Mitchell Hadley's Blog: It's About TV!, page 109

Around the dial

Take it from me: there are few things in life quite as satisfying as pulling off the perfect punch line. (In my case, I've probably had more lines that made people want to punch me.) We'll kick things off this week at Comfort TV, where David treats us to ten perfect classic TV punch lines. You may find several of these useful from time to time, so be sure and write them down.
The Broadcast Archives at the University of Maryland links to this interesting article that, I think, reinforces the old saying about being careful what you wish for. A lot of people thought that presidential debate the other night was awful—even boring. The quiz shows of the 1950s could be boring, too, until someone got a great idea: let's rig the shows! That worked out well, didn't it?
When I was a kid, we had one of those old Kermit Schafer blooper books; I don't remember which one, because he wrote several of them. There were also several LP collections of bloopers, which was even better because then you could actually hear them (or at least a recreation). At The Horn Section. Hal takes some time to review volumes 5 and 6 , including which of the cuts are the real thing.

My wife went to the store yesterday, and as she was on her way out the door I asked her to get me a can of chili for the weekend. Had I known that at Garroway at Large, Jodie would be reprinting Pamela Garroway's chili recipe , a favorite of Dave's, I would have asked her to pick up the extra ingredients as well. Looks mighty good.
The latest subject of Television's New Frontier: the 1960s is the single-season western Frontier Circus , which wasted some big name guest stars on plots that were "downright awful" according to the article. I wonder if some of these faults are actually real, as opposed to simply viewing them through the distorted filter of modern woke sensibilities? Not having seen an episode, I'm just idly wondering.
We're commemorating the anniversaries of a number of iconic series this year (The Flintstones celebrated its 60th this week), and at A Shroud of Thoughts Terence takes a time out to remember The Partridge Family on the occasion of it's 50th. My wife and I got to meet Shirley Jones a few years ago at the Mid Atlantic Nostalgia Convention; still classy after all these years.

I proudly admit an affection for the original version of Planet of the Apes, particularly Charlton Heston's iconic over-the-top performance. Rod Serling is credited with the screenplay for Apes (along with Michael Wilson), but the finished product differs in many ways from Serling's drafts. Shadow & Substance tells us that a graphic novel version of Serling's screenplay  is now available, letting us see what might have been. TV  

20 for 20: the best political movies and TV shows

It's become something of a tradition at this website that every four years I post a list of my favorite political movies and TV series, in honor of the upcoming election. The first edition appeared in 2012 and, cleverly I thought, I called it "12 for 12." When I updated it in 2016 I changed it to "16 fort 16." (Hey, I didn't just get off the turnip truck, you know.) I'm sure you'll be shocked to discover that this year's version is called "20 for 20." As to how long I can keep up with this, it depends, of course, on how long the website continues, but as there never seems to be any shortage of movies about politics, I'd imagine the only limitation is my capacity for torture. Or yours.
As I've mentioned previously, while most of these choices come from the big screen, you're probably more accustomed to having seen them on television, either as a movie or on DVD. TCM is particularly good at showing a variety of political movies as Election Day approaches, so there's a very good chance you'll be able to catch them between now and November 3. And while the list is now bigger than ever, it's still missing several titles that might surprise you; my choices—and omissions—probably tell you more about me than any biographical information I could ever share, and believe me, it's not a pretty picture. However, you'll notice that virtually every one of them concerns greed, corruption, murder, dishonesty, brute force, and irredeemable qualities—in other words, everything that we know and love about American politics. After seeing them, you might even ask yourself whether we really have it so bad after all?
By the way, they're in no particular order except for that in which I came up with them, which may or may not be a clue as to which are my favorites.

The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
Director: John Frankenheimer
Stars: Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, Angela Lansbury, Janet Leigh

There’s not much to add to the classic thriller about an assassin brainwashed to infiltrate the American political scene. It was a movie ahead of its time, boasting terrific performances by Sinatra and Lansbury, who makes you forget all about Jessica Fletcher. If you haven’t seen it, get it. And, yes, this happens to be the number one film on my list.  Frankenheimer was a veteran of Golden Age anthologies such as Playhouse 90 (directing well over 100 in total), and won four Emmys in his return to TV movies in the 90s.  You can see his experience with live TV in the way he used a TV camera and monitor during a scene where James Gregory's bumptious Joe McCarthy knock-off confronts a general.  It's a small touch, but light-years ahead of how it would have been done by other directors of the time.
What to watch for: Most people would choose the hallucinatory brainwashing/tea party scene, which is memorable—but look for the scene late in the movie when Sinatra scans Madison Square Garden in search of Harvey's agonized Raymond. Even during the National Anthem, when protocol demands that Sinatra’s Colonel Marco stands at attention, his eyes are everywhere, darting back and forth in search of any kind of a clue.


Seven Days in May (1964)
Director: John Frankenheimer
Stars: Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas Fredric March, Ava Gardner

Another Frankenheimer political potboiler, this time concerning a plot by the Joint Chiefs of Staff to overthrow the U.S. government and replace a weak president (March) whom they fear is unable to stand up to the Communists in Russia and China. While not as good as the best-seller that inspired it, Rod Serling’s screenplay takes extraordinary chunks of the book’s dialogue and presents it whole in the movie. The heavyweight matchup is between Lancaster, as the strong-willed JCS Chairman, and Douglas, not only trying to save the American system of government but also to preserve the integrity of the armed forces and the American tradition of civilian control of the military.  The plot has been borrowed for various mediocre TV movies, but the original still packs a wallop.
What to watch for: For techno-geeks, look for Frankenheimer’s use of closed-circuit cameras throughout the JCS offices. As a TV veteran, it must have been old hat for him.


Fail Safe (1964)
Director: Sidney Lumet
Stars: Henry Fonda, Walter Matthau, Dan O'Herlihy, Larry Hagman

A computer malfunction results in an American bomber group being given an accidental attack order against the Soviet Union. Fonda’s president—almost too virtuous, as is often the case with Fonda roles—is stuck in a no-win situation: unable to recall the group, forced to help the Soviets try to shoot them down in order to convince them of his sincerity (and avoid a retaliatory strike), and having to deal with an Ivy League professor (Matthau, channeling Henry Kissinger) trying to convince him that an all-out strike against the Russians is the only way to go. Since this is a TV site, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention George Clooney's surprisingly good 2000 live version , shot in black-and-white and introduced by Walter Cronkite.  No, Richard Dreyfuss is no Henry Fonda, and you can ask yourself whether or not the plot should have been updated - but why quibble with success?
What to watch for: No music. O’Herlihy’s affecting performance as a world-weary general. Hagman’s underrated turn as Fonda’s interpreter during the hotline talks with the Soviet premier (vastly superior to Noah Wyle's performance in the TV remake).


Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Quit Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Stars: Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden, Slim Pickens

Make sure you watch Fail Safe prior to Dr. Strangelove; otherwise, you'll never be able to watch the former with a straight face. Sellers is brilliant in three roles: Group Captain Lionel Mandrake, who tries to prevent the nuclear attack from being triggered; U.S. President Merkin Muffley, a suggestive inpression of Adlai Stevenson; and the titular Dr. Strangelove, who (like Mattheu's character) insists the U.S. can win a nuclear confrontation. Scott is wonderfully manic as General Buck Turgidson, representing every warmongering general you can imagine, and Sterling Hayden shines as the paranoid General Jack D. Ripper, obsessed with communists and fluroidated water . The movie is based on Peter George's novel Red Alert; George sued the authors of the novel Fail-Safe, charging plagiarism due to the striking similarities between the two stories. Kubrick, who feared Fail Safe's heavyweight cast and director would damage his movie, used the lawsuit to keep Columbia from releasing Fail Safe until after Dr. Strangelove.
What to watch for:  Muffley's hot-line conversation with the Russian premier is hilarious, but the honors go to Group Captain Mandrake's confrontation with American Colonel Bat Guano (Keenan Wynn), which begins with one of film's immortal lines: "Now look, Colonel Bat Guano, if that really is your name."

Suddenly (1954)
Director: Lewis Allen
Stars: Frank Sinatra, Sterling Hayden, James Gleason

The idea behind this sinister little movie must have been very disturbing for 1954—a plot to assassinate the president (obviously Eisenhower, although his name is never mentioned) as his train makes a stop in the small California town of Suddenly, a "town where nothing much ever happens." The hit is financed by an unseen group (whose motive is never explained, which makes it even more sinister) and is to be carried out by mercenary gangsters. Sinatra, so good in The Manchurian Candidate, is brilliantly nasty here as the psychotic hired gun, holding a family hostage while using their house as staging ground for the assassination attempt.
What to watch for: There's a certain nobility to Sinatra's fellow gang members. There isn't much they wouldn't do for cold, hard cash—but assassinating the president? Instinctively it makes them uneasy: what they're doing is not only illegal, it's unpatriotic, and that violates the criminal code.


The Best Man (1964)
Director: Franklin J. Schaffner
Stars: Henry Fonda, Cliff Robertson, Lee Tracy

A showdown between two candidates for a party’s presidential nomination: Fonda, once again the noble candidate you’re meant to identify with, and Robertson, the ruthless, win-at-all-costs bad guy. Gore Vidal’s darkly comic play becomes a bit more serious on the big screen, and poses a thought-provoking question: is it more important to be virtuous and weak, or cunning and strong? At the time the candidates appeared to be thinly disguised versions of Adlai Stevenson (Fonda) and Richard Nixon (Robertson), but ask yourself if you don’t see more than a bit of JFK (or at least RFK) in Robertson’s heavy-handed tactics. (Vidal, in 1960, was a first-hand witness to the kind of campaign the Kennedy boys ran.)  Schaffner (Patton), like Frankenheimer, cut his teeth in the Golden Age, winning three Emmys for directing such classics as the Studio One version of Twelve Angry Men.
What to watch for: Tracy, as the former president, is courted for his endorsement by both Fonda and Robertson. Watch him quiz each man about their belief in God, and see if you can figure out what Tracy himself believes. Is he telling either man the truth about how he feels, or merely manipulating them to see what their own answer is? Also according to Wikipedia, Ronald Reagan (still then an actor) was considered for a role but rejected because he didn't look presidential enough.


The Great McGinty (1940)
Director: Preston Sturges
Stars: Brian Donlevy, Muriel Angelus, Akim Tamiroff, William Demarest

This spot-on satire, written and directd by the brilliant Sturges, tells the story of a bum (Donlevy) who in hilarious circumstances rises through the crooked party ranks to become governor, before gaining a conscience, thanks to the love of a good woman (his wife, through a marriage arranged to improve his image), with the result that everything collapses around him. Would that more corrupt politicians reacted the way he does—by escaping from jail and fleeing the country.  
What to watch for: Besides Demarest’s very funny performance, McGinty and his cronies bring a Three Stooges-like element to politics; appropriate since, again according to Wikipedia, Tamiroff's malaprop-laced performance was the inspiration for Boris Badenov.


A Face in the Crowd (1957)
Director: Elia Kazan
Stars: Andy Griffith, Patricia Neal, Walter Matthau

Sheriff Andy Taylor was never like this! I’ve written about A Face in the Crowd before, but couldn’t pass up the chance to talk about it again. It's no wonder Griffith was frustrated by his stereotyping as the easygoing Sheriff Andy; his meglomaniacial Lonesome Rhodes, a popular entertainer brought in to increase the appeal of a presiential candidate, is an unforgettable portrait of runaway power. Griffith never again played a role that approched its sheer magnetism.
What to watch for: This is Matthau’s second appearance in this list, and watching his performances in these two movies reminds you of what an underrated dramatic actor he was. If you know Matthau only from The Odd Couple and Grumpy Old Men, don’t miss him here.


All the King's Men (1949)
Director: Robert Rossen
Stars: Broderick Crawford, John Ireland, Joanne Dru, Mercedes McCambridge
Another repeat appearance. I discussed the Pulitzer-winning novel here , but while the movie lacks much of the book’s depth and subtlety, it makes up with dominant (and Oscar-winning) performances by Crawford as Willie Stark, who truly was an honest man at one time; and McCambridge as Sadie Burke, Stark’s right-hand woman. I think you could make a case for this as the great American tragedy.
What to watch for: You know you’ll end up hating Crawford by the end of the movie, which makes the actions of the honest Stark at the movie’s beginning even more painful to watch. Jack Burden (Ireland), about whom the book really revolves, is much less prominent here.


The Missiles of October (1974)
Director: Anthony Page
Stars: William Devane, Martin Sheen, Howard DaSilva, Ralph Bellamy

Sheen, who would later play JFK in a TV-movie, here plays RFK in this riveting drama about the Cuban Missile Crisis, originally shown only a dozen years after the showdown that cast everyone in the shadow of nuclear war. Terry Teachout’s excellent look back in last week’s Wall Street Journal explains much about why this docudrama is so good, from its dedication to historical accuracy to the minimalist sets that give the production a Golden Age immediacy. This was “event” television when it was shown in a three-hour timeslot on ABC Theatre, and it’s just as powerful today.
What to watch for : When the generals apprise JFK of the possible damage a Soviet attack on American bases might inflict, I’ve always thought Devane (wonderful performance) gave him just a hint of creeping hysteria as he talks about wanting to make sure American planes aren’t lined up wingtip to wingtip—as they were at Pearl Harbor.


Wag the Dog (1997)
Director: Barry Levinson
Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Robert DeNiro, Anne Heche

Politics can be played for comedy, tragedy or satire; this one manages to incorporate all three, in this viciously delightful story of a movie producer (Hoffman, who might well be doing an impression of Levinson) hired to invent a fake war in order to save a corrupt President’s sorry ass. It’s a very smart, funny and well-acted movie (Willie Nelson’s star-studded “We Are the World”-type song is worth the price alone) , but its real impact comes from what we all know but are afraid to admit, and that’s one reason why we laugh—because it’s too painful to cry.
What to watch for: I’d never been a big Hoffman fan prior to this movie, but I thought he was just terrific (and well-deserving of his Oscar nomination) with his sardonic portrayal of the movie producer for whom each potential disaster simply reminds him of a past movie-making experience. His answer is the same every time: “This is nothing!” I've used that line many times myself, with about equal success.


Columbo: "Candidate for Crime" (1973)
Director: Boris Sagal
Stars: Peter Falk, Jackie Cooper, Joanne Linville, Tisha Sterling

What would any "best-of" list be without an episode of Columbo?  Cooper plays a U.S. Senate candidate carrying on an affair with a member of his staff. When his campaign manager finds out and orders him to end the affair, Cooper murders him and tries to make it look as if he, Cooper, was actually the intended target. He may fool his wife, his lover, the press, and even the voters—but not Lieutenant Columbo.
What to watch for: Cooper, like most of Columbo’s adversaries, takes the Lieutenant far too lightly. Watch him trying to film a sound bite for television, all the while being distracted by Columbo’s poking around his house. By the time he realizes that Columbo’s no fool, it’s too late.


