America had truly become TV Land in the 1960s. By the start of the decade, about 86% of U.S. households had a television set and TV shows started to reflect the broadening audience. Much of that diversified programming spawned quotes that Baby Boomers repeat to this day.
To find the most memorable lines or quotes from television in the 1960s, 24/7 Tempo consulted various culture-themed sites such as ClickAmerica, the website Quotecatalog.com, and media sites such as Reader’s Digest, and Internet Movie Database (IMDb) to compile our list.
Two of the biggest influences on television programming in the 1960s were the Cold War and the Space Race.
Among the spy-themed shows from the period were “I Spy,” “The Man From U.N.C.LE.”, and “Mission: Impossible.” The latter show featured the memorable opening of the Mission: Impossible team leader receiving orders from a voice on a tape recording. At its conclusion, the voice said “This tape will self-destruct in five seconds.” (Also See The Best Spy Shows of All Time.)
Science fiction and the mysteries of the human mind were fertile ground for television programmers. Space-travel series “Lost in Space” and “Star Trek” captivated viewers, the latter of which was going “… to boldly go where no man has gone before.” Rod Serling’s often macabre “Twilight Zone” invited audiences to “unlock this door with the key of imagination.” (Also See The 25 Best Original Episodes of the Twilight Zone.)
The decade offered the silliness of spy send-up “Get Smart” and the caped-crusader campiness of “Batman,” whose narrator encouraged viewers to return at the “same Bat-time, same Bat-channel.”
Nightly news shows were ritually watched by the public whose trust in anchors Walter Cronkite on CBS and Chet Huntley and David Brinkley on NBC was nearly absolute. Cronkite ended his broadcast with the tagline “and that’s the way it is” while Huntley and Brinkley concluded their program by saying good night to each other.
Scroll below to see TV lines kids from the 60s still remember.
“Good night, and may God bless”
- Who said it: Red Skelton
- Show: The Red Skelton Show
- Time on air: 1951-1971
“Goodnight, Chet. Goodnight, David”
- Who said it: David Brinkley, Chet Huntley
- Show: The Huntley-Brinkley Report
- Time on air: 1956-1970
“There are 8 million stories in the naked city. This has been one of them.”
- Who said it: Narrator
- Show: The Naked City
- Time on air: 1958-1963
“Picture if you will”
- Who said it: Rod Serling
- Show: The Twilight Zone
- Time on air: 1959-1964
“Yabba Dabba Do”
- Who said it: Fred Flintstone
- Show: The Flintstones
- Time on air: 1960-1966
“The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.”
- Who said it: Jim McKay
- Show: ABC’s Wide World of Sports
- Time on air: 1961-
“I’m smarter than the average bear”
- Who said it: Yogi Bear
- Show: The Yogi Bear Show
- Time on air: 1961-1962
“Oh Rob!”
- Who said it: Laura Petrie
- Show: The Dick Van Dyke Show
- Time on air: 1961-1966
“Y’all come back now, ya hear?”
- Who said it: Jed Clampett
- Show: The Beverly Hillbillies
- Time on air: 1962-1971
“And that’s the way it is.”
N/A
- Who said it: Walter Cronkite
- Show: CBS Evening News With Walter Cronkite
- Time on air: 1962-1981
“Heeeere’s Johnny!”
- Who said it: Ed McMahon
- Show: The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson
- Time on air: 1962-1992
“There is nothing wrong with your television set. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. We are controlling transmission.”
- Who said it: Narrator
- Show: The Outer Limits
- Time on air: 1963-1965
“Hey, little buddy”
- Who said it: The Skipper
- Show: Gilligan’s Island
- Time on air: 1963-1968
“You rang?”
- Who said it: Lurch
- Show: The Addams Family
- Time on air: 1964-1966
“Surprise, surprise, surprise!”
- Who said it: Gomer Pyle
- Show: Gomer Pyle: USMC
- Time on air: 1964-1969
“Danger, Will Robinson!”
- Who said it: The Robot
- Show: Lost in Space
- Time on air: 1965-1968
“Would you believe⦔
- Who said it: Maxwell Smart
- Show: Get Smart
- Time on air: 1965-1970
“I see nothing; I know nothing.”
- Who said it: Sgt. Schultz
- Show: Hogan’s Heroes
- Time on air: 1965-1971
“Holy ….!”
- Who said it: Robin
- Show: Batman
- Time on air: 1966-1968
“Same Bat-time, same Bat-channel.”
- Who said it: Narrator
- Show: Batman
- Time on air: 1966-1968
“… to boldly go where no man has gone before.”
- Who said it: Captain James Kirk
- Show: Star Trek
- Time on air: 1966-1969
“Live long, and prosper.”
- Who said it: Mr. Spock
- Show: Star Trek
- Time on air: 1966-1969
“And away we go.”
- Who said it: Jackie Gleason
- Show: The Jackie Gleason Show
- Time on air: 1966-1970
“This tape will self-destruct in five seconds.”
- Who said it: Unidentified government voice
- Show: Mission: Impossible
- Time on air: 1966-1973
“Mom always liked you best”
N/A
N/A
- Who said it: Tommy Smothers
- Show: The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
- Time on air: 1967-1969
“Just the facts, ma’am”
- Who said it: Joe Friday
- Show: Dragnet 1967
- Time on air: 1967-1970
“‘Sock it to me!”
- Who said it: Judy Carne, cast members, guest stars
- Show: Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In
- Time on air: 1967-1973
“Book ’em, Danno!”
- Who said it: Steve McGarrett
- Show: Hawaii Five-0
- Time on air: 1968-1980