Television syndication and reruns are a major source of Halloween costume ideas

‘The Lone Ranger’ was the first television series I remember seeing; and he and his faithful companion, Tonto, provided me with many evenings of entertainment. Hmm! There are a couple of costume ideas, right?

And who could forget ‘Mr. Television, Milton Berle with his weekly assortment of outrageous costumes? Or bus driver Ralph Kramden and his lovely wife, Alice? There was Sheriff Andy Taylor and Deputy Barney Fife from the ‘Andy Griffin’ show. Westerns like “Gunsmoke,” “Have Gun, Will Travel,” and “Bonanza” were staples for many years. A pair of six shots, a pair of cowboy boots and a ten gallon hat were the key ingredients. Well, aside from Hoss (a ‘Bonanza’ character, not so much a ten-gallon hat, but more of a regular cowboy hat.

Part of the daytime fare was ‘Howdy Doody’, with Buffalo Bob, Clarabelle the Clown, Princess SummerFallWinterSpring, Mr. Bluster. Although some of the characters were puppets, there are many possibilities for your Halloween costume in this show.

Periodically, there might be a live snippet of a Broadway show, many of which were in costume.

Movies were also introduced to the live television menu. The ‘Wizard of Oz’ with its wide range of colorfully costumed characters, as well as scary ones, was and is an annual event.

To get ideas for your Golden Age of Television Halloween costumes, you can simply scan your cable TV schedules for ideas. Check out your favorite search engine (mine is Google) and even take a trip to the library. They must have some books, including photographs, from the early days of television.

You may not remember which costumes are associated with all the characters mentioned above and this is why research is your most important ally.