Mitchell Hadley's Blog: It's About TV!, page 143

What's on TV? Saturday, February 25, 1961

Thought we'd take a look at Saturday this week. You can see that it's a bit different from what we'd come to expect later; the Saturday morning cartoons are mostly contained within local kids' shows, and there are lots of Westerns and adventure series. KTCA, the educational station, doesn't broadcast on Saturday, so it's only the four major channels from the Twin Cities. As I've been doing of late, we'll try and take a look at some Minnesota television history as well.



 4  WCCO (CBS)
    MORNING   
    7:00 FLYING SAUCER—Siegfried
    8:00 AXEL AND DOG—Clellan Card
    8:30 CLANCY THE COP—Children
    9:00 CAPTAIN KANGAROO—ChildrenGuest: Betty Ann Grove
  10:00 ALLAKAZAM—Children
  10:30 ROY ROGERS—Western
  11:00 SKY KING—Adventure
  11:30 JUNIOR AUCTION—Erickson
  AFTERNOON 
  12:00 MIGHTY MOUSE—Cartoons
  12:30 HOBBY AND HANDICRAFT
    1:00 NATIONAL FOOTBALL—49ers vs. CowboysPlayed November 20, 1960
    2:00 HOCKEY—Zephyrs vs. SaintsMuskegon Zephyrs at Saint Paul SaintsPlayed February 22
    3:30 BIG 10 BASKETBALL—Illinois vs. Indiana
    5:00 BIG 10 LOCKER ROOM
    5:15 ALMANAC NEWSREEL
    5:30 POLKA PARADE—Dick Sinclair
     EVENING    
    6:00 NEWS—Dave Moore
    6:15 Sports—Don Dahl
    6:25 WEATHER—Bud Kraehling
    6:30 PERRY MASON—Mystery
    7:30 CHECKMATE—Mystery
    8:30 HAVE GUN—WILL TRAVEL
    9:00 GUNSMOKE—Western
    9:30 DEATH VALLEY DAYS—Drama
  10:00 NEWS—Dave Moore
  10:15 WEATHER—John Gallos
  10:20 SPORTS—Don Dahl
  10:30 MOVIE—WesternCritics Award: “The King and Four Queens” (1956)
John Gallos, who gives the 10:20 p.m. sports, was a longtime announcer and personality at WCCO. He played Clancy the Cop (8:30 a.m. here, plus weekday afternoons), hosted a Sunday morning religious program, and later would be the host of a Laurel and Hardy program during their revival. In fact, it's hard to think of anything that he didn't do at the station. He is, of course, in the Minnesota Broadcasting Hall of Fame .


 5  KSTP (NBC)
    MORNING   
    6:45 COUNTRY STYLE, U.S.A.—MusicGuest: Jimmy Dickens
    7:00 TODAY ON THE FARM—Arnold
    7:30 FARM SCENE—David Stone
    8:00 MOVIE—Western“Lawless Rider” (1955)
    9:00 SHARI LEWIS—Children   COLOR 
    9:30 KING LEONARDO—Cartoons   COLOR 
  10:00 FURY—Adventure
  10:30 LONE RANGER—Western
  11:00 TRUE STORY—Drama
  11:30 DETECTIVE’S DIARY—Mystery
  AFTERNOON 
  12:00 MR. WIZARD—Education
  12:30 NORTH STAR STORY—Johnson
    1:00 PRO BASKETBALL—Warriors vs. Royals   COLOR Philadelphia Warriors at Cincinnati Royals
    3:15 INSIDE SPORTS—Basketball
    3:30 BOWLING STARS—Bud Palmer
    4:00 CAPTAIN GALLANT—Adventure
    4:30 DATELINE TOMORROW—Panel   SPECIAL 
    5:00 CHAMPIONSHIP BOWLINGRay Bluth vs. Ed Kawolics
     EVENING    
    6:00 NEWS—Bob Ryan
    6:15 WEATHER—Johnny Morris
    6:20 SPORTS—Dick Nesbitt
    6:30 BONANZA—Western   COLOR 
    7:30 TALL MAN—Western
    8:00 DEPUTY—Western
    8:30 NATION’S FUTURE—Debate
    9:30 DANGEROUS ROBIN—Drama
  10:00 NEWS—Bob Ryan
  10:15 WEATHER—Johnny Morris
  10:20 SPORTS—Dick Nesbitt
  10:30 MIKE HAMMER—Mystery
  11:00 STATE TROOPER—Police
  11:30 MR. DISTRICT ATTORNEY
I've mentioned David Stone before; you've probably seen his name many times in these Twin Cities listings. He's in the Minnesota Broadcasting Hall of Fame as well, but his career outside of Minnesota is equally interesting, having been an announcer for the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville prior to his arrival in the Twin Cities. (He's part of the Oral History project at the Country Music Hall of Fame.)  His last position at KSTP was as Farm Director; this area is so urban now, I'm not even sure they have a Farm Director anymore.

 9  KMSP (Ind.)
  AFTERNOON 
    3:30 CRUNCH AND DES—Adventure
    4:00 MOVIE—Drama“Lassie Come Home” (1943)
    5:30 SOLDIERS OF FORTUNE
     EVENING    
    6:00 JIM BOWIE—Adventure
    6:30 HONEYMOONERS—Comedy
    7:00 WRESTLING—Minneapolis
    8:00 SHERIFF OF COCHISE—Police
    8:30 MOVIE—Drama“Pride and Prejudice” (1940)
  10:30 ROUGH RIDERS—Western
  11:00 RACKET SQUAD—Police
  11:30 MEDIC—Drama
Not much on Channel 9 today, although their schedule would be considered pretty good for a classic TV fan. The wrestling at 7:00 would move to Channel 11, as All-Star Wrestling, when KMSP became an ABC affiliate, and WTCN an independent station. That will be happening in three months.