Winter Kills (1979)
Director: William Richert
Stars: Jeff Bridges, John Huston, Anthony Perkins, Eli Wallach, Richard Boone

Like The Manchurian Candidate, Winter Kills was based on a novel by Richard Condon, but unlike Candidate, it’s far less well known. Condon’s dark comedy tells the story of a man (Bridges) trying to discover the truth behind the conspiracy that took the life of his half-brother, an American president who was supposedly killed by a lone gunman. Any similarities to JFK, including gangsters, nightclub owners, and a domineering father (Huston, in a performance right out of Chinatown), are purely intentional.
What to watch for: I won’t give away the ending, but suffice it to say that it involves a surreal scene with Bridges, Huston and an enormous American flag.


House of Cards (1990, plus sequels)
Created by: Andrew Davies; Director: Paul Seed
Stars: Ian Richardson, Susannah Harker, David Lyon, Diane Fletcher

Not the American version starring Kevin Spacey, but the far-superior UK version, which came to the United States via Masterpiece Theatre. Ian Richardson is brilliant as Francis Urquart (initials FU), who schemes to become Prime Minister after being snubbed by the current PM. As Urquart methodically sets about sabotaging his rivals, he finds that in most cases, they provide him with more than enough rope to do the job. Throw in the most scheming wife since Lady Macbeth (Fletcher) and an impressionable, pliable young journalist (Harker), and the stage is more than set. Be sure to check out the series' two sequels, To Play the King and The Final Cut .
What to watch for: Urquart constantly breaks the fourth wall, talking directly to the viewers, making us all parties to his plot. He's evil, but hard to root against. His catch phrase, which I've used many times: "You might think that. I couldn't possibly comment."


Yes Minister / Yes, Prime Minister (1980-88)
Created by: Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn
Stars: Paul Eddington, Nigel Hawthorne, Derek Fowlds

Much as Barney Miller was to police series, Yes Minister and its sequel, Yes, Prime Minister is probably the most accurate political series ever made, far more so than a program such as The West Wing. There is no idealization in this brutal, hilarious satire of British politics, featuring Jim Hacker (Eddington) as the newly-named Minister of Administrative Affairs, his permanent secretary Sir Humphrey Appleby (Hawthorne) and his personal secretary, the well-meaning Bernard (Fowlds). We quickly learn that the aptly named Hacker is far from the brightest bulb on the tree, but we root for him against the smug, obfuscating Sir Humphrey, who's determined to hang on to his power (as a civil servant, he maintains his position regardless of which party is in power). Hacker is full of surprises though, and while he might not be Humphrey's intellectual equal, he more than holds his own as a very good politician.
What to watch for: After listening to Sir Humphrey's tangled, tortured explanation as to why the Department of Administrative Affairs couldn't possibly do what its minister wants, Hacker often is left with a blank, glassy-eyed stare.


Advise and Consent (1962)
Director: Otto Preminger
Stars: Henry Fonda, Walter Pidgeon, Don Murray, Charles Laughton, Gene Tierney

Based on Allen Drury's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Advise and Consent presents the story of a bruising battle over the confirmation of a nominee for Secretary of State, with Fonda as Secretary of State nominee Robert Leffingwell, who may at one time have been a member of the Communist party (a thinly disguised version of Alger Hiss), and Charles Laughton (who disliked Fonda in real life) as Senator Seab Cooley, one of his opponents. It's a spicy story that features blackmail and homosexuality in addition to political ambition and the Red menace, yet Preminger sought to enliven the movie even more, offering roles to both Martin Luther King Jr. and Richard Nixon. Both wisely declined. You'll find some of the speechifying and plot twisting a bit over-the-top, and the movie suffers in comparison with the book, but it remains an entertaining political thriller in the neo-noir tradition, and a cynical, grown-up antidote to Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.
What to watch for: You'll find it hard to believe that Vice President Harley Hudson (Lew Ayers) would be at the airport, without security, flying on a commercial airliner—yet it's true. It wasn't until the mid-60s that the Vice President flew regularly on a government plane.


The Candidate (1972)
Director: Michael Ritchie
Stars: Robert Redford, Peter Boyle

Take one photogenic activist lawyer, introduce him to a savvy political operative looking for a candidate. The result: an earnest, progressive candidate for the United States Senate, fighting an uphill campaign against the incumbent Republican. The Candidate is predictable, but no less captivating, in his look at the phony, cynical world of politics. It's also prescient in its portrayal of a candidate recruited for his telegenic looks, regardless of whether or not he's qualified. Even conservatives might wind up rooting for Redford's character as he takes on the smug, establishment Republican.
What to watch for : Without giving away the ending, Redford's final exchange with his campaign manager (Boyle) is worth the price of admission alone.

The Thick of It (2005-12)
Creator/Director: Armando Iannucci
Stars: Peter Capaldi, Chris Langham, Rebecca Front

Before he was Doctor Who, Peter Capaldi rose to fame in this BBC series as the outrageously profane Malcolm Tucker, the prime minister's chief whip, a man who probably isn't above using a real whip to keep the party's MPs in line. Frequently running afoul of Tucker is the show's protagonist, Hugh Abbott (Langham), the minister of the Department of Social Affairs (replaced after the second series by Rebecca Front as Nicola Murray). The series has often been thought of as an updated version of Yes Minister, and it's cynicism is as breathtaking as its ability to predict British political trends. The series spawned a big-screen spinoff, In the Loop , and a failed pilot for an American adaptation. Creator Armando Iannucci instead went on to create the HBO series Veep.
What to watch for: Or in this case, "listen for": the show reportedly employed a "swearing consultant" to enhane the dialogue, and the attention to detail shows. You'll never quite look at The Doctor in the same away again.

The Man (1972)
Director: Joseph Sargent
Stars: James Earl Jones, Martin Balsam, Burgess Meredith, Georg Stanford Brown

This ABC teleflick was based on the novel of the same name by Irving Wallace;  not surprisingly, there was far more in the book that could ever be worked into a 93-minute running time. The focus of the story is Douglass Dilman (Jones) who, thanks to the 1947 Presidential Succession Act and following an improbable series of circumstances, finds himself as the first black president of the United States. Both verisons deal with the racism, both overt and subtle, that Dilman faces, but whereas the book climaxes with a spectacular impeachment trial, the movie builds toward Dilman's efforts to win his party's nomination for a full term as president. The title has a double meaning; "The Man" is Beltway-speak for the president, but Wallace also intended it as a counter to racist ideas that blacks were less than human.
W hat to watch for: The movie features cameos from several real-life media figures such as ABC's Howard K. Smith and Bill Lawrence, which lends a realistic note to a movie which should have been much better than it is. Arguably, the highlight is a wonderful appearance by Jack Benny as himself, entertaining a star-studded group at a White House gala.

The Death of Stalin (2017)
Director: Armando Iannucci
Stars: Steve Buscemi, Simon Russell Beale, Michael Palin, Jeffrey Tambour

Who knew persecution and genocide could be so funny? Armando Iannucci's second appearance on the list is a vicious satire that combines laugh-out loud absurdity (hint: the more absurd the scene, the more likely it is to be true) with images of ugly brutality. The resulting story underlines Hannah Arendt's writing on the banality of evil, and serves as a reminder that every political system, from the most democratic to the most despotic, will inevitably be plagued by bureaucracy. The brilliant ensemble cast shines, especially Buscemi as Khrushchev, Beale as Beria, and Tambour as Malkenov, and serves once again as a reminder of the adage that the greatest truths can often be found in comedy.
W hat to watch for: The movie's tone is set in the opening scene, in which a frantic Radio Moscow crew scrambles to recreate a concert performance after Stalin insists on having a recording of the broadcast—slightly hampered by the fact that the broadcast had not been recorded. The apocryphical story does more than anything else to demonstrate the absolute fear and paranoia that ran through every aspect of life in Soviet Russia.

And there you have it. With just under five weeks until the election, you've got plenty of time to check these out, and then see if you don't feel better about things. Or not. TV  

What's on TV? Thursday, September 30, 1965

This is one of those days that demonstrates the accuracy of NBC's claim to be "The Full Color Network." CBS boasts of only two prime time colorcasts (My Three Sons and Gilligan's Island), while ABC's curious choice is O.K. Crackerby, co-creator Cleveland Amory's failed sitcom (17 episodes), starring Burl Ives. Who knows why—it would take someone like Dick Tracy to find out, and hopefully that's a big-enough hint to you regarding something contained in today's listings, which, as you might have figured, are from the Minnesota State Edition.



 2  KTCA (EDUC.)
Morning
    9:10 CLASSROOM—Education
Afternoon
    3:00 EFFICIENT READING
    5:00 CLASSROOM—Education
    5:30 ECONOMICS—Coleman
Evening
    6:00 GERMAN—Wolfgang Taraba
    6:30 SOCIOLOGY—Gerson
    7:40 HISTORY—Hoyt
    8:30 EDUCATION PHILOSOPHIES
    9:00 THE PROFESSIONALS—Interview
    9:30 TOWN AND COUNTRY
  10:00 PSYCHOLOGY—LaBerge
  11:00 PSYCHOLOGY I


 3  KDAL (DULUTH) (CBS)
Morning
    7:50 FARM AND HOME
    8:00 CAPTAIN KANGAROO—Children Guest: Bobby Richardson
    9:00 I LOVE LUCY—Comedy
    9:30 McCOYS—Comedy
  10:00 ANDY GRIFITH—Comedy
  10:30 DICK VAN DYKE—Comedy
  11:00 LOVE OF LIFE
  11:25 NEWS
  11:30 SEARCH FOR TOMORROW—Serial
  11:45 GUIDING LIGHT—Serial
Afternoon
  12:00 TOWN AND COUNTRY—Becker
  12:30 AS THE WORLD TURNS—Serial
    1:00 PASSWORDCelebrities: Barry Nelson, Carol Burnett. Allen Ludden is the host
    1:30 HOUSE PARTYGuest: Dr. Joyce Brothers
    2:00 TO TELL THE TRUTH—Panel
    2:25 NEWS—Edwards
    2:30 EDGE OF NIGHT—Serial
    3:00 SECRET STORM—Serial
    3:30 CARTOONS—Children
    4:00 WHERE THE ACTION ISGuests: Ketty Lester, Donovan
    4:30 SUPERMAN—Adventure
    5:00 YOGI BEAR—Cartoons
    5:30 NEWS—Cronkite
Evening
    6:00 NEWS
    6:30 MUNSTERS
    7:00 GILLIGAN’S ISLAND—Comedy  COLOR 
    7:30 MY THREE SONS—Comedy  COLOR 
    8:00 MOVIE—Comedy Thursday Night Movie: “The Notorious Landlady” (1962)
  10:15 NEWS
  10:30 THE SAINT—Mystery
  11:30 CHANNEL 3 THEATER—Drama


 3  KGLO (MASON CITY) (CBS)
Morning
    7:35 NEWS—Mike Wallace
    8:00 CAPTAIN KANGAROO—Children Guest:  Bobby Richardson
    9:00 JOE EMERSON—Music
    9:15 SPANISH
    9:30 McCOYS—Comedy
  10:00 ANDY GRIFITH—Comedy
  10:30 DICK VAN DYKE—Comedy
  11:00 LOVE OF LIFE
  11:25 NEWS
  11:30 SEARCH FOR TOMORROW—Serial
  11:45 GUIDING LIGHT—Serial
Afternoon
  12:00 NEWS
  12:30 AS THE WORLD TURNS—Serial
    1:00 PASSWORDCelebrities: Barry Nelson, Carol Burnett. Allen Ludden is the host
    1:30 HOUSE PARTYGuest: Dr. Joyce Brothers
    2:00 TO TELL THE TRUTH—Panel
    2:25 NEWS—Edwards
    2:30 EDGE OF NIGHT—Serial
    3:00 SECRET STORM—Serial
    3:30 SUPERMAN—Adventure
    4:00 UNITED FUND—Interview
    4:05 BART’S CLUBHOUSE
    4:30 ROCKY AND HIS FRIENDS
    4:45 BART’S CLUBHOUSE
    5:00 HUCKLEBERRY HOUND
    5:30 NEWS—Cronkite
Evening
    6:00 NEWS
    6:30 MUNSTERS
    7:00 GILLIGAN’S ISLAND—Comedy  COLOR 
    7:30 MY THREE SONS—Comedy  COLOR 
    8:00 MOVIE—Comedy Thursday Night Movie: “The Notorious Landlady” (1962)
  10:15 NEWS
  10:45 MOVIE—Mystery “70,000 Witnesses” (1932)


 4  WCCO (CBS)
Morning
    6:00 SUNRISE SEMESTER—EducationAge of Michelangelo: “The Man and His Art”
    6:30 SIEGFRIED—Children
    7:00 AXEL AND DEPUTY DAWG
    7:30 CLANCY AND COMPANY
    8:00 CAPTAIN KANGAROO—Children Guest:  Bobby Richardson
    9:00 DR. REUBEN K. YOUNGDAHL
    9:05 NEWS—Dean Montgomery
    9:10 MIKE DOUGLAS—VarietyCo-host: Cliff Arquette. Guests: Alan King, Carmen Cavaliaro, Clinger Sisters
  10:00 ANDY GRIFITH—Comedy
  10:30 DICK VAN DYKE—Comedy
  11:00 LOVE OF LIFE
  11:25 NEWS
  11:30 SEARCH FOR TOMORROW—Serial
  11:45 GUIDING LIGHT—Serial
Afternoon
  12:00 NEWS
  12:15 SOMETHING SPECIAL
  12:25 WEATHER—Bud Kraehling
  12:30 AS THE WORLD TURNS—Serial
    1:00 PASSWORDCelebrities: Barry Nelson, Carol Burnett. Allen Ludden is the host
    1:30 HOUSE PARTYGuest: Dr. Joyce Brothers
    2:00 TO TELL THE TRUTH—Panel
    2:25 NEWS—Edwards
    2:30 EDGE OF NIGHT—Serial
    3:00 SECRET STORM—Serial
    3:30 I LOVE LUCY—Comedy
    4:00 MOVIE—Western  COLOR “Tumbleweed” (1954)
    5:30 NEWS—Cronkite
Evening
    6:00 NEWS
    6:20 DIRECTION—Religion
    6:25 WEATHER—Don O’Brien
    6:30 MUNSTERS
    7:00 GILLIGAN’S ISLAND—Comedy  COLOR 
    7:30 MY THREE SONS—Comedy  COLOR 
    8:00 MOVIE—Comedy Thursday Night Movie: “The Notorious Landlady” (1962)
  10:15 NEWS
  10:45 MOVIE—Comedy “Ma and Pa Kettle” (1949)
  12:15 MOVIE—Drama “The Purple Gang” (1959)


