Mitchell Hadley's Blog: It's About TV!, page 130

This week in TV Guide: October 5, 1963

It seems as if the subject of television's responsibility to the public is one that comes up here frequently. It's a quaint notion, I suppose; I don't know if anyone today seriously thinks that television has any responsibility to the public, or to anyone, in fact, besides the sponsors who cough up the money to make the programming possible. (And the ratings, of course, but they function as a measure of the value provided to the sponsors.)

This week's "As We See It" editorial takes on that very issue, in a look at growing public dissatisfaction with annoying commercials. The Television Code, that equally quaint document represented by the noble logo you see in the end credits of many programs from the era, has standards regarding things like commercials, but fewer than three-fourths of broadcasters have agreed to it.

Because of that, the FCC has suggested that perhaps those provisions in the Code perhaps ought to be made into FCC rules. The broadcasters don't like that, of course, because they think the commercials they run are nobody's business. Oddly enough, though, advertisers are largely for the Code. "They feel that the more commercials there are, the less effective each commercial is. And they're right." The viewers, whose dissatisfaction started all this, don't like commercials at all, but agree that they'd go along with longer breaks in order to have fewer of them.

What to do? Well, the president of the National Association of Broadcasters, the organization responsible for the development of the Television Code, thought it would be a good idea to get together a group of all the constituents: networks, ad agencies, advertisers, and broadcasters. He started with the three networks; all turned him down. "They saw no real need for such a thing." Merrill Panitt, the probable author of this editorial, thinks there is such a need, and makes no bones about it. "There must be steps taken to reduce the frequency of commercials and to control more carefully the content of commercials. If the broadcasters can't—or won't—do these things, the FCC can—in the public interest."

This represents a perfect example of the independence that TV Guide has over the years taken when it comes to the television industry. No longer are they beholden for interviews and subjects; the magazine's growing circulation, and its growing influence through its investigative reporting and hard-hitting interviews from writers such as Richard Gehman and Edith Efron, means that TV Guide now has the upper hand, The industry needs it more than it needs them. Need I mention again how different this is from the publication of today, one that acts more like a collection of press releases? But then, if the industry doesn't behave in a responsible manner, then why should the magazine that covers it?

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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 shows of the era. 

It always happens, when Cleveland Amory reviews a show that's one of my favorites, that I begin things with a mixture of anticipation and dread. The man, as I say, is superbly witty and acerbic—unless he's skewering a show I happen to like. It just goes to show that life poses its share of risks, even if you're just getting out of bed.

"If we have a millionaire President and a millionaire governor, why not a millionaire cop?" For you youths out there, the millionaires are, in order, John F. Kennedy, California governor Pat Brown, and Amos Burke, played delightfully and with delight by Gene Barry in ABC's comedy-mystery Burke's Law. The first good sign comes when Amory refers to the show as "ABC's new corpus delectable," and it's true: every show is packed to the gills with big-name stars in cameo roles, and occasionally lead roles as well. The premiere episode, "Who Killed Holly Howard?", features Suzy Parker, William Bendix, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Rod Cameron, Bruce Cabot, Will Rogers Jr., and ZaSu Pitts. The victims are, invariably, over-the-top versions of vaguely familiar personages; Howard Hughes here, Ernest Hemingway there. The emphasis is frequently on female beauty, with the beauties all having an eye for the suave, tuxedoed Burke, even when he's investigating them for murder. By the end of the episode, they'll wind up either with a date for dinner, or court.

Amory has praise for Burke's supporting cast: Gary Conway as the young detective thrown off balance by Burke's unorthodox style, and Regis Toomey as the veteran, who's worked with Burke for years and is one of the few who will chance to call him "Amos." And though Amory doesn't mention it (it probably hasn't become apparent yet), one of the best aspects of this very good show is that while there's charm and humor aplenty, Burke and his men are all business when it comes to the business of murder; they know that death is no laughing matter, and there's an honest seriousness behind the investigation and apprehending of the killer.

If there's one nit to pick, Cleve will find it; in this case, he does find it a bit tiring that Burke has to spend so much of each episode fighting off the glamour girls. Nevertheless, he concludes, "we do get a lot for our money in this show, and millions of millionaire viewers should enjoy it." Or non-millionaires, as the case may be.

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The real Ranger Smith and the impostor. Which is which?You're hopefully familiar with Ranger Smith, the eternal nemesis/foil of Yogi Bear, the most famous resident of Jellystone National Park. But, as it happens, there really is a Ranger Smith, who just happens to work at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, and he's the subject of a charming article this week by Jim Elder. As it happens, the real Smith—D.P. "Denny" Smith, by name—was blissfully unaware of the existence of his alter ego until, as Elder puts it, "an increasing number of young park visitors kept asking for Ranger Smith and in the same breath mentioning 'Yogi.'"

Updated on the situation, Smith jumped right into the role, answering questions about the fictional bear and signing his name to everything from stuffed bears to road maps to plaster casts. He takes it all in stride, and with good humor; "Yogi's fans are all pleasant people," he says. He also takes a ribbing from his fellow rangers (one assistant loved to add growling bear sounds to Smith's Ranger Smith portrayal), and when the park closes for the season in October, the ribbing continues to the sixth graders that Smith teaches back home in Kent, Washington. He adds that his own children (Kurt, 5, and Kathy, 2) are Yogi fans.

One thing that he particularly appreciates is that the Yogi phenomenon has given him the opportunity to remind campers that real bears are not as friendly as Yogi and Boo-Boo. "Yogi just plays funny tricks, but these bears don't know the difference between funny and ferocious!"

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The World Series started last week—October 2, to be exact—but you're not going to see much of it this week. The Series pits those old and bitter rivals, the Yankees and Dodgers, for the eighth time, and the first since the Dodgers' traumatic move from Brooklyn to Los Angeles. Ah, yes, how times change: in the first game, at Yankee Stadium, Sandy Koufax (right) broke the single-game World Series strikeout record, with 15,* and the Yankees crowd was cheering him! Now, you can argue that the game was already a lost cause so why not, but still, I can't believe they would have cheered for a Brooklyn pitcher.

*Later broken by Bob Gibson in 1968; you know, that Series where Feliciano sang the National Anthem.

Anyway, by the time we pick up the Series on Saturday afternoon (1:45 p.m. CT, NBC), the Dodgers already have a 2-0 lead, and Los Angeles goes up by three after a 1-0 victory, in which Don Drystale bests Jim Bouton. Koufax brings it all to an end on Sunday afternoon (same Bat time and channel) with a 2-1 triumph, giving the Dodgers only their second-ever Series victory over the Yanks, and the first time a Yankees team had ever been swept in four games. In the closing innings of the final game, Yankees announcer Mel Allen, an institution on NBC's World Series coverage loses his voice, and has to turn the mic over to Dodgers play-by-play man Vin Scully. The ugly rumor, with no basis in truth, is that Allen had become so broken up about the Yankees being swept by the Dodgers that he couldn't bring himself to announce those final innings. It would be his last appearance announcing the Series.

Oh, and by the way, that fourth game came in in a tidy one hour and fifty minutes. That wouldn't even get you through the third inning today.

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Some interesting things on this week; I'm glad we've got time for them. (Although it is my blog; I suppose I can make as much time as I want.)

Two of the biggest stars in their respective industries headline Sunday's specials. At 9:00 p.m., CBS takes the headlines with Elizabeth Taylor in London, taking viewers on a tour of London "as Liz remembers it," even though she was only seven when her family moved to the United States. Taylor views all the must-see signts, from Parliament to Big Ben, Scotland Yard, the Tower, and the Globe Theater, where Liz does a reading from Hamlet. The script is co-written by humorist S.J. Perelman, which should make for very interesting viewing. But to see it, you'll have to pass up NBC's World Series tie-in, the documentary, "A Man Named Mays," profiling the remarkable career of the San Francisco Giants' great. Unfortunately for Mays, the Giants didn't make the Series this year; unfortunately for NBC and the ratings, the Series ended this afternoon.

The World Series is over by Monday, but of course that doesn't affect the primetime schedule at all, since the games were played in the afternoon. NBC's Monday Night at the Movies (6:30 p.m., and isn't it odd to see a network movie on that early in the evening, with another show to follow) has The Wreck of the Mary Deare, with a cast headed by Gary Cooper, Charlton Heston, and Michael Redgrave. Opposite that, ABC has an episode of The Outer Limits featuring the fine British actor Donald Pleasence as a meek and mild-mannered college professor who has the power to destroy the world. I'll have to go back and watch this; I've seen it, but I don't remember how it ends. And at 7:30 p.m., ABC follows with Wagon Train, with Carol Lawrence playing Princess Mei Ling. There's a photoshoot story inside, showing Lawrence in Asian makeup (right), and that's something we likely wouldn't see nowadays.

PTSD—before we understood what it was—is the topic of Tuesday's Richard Boone Show (8:00 p.m., NBC), the bold (and ultimately unsuccessful) attempt by the former Palladin to form a television repertory company. Tonight, Warren Stevens plays a Korean War vet "planning a 'Wall to Wall War'—in the insurance office where he works. He's holding his frightened co-workers at bay with a machine gun." An eerie precursor to modern times, don't you think? That's followed by a much more pleasant hour, as The Bell Telephone Hour kicks off its new season; Mr. Music Man Robert Preston hosts, with opera stars Richard Tucker and Anna Moffo, dancers Rudolf Nureyev and Svetlana Beriosova, pianist Grant Johannesen, and the folksinging Chad Mitchell Trio. (9:00 p.m., NBC)

Broderick Crawford, who's made a successful career out of both good guys and bad guys, is on the wrong side of the law Wednesday in The Virginian (6:30 p.m., NBC), playing a bounty hunter convinced that Trampas (Doug McClure) has a price on his head. And here's one to give you pause; one of Johnny Carson's guests on The Tonight Show (10:30 p.m., NBC) is attorney Melvin "King of Torts" Belli, who in just over a month will acquire his most famous client: Jack Ruby.

On Thursday, it's the debut of one of the better anthology series of the '60s, Kraft Suspense Theatre (9:00 p.m., NBC), with a two-part thriller, "The Case Against Paul Ryker." The all-star cast features Lee Marvin as Ryker, a GI on trial for his life after being accused of treason in Korea, Bradford Dillman and Peter Graves as officers in the JAG office, Vera Miles as Ryker's wife, and Lloyd Nolan, Murray Hamilton, and Walter Brooke. The episode also serves as the pilot for the 1966 series Court Martial, with Dillman and Graves reprising their roles as Captain David Young and Major Frank Whitaker, respectively.

But we've saved the best for last. On Friday. it's the Twilight Zone episode "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" (8:30 p.m., CBS) with Shatner, the gremlin, and the plane's wing. You know it, you love it, you can't live without it—but for those reading this issue, it's just another episode of another series. Who would have imagined it?

Now that's the way to end a week. TV  

Around the dial

At Cult TV Blog, John reviews an episode of Nigel Keene's mid-'70s horror series Beasts , and by looking at the ways in which an episode can be interpreted, correctly mentions that "one of the hallmarks of quality TV is that it can be read in several different ways." Amen to that!

Garroway at Large focuses on another of what Jodie refers to as "Lost Garroway," in this case the 1971 summer replacement series The CBS Newcomers , featuring Dave as MC of a talent show searching for "new and younger talent." How did it go? We'll have to wait for part two to find out.