11 WTCN (ABC)
    MORNING   
    9:15 AMERICANS AT WORK
    9:30 ON THE BOOK SHELF
  10:00 MOVIE—Comedy“Earthworm Tractors” (1936)
  11:00 CASEY JONES—Adventure
  11:30 FELIX THE CAT—Cartoons
  AFTERNOON 
  12:00 SOUPY SALES—Children
  12:30 PIP THE PIPER—Children
    1:00 COLLEGE BASKETBALL—Army vs. Navy
    2:45 NEWS—Brad Johnson
    3:15 MOVIE—Melodrama“Son of Frankenstein” (1939)
    4:15 DIAL 999—Police
    4:45 NEWS AND SPORTS—Huston
    5:00 ALL-STAR GOLF—DemaretBob Rosberg vs. Doug Sanders
     EVENING    
    6:00 TOMBSTONE TERRITORY
    6:30 HOCKEY—STATE HIGH SCHOOL TOURNAMENT   SPECIAL “The Roaring 20’s,” “Leave It to Beaver,” “Lawrence Welk,” “Fight of the Week,” and “Make that Spare” will not be seen tonight
  10:30 NEWS—Stuart A. Lindman
  10:45 WEATHER—Brad Johnson
  10:50 SPORTS—Buetel, Horner
  11:00 MOVIE—AdventureSelect Theater: “Tarzan’s Peril” (1951)
    1:00 YOUR ALL STAR THEATER
The state high school hockey tournament is one of the select sporting events in Minnesota. It's not quite what it once was, now that we have professional hockey and the multi-class system eliminates the true small-town underdogs, but it's still a big deal. Frank Buetel, the announcer for the tournament, did it all for WTCN: the Minnesota Gophers, the Minnesota North Stars, the Minnesota Twins, the hockey and basketball tournaments, the weekly Minnesota Vikings show, and the evening sports. He is, of course, in the Minnesota Broadcasting Hall of Fame . Are you surprised?  TV  

This week in TV Guide: February 25, 1961

James Hagerty, prior to becoming head of ABC News, was President Eisenhower's press secretary - so it is with this dual authority that he offers, in this week's edition, a "Creed for Television Newsmen." There are six points to this creed:

1. TV news reporting must be "factual, impartial, free and fearless. It cannot permit itself to be dominated or even remotely to be associated with any group or faction of special interest, any political party or any government."

2.  While analyzing and explaining news developments, "it must not confuse news reporting with personal opinion of a commentator who, after all, is expressing only his own thoughts and analysis."

3. Local, regional and national news "must never be neglected or overlooked."

4. News must be reported from "all sections" of the world, regarding a larger staff of trained reporters with expertise in foreign languages.

5. TV news cameras "must have the right to cover news wherever it happens, here at home or overseas."

6. "A good reporter does not seek to fake or exaggerate his story.  He gets the news as it happens, and reports the truth, the whole truth. That is his job."

Politics is part of the cultural history not only of this country but of television, and so I've spent a fair amount of time on it. I've tried, however, to keep my distance when it comes to ideological interjections, although I've got a fair number of opinions (as anyone who knows me can attest). Having said this, I find it interesting that fully three of Hagerty's six points deal with the importance of neutral and objective reporting. Now, without injecting any partisanship, I think we can all agree on the importance of this, and I hope we can also acknowledge that, no matter which side of the political fence you stand on, television news falls woefully short not only in this area but on all of Hagerty's points.

Hagerty served as head of
ABC News from 61-63Obviously, this isn't a new problem; Hagerty wouldn't have made such an issue of it otherwise. But one of the more unfortunate aspects of the fragmentation of American society over the decades is that the discerning viewer can pretty much watch whichever news program slants towards his or her point of view. Just as music doesn't need to appeal to the masses any longer, and thus shatters into a million different niche networks, there is no incentive for any news program to offer objective, unbiased coverage. Liberal? Watch MSNBC or CNN. Conservative? Fox News. Human interest stories? There's always the networks, who seem to have pretty much given up on hard stuff. And so on.

This isn't the place to debate solutions to the situation, of course, but one further point before we move on: Hagerty's first point, that the news must be kept separate from special interests, is one reason why Reuven Frank, as producer of NBC's Huntley-Brinkley Report, kept it commercial-free in its early years. Frank understood that a news program had to avoid even the hint of a conflict of interest. Considering the amount of influence sponsors exercised over programs in the early days of TV, it's no wonder Frank wanted to keep the news free of such entanglements.  Of course, today the bottom line in TV news is not journalism so much as the network's profit-loss statement. So I guess none of us should be surprised.

Around the dial

I remember what it was like a few years ago, after hearing the news that Davy Jones had died; there was a tremendous outpouring of sorrow and affection from people everywhere, and I think that surprised some observers. It shouldn't have, though, because it demonstrated just how much The Monkees had been a part of American life at a given point in time. The pre-Fab Four had retained popular throughout the years after the show went off the air (although it's continued, off and on, in reruns), and if you grew up during that time, they left you stamped with an indelible image. I can't call myself a fan of the show, though I bore it no animus, but the songs, the skits, the theme—well, that never really goes away, does it? An so it is with the news of Peter Tork's death yesterday at age 77; social media was filled with fond memories of the offbeat bassist, and hopefully it won't be a surprise this time. His passing, like Jones's, reminds us of our own mortality, that we're no longer young anymore, even if we can be for a short time.

My friend Amanda Reyes, who contributed a very nice blurb for the cover of The Electronic Mirror, has the details of her third Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies talk on the history of the made-for-TV genre movie. Head on over to Made for TV Mayhem to find out more; it's worth it!

At Garroway at Large, Jodie has a piece on one of Dave Garroway's most prized possessions, his 1938 Jaguar SS 100 . I imagine that car, which he owned for three decades, made him feel a little younger as well. It can be yours, if you're willing to part with a mid-six figure amount.

This week Cult TV Blog looks at the great Helen Hayes as she admirably assays Miss Marple in Murder with Mirrors . You can't really go wrong with that, can you? (By the way, I'd agree with Mike Doran's appraisal of Angela Lansbury in the comments section; read it to find out what I mean.)

You absolutely know you're going to be noticed when you title a blog post "Hey, There's Naked Bodies on My TV."  Consider yourself noticed, Daniel of Some Polish American Guy! It's a delightful review of what sounds like a very, very offbeat movie.

The Broadcasting Archives at the University of Maryland links to this piece that takes us back to when This Old House was new . Having lived in New England for a few years, I can testify to just how big a deal that show was back there.

At Comfort TV, David looks at the new DVD release of an old classic, Mr. Novak , and asks the question: purchase or pass? In case you can't guess the answer, look back at my interview with Chuck Harter , author of the definitive book on the series.

TV Guide returns once again to the question of children's programming; it's the cover story on the February 18, 1989 issue , reviewed this week at Television Obscurities. If that's not enough, you might also want to check out Merrill Panitt's glowing review of China Beach. TV  

The glamour of evil

I don’t know how I managed to remain unaware of this phenomenon for so long, but according to this story at The Ringer , a substantial number of female television viewers apparently think Ted Bundy is hot.

