Earl Hamner was the grown-up voice of John-Boy, narrating “The Waltons” (CBS, 1972-81), Jr., the show’s co-executive producer, who based the series on his own recollections of growing up in rural Virginia.
Richard Thomas played the young John-Boy.
George Wyle and “Gilligan’s Island” producer Sherwood Schwartz wrote “The Ballad of Gilligan’s Island” for the TV series.
Charles Kuralt’s “On the Road” feature has appeared on “The CBS Evening News” since October 1967.
Appearing long before “Peyton Place” (ABC, 1964-69), the first prime-time soap opera was “A Woman to Remember,” starring Patricia Wheel. The series, which was based on a daytime serial, ran on the DuMont network from May to July, 1949.
The TV series had four spinoffs: “Maude” (CBS, 1972-78); “The Jeffersons” (CBS, 1975-85); “Archie Bunker’s Place” (CBS, 1979-83); and “Gloria” (CBS, 1982-83).
Veteran character actor George Tobias played Abner Kravitz on the TV series “Bewitched” (ABC, 1964-1972). Alice Pearce was the original Gladys Kravitz; Sandra Gould replaced her when Pearce died in 1966.
Dick York leave the TV series “Bewitched” (ABC, 1964-72) primarily for health reasons. As a result of a back injury during the filming of They Came to Cordura (1959), he developed a degenerative spine condition. He has also said that he wanted to spend more time with his children and that “the atmosphere on the…