Good Parenting During the Golden Age of TV

In today’s expanding cable TV universe, the numerous nostalgia themed cable networks such as TV Land and TCM assume the role that syndicated television had done in the 1970’s and 1980’s. That is, they provide a home for tons of classic programming from the golden age of TV. And one thing classic TV had no shortage of was a ton of programming showing off “good parenting.”

The TV programs of this nature were geared to a family audience and were designed to reflect the social values of the day. While they were not one hundred percent accurate in their portrayal (they were more idealized representations of American life) they were wildly popular with audience. Most are familiar with THE BRADY BUNCH and LEAVE IT TO BEAVER, but there are few shows that seemed to have slipped under the radar and have become somewhat forgotten. It is time to highlight some of them

My Three Sons

Fred Mac Murray’s run as the patriarch of this TV family lasted twelve years (1960-1972) which would be a millennium by today’s TV standards. Fred’s repeated moral lessons provided a good parenting model for viewers to tune in to each week.

The Patty Duke Show

Patty Duke played Patty Lane, the precocious teenage daughter for three years 1963-1966. While most programs offered their symbols of good parenting in the form of a strong father or mother figure, this program reduced mom and dad to peripheral characters, letting Ms. Duke take the center stage instead.

The Munsters

Yes, the Munsters. As oddball and esoteric as this show was, it was a tremendous send up and parody of the other ‘family shows’ that were the rage in the day. Why did it only last a mere two years on CBS? While dysfunctional on the surface, the Munsters had their act together as a family unit. What better example of good parenting can you offer other than that?

The Many Loves of Dobey Gillis

This was the male inverse of the Patty Duke Show with Hickman playing a teenager who is the ‘brunt’ of good parenting following his numerous misadventures. And yes that is Gilligan himself, Bob Denver, as a member of the cast

The Courtship of Eddy’s Father

Bill Bixby played Eddy’s dad in this landmark weekly series that was truly unique in many regards not just in its brilliant examples of good parenting, but in the fact this was the first TV series to ever feature a single dad.

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