1960s Timeline

Apr. 8, 1962 - All three advertisers who regularly sponsor the CBS-TV legal drama “The Defenders” have withdrawn sponsorship of an...

Apr. 7, 1962 - Tonight on “Gunsmoke,” a group of women are going by wagon train to Colorado, lured by the promise of marrying rich...

Apr. 6, 1962 - Tonight on “The Twilight Zone,” an obsessed man (Theodore Bikel, pictured) wants to expose evil in the world. So, he...

Apr. 6, 1962 - Jack Webb, who achieved television eminence in “Dragnet,” will return as host of a General Electric dramatic series on...

Apr. 4, 1962 - Joey Bishop’s show will return in the fall but with major changes. First of all, Joey Barnes, played by Mr. Bishop, will...

Apr. 2, 1962 - Harry Belafonte will have 15 minutes of the “Ed Sullivan Show” all to himself on Easter Sunday, April 22. The singer will...

Apr. 2, 1962 - Tonight on “The Andy Griffith Show,” Clara (Hope Summers, second from left) convinces Aunt Bee (Frances Bavier, left) that...

Mar. 31, 1962 - ABC-TV will begin televising a limited number of its programs in color in the fall. The only network now televising in...

Mar. 30, 1962 - Jack Paar did his final late show for NBC last night after a run of almost five years. The concluding telecast combined...

Mar. 29, 1962 - Tonight on “The Untouchables,” when junkie Benny Rivas is stopped by Ness and his men, he tells them in his dying breath...

Mar. 23, 1962 - Tonight on “The Twilight Zone,” David Gurney (Richard Long, pictured) wakes up to another ordinary day. But something is...

Mar. 22, 1962 - Tonight on “The Untouchables,” Victor Rait (Lee Marvin) has developed a new method of converting opium to heroin, and he...

Mar. 22, 1962 - “The Dick Van Dyke Show” has found a future — for next season, at least. It will continue to be televised in the 1962-63...

Mar. 21, 1962 - Tonight on “Naked City,” a man (Robert Duvall, pictured right with Madeleine Sherwood) steals records from the orphanage...

Mar. 21, 1962 - Tonight on “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” Rob's brother Stacey (Jerry Van Dyke) has a two-week furlough and sends Rob a...

Mar. 20, 1962 - “Empire,” a one-hour Western television series set on a 500,000-acre ranch in New Mexico, is planned for the NBC schedule...

Mar. 19, 1962 - Tonight on “The Andy Griffith Show,” when local farmer Rafe Hollister refuses to take his tetanus shot, Andy and Barney...

Mar. 18, 1962 - Tonight on “Bonanza,” the Cartwrights encourage young genius Albert Michelson (Douglas Lambert) to pursue his scientific...

Mar. 17, 1962 - NBC-TV’s “Dr. Kildare” has been renewed for next season. “Ben Casey” will also continue his practice on ABC-TV, but at a...

Mar. 16, 1962 - Tonight on “The Twilight Zone,” a father (Robert Sampson) who is awakened in the middle of the night by the cries of his...