Just to be clear here, we're not talking about one of the Bundys from Married ... With Children. No, this is the Ted Bundy who confessed to killing 30 women (the final number could be higher) between 1974 and 1978, the Ted Bundy who was called "the very definition of heartless evil" by one of his own attorneys. Yeah, that Ted Bundy.

In truth, there's nothing new about this. There's a long history of glamorizing criminals, dating back to Robin Hood. Jesse James, Billy the Kid, Bonnie & Clyde, John Dillinger, Al Capone. Television's done its part, never hesitating to cast brooding antiheroes in dark roles. Clu Gullager played Billy the Kid in The Tall Man, Christopher Jones was Jesse in The Legend of Jesse James, and in Star Trek our heroes became the Clantons, et al taking on the Earps and Doc Holliday.* Of course, I'm guilty of this myself; how many times have I said that the writers of The Untouchables always gave Bruce Gordon's Frank Nitti the best lines? I love the way Gordon plays Nitti—he always steals the show out from under Robert Stack—but at the same time I don't think I'm mistaking Gordon for the real Frank Nitti, who was a pretty nasty customer, and not nearly as interesting as the fictional version.

*And those are just the real criminals; don't forget Tony Soprano and Walter White. 

I bring this up because of Bundy's reemergence in the cultural limelight, through the current Netflix series Conversations With a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes and the upcoming movie Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, with Zac Efron as Bundy. Now, it's one thing if all these squealing females were conflating Efron with Bundy—that I could comprehend (although he doesn't do a thing for me), but look at the Twitter comments: he was hot, Ted Bundy was hot. Past tense. They know who they're talking about.

Much of Bundy’s appeal, the argument goes, is his ability to blend in with the rest of us; his so-called “hotness” derives from the fact that he looks exceptionally average. And that is where the unavoidable truth regarding the horror of his crimes come in. If you ask this debased pocket of the internet, Bundy’s acts do not negate his appeal—they enhance it.

Amelia Wedemeyer, the author of the Ringer article, makes the point that "his so-called 'hotness' derives from the fact that he looks exceptionally average. And that is where the unavoidable truth regarding the horror of his crimes come in. If you ask this debased pocket of the internet, Bundy’s acts do not negate his appeal—they enhance it." As one of her interviews put it, people love the forbidden. “Also, they understand Ted Bundy as an abstract fictional character, much like the lead of any other Netflix drama.”

This is where it all becomes problematic. Again, television has a long history of absconding with the truth of actual events and replacing them with the TV version; The Untouchables used to drive J. Edgar Hoover crazy, the way writers would credit Eliot Ness and his men with arrests that had actually been made by FBI agents. So this isn't anything new. That doesn't mean it's good, though. "Ted Bundy" may be an abstract fictional killer, but Serial Killer Ted Bundy was the real thing, and all of his victims, lest we forget, were female. Even Netflix purports to be concerned that viewers continue to bring up his hotness.

To the extent that this is cultural illiteracy, I'm not surprised; I recall reading something about a student who didn't know who President Eisenhower was; when he was told that, among other things, he was president of the United States in the '50s, he understood. We didn't get through World War II, he said. So maybe there are some people out there who really don't know who Ted Bundy was, and I'd like to think that these projects will educate people on a sordid part of history.

On the other hand, there's also a long record of people—mostly women, but not exclusively—who fall in love with imprisoned murderers, even when they know they're guilty. Bundy himself had a relationship with a female member of his last legal team. In that case, maybe the truth doesn't matter. And so we're left right back where we started.

In the end, what are you going to do? This kind of glamorizing predates television, and it'll probably keep going after our next means of mass entertainment appears. People are people, after all; who can predict what's going to push someone's buttons? I'd like to think, though, that it's not the kind of thing you'd boast about, especially on social media. Try explaining it in twenty years, when you're running for governor or something. These things never go away, you know. TV  

What's on TV? Thursday, February 23, 1961

For some reason, I really enjoyed this issue. It's not that there are landmark series or important specials to look at; it's just an average night. Perhaps that's it, that it's because it's so representative of the era, at least living in the Twin Cities. In fact, this week I've been take a closer look at the local angle of the television shows in Minneapolis-St. Paul; even though I wasn't even one year old when this issue went to press, so many of the same personalities were around for most of my time growing up there.



 2  KTCA (Educ.)
    MORNING   
    8:30 GUIDANCE INFORMATION
    9:00 MUSIC FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
    9:30 GUIDANCE INFORMATION
  10:00 MATHEMATICS—Grade 12
  10:30 GUIDANCE INFORMATION
  AFTERNOON 
  12:00 GUIDANCE INFORMATION
  12:30 SCULPTING—Merrell Gage
    1:00 GUIDANCE INFORMATION
    1:30 SCIENCE—Grade 6
    2:00 GUIDANCE INFORMATION
    2:30 MUSIC—Grade 3
    3:00 RAGTIME ERA—Documentary
    3:30 CHIMNEY CORNER—Education
     EVENING    
    6:15 FRIENDLY GIANT—Children
    6:30 RAGTIME ERA—Documentary
    7:00 INICIACIO’N AL ESPANOL—Burett
    7:30 WHAT ARE THE ODDS?
    8:00 GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS HOUR
    8:30 MUSIC—Gustavus Adolphus
    9:00 ECONOMIC GROWTH—Goldstein
    9:30 TOWN AND COUNTRY—Ray Wolf
  10:00 FITZPATRICK’S CARTOONS
  10:30 BACKGROUND—Ziebarth
  10:40 ANIMALS OF THE SEA
Last week I mentioned that the Hamline College Hour ran for only 30 minutes; you'll see that this is the case with the Gustavus Adolphus Hour this week as well, although they do have a 30-minute music program that follows, so I guess technically that adds up to an hour. Gustavus Adolphus is a top-ranked private college in St. Peter, Minnesota, in case you were wondering.