The Twilight Zone turns 60, and The Twilight Zone Vortex celebrates the occasion with a look at the series' mileposts, as covered in some of Jordan's past articles. It brings back a lot of fine memories to read about the birth of one of television's greatest.

I often mutter about the quality of today's television, but there can be no doubting that we've been fortunate to see the definitive portrayals of two of literature's great characters: Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot. At Classic Film & TV Café, Rick looks back at the great David Suchet in the 1992 Poirot classic Death in the Clouds.

The 1961 season of The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis is the focus of the latest in-depth review at Television's New Frontier: the 1960s. The year covers the end of season two and the start of season three, a time when the boys join (and are discharged from) the Army, and Dobie continues to wonder about what to do with his life.

I've been thoroughly enjoying the day-by-day look at TV Guide's prime-time program listings for the 1964-65 season, as seen in Television Obscurities. Here's a link to Saturday, October 3 , but you can't go wrong by making this a daily part of your internet surfing. TV  

José and the National Anthem

What with baseball's postseason staring yesterday, how about we take a moment and talk a little sports?

Regular readers know that I have a longtime interest in the year 1968, one of the most tumultuous twelve months in American history, a year that featured a combination of forces all conspiring to come to a head, frequently in ugly ways. If it didn’t happen in 1968, you can bet the roots grew deeply during that year. And most of it played out right before our eyes, on television.

Much as it is case today, it seems as if nothing was immune from controversy, not even sports. And, then as now, one of the year’s biggest controversies surrounded the National Anthem. It wasn’t the athletes causing it, though, but the performer.

It was Monday, October 7th, the fifth game of the World Series, played in Detroit, between the Tigers and the St. Louis Cardinals. It might not have happened at all had Detroit not won Game 2; as it was, the Cardinals took at 3-1 lead into Game 5. Ernie Harwell, the legendary Tigers radio announcer (who was also a songwriter, albeit an unsuccessful one; “As a songwriter, I’ve got a no-hitter going,” he used to joke), was asked by Tigers general manager Jim Campbell to select the singers for the games to be played in Detroit. (I imagine something like that would be done in the league offices today.) Harwell chose Detroit native Margaret Whiting for the third game, and Motown star Marvin Gaye for Game 4 (more on him later), but he had something different in mind for Monday’s Game 5, a young singer he liked, who’d scored some hits, including a cover of The Doors’ “Light My Fire”: José Feliciano. And, well—


As you can hear from the live broadcast, fan reaction to Feliciano’s folk-blues rendition was muted, and you can hear what sounds like some jeering starting as NBC goes to a commercial break. Down on the field, there was no mistake. “Well, I heard some cheers, but they were very sparse,” Feliciano said. “And I heard a lot of boos. And I said, ‘Who, what did I do? Why are they booing me?” The players, too, were taken aback. Tigers pitcher John Hiller remembered thinking, “Oh, my God, Ernie—what did you do?” Cardinals star Roger Maris said, “I don’t think it was the proper place for that kind of treatment. Maybe I’m a conservative.” Pitcher Dick Hughes added, “Thumbs down all the way. That’s a conformist’s song and should be sung the way it was written.” Cardinals catcher Tim McCarver, who went on to have a long and successful career as an announce himself, was one of the rendition’s few fans. “Why not that way?” he said. “People go through a routine when they play the anthem. They stand up and yawn and almost fall asleep. This way, at least they listened.”

NBC, broadcasting the Series, was flooded with thousands of angry letters and calls, as were the Tigers offices; editorial writers had their say as well. One Detroit resident accused Harwell of being a communist for recommending such a performance.

In retrospect, and without context, it can be hard to understand it was all about. Listening to Feliciano’s rendition, it occurs to me that there’s something in it that speaks to the vastness of the land and the history of the country. Although it’s certainly an unorthodox arrangement, it doesn’t trade in on the inherent dignity of the song’s meaning; more than anything else, it called to mind “This Land is Your Land,” a song which, no matter how you feel about Woody Guthrie’s motives, wears the dust of America on its hands. So does Feliciano’s version; one can discern an almost wistful meditation on what America had been and still could be. (Your mileage may vary, of course.)

It is the irony of ironies that Marvin Gaye sang the Anthem prior to Game 4, since the performance to which Feliciano’s version has most frequently been compared has been Gaye's assassination of the song at the 1983 NBA All-Star Game. Gaye's 1968 rendition was an honest and straightforward rendition; he admitted later that he'd been encouraged to tone it down a bit, and Tigers catcher Bill Freehan said that Feliciano's version made Gaye "sound like a square."




So what is the difference between Feliciano in 1968 and Gaye in 1983? For one thing, I think it's the word performance. Gaye's rendition is just that, a performance for art's sake, in which the actual intent of the song as the "National Anthem" is lost, a kind of ersatz "Sexual Healing" that hardly calls to mind Francis Scott Key and the bombing of Fort McHenry. Watch any soccer match at the World Cup, for example, and you'll see players standing together, arms linked around each other, belting out their own anthems with a gusto that bespeaks a pride in their nation.

It may well be that "The Star-Spangled Banner" is not a particularly good choice for the National Anthem (I'd choose "America, the Beautiful" myself), and it's notoriously difficult to sing, but even if it weren't, it would be hard to imagine those same players trying to sing along to Gaye's 1983 version with any sense of national pride. Put it this way—could you see Colin Kaepernick kneeling to it? People would be wondering what he had against Gaye's version; "What are you, some kind of right-winger?" Gaye's version, great though it may be, isn't the National Anthem; it doesn't have the dignity or gravity that is rightly due a national anthem, You can protest what it does to the anthem, but you can't protest it as the anthem, because as an anthem it doesn't stand for anything.

It's since become somewhat common to view the National Anthem as a sort of performance art, and at most sporting events it's done a capella, possibly because so many of today's singers don't know how to sing with normal accompaniment. What with the anthem having become a proximate cause of protest for people, not to mention the somewhat unholy alliance between professional sports and professional patriotism, the best thing to do would probably be to drop it from the telecast altogether.

All's well that ends well, though. The controversy died down eventually, after a year or so. Despite the many thousands of letters (and even death threat), Ernie Harwell kept his job (until 2002, in fact), and although José Feliciano thinks it took until his theme for Chico and the Man for his career to truly recover, he wound having a pretty successful one. His recording of the anthem went on to become a hit, and today it plays as a continuous loop at the Baseball Hall of Fame. It didn't hurt, of course, that the Tigers went on to win that World Series, making everyone in Detroit happy. As a matter of fact, they didn't lose a game after Feliciano sang the anthem, which makes one wonder why such superstitious people as athletes didn't embrace it immediately. He has performed it since, though, at playoff games and the World Series, and when Harwell learned he had terminal cancer, one of his final wishes was to invite Feliciano back to Detroit to perform the national anthem. Feliciano did on May 10, 2010, six days after Harwell’s death.

As I say, a happy ending for everyone, except perhaps the St. Louis Cardinals. But that's another story. TV  

What's on TV? Monday, October 3, 1966

This week's listings come from the Minnesota State Edition, but for the sake of brevity—both in the space and in the effort—we're concentrating on the Twin Cities, Duluth, and a couple of outlying areas. Some interesting things of note, although I'm sure this will drive Mike Doran crazy: WTCN showing Fellini's 8½, an interesting choice for a local movie package; a rare sighting of The Tammy Grimes Show on KCMT (only four episodes were aired); a slightly less-rare sighting of The Jean Arthur Show on CBS (cancelled after twelve episodes); and one of our eternal questions: why is KSTP's M Squad, starring Lee Marvin as a tough cop, classified as "Police" while Felony Squad, starring Howard Duff, Dennis Cole and Ben Alexander as a trio of tough cops, is called "Drama"? As with the number of licks needed to reach the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Roll Pop, the world may never know.

 2  KTCA (EDUC.)
Morning
    9:00 CLASSROOM—Education
Afternoon
    3:45 TEACHING MATH
    5:00 KINDERGARTEN—Education
    5:30 CHILDREN’S FAIR—Education
Evening
    6:00 NOW SEE THIS
    7:00 MINNESOTA GEOGRAPHY
    8:00 PROFILE—Discussion
    8:30 HAMLINE UNIVERSITY
    9:00 CHOOSING YOUR CAREER
    9:30 FOLIO—Arnold Walker
  10:00 MONDAY FOR MEDICINE


 3  KDAL (DULUTH) (CBS)
Morning
    7:35 FARM AND HOME
    7:45 TREETOP HOUSE—Children
    8:00 CAPTAIN KANGAROO—Children
    9:00 CANDID CAMERAGuest: Jack Paar
    9:30 BEVERLY HILLBILLIES—Comedy
  10:00 ANDY GRIFFITH—Comedy
  10:30 DICK VAN DYKE—Comedy
  11:00 LOVE OF LIFE
  11:25 NEWS  COLOR 
  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 PASSWORD  COLOR Panelists: Carol Burnett, Ross Martin
    1:30 HOUSE PARTY  COLOR Guest: Max von Sydow
    2:00 TO TELL THE TRUTH
    2:25 NEWS  COLOR 
    2:30 EDGE OF NIGHT—Serial
    3:00 SECRET STORM—Serial
    3:30 MIKE DOUGLAS—VarietyCo-host: Totie Fields. Guests: Bobby Rydell, the King Sisters, Bessie Rollin, Lee Berman
    5:00 LEAVE IT TO BEAVER—Comedy
    5:30 NEWS—Walter Cronkite  COLOR 
Evening
    6:00 NEWS
    6:30 GILLIGAN’S ISLAND—Comedy  COLOR 
    7:00 RUN, BUDDY, RUN—Comedy  COLOR 
    7:30 LUCILLE BALL  COLOR 
    8:00 ANDY GRIFFITH—Comedy  COLOR 
    8:30 FAMILY AFFAIR—Comedy  COLOR 
    9:00 JEAN ARTHUR  COLOR 
    9:30 I’VE GOT A SECRET  COLOR Guest: Buddy Hackett. Panelists: Henry Morgan, Bess Myerson, Bill Cullen, Betsy Palmer
  10:00 NEWS
  10:15 MOVIE—Western  COLOR “Day of the Badmen” (1957)


 4  WCCO (CBS)
Morning
    6:00 SUNRISE SEMESTER—Education
    6:30 SIEGFRIED—Children
    7:00 CLANCY AND COMPANY
    8:00 CAPTAIN KANGAROO—Children
    9:00 DR. REUBEN K. YOUNGDAHL
    9:05 NEWS—Dean Montgomery
    9:10 HI NEIGHBOR—Women
    9:30 BEVERLY HILLBILLIES—Comedy
  10:00 ANDY GRIFFITH—Comedy
  10:30 DICK VAN DYKE—Comedy
  11:00 LOVE OF LIFE
  11:25 NEWS  COLOR 
  11:30 SEARCH FOR TOMORROW—Serial
  11:45 GUIDING LIGHT—Serial
Afternoon
  12:00 NEWS
  12:15 SOMETHING SPECIAL
  12:20 WEATHER—Kraehling
  12:30 AS THE WORLD TURNS—Serial  COLOR 
    1:00 PASSWORD  COLOR Panelists: Carol Burnett, Ross Martin
    1:30 HOUSE PARTY  COLOR Guest: Max von Sydow
    2:00 TO TELL THE TRUTH
    2:25 NEWS  COLOR 
    2:30 EDGE OF NIGHT—Serial
    3:00 SECRET STORM—Serial
    3:30 CANDID CAMERA—ComedyGuests: Oscar Brand, Marty Glickman
    4:00 MIKE DOUGLAS—VarietyCo-host: Jimmy Dean. Guests: Sarah Vaughan, Minnie Pearl, Miss America Jane Ann Jayroe, Marilyn Segal
    5:30 NEWS—Walter Cronkite  COLOR 
Evening
    6:00 NEWS
    6:30 GILLIGAN’S ISLAND—Comedy  COLOR 
    7:00 RUN, BUDDY, RUN—Comedy  COLOR 
    7:30 LUCILLE BALL  COLOR 
    8:00 ANDY GRIFFITH—Comedy  COLOR 
    8:30 FAMILY AFFAIR—Comedy  COLOR 
    9:00 JEAN ARTHUR  COLOR 
    9:30 I’VE GOT A SECRET  COLOR Guest: Buddy Hackett. Panelists: Henry Morgan, Bess Myerson, Bill Cullen, Betsy Palmer
  10:00 NEWS
  10:30 MINNESOTA FOOTBALL—Films
  11:30 MERV GRIFFIN—VarietyGuests: Henry Morgan, Pearl S. Buck and Theodore Harris, Jonathan Miller, Albert T. Berry, Patty Finley