 5  KSTP (NBC)
Morning
    6:30 CITY AND COUNTRY  COLOR 
    7:00 TODAY  COLOR Guest hosts: Burr Tillstrom, Fran Allison. Guest:  Chester Gould
    9:00 FRACTURED PHRASES—Game  COLOR 
    9:25 NEWS—Newman
    9:30 CONCENTRATION
  10:00 MORNING STAR—Serial  COLOR 
  10:30 PARADISE BAY  COLOR 
  11:00 JEOPARDY—Game  COLOR 
  11:30 LET’S PLAY POST OFFICE—Game  COLOR 
  11:55 NEWS—McGee
Afternoon
  12:00 NEWS AND WEATHER  COLOR 
  12:15 DIALING FOR DOLLARS—Game  COLOR 
  12:30 LET’S MAKE A DEAL—Game  COLOR 
  12:55 NEWS—Kalber
    1:00 MOMENT OF TRUTH—Serial
    1:30 DOCTORS
    2:00 ANOTHER WORLD—Serial
    2:30 YOU DON’T SAY!—Game  COLOR Celebrities: Abby Dalton, Mickey Manners
    3:00 MATCH GAME  COLOR Celebrities: Jane Withers, Darryl Hickman
    3:25 NEWS
    3:30 DIALING FOR DOLLARS—Game  COLOR 
    4:30 LLOYD THAXTON—Variety
    5:25 DOCTOR’S HOUSE CALL—Fox
    5:30 NEWS—Chet Huntley, David Brinkley
Evening
    6:00 NEWS  COLOR 
    6:30 DANIEL BOONE  COLOR 
    7:30 LAREDO  COLOR 
    8:30 MONA McCLUSKEY—Comedy  COLOR 
    9:00 DEAN MARTIN  COLOR Guests: Eddie Fisher, Abbe Lane, the Dave Clark Five
  10:00 NEWS  COLOR 
  10:30 JOHNNY CARSON  COLOR 
  12:15 MOVIE—Science Fiction “Terror from the Year 5000” (1958)


 6  WDSM (DULUTH) (NBC)
Morning
    7:00 TODAY  COLOR Guest hosts: Burr Tillstrom, Fran Allison. Guest:  Chester Gould
    9:00 FRACTURED PHRASES—Game  COLOR 
    9:25 NEWS—Newman
    9:30 CONCENTRATION
  10:00 MORNING STAR—Serial  COLOR 
  10:30 PARADISE BAY  COLOR 
  11:00 JEOPARDY—Game  COLOR 
  11:30 LET’S PLAY POST OFFICE—Game  COLOR 
  11:55 NEWS—McGee
Afternoon
  12:00 BEN CASEY—Drama
    1:00 MOMENT OF TRUTH—Serial
    1:30 DOCTORS
    2:00 ANOTHER WORLD—Serial
    2:30 YOU DON’T SAY!—Game  COLOR Celebrities: Abby Dalton, Mickey Manners
    3:00 MATCH GAME  COLOR Celebrities: Jane Withers, Darryl Hickman
    3:25 NEWS
    3:30 GENERAL HOSPITAL—Serial
    4:00 LET’S MAKE A DEAL—Game
    4:30 PORKY PIG—Cartoons
    5:00 BOZO AND HIS PALS  COLOR 
    5:30 NEWS, ROCKY TELLER  COLOR 
Evening
    6:00 NEWS—Huntley, Brinkley
    6:10 NEWS, SPORTS, WEATHER
    6:30 DANIEL BOONE  COLOR 
    7:30 LAREDO  COLOR 
    8:30 MONA McCLUSKEY—Comedy  COLOR 
    9:00 DEAN MARTIN  COLOR Guests: Eddie Fisher, Abbe Lane, the Dave Clark Five
  10:00 NEWS
  10:20 JOHNNY CARSON  COLOR 


 6  KMMT (AUSTIN) (ABC)
Morning
  10:00 YOUNG SET—Discussion
  11:00 DONNA REED—Comedy
  11:30 FATHER KNOWS BEST
Afternoon
  12:00 BEN CASEY—Drama
    1:00 NURSES—Serial
    1:30 A TIME FOR US—Serial

NEWS—Marlene Sanders
    2:00 GENERAL HOSPITAL—Serial
    2:30 YOUNG MARRIEDS—Serial
    3:00 NEVER TOO YOUNG—Serial
    3:30 WHERE THE ACTION ISGuests: Lenny Welch, Cannabal and the Headhunters
    4:00 CAPTAIN ATOM—ChildrenMovie: “Ghosts on the Loose” (Comedy; 1943)
    5:30 RIFLEMAN—Western
Evening
    6:00 NEWS—Peter Jennings
    6:30 SHINDIG—MusicGuests: The Dave Clark Five, Leslie Gore, Major Lance, Donovan, the Hollies, the Turtles. Host: Jimmy O’Neilll
    7:00 DONNA REED—Comedy
    7:30 O.K. CRACKERBY!—Comedy  COLOR 
    8:00 BEWITCHED—Comedy
    8:30 PEYTON PLACE—Drama
    9:00 LONG HOT SUMMER
  10:00 NEWS
  10:20 NIGHTLIFE—Variety
  12:00 NEWS


 7  KCMT (ALEXANDRIA) (NBC, ABC)
Morning
    7:00 TODAY  COLOR Guest hosts: Burr Tillstrom, Fran Allison. Guest:  Chester Gould
    9:00 FRACTURED PHRASES—Game  COLOR 
    9:25 NEWS—Newman
    9:30 CONCENTRATION
  10:00 MORNING STAR—Serial  COLOR 
  10:30 PARADISE BAY  COLOR 
  11:00 JEOPARDY—Game  COLOR 
  11:30 LET’S PLAY POST OFFICE—Game  COLOR 
  11:55 NEWS—McGee
Afternoon
  12:00 NEWS
  12:20 EXTENSION NEWS, VIEWS
  12:30 LET’S MAKE A DEAL—Game  COLOR 
  12:55 NEWS—Kalber
    1:00 MOMENT OF TRUTH—Serial
    1:30 DOCTORS
    2:00 ANOTHER WORLD—Serial
    2:30 YOU DON’T SAY!—Game  COLOR Celebrities: Abby Dalton, Mickey Manners
    3:00 MATCH GAME  COLOR Celebrities: Jane Withers, Darryl Hickman
    3:25 NEWS
    3:30 GENERAL HOSPITAL—Serial
    4:00 FATHER KNOWS BEST—Comedy
    4:30 WELCOME INN—Variety
    5:00 HUCKLEBERRY HOUND
    5:30 NEWS—Chet Huntley, David Brinkley
Evening
    6:00 NEWS
    6:30 DANIEL BOONE  COLOR 
    7:30 LAREDO  COLOR 
    8:30 MONA McCLUSKEY—Comedy  COLOR 
    9:00 DEAN MARTIN  COLOR Guests: Eddie Fisher, Abbe Lane, the Dave Clark Five
  10:00 NEWS
  10:30 FUGITIVE—Drama
  11:30 UNEXPECTED—Drama


 8  KDSE (EDUC.) (DULUTH)
Morning
  10:10 CLASSROOM—Education
Afternoon
    4:00 EFFICIENT READING
Evening
    6:00 CLASSROOM—Education
    6:30 TO BE ANNOUNCED
    7:00 FALL PREVIEW
    7:30 WHAT’S NEW—Children
    8:00 AARON COPLAND—Music
    8:30 CIRCUS—Documentary
    9:00 THE PROFESSIONAL—Interview
    9:30 JAZZ CASUAL—Music
  10:30 TOWN AND COUNTRY


 8  WKBT (LA CROSSE) (CBS)
Morning
    7:30 NEWS
    7:35 NEWS—Mike Wallace
    8:00 CAPTAIN KANGAROO—Children Guest:  Bobby Richardson
    9:00 I LOVE LUCY—Comedy
    9:30 McCOYS—Comedy
  10:00 ANDY GRIFITH—Comedy
  10:30 DICK VAN DYKE—Comedy
  11:00 LOVE OF LIFE
  11:25 NEWS
  11:30 SEARCH FOR TOMORROW—Serial
  11:45 GUIDING LIGHT—Serial
Afternoon
  12:00 NEWS
  12:30 AS THE WORLD TURNS—Serial
    1:00 PASSWORDCelebrities: Barry Nelson, Carol Burnett. Allen Ludden is the host
    1:30 HOUSE PARTYGuest: Dr. Joyce Brothers
    2:00 TO TELL THE TRUTH—Panel
    2:25 NEWS—Edwards
    2:30 EDGE OF NIGHT—Serial
    3:00 SECRET STORM—Serial
    3:30 GENERAL HOSPITAL—Serial
    4:00 YOUNG MARRIEDS—Serial
    4:30 MICKEY MOUSE CLUB—Children
    5:00 MUSIC FAIR—La Crosse
    5:30 NEWS—Cronkite
Evening
    6:00 NEWS
    6:30 MUNSTERS
    7:00 GILLIGAN’S ISLAND—Comedy  COLOR 
    7:30 MY THREE SONS—Comedy  COLOR 
    8:00 MOVIE—Comedy Thursday Night Movie: “The Notorious Landlady” (1962)
  10:15 NEWS
  10:40 FILM SHORT
  10:45 STEVE LAWRENCE—Variety Guests: Diahann Carroll, Joey Heatherton, Jordan Christopher and the Wild Ones
  11:45 TRAILS WEST—Drama


 9  KMSP (ABC)
Morning
    7:30 MOVIE—Western
    8:30 MY LITTLE MARGIE—Comedy
  10:00 YOUNG SET—Discussion
  11:00 ELEVENTH HOUR—Drama
Afternoon
  12:00 BEN CASEY—Drama
    1:00 NURSES—Serial
    1:30 A TIME FOR US—Serial
    1:55 NEWS—Marlene Sanders
    2:00 GENERAL HOSPITAL—Serial
    2:30 YOUNG MARRIEDS—Serial
    3:00 NEVER TOO YOUNG—Serial
    3:30 WHERE THE ACTION ISGuests: Lenny Welch, Cannabal and the Headhunters
    4:00 SOUPY SALES—Children
    4:30 HENNESEY—Comedy
    5:00 NEWS—Peter Jennings
    5:15 NEWS AND WEATHER
    5:30 LEAVE IT TO BEAVER—Comedy
Evening
    6:00 STINGRAY—Children  COLOR 
    6:30 SHINDIG—MusicGuests: The Dave Clark Five, Leslie Gore, Major Lance, Donovan, the Hollies, the Turtles. Host: Jimmy O’Neill
    7:00 DONNA REED—Comedy
    7:30 O.K. CRACKERBY!—Comedy  COLOR 
    8:00 BEWITCHED—Comedy
    8:30 PEYTON PLACE—Drama
    9:00 LONG HOT SUMMER
  10:00 NEWS
  10:30 GALLANT MEN—Drama
  11:30 MAVERICK—Western
  12:30 NIGHTLIFE—Variety


10 KROC (ROCHESTER) (NBC)
Morning
    7:00 TODAY  COLOR Guest hosts: Burr Tillstrom, Fran Allison. Guest: Chester Gould
    9:00 FRACTURED PHRASES—Game  COLOR 
    9:25 NEWS—Newman
    9:30 CONCENTRATION
  10:00 MORNING STAR—Serial  COLOR 
  10:30 PARADISE BAY  COLOR 
  11:00 JEOPARDY—Game  COLOR 
  11:30 LET’S PLAY POST OFFICE—Game  COLOR 
  11:55 NEWS—McGee
Afternoon
  12:00 NEWS
  12:15 SHOW AND TELL—Mary Bea
  12:30 LET’S MAKE A DEAL—Game  COLOR 
  12:55 NEWS—Kalber
    1:00 MOMENT OF TRUTH—Serial
    1:30 DOCTORS
    2:00 ANOTHER WORLD—Serial
    2:30 YOU DON’T SAY!—Game  COLOR Celebrities: Abby Dalton, Mickey Manners
    3:00 MATCH GAME  COLOR Celebrities: Jane Withers, Darryl Hickman
    3:25 NEWS
    3:30 WALLY GATOR—Cartoons
    4:00 LONE RANGER—Western
    4:30 LEAVE IT TO BEAVER—Comedy
    5:00 BACHELOR FATHER—Comedy
    5:30 NEWS—Chet Huntley, David Brinkley
Evening
    6:00 NEWS
    6:30 DANIEL BOONE  COLOR 
    7:30 LAREDO  COLOR 
    8:30 MONA McCLUSKEY—Comedy  COLOR 
    9:00 DEAN MARTIN  COLOR Guests: Eddie Fisher, Abbe Lane, the Dave Clark Five
  10:00 NEWS
  10:30 JOHNNY CARSON  COLOR 


11 WTCN (IND.)
Morning
    9:15 NEWS
    9:30 MOVIE—Comedy“Thirty Day Princess” (1934)
  10:30 NEWS—Gil Amundson
  11:00 DONNA REED—Comedy
  11:30 FATHER KNOWS BEST
Afternoon
  12:00 LUNCH WITH CASEY—Children
  12:45 KING AND ODIE—Cartoons
    1:00 MOVIE—Adventure“Tycoon” (1940)
    3:00 GIRL TALK—PanelGuests: Barry Sisters, Carmel Quinn
    3:30 BACHELOR FATHER—Comedy
    4:00 POPEYE AND PETE—Children
    4:30 CASEY AND ROUNDHOUSE
    5:15 ROCKY AND HIS FRIENDS
    5:30 LONE RANGER—Western
Evening
    6:00 DEATH VALLEY DAYS—Drama
    6:30 BOLD JOURNEY—Travel
    7:00 WILD CARGO—Travel
    7:30 BAT MASTERSON—Western
    8:00 MOVIE—War Drama“One of Our Aircraft Is Missing” (English; 1942)
    9:30 NEWS, WEATHER, SPORTS
  10:00 MOVIE—Western “Ramrod” (1947)
  12:00 AMOS ‘N’ ANDY—Comedy


12 KEYC (MANKATO) (CBS)
Morning
    7:35 NEWS—Mike Wallace
    8:00 CAPTAIN KANGAROO—Children Guest:  Bobby Richardson
    9:00 I LOVE LUCY—Comedy
    9:30 McCOYS—Comedy
  10:00 ANDY GRIFITH—Comedy
  10:30 DICK VAN DYKE—Comedy
  11:00 LOVE OF LIFE
  11:25 NEWS
  11:30 SEARCH FOR TOMORROW—Serial
  11:45 GUIDING LIGHT—Serial
Afternoon
  12:00 RFD 12—Mankato
  12:30 AS THE WORLD TURNS—Serial
    1:00 PASSWORDCelebrities: Barry Nelson, Carol Burnett. Allen Ludden is the host
    1:30 HOUSE PARTYGuest: Dr. Joyce Brothers
    2:00 TO TELL THE TRUTH—Panel
    2:25 NEWS—Edwards
    2:30 EDGE OF NIGHT—Serial
    3:00 SECRET STORM—Serial
    3:30 SUPERMAN—Adventure
    4:00 UNITED FUND—Interview
    4:05 BART’S CLUBHOUSE
    4:30 ROCKY AND HIS FRIENDS
    4:45 BART’S CLUBHOUSE
    5:00 HUCKLEBERRY HOUND
    5:30 NEWS—Cronkite
Evening
    6:00 NEWS
    6:30 MUNSTERS
    7:00 GILLIGAN’S ISLAND—Comedy  COLOR 
    7:30 MY THREE SONS—Comedy  COLOR 
    8:00 MOVIE—Comedy Thursday Night Movie: “The Notorious Landlady” (1962)
  10:15 NEWS
  10:45 MOVIE—Mystery “70,000 Witnesses” (1932)


13 WEAU (EAU CLAIRE) (NBC)
Morning
    7:00 TODAY  COLOR Guest hosts: Burr Tillstrom, Fran Allison. Guest:  Chester Gould
    9:00 FRACTURED PHRASES—Game  COLOR 
    9:25 NEWS—Newman
    9:30 ROMPER ROOM—Children
  10:00 MORNING STAR—Serial  COLOR 
  10:30 PARADISE BAY  COLOR 
  11:00 JEOPARDY—Game  COLOR 
  11:30 LET’S PLAY POST OFFICE—Game  COLOR 
  11:55 NEWS—McGee
Afternoon
  12:00 FARM AND HOME—Discussion
    1:00 MOMENT OF TRUTH—Serial
    1:30 DOCTORS
    2:00 ANOTHER WORLD—Serial
    2:30 YOU DON’T SAY!—Game  COLOR Celebrities: Abby Dalton, Mickey Manners
    3:00 MATCH GAME  COLOR Celebrities: Jane Withers, Darryl Hickman
    3:25 NEWS
    3:30 FATHER KNOWS BEST—Comedy
    4:00 PETER POTAMUS—Cartoons
    4:30 SHERIFF BOB—Children
    5:00 HOPPITY HOOPER—Cartoons
    5:30 NEWS—Chet Huntley, David Brinkley
Evening
    6:00 NEWS
    6:30 DANIEL BOONE  COLOR 
    7:30 LAREDO  COLOR 
    8:30 MONA McCLUSKEY—Comedy  COLOR 
    9:00 DEAN MARTIN  COLOR Guests: Eddie Fisher, Abbe Lane, the Dave Clark Five
  10:00 NEWS
  10:30 MOVIE—Drama “The Underworld Story” (1950)
TV  

This week in TV Guide: September 25, 1965

There's a good reason Jackie Gleason is known as The Great One; like him, everything he does is  larger than life, flamboyant. But, as Thomas B. Morgan writes in this week's cover story, there's something misleading about the application of the word, the hint that Gleason is "a man who almost gets away with it."

