrey (who dominated daytime TV, they telecast his radio series!), Jackie Gleason, I Love Lucy, Milton Berle and Meet Millie. Sunday Nights, jack Benny alternating with Private Secretary, Ed Sullivan, and What's My Line. Does remembering all these shows indicate a misspent youth? Although I didn't see the shows daily or weekly (I did have a life and went to elementary school), I am bemused by the fact that I can remember storylines on the soaps which I only saw off and on during vacations. Our local station didn't carry Kukla, Fran and Ollie or Howdy Doody so I could only view them when we went north for summer vacation. And, crime of crimes, our local station didn't carry Your Show of Shows!
PS - Of course I loved them on radio so I was a faithful fan of Our Miss Brooks and My Little Margie. I was rather shocked that Gale Storm's death last year received so little notice ... only us old folk remember her not only as a comedienne but an excellent singer. LOL

I Married Joan
December Bride
The Gale Storm Show

"You can't send a kid like this up in a crate like that on a night like tonight!"

Walt Disney...1955..... Davey Crocket with Fess Parker and Buddy Ebsen, Texas John Slaughter, Tom Tryon, Elfago Baca, and The Swamp Fox with Leslie Neilson Zorro with Guy Williams, Spin and Marty with Tim Considine all Disney Classics

Maverick, Have Gun will Travel, Cheyene, Sugarfoot, Lawman, Wagon train all classic westerns from the 50's But the best western of the 50;s.......... Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels....... HIYO SILVER AWAY The Lone ranger

My father, who watched only sports and "action shows," often wandered through the TV room when other shows were on. We thought it was hilarious that he thought Dorothy Collins was Snooky Lanson -- as "what kind of GUY would have a name like Snooky?" We thought he was woefully out of touch -- and now I find myself doing identical things, asking very similar questions. In fact, just this morning I asked someone "Who is Snooki?"

I remember Hit Parade's Gisele MacKenzie having these fabulous hips - and that's well over 50 years ago!