What shows do you miss the most?

screen print from the old smothers brothers show.

By rebelann1949

@rebelann (114962)

El Paso, Texas

September 12, 2025 12:57pm CST

I have a really huge list of shows I wish I could bring back and guess who got me to thinking about it ...... well, I won't count to three cuz you'd never guess it was @fourwalls that made me think of it. Back in the 1960, 1970s and 1980s most of us only saw our favorite bands when they were on a variety show like the Smothers Brothers or Flip Wilson, where some of our favorite bands would sometimes play. Growing up an Army brat in the 60s could mean dads controlled what we as teens were allowed to see or hear, we were under their control until they were sent overseas and didn't take us along. Many of the moms back then would loosen the grip on us while dads were gone for 18 months and very often we'd get to see those things their hubbies had forbidden. Unfortunately for me dad was stateside when the Beatles were on the Ed Sullivan show so I didn't get to see them but I did see this on the Smothers Brothers, dad was in Japan at the time and mom let us watch. Were your dads that strict with you?

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13 people like this

12 responses

@JudyEv (364972)

• Rockingham, Australia

13 Sep

We didn't have TV till I was more or less adult so it was never an issue for me.

1 person likes this

@rebelann (114962)

• El Paso, Texas

13 Sep

Dad bought a used TV when I was around 11 but he had control of us until I was about 21 and the TV was in control of either dad or mom so I'd have to convince my sibling to help sway mom to let us watch things like the Smothers Brothers while dad was overseas.

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@rebelann (114962)

• El Paso, Texas

13 Sep

That is so very true. Were your parents strict with you?

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@JudyEv (364972)

• Rockingham, Australia

13 Sep

@rebelann Mums were often an easier touch.

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@DaddyEvil (160911)

• United States

12 Sep

We watched what dad wanted to watch on television. The only time kids got to choose what was being watched was on Saturday morning for cartoons.. And sometimes dad would walk through, watch for a minute and then tell us to shut off the silliness and go out and help him work around the farm. *shrug*

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@rebelann (114962)

• El Paso, Texas

12 Sep

Yeah, that's about what it was like with my pop. The good news for me is that he liked shows like Star Trek so I did get to watch that.

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@rebelann (114962)

• El Paso, Texas

13 Sep

So, all those aliens were genetic diversity?

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@DaddyEvil (160911)

• United States

13 Sep

We only got to watch Star Trek if dad was working outside later in the evening... He didn't like the genetic diversity on the show and cussed if he caught us watching it. Dad was a bigot.

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@FourWalls (79914)

• United States

13 Sep

Yes, my parents were strict on the TV viewing. I wasn’t allowed to watch Laugh-In or the variety Smothers Brothers Show. He’d turn the volume down when a rock act was on Johnny Cash’s variety show.

Thanks for the mention, glad I popped some good memories into your mind!

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@rebelann (114962)

• El Paso, Texas

13 Sep

Was your mom also that strict?

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@rebelann (114962)

• El Paso, Texas

13 Sep

Good point. I guess I was lucky, mom wasn't much for TV so when dad was overseas we could talk her into watching at least a few shows we liked as long as they aired before 9pm.

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@FourWalls (79914)

• United States

13 Sep

@rebelann — no, but with one TV what could you do.

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Anne Marie Guyer

@LeaPea2417 (38658)

• Toccoa, Georgia

13 Sep

My Dad was not strict. My sister and I loved watching The Brady Bunch and Gilligan's Island as young kids.

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@rebelann (114962)

• El Paso, Texas

13 Sep

You were lucky. Did he allow you to watch shows like The Smothers Brothers or Laugh In?

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Anne Marie Guyer

@LeaPea2417 (38658)

• Toccoa, Georgia

14 Sep

@rebelann I watched them a little bit.

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@Juliaacv (54603)

• Canada

13 Sep

I always liked watching Little House on the Prairie, it was a well done series and reminds me of watching it with my family when I was much younger.

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@rebelann (114962)

• El Paso, Texas

13 Sep

I'm trying to watch it now but some of the episodes are too corny so I skip ahead to the next one.

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@rebelann (114962)

• El Paso, Texas

13 Sep

Yes they were but the ones I just get bored watching are the ones about laura as a youngster

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@Juliaacv (54603)

• Canada

13 Sep

@rebelann Some are corny, others are funny, like the ones with Mr Edwards in them, he was comical.

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@LindaOHio (205211)

• United States

13 Sep

My father rarely said anything to me about what I could do or couldn't do. He would tell my mother; and she would relay it to me..."Your skirt was too short", etc. I was fortunate that they let me go to the Beatles concert in Cleveland.

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@rebelann (114962)

• El Paso, Texas

13 Sep

Holy cow, you're so lucky. My dad used a belt if we didn't obey

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@rebelann (114962)

• El Paso, Texas

14 Sep

Mom drew the line on spankings when I turned 15 but dad always felt he had the right if he wanted to.

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@LindaOHio (205211)

• United States

14 Sep

@rebelann He stopped when I became a teenager. Once, when I did something bad, he said it was too bad that I was too old to "spank".

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@AmbiePam (105605)

• United States

12 Sep

Oh yes, my dad was! Great clip!

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@rebelann (114962)

• El Paso, Texas

12 Sep

Thanks, that clip was from 1967, way before your time.

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@snowy22315 (198257)

• United States

12 Sep

The Sonny and Cher show was pretty good, and I did like Ed Sullivan. I did see the Beatles. I was only in second grade I think, but it left an impression.

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@rebelann (114962)

• El Paso, Texas

12 Sep

I would have loved to have seen that Ed Sullivan show but dad didn't like all that 'long' hair music.

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@LadyDuck (486431)

• Italy

13 Sep

My Dad was not very strict, but he disliked those shows and in Italy we only had two TV channel in the 60s.

Dad turned the TV on the channel he liked more.

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@rebelann (114962)

• El Paso, Texas

13 Sep

Oh wow, we were lucky because we had 3 channels

TV was not yet in all homes back then. The funny thing is that I actually met a woman who did not have one back in 2014, I thought that was odd.

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@LadyDuck (486431)

• Italy

13 Sep

@rebelann - I remember that not all families had a TV in the early 60s.

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@Tampa_girl7 (53679)

• United States

16 Sep

There are a lot of shows that I miss too.

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@rebelann (114962)

• El Paso, Texas

16 Sep

I would love to see the old time variety shows return, some of them were really interesting if not fun to watch

@RasmaSandra (90548)

• Daytona Beach, Florida

12 Sep

I lost my dad when I was ten, In my teens my mom was into a lot of things I was into so we could be friends,

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@rebelann (114962)

• El Paso, Texas

12 Sep

Sorry you lost your dad at such an early age

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@Deepizzaguy (115735)

• Lake Charles, Louisiana

13 Sep

My latte dad was not that strict on what shows I could watch on television.

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@rebelann (114962)

• El Paso, Texas

13 Sep

You were lucky.

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@Deepizzaguy (115735)

• Lake Charles, Louisiana

13 Sep

@rebelann That is true.

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