The occasion for this medidation is "The Great Gleason Express," a 14-car "party train" carrying Gleason and his cast, including Steve Lawrence, the June Taylor Dancers, a Dixieland jazz band, a film crew, and 20 newspaper reporters and columnists, on a junket from New York City to Miami Beach, where the Gleason show is done.

The adventure starts Saturday with a celebratory brunch at Gleason's favorite watering hole, Toots Shor's. Gleason, resplendent in a gray suit, a florid purple vest, ruby cufflinks, and a red carnation in his lapel. A crowd of about 200 feasts on a buffet including lamp shops, scrambled eggs, and shrimp salad, topped off by champagne (the tab for the brunch plus the ensuing train runs CBS $23,500), while Gleason holds court, accompanied by Miss Miami Beach. From there the troup troops to Penn Station, where Gleason is cheered by onlookers as he and his merry band board "The Great Gleason Express." 

As the train rolls merrily on the way to Miami, the band plays "Sweet Georgia Brown," June Taylor and Steve Lawrence dance in the aisles, and copious amounts of alcohol are consumed. (Lawrence figures prominently in the trip, promoting his own variety show this fall on, you guessed it, CBS, acting as Gleason's straight man.) Later, after Gleason takes an opportunity to quietly retire to his compartment for a break, he reemerges in a green sweater, "looking almost fresh," talking about how he was going to be starring in an upcoming movie with Frank Sinatra called The Odd Couple. (He couldn't be referring to the movie that eventually starred Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau, could he?) There's more singing and dancing, card tricks, Dixieland, amd drinking. As Saturday turns to Sunday, the train passes through Savannah, Georgia, and by noon it's in Auburndale, Florida. The train's arrival in Miami Beach is marked by a 36-piece brass band, a marching string band, and a Beatleesque pop group, while Gleason strolls off with the mayor of Miami Beach, Elliott Roosevelt. (Yes, that Roosevelt.) Later that night, there's a banquet at the Doral Beach Hotel, where everyone celebrates the estimated $9,000,000-a-year in free publicity that the show brings to the city. 

And away we go!
Throughout the trip, Morgan toys with the idea that the Gleason greatness is a facade, a show for the benefit of others. At one point, catching Gleason looking out the window at the Pennsylvania countryside, he asks The Great One "if he ever felt as though he were living in the middle of a movie." Gleason shakes his head; "'No,' he says wearily, 'this is for real. I enjoy it.'" Meanwhile, further back, a publicist wonders out loud if they're "pressing Gleason too hard." "We have to get all we can while we can," the other replies. Late in the trip, the sudden appearance of a terrier running up the aisle causes Gleason to really laugh "for perhaps the first time in 24 hours." The weekend ends with Gleason and Lawrence and a round of golf; as the accumulated events of the weekend catch up with him, Gleason tires, "and he played the last three holes without smiling."
I get the impression that Morgan doesn't like Steve Lawrence, is skeptical about Gleason, and in short is somewhat cynical about the whole thing. Maybe it just isn't important enough for him; having previously been a press aide to Adlai Stevenson, he goes on to work for Eugene McCarthy and John Lindsay, served as editor of The Village Voice, and works for the United Nations Association. Quite a career—too bad he doesn't get more out of his travels with The Great One.

t  t  t
During the 60s, the Ed Sullivan Show and The Hollywood Palace were the premiere variety shows on television. Whenever they appear in TV Guide together, we'll match them up and see who has the best lineup..
Sullivan: On the second show from Hollywood, Ed’s scheduled guests are Dinah Shore; comic Jack Carter; rock ‘n’ roller Trini Lopez; actress Gertrude Berg; singer Leslie Uggams; the University of California (Berkeley) Band, and Komazuru Tsukushi, a top-spinner.

Palace: Host Bing Crosby introduces jazzman Louis Armstrong; comedian Phill Harris; the 36 singing Young Americans, led by Milton Anderson; comic magician Carl Ballantine, a regular on “McHale’s Navy”; Pat Woodell, formerly of TV’s “Petticoat Junction,” who makes her TV singing debut; Danish trapeze artist La Norma; French ventriloquist Fred Roby; and Simms’ performing ponies.

At first glance Ed may seem to have the edge, with Dinah Shore, Leslie Uggams and Trini Lopez, plus malaprop comic Jack Carter. And it's true that Ed's lineup has the depth that the Palace lacks. On the other hand, it's very, very hard to top Der Bingle and Satchmo, and Phil Harris and Carl Ballantine make for good second acts. This week, The Palace hits the high notes.

t  t  t

Throughout the 60s and early 70s, TV Guide's weekly reviews were written by the witty and acerbic Cleveland Amory. Whenever we get the chance, we'll look at Cleve's latest take on the series of the era. 

It's Cleveland Amory's first review of the new season, and his advice is to do as the title of this show suggests: run for your life. And, let's face it, it's a potential source of trouble when one of the kindest things a critic can say about a show is that "the color is magnificent", although it should be added that in this day when shooting a series in color was a real selling point, this praise isn't perhaps as faint as it would seem.

At any rate, Run for Your Life is, according to Amory, "an obvious switcheroo on The Fugitive," which is perhaps no surprise since Roy Huggins, creator of Run for Your Life, also created The Fugitive. (Will wonders never cease?) The difference here is that while Dr. Richard Kimble ran to avoid death at the indirect hands of Lieutenant Girard, Paul Bryan runs to avoid death from the Grim Reaper himself, a fatal disease that gives him one, perhaps two years, to survive, but will leave him relatively symptom-free until near the very end. Bryan decides, in his words, "to squeee 30 years' living" into that period. You can't blame him for this, Cleve concedes, but "if the show runs longer than two years, he's going to have to start re-running."

In addition to the color, Amory praises Gazarra for giving his all, acting as if he really believed the far-fetched premise he'd been given. (Gazarra, a classically trained stage actor, often felt frustration himself with what he saw as the superficiality of the role.  In many ways it was a paycheck job for him.) At this early point in the series' history—Amory bases his review on the first two episodes—the writers are clearly struggling with how to tell the story without lapsing into cliche and heavy-handedness, and to Amory's ears they seem overly intrigued with Gazarra's health, turning him into something of a noble mystic spouting such mysterious lines as "I have played [the game of life and death]—and I lost." He also finds lacking many of the people Gazarra runs into in his adventures; speaking of Katharine Ross' performance in the premier episode, Amory says that "we couldn't tell whether she was that shallow or her part was—but no matter, we wanted no part of her." We do learn something, though: in the episode "The Girl Next Door Is a Spy," Amory says, we find out that the swans located in a particular city park live a hundred years. Predictably, Gazarra replies, "Those miserable swans." To which Amory might have appended, "Those miserable viewers."

t  t  t
We've been spending the last few weeks looking at the new Fall Seasons from various years, and this week is no exception. We're about two weeks into the 1965-66 season, and the pages of TV Guide are filled with ads for new network lineups, such as these two, for ◄ Sunday and Friday nights, respectively. NBC is particularly aggressive about this; they have ads for each night of the week, and they're making a big deal out of how many of their shows are in color. And in case the artwork looks familiar, it should: it was done by Mad Magazine's Jack Davis, who did many, many TV Guide covers over the years. The Fall Preview issue from a couple of weeks back featured a multi-page "mural" by Davis, covering NBC's entire 65-66 schedule, elements of which are used in the ads for these individual nights. (Thanks to longtime reader Mike Doran for that heads-up.) NBC's Sunday night lineup has some clear hits; Friday night, well, not so much. But at least they're in color!*

*Except for Convoy, a World War II drama that was forced to take the B&W route since it was heavily dependence on old war footage.  Because of that, many NBC affiliates refused to clear the show, and it was gone before the end of the year.  Not that the rest of them (excluding U.N.C.L.E. did much better.)

Next are a couple of ads for ABC. The ad on the left is a fairly standard ad, promoting the network's "Sunday best," a lineup that's actually pretty successful—headlined by The FBI. That's the focus of the ad on the right as well, with one exception: that one isn't from ABC, but from one of The FBI's sponsors, Alcoa. That kind of advertising isn't unusual in this issue; we're at a time when there's still a close identification between shows and their sponsors. Chrysler, for example, has a promo for Bob Hope's Wednesday night special, hardly a surprise given the car maker's long relationship with Hope. Likewise, The Andy Williams Show is now presented by Kraft, a point emphasized by the company in their ad. I don't know if any sponsors are tied to shows anymore; whenever pressure groups call for boycotts of companies advertising on various controversial programs, it often turns out that the sponsors don't even know what shows they're sponsoring. The spots are all placed by ad brokers or the network.


CBS alone foregoes advertising the entire night's programming.  I'm not sure why; perhaps I missed it from a previous issue, or maybe I'll run across it next week.  I've seen them in the past, though.  As a matter of fact, they have precious little advertising of any kind in this issue, but they do manage to sneak in a sole ad for the Thursday Night Movie.


t  t  t
After a year's absense when its spot was taken by Mr. Mayor, Captain Kangaroo returns to the Saturday morning lineup this week (7:00 a.m., CBS). Terence has more on the single-season history of Mr. Mayor here . It's one of a number of changes here or coming to the Saturday morning lineup; among the cartoons debuting this week are Heckle and Jeckle (8:00 a.m., CBS), The Beatles (9:30 a.m., ABC) and Tom and Jerry (10:00 a.m., CBS), while next week Atom Ant replaces Hector Heathcote (8:30 a.m., NBC), and Secret Squirrel moves into the lineup, while Fireball XL-5 moves out. Stubby Kaye also returns with his half-hour game show for children, Shenanigans (9:00 a.m., ABC). Take it from me; it's a good time to be a kid. On the sports side, CBS broadcasts its last regular-season Game of the Week, with the Chicago White Sox taking on the Yankees in New York (11:45 a.m., CBS); next season, the Game of the Week moves to NBC. Speaking of, the Peacock Network college football is the rule of the day, with Iowa visiting Oregon State at 2:00 p.m. Next season, you'll be seeing your weekly games on ABC.

Roberta Peters (left) and Ginger RogersThere's plenty of pro action on Sunday, with games depending on where you live. Most channels in the Minnesota State Edition get the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Diego Chargers (2:30 p.m., NBC), but for some reason if you live in Duluth you're treated to Joe Namath and the New York Jets taking on the defending AFL champion Buffalo Bills at 1:00 p.m. Those lucky folks in Duluth also get to see the Minnesota Vikings playing at home against the Detroit Lions (2:15 p.m., CBS); due to the blackout, the rest of the CBS affiliates in this week's issue are SOL, except for the affiliate in La Crosse, Wisconsin, where the home state Green Bay Packers clash with the Baltimore Colts, in a preview of the tiebreaking playoff game between the two teams at the end of the season (a controversial game the Packers will win, but that's another story ). Not a sports fan? Don't give up; NBC saves you with G-E College Bowl at 1:30 p.m., and The Bell Telephone Hour at 5:30 p.m. This week's episode, by the way, is a tribute to “The Music of  Jerome Kern ,” with Ginger Rogers, Ella Fitzgerald, Metropolitan Opera soprano Roberta Peters, msucial-comedy performers Earl Wrightson, John Davidson and Nancy Dussault, and pianists Ferrante and Teicher.

Monday night features dueling variety hours from two of America's easiest and most popular singers, starting with Andy Williams (8:00 p.m., NBC), doing his best for his new sponsor with Phil Harris, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, and the vocal group the Jubilee Four. That's followed—on another network, as they used to say—by Steve Lawrence's new series (9:00 p.m., CBS), this week with Diahann Carroll, Joey Heatherton, and Jordan Christopher and the Wild Ones. The network gives Steve a great lead-in, with The Andy Griffith Show and Hazel, and he consistently has a solid guest lineup, so I'm not sure why this series didn't do better. It could be because he's up against the aforementioned Run for Your Life on NBC (which turns out to be more popular with viewers than with Cleve) and Ben Casey on ABC. Or it could be just that viewers preferred seeing Steve and Eydie together.

Tuesday's local highlight is live coverage of the Miss Teen-age Twin Cities contest, from the Calhoun Beach Manor in Minneapolis. (8:00 p.m., WTCN) The winner heads off to Dallas for the Miss Teen-age America contest. Sounds exciting, but will it take viewers away from the riviting suspence that is Peyton Place (8:30 p.m., ABC), especially since Rodney (Ryan O'Neal) is charged with murder?

It's Bob Hope's first variety show of the new season on Wednesday (8:00 p.m., NBC), as Bob welcomes Bea Lillie, Douglas Fairbanks, Dinah Shore and Andy Williams. The sketches include a parody of Cat Ballou with Hope playing a cowardly, metal-nosed sheriff up against Bea's "Tiger Ballou." That's followd at 9:00 p.m. by the third episode of I Spy, and the globetrotting has already begun as Kelly and Scotty find themselves in Hong Kong, making a deal to get a million dollar back tax payment from a shady dealer.

The Dave Clark Five, Leslie Gore, Major Lance, Donovan, the Hollies, and the Turtles are the stars on Thursday's Shindig (6:30 p.m., ABC), and ◄ Nehemiah Persoff is an exiled Latin American dictator who encounters the castaways on a classic episode of Gilligan's Island (7:00 p.m., CBS). And if you haven't had enough of the Dave Clark Five, they're back later this evening on the third episode of The Dean Martin Show (9:00 p.m., NBC), along with Eddie Fisher, Abbe Lane, Phyllis Diller, John Bubbles, and Yonely.

