Ozzie with wife Harriet and sons David (left) and Ricky

When comedian Red Skelton was drafted in March of 1944, Ozzie Nelson
was prompted to create his own family situation comedy.The Adventures
of Ozzie and Harriet launched October 8, 1944 on CBS, it moved to NBC
in October 1948, then made a late-season switch back to CBS in April of 
1949. The final years of the radio series were on ABC, the former NBC
Blue Network) from October 14, 1949 to June 18, 1954. In total, 402
radio episodes were produced.

The Nelsons’ sons, David and Ricky, did not join the cast until the radio
show’s fifth year, initially appearing on the February 20, 1949 episode,
ages 12 and 8, respectively.

1950

Original television run on CBS/NBC: October 4, 1957  – June 20, 1963

Leave It to Beaver is one of the first primetime sitcom series written from a child’s
point of view. The show received two Emmy nominations in 1958 for Best New
Program Series of the Year and Best Teleplay Writing—Half Hour or Less. The
series placed on Time’s "The 100 Best TV Shows of All-Time" list.Bravo ranked
Beaver 74th on their list of the 100 greatest TV characters.

Gerald Patrick "Jerry" Mathers turned 66 on
June 2

Original television run (ABC/CBS): 9-29-1960 to 8-23-1972

The series was a cornerstone of the ABC and CBS lineups in the 1960s
and is second only to The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet as television’s
longest running live-action sitcom.

Original run on CBS television: September 26, 1964  – April 17, 1967

Gilligan’s Island ran for a total of 98 episodes. The first season, consisting
of 36 episodes, was filmed in black and white. They were later colorized for
syndication. The show’s second and third seasons (62 episodes) and the
three television movie sequels were filmed in color. The sitcom enjoyed
solid ratings during its original run, then grew in popularity during decades
of syndication, especially in the 1970s and 1980s. 

Original television run on CBS: September 26, 1962  – March 23, 1971

The Beverly Hillbillies was one of the earliest farce comedy series on
American television. It ranked among the top twenty most watched TV 
programs for eight of its nine seasons, twice ranking as the number one
series of the year.  

 
The show’s theme song, "The Ballad of Jed Clampett", was written by
producer and writer Paul Henning and originally performed by bluegrass
artists Flatt and Scruggs. It was sung by Jerry Scoggins (below) with
backing by Flatt and Scruggs. 

Jerry Scoggins (September 30, 1911 – December 7, 2004) 

 
Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs