The Addams Family is an American television series based on the characters in Charles Addams' New Yorker cartoons. The series starred John Astin as Gomez Addams, Carolyn Jones as Morticia Addams, Jackie Coogan as Uncle Fester, Ted Cassidy as Lurch, Ken Weatherwax as Pugsley Addams, Lisa Loring as Wednesday Addams, and Blossom Rock as Granmama. The 30-minute series was shot in black-and-white and aired for two seasons in 64 installments on ABC from September 18, 1964, to April 8, 1966. It is often compared to its working-class rival, The Munsters, which ran for the same two seasons and achieved somewhat higher Nielsen ratings.
The Munsters is a 1960s television sitcom depicting the home life of a family of monsters. It starred Fred Gwynne as Herman Munster, Yvonne De Carlo as his wife Lily Munster, Al Lewis as Grandpa, and Butch Patrick as Eddie Munster. The series ran concurrently with The Addams Family. Although the Addamses were well-to-do, the Munsters were a more blue-collar family. The series aired at night once a week in black-and-white on the CBS Television Network from September 24, 1964, to May 12, 1966, for a total of 70 episodes. Though ratings were low during its initial two-year run, The Munsters grew in popularity during decades of syndication. This popularity warranted a spin-off series, as well as several films, including one with a theatrical release.
Green Acres is an American television series starring Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor as a couple who move from New York City to a country farm. Produced by Filmways as a sister show to Petticoat Junction, the series was broadcast on CBS from September 15, 1965, to April 27, 1971. With the success of The Beverly Hillbillies and Petticoat Junction, CBS offered producer Paul Henning another half-hour on the schedule — unusually with no pilot required. Lacking the time, he encouraged colleague Jay Sommers to create the series. Sommers used his 1950 radio series, Granby's Green Acres, as the basis for the new series. Green Acres was about Oliver Wendell Douglas (Eddie Albert), an accomplished and erudite New York City attorney, acting on his dream to be a farmer, and Lisa Douglas (Eva Gabor), his glamorous, bejeweled Hungarian wife, dragged unwillingly from the privileged city life she adored to a ramshackle farm.
The Pontiac GTO was built by Pontiac Division of General Motors in the United States from 1964 to 1974 and by GM subsidiary Holden in Australia from 2004 to 2006. It is considered an innovative, and now classic, muscle car of the 1960s and 1970s. Pontiac's intermediate line was restyled again for 1966, gaining more curvaceous styling with kicked-up rear fender lines for a "Coke-bottle" look and a slightly tunneled backlight. The tail light featured a rare louvered cover, only seen on the GTO. Overall length grew only fractionally, to 206.4 inches, still on a 115 inch wheelbase while width expanded to 74.4 inches. Rear track increased one inch. Overall weight remained about the same. The GTO became a separate model series, rather than an optional performance package, with unique grille and tail lights, available as a pillared sports coupe, a hardtop sans pillars, or a convertible. Also an automotive industry first, plastic front grilles replaced the pot metal and aluminum versions seen on earlier years. New Strato bucket seats were introduced with higher and thinner seat backs and contoured cushions for added comfort and adjustable headrests were introduced as a new option. The instrument panel was redesigned and more integrated than in previous years with the ignition switch moved from the far left of the dash to the right of the steering wheel. Four pod instruments continued and the GTO's dash was highlighted by walnut veneer trim. Engine choices remained the same as the previous year. A new rare engine option was offered: the XS engine option consisted of a factory Ram Air set up with a new 744 high lift cam. Approximately 35 factory installed Ram Air packages are believed to have been built though 300 dealership-installed Ram Air packages are estimated to have been ordered. On paper, the package was said to produce the same 360 hp as the non-Ram Air, Tri Power car, though these figures are believed to have been grossly underestimated in order to get past GM mandates. Sales increased to 96,946, the highest production figure for all GTO years. Although Pontiac had strenuously promoted the GTO in advertising as the "GTO Tiger" it had become known in the youth market as the "Goat." Pontiac management attempted to make use of the new nickname in advertising but were vetoed by upper management which was dismayed by its irreverent tone.
Bob Kuban & The In-Men peaked at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1966 with "The Cheater". Kuban is honored in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's permanent exhibit on one-hit wonders. After "The Cheater," Kuban never scored high on the pop charts again - he had two other top 100 hits: "The Teaser" peaked at #70 and a remake of the Lennon/McCartney song "Drive My Car" went to #93 - but he remained a fixture on the St. Louis music scene for decades. Bob Kuban and the In-Men performed for opening ceremonies of Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, on May 10, 1966, and The Bob Kuban Brass performed before the last regular-season baseball game there on October 2, 2005. In an ironic and tragic twist, Walter Scott, frontman for The In-Men and singer of "The Cheater" (whose lyrics speak of the downfall of an unfaithful lover), was murdered in 1983 by his wife's lover, with his wife's help.
"California Dreamin'" is a popular song by The Mamas & the Papas, first released in late 1965. The song is #89 in Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The lyrics of the song are about a man in a cold winter landscape longing for the warmth of California. According to John Phillips, he and Michelle Phillips wrote the song in 1963 while they were living in New York. He dreamed about the song and woke her up to help him write it. At the time, they were members of the folk group The New Journeymen which evolved into The Mamas & the Papas. They earned their first record contract after being introduced to Lou Adler, the head of Dunhill Records, by the singer Barry McGuire. In thanks to Adler, they sang the backing vocals to "California Dreamin'" on McGuire's album This Precious Time. The Mamas and the Papas then recorded their own version, using the same instrumental and backing vocal tracks to which they added new vocals and an alto flute solo by Bud Shank. McGuire's original vocal can be briefly heard on the left channel at the beginning of the record, having not been completely wiped. The single was released in late 1965 but it was not an immediate breakthrough. After gaining little attention in Los Angeles upon its release, Michelle Phillips remembers that it took a radio station in Boston to break the song nationwide. By early 1966, the song peaked at #4 in March 1966 and stayed on the charts for 17 weeks.