Johnny Carson's taken The Tonight Show to Hollywood for the next two weeks, and on Friday he celebrates his third anniversary as host (10:15 p.m., NBC); could anyone have imagined there were, what, 27 more of these to go?  It's not a clipfest as we would become accustomed to in years to come, just a regular show with Jerry Lewis and George Burns as guests to help him celebrate. It caps off an all-new night for the Peacock network, with Camp Runamuck, Hank, Convoy and Mr. Roberts. The only returning series on the night is The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and that's now in color.

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And finally, the jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi is the subject of the NET documentary Anatomy of a Hit (Wednesday, 9:00 p.m.), profiling the recording sessions for his new album, Black Orpheus, including the Grammy-winning hit "Cast Your Fate to the Wind." 


Guaraldi was a wonderfully talented musician - if the name doesn't sound familiar, perhaps this, his biggest hit, does.  You might have heard it a time or two.


TV  

Around the dial

There's a wealth of interesting informatin out there just waiting to be had, so let's have it!
This year's Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention was an unfortunate victim of the Wuhan virus, but fear not: thanks to Martin and Michelle Grams' ingenuity, this year's convention goes online with highlights from previous years. The virtual MANC runs Friday and Saturday, September 25 and 26, and can be seen through Sunday at the MANC Facebook page . Included among the presentations is my good friend Carol Ford's 2015 talk about Bob Crane , one that sets the record straight on a lot of misrepresentations regarding Bob's life. 
The Hitchcock Project continues exploring the works of Harold Swanton at bare•bones e-zine, and this week Jack's focus is on the seventh-season episode "The Twelve-Hour Caper," starring Dick York. How well did Swanton adapt the original short story by Mike Marmer? Read and find out.
At Comfort TV, David looks at the delightful Twilight Zone episode "A Nice Place to Visit" and Couture's painting “The Romans of the Decadence,” and places them within the context of today's confusing times. Make time to read a very incisive piece.
Having just interviewed William Bartlett about his book NBC and 30 Rock, I'm in kind of an NBC frame of mind. Jodie has the answer to that at Garroway at Large with an update on her Dave Garroway bio. This is a book I'm really looking forward to when it comes out. 
At this week's Cult TV Blog, it's John's turn to take the trip across the pond, and it's no surprise when the show is The Wild Wild West, a series that is reminiscent in many ways of The Avengers. As John says of "The Night of the Lord of Limbo," what's not to love about a story that combines time travel and magic?    
It doesn't seem possible that the sitcom The Odd Couple turns 50 this year, because that reminds me of how old I'm getting. Be that as it may, Terence looks back at the legendary comedy at A Shroud of Thoughts. It's enough to make me forget my age. TV  

The "It's About TV" Interview: William Bartlett, author of NBC and 30 Rock: A View from Inside

This latest edition of the "It's About TV" Interview is one that I think you'll really enjoy, as we dip into the history of one of America's greatest television networks and look at a wonderful coffee table book. 
William Bartlett has been with NBC since Seinfeld was in originals and the company consisted of NBC and CNBC. Fresh out of grad school with a PhD in English, he was hired in 1995 as the press department’s editor, where he embarked on a futile effort to get publicists to use the Chicago Manual of Style. After a few months though, he had a lucky break when then-CEO Bob Wright’s speechwriter left the company and Bartlett was tapped to replace him. For the next decade (not counting a short stint as Sumner Redstone’s speechwriter), he worked closely with Wright as the company grew into the diversified media giant it is today. Today, he heads up NBCUniversal’s in-house corporate video production team, which produces videos for clients around the company. He still writes or edits the occasional speech. Most significantly for our purposes today, he serves as NBC’s in-house historian, curating exhibits in the employee commissary and the 30 Rock lobby. To share the company’s enormous legacy more widely, he recently wrote a history book, NBC and 30 Rock: A View from Inside.
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 It's About TV: How do you get what sounds like the coolest job in the world? 
William Bartlett: I went to graduate school, thinking I’d be a college English teacher, and I’ve managed to end up with a job that is probably as close as you can get to being in academia while being in the corporate world. For most of my career my focus has been on executive communications: speeches, op-eds, annual report copy, and so on. But when NBC turned 75 in 2001, we partnered with John Wiley & Sons on a coffee-table book. A book packager was hired to create the book, and I was tasked with being the corporate point person in charge of reviewing and approving all the copy and photos. That taught me a lot about the company’s history, and I ended up not just fact-checking and approving the copy but writing portions of the book myself.
Fast-forward to 2011, when we were acquired by Comcast. In the months leading up to the close of the deal, the incoming CEO, Steve Burke, asked me to put together a fact sheet that employees would get on “day one,” which would explain what the new company consisted of. I agreed that employees wouldn’t necessarily know all the new company’s holdings, but it struck me that they really didn’t know the histories of the three remarkable companies that were now joined together: NBC, Universal, and Comcast. So instead of doing what I’d been asked, I wrote a short book on the history of the three businesses, with the glue holding them together being the fact that all three were founded by visionary outsiders: David Sarnoff (NBC), Carl Laemmle (Universal), and Ralph Roberts (Comcast). I showed it to Steve and he (fortunately for me) loved the idea. The rest is history, you could say. I became the go-to guy for info about NBC’s history, and I started getting more and more history-related assignments, from curating art for the hallways, to building a website, to putting together exhibits.
How did the idea for the book come about?  I didn’t know it at the time, but the seeds for the book were planted in 2012 with the construction of a new commissary for employees in 30 Rock. When it was finished, it was a beautiful, elegant space looking out over the ice-skating rink. But nothing about it said “NBC.” As an employee, you could have just as well been in a cafeteria at a bank headquarters. Steve Burke asked me to come up with a solution to this problem. I did two things: I selected archival black-and-white photos of NBC stars for the walls, and I commandeered two wooden cabinets intended for waste disposal and turned them into cases to hold historical exhibits.
For the next several years, drawing primarily on NBC archives at the Library of Congress and the Wisconsin Historical Society, I researched and curated four exhibits a year for these two cases, changing them every six months. I explored the history of NBC and World War II, the origins of the Tonight Show, the story of David Sarnoff, Arturo Toscanini and the NBC Symphony, the beginning of sports broadcasting – basically, anything that I thought would be interesting to employees and for which I had assets to work with: photos, documents, and physical artifacts.
After doing a few dozen of these exhibits, it struck me that almost every one of them would lend itself to a spread in a coffee-table book. The research was done. The photos and documents largely sourced. I just needed to write the text and add a few chapters to fill some gaps. I thought this would be a book that anyone who took our famous NBC Studios Tour might want to take home as a keepsake, and that in fact would appeal to anyone who was interested in NBC and the history of broadcasting.
One of the many things I most love about the book, going back to that story about the commissary, is how rich the history of NBC is, and how important it is to keep that institutional history alive for people who work there today, to remind them of how special it is to be able to say "I work for NBC." Have you gotten much feedback from employees, comments along the lines of "I didn't know that!"
Yes I have, and it’s been very gratifying. Right before I went to press, I shared page proofs with the CEO (I figured that would be prudent!). He called me the next day and said he thought it was terrific and wanted to know what I thought about printing enough copies so that every New York-based NBCUniversal employee could get one. He thought that the book would do exactly what you just said: make employees feel that they work for a very special company, one that they can be proud to be part of. I thought that was a great idea but told him the money for the extra copies would have to come out of his budget! So last November, more than 5,000 employees arrived at work to find the book on their desks.
Younger readers might think of "30 Rock" as the name of a television show, but I like to think of "30 Rock" as being to television what Yankee Stadium is to baseball. Tell me a little about how 30 Rock came to such prominence. Financed by John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Rockefeller Center was built in the early 1930s as the largest privately-financed construction project in history. As originally conceived, it did not include any broadcast studios. The anchor tenant was intended to be the Metropolitan Opera, which was in dire need of a new theater. The Great Depression scotched those plans, however, and Rockefeller needed a new tenant. Coincidentally, RCA – then a booming technology company – needed more space and agreed to come on board and design studio facilities for its broadcasting subsidiary, NBC. The building’s address was 30 Rockefeller Plaza, but it was commonly known as “Radio City.” When it opened in 1933, it included among its many studios the then-largest broadcast studio in the world, Studio 8H, now famous as the home of Saturday Night Live. Over the years, more quality radio and TV programming has originated from this building than any broadcast facility in the world.
The readership here is obviously one that understands the importance of television’s past, not only in terms of history, but for the sheer enjoyment value. We both know, though, that there are younger people out there who, once they see something in black and white, just shut it down completely. What would you say to them about why they should be interested in this, and what they’re missing? I would encourage any young person who is a fan of late-night comedy such as SNL to check out Sid Caesar and his Show of Shows, and Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In, both on NBC. Two very different shows; both enormously influential. I would hope that a young audience could notice the writing of the Caesar show, and Sid’s timing. The man was a genius. And as for Laugh-In, well, Lorne Michaels was one of the writers. There’s a direct connection between that show and Saturday Night Live. What would you consider some of the most significant moments in the network’s history?  A rare photo of Texaco Star Theater being shot
Well, given that NBC was the first national broadcaster, dating back to 1926, there are a lot of big moments. Here are a few that come to mind. On Christmas Day of 1937, Arturo Toscanini made his debut as the maestro of the NBC Symphony. Broadcast live from Studio 8H in Rockefeller Center, this was the first of nearly 500 concerts over the next 17 years, which for the first time made classical music accessible to a middle-class audience of millions. This was a seismic shift from its role as a rarified art form enjoyed primarily in concert halls by the well-to-do. A decade later, I would say the launch of two early TV programs, Howdy Doody on December 17, 1947, and Milton Berle’s Texaco Star Theater on June 8, 1948, both had the effect of selling lots of TV sets and paving the way for television to be a truly mass medium. Next, the debut of three programs that are still with us today and have had an enormous impact on our lives for generations now: Today (January 14, 1952), The Tonight Show (September 27, 1954), and Saturday Night Live (October 11, 1975). With the exception of Tonight, which was broadcast from Burbank from 1972 until 2014, all five of these shows have originated from 30 Rock for most of their runs. One final moment I’ll mention was more accurately three days rather than a moment: the work of NBC and the other networks covering the national trauma of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. NBC News broadcast nonstop, commercial-free, for 71 hours. There were moments when 9 out of 10 television sets in the nation were tuned in to network television. This was a tragic time during which television served the nation as a unifying force in a way that was unprecedented and certainly never to be repeated.
Did you run across anything in your research that surprised you, one of those moments when you found yourself thinking, "I had no idea!" Sure, here is my favorite discovery from my research. I tell the short version of this story in the book. Here’s the full story. When I joined the company in 1995, I met a talented on-air promo producer named Skip Stuart. His office was adorned with many odd things, including a small, rather ugly green upright piano. The story he told me about it was that back in the radio days, it belonged to a now-nameless executive and it at one time was adorned with the signatures of celebrities. Then, after a wild party on Skip’s floor in the late seventies or eighties, a cleaning crew was brought in and one of the cleaners scrubbed all the signatures off the piano, after which the piano was put in the freight elevator bank for disposal. Skip, being Skip, salvaged it and put it in his office. When he retired in 2012, I inherited the piano. I knew nothing about it except what Skip had told me, but that was enough for me to want to hang on to it. Then, shortly after that, my department moved floors and I left the piano behind, in a storage closet. I told my contact in the facilities department to let me know if the piano became an issue. Sure enough, I eventually got a call from him, who explained that they really needed the space taken up by the piano and would it be okay if they disposed of it. As much as it pained me, since I didn’t know the full story behind the piano, I couldn’t justify keeping it and gave him the go-ahead to throw it out. A few years after that, I was doing research on Bertha Brainard, NBC’s leading female executive in the early days of the company. I was reading a profile on Bertha in the August 1942 NBC employee newsletter, and I ran across this sentence: “A tiny upright piano in her office is decorated with the signatures of celebrities—all of whom Miss Brainard has met in her program-building and program-selling tasks in the past two decades.” My heart skipped a beat and sunk at the same time. One, it hit me that Skip’s piano was surely Bertha’s piano. Two, I remembered giving the go-ahead for it to be thrown away! I rushed from my office on the 25th floor down to the storage closet on 10. And … yes! The piano was still there! Facilities had failed to follow through, and I couldn’t have been more thankful. Although I had no doubt that this was indeed Bertha’s piano, I felt solid proof would be good. A check of NBC’s photo archive database revealed the existence of a folder labeled “Bertha’s Piano.” I had that folder retrieved from storage and the contents scanned and sent to me. A perfect match! Even better, on the photo, you could make out the many of the signatures on the piano! Fred Allen, Jack Benny, Jerome Kern, Mary Pickford, Babe Ruth, Ed Sullivan, and on and on. I had a piece of NBC history, and now I knew the story behind it. I had the piano moved to my office, cleaned it off, and contacted a Saturday Night Live producer who I knew to be a history buff. My pitch: Put the piano at the entrance of Studio 8H and invite every guest host and musical guest to sign it, thus reviving the tradition Bertha began in the first years of NBC. Lorne Michaels gave his blessing to my scheme, and for the last two seasons the piano has been slowly filling up with signatures of the celebrities of our age.
Were there other stories or figures that you weren't able to get to in this printing that you're considering adding if there's a second printing?  Oh, for sure. Remember that the conceit of the book is to deal only with NBC’s activities within 30 Rock. Obviously, there are many stories to tell about NBC’s time producing shows from the studios in Burbank. But as far as activities in 30 Rock go, ◄ Tom Snyder and his late-night show Tomorrow, which debuted in 1973, certainly deserves a spot in the second edition. (The show flip-flopped between Burbank and New York but aired from 30 Rock for four or five years.) Radio program Monitor , which was yet another one of Pat Weaver’s programming innovations, deserves space as well. It launched in 1955 and at the beginning aired for 40 hours every weekend. I would also like to say more about how innovative the NBC Studios and the building that housed them were. There had never been anything like it. When the NBC tours began, the first stop was the air-conditioning unit on the tenth floor, where the guests would marvel at the 54 dials on the giant control panel as the page informed them that the “mammoth plant circulates 23,000,000 cubic feet of air every hour completely changing the air once every eight minutes” (I’m quoting the 1933 NBC Tour script). Television has obviously changed a great deal through the decades, from rabbit ears to cable and satellite and now streaming, but it still is, after all, television. What are some of the constants that you see running through NBC’s history from then to now? One obvious constant is advertising. NBC is still a broadcaster, even if relatively few people receive the broadcast signal through the air, the old-fashioned way. And that means it’s an ad-supported medium, even if we are now offering a ton of content through Peacock (our new streaming service) with an ad-free option. And, even if an enormous amount of viewing is time-shifted, we still do offer a schedule, whereby you know that if you tune in at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, you’re going to see the same show that aired at that same time the previous week and the following week. (Well, this isn’t entirely true but it’s more true than not, still!) The other constant is implied in the word “broad-caster.” Just as was the case in the early days of television, NBC wants to attract a broad audience, not just a niche. That’s what cable is for! Again, this is less true now than ten or twenty years ago, but it is still part of our legacy and ingrained in the thinking of our programmers. Come back to me with this question in another ten years, though! If there’s one moment from NBC’s history that you could bring back for present-day viewers, what would it be, and why? 
I think I’d go back to the fall of 1948 when the entire country (or those homes with televisions) was captivated by a madcap comedian named Milton Berle and his show, Texaco Star Theater, broadcast on NBC Tuesday evenings at 8 p.m. There were nights when 95% of the nation’s TV sets were tuned to the man dubbed “Mr. Television.” Today, it is hard for us to imagine the nation’s collective attention being drawn to one TV program. An astonishing thought for us indeed. How fun would it be to recreate that! Apparently, Milton’s popularity was such that he disrupted the nation’s waterworks. In Detroit, officials were mystified by the sudden drop in the city’s reservoir levels just after 9 p.m. on Tuesday nights, until they figured out that the entire city waited until after Texaco Star Theater ended to use the bathroom, and they all flushed at once! I think the closest we’ve been to replicating this situation in recent years would be in the mid-1990s with the popularity of NBC’s “Must-See TV” Thursday night lineup.
NBC’s had a great run of success that’s continued to this very day; are there one or two series from the last few years, or something that’s even on right now, that you think would be at home with the very best that the network’s had to offer? Sure, I think The Office was brilliant and certainly holds up against the best that NBC has ever put on the air. And I know I have mentioned Saturday Night Live. Granted, not every sketch works. But think about this: The show premiered in 1975 and today, 45 years later, it is still relevant, with moments of brilliance. That’s extraordinary.
You’ve got a time machine that can take you back to any program that’s ever aired on NBC. You’re there on the set. You can talk to anyone on the cast, or any member of the crew. Where do you go, what do you do, and why?  
Fred Coe in the control room
Great question. So many possible answers. But I think I’d pick Studio 8G on May 24, 1953. “Marty” is about to air, live, an episode of Goodyear Television Playhouse and perhaps the high-water mark of the (first) Golden Age of television. Rod Steiger and Nancy Marchand are in their dressing rooms. But I’m more interested in talking to the producer Fred Coe, hearing him explain how he figured out how to exploit the possibilities of the TV camera in ways that had never been envisioned. Delbert Mann, the director, is on set as well, reviewing last-minute script changes with Patty Chayefsky. The atmosphere must have been electric. Here’s a quote from Rod Steiger that I used in my book, in the chapter on the Golden Age: “You had one shot. The pressure was hideous. You had to be a masochist to do it.” I would get such a kick out of being there to see it unfold.
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Wasn't that fun? I'd like to thank William for his time, and especially his most gracious patience in putting up with an interviewer who was shoehorning him in-between starting a new job and moving to a new home. Many programming directors would have put me on hiatus long ago. I'd also like to thank our mutual friend, the mighty Jodie Peeler, for helping to arrange this interview; you're undefeated once again! Since we completed our interview, William has told me that his last day at NBC will be October 16, ending a 25-year career there. (I can't imagine what it must be like to spend 25 years at one place; I've had trouble lately making it to 25 months.) 
If you want to purchase a copy of NBC and 30 Rock: A View from Inside—and let me say here that I cannot recommend this book strongly enough (full disclosure: I was provided with a copy of the book for my review)—you can purchase it at the NBC Store website . It is one of the rare coffee table books where the text more than lives up to the pictures. Remember, the holidays aren't that far away; a copy of  NBC and 30 Rock coupled with, say, The Electronic Mirror, would be a great gift for that classic TV fan you know, even if it happens to be you.  TV  

