The Everglades

Starring: Gordon Casell, Ron Hayes
First Aired: October 9, 1961
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $300 for the land*

While the precise budget of this crime/nature adventure show is unknown, it was rumored that The Everglades was operating on an extremely tight operating budget. In order to produce this play, the land at the center of it, an acre in the Everglades National Park, was purchased for $300. Additionally, the episode was filmed at additional locales like Coopertown, Sweetwater, and Frog City, as well as Forty Mile Bend, which is located on the Tamiami Trail. The premise of this show, which featured Ron Hayes and Gordon Casell, revolved around Hayes’ character, Lincoln Vail, a police officer who journeyed across the Everglades by airboat, responding to pleas for aid and putting an end to criminal activity.

The Everglades

The Jim Backus Show

Starring: Jim Backus, Nita Talbot, Bobs Watson, George Ives
First Aired: 1960
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $100,000*

You might be familiar with The Jim Backus Show under its previous moniker, Hot Off the Wire. Mike O’Toole, played by Jim Backus, was the star of this half-hour sitcom. O’Toole was the owner of a wire service that was fighting to stay afloat in the current economic climate. Nita Talbot, who portrayed Dora Miles, and Bobs Watson, who played Sidney, were among the other actors who appeared on the show. In 1960 and 1961, the show was syndicated nationally. The Jim Backus Show had some big-name guest stars stop by to try to boost the show’s lagging ratings, including George Ives, Alan Carney, Milton Frome, Vivi Janiss, and Olan Soule, among others, in an effort to boost the show’s ratings.

The Jim Backus Show