 5  KSTP (NBC)
Morning
    6:00 CONTINENTAL CLASSROOM  RETURN “The Structure and Functions of American Government”
    6:30 CITY AND COUNTRY  COLOR 
    7:00 TODAY  COLOR Guests: Julliard String Quartet, author Roger ButterfieldLocal news at 7:25 and 8:25 A.M. Ch. 5’s news is telecast in color.
    9:00 EYE GUESS—Game  COLOR 
    9:25 NEWS  COLOR 
    9:30 CONCENTRATION—Game
  10:00 CHAIN LETTER—Game  COLOR Guests: Emmaline Henry, Jesse White
  10:30 SHOWDOWN—Game  COLOR 
  11:00 JEOPARDY—Game  COLOR 
  11:30 SWINGIN’ COUNTRY—Music  COLOR Guest: Jerry Wallace
  11:55 NEWS
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  COLOR 
    1:00 DAYS OF OUR LIVES—Serial  COLOR 
    1:30 DOCTORS
    2:00 ANOTHER WORLD—Serial  COLOR 
    2:30 YOU DON’T SAY!—Game  COLOR Panelists: Carolyn Jones, John Astin
    3:00 MATCH GAME  COLOR Panelists: Carol Lawrence, Soupy Sales
    3:25 NEWS  COLOR 
    3:30 DIALING FOR DOLLARS—Game  COLOR 
    4:30 OF LANDS AND SEAS  COLOR 
    5:00 DOCTOR’S HOUSE CALL—James Rogers Fox  COLOR 
    5:30 NEWS—Chet Huntley, David Brinkley  COLOR 
Evening
    6:00 NEWS  COLOR 
    6:30 MONKEES  COLOR 
    7:00 JEANNIE  COLOR 
    7:30 ROGER MILLER  COLOR Guests: Peter, Paul and Mary, Casey Stengel
    8:00 ROAD WEST  COLOR 
    9:00 RUN FOR YOUR LIFE—Drama  COLOR 
  10:00 NEWS  COLOR 
  10:30 JOHNNY CARSON  COLOR In Hollywood. Guest: Don Adams (One hour, 45 min.)
  12:15 M SQUAD—Police


 6  WDSM (DULUTH) (NBC)
Morning
    7:00 TODAY  COLOR Guests: Julliard String Quartet, author Roger ButterfieldLocal news at 7:25 and 8:25 A.M.
    9:00 JACK LA LANNE—Exercise
    9:25 NEWS  COLOR 
    9:30 CONCENTRATION—Game
  10:00 CHAIN LETTER—Game  COLOR Guests: Emmaline Henry, Jesse White
  10:30 SHOWDOWN—Game  COLOR 
  11:00 JEOPARDY—Game  COLOR 
  11:30 SWINGIN’ COUNTRY—Music  COLOR Guest: Jerry Wallace
  11:45 NEWS
Afternoon
  12:00 GIRL TALK—Panel
    1:00 DAYS OF OUR LIVES—Serial  COLOR 
    1:30 DOCTORS
    2:00 ANOTHER WORLD—Serial  COLOR 
    2:30 YOU DON’T SAY!—Game  COLOR Panelists: Carolyn Jones, John Astin
    3:00 MATCH GAME  COLOR Panelists: Carol Lawrence, Soupy Sales
    3:25 NEWS  COLOR 
    3:30 EYE GUESS—Game
    3:55 BOZO AND HIS PALS  COLOR 
    5:00 YOU ASKED FOR IT—Smith
    5:30 NEWS—Chet Huntley, David Brinkley  COLOR 
Evening
    6:00 NEWS, ROCKY TELLER  COLOR 
    6:30 MONKEES  COLOR 
    7:00 JEANNIE  COLOR 
    7:30 ROGER MILLER  COLOR Guests: Peter, Paul and Mary, Casey Stengel
    8:00 ROAD WEST  COLOR 
    9:00 RUN FOR YOUR LIFE—Drama  COLOR 
  10:00 NEWS  COLOR 
  10:20 JOHNNY CARSON  COLOR In Hollywood. Guest: Don Adams (One hour, 40 min.)


 7  KCMT (ALEX) (NBC, ABC)
Morning
    7:00 TODAY  COLOR Guests: Julliard String Quartet, author Roger ButterfieldLocal news at 7:25 and 8:25 A.M.
    9:00 EYE GUESS—Game  COLOR 
    9:25 NEWS  COLOR 
    9:30 CONCENTRATION—Game
  10:00 CHAIN LETTER—Game  COLOR Guests: Emmaline Henry, Jesse White
  10:30 SHOWDOWN—Game  COLOR 
  11:00 JEOPARDY—Game  COLOR 
  11:30 SWINGIN’ COUNTRY—Music  COLOR Guest: Jerry Wallace
  11:45 NEWS
Afternoon
  12:00 NEWS
  12:20 TRADING POST—Jon Haaven
  12:30 LET’S MAKE A DEAL—Game  COLOR 
    1:00 DAYS OF OUR LIVES—Serial  COLOR 
    1:30 DOCTORS
    2:00 ANOTHER WORLD—Serial  COLOR 
    2:30 YOU DON’T SAY!—Game  COLOR Panelists: Carolyn Jones, John Astin
    3:00 MATCH GAME  COLOR Panelists: Carol Lawrence, Soupy Sales
    3:25 NEWS  COLOR 
    3:30 GENERAL HOSPITAL—Serial
    4:00 WELCOME INN—Variety
    4:30 BEATLES—Cartoon
    5:00 TAMMY GRIMES—Comedy
    5:30 NEWS—Chet Huntley, David Brinkley  COLOR 
Evening
    6:00 NEWS
    6:30 MONKEES  COLOR 
    7:00 JEANNIE  COLOR 
    7:30 ROGER MILLER  COLOR Guests: Peter, Paul and Mary, Casey Stengel
    8:00 ROAD WEST  COLOR 
    9:00 RUN FOR YOUR LIFE—Drama  COLOR 
  10:00 NEWS
  10:30 JOHNNY CARSON  COLOR In Hollywood. Guest: Don Adams (90 min.)


 8  WDSE (DULUTH (EDUC.)
Morning
    9:00 CLASSROOM—Education
Afternoon
    3:45 TEACHING MATH
    5:00 KINDERGARTEN—Education
    5:30 AMERICANS AT WORK
    5:45 INDUSTRY ON PARADE
Evening
    6:00 DUOLOGUE
    6:30 WHAT’S NEW—Children
    7:00 STRUGGLE FOR PEACE  SPECIAL Repeated Tuesday 10 P.M.
    8:00 PROFILE—Discussion
    8:30 FRENCH CHEF—Cooking
    9:00 CHOOSING YOUR CAREER
    9:30 SUMMER OF DECISION—Drama  SPECIAL 
  10:00 MONDAY FOR MEDICINE


 9  KMSP (ABC)
Morning
    7:30 SOUPY SALES—Comedy
    8:00 LINUS—Cartoons  COLOR 
    8:30 ROMPER ROOM—Children
    9:30 JACK LA LANNE  COLOR 
  10:00 SUPERMARKET SWEEP—Game
  10:30 DATING GAME
  11:00 DONNA REED—Comedy
  11:30 FATHER KNOWS BEST
Afternoon
  12:00 BEN CASEY—Drama
    1:00 NEWLYWED GAME
    1:30 A TIME FOR US—Serial
    1:55 NEWS—Marlene Sanders
    2:00 GENERAL HOSPITAL
    2:30 NURSES—Serial
    3:00 DARK SHADOWS—Serial
    3:30 WHERE THE ACTION IS—MusicGuests: the Lovin’ Spoonful, the Association
    4:00 ROUTE 66—Drama
    5:00 NEWS—Peter Jennings
    5:15 NEWS—Jerry Smith
    5:30 LEAVE IT TO BEAVER—Comedy
Evening
    6:00 HUCKLEBERRY HOUND—Cartoons  COLOR 
    6:30 IRON HORSE—Western  COLOR 
    7:30 RAT PATROL—Drama  COLOR 
    8:00 FELONY SQUAD—Drama  COLOR 
    8:30 PEYTON PLACE—Serial  COLOR 
    9:00 BIG VALLEY  COLOR 
  10:00 NEWS
  10:30 MOVIE—Adventure  COLOR “River of No Return” (1954)


10 WDIO (DULUTH) (ABC)
Morning
  10:00 SUPERMARKET SWEEP—Game
  10:30 DATING GAME
  11:00 DONNA REED—Comedy
  11:30 FATHER KNOWS BEST
Afternoon
  12:00 BEN CASEY—Drama
    1:00 NEWLYWED GAME
    1:30 A TIME FOR US—Serial
    1:55 NEWS—Marlene Sanders
    2:00 GENERAL HOSPITAL
    2:30 NURSES—Serial
    3:00 DARK SHADOWS—Serial
    3:30 WHERE THE ACTION IS—MusicGuests: the Lovin’ Spoonful, the Association
    4:00 MOVIE—Drama “Big Jim McLain” (1952)
    5:30 NEWS, SPORTS, WEATHER
    5:45 NEWS—Peter Jennings
Evening
    6:00 TALL MAN—Western
    6:30 IRON HORSE—Western  COLOR 
    7:30 RAT PATROL—Drama  COLOR 
    8:00 FELONY SQUAD—Drama  COLOR 
    8:30 PEYTON PLACE—Serial  COLOR 
    9:00 BIG VALLEY  COLOR 
  10:00 NEWS
  10:15 MOVIE—Drama“Operation Pacific” (1951)


11 WTCN (IND.)
Morning
    9:00 CASEY JUNIOR—Children
    9:05 HANK AND CASEY—Children
    9:20 NEWS, WEATHER, SPORTS
    9:30 GLORIA—Exercise  COLOR 
  10:00 GIRL TALK—PanelGuests: Marge Champion, Meredith Anderson, June Carroll
  10:30 PDQ—Game Guests: Bob Crane, Abby Dalton, Sandy Baron
  11:00 BOLD JOURNEY—Travel
  11:30 TODAY’S DRAMA—Anthology
  11:45 NEWS—John Thorbeck
Afternoon
  12:00 LUNCH WITH CASEY—Children
    1:00 MOVIE—Comedy“The Lady Eve” (1941)
    2:40 MEL’S NOTEBOOK—Interview
    2:55 NEWS—Gil Amundson
    3:00 ALFRED HITCHCOCK—Drama
    3:30 MISTER ED—Comedy
    4:00 POPEYE AND PETE—Children
    4:30 CASEY AND ROUNDHOUSE
    5:30 FLINTSTONES—Cartoon  COLOR 
Evening
    6:00 RIFLEMAN—Western
    6:30 PATTY DUKE—Comedy
    7:00 TWILIGHT ZONE—Drama
    7:30 ADDAMS FAMILY—Comedy
    8:00 MOVIE—Drama“8½” (Italian; 1963)
  10:00 NEWS
  10:30 MOVIE—Adventure  COLOR “Ice Palace” (1960)