 4  WCCO (CBS)
    MORNING   
    7:00 FLYING SAUCER—Siegfried
    8:00 NEWS—Richard C. Hottelet
    8:15 CAPTAIN KANGAROO—Children
    9:00 NEWS—Dean Montgomery
    9:10 DR. REUBEN K. YOUNGDAHL
    9:20 WHAT’S NEW?—Arle Haeberle
    9:30 VIDEO VILLAGE—Monty Hall
  10:00 I LOVE LUCY—Comedy
  10:30 CLEAR HORIZON—Serial
  11:00 LOVE OF LIFE—Serial
  11:30 SEARCH FOR TOMORROW—Serial
  11:45 GUIDING LIGHT—Serial
  AFTERNOON 
  12:00 NEWS—Dave Moore
  12:15 SOMETHING SPECIAL—Merriman
  12:20 WEATHER—Bud Kraehling
  12:30 AS THE WORLD TURNS—Serial
    1:00 FULL CIRCLE—Serial
    1:30 HOUSE PARTY—Linkletter Guest: Dr. Loriene Johnston
    2:00 RANDY MERRIMAN—Variety
    2:30 VERDICT IS YOURS—Drama
    3:00 BRIGHTER DAY—Serial
    3:15 SECRET STORM—Serial
    3:30 EDGE OF NIGHT—Serial
    4:00 AROUND THE TOWN—Haeberle
    4:30 AXEL AND DOG—Clellan Card
    4:50 BOZO THE CLOWN—Children
    5:00 YOGI BEAR—Cartoons
    5:30 CLANCY THE COP—Children
    5:55 SPORTS—Rollie Johnson
     EVENING    
    6:00 NEWS—Dean Montgomery
    6:10 WEATHER—Don O’Brien
    6:15 NEWS—Douglas Edwards
    6:30 ANN SOTHERN—Comedy
    7:00 ANGEL—Comedy
    7:30 ZANE GREY—Western
    8:00 SHRINE CIRCUS—Randy Merriman   SPECIAL 
    8:30 THERE OUGHT TO BE A LAW   SPECIAL 
    9:00 FACE THE NATION—InterviewGuests: Walter Reuther, Dr. Edward R. Annis
  10:00 NEWS—Dave Moore
  10:15 WEATHER—Bud Kraehling
  10:20 SPORTS—Dick Enroth
  10:30 TIGHTROPE—Police
  11:00 WEATHER—Don O’Brien
  11:05 MOVIE—Drama“Big Town Scandal” (1948)
I briefly mentioned Randy Merriman, host of the Shrine Circus broadcast, on Saturday; he also hosts his own variety show at 2:00 p.m., as well as the 15-minute Something Special at 12:15 p.m. Not surprisingly, he's in the Minnesota Broadcasting Hall of Fame, and you can read about (and listen to) him here .

 5  KSTP (NBC)
    MORNING   
    6:00 CONTINENTAL CLASSROOM   COLOR Chemistry
    6:30 CONTINENTAL CLASSROOM   COLOR Probability and Statistics
    7:00 DAVE GARROWAYLocal news at 7:25 and 8:25 A.M.
    9:00 SAY WHEN—Art James
    9:30 PLAY YOUR HUNCH—Merv Griffin   COLOR Guest: Jose Melis
  10:00 PRICE IS RIGHT—Cullen   COLOR 
  10:30 CONCENTRATION—Hugh Downs
  11:00 TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES
  11:30 IT COULD BE YOU   COLOR 
  11:55 NEWS—Ray Scherer
  AFTERNOON 
  12:00 NEWS—John MacDougall
  12:15 WEATHER—Johnny Morris
  12:20 TREASURE HUNT—Jim Hutton
    1:00 JAN MURRAY—Game   COLOR 
    1:30 LORETTA YOUNG—Drama
    2:00 YOUNG DR. MALONE—Serial
    2:30 FROM THESE ROOTS—Serial
    3:00 MAKE ROOM FOR DADDY
    3:30 HERE’S HOLLYWOOD—InterviewsGuests: Michael Ansara and Barbara Eden; the Corcoran family
    4:00 TOPPER—Comedy
    4:30 T.N. TATTERS—Children
    5:15 CITY DETECTIVE—Police
    5:45 NEWS—Huntley, Brinkley
     EVENING    
    6:00 NEWS—Bob Ryan
    6:15 WEATHER—Johnny Morris
    6:30 OUTLAWS—Western
    7:30 BAT MASTERSON—Western
    8:00 BACHELOR FATHER—Comedy
    8:30 ERNIE FORD—Variety   COLOR Guest: Minnie Pearl
    9:00 GROUCHO—Quiz
    9:30 MANHUNT—Police
  10:00 NEWS—John MacDougall
  10:15 WEATHER—Johnny Morris
  10:20 SPORTS—Dick Nesbitt
  10:30 JACK PAAR—Variety   COLOR 
  12:00 NEWS—Roger Krupp
Johnny Morris was the longtime weatherman at KSTP, part of a 55-year career in television and radio which is commemorated in this video from KOAT in Albuquerque, where Morris was news anchor from 1979 to 1999. Here's a look-back at his career from when he retired at KOAT.

 9  KMSP (Ind.)
    MORNING   
    9:50 CHAPEL OF THE AIR—Religion
    9:55 NEWSBEAT—Tony Parker
  10:00 JACK LA LANNE—Exercises
  10:30 MOVIE—Mystery“The Woman from Tangier” (1947)
  11:30 I MARRIED JOAN—Comedy
  AFTERNOON 
  12:00 KARTOONTIME—Children
  12:30 WILLY—Comedy
    1:00 FOLLOW THAT MAN—Mystery
    1:30 RACKET SQUAD—Police
    2:00 MOVIE—Adventure“Green Hell” (1939)
    4:00 HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE—Comedy
    4:30 MR. ADAMS AND EVE
    5:00 SUSIE—Comedy
    5:30 OUR MISS BROOKS—Comedy
     EVENING    
    6:00 LOONEY TUNERS CLUB—Children
    7:00 SILENT SERVICE—Drama
    7:30 ASSIGNMENT: UNDERWATER
    8:00 GRAY GHOST—Adventure
    8:30 TRACKDOWN—Western
    9:00 MOVIE—Mystery“Notorious” (1946)
  10:35 NEWS—Paul Sevareid
  10:50 SPORTS—Tony Parker
  10:55 WEATHER—Jere Smith
  11:00 PLAYBOY’S PENTHOUSEGuests: Vic Damone, Mabel Mercer, Ken and Mitzi Welch, the Signatures, Vic Perry
As one of our commenters pointed out a while back, Paul Sevareid was the older brother of Eric Sevareid, the CBS correspondent and commentator. Unlike his brother, who was identified with liberal politics, Paul was an official with the Minnesota Republican party. You'll generally see his name associated more often with WTCN, where he was the newscaster in the late '50s.

11 WTCN (ABC)
    MORNING   
    7:55 FARM NEWS—Frank Seifert
    8:00 GOOD MORNING MINNESOTA!
    8:30 CARTOON CIRCUS—Children
    9:00 ROMPER ROOM—Miss Betty
    9:45 SHAPE UP—Louraine Larson
  10:15 WAYS WITH FOOD—Cooking
  10:30 LIFE OF RILEY—Comedy
  11:00 MORNING COURT—Drama
  11:30 LOVE THAT BOB!—Comedy
  AFTERNOON 
  12:00 CAMOUFLAGE—Don Morrow
  12:30 NUMBER PLEASE—Bud Collyer
    1:00 ABOUT FACES—Ben Alexander
    1:30 DR. HUDSON’S SECRET JOURNAL—Drama
    2:00 DAY IN COURT
    2:30 ROAD TO REALITY—Drama
    3:00 QUEEN FOR A DAY—Bailey
    3:30 WHO DO YOU TRUST?—Carson
    4:00 AMERICAN BANDSTAND—Clark
    5:00 5 O’CLOCK REPORT—Huston
    5:05 CASEY JONES WITH POPEYE
    5:30 ROCKY AND HIS FRIENDS
     EVENING    
    6:00 U.S. MARSHALL—Police
    6:30 GUESTWARD HO!—Comedy
    7:00 DONNA REED—Comedy
    7:30 REAL McCOYS—Comedy
    8:00 MY THREE SONS—Comedy
    8:30 UNTOUCHABLES—Police
    9:30 ERNIE KOVACS—Panel
  10:00 NEWS—Chick McCuen
  10:15 WEATHER—Stuart A. Lindman
  10:20 SPORTS—Buetel, Horner
  10:30 BROTHERS BRANNAGAN—Police
  11:00 NEWS—Ken Anderson
  11:05 MOVIE—DramaTheater 11: “The Magnificent Ambersons” (1942)
  12:30 NEWS—Stuart A. Lindman

The last person you see on Channel 11 is Stuart A. Lindman, who is another member of the Minnesota Broadcasting Hall of Fame. He was on WTCN for years and years; I remember him most as the local host of the Jerry Lewis Telethon, and I'll admit that I was never a big fan of his. I don't know; perhaps I thought he was a big glib? I suspect the way local newscasters are now, I'd consider him a paragon of gravitas. TV  

This week in TV Guide: February 18, 1961

Every year it seems there's yet another meaningless awards show on TV. And yet, very view of them seem to go away. (Personally, I don't think they'll stop until everyone's won at least one. I'm still waiting for mine.)

A variety of sources suggest that the "TV Guide Awards" began in 1999 , but if the magazine says that then they're ignoring their own history - as this week's issue proves. The TV Guide Awards started in 1960, and by the next year AP's Cynthia Lowry refers to the "three important awards-presenting shows—Oscar, Emmy and TV Guide." The young medium hadn't been around that long, and there are already two awards shows devoted to it.

What makes this different from other awards shows of the time is that, in kind of an early People's Choice Awards, the winners of the TV Guide Awards are chosen entirely by viewer votes. The ballot we see here  for the 1961 Awards (which was scheduled to be on NBC April 11, but in fact didn't air until June 13) allows readers to cast their vote for Favorite Series, Favorite New Series, Best Single Musical or Variety Show, Best Single Dramatic Program, Best Single News or Information Program, Favorite Male Performer, and Favorite Female Performer.  Not many categories compared to today, hmm?


The awards show had a moderately successful run, lasting from 1960 until 1964. It didn't always have a dedicated program built around it; for example, the 1963 awards were presented during the last segment of the Bob Hope Show. According to the contemporary reports, the 1961 show had its pluses-and-minuses—the pluses included the entertainment portions, which were done on videotape; the minuses, which occurred during the live awards presentation, included technical glitches, speeches ending before they were done, and confused winners not knowing which way to exit the stage. Despite all that, it sounds as if a good time was had by all.

Interested in knowing who won the '61 trophies? You're going to have to wait until you get to the end of the column to find out.

Around the dial

At bare-bones e-zine, Jack continues the Hitchcock Project review of James P. Cavanagh's works with the Emmy-winning season two episode " Fog Closing In ."

Speaking of Hitch, working with the master is just one of the memories shared by Jerry Mathers in a sparkling interview with Rick at Classic Film and TV Café.

This week marks the 100th anniversary of Forrest Tucker's birth, and at The Horn Section Hal honors the occasion with Tuck's television best .

I think everyone has a terrible show or two that they like, don't they? David's not ashamed to admit it, and in this week's Comfort TV he tells us why Pink Lady and Jeff is one of them .

One series that won't make that "terrible show" list is The Avengers, and at Cult TV Blog, John shares one of his favorite episodes, the Prisoner-influenced " Wish You Were Here ."

At The Garroway Project, Jodie talks about one of the challenges of the television historian: increasingly, the people who made it happen are no longer with us .

The great Albert Finney—one of my all-time favorites, who surely should have won an Oscar for Tom Jones—died last week at the age of 82, and A Shroud of Thoughts has a great remembrance.

Finally, we're up to February 11, 1989 on Television Obscurities' review of A Year in TV Guide, featuring Larry Hagman and J.R. Ewing on the cover, and including some free advice for Vice President Dan Quayle—remember him? TV  

TV Guide: America's Time Capsule

A number of you have been asking if it would be possible for me to post the presentation I gave at the Mid Atlantic Nostalgia Convention last September, "TV Guide: America's Time Capsule." Thanks to my great and good friend Carol Ford, the audio of my talk has now been synched with the PowerPoint slides to replicate last year's spellbinding experience. It's the next best thing to having been there yourself! From the program description:

Throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, there was no better barometer as to the cultural climate in America than the pages of TV Guide. During those days, the little, odd-shaped magazine was arguably the most influential publication in television, and those who think of it merely as something that told us what was on TV, something that could be read and then thrown away as soon as the week was finished, risk overlooking a treasure trove of information, a time capsule that helps us understand who we were then, who we are now, and how we got that way. 

While I'm at it, this is a good time to remind you that if you like this presentation and appreciate the material I bring you each week on It's About TV!, you can find more of it in my book, The Electronic Mirror: What Classic TV Tells Us About Who We Were and Who We Are (and Everything In-Between!) available at Amazon.com , BN.com , and other online dealers. It was one of the hits of the convention, and it's sure to find a place in your classic TV book collection! TV  

What's on TV? Monday, February 15, 1965

We've gone back almost 20 years in time this week, to the Minnesota State Edition of 1965. It's the day after Valentine's Day, but I don't think we've missed any special programming; at least, I can't remember having seen Perry Como's Valentine's Day in Morocco, or anything like that. But there's plenty of fun out there, with Sheriff Andy and Lucy and the men from U.N.C.L.E., and that doesn't include Bing's special guest tonight: his wife Kathryn!

