I Can Tell You What Christmas Is All About, Charlie Brown

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1965, A Charlie Brown Christmas, cartoon, CBS, Christmas, holiday special, Linus, Snoopy

“I think there must be something wrong with me. I just don’t understand Christmas, I guess. I like getting presents and sending Christmas cards and decorating trees and all that, but I’m still not happy.” 

Just what is the true meaning of Christmas, Charlie Brown?

In 1965, that’s the age-old question that Peanut’s creator Charles M. Schulz set out to answer.

“A Charlie Brown Christmas” premiered December 9, 1965 at 7:30 pm on CBS. For 51 years, this heartwarming holiday special has captured the imagination of children and adults alike. A Christmas-viewing is a tradition in many homes, and for good reason — it’s good, wholesome entertainment for the whole family, and shines a big ol’ light on the true meaning of Christmas.

“I Love Lucy”: Celebrating 65 Years of a Comedic Classic

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65th Anniversary, CBS, Desi Arnaz, Fred and Ethel Mertz, I Love Lucy, Lucille Ball, Lucy and Ricky Ricardo, Vivian Vance, William Frawley

Lucy, you got some ‘splainin’ to do!

And you can start by explaining how a television show that first premiered 65 years ago today is still more popular and beloved than 90% of all the other programs which have aired in the last six decades.

Who could have known that the crazy antics of a zany redhead and her heavily-accented Cuban husband was the perfect recipe for a comedy series? But here I sit, 65 years later, attempting to put into words how Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz broke the television mold so long ago. Far from fading into the land of lost shows, the series is still shining as brightly as it ever was.

On October 15, 1951, viewers tuned in to “I Love Lucy” for the first time. Lucy and Ricky Ricardo were actually Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz — a real-life husband and wife duo who were determined to make a go of their tumultuous marriage.

1313 Mockingbird Lane: 50 Years with “The Munsters”

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1313 Mockingbird Lane, 1964, 50th Anniversary, Al Lewis, Beverly Owens, Butch Patrick, CBS, Eddie Munster, Fred Gwynne, Grandpa, Herman Munster, Lily Munster, Marilyn Munster, Pat Priest, The Addams Family, The Munsters, Yvonne De Carlo

I can’t even imagine how fun it must have been to be a kid growing up in the 1960s. Television-wise, I mean. Last week, ABC gave us our first day in the life of “The Addams Family”. And now here we are, just one week later, and CBS is about to say, “We call your House of Horror, ABC, and raise you a monster.” Or four.

In the late 1950s, early ’60s, there was a revival of classic horror. “The Addams Family” and “The Munsters” were the networks’ attempt to capitalize on this trend.

1964 was dubbed “The Year of the Ghoul” by LIFE magazine, and on September 24th, “The Munsters” was born. For 50 years now, people have enjoyed the fun and silliness that the monstrous, all-American suburban family called Munster brought to TV screens.