12 KEYC (MANKATO) (CBS)
Morning
    7:30 NEWS—Benti  COLOR 
    7:55 FILM SHORT
    8:00 CAPTAIN KANGAROO—Children
    9:00 CANDID CAMERAGuest: Jack Paar
    9:30 BEVERLY HILLBILLIES—Comedy
  10:00 ANDY GRIFFITH—Comedy
  10:30 DICK VAN DYKE—Comedy
  11:00 LOVE OF LIFE
  11:25 NEWS  COLOR 
  11:30 SEARCH FOR TOMORROW—Serial
  11:45 GUIDING LIGHT—Serial
Afternoon
  12:00 NEWS
  12:30 AS THE WORLD TURNS—Serial  COLOR 
    1:00 PASSWORD  COLOR Panelists: Carol Burnett, Ross Martin
    1:30 HOUSE PARTY  COLOR Guest: Max von Sydow
    2:00 TO TELL THE TRUTH
    2:25 NEWS  COLOR 
    2:30 EDGE OF NIGHT—Serial
    3:00 SECRET STORM—Serial
    3:30 TAKE 12—Earl Lamont
    4:00 BART’S CLUBHOUSE
    4:30 ROCKY AND HIS FRIENDS
    4:45 BART’S CLUBHOUSE
    5:00 SERGEANT PRESTON
    5:30 NEWS—Walter Cronkite  COLOR 
Evening
    6:00 NEWS
    6:30 GILLIGAN’S ISLAND—Comedy  COLOR 
    7:00 RUN, BUDDY, RUN—Comedy  COLOR 
    7:30 LUCILLE BALL  COLOR 
    8:00 ANDY GRIFFITH—Comedy  COLOR 
    8:30 FAMILY AFFAIR—Comedy  COLOR 
    9:00 JEAN ARTHUR  COLOR 
    9:30 BANDWAGON—Earl Lamont
  10:00 NEWS
  10:30 I’VE GOT A SECRET  COLOR Guest: Soupy Sales. Panelists: Henry Morgan, Bess Myerson, Bill Cullen, Betsy Palmer
  11:00 BUILDING AMERICA

TV  

This week in TV Guide: October 1, 1966

For the first time, the stain of the 1960s—Vietnam—graces the cover of this week's TV Guide.

Neil Hickey, TV Guide's New York Bureau Chief and author of some of the best news features published by the magazine, presents the first of a four-part series on how—and how well—television is covering its first war. It is a war "exorbitantly more demanding, both mentally and physically, than anything those earlier newsmen faced in Europe or the Pacific." It's a guerrilla war, replete with everything from jungle disease to ambush land mines and booby traps, field telephones that barely work, and as one correspondent puts it, "pushing the cause of journalistic profanity to new horizons." As NBC's David Burrington puts it, "There are so many imponderables and ironies here that it's sometimes difficult, if not downright impossible, to explain what's happening in terms that an American audience will understand."

Cameramen lug their equipment around in temperatures approaching 130, walking over 17 km only to find that an outpost had already been wiped out or a Vietcong squad disappeared, and wind up with less than a hundred feet of footage. Newsmen tell the story of a press conference called by Buddhist leaders in Danang, in a room with 35 dead bodies piled up in the corner. Soon, it became apparent that there would be no press conference, that the newsmen themselves were being held as hostages. They were able to escape in the ensuing firefight between government and rebel forces. Other times journalists aren't so lucky, and though none have been killed yet, several have suffered serious wounds. ABC's Lou Cioffi speaks for many when he says, "You begin wondering when the law of averages will catch up with you. I'm scared all the time, but I'm more scared now than when I first came out here. TV has nothing in its history to prepare it for this kind of story."

So why does the network correspondent put himself through such hell? After all, they've all volunteered; no newsman is ever assigned to Vietnam. "Let's be truthful," a young journalist says. "We're all war profiteers. We know that if we prove ourselves here we can short-cut our careers by five to 10 years. Here in Vietnam you can get your face on the network news three or four times a week. That's more than you can do in the United States. It's risky, but it's money in the bank." CBS' John Flynn adds, "This is where it's happening, and I see no reason to be anywhere else." And soldiers like having the newsmen around, at least at this point; "To them," an ABC newsman says, "it means somebody really cares about what they're doing. They'll share their last C-ration with you, and tie down your poncho tent properly so it doesn't blow away. I have never felt more appreciated, nor more humble." That comment about "somebody really caring" - for some reason, that makes me tremendously sad. Is that Vietnam in a nutshell, or what?

As I mentioned, this is part one of a four-part series; next week's will deal with the battle between the networks for ratings and exclusives. Looking at the glorified fan-mag that TV Guide has become today, it is difficult to imagine the magazine could come up with anything this serious, this newsworthy, nor would they want to. But to the TV Guide of this era, television was a serious business, covering serious news, and deserved to be written about and covered in a serious manner. For that matter, it's hard to imagine any of today's celebrity-driven newsmagazines (or is that "news" magazines?) producing a story as substantial as this. My, times have changed, haven't they?

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: Ed's scheduled guests are Jimmy Durante; Dame Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev, who appear in segments from the filmed version of Prokofiev's ballet "Romeo and Juliet"; comic Alan King; singer Connie Francis; Gwen Verdon and cast members from "Sweet Charity," who perform "The Big Brass Band"; ventriloquist Arthur Worsley; and the winners of the New York Harvest Moon Ball dance contest.

Palace: Elizabeth Montgomery of Bewitched makes her debut as a Palace hostess and her first network appearance as a song-and-dance gal. Guests: singer Vic Damone; comics Paul Lynde and Jackie Mason; the Baja Marimba Band; Pat Anthony's tigers; and two acrobatic acts, Sensational Parker and the Three Robertes.

This is actually a pretty strong week for both shows, but Ed has, I think, just a little more class. Nureyev and Dame Margo were two of the most famous ballet dancers of the time, and their appearance—even on film—would have been a highlight for many people who wouldn't get to see them otherwise. Durante and King are always funny, and Gwen Verdon likely danced up a storm. No backing into it this week: Sullivan's the clear winner.

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. 

Judith Crist once referred to Shane as the movie that established the tropes all future Westerns would follow, and that level of greatness—for Shane is truly a great Western—helps explain Cleveland Amory's apprehension this week as he prepares to review the television version, starring David Carradine in the role that Alan Ladd made famous, that of the lone gunman with a past.

Fear not, though, for "from the moment we saw the opening shot and heard that wonderful Shane theme song, we were a gone critter—I mean critic." In adapting the movie into a weekly series, certain accommodations have had to be made—for one thing, Shane leaves at the end of the movie, but here we can look forward to having him every week. That's tied in to another significant change from the movie, which featured Van Heflin as the family patriarch; here, the wife (Jill Ireland) is now a widow, which means that not only do we have Shane, but she might eventually have him as well. Maybe not, though; as Amory says, "It's not Peyton Place, but it's got possibilities."

Carradine is no Alan Ladd, but that's not to say that he's worse—just different. He is, as Amory puts it, of the "modern, psychological school of acting," which means "you're going to be more interested in his 'why' than in his 'what.'" Once you get used to that, he says, "you're going to be more and more positive about him." Ireland is no Jean Arthur either; she may be "a little too far over on the Calamity Jane side for our taste—but she cries hard." Bert Freed is an upgrade on Jack Palance's memorable villain, in that he's tampered the character to make him suitable for weekly appearances. In fact, so good is this series that Amory doesn't even mind Christopher Shea, whom we know and love as the voice of Linus in the Peanuts specials. When he asks, "Why do the geeth go thouth, Thane?" Amory says, "the way it all gets to you is thomething."

t  t  t
You'll remember how I've said that TV Guides of this era covered live events with a combination of up-to-the-minute and to-be-announced? Well, this week's edition demonstrates that in spades. The World Series begins Wednesday, with the runaway American League champion Baltimore Orioles taking on—who? At this point, your guess is as good as anyone's, with the Dodgers, Pirates and Giants locked in a three-way battle for the flag. The weak-hitting Dodgers, defending Series champions, are led by Sandy Koufax (in his last season) and Don Drysdale; the slugging Pirates feature future Hall of Famers Willie Stargell and Roberto Clemente; and the Giants counter with some stars of their own, namely Willie Mays, Willie McCovey and Juan Marichal. Awaiting them, the Orioles have Triple Crown-winner Frank Robinson, slugger Boog Powell, and a pitching staff featuring Dave McNally, Jim Palmer, and Stu Miller.

Because of the uncertainty surrounding the National League winner, who will also host the first two games of the Series, we don't even know what time the games start: noon CT if it's the Pirates, 2:00 p.m. if the Giants take it, and 3:00 p.m. if the Dodgers come out on top. As it turns out, it's the Dodgers who ultimatelybemerge from the logjam, besting the Giants by a game-and-a-half and the Pirates by three. Little good it does, though: after Baltimore's Moe Drabowsky stops the Dodgers with 6⅔ innings of one-hit, 11-strikeout relief, Orioles hurlers go on to record three straight shutouts (the final two by scores of 1-0), winning the Series in a four-game sweep. I remember this Series with great satisfaction; the Dodgers had beaten the Minnesota Twins the year before, and being a good Minnesotan who also hadn't learned how to be a discerning fan, I thirsted for revenge. The Orioles gave it to me with one of the most powerful pitching performances in Series history: two runs given up in the four games.

t  t  t
Once again, the Series tops all other sporting events for the week, such as Saturday afternoon's college football match between Missouri and UCLA (3:00 p.m., ABC). UCLA Quarterback Gary Beban, who will win the Heisman Trophy the next season, leads the Bruins to a 9-1 season, losing only to Washington (but staying home for the bowl holidays, thanks to the conference's Rose Bowl-only rule), and this week they take out Mizzou handily, 24-15.

Sunday's NFL games are all over the map, with the Minnesota Vikings playing at home, and thus blacked out within a 75-mile radius. Channel 4, the CBS Minneapolis affiliate, offers an Eastern Division matchup between the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants at 12:15 p.m.; Channels 8 and 12, located in LaCrosse and Mankato, respectively, carry the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers at 12:45 p.m.; and the two stations unaffected by the blackout, in Duluth and Mason City (both Channel 3) carry the Vikings game against the Chicago Bears at 1:15 p.m. It's much easier keeping track of the AFL game—the Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs, a preview of the 1966 AFL Championship Game (2:30 p.m., NBC).

In this era before Sunday football doubleheaders, there's actually some time for other sporting events, such as the Canadian Open golf championship (5:00 p.m., CBS). This tournament used to be much bigger than it is today, and the 1966 field included the sport's best: Gene Littler, Jack Nicklaus and Billy Casper. To reinforce the event's stature, a footnote in Sunday's listing mentions that in case of a tie, CBS will provide coverage of the 18-hole playoff on Monday afternoon—a playoff format once seen in all the majors, but now a thing of the past, thanks largely to television.