 2  KTCA (Educ.)
Morning
    8:40 COMMUNICATION—Paterek
    9:15 SPANISH—Grade 4
    9:30 GERMAN—Grade 5
    9:45 PORTFOLIO—Grade 9
  10:10 SPANISH—Grade 5
  10:25 MATHEMATICS—Grade 5
  10:40 SPANISH—Grade 6
  10:55 FRENCH—Grade 4
  11:20 EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE—John D. Wells
Afternoon
  12:25 PHARMACOLOGY
  12:55 SCIENCE—Grade 4
    1:25 SPANISH—Grade 4
    1:40 GERMAN—Grade 4
    1:55 SPANISH—Grade 5
    2:10 FRENCH—Grade 5
    2:25 GERMAN—Grade 6
    2:40 SPANISH—Grade 6
    3:00 TEA AT THREE—Hoff
    3:30 CHEMISTRY—StoppelCh. 2 leaves the air until 5:30 P.M.
    5:30 KINDERGARTEN—Children
Evening
    6:00 BIOLOGY
    6:50 UNIVERSITY NEWS
    7:00 READING EDUCATION
    8:00 POLITICAL SCIENCE
    8:30 STUDY OF AFRICA
    9:00 MODERN MATH
    9:30 WORLD AFFAIRS
  10:00 ANTIQUES—Art
  10:30 SPANISH


 3  KDAL (Duluth) (CBS)
Morning
    7:35 FARM AND HOME TIME
    7:45 TREE TOP HOUSE—Jane Ogston
    8:00 CAPTAIN KANGAROO—Children
    9:00 JACK LA LANNE—Exercise
    9:30 TUG-O-WAR—Game
  10:00 ANDY GRIFFITH—Comedy
  10:30 McCOYS
  11:00 LOVE OF LIFE
  11:25 NEWS—Robert Trout
  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—Game Celebrities: Jack Carter, Florence Henderson
    1:30 HOUSE PARTYGuest: Sammy Cahn
    2:00 TO TELL THE TRUTH—Panel Panel: Steve Rossi, Marty Allen, Joan Fontaine, Phyllis Newman
    2:25 NEWS—Edwards
    2:30 EDGE OF NIGHT-Serial
    3:00 SECRET STORM—Serial
    3:30 JACK BENNY
    4:00 TRAILMASTER—Western
    5:00 WOODY WOODPECKER—Cartoons
    5:30 NEWS—Cronkite
Evening
    6:00 NEWS
    6:30 TO TELL THE TRUTH—PanelGuest host: Robert Q. Lewis. Panel: Kitty Carlisle, Peggy Cass, Orson Bean, Tom Poston
    7:00 I’VE GOT A SECRET—Panel
    7:30 ANDY GRIFFITH—Comedy
    8:00 LUCILLE BALL
    8:30 MANY HAPPY RETURNS—Comedy
    9:00 BROADSIDE—Comedy
    9:30 PEYTON PLACE—Drama
  10:00 NEWS
  10:15 NAKED CITY
  11:15 MOVIE—Police“Slightly Scarlet” (1956)


 3  KGLO (Mason City, IA) (CBS)
Morning
    7:30 SUNRISE SEMESTER
    8:00 CAPTAIN KANGAROO—Children
    9:00 SPANISH I—Duran
    9:25 SPANISH II—Duran
    9:45 INDUSTRY ON PARADE
  10:00 ANDY GRIFFITH—Comedy
  10:30 McCOYS
  11:00 LOVE OF LIFE
  11:25 NEWS—Robert Trout
  11:30 SEARCH FOR TOMORROW—Serial
  11:45 GUIDING LIGHT—Serial
Afternoon
  12:00 NEWS
  12:30 AS THE WORLD TURNS—Serial
    1:00 LANDMARKS IN IOWA—History
    1:30 HOUSE PARTYGuest: Sammy Cahn
    2:00 TO TELL THE TRUTH—Panel Panel: Steve Rossi, Marty Allen, Joan Fontaine, Phyllis Newman
    2:25 NEWS—Edwards
    2:30 EDGE OF NIGHT-Serial
    3:00 SECRET STORM—Serial
    3:30 JACK BENNY
    4:00 BART’S CLUBHOUSE—Children
    5:00 WOODY WOODPECKER—Cartoons
    5:30 NEWS—Cronkite
Evening
    6:00 NEWS
    6:30 TO TELL THE TRUTH—PanelGuest host: Robert Q. Lewis. Panel: Kitty Carlisle, Peggy Cass, Orson Bean, Tom Poston
    7:00 I’VE GOT A SECRET—Panel
    7:30 ANDY GRIFFITH—Comedy
    8:00 LUCILLE BALL
    8:30 MANY HAPPY RETURNS—Comedy
    9:00 CBS NEWS SPECIAL   SPECIAL “An Essay on Bridges”
    9:30 CHILDREN WITHOUT   SPECIAL 
  10:00 NEWS
  10:30 MOVIE—Western “Gunsmoke in Tucson” (1958)
  12:00 MOVIE—Western “Twilight on the Trail” (1941)


 4  WCCO (CBS)
Morning
    6:30 SUNRISE SEMESTER—Education
    7:00 AXEL AND DEPUTY DAWG
    7:30 CLANCY AND COMPANY
    8:00 CAPTAIN KANGAROO—Children
    9:00 NEWS—Dean Montgomery
    9:15 WHAT’S NEW?—Women
    9:25 DR. REUBEN K. YOUNGDAHL
    9:30 TUG-O-WAR—Game
  10:00 ANDY GRIFFITH—Comedy
  10:30 McCOYS
  11:00 LOVE OF LIFE
  11:25 NEWS—Robert Trout
  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 PASSWORD—Game Celebrities: Jack Carter, Florence Henderson
    1:30 HOUSE PARTYGuest: Sammy Cahn
    2:00 TO TELL THE TRUTH—Panel Panel: Steve Rossi, Marty Allen, Joan Fontaine, Phyllis Newman
    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“Apache Drums” (1951)
    5:30 NEWS—Cronkite
Evening
    6:00 NEWS
    6:20 DIRECTION—Religion
    6:25 WEATHER—Don O’Brien
    6:30 TO TELL THE TRUTH—PanelGuest host: Robert Q. Lewis. Panel: Kitty Carlisle, Peggy Cass, Orson Bean, Tom Poston
    7:00 I’VE GOT A SECRET—Panel
    7:30 ANDY GRIFFITH—Comedy
    8:00 LUCILLE BALL
    8:30 MANY HAPPY RETURNS—Comedy
    9:00 CBS NEWS SPECIAL   SPECIAL “An Essay on Bridges”
    9:30 WCCO REPORTS—Documentary“Salute to the FFA”
  10:00 NEWS
  10:30 MOVIE—Western“Reprisal” (1956)


