Hi-Yo, Burns and Allen : Family Channel Replays Hits Of The ‘50s and ‘60s

Who owned the Flying Crown Ranch?

What was the name of Lloyd Bridges’ character on “Sea Hunt”?

Who was that Masked Man?

All of those burning questions will be answered this week on the Family Channel’s “Greatest Hits of the ‘50s and ‘60s Week”?

The trip down memory lane begins Tuesday with four episodes of The Burns and Allen Show.

George Burns and his wife, Gracie Allen, were two of the country’s most beloved comics when their CBS series started in 1950. They headlined on the vaudeville circuit during the 1920s, starred in numerous films during the 1930s, including “Damsel in Distress” with Fred Astaire, and had their own radio show in the ‘30s and ‘40s.

“The Burns and Allen Show” ran on CBS for eight years. Despite its longevity, the series only placed in the Top 25 shows during the ‘53-54 season.

Burns and Allen played themselves. Burns was the cigar-smoking, on-screen narrator for the proceedings and straight man to scatterbrained Gracie’s remarks. Bea Benaderet (“Petticoat Junction”) played Gracie’s best friend Blanche Morton. Hal March, John Brown, Larry Keating and Fred Clark played her husband Harry at various times.

And every kemo sabe in TV land can relive those thrilling days of yesteryear on Wednesday with two hours of The Lone Ranger.

The Lone Ranger was actually a Texas Ranger named John Reid, who with five fellow Rangers had been ambushed by a gang of desperadoes. A wounded Reid crawled to safety and was nursed back to health by the faithful Indian Tonto. After he recovered, he literally masked his identity. Each week, with Tonto in tow, he set out on his trusty horse Silver to right wrongs with a hearty “Hi-yo Silver, away.”

“The Long Ranger” began as a radio show in 1933 and started on ABC in 1950. It continued in prime time until 1957; reruns aired Saturday afternoons on CBS from 1953 to ’60 and on ABC until 1961.

Clayton Moore is the best-known Lone Ranger (1949-52, 1954-57), but John Hart played the Masked Man from 1952 to ’54. Jay Silverheels, of course, was the stoic Tonto.

On Thursday, Family Channel soars with four episodes of the contemporary Western Sky King. Kirby Grant starred as the earnest Arizona pilot-rancher who tracked down the bad guys with his plane and managed to find time to run his Flying Crown Ranch. Gloria Winters was his niece Penny; Ron Hagerthy was nephew Clipper.

“Sky King” actually began as a daytime show on NBC in 1951 and landed in prime time on ABC in 1953 for one season. CBS aired repeats on Saturday afternoons from 1959 to ’66. “Sky King,” which got its start on radio in 1946, continued on radio through 1954.

The week concludes Friday with Lloyd Bridges as Mike Nelson, ex-Navy frogman turned underwater investigator, in Sea Hunt.

The series, produced by Ivan Tors of “Daktari,” was turned down by all three networks because they thought a series set underwater was too limited. “Sea Hunt,” which began in 1958 and continued in repeats through the ‘60s, turned out to be one of the biggest hits in syndication history.

“Sea Hunt” was shot in the waters off Southern California, Florida and the Caribbean and filming was normally done at depths of 20 to 40 feet. Ex-Navy frogman Jon Lindbergh, the son of Charles Lindbergh, was one of the advisers, and Bridges’ young sons, Beau and Jeff, made guest appearances.

“The Greatest Hits of the ‘50s and ‘60s Week” airs Tuesday-Friday at 8 p.m. on the Family Channel.