Not exactly sports-related, but then you can't exactly leave off something on Tuesday at 9:00 p.m. called "The National Sports & Physical Fitness Test." It's the latest in CBS' popular series of interactive viewer tests, which have included "The National Driver's Test" and "The National Citizenship Test." I don't have a list of the questions in front of me, only the "official score card" included in the TV Guide; however, the Close-Up promises location shoots from the Air Force Academy, "where cadets eat heartily without gaining an ounce," a New York dance studio, and a California high school with an acclaimed fitness program. Also, for no apparent reason, the program includes clips of Bobby Thomson's famous 1951 home run, and Joe Louis' first-round knockout of Max Schmeling in 1938. Harry Reasoner hosts; I wonder if this had any of the success that the other tests did?

t  t  t
So if you don't have wall-to-wall sports on television Sunday afternoon, what the heck is on? Well, between the NFL football and Canadian Open, CBS has To Tell The Truth (4:00 p.m.) and Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour (4:30 p.m.); in later years the lineup would include Mister Ed. NBC features G-E College Bowl (live at 1:30 p.m.), with Oklahoma pounding North Dakota State 375-45, and a religion special. ABC's coverage is given over to the affiliates; Minneapolis' Channel 9 has reruns of The Untouchables, Naked City, Thriller, Surfside 6 and The Greatest Show on Earth (1:00 p.m. through 6:00 p.m.)

Sundays were also known as the "graveyard" for public affairs and educational programming, and that's well in evidence this week. There are the venerable Sunday news chat shows; ABC's Issues and Answers (12:30 p.m.) has a debate between the candidates for governor of California, Democratic incumbent Pat Brown* and his Republican opponent, Ronald Reagan. Brown, who'd defeated Richard Nixon in 1962, had said that he looked forward to sending Reagan back to Death Valley Days, a show he'd once hosted; Reagan, as we know, goes on to eek out a one-million vote win, garnering a mere 58% of the vote. ABC also has an interview show called Elections 66 (12 noon), with Vice President Hubert Humphrey and former Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater as the guests, and ABC Scope (various times), their weekly Vietnam report. Face the Nation on CBS (11:30 a.m.) has Senate Minority Leader Everett Dirksen; the venerable Republican senator from Illinois is quizzed on the coming midterm elections. Dirksen's Democratic counterpart from Illinois, Paul Douglas, is the guest on NBC's Meet the Press (12 noon; he's not listed in the TV Guide, but a quick Google search gives us the answer).

*Father of the past governor, Jerry.

There's a heavy concentration of news this particular Sunday, and per the cover story, some of it has to do with Vietnam. In addition to ABC's weekly Scope, NBC has Vietnam Weekly Review (1:00 p.m.); at 2:00 p.m. The Frank McGee Report (which often presented breaking Vietnam news) looks at the rise of neo-Nazis in Germany. NBC also has a special report Sunday afternoon at 5:30 p.m., "The Agony of Two Cities," looking at racial conflict in Chicago and Cleveland. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. discusses the housing problem in Chicago, as well as violent vs. non-violent protest and the meaning of Black Power.

Channel 11, the Twin Cities' independent station, presents the long-lost standby of the local channel, matinee movies, which in this case is a prime choice indeed: the Academy Award-winning Casablanca at 3:00 p.m., followed by Basil Rathbone's Sherlock Holmes in The Voice of Terror at 5:00. Reruns of Laramie and Sea Hunt and a religion show round out the afternoon.

t  t  t
From time to time we've seen the frustrations that writers have had working with the Production Code, that arbiter of content that governs how certain moral issues should be presented. This week, TV Guide takes on the question of what should be done to produce a movie code that "makes sense in view of contemporary standards." The Editors' conclusion: "It isn't easy."

Things to come.For starters, it's becoming increasingly clear that movies and television present separate challenges. As the editorial puts it, "while you can forbid youngsters to enter a theater, you can't keep all of them from seeing an 'adult' movie on TV." And yet you can't allow the needs of television to control what paying customers in movie theaters can see. And speaking of that audience, while there's been a relaxation of moral restrictions lately, "puritan standards still control the thinking, if not the actions, of most Americans."

And then there's the foreign audience to think about. Nudity and bedroom scenes are as commonplace in European movies as violence is in American ones, and "Europeans aren't exactly titillated by a sheepish Rock Hudson trying, unsuccessfully, to hold hands in a crowded restaurant with a well-corseted Doris Day."

The answer, according to the Editors, is that the movie code shouldn't worry about television and concentrate on theaters only. Most movies, they point out, can be adapted to run on television*, and the ones that can't will probably recoup any advertising losses through European distribution. "The important thing is that such a code, run by administrators empowered to interpret its provisions, will make it possible for creative men to treat any subject tastefully."

*Which in itself was the source of no little controversy.

Is that what we wound up with? My suspicion is that the code Hollywood wound up with included the Ratings System that, with subsequent changes, we've come to know and love (or hate). Television, itself under increasing pressure from the government, came up with its own ratings system, not to mention the V-Chip. But whether it be movies or television, I'm not sure that the word "tasteful" is the first that would come to mind. . .  TV  

Around the dial

No prattling on from me this week; we'll just get right to it.

At bare-bones e-zine, the Hitchcock Project moves on, with Jack introducing us to the works of Bill S. Ballinger—specifically, the 1959 episode "Dry Run," with Robert Vaughn, Walter Matthau, and Larry White. Quite a cast, wouldn't you say?

Speaking as we were of Hitchcock, at Classic Film and TV Café Rick has a list of his choices for Hitch's best movies . Try not to get dizzy looking at these titles, a reminder of how great, and how successful, Hitchcock was as a director.

If you've ever thought that The Brady Bunch was a live-action comic strip, here's your confirmation: The Secret Sanctum of Captain Video takes a look at the Brady Bunch comic book story "T.V. or Not T.V.," a cautionary tale of "television and its' effect on the newly-blended family!" Ooh. . .

At Comfort TV, David has a look back at highlights from  the career of Sherry Jackson and her journey from a child star on The Danny Thomas Show to her very grown-up guest roles in the 1960s and beyond: everything from Star Trek to Lost in Space to Charlie's Angels.

Now, this is the kind of thing I'm a sucker for: nearly three hours of retro television introductions , courtesy of The Last Drive In. It was videos like this that got me into watching the FredFlix channel at YouTube, many, many pleasant hours ago.

It's time once again for Hondo at The Horn Section, and this time Hal's watching "Hondo and the Apache Trail,"  the follow-up to "Hondo and the Apache Kid," with guest appearances by Nick Adams and Annette Funicello.

This would have been about the time that I wrote about our experiences at this year's Mid Atlantic Nostalgia Convention, but as you know, real life intervened this year. Never fear, however, for Carol has her own write-up at Bob Crane: Life & Legacy.

Now, which Doctor Who story was "The Macra Terror"? Ah yes, now I remember. At Cult TV Blog, John takes a closer look at the reconstructed story , with animation filling in the gaps where the original footage was unavailable. (Thanks, BBC.) Time for me to start watching again, perhaps.

Do you remember The Baileys of Balboa ? Television Obscurities does, so take a trip back (including the links provided in the story) to learn more about this single-season sitcom, starring Paul Ford and John Dehner, which premiered 55 years ago. Has it really been that long? TV 

It's never too early

In case it's escaped your attention, next week marks the beginning of October, and everyone knows that once this milestone has passed, it's only a quick jump to Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Talk about being caught unaware.

Fortunately, you can avoid the holiday rush and get your shopping done earlier, with a gift that's perfect for your friends, family, and loved ones: one of my books!

Naturally, most of you will be most interested in The Electronic Mirror: What Classic TV Tells Us About Who We Were and Who We Are (and everything in-between) , my book of essays on the relationship between classic television shows and our popular culture. If you like It's About TV!, I can promise you'll love The Electronic Mirror.


That takes care of you (make sure to ask someone special to buy it for you!), but what about your friends who aren't TV buffs, hard as that may be to believe? For the fiction-lover on your list, try out my two novels, The Collaborator and The Car. The Collaborator is a tense, theater-of-the-mind story of conflict in today's Catholic Church; while The Car takes you on an existential mystery about dreams and reality and what it means to leave your mark on the world.

All three books are available at Amazon, as well as other online retailers; find out more about them here . The Collaborator is also available in a Kindle edition, and I'm hoping to have the same for The Car shortly. (I'll let you know!) If you want a personally signed copy, just drop me an email with your name, address, and what you'd like inscribed, and I'll send you an autographed bookplate.

I'm not here to B.S. you; I wouldn't recommend these books, even though I did write them, if I didn't think you'd enjoy. So get an early start on your holiday shopping and buy your copies today! TV  

What's on TV? Tuesday, September 24, 1968

There's a lot to like about today's listings. We've got the debut of shows like 60 Minutes, The Mod Squad, and The Doris Day Show, we've got a legendary trio of horror actors on The Red Skelton Hour, and, of course, we have celebrity-driven game shows. Look at David Susskind on Personality; I wonder how he felt about that? On the one hand, the man loved being on TV, being the focus of attention, and he was nothing if not a self-promoter, and yet he was embarrassed that his organization, Talent Associates, produced shows like Supermarket Sweep. He probably found a way to rationalize it all. Oh, and isn't that kind of cool that Dave Garroway is guest-hosting Dick Cavett's morning show? Kind of turns back the clock a bit, doesn't it?

In case you hadn't guessed, the listings are from the Minnesota State Edition.



 2  KTCA (NET)
Morning
    8:45 CLASSROOM—Education
Afternoon
    3:00 MISOTA PREVIEW
    3:30 FILM
    4:30 FILM
    5:00 TV KINDERGARTEN—Marron
    5:30 TO BE ANNOUNCED
Evening
    6:00 SPORTSMANLIKE DRIVING
    6:30 MISOTA PREVIEW  COLOR 
    7:00 INQUIRY—Discussion
    7:30 SEMINAR FOR SENIORS
    8:00 LOCAL ISSUE—Report
    8:30 BOOKS AND IDEAS
    9:00 JOYCE CHEN—Cooking
    9:30 UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
  10:00 NET FESTIVAL—Memorial


 3  KDAL (DULUTH) (CBS)
Morning
    7:05 NEWS—Joseph Benti  COLOR 
    7:55 NEWS
    8:00 CAPTAIN KANGAROO  COLOR 
    9:00 LUCILLE BALL—Comedy  COLOR 
    9:30 BEVERLY HILLBILLIES—Comedy
  10:00 ANDY GRIFFITH—Comedy  COLOR 
  10:30 DICK VAN DYKE—Comedy
  11:00 LOVE OF LIFE—Serial  COLOR 
  11:25 NEWS  COLOR 
  11:30 SEARCH FOR TOMORROW—Serial  COLOR 
Afternoon
  12:00 TOWN AND COUNTRY  COLOR 
  12:30 AS THE WORLD TURNS—Serial  COLOR 
    1:00 LOVE IS A MANY-SPLENDORED THING  COLOR 
    1:30 GUIDING LIGHT—Serial  COLOR 
    2:00 SECRET STORM—Serial  COLOR 
    2:30 EDGE OF NIGHT—Serial  COLOR 
    3:00 HOUSE PARTY  COLOR Guest: Rona Barrett
    3:25 NEWS  COLOR 
    3:30 MIKE DOUGLAS—Variety  COLOR Guests: Jane Morgan, Bobby Vinton, London Lee, Stewart Robb
    5:00 GILLIGAN’S ISLAND—Comedy
    5:30 NEWS—Walter Cronkite  COLOR 
Evening
    6:00 NEWS  COLOR 
    6:30 LANCER  DEBUT   COLOR 
    7:30 RED SKELTON  RETURN   COLOR Guests: Boris Karloff, Vincent Price, Ed Sullivan, Spanky Wilson
    8:30 DORIS DAY  DEBUT   COLOR 
    9:00 60 MINUTES  SPECIAL   COLOR 
  10:00 NEWS  COLOR 
  10:25 EDITOR’S CHOICE  COLOR 
  10:30 PERRY MASON—Drama
  11:30 MOVIE—Drama“She Played with Fire” (English; 1958)