 5  KSTP (NBC)
Morning
    6:30 CITY AND COUNTRY   COLOR 
    7:00 TODAYGuest: Charlotte Painter
    9:00 MAKE ROOM FOR DADDY—Comedy
    9:30 WHAT’S THIS SONG?—Game   COLOR Guests: Ruta Lee, Skitch Henderson
    9:55 NEWS—Newman
  10:00 CONCENTRATION—Game
  10:30 JEOPARDY—Game   COLOR 
  11:00 SAY WHEN!—Game   COLOR 
  11:30 TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES—Game   COLOR 
  11:55 NEWS—Scherer
Afternoon
  12:00 NEWS AND WEATHER   COLOR 
  12:15 DIALING FOR DOLLARS   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: Ray Danton, Julie Adams
    3:00 MATCH GAMEGuests: Lauren Bacall, Abe Burrows
    3:25 NEWS
    3:30 DIALING FOR DOLLARS—Game   COLOR Guests: Linda Geiser, Charles Aidman
    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 KAREN
    7:00 MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.—Drama
    8:00 ANDY WILLIAMS—Variety   COLOR Guests: Nanette Fabray, Jonathan Winters
    9:00 ALFRED HITCHCOCK—Drama
  10:00 NEWS   COLOR 
  10:30 JOHNNY CARSON—Variety   COLOR 
  12:15 MOVIE—Mystery“Boston Blackie and the Law” (1936)


 6  WDSM (Duluth) (NBC)
Morning
    7:00 TODAYGuest: Charlotte Painter
    9:00 MAKE ROOM FOR DADDY—Comedy
    9:30 WHAT’S THIS SONG?—Game   COLOR Guests: Ruta Lee, Skitch Henderson
    9:55 NEWS—Newman
  10:00 CONCENTRATION—Game
  10:30 JEOPARDY—Game   COLOR 
  11:00 SAY WHEN!—Game   COLOR 
  11:30 TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES—Game   COLOR 
  11:55 NEWS—Scherer
Afternoon
  12:00 GENERAL HOSPITAL—Serial
  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: Ray Danton, Julie Adams
    3:00 MATCH GAMEGuests: Lauren Bacall, Abe Burrows
    3:25 NEWS
    3:30 PRICE IS RIGHT—Game
    4:00 CASPER—Cartoons
    4:30 BOZO AND HIS PALS   COLOR 
    5:35 ROCKY TELLER   COLOR 
    5:40 WEATHER, SPORTS   COLOR 
    5:50 NEWS—Lew Martin, Don Wright
Evening
    6:00 NEWS—Huntley, Brinkley
    6:30 KAREN
    7:00 MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.—Drama
    8:00 ANDY WILLIAMS—Variety   COLOR Guests: Nanette Fabray, Jonathan Winters
    9:00 12 O’CLOCK HIGH—Drama
  10:00 NEWS
  10:30 JOHNNY CARSON—Variety   COLOR 


 6  KMMT (Austin) (ABC)
Morning
  10:30 PRICE IS RIGHT—GameGuest: Dennis O’Keefe
  11:00 DONNA REED—Comedy
  11:30 FATHER KNOWS BEST
Afternoon
  12:00 ERNIE FORD—Variety Guests: Back Porch Majority
  12:30 FARM MARKETS
  12:35 CARTOONS—Children
    1:00 FLAME IN THE WIND
    1:30 DAY IN COURT—Drama
    1:55 NEWS—Marlene Sanders
    2:00 GENERAL HOSPITAL—Serial
    2:30 YOUNG MARRIEDS—Serial
    3:00 TRAILMASTER—Western
    4:00 CAPTAIN ATOM—Children
    5:45 NEWS—Peter Jennings
Evening
    6:00 NEWS
    6:30 VOYAGE—Adventure
    7:30 NO TIME FOR SERGEANTS
    8:00 WENDY AND ME—Comedy
    8:30 BING CROSBY—Comedy
    9:00 DINAH SHORE—Variety   SPECIAL Guest: Harry Belafonte
  10:00 NEWS

LES CRANE—Variety Guest: Jackie Paris
  12:00 NEWS


 7  KCMT (Alexandria) (NBC, ABC)
Morning
    7:00 TODAYGuest: Charlotte Painter
    9:00 MAKE ROOM FOR DADDY—Comedy
    9:30 WHAT’S THIS SONG?—Game   COLOR Guests: Ruta Lee, Skitch Henderson
    9:55 NEWS—Newman
  10:00 CONCENTRATION—Game
  10:30 JEOPARDY—Game   COLOR 
  11:00 SAY WHEN!—Game   COLOR 
  11:30 TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES—Game   COLOR 
  11:55 NEWS—Scherer
Afternoon
  12:00 NEWS
  12:15 TRADING POST—Jim Syrdal
  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: Ray Danton, Julie Adams
    3:00 MATCH GAMEGuests: Lauren Bacall, Abe Burrows
    3:25 NEWS
    3:30 GENERAL HOSPITAL—Serial
    4:00 FATHER KNOWS BEST—Comedy
    4:30 BUGS BUNNY—Cartoons
    5:00 MAGILLA GORILLA
    5:30 NEWS—Chet Huntley, David Brinkley
Evening
    6:00 NEWS
    6:30 KAREN
    7:00 MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.—Drama
    8:00 ANDY WILLIAMS—Variety   COLOR Guests: Nanette Fabray, Jonathan Winters
    9:00 ALFRED HITCHCOCK—Drama
  10:00 NEWS
  10:30 COMBAT!—Drama
  11:30 JOHNNY CARSON—Variety   COLOR 


 8  WDSE (Duluth) (Educ.)
Morning
    8:40 COMMUNICATION—Paterek
    9:15 SPANISH—Grade 4
    9:30 GERMAN—Grade 4
    9:45 PORTFOLIO—Grade 9
  10:25 MATHEMATICS—Grade 5
  11:20 EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE—John D. Wells
Afternoon
  12:25 PHARMACOLOGY
  12:55 SCIENCE—Grade 4
    1:25 SPANISH—Grade 4
    1:50 EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE
    2:30 MATHEMATICS—Grade 5
    2:45 SPANISH—Grade 4
    3:00 TEA AT THREE—Hoff
    3:45 TEACHING AND LEARNINGCh. 8 leaves the air until 5:30 P.M.
    5:30 KINDERGARTEN—Children
Evening
    6:00 BIOLOGY
    7:00 READING EDUCATION
    8:00 POLITICAL SCIENCE
    8:30 STUDY OF AFRICA
    9:00 MODERN MATH
    9:30 WORLD AFFAIRS
  10:00 ANTIQUES—Art
  10:30 SPANISH


