One of my fave shows was "The Rat Patrol" (1966-68) as a kid: what kid doesn't like jeeps and army tanks? Trouble was, by the time I was 10 I was wondering why the German Army was using M3's against the Allies in North Africa. Anyway, I remember loving that show, I saw a few minutes of an episode a while back, other than the nostalgia it was rather unbearable.
Another biggie from the 60's was "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" which was pretty cool, what with all the 'special effects'. There may not be any Star Trek series had this show not existed beforehand. Alas, men dressed up as human sized plankton attacking the crew of the ship, isn't as groundbreaking as it once was.
Still, this is the nature of the industry...we have come along way in the spec effects area, but it was older shows and movies like the original 'King Kong' and 'Wizard of Oz' ect that made the first(huge) steps.
