Nostalgia Popularity
The growing number of rebroadcasts of classic television shows confirms our longing for those wistful days of yesterday. The Internet adds to our enjoyment with a wealth of Web sites devoted to television nostalgia.

Whether you are a baby boomer or are old enough to be the parent of a boomer, looking back brings vivid memories of the earlier days of television. Parents of boomers will remember bringing home their first TV. Baby boomers, the first generation to be raised in front of the TV, will remember many of the greatest shows ever produced.

Even with the plethora of reruns, sometimes simply watching classic TV isn't enough. The Internet steps in with entertaining information and interesting television production stories. If watching reruns on the tube only whets your appetite for more classic TV, you can find details, antidotes, and statistics about your favorite old programs as the Web and the Tube partner up.

Nick at Nite
Two major cable television channels, TV Land and Nick at Nite, are devoted to classic television. These two networks combine to form one great Web site, called Nick at Nite which provides a wealth of enjoyable information about many wonderful old television programs. This outstanding Web site should be one of your first stops on a trip down television's memory lane. The Nick at Nite Web site posts television schedules for both TV Land and Nick at Nite. The site alerts you to an upcoming marathon weekend, a 48-hour crash course, where different episodes of one particular show are played hour after hour. Recent marathons have featured old favorites such as The Andy Griffith Show, I Love Lucy, and Superman.

The television lineup from the TV Land network includes shows like Alfred Hitchcock Presents, All In The Family, Andy Griffith, Sanford and Sons, and others. Nick at Nite is the home of The Brady Bunch, The Beverly Hillbillies, Happy Days, Mary Tyler Moore Show, Taxi, Wonder Years, and I Love Lucy, to name a few. If you don't get the TV Land network through your cable television provider, the Web site even provides an easy way to request that it be added to the lineup in your area.

It is still worth spending some time at the Nick at Nite Web site even if you don't have cable television or you don't get these networks in your cable lineup. Pick any of your favorites and delve into the history of the program. Find out when it debuted and get facts about the plot and cast as well as the ratings.

An especially intriguing section on the Nick at Nite Web site is their list of the 2000 Best Things About Television. Claiming that only a network that's "crazy about television would even consider such a colossal undertaking," the site gives their best picks. Examples of items on their list include 425 series, 418 actors, 264 characters, and 85 specific episodes. Even forty-five memorable theme songs have made the list.

Just for fun -- Can you name the six Larry's that made the list, or the nine Georges? I'll get you going by telling you that there are two Grandpas on the list --Jones and Munster-- and one Granny--The Beverly Hillbillies. Now you might also want to try to name the one Aunt and four Uncles that made the list.

Classic-TV
Since we are into lists, it's a good time to point out another Web site with an interesting list. The Top 100 TV Shows of All Time is one list that will bring back plenty of memories.

At this Web site, I Love Lucy, which was on the air from 1951 - 1961, took the honors as the Number One show. M*A*S*H, a series with the honor of running longer than the war it depicted, is Number Two on the list. The Number Three honor goes to Star Trek. Surf over to the Classic-TV site to review the remaining 97 programs on the list. I assure you that it will spark some memories.

Other Sites
For an educational look at classic television, The Classic Film and Television Homepage contains a nice variety of reviews and articles about films and television. The author, Michael E. Grost, shares information about classic television show writers, directors, and photographers. He covers many interesting topics such as television techniques, TV copy, shows and their writers and actors, and TV comedy. Mr. Grost also shares his list of the Best TV Shows.

There are even more fun sites to visit on this Internet tour. The TV Party is worth a stop. Although the lineup at this site is limited, it is very interesting. Features include 60's action shows, Saturday morning reruns from 1965 - 1988, and game shows from the summer of '74.

A really unique feature of this Web site is the Mistakes and Blunders Area. Since many of the shows were live broadcasts, the actors often had to keep right on going, in spite of embarrassing mistakes. Many of the on-camera blunders and screw-ups were an integral part of the early shows. Sometimes even in taped shows, producers included the blunders because they were so funny.

The TV Party Web site shares some of the best mistakes and blunders. You can watch Jackie Gleason and Audrey Meadow improvise as Alice tries to open a can with a stubborn can opener. See Lucy get one of the biggest laughs in television history in an episode with William Holden when she put out a fire at the end of her putty nose by dunking her nose in coffee. Watch Redd Foxx and LaWanda Page take part in an exchange gone awry in their farewell episode. All are interesting to see.

Theme Songs
Is it a subconscious thing? No one seems to realize how important the classic theme songs are until you stop and extract them from their show. How many themes stand alone as popular songs? Do you remember the lyrics? How important was orchestra music to early episodes? Almost all of the classic TV Web sites have a section or information on the music.

Nick at Nite allows you to use your Windows, Mac, or RealAudio format and sing along with the TV shows greatest hits. After a visit, you will be humming the theme songs for days.

Classic-tv.com allows you to download theme songs, check out specific categories like Game Show Theme Songs, and even take a TV Theme Songs Quiz.

Have you ever had a television theme song stick in your mind only to realize that you can't remember the words? The Classic-TV site will come to your aid with an extensive list of theme song lyrics. These include Flipper's theme song, Welcome Back Kotter, Gilligan's Island, All In The Family, The Brady Bunch, Cheers, and The Love Boat to name just a few. Although they are not technically old enough to be considered classics, this site also gives theme songs from the 90's.

If the history behind the themes interests you more than the lyrics, you will enjoy another stop on my list of classic television theme song sites, Classic TV Series Themes. This Web site is the source for background on the composers, publishers, etc. of over 400 songs. The credits are listed for themes from many network and nationally syndicated series that aired before 1965. This is also the location to research origins of American TV themes, read the History of Production Music, and find out more about "Those Old Jingles."

Classic TV Nostalgia Sharing
Thank you, Internet, for this trip back in time to Classic TV. If you would like to share your love of classic television with others, make one last stop at the Classic TV Postcard Rack. At this site you can select a postcard with pictures from such classic shows as The Honeymooners, Laurel and Hardy, Gilligan's Island, and I Dream of Jeannie. Add a theme song to accompany your postcard selection, type in a message, and send it right off, free of charge.

Thanks to the computer, today's technical marvel, we are able to revisit yesterday's sensation - Classic Television.