What's on TV? Monday, September 20, 1971

Tonight's a landmark in the history of televised sports. No, it's not the inaugural season of Monday Night Football; that was last year. It's close, though: for the second season debut, Frank Gifford replaces Keith Jackson as play-by-play announcer, a move that has twin rammifications. In joining Howard Cosell and Don Meredith, Gifford helps form one of the most memorable broadcasting teams in television sports history, one that would earn the praise and ire of millions around the country. They helped turn Monday Night Football from a mere football game to an event, a colossal Roman circus that inspired such activities as barroom contests to throw bricks through televisions when the trio appeared on the screen. More sedate, but perhaps more significant, Jackson moved from the NFL to college football, in the process becoming one of the greatest big-game announces in television history. On such a historic night as this, everything else pales in comparison, right? This week's issue covers the Philadelphia-New York City area.
 2  WCBS (NYC) (CBS)
MORNING
    6:30 PEOPLE’S CHOICE
    7:00 CBS NEWS—John Hart -C- 
    8:00 CAPTAIN KANGAROO -C- 
    9:00 FARMER’S DAUGHTER—Comedy
    9:30 DONNA REED—Comedy
  10:00 LUCILLE BALL -C- 
  10:30 BEVERLY HILLBILLIES -C- 
  11:00 FAMILY AFFAIR -C- 
  11:30 LOVE OF LIFE -C- 
AFTERNOON
  12:00 WHERE THE HEART IS -C- 
  12:25 CBS NEWS—Edwards -C- 
  12:30 SEARCH FOR TOMORROW -C- 
    1:00 GALLOPING GOURMET -C- 
    1:30 AS THE WORLD TURNS -C- 
    2:00 LOVE IS A MANY SPLENDORED THING -C- 
    2:30 GUIDING LIGHT -C- 
    3:00 SECRET STORM -C- 
    3:30 EDGE OF NIGHT -C- 
    4:00 GOMER PYLE, USMC -C- 
    4:30 MIKE DOUGLAS -C- Guests: Stan Musial, Janet Leigh, Ray Stevens, Shani Wallis, Chuck McCann
EVENING
    6:00 NEWS, WEATHER AND SPORTS -C- 
    7:00 CBS NEWS—Cronkite -C- 
    7:30 JOHNNY MANN: STAND UP AND CHEER—Music -C- Guest: Phil Silvers
    8:00 GUNSMOKE -C- 
    9:00 HERE’S LUCY -C- 
    9:30 DORIS DAY -C- 
  10:00 MY THREE SONS -C- 
  10:30 ARNIE -C- 
  11:00 NEWS, WEATHER AND SPORTS -C- 
  11:30 MERV GRIFFIN -C- Guest: Gig Young
    1:00 NEWS -C- 
    1:10 MOVIE—Drama“Only the Best” (1951)
    3:00 MOVIE—Drama“The Young Mr. Pitt” (English; 1942)


 3  KYW (PHILA) (NBC)
MORNING
    6:00 NEWS
    6:15 WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT -C- 
    6:45 FARM, HOME AND GARDEN -C- 
    6:55 TODAY IN PHILADELPHIA -C- 
    7:00 TODAY -C- Guest: Anne Baxter
    9:00 McLEAN & COMPANY -C- 
  10:00 DINAH SHORE -C- Guests: the Golddiggers
  10:30 CONCENTRATION -C- 
  11:00 SALE OF THE CENTURY -C- 
  11:30 HOLLYWOOD SQUARES -C- Dennis Cole, Nanette Fabray, Harvey Korman, Paul Lynde, Jan Murray, Suzanne Pleshette
AFTERNOON
  12:00 NEWS—Marclarose/Caldwell -C- 
  12:30 MIKE DOUGLAS -C- Guests: Ginger Rogers, Larry Hagman, Ruth Gordon, Joanna Barnes
    2:00 DAYS OF OUR LIVES -C- 
    2:30 DOCTORS -C- 
    3:00 ANOTHER WORLD -C- 
    3:30 BRIGHT PROMISE -C- 
    4:00 SOMERSET -C- 
    4:30 DAVID FROST  -C- Guests: Stanley Kramer, Connie Francis
EVENING
    6:00 NEWS, WEATHER AND SPORTS -C- 
    7:00 NBC NEWS—John Chancellor -C- 
    7:30 IT’S ALL IN YOUR HEAD -C- 
    8:00 ROWAN AND MARTIN’S LAUGH-IN -C- Guest: Roman Gabriel[Ruth Buzzi plays a witch in Wednesday’s “Night Gallery”]
    9:00 MOVIE—Adventure -C- “The Alamo” (1960) part 2
  11:00 NEWS, WEATHER AND SPORTS -C- 
  11:30 JOHNNY CARSON -C- Guest host: Joan Rivers


 4  WNBC (NYC) (NBC)
MORNING
    6:30 EDUCATION EXCHANGE -C- 
    7:00 TODAY -C- Guest: Anne Baxter
    9:00 NOT FOR WOMEN ONLY -C- 
    9:30 PHIL DONAHUE -C- Guest: Eugene McCarthy
  10:00 DINAH SHORE -C- Guests: the Golddiggers
  10:30 CONCENTRATION -C- 
  11:00 SALE OF THE CENTURY -C- 
  11:30 HOLLYWOOD SQUARES -C- Dennis Cole, Nanette Fabray, Harvey Korman, Paul Lynde, Jan Murray, Suzanne Pleshette
AFTERNOON
  12:00 JEOPARDY -C- 
  12:30 WHO, WHAT OR WHERE—Game -C- 
  12:55 NBC NEWS—Floyd Kalber -C- 
    1:00 IT’S YOUR BET—Game -C- Guests: Martha Raye, Abbe Lane. Host: Tom Kennedy
    1:30 THREE ON A MATCH—Game -C- 
    2:00 DAYS OF OUR LIVES -C- 
    2:30 DOCTORS -C- 
    3:00 ANOTHER WORLD -C- 
    3:30 BRIGHT PROMISE -C- 
    4:00 SOMERSET -C- 
    4:30 MOVIE—Comedy“The Courtship of Eddie’s Father” (1963)
EVENING
    6:00 NEWS, WEATHER AND SPORTS -C- 
    7:00 NBC NEWS—John Chancellor -C- 
    7:30 DR. SIMON LOCKE—Drama -C- 
    8:00 ROWAN AND MARTIN’S LAUGH-IN -C- Guest: Roman Gabriel[Ruth Buzzi plays a witch in Wednesday’s “Night Gallery”]
    9:00 MOVIE—Adventure -C- “The Alamo” (1960) part 2
  11:00 NEWS, WEATHER AND SPORTS -C- 
  11:30 JOHNNY CARSON -C- Guest host: Joan Rivers
    1:00 NEWS -C- 
    1:15 MOVIE—Science Fiction -C- “The Day of the Triffids” (English; 1962)


 5  WNEW (NYC) (Ind.)
MORNING
    7:30 THREE STOOGES—Cartoon -C- 
    8:00 BUGS BUNNY—Cartoon -C- 
    8:30 CARTOONS -C- 
    9:30 PETTICOAT JUNCTION -C- 
  10:00 MOVIE—Drama “Calcutta” (1947)
  11:30 MIDDAY -C- 
AFTERNOON
    1:00 MOVIE—Mystery“The Third Key” (English; 1956)
    3:00 CASPER—Cartoon -C- 
    3:30 SUPER HEROES—Children -C- 
    4:00 BUGS BUNNY—Cartoon -C- 
    4:30 LOST IN SPACE—Adventure -C- 
    5:30 FLINTSTONES—Children -C- 
EVENING
    6:30 PETTICOAT JUNCTION -C- 
    7:00 I LOVE LUCY—Comedy
    7:30 HOGAN’S HEROES—Comedy -C- 
    8:00 TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES -C- 
    8:30 DAVID FROST -C- Guests: Stanley Kramer, Connie Francis
  10:00 NEWS -C- 
  11:00 ALFRED HITCHCOCK—Drama
  11:30 MOVIE—Drama “Black Sheep” (1935)
    1:05 SEA HUNT—Adventure
    1:35 NEWS


 6  WPVI (PHILA) (ABC)
MORNING
    6:30 OPERATION ALPHABET -C- 
    7:00 TARGET—Interview -C- 
    7:25 NEWS -C- 
    7:30 CAPTAIN NOAH -C- 
    8:30 POPEYE THEATER -C- 
    9:00 GALLOPING GORMET -C- Recipe: Roast pheasant
    9:30 PHIL DONAHUE -C- Guest: Art Linkletter
  10:30 CONNIE ROUSSIN -C- 
  10:40 LUCILLE RIVERS—Sewing -C- Cher Bono models the latest Chanel fashions in next week’s TV GUIDE
  10:50 NEWS -C- 
  11:00 DEATH VALLEY DAYS -C- 
  11:30 THAT GIRL -C- 
AFTERNOON
  12:00 BEWITCHED -C- 
  12:30 PASSWORD -C- Carol Burnett, Henry Fonda. Host: Allen Ludden
    1:00 ALL MY CHILDREN -C- 
    1:30 LET’S MAKE A DEAL -C- 
    2:00 NEWLYWED GAME -C- 
    2:30 DATING GAME -C- 
    3:00 GENERAL HOSPITAL -C- 
    3:30 MOVIE GAME -C- Guests: Jack Carter, Werner Klemperer, Louis Nye, Hugh O’Brian, Sylvia Sidney, Susan Strassberg
    4:00 LOVE, AMERICAN STYLE -C- 
    4:30 I LOVE LUCY—Comedy
    5:00 TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES -C- 
    5:30 TO TELL THE TRUTH -C- 
EVENING
    6:00 NEWS, WEATHER AND SPORTS -C- 
    6:30 ABC NEWS—Smith/Reasoner -C- 
    7:00 WHAT’S MY LINE? -C- Panel: Bert Convy, Arlene Francis, Phyllis Newman, Gene Rayburn
    7:30 LET’S MAKE A DEAL -C- 
    8:00 NANNY AND THE PROFESSOR -C- 
    8:30 THIS IS YOUR LIFE -C- Guest: Pat Boone
    9:00 PRO FOOTBALL -C- Return: Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions
  12:00 NEWS, WEATHER AND SPORTS -C- 
  12:30 TARGET—Interview -C- 


 7  WABC (NYC) (ABC)
MORNING
    7:00 LISTEN AND LEARN
    7:30 A.M. NEW YORK -C- Guests: William Rusher, Shirley Lord, Bernie Parrish
    9:00 MANTRAP—Discussion -C- Guest: Frank Gorshin
    9:30 MOVIE—Drama “Until They Sail” (1957)
  11:30 THAT GIRL -C- 
AFTERNOON
  12:00 BEWITCHED -C- 
  12:30 PASSWORD -C- Carol Burnett, Henry Fonda. Host: Allen Ludden
    1:00 ALL MY CHILDREN -C- 
    1:30 LET’S MAKE A DEAL -C- 
    2:00 NEWLYWED GAME -C- 
    2:30 DATING GAME -C- 
    3:00 GENERAL HOSPITAL -C- 
    3:30 ONE LIFE TO LIVE -C- 
    4:00 LOVE, AMERICAN STYLE -C- 
    4:30 MOVIE—Drama -C- “The Pleasure Seekers” (1965)
EVENING
    6:00 NEWS, WEATHER AND SPORTS -C- 
    7:00 ABC NEWS—Smith/Reasoner -C- 
    7:30 STORY THEATRE -C- 
    8:00 NANNY AND THE PROFESSOR -C- 
    8:30 FRANK GIFFORD -C- Debut
    9:00 PRO FOOTBALL -C- Return: Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions
  12:00 NEWS, WEATHER AND SPORTS -C- 
  12:30 MOVIE—Mystery -C- “Vendetta at Sorrento” (Italian; 1963)


 9  WOR (NYC) (Ind.)
MORNING
    7:30 NEWS
    8:00 CARTOONS -C- 
    9:00 JOURNEY TO ADVENTURE -C- 
    9:30 FRIENDLY GIANT -C- 
  10:00 ROMPER ROOM -C- 
  11:00 STRAIGHT TALK -C- Guests: Robert Merrill, Placido Domingo, Rosalind Elias
  11:55 NEWS -C- 
AFTERNOON
  12:00 NINO—Novela
    1:00 DR JOYCE BROTHERS -C- 
    1:05 JOE FRANKLIN -C- 
    2:00 VIRGINIA GRAHAM -C- Guests: Elsa Lanchester, Phil Ford, Mimi Hines, Norm Crosby, Barbara Pasti
    3:00 GIGANTOR—Children
    3:30 UNDERDOG—Children -C- 
    4:00 DICK TRACY—Cartoon -C- 
    4:30 MR. MAGOO—Children -C- 
    5:00 SKIPPY—Adventure -C- 
    5:30 GET SMART—Comedy -C- 
EVENING
    6:00 DICK VAN DYKE—Comedy
    6:30 IT TAKES A THIEF -C- 
    7:30 WILD, WILD WEST—Western -C- 
    8:30 MOVIE—Drama -C- “Three Into Two Won’t Go” (English; 1969)
  10:30 NEWS—Tom Dunn -C- 
  11:00 WHAT’S MY LINE? -C- Panel: Arlene Francis, Anita Gillette, Soupy Sales, Gene Shalit
  11:30 MOVIE—Drama -C- “Della” (1963)
    1:00 JOE FRANKLIN -C- 
    1:55 NEWS AND WEATHER


10 WCAU (PHILA) (CBS)
MORNING
    6:00 SUMMER SEMESTER -C- Human Environment: Population and ecology
    6:30 UNIV. OF DEL. SEMINAR—Intercultural Communication -C- 
    7:00 CBS NEWS—John Hart -C- 
    7:55 NEWS—Jack Jones -C- 
    8:00 CAPTAIN KANGAROO -C- 
    9:00 BETTY HUGHES—Variety -C- 
    9:30 FARMER’S DAUGHTER -C- 
    9:55 NEWS—Edith Huggins -C- 
  10:00 LUCILLE BALL -C- 
  10:30 BEVERLY HILLBILLIES -C- 
  11:00 FAMILY AFFAIR -C- 
  11:30 LOVE OF LIFE -C- 
AFTERNOON
  12:00 WHERE THE HEART IS -C- 
  12:25 CBS NEWS—Edwards -C- 
  12:30 SEARCH FOR TOMORROW -C- 
    1:00 PAUL BERNARD—PSYCHIATRIST—Drama -C- 
    1:30 AS THE WORLD TURNS -C- 
    2:00 LOVE IS A MANY SPLENDORED THING -C- 
    2:30 GUIDING LIGHT -C- 
    3:00 SECRET STORM -C- 
    3:30 EDGE OF NIGHT -C- 
    4:00 GOMER PYLE, USMC -C- 
    4:30 MOVIE—Western -C- “Rancho Notorious” (1952)
EVENING
    6:00 NEWS, WEATHER AND SPORTS -C- 
    7:00 CBS NEWS—Cronkite -C- 
    7:30 JERRY VISITS—Interview -C- Guest: Eva Gabor. Host: Jerry Dunphy
    8:00 GUNSMOKE -C- 
    9:00 HERE’S LUCY -C- 
    9:30 DORIS DAY -C- 
  10:00 MY THREE SONS -C- 
  10:30 ARNIE -C- 
  11:00 NEWS, WEATHER AND SPORTS -C- 
  11:30 GRAMBLING COLLEGE HIGHLIGHTS -C- 
  12:30 MERV GRIFFIN -C- Guest: Gig Young
    2:00 MOVIE—Western -C- “Riders of Vengeance” (1953)
    3:35 NEWS -C- 


11 WPIX (NYC) (Ind.)
MORNING
    7:15 NEWS -C- 
    7:30 POPEYE—Children -C- 
    9:00 TOYA—Children -C- 
    9:30 LUCILLE RIVERS—Sewing -C- 
    9:40 JACK LA LANNE—Exercise -C- 
  10:00 TELL ME, DR. BROTHERS -C- 
  10:30 CATHOLIC WINDOW -C- 
  11:00 SUBURBAN CLOSEUP -C- 
  11:30 TENNESSEE TUXEDO -C- 
AFTERNOON
  12:00 FELIX THE CAT—Children -C- 
  12:20 LUCILLE RIVERS—Sewing -C- 
  12:30 FATHER KNOWS BEST—Comedy
    1:00 MOVIE GAME -C- Guests: June Allyson, Sandy Baron, Tom Bosley, Leslie Nielsen, Brenda Vaccaro
    1:30 MOVIE—Drama“Queen of the Mob” (1940)
    2:25 NEWS -C- 
    2:30 PATTY DUKE—Comedy
    3:00 POPEYE—Cartoon -C- 
    3:30 MAGILLA GORILLA -C- 
    4:00 TIMMY AND LASSIE—Drama
    4:30 GENTLE BEN—Adventure -C- 
    5:00 MUNSTERS—Comedy
    5:30 BATMAN—Advenure -C- Guest villain: Victor Buono (King Tut)
EVENING
    6:00 STAR TREK—Drama -C- 
    7:00 I DREAM OF JEANNIE -C- 
    7:30 ALL ABOUT FACES—Game -C- Guests: Melvin Belli, Rich LItle
    8:00 BEAT THE CLOCK—Game -C- Guest: Skitch Henderson
    8:30 N.Y.P.D.—Crime Drama -C- 
    9:00 PERRY MASON—Mystery
  10:00 NEWS -C- 
  11:00 MOVIE—Western “Rage at Dawn” (1955)
  12:30 CAN YOU TOP THIS? -C- Guests: Morey Amsterdam, Stu Gilliam, Alan Sues
    1:00 NEWS -C- 


12 WHYY (PHILA) (PBS)
MORNING
    9:00 SESAME STREET -C- 
AFTERNOON
    4:00 SESAME STREET -C- 
    5:00 MISTER ROGERS -C- 
    5:30 HODGEPODGE LODGE -C- 
EVENING
    6:00 LOCAL NEWS—Don Dunwell
    6:30 WHAT’S NEW—Children -C- 
    7:00 QUEST FOR ADVENTURE -C- 
    7:30 FANFARE -C- 
    8:30 SPEAKING FREELY -C- Guest: Muhammad Ali. Host: Edwin Newman
    9:30 THE SEEKERS—Drama
  11:00 LOCAL NEWS—Al Campagnone


13 WNET (NYC) (PBS)
AFTERNOON
    3:00 BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY -C- 
    3:30 SCHOOL TELEVISION PREVIEW -C- 
    4:00 SESAME STREET -C- 
    5:00 MISTER ROGERS -C- 
    5:30 HODGEPODGE LODGE -C- 
EVENING
    6:00 SESAME STREET -C- 
    7:00 WHAT’S NEW—Children -C- 
    7:30 COURSE OF OUR TIMES -C- 
    8:00 WORLD PRESS REVIEW -C- 
    9:00 REALITIES
  10:00 BOOK BEAT -C- Guest: Ronald J. Glasser
  10:30 FREE TIME -C- 


17 WPHL (PHILA) (Ind.)
MORNING
  11:25 VIEWPOINT ON NUTRITION -C- 
  11:55 BULLETIN BOARD -C- 
AFTERNOON
  12:00 JEOPARDY -C- 
  12:30 WHO, WHAT OR WHERE—Game -C- 
  12:55 NBC NEWS—Floyd Kalber -C- 
    1:00 ONE LIFE TO LIVE -C- 
    1:30 THREE ON A MATCH—Game -C- 
    2:00 JACK LA LANNE—Exercise -C- 
    2:30 MANTRAP—Discussion -C- Guest: Harvey Korman. Panel: Pamela Mason, Stefanie Powers
    3:00 FRIENDLY GIANT/CARTOONS -C- 
    3:30 CASPER/MILTON -C- 
    4:00 GEORGE OF THE JUNGLE/KING KONG—Cartoon -C- 
    4:30 LONE RANGER—Cartoon -C- 
    5:00 THREE STOOGES—Children
    5:30 SPEED RACER—Children -C- 
EVENING
    6:00 SUPERMAN/BATMAN/AQUAMAN—Cartoon -C- 
    6:30 SPIDERMAN—Cartoon -C- 
    7:00 DANIEL BOONE—Adventure -C- 
    8:00 OF LANDS AND SEAS -C- 
    8:30 MOVIE—Drama -C- “I Could Go On Singing” (English; 1963)
  10:30 M SQUAD—Crime Drama
  11:00 ONE STEP BEYOND—Drama
  11:30 MOVIE—Drama“Danger Signal” (1945)


29 WTAF (PHILA) (Ind.)
MORNING
    9:00 NEWS WATCH -C- 
    9:25 BLACK HISTORY -C- 
  10:00 SKIPPER RYLE—Children -C- 
  10:30 TO BE ANNOUNCED
  10:55 COVER UP WITH ADELE -C- 
  11:00 ROMPER ROOM—Children -C- 
  11:55 BLACK HISTORY -C- 
AFTERNOON
  12:00 DENNIS THE MENACE—Comedy
  12:30 BEAT THE CLOCK -C- Guest: Robert Q. Lewis. Host: Jack Narz
    1:00 IT’S YOUR BET—Game -C- Guests: Robert Clary, Nancy Kulp, Robert Quarry
    1:30 DIVORCE COURT—Drama -C- 
    1:55 COVER UP WITH ADELE -C- 
    2:00 CRAFTS WITH KATY -C- 
    2:30 SPACE GIANTS—Cartoon -C- 
    3:00 BOZO—Children -C- 
    3:30 POPEYE & PALS -C- 
    4:00 GENTLE BEN—Adventure -C- 
    4:30 MY FAVORITE MARTIAN
    5:00 FLYING NUN—Comedy -C- 
    5:30 MAYBERRY R.F.D. -C- 
EVENING
    6:00 DAISIES—Comedy -C- 
    6:30 I DREAM OF JEANNIE -C- 
    7:00 PETTICOAT JUNCTION -C- 
    7:30 HOGAN’S HEROES—Comedy -C- 
    8:00 STEVE ALLEN -C- Guests: Richard Dawon, Barbara Nichols, Hudson and Landry, Bill Ramsey
    9:30 VIRGINIA GRAHAM -C- Guests: George Burns, Jane Harvey
  10:30 NEWS PROBE -C- 
  11:00 DRAGNET—Crime Drama -C- 
  11:30 ROLLER GAME -C- 
  12:30 NEWS WATCH -C- 
  12:35 BLACK HISTORY -C- 



48 WKBS (PHILA) (Ind.)
MORNING
  11:30 NEWS—Carl Grant -C- 
AFTERNOON
  12:00 BANANA SPLITS -C- 
  12:30 HUCK AND YOGI—Cartoon -C- 
    1:00 MOVIE—Drama“Timetable” (1956)
    2:50 NEWS -C- 
    3:00 KIMBA—Children -C- 
    3:30 BANANA SPLITS -C- 
    4:00 FLINTSTONES—Children -C- 
    4:30 MUNSTERS—Comedy
    5:00 FLINTSTONES—Children -C- 
    5:30 GILLIGAN’S ISLAND -C- 
EVENING
    6:00 WILD WILD WEST—Western -C- 
    7:00 DICK VAN DYKE—Comedy
    7:30 GET SMART—Comedy -C- 
    8:00 STAR TREK—Drama -C- 
    9:00 IT TAKES A THIEF -C- 
  10:00 PERRY MASON—Mystery
  11:00 AVENGERS—Adventure
TV  

This week in TV Guide: September 18, 1971

In the era which we call B.C.—that is, Before Cable—movies on television were a Big Deal. A Very Big Deal, in fact. They were, and had been for years, a staple of local television, and in the late 1950s ABC had experimented with a couple of movie packages consisting of pre-1950 movies or movies from England, but when NBC's Saturday Night at the Movies debuted in 1961, it represented a masssive change. Now, for the first time, movies that had been in theaters after 1950 could be seen in the comfort of your very own living room. Some of them were even in color, and all of them were shown in a time slot of at least two hours, meaning they didn't have to be hacked to death first. I explain all this for those of your out there, primarily younger readers, who may not be able to imagine a time when people like me got excited about watching movies on TV that were interrupted at regular intervals for commercials and had often been edited for time or content (or both). What can I say? Thinks were simpler then.

This is all a lead-in to one of this week's cover stories, Al Morgan's look at the men who decide what movies we see on TV. Their names are Barry Diller , Larry White and Mike Marden. They work for the three networks, and as Morgan writes, "Far beyond the dreams of any statesman, they can unite the country: unite it in rooting home the hero in a chariot race or unite it breathing heavily in the Burton-Taylor boudoir."*

*Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. They were an item once.

It's true: some bombs
cost nets as much as $300KThey all agree that things have changed dramatically over the years. In television's early days, the networks would bid against each other for movies, with the price for a single movie jumping "from less than $200,000 to more than a million." With that kind of price war, something had to change; enter the "film package." Distributors would put together a package of as many as 40 movies; the catch was that in order to buy the really good ones, you also had to take the, let's say, less desirable ones. (Kind of like cable television packages, come to think of it.) For example, there's the one CBS bought several years ago. It included hits like Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Night of the Iguana, The Sandpiper, North by Northwest, and an Elvis movie. It also included "gems" like Your Cheatin' Heart (George Hamilton as Hank Williams), Hold On! (starring Herman's Hermits), and The Alphabet Murders (Tony Randall trying to play Hercule Poirot). As Mike Marden says, "In those days, our rule of thumb was 'You got 'em, you play 'em.' Today the public won't sit still for a bad movie, a really bad movie." He adds that it's more of a buyer's market today, that the days "when the networks bought anything that moved and talked" are long since over. 
Everyone agrees that NBC has the largest film library; "We haven't bought a package in two years," Larry Wilson says, and when they do, "we look at them on an individual basis. They are offered to us. We buy or we don't buy." ABC's library isn't bad either; Diller says the inventory is big enough that the network could program until 1975 without buying anything more. Diller is especially proud of the network's recent deal for two playings of Cleopatra for more than $4 million. He's also pleased with his purchase of the John Wayne Western The Sons of Katie Elder. "Wayne is pure gold to us," he says. CBS describes it's situation as "comfortable"; Marden says, "I haven't even bought many individual pictures lately." His most recent gems: Ben-Hur and A Streetcar Named Desire.
Scheduling movies is a real chess game for these men. A well-timed movie can take the edge off of a series premiere or other special program. A two-part movie not only doubles the potential ratings bonanza (two nights instead of one!), it also justifies the expense of purchasing that movie (Cleopatra supposedly cost ABC $4 million). This very week, CBS is premiering Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? in the old Ed Sullivan timespot to try and retain Ed's loyal audience. Summer nights make the perfect time for dumping those dogs that you had to purchase in order to get the movies you really wanted. And a blockbuster can help improve ratings for local affiliates, thereby earning loyal and undying gratitude. 
Star power is a big part of making investments pay off. John Wayne is "pure gold" not only for ABC, but CBS as well, and you have to think NBC's feeling pretty good about this week's two-part running of The Alamo. But there's one thing the networks haven't gotten into yet: foreign films. Only ABC has taken a chance: having previously shown A Man and a Woman as a kind of test, Barry Diller went ahead this year and bought Z, Costa-Gavras's political thriller that was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. It's an important movie, Diller says; "I hope people will watch it, but it's a movie that should be seen." I guess if we really want foreign films, we'll just have to wait for TCM.

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Throughout the 60s and early 70s, TV Guide's weekly reviews were written by the witty and acerbic Cleveland Amory. Whenever we get the chance, we'll look at Cleve's latest take on the series of the era. 

The subject of Cleveland Amory's column this week is not a show. Rather, one could say that his focus is on the show within the show. It's the phenomenon known as the VIV—the Very Important Voice—and it's the latest fad in the advertising genre known as the television commercial. It's become so big, in fact, that according to Cleve there's at least one agency in Hollywood that works on nothing but voice talent for commercials. "Last year," says agency owner Charles Stern, "performers on shows earned $35,000,000. Performers on commercials earned over $65,000,000." Well, he's got me convinced; where do you line up for this kind of gig?

Nowadays everyone's doing it: J.D. Cannon for Piels, Jose Ferrer for Schlitz, Lloyd Nolan for Ford, Greg Morris for Datsun, Jack Kelly for Contac, David Wayne for American Airlines, Orson Welles for Eastern Airlines. As a matter of fact, Amory says, when Orson Welles took over Eastern from Alexander Scourby, "it was almost as much of a cause célèbre as when Robert Lansing was replaced from Twelve O'clock High or when Martin Landau and Barbara Bain were replaced in Mission: Impossible." And while big names like Jim Backus, Chuck Connors and Vincent Price are easily recognizable voices, Amory pays particular attention to the voice of a man he calls "unknown": Paul Frees.

Paul Frees is in fact a relative unknown when it comes to his face, but as a voice talent he has become one of the most famous of all time, rivaled today perhaps only by Mel Blanc and Daws Butler. You probably know him for his cartoon voices: Boris Badenov on Rocky and Bullwinkle, Inspector Fenwick on Dudley Do-Right, Burgermeister Meisterburger in Santa Claus is Comin' to Town, and a host of other roles for Jay Ward, Rankin/Bass, and others. He's also done voiceover work on movies from The Manchurian Candidate to Patton, and often worked as a sound-alike for none other than Orson Welles. Amory says that he can do anybody—James Stewart, Jack Benny—better than they can. He regularly earnes over $250,000 a year. For that kind of money, I'd be only too glad to be an unknown, too.

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There's a lesson to be taken somewhere from ABC's Wednesday night schedule. At first glance, you can see why the network would be excited about it; the star-studded lineup features returning series with Elizabeth Montgomery (Bewitched), Bill Bixby (The Courtship of Eddie's Father), Henry Fonda (The Smith Family), and new shows starring Shirley MacLaine (Shirley's World) and Anthony Quinn (The Man and The City). As I said, a lot of star wattage. There's only one problem: by the end of the 1971-72 TV season, none of them will be left on the network's schedule. What happened?


In the case of Bewitched, it's a bit misleading; the show had been a hit for ABC for eight seasons, going back to 1964, and had Montgomery wanted, it probably could have continued for another season or two.* Eddie's Father was a success as well, if not as successful as Bewitched; it ran for three seasons, which today would qualify it as an unmitigated smash. But The Smith Family, the third of the returning shows, only produced 39 episodes over a season-and-a-half, and neither Shirley's World nor Man and The City managed a second season. Hardly what one might expect from a lineup featuring multiple Emmy and Oscar winners. As for what happened, I have a theory, although that's all it is. Briefly, it could be descriped thus: there are stars, and then there are stars.
*Elizabeth Montgomery was understandably tired of the role after such a long run; in addition, she and husband (and Bewitched producer William Asher) were in the process of divorcing.
Elizabeth Montgomery and Bill Bixby were estabalished TV stars, Montgomery through Bewitched and Bixby with My Favorite Martian and Eddie's Father; they also featured in several TV movies over the years. They'd built up a rapport with viewers, who'd become comfortable with welcoming them into their living rooms each week. Fonda, MacLaine and Quinn, on the other hand, had made their fame on the big screen. Only Fonda had helmed a TV series before, The Deputy (1959-61), and in that one he'd usually played a secondary role. MacLaine and Quinn, on the other hand, were part of an inflow of movie stars into television for the 1971 season, one that included Jimmy Stewart, Glenn Ford, and Yul Brynner. TV Guide, in surveying the damage the following year , will suggest that television executives may have been so concerned about attracting big stars that they neglected to give them strong vehicles for their talents. Only Glenn Ford, in the Western-cop show Cade's County, had a series that matched up well with the star's image, and it's probably no coincidence that Cade's County was the only series of the bunch to be renewed for a second season.
In the intervening years, the crossover from movies to television and back has become more common, thanks mostly to prestige shows on cable outlets. Still, it's hard to imagine a network today trying to build a successful lineup around the star system. 
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It's the second (!) season opener for All in the Family (Saturday, 8:00 p.m. ET; and they said it would never last), with the Bunkers having to deal with the aftermath of deadbeat cousin Oscar, who comes to visit and—well, becomes just dead Oscar. That's followed at 8:30 p.m. by the debut of Funny Face, starring Sandy Duncan, who's this week's cover star. The network really believed in Sandy, really wanted this series to work, but after a few weeks Duncan undergoes surgery for a tumor behind her left eye, and the show essentially goes on hiatus for the rest of the season. It will return next year, retooled as The Sandy Duncan Show, but the show itself is never as talented as she is. At 9:00 p.m., NBC Saturday Night at the Movies has one of those blockbusters we talked about earier, part one of The Alamo, with John Wayne as producer and director, as well as playing Davy Crockett. We also get an all-star cast including Richard Widmark as Jim Bowie, Richard Boone as Sam Houston, Laurence Harvey as William Travis, and Chill Wills in an Oscar-nominated turn as Beekeeper. Part two airs Monday, same Batjac-time, same Batjac-channel.* And at 10:00 p.m. on ABC, it's the debut of the British-import series The Persuaders!, with Tony Curtis and Roger Moore wonderful as two multimillionaire playboys who become crimefighters in their spare time.

*Batjac being the name of John Wayne's production company.

As I alluded to earlier, The Ed Sullivan Show has taken its last bows, replaced by the new CBS Sunday Night Movie (7:30 p.m.), starting off with 1967's Best Picture nominee Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?, Spencer Tracy's last movie, co-starring Oscar winner Katharine Hepburn and Sidney Poitier. Crist has mixed feelings about this one; the performances of the three leads "are lovely to behold," but as for the movie itself, its thesis that "interracial marriage among the rich and successful is permissible provided the couple leaves for Africa by midnight" is "nothing less than vomitous." There's also The Duke again, this time with Robert Mitchum in El Dorado (9:00 p.m., ABC), although Crist says that both the movie and its stars are "hobbling around on crutches." Maybe you're better off with the premiere of The Jimmy Stewart Show (8:30 p.m., NBC), the star's first television series; it's also the first and only time Stewart ever allowed himself to be billed as "Jimmy" rather than "James." He gets that billing for 24 episodes.

It's the season premiere of Monday Night Football this week, with Minnesota taking on Detroit (9:00 p.m., ABC). We'll have more about that in Monday's TV listing. Meanwhile, Billy DeWolfe returns as a guest star on The Doris Day Show (9:30 p.m., CBS), Charles Nelson Reilly joins the cast of Hershel Bernardi's sitcom Arnie (10:30 p.m., CBS), and Joan Rivers is the guest host on The Tonight Show (11:30 p.m., NBC). On Tuesday, it's the fifth-season opener for Ironside (7:30 p.m., NBC), with "an exciting new star," James Olson, playing a contract killer. Olson had actually been around for some time, doing a lot of television, as well as cheesy movies like Moon Zero Two, and very good movies like The Andromeda Strain and Rachel, Rachei. That's followed by the debut of Sarge (8:30 p.m, NBC), starring George Kennedy as a former policeman turned priest, who deals with a dying man (Jack Albertson) looking to even the score with a mobster. If you're looking for something a little less intense, Glen Campbell has a pretty good guest lineup (7:30 p.m., CBS), with Bob Hope, Dionne Warwicke, and the Smothers Brothers.

We've already looked at ABC's Wednesday lineup, but there's more to the evening's entertainment. For one thing, it's the second-season debut of McCloud on the NBC Mystery Movie (8:30 p.m.) Like you, I remember the Mystery Movie mostly from Sunday nights, but it actually started out on Wednesday. (And McCloud got its start as part of Four-In-One, where it rotated with San Francisco International Airport, Night Gallery and The Psychiatrist.) Meanwhile, the program description claims that singer Steve Lawrence is making his TV dramatic debut as am ambitious surgeon in Medical Center (9:00 p.m., CBS), but we all know that his real TV dramatic debut was in Rod Serling's fantasy drama Carol for Another Christmas back in 1964. All they had to do was ask me; I would have told them. And at 10:00 p.m., it's none other than the aforementioned Night Gallery on NBC.

Thursday features a couple more new series on ABC, beginning at 9:00 p.m. with James Franciscus as the blind detective Longstreet, followed at 10:00 p.m. by Arthur Hill as Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law. And on WKBS, the independent station in Philadelphia, it's a delightful episode of It Takes a Thief (9:00 p.m.), with a guest appearance by Fred Astaire as Alexander Mundy's father Alister. ► I always enjoyed the episodes with him. Finally, on Friday, it's Group W's Norman Corwin Presents (10:30 p.m., KYW). Corwin, one of the great writers from the Golden Age of Radio, hosted this half-hour anthology series during the 1971-72 season; tonight's episode, which he also wrote, is "Odyssey in Progress," a musical fantasy about a boy searching through space for his dead dog.

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Let's see, what else have we got in the headlines? Richard K. Doan reports on the late-nite turmoil at CBS, where Merv Griffin wants out of his contract so he can return to syndication with Metromedia (where he'll be a daytime show in many markets). CBS will be happy to him go, but then who would replace him? There are rumors; Sonny and Cher (!) were a hit in their summer series, so they've been mentioned, as has Bill Cosby, but the suits don't think either of these choices would be the right one. As it turns out, they wound up replacing Merv with movies and reruns, and didn't dip their toes into the talk show wars until they gave Pat Sajak a shot in 1989. Just think, though, if either of those options had come to pass. I could see Cosby as a talk show host, but Sonny and Cher? Ah, for someone to write an alternative history on that.
The New York Teletype says that Burt Reynolds, who most recently appeared on the small screen in Dan August, is going to take a detour to star in the big-screen version of poet James Dickey's novel Deliverance, along with Jon Voight. I wonder how that'll turn out for Burt? In Hollywood, the talk is about ABC's upcoming telemovie ◄The Kolchak Tapes, currently filming in Las Vegas; it's a vampire epic starring Darren McGavin and Carol Lynley. I wonder if the network has any idea what a hit they'll have on their hands? There's also a report that Sterling Silliphant is working on a pilot for his old Route 66 star George Maharis. Needless to say. . .
Pat Morrow is this week's starlet, who asked herself, following five years as Rita Jacks on Peyton Place, "What did I want to do with the rest of my life?" The answer, at least for the time being, go to law school. She's just finished her first year at Glendale College of Law; her goal is to "defend poor people—people who can't afford to pay the fees of lawyers like my father [a corporate lawyer]." Not like the law shows on television, though, because "these shows have very little reality and no resemblance to the truth about the law and how it operates—in or out of the courtroom." She's had it with acting—"Maybe for some women it would be a good life. Not for me. I'll never go back to television." Not, at least, until next year, when she reprises her role as Rita on Return to Peyton Place until 1974. She does graduate from Glendale, though. TV  

Around the dial

It was a big deal, believe me, when Mary Tyler Moore moved into our neighborhood. Minnesotans have something of a native inferiority complex, and when it was announced that The Mary Tyler Moore Show would be set in Minneapolis, it gave all of us the feeling that we belonged, that, like her, we'd finally made it. That was 50 years ago, and Once Upon a Screen celebrates the occasion with a fond look back at Mary Richards and her wacky friends.
At Garroway at Large, Jodie shares another wonderful story of Dave and his son, and the wonders and charms that happen when you "get lost." I could go for some of that right about now myself.

Wednesday I took time out to remember the great Diana Rigg. David does the same at Comfort TV, and shares how he once saw her in person performing in the West End in London. What a treat that must have been!
Kevin Dobson died this week; depending on your genre, you remember him either from Knots Landing or Kojak; he was equally talented in both. At A Shroud of Thoughts, Terence looks back at the career of this versatile actor .

Television's New Frontier: the 1960s travels to 1962 and the tales of America's favorite talking horse, Mister Ed. Included is a look at how the show abandoned the intelligent storytelling of the first season in favor of easy laughs and celebrity appearances.
Over the years, I've developed a real appreciation for Dick Powell, particularly his transformation from song-and-dance man to hardboiled noir star. At Those Were the Days, it's a fond look at Powell and his wife, the equally well-known actress June Allyson. What a pleasant way to end this week's look at the blogosphere. TV  

Diana Rigg, R.I.P.

At my age, it doesn’t take much to feel old, some days more than others. A lithe young woman in a black leather catsuit stirs the blood (especially one holding a gun), and when that young woman dies, aged 82, it serves as a reminder that the pot doesn’t require much more stirring before it’s finished.

If you’re of that age, you remember that catsuit, and Diana Rigg, the young woman who wore it, from The Avengers. You also probably remember her from the James Bond movie On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. If you’re of a different age, the first thing you think of might be Game of Thrones, or perhaps a stage show you’d seen her in (such as Medea, for which she won a Tony in 1994), or any one of countless movies, television shows, or productions in which she appeared over a remarkable career. The point is, you remembered.
The outpouring of memories immediately following the announcement of her death was, in fact, remarkable. It seems as if everyone had a favorite moment, mostly from either The Avengers or On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (after all, who else can lay claim to having been the one and only “Mrs. James Bond”?), but by no means all. There was, for example, her appearance in the Hallmark Hall of Fame version of Witness for the Prosecution, in which she held her own in the role made famous by Marlene Dietrich. Or perhaps you remembered her wonderful turn in Paddy Chayefsky’s wicked The Hospital, a portrayal laced with both absurd humor and pathos. You might have recalled her performance in Mother Love, or the way she played Mrs. Danvers in a TV adaptation of Rebecca; speaking of which, she was a wonderful host of PBS’s Mystery! for many years, taking over from Vincent Price, and that’s no mean feat. She was an acclaimed stage actress, in the classics but also more contemporary fare; in addition to her Tony for Medea, she was nominated three other times. People who saw her perform in person didn’t forget it. She even appeared, with her daughter Rachael Sterling, on Doctor Who, and if that doesn’t seal the deal, nothing does. Her fans, her admirers, those who had enjoyed her work: all spoke of her with affection, appreciation that so many of her performances are available on video, and a little bit of sorrow.

Returning to this idea of age, of an era having passed: in that picture on top, she’s almost painfully young, isn’t she? Young, and breathtaking. No matter your age, it makes you wonder if you were ever that young, and I don’t think that I was. (I’d better start trying to make up for lost time.) Samuel West, who co-starred with her in the remake of All Creatures Great and Small, said: "Doesn't really make sense to think of her having died. She generally lived the hell out of everyone." She lived the hell out of her career, that’s for sure, and that’s something we’ll never forget. TV