 9  KMSP (ABC)
Morning
    7:30 MY LITTLE MARGIE—Comedy
    8:00 BREAKFAST—Grandpa Ken
    9:00 ROMPER ROOM—Miss Betty
  10:00 ERNIE FORD—VarietyGuests: Clinger Sisters
  10:30 PRICE IS RIGHT—GameGuest: Dennis O’Keefe
  11:00 DONNA REED—Comedy
  11:30 FATHER KNOWS BEST
Afternoon
  12:00 NEWS
  12:15 LOIS LEPPART—Interview
    1:00 FLAME IN THE WIND
    1:30 DAY IN COURT—Drama
    1:55 NEWS—Marlene Sanders
    2:00 GENERAL HOSPITAL—Serial
    2:30 YOUNG MARRIEDS—Serial
    3:00 TRAILMASTER—Western
    4:00 DATE WITH DINO—Teen-agers
    4:30 DOBIE GILLIS—Comedy
    5:00 NEWS—Peter Jennings
    5:15 NEWS AND WEATHER
    5:30 LEAVE IT TO BEAVER—Comedy
Evening
    6:00 YOGI BEAR—Cartoons
    6:20 VOYAGE—Adventure
    7:00 NO TIME FOR SERGEANTS
    7:30 WENDY AND ME—Comedy
    8:00 BING CROSBY—Comedy
    9:00 DINAH SHORE—Variety   SPECIAL Guest: Harry Belafonte
  10:00 NEWS
  10:30 MOVIE—Biography“Abe Lincoln in Illinois” (1940)
  12:35 LES CRANE—Variety Guest: Jackie Paris


10 KROC (Rochester) (NBC)
Morning
    7:00 TODAYGuest: Charlotte Painter
    9:00 MAKE ROOM FOR DADDY—Comedy
    9:30 WHAT’S THIS SONG?—Game   COLOR Guests: Ruta Lee, Skitch Henderson
    9:55 NEWS—Newman
  10:00 CONCENTRATION—Game
  10:30 JEOPARDY—Game   COLOR 
  11:00 SAY WHEN!—Game   COLOR 
  11:30 TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES—Game   COLOR 
  11:55 NEWS—Scherer
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: Ray Danton, Julie Adams
    3:00 MATCH GAMEGuests: Lauren Bacall, Abe Burrows
    3:25 NEWS
    3:30 LOVE THAT BOB!—Comedy
    4:00 LONE RANGER—Western
    4:30 LEAVE IT TO BEAVER—Comedy
    5:00 MAGILLA GORILLA
    5:30 NEWS—Chet Huntley, David Brinkley
Evening
    6:00 NEWS
    6:30 KAREN
    7:00 MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.—Drama
    8:00 ANDY WILLIAMS—Variety   COLOR Guests: Nanette Fabray, Jonathan Winters
    9:00 ALFRED HITCHCOCK—Drama
  10:00 NEWS
  10:30 JOHNNY CARSON—Variety   COLOR 


11 WTCN (Ind.)
Morning
  10:00 NEWS
  10:15 HANK MEADOWS—Foods
  10:30 MOVIE—Comedy“The Hard-Boiled Canary” (1941)
  11:55 NEWS—Dick Ford
Afternoon
  12:00 LUNCH WITH CASEY—Children
  12:45 KING AND ODIE—Cartoons
    1:00 MOVIE—Comedy“I Met Him in Paris” (1937)
    3:00 BACHELOR FATHER—Comedy
    3:30 DAVE LEE AND PETE—Children
    4:30 CASEY AND ROUNDHOUSE
    5:45 ROCKY AND HIS FRIENDS
    5:30 SEA HUNT—Adventure
Evening
    6:00 RIFLEMAN—Western
    6:30 BOLD JOURNEY—Travel
    7:00 WILD CARGO—Travel
    7:30 HAVE GUN—WILL TRAVEL
    8:00 WRESTLING—Minneapolis
    9:30 NEWS, WEATHER, SPORTS
  10:00 MOVIE—Drama “All the King’s Men” (1949)
  12:00 AMOS ‘N’ ANDY—ComedyTime approximate



12 KEYC (Mankato) (CBS)
Morning
    7:30 SUNRISE SEMESTER
    8:00 CAPTAIN KANGAROO—Children
    9:00 NEWS—Mike Wallace
    9:30 I LOVE LUCY—Comedy
  10:00 ANDY GRIFFITH—Comedy
  10:30 McCOYS
  11:00 LOVE OF LIFE
  11:25 NEWS—Robert Trout
  11:30 SEARCH FOR TOMORROW—Serial
  11:45 GUIDING LIGHT—Serial
Afternoon
  12:00 FARM AND HOME—Discussion
  12:30 AS THE WORLD TURNS—Serial
    1:00 PASSWORD—Game Celebrities: Jack Carter, Florence Henderson
    1:30 HOUSE PARTYGuest: Sammy Cahn
    2:00 TO TELL THE TRUTH—Panel Panel: Steve Rossi, Marty Allen, Joan Fontaine, Phyllis Newman
    2:25 NEWS—Edwards
    2:30 EDGE OF NIGHT-Serial
    3:00 SECRET STORM—Serial
    3:30 JACK BENNY
    4:00 TAKE 12—Bob Gardner
    4:30 BART’S CLUBHOUSE—Children
    5:00 WOODY WOODPECKER—Cartoons
    5:30 NEWS—Cronkite
Evening
    6:00 NEWS
    6:30 TO TELL THE TRUTH—PanelGuest host: Robert Q. Lewis. Panel: Kitty Carlisle, Peggy Cass, Orson Bean, Tom Poston
    7:00 I’VE GOT A SECRET—Panel
    7:30 ANDY GRIFFITH—Comedy
    8:00 LUCILLE BALL
    8:30 MANY HAPPY RETURNS—Comedy
    9:00 SHELL’S HOBO BAND
    9:30 YOUR ALL STAR THEATER
  10:00 NEWS
  10:30 COMMUNITY CAMPUS—Mankato
  11:00 FILM FEATURE

  TV  

This week in TV Guide: February 13, 1965

This week's cover profile of Andy Williams was written by John Gregory Dunne; I don