(Sunday, October 7, 1962, 8 p.m. EST) — Vaughn Meader did his JFK impersonation on tonight’s edition of the CBS-TV variety show The Ed Sullivan Show.

Video: 'Lucy Show season 1 intro'

(Monday, October 1, 1962, 8:30 p.m. EDT) — The Lucy Show, Lucille Ball’s follow-up to I Love Lucy after her divorce with Desi Arnaz, debuted tonight on CBS-TV. It also starred Vivian Vance from I Love Lucy. Continue reading ‘The Lucy Show’ debuts on CBS-TV 50 years ago this hour (1962) →

Video: 'The Clampetts Strike Oil' (Sept. 26, 1962)

(Wednesday, September 26, 1962, 9:00 p.m. EDT) — The Beverly Hillbillies, a television sitcom series about a poor backwoods family transplanted to Beverly Hills, California, after striking oil on their land, debuted tonight on CBS-TV. It starred Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, Max Baer, Jr., Raymond Bailey and Nancy Kulp.

Video: 'The Jetsons ep Rosey the Robot' (Sept. 23, 1962)

(Sunday, September 23, 1962, 6:30 p.m. EDT) — The Jetsons, an animated television sitcom series projecting contemporary culture and lifestyle into another time period, debuted tonight as the very first program to air in color on ABC-TV.

Video: 'The Jack Paar Program' (Dec. 7, 1962)

(Friday, September 21, 1962, 10:00 p.m. EDT) — The Jack Paar Program, a weekly, prime-time television show that followed Paar’s stint on The Tonight Show, began a three-year run tonight on NBC.

Video: 'The Virginian Opening Theme Season One'

(Wednesday, September 19, 1962, 7:30 p.m. EDT) — The Western television series The Virginian debuted tonight on NBC starring Lee J. Cobb, Doug McClure, Gary Clarke and James Drury (click here to watch a clip from the first episode, The Executioners).

Video: 'The Dummy' clip

(Friday, May 4, 1962, 10 p.m. ET) — A ventriloquist is convinced that his dummy, Willie, is alive and evil on tonight’s episode of the CBS-TV anthology series The Twilight Zone.

Video: 'Echo 1 Launched Communications Revolution'

(Tuesday, April 24, 1962) — The Massachusetts Institute of Technology achieved the first satellite relay of a television signal today, using NASA’s Echo 1 balloon satellite to bounce a video image of the letters “M.I.T.” transmitted from Camp Parks, California, to Westford, Massachusetts.

Video: Paar interviews JFK (June 16, 1960)

(Thursday, March 29, 1962) — Jack Paar hosted NBC’s Tonight show for the final time today, although the network aired a repeat the following night. Continue reading Jack Paar ends run as host of NBC’s ‘The Tonight Show’ 50 years ago today (1962) →

Video: 'Twilight Zone' open

(Friday, March 9, 1962, 10 p.m. ET) — Old Ben, who is able to transform himself into anything, tries to help a crippled little girl on tonight’s episode of the CBS-TV anthology series The Twilight Zone (click here to view an extended ‘The Fugitive’ clip).