The Ida B Show with guests John Astin, Herman's Hermits and the Beach Boys (1964)

The Addams Family with special guest star Marty Ingels (1966)

The Addams Family written by Marvin Kaplan (1965)

The Addams Family with special guest star Herkie Styles (1965)

The Addams Family with special guest star Frank Nelson (1964)

Hollywood Backstage: The Spirit is Willing Backlot Party (1967)

The Addams Family with special guest star Frank Nelson (1964)

Beat the Clock with celebrity contestants John Astin and Patty Duke (1979)

What a rotten, awful program. Television at its most unimportant.

The Phyllis Diller Show with special guest stars John Astin and Richard Deacon (1967)

Studio One: The Night America Trembled (1957)

Edward R. Murrow revisits the bedlam that ensued the evening The Mercury Theater's War of the Worlds aired. See if you can spot the youthful but familiar faces of Ed Asner, Warren Beatty, Warren Oates and John Astin.

The Addams Family with special guest appearance from Robby the Robot (1966)

I'm Dickens... He's Fenster (1962)

What!? I had the wrong clip posted here for the past four days and nobody even told me? All fixed now, however.

Batman with guest star John Astin (1967)

For years the debate has raged on about who was the superior Catwoman - Eartha Kitt or Julie Newmar? However, one debate that has never been raised, let alone raged, is who was the superior Riddler. It hasn't, nor will it ever be a real question. Frank Gorshin is more established as The Riddler than he is anything else - an impressionist, nightclub comic, or actor. Frank Gorshin is The Riddler, period. That's why it always feels so weird when this episode of Batman comes on TV featuring Gomez Addams, John Astin, in the role. Pretty interesting tho. These episodes aired not before Gorshin played The Riddler and not after, but in between. Gorshin had established the character, Astin filled in briefly, Gorshin returned to the part in the fall. Listen to Frank Gorshin sing the novelty track (written by Mel Torme!) pictured above by clicking here.

Network Nights (1964)

What was prime time TV like on ABC in 1964?

Starting at 7:30 pm, it was the greatest of the Hanna-Barbera adventure cartoons, Johnny Quest. It was followed by the not-so-greatest of sitcoms, The Farmer's Daughter. This is actually my first exposure to The Farmer's Daughter, and probably my last. It survived a solid three seasons and three years after its cancellation, the program's star, Inger Stevens, committed suicide. Just prior to eight-thirty we see a soup commercial narrated by Sterling Holloway and featuring Mickey Mouse and then it is time for The Addams Family. This episode features the hilarious Frank "Yuhhhhhh-essssss?" Nelson as guest star. Next up it's a serious obscurity that's got absolutely everything going for it. Starring future Barney Miller favorite Jack Soo, it's Valentine's Day. The sitcom didn't last much longer than the annual event of the same name, and that's a damn shame. This hilarious episode features Mamie Van Doren as herself and an appearance by the voice of Judy Jetson (and several other teenage cartoon and radio characters), Janet Waldo. It is not only the funniest show on ABC's Friday night line-up, but also the most adult.

We move over to CBS for the end of the night. We're treated to a typical episode of Gomer Pyle, USMC and the George C. Scott drama East Side, West Side.

Check out all the fun here!

The Addams Family Christmas Episode (1965)

Christmas With The Addams Family
Uploaded by DwightFrye

The Spirit is Willing (1967) - Footage Offline - 2/28/08

Shock gimmick master William Castle made a handful of horror-comedies in the nineteen sixties including a remake of The Old Dark House starring Tom Poston and this film starring Sid Caesar. Great character actors appear like John Astin, Jesse White, Harvey Lembeck, Nestor Paiva and Doodles Weaver. Not only did the star of The Addams Family, Astin, appear, but Vic Mizzy, best known for composing the theme song to that sitcom, did the soundtrack of this film.