75 Years Of CBS TV on DVD

This Sunday night, CBS celebrates 75 years on the air with a three-hour special.

To help commemorate the big anniversary, The Early Show Entertainment Contributor Laurie Hibberd offers some classic CBS shows available on DVD.

Here are just a few:

I Love Lucy - Debuted on Oct. 15, 1951, and run through Sept. 24, 1961. The last original half-hour episode of "I Love Lucy" aired in 1957. The series continued in primetime rebroadcasts until September 1961. There were also 13 hour-long Lucy-Desi programs featuring the "I Love Lucy" characters, which aired from November 1957 to April 1960. "I Love Lucy" is the first series to film before a live audience and the first to use three cameras. The series won two Emmys for Best Situation Comedy (1952, 1953). (See Jan. 19, 1953) The hugely popular series was the No. 1 rated regularly scheduled prime-time program for the 1952-53, 1953-54, 1954-55 and the 1956-57 seasons. The complete first season, a 9-disc, boxed set is currently available.

The Honeymooners - Debuted on Oct. 1, 1955, and ran with the original cast through September 1956 - 39 episodes in total. They are all available in the boxed set, which also includes bonus features: "The Honeymooners" anniversary special and rare interviews with the stars. The boxed set will be available on Nov. 4, 2003

The Carol Burnett Show - Premiered in the fall of 1967 and ran through Sept. 8, 1979. It won three Emmys (1971 Outstanding Variety Series-Musical, 1973 Outstanding Music Variety Series, 1974 Outstanding Comedy-Variety or Music Series). The reunion special "The Carol Burnett Show-Show Stoppers" is currently available on DVD.

The Mary Tyler Moore Show - Premiered on Sept. 19, 1970, and took its final bow with the unforgettable "group hug" on March 19, 1977. It won three Emmys for Outstanding Comedy Series (for 1974-75, 1975-76 and 1976-77 seasons). The complete first season is available on DVD.

All In The Family - Premiered on Jan. 12, 1971, and run through Sept. 16, 1979. "All in the Family" was the No. 1 show in prime time for five consecutive seasons (1971-72 through the 1975-76 seasons) and it won five Emmys. One Emmy is for Outstanding New Series and the other four are for Outstanding Comedy Series (for the 1970-71, 1971-72, 1972-73 and 1977-78 seasons). The show starred Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, Rob Reiner, and Sally Struthers. The complete first and second seasons are available on DVD.

The Jeffersons - Premiered on Jan. 18, 1975, and ran through July 23, 1985. The Emmy winning series starred Sherman Helmsley and Isabelle Sanford. The first two seasons are available on DVD.

M*A*S*H premiered on Sept. 17, 1973, and ran through Sept. 19, 1983. It won an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series for the 1973-74 season. The Final episode of "M*A*S*H" was broadcast on Feb 28, 1983, to an audience of 106 million. It is, to this day, the largest-ever audience to watch a television broadcast. The show's ensemble cast was led by Emmy winner Alan Alda. Seasons 1-4 are currently available on DVD. Season 5 will be available Dec. 9, 2003.

Ed Sullivan's "Toast Of The Town" - Debuted on June 20, 1948, and ran through June 6, 1971. The name was changed to "The Ed Sullivan Show" on Sept. 18, 1955, the year in which it won an Emmy Award for Best Variety Series. The Beatles performed on "The Ed Sullivan Show" on Feb. 9, 1964, and that show is available on DVD.

Designing Women - Premiered on Sept. 29, 1986, and ran through May 24, 1993. The show originally starred Dixie Carter, Annie Potts, Jean Smart, and Delta Burke. "The Best Of Designing Women" is currently available on DVD. It offers five episodes including the groundbreaking "They Shoot Fat Women, Don't They" that received Emmy nominations for Delta Burke and the script.

Green Acres - It aired from Sept. 15, 1965, through Sept. 7, 1971. The show starred Eva Gabor as a rich New Yorker who moves to the country to be with her farmer husband, played by Eddie Albert. The complete first season will be available in January.

Mr. Ed - Started in syndication. It is one of the few shows to subsequently be picked up by a network to air in prime time. This comedy revolves around a talking horse. It ran on CBS from Oct. 1, 1961, through Sept. 8, 1965. "The Best Of Mister Ed" will be available on DVD in January.

Good Times - Premiered on Feb. 1, 1974, and ran through Aug. 1, 1979. The cast is led by Esther Rolle and stars Jimmy "J.J." Walker. The show was a spinoff "Maude," which was a spinoff of "All In The Family." The complete first season is available on DVD.

CSI premiered on Oct. 6, 2000 - "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" was the No.1 rated prime-time program of the 2002-03 season and is currently No.1 this season. The complete first and second seasons are available on DVD.

King Of Queens - Premiered on Sept. 21, 1998. The comedy series stars Kevin James and Leah Remini. It currently airs Wednesday nights at 9 p.m. The complete first season will be available on Nov. 18.

Big Brother Hosted by The Early Show co-anchor Julie Chen. Season 3 will be available on DVD on Tuesday, Nov. 4.

Other shows available are: "The Dick Van Dyke Show," "The Beverly Hillbillies," "The Andy Griffith Show," and "The Twilight Zone."

Many other CBS favorites are still unavailable, such as: "Gunsmoke," "Dallas," "Everybody Loves Raymond," "Murphy Brown," "Maude," "Dukes Of Hazzard," "One Day At A Time, and "Knots Landing" (to name just a few).