 4  WCCO (CBS)
Morning
    6:00 SUNRISE SEMESTER  COLOR 
    6:30 SIEGFRIED—Children  COLOR 
    7:00 CLANCY—Children  COLOR 
    8:00 CAPTAIN KANGAROO  COLOR 
    9:00 LIVE TODAY—Religion  COLOR 
    9:05 MERV GRIFFIN—Variety  COLOR Guests: Joan Crawford, Tony Sandler and Ralph Young
  10:00 ANDY GRIFFITH—Comedy  COLOR 
  10:30 DICK VAN DYKE—Comedy
  11:00 LOVE OF LIFE—Serial  COLOR 
  11:25 NEWS  COLOR 
  11:30 SEARCH FOR TOMORROW—Serial  COLOR 
Afternoon
  12:00 NEWS  COLOR 
  12:20 SOMETHING SPECIAL  COLOR 
  12:30 AS THE WORLD TURNS—Serial  COLOR 
    1:00 LOVE IS A MANY-SPLENDORED THING  COLOR 
    1:30 GUIDING LIGHT—Serial  COLOR 
    2:00 SECRET STORM—Serial  COLOR 
    2:30 EDGE OF NIGHT—Serial  COLOR 
    3:00 HOUSE PARTY  COLOR Guest: Rona Barrett
    3:25 NEWS  COLOR 
    3:30 LUCILLE BALL—Comedy  COLOR 
    4:00 MIKE DOUGLAS—Variety  COLOR Guests: Bennett Cerf, London Lee, Sheila MacRae, Chris and Peter Allen, Adam Smith
    5:30 NEWS—Walter Cronkite  COLOR 
Evening
    6:00 NEWS  COLOR 
    6:30 LANCER  DEBUT   COLOR 
    7:30 RED SKELTON  RETURN   COLOR Guests: Boris Karloff, Vincent Price, Ed Sullivan, Spanky Wilson
    8:30 DORIS DAY  DEBUT   COLOR 
    9:00 60 MINUTES  SPECIAL   COLOR 
  10:00 NEWS  COLOR 
  10:45 MOVIE—Adventure  COLOR “East of Sumatra” (1953)
  12:25 COMMERCIAL—Music  COLOR 


 5  KSTP (NBC)
Morning
    6:30 CITY AND COUNTRY
    7:00 TODAY  COLOR Guests: Peter Ustinov, Joe Barbera, Judith Crist, William LedererLocal news at 7:25 and 8:25 A.M.
    9:00 SNAP JUDGMENT  COLOR Guests: Barry Nelson, Carol Lawrence
    9:25 NEWS  COLOR 
    9:30 CONCENTRATION—Game  COLOR 
  10:00 PERSONALITY  COLOR Celebrities: David Susskind, Joan Rivers, Hermoine Gingold, Hope Lange
  10:30 HOLLYWOOD SQUARES—Game  COLOR Players: Morey Amsterdam, Polly Bergen, Stu Gilliam, Paul Lynde, Vincent Price, Joanne Worley, Wally Cox, Rose Marie, Charley Weaver
  11:00 JEOPARDY—Game  COLOR 
  11:30 EYE GUESS—Game  COLOR 
  11:55 NEWS  COLOR 
Afternoon
  12:00 NEWS  COLOR 
  12:15 DIALING FOR DOLLARS—Game  COLOR 
  12:30 LET’S MAKE A DEAL—Game  COLOR 
    1:00 DAYS OF OUR LIVES—Serial  COLOR 
    1:30 DOCTORS—Serial  COLOR 
    2:00 ANOTHER WORLD—Serial  COLOR 
    2:30 YOU DON’T SAY!—Game  COLOR Guests: Richard Long, Pia Lindstrom
    3:00 MATCH GAME  COLOR Guests: Soupy Sales, Connie Hines
    3:25 NEWS  COLOR 
    3:30 DIALING FOR DOLLARS—Game  COLOR 
    4:30 WHAT’S MY LINE?—Game  COLOR Celebrities: Susan Bracken, Arlene Francis, Nipsey Russell, Soupy Sales
    5:00 NEWS  COLOR 
    5:30 NEWS—Chet Huntley, David Brinkley  COLOR 
Evening
    6:00 NEWS  COLOR 
    6:30 JERRY LEWIS  COLOR Guests: Michael Landon, Kaye Ballard, Sergio Mendes and Brasil ‘66
    7:30 JULIA—Comedy  COLOR 
    8:00 MOVIE  COLOR “Blindfold” (1966)
  10:00 NEWS  COLOR 
  10:30 JOHNNY CARSON  COLOR Guests: Alan King, Mamie Van Doren, Stephen Birmingham
  12:00 I LED THREE LIVES—Drama  COLOR 


 6  WDSM (DULUTH) (NBC)
Morning
    7:00 TODAY  COLOR Guests: Peter Ustinov, Joe Barbera, Judith Crist, William Lederer
    9:00 JACK LA LANNE—Exercise
    9:25 NEWS  COLOR 
    9:30 CONCENTRATION—Game  COLOR 
  10:00 PERSONALITY  COLOR Celebrities: David Susskind, Joan Rivers, Hermoine Gingold, Hope Lange
  10:30 HOLLYWOOD SQUARES—Game  COLOR Players: Morey Amsterdam, Polly Bergen, Stu Gilliam, Paul Lynde, Vincent Price, Joanne Worley, Wally Cox, Rose Marie, Charley Weaver
  11:00 JEOPARDY—Game  COLOR 
  11:30 EYE GUESS—Game  COLOR 
  11:55 NEWS  COLOR 
Afternoon
  12:00 VIRGINIA GRAHAM  COLOR 
  12:30 LET’S MAKE A DEAL—Game  COLOR 
    1:00 DAYS OF OUR LIVES—Serial  COLOR 
    1:30 DOCTORS—Serial  COLOR 
    2:00 ANOTHER WORLD—Serial  COLOR 
    2:30 YOU DON’T SAY!—Game  COLOR Guests: Richard Long, Pia Lindstrom
    3:00 MATCH GAME  COLOR Guests: Soupy Sales, Connie Hines
    3:25 NEWS  COLOR 
    3:30 SNAP JUDGMENT—Game  COLOR Guests: Barry Nelson, Carol Lawrence
    3:55 MR. TOOT—Children  COLOR 
    5:00 NEWS  COLOR 
Evening
    6:00 NEWS—Huntley, Brinkley  COLOR 
    6:30 JERRY LEWIS  COLOR Guests: Michael Landon, Kaye Ballard, Sergio Mendes and Brasil ‘66
    7:30 JULIA—Comedy  COLOR 
    8:00 MOVIE  COLOR “Blindfold” (1966)
  10:00 NEWS  COLOR 
  10:30 JOHNNY CARSON  COLOR Guests: Alan King, Mamie Van Doren, Stephen Birmingham


 6  KAUS (AUSTIN) (ABC)
Morning
    9:00 ROMPER ROOM  COLOR 
    9:30 DICK CAVETT  COLOR Guest host: Dave Garroway. Guests: Alejandro Rey, Mike Darow
  11:00 BEWITCHED—Comedy
  11:30 TREASURE ISLE—Game  COLOR 
Afternoon
  12:00 DREAM HOUSE—Game  COLOR 
  12:30 IT’S HAPPENING—Variety  COLOR Guests: Jim Webb, Bob Siler
  12:55 CHILDREN’S DOCTOR  COLOR 
    1:00 NEWLYWED GAME  COLOR 
    1:30 DATING GAME  COLOR 
    2:00 GENERAL HOSPITAL—Serial  COLOR 
    2:30 ONE LIFE TO LIVE—Serial  COLOR 
    3:00 DARK SHADOWS—Serial
    3:30 MOVIE—Comedy “The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker” (1959)
    5:00 NEWS—Reynolds  COLOR 
    5:30 McHALE’S NAVY—Comedy
Evening
    6:00 NEWS  COLOR 
    6:30 MOD SQUAD  DEBUT   COLOR 
    8:00 IT TAKES A THIEF  COLOR 
    9:00 THAT’S LIFE—Musical  DEBUT   COLOR 
  10:00 NEWS  COLOR 
  10:30 JOEY BISHOP  COLOR Guests: Cleveland Amory, Cannonball Adderly


 7  KCMT (ALEXANDRIA) (NBC, ABC)
Morning
    7:00 TODAY  COLOR Guests: Peter Ustinov, Joe Barbera, Judith Crist, William Lederer
    9:00 SNAP JUDGMENT  COLOR Guests: Barry Nelson, Carol Lawrence
    9:25 NEWS  COLOR 
    9:30 CONCENTRATION—Game  COLOR 
  10:00 PERSONALITY  COLOR Celebrities: David Susskind, Joan Rivers, Hermoine Gingold, Hope Lange
  10:30 HOLLYWOOD SQUARES—Game  COLOR Players: Morey Amsterdam, Polly Bergen, Stu Gilliam, Paul Lynde, Vincent Price, Joanne Worley, Wally Cox, Rose Marie, Charley Weaver
  11:00 JEOPARDY—Game  COLOR 
  11:30 EYE GUESS—Game  COLOR 
  11:55 NEWS  COLOR 
Afternoon
  12:00 NEWS  COLOR 
  12:15 COMMERCIAL—Music  COLOR 
  12:30 LET’S MAKE A DEAL—Game  COLOR 
    1:00 DAYS OF OUR LIVES—Serial  COLOR 
    1:30 DOCTORS—Serial  COLOR 
    2:00 ANOTHER WORLD—Serial  COLOR 
    2:30 YOU DON’T SAY!—Game  COLOR Guests: Richard Long, Pia Lindstrom
    3:00 MATCH GAME  COLOR Guests: Soupy Sales, Connie Hines
    3:25 NEWS  COLOR 
    3:30 GENERAL HOSPITAL—Serial
    4:00 WELCOME INN—Variety  COLOR 
    4:30 SPIDER-MAN—Children
    5:00 CASPER—Children
    5:30 NEWS—Chet Huntley, David Brinkley  COLOR 
Evening
    6:00 NEWS  COLOR 
    6:30 JERRY LEWIS  COLOR Guests: Michael Landon, Kaye Ballard, Sergio Mendes and Brasil ‘66
    7:30 JULIA—Comedy  COLOR 
    8:00 MOVIE  COLOR “Blindfold” (1966)
  10:00 NEWS  COLOR 
  10:30 JOHNNY CARSON  COLOR Guests: Alan King, Mamie Van Doren, Stephen Birmingham


 8  WDSE (DULUTH) (NET)
Afternoon
    5:00 TV KINDERGARTEN—Marron
    5:30 BEYOND THE EARTH
Evening
    6:00 SPORTSMANLIKE driving
    6:30 WHAT’S NEW—Children
    7:00 LOCAL ISSUE—Report
    7:30 SEMINAR FOR SENIORS
    8:00 COMPASS—Travel  COLOR 
    8:30 NET FESTIVAL—Music  COLOR Monterey Jazz Festival
    9:30 FILM
  10:00 NET JOURNAL—Report


 9  KMSP (ABC)
Morning
    7:30 TIMMY AND LASSIE—Drama
    8:00 DENNIS THE MENACE—Comedy
    8:30 IT’S HAPPENING—VarietyGuests: the Paris Sisters, Peter Kastner
    8:55 CHILDREN’S DOCTOR
    9:00 ROMPER ROOM  COLOR 
    9:30 DICK CAVETT  COLOR Guest host: Dave Garroway. Guests: Alejandro Rey, Mike Darow
  11:00 BEWITCHED—Comedy
  11:30 TREASURE ISLE—Game  COLOR 
Afternoon
  12:00 DREAM HOUSE—Game  COLOR 
  12:30 NEWS AND VIEWS  COLOR 
    1:00 NEWLYWED GAME  COLOR 
    1:30 DATING GAME  COLOR 
    2:00 GENERAL HOSPITAL—Serial  COLOR 
    2:30 ONE LIFE TO LIVE—Serial  COLOR 
    3:00 DARK SHADOWS—Serial
    3:30 MOVIE—Drama“Sailor of the King” (1953)
    4:55 NEWS—Jerry Smith  COLOR 
    5:00 NEWS—Reynolds  COLOR 
    5:30 McHALE’S NAVY—Comedy
Evening
    6:00 TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES—Quiz  COLOR 
    6:30 MOD SQUAD  DEBUT   COLOR 
    8:00 IT TAKES A THIEF  COLOR 
    9:00 THAT’S LIFE—Musical  DEBUT   COLOR 
  10:00 NEWS  COLOR 
  10:30 JOEY BISHOP  COLOR Guests: Cleveland Amory, Cannonball Adderly
  12:00 77 SUNSET STRIP—Mystery


10 KROC (ROCHESTER) (NBC)
Morning
    7:00 TODAY  COLOR Guests: Peter Ustinov, Joe Barbera, Judith Crist, William Lederer
    8:30 APPLIED MANAGEMENT
    9:00 SNAP JUDGMENT  COLOR Guests: Barry Nelson, Carol Lawrence
    9:25 NEWS  COLOR 
    9:30 CONCENTRATION—Game  COLOR 
  10:00 PERSONALITY  COLOR Celebrities: David Susskind, Joan Rivers, Hermoine Gingold, Hope Lange
  10:30 HOLLYWOOD SQUARES—Game  COLOR Players: Morey Amsterdam, Polly Bergen, Stu Gilliam, Paul Lynde, Vincent Price, Joanne Worley, Wally Cox, Rose Marie, Charley Weaver
  11:00 JEOPARDY—Game  COLOR 
  11:30 EYE GUESS—Game  COLOR 
  11:55 NEWS  COLOR 
Afternoon
  12:00 NEWS  COLOR 
  12:15 MEMOS—Mary Bea  COLOR 
  12:30 LET’S MAKE A DEAL—Game  COLOR 
    1:00 DAYS OF OUR LIVES—Serial  COLOR 
    1:30 DOCTORS—Serial  COLOR 
    2:00 ANOTHER WORLD—Serial  COLOR 
    2:30 YOU DON’T SAY!—Game  COLOR Guests: Richard Long, Pia Lindstrom
    3:00 MATCH GAME  COLOR Guests: Soupy Sales, Connie Hines
    3:25 NEWS  COLOR 
    3:30 MIKE DOUGLAS—Variety  COLOR Guests: Bennett Cerf, London Lee, Sheila MacRae, Chris and Peter Allen, Adam Smith
    5:00 FLINTSTONES  COLOR 
    5:30 NEWS—Chet Huntley, David Brinkley  COLOR 
Evening
    6:00 NEWS  COLOR 
    6:30 JERRY LEWIS  COLOR Guests: Michael Landon, Kaye Ballard, Sergio Mendes and Brasil ‘66
    7:30 JULIA—Comedy  COLOR 
    8:00 MOVIE  COLOR “Blindfold” (1966)
  10:00 NEWS  COLOR 
  10:30 JOHNNY CARSON  COLOR Guests: Alan King, Mamie Van Doren, Stephen Birmingham


11 WTCN (IND.)
Morning
    8:55 NEWS—Gil Amundson
    9:00 APPLIED MANAGEMENT—Education
    9:30 WILD CARGO—Travel  COLOR 
  10:00 ADVENTURE CALLS—Travel  COLOR 
  10:30 FAMOUS PLAYHOUSE—Drama
  11:00 BAT MASTERSON—Western
  11:30 NEWS, WEATHER, SPORTS
Afternoon
  12:00 LUNCH WITH CASEY—Children
    1:00 VIRGINIA GRAHAM—Interviews  COLOR Guests: Maureen O’Sullivan, Kate Reed
    1:30 MOVIE—Adventure“Green Hell” (1939)
    3:00 MEL’S NOTEBOOK-Interviews
    3:30 POPEYE AND PETE—Children
    4:00 CASEY AND ROUNDHOUSE
    4:30 GILLIGAN’S ISLAND—Comedy  COLOR 
    5:00 FLINTSTONES  COLOR 
    5:30 BATMAN—Adventure  COLOR 
Evening
    6:00 TWILIGHT ZONE—Drama
    6:30 12 O’CLOCK HIGH—Drama
    7:30 PERRY MASON—Drama
    8:30 ALFRED HITCHCOCK—Drama
    9:00 MOVIE—Comedy “The Big Hangover” (1950)
  11:00 NEWS, WEATHER, SPORTS
  11:30 SEA HUNT—Adventure


12 KEYC (MANKATO) (CBS)
Morning
    7:30 NEWS  COLOR 
    7:55 FILM
    8:00 CAPTAIN KANGAROO  COLOR 
    9:00 JACK LA LANNE  COLOR 
    9:30 BEVERLY HILLBILLIES—Comedy
  10:00 ANDY GRIFFITH—Comedy  COLOR 
  10:30 DICK VAN DYKE—Comedy
  11:00 LOVE OF LIFE—Serial  COLOR 
  11:25 NEWS  COLOR 
  11:30 SEARCH FOR TOMORROW—Serial  COLOR 
Afternoon
  12:00 NEWS  COLOR 
  12:30 AS THE WORLD TURNS—Serial  COLOR 
    1:00 LOVE IS A MANY-SPLENDORED THING  COLOR 
    1:30 GUIDING LIGHT—Serial  COLOR 
    2:00 SECRET STORM—Serial  COLOR 
    2:30 EDGE OF NIGHT—Serial  COLOR 
    3:00 HOUSE PARTY  COLOR Guest: Rona Barrett
    3:25 NEWS  COLOR 
    3:30 AFTERNOON SHOW  COLOR 
    4:15 BART’S CLUBHOUSE  COLOR 
    5:00 LUCILLE BALL—Comedy  COLOR 
    5:30 NEWS—Walter Cronkite  COLOR 
Evening
    6:00 NEWS  COLOR 
    6:30 LANCER  DEBUT   COLOR 
    7:30 RED SKELTON  RETURN   COLOR Guests: Boris Karloff, Vincent Price, Ed Sullivan, Spanky Wilson
    8:30 DORIS DAY  DEBUT   COLOR 
    9:00 60 MINUTES  SPECIAL   COLOR 
  10:00 NEWS  COLOR 
  10:45 COMMERCIAL  COLOR 
  11:00 MOVIE—Comedy “The Square Peg” (English; 1958)
TV  

This week in TV Guide: September 21, 1968

In last week's review, we looked at the 1963 Fall Preview; we don't have the 1968 Fall Preview here, but with most of the new shows starting this week, we probably ought to look at ones you undoubtedly recognize.

NBC, "The Full Color Network," kicks off Saturday with the premiere of Adam-12, the new police series from Jack Webb, starring Martin Milner as a veteran cop breaking in new partner Kent McCord (6:30 p.m. CT). Later Saturday, it's The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, based on the movie classic with Gene Tierney and Rex Harrison; the TV version has Hope Lange and Edward Mulhare (and we can't forget Charles Nelson Reilly). Sunday, ABC presents the new Irwin Allen adventure series Land of the Giants (6:00 p.m.), which takes place in a 1983 that was not quite like real life—no suborbital flights to London on the schedule yet.

Monday belongs to CBS; first, it's Lucille Ball's new sitcom, Here's Lucy (7:30 p.m.), followed by Mayberry R.F.D. (8:00 p.m.), the reconstituted Andy Griffith Show, and while Ken Berry is the star going forward, the debut episode bids a last, long farewell to the past as Sheriff Andy finally ties the knot with Helen Crump, with Don Knotts returning as best man. I imagine a few tears were shed during that episode.

Tuesday's probably the most significant night of the week, staring with ABC's breakout hit of the season, The Mod Squad (6:30 p.m.), which opens with a 90-minute "world premiere" pilot about "a trio of youthful offenders who infiltrate the crime scene." NBC has the debut of Julia (7:30 p.m.), the first weekly series to star a black woman since Beulah in the 1950s, with Diahann Carroll interviewing for a job with the "cantankerous" Dr. Chesney, played by Lloyd Nolan. Over at CBS, Doris Day makes her long-anticipated TV series debut with The Doris Day Show, which has some trouble settling on a format but still runs for five seasons; at 9:00 p.m. it's the inaugural episode of a new magazine series: 60 Minutes, with Mike Wallace and Harry Reasoner, which starts out alternating with The CBS News Hour but eventually finds a home on Sunday nights, where it remains to this day.

Some of you may have fond memories of Wednesday's Here Come the Brides (ABC, 6:30 p.m.), with David Soul responsible for bringing the aforementioned brides to Seattle. ay, but on Thursday (CBS, 7:00 p.m.) one of the longest-running police dramas begins its 12-season run: Hawaii Five-O, with Jack Lord (whose hair didn't move in 12 seasons either), whose beat is "the whole state" of Hawaii. And Friday sees the 90-minute The Name of the Game (7:30 p.m.), a wheel show with rotating stars Tony Franciosa, Gene Barry, and Robert Stack.

Let's add to all of this some of the returning favorites. CBS brings back Lassie, The Ed Sullivan Show, Mission: Impossible, Gunsmoke, Carol Burnett, The Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres, The Wild Wild West, The Jackie Gleason Show, My Three Sons, Hogan's Heroes, and Mannix. NBC has Get Smart, Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom, Walt Disney, Bonanza, I Dream of Jeannie, Laugh-In, The Virginian, Daniel Boone, Ironside, Dragnet, and Star Trek. And ABC renews The FBI, Peyton Place, The Big Valley, The Flying Nun, Bewitched, That Girl, The Dating Game, The Newlywed Game, Lawrence Welk, and The Hollywood Palace. And that's leaving some shows out, both new and returning, for which some of you might have a great affection.

The point is that this is one of the most memorable televisions seasons of the era, with a number of shows that do more than just bridge the gap into transition of the 1970s; Hawaii Five-O airs its last episode in 1980, and 60 Minutes—well, just tune in tomorrow night and you'll see how that's going. I know there are some of you out there who think the word "iconic" is overused, but taken as it is, to mean something that is "widely recognized and well-established," there's no question that the fall of 1968 sees more than its share of iconic television shows. Look at how many of them have been released in DVD—in large part due to public demand, rather that simply a rote release as we have today, whether people want them or not. Between broadcast, cable, and streaming, we've got probably ten times the number of television programs available for viewing today: are there that many iconic programs among them?

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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: From Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Ed's guests are actor-folk singer Theodore Bikel, who performs a scene from Fiddler on the Roof; Liza Minnelli; comedians Jack Carter, and Allen and Rossi; the 5th Dimension; the McGuire Sisters; and the Canestrellis, trampoline act.

Palace: Don "Get Smart" Adams hosts an hour of music and comedy, with singers Nancy Sinatra, Lee Hazelwood, Hal Frazier, and the King Family; comedians Kaye Ballard of The Mothers-in-Law and Joey Forman; and heavyweight boxer Jerry Quarry and his sister Diana in a vocal duet.

Even before I got to Jerry Quarry's name, the Palace had the feel of a boxing night: Frazier (as in Joe), King (as in Don), and Forman (as in George, with an e in his last name). I was hoping there might somewhere be a clip of Quarry and his sister, but my (admittedly brief) search didn't turn anything up.

Never mind, though; we have fun with the Palace, but it's really a fine lineup. Not as good as Sullivan's, though; Bikel is a very good actor who's also a singer; Liza Minnelli is a very good singer who's also an actor, the 5th Dimension is hot, and the McGuire Sisters make sure your parents don't feel left out. It's a good contest, but Sullivan wins by a knockout.

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One of the things that used to be fun about the opening of the fall season, in addition to checking out all the new shows and getting to see new episodes of the old ones, is how the networks used to roll out big-ticket movies and specials, as a sampling of what's in store for the rest of the year. This week, as you may have figured out with that prologue (although it could just be another case of me blithering), is no exception.

Our first example comes right away, as NBC's Saturday Night at the Movies debuts Becket (8:00 p.m.), the Oscar-nominated film based on the Jean Anouilh play, starring Richard Burton and Peter O'Toole star in the towering story of the conflict between church and state, Beckett. Judith Crist calls it "that rare thing, a spectacular of content and character, faithful to its source and a powerful and fascinating film in its own right." It's even better than that: magnificent in scope, an example of how victory can be found even in death. as good as (but not better than) T.S. Eliot's Murder in the Cathedral. Shows what you can do when your story is timeless, as the truth always is.

Sunday presents dueling features: Anthony Quinn stars in the sprawling Zorba the Greek on ABC's Sunday Night Movie (8:00 p.m.) Crist appreciates the "brilliant" performance of Quinn, as well as Lila Kedrova's Supporting Actress Oscar-winning turn as the aging cocotte reliving the glories of her past. You might not be in the mood for Zorba though, in which case you'll probably welcome Vladimir Horowitz, arguably the world's greatest pianist, in a recital from Carnegie Hall in New York taped last February and shown here without commercial interruption. (8:00 p.m., CBS)


Returning shows like to make a splash as well, with special guests and storylines. Monday night (CBS, 9:00 p.m.), Carol Burnett begins her second season, with Jim Nabors, Carol's traditional opening night good luck charm for the entire run of the series. Tuesday, Red Skelton kicks off his 18th season (CBS, 7:30 p.m.), with Boris Karloff and Vincent Price on hand for the fun. Wednesday brings us Bob Hope's first comedy special of the season (NBC, 8:00 p.m.), an hour-long spoof of politics with Hope as presidential candidate Gaylord Goodfellow, who like most politicians is fond of making promises: in this case, marriage proposals to Carroll Baker, Vikki Carr, Cyd Charisse, Angie Dickinson, Zsa Zsa Gabor, and Jill St. John. Thursday, Ironside's season premiere (NBC, 6:30 p.m.) is a two-hour special that presents the Chief with an opportunity: due to a spinal injury during a robbery, he has the possibility of an operation that may enable him to walk again—or it could kill him. Friday, Harvey Korman makes a rare dramatic—of sorts—appearance as a scheming diplomat (is there any other kind?) on the season opener of The Wild Wild West (CBS, 6:30 p.m.), and Robert Stack makes his debut on The Name of the Game (NBC, 7:30 p.m.), with a guest cast including Joan Hackett, Victor Jory, Ruth Roman, Joseph Campanella, and Jack Carter.

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When last we visited Chicago, in the summer of 1968, the Democratic National Convention was in town and the city was aflame with protesters, rioters, tear gas, and actual flames. (Giving new meaning to Chicago as "That Toddlin' Town," one supposes.) This week's Doan Report focuses on the fallout from network coverage of the "Battle of Chicago," in which viewers were treated to scenes of police and protesters clashing in Grant Park, while inside the International Amphitheatre, reporters were being roughed up by Chicago's Finest. After CBS's Dan Rather was popped in the stomach during a scuffle in the aisles, Walter Cronkite angrily replied, "I think we've got a bunch of thugs here, Dan."

The focus, however, is not on the claims of a "police riot," or the treatment of reporters; in fact, the media is quickly becoming the big loser in the whole affair. A federal judge in Chicago has ordered a grand jury to investigate rumors that some of the networks "engaged in an interstate conspiracy to unduly influence the convention by television," while in Washington, Utah Senator Frank Moss wants the "entire question of television influence on Presidential election procedures" investigated; other Congressional inquiries into the fairness of the media's coverage are being proposed. And while the networks have been reluctant to engage in conversations with Chicago's Mayor Richard Daley, many individual stations are volunteering to show what is called "the police version" of the events.

This is, I think, a watershed moment for the media, which may in part explain their doggedness in reporting on Watergate, and their activity to this day. As Godfrey Hodgson writes in his provocative history of the times,  America in Our Time: From World War II to Nixon—What Happened and Why , the backlash against media coverage of the Chicago riots was a profound shock to the guardians of the Fifth Estate: "Almost to a man, the journalists had been shocked by what the police did. To their astonishment, the polls showed that a large majority in the country were shocked by the demonstrators, and sympathetic to the police," Hodgson wrote. "Here they were, supposedly experts on the state of public opinion. They had been united, as rarely before, by their anger at Mayor Daley. Now they learned that the great majority of Americans sided with Daley, and against them. It was not only the humiliation of discovering that they had been wrong; there was also alarm at the discovery of their new unpopularity. Bosses and cops, everyone knew, were hated: it seemed that newspapers and television were hated even more." The media caved in to the criticism; their self-confidence rocked, they immediately backpedaled. I think that they were determined to never let that happen again.

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How about a new television set for watching all those new shows? TV Guide's resident technical expert, David Lachenbruch, is back with a look at the 1969 models, and the big news is portability and longer warranties—with prices remaining about the same. The new portables are 14 to 15 inches in diagonal measurement, as opposed to the "big-screen" 23-inch TVs, and they average about $300.00. Don't think that you can't go smaller, though: Sears and Toshiba have models running 11-inches, and Sony's promising one at about 7-inches, for $300 or more. (How big is the picture on our phones?) As far as the warranty, most have doubled to two years in length, important when a new 23-inch replacement tube can cost as much as $200.

A solid-state color console chassis, available from Quasar or RCA, will run you close to $900. Not all sets have incorporated this technology, but it's on the way, as it promises increased reliability. Also here is AFC, or Automatic Frequency Control (also known as Automatic Fine-Tuning Control). Lachenbruch calls this "the most important development in tuning since the introduction of color television." It not only "virtually eliminate[s] the fine-tuning operation, it does a better job by electronics than you could do by eye," also helping to eliminate drift. There's improved technology when it comes to UHF channel selection, as these stations are becoming more and more popular throughout the country; Zenith allows you to pre-tune up to six UHF channels, "making them as easy to tune as VHF."

And Sylvania has come up with the "Scanner Color Slide Theater," which combines your 23-inch color set with a Kodak Carousel automatic slide changer and a cassette tape recorder. Now you can "load your regular 35-millimeter home color slides into the changer and record a taped commentary"; your slides will play on your TV screen, automatically advanced in synch with your commentary." It's a great way to show those vacation slides; your neighbors will be thrilled.

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Finally, in a week that's been top-heavy with programming (sorry, Rowan & Martin! Sorry, Art Carney! Sorry, Anthony Quinn and Fred Rogers!), I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that Saturday night features the enigmatic final episode of one of the most enigmatic television series of all time, The Prisoner. (6:30 p.m., CBS) It promises to be, according to the listing, "a razzle-dazzle display of metaphysical observations and quick-silver imagery," and that's an understatement.

Television has never seen anything like it, before or since. Christine Neibert, of Englewood, Ohio, has the last word in this week's Letters section, "And so, as The Prisoner sinks slowly into the murky depths of Situation Sea, we leave the bright land of Imaginative TV, and with a heartfelt farewell to that rare and wonderful No. 6, we can only say, "We knew he was too good to last." We couldn't have said it better. TV  

Around the dial

There was always a girlish charm about Phyllis Newman, from the way she had to hold her head up on What's My Line? to keep the mask from falling off during the Mystery Guest segment, to how she always put her glasses on to do the Lightning Round on Password, to her infectious laugh on her many appearances with Johnny Carson. Her very appearance on TV was invariably a delight. But there was more to her than game shows and laughter; she won a Tony Award in 1962, acted on television into the '90s, and survived breast cancer to become an advocate for women's health issues. She was 86 when she died on Sunday , and television seems just a little less fun without her.

Sander Vanocur, who died on Monday at 91 , was not bubbly and charming, at least not when he was on-camera. He was the kind of reporter we could sorely use on television news today, serious and literate, part of the glittering assemblage of talent on NBC along with Frank McGee, John Chancellor, and Robert MacNeil (among others) and gave his work a gravitas that represented the seriousness of his beat, from presidential elections (he was one of the panelists on the first Kennedy-Nixon debate) to civil rights to Vietnam. This quote about the growing 24/7 news cycle, from 1991, sums up everything wrong with today's cable news networks: "Now, we have the capacity because of technology to be almost everywhere almost at once, and, because we are there, that in itself becomes significant. And, because everything’s significant, nothing is significant." I was just thinking about him the other day, remembering him on Movies in Time on the History Channel—back, you know, when they actually did history—wondering if he was still around, and now he isn't. You might consider this the next time I start wondering about you.

At Comfort TV, David asks a very good question: why do the creators of today's TV shows feel the need to disdain "fan-friendly" storylines ? Is it insecurity, the idea that they need to do "serious" stories, that turns them to plots that they know antagonize the show's fans? It's a good way to lose viewers, but it allows them to starve for their art.

James Franciscus was always an underrated actor, but despite his starring roles as the teacher in the acclaimed Mr. Novak, the blind detective in Longstreet, a season on The Naked City, and an astronaut in Beneath the Planet of the Apes, he never quite achieved that next level of stardom. Rick gives us seven things to know about Franciscus at Classic Film & TV Café.

At Cult TV, John has some spare time for TV (thanks to a bad job experience; brother, I hear you), and this week he shares some of his viewing choices , including The Day of the Triffids and Kojak. Interesting comparison between you and Telly Savalas, John.

Television Obscurities introduces the daily feature TV Guide 365, and here's a look at the listings from Saturday, September 19, 1964. It captures all the things I love about those old issues; the abbreviated titles, the notations of "Debut", "Special", "Return", "Color" and the like, and, of course the program descriptions.

I don't remember how much of a fan I was of Sea Hunt, but I do remember watching it, that there were plenty of merchandising tie-ins (small scuba divers!), and because it was syndicated, it always seems to have been on. Here's a look at the fourth and final season , courtesy of Television's New Frontier: the 1960s. Suddenly, my lungs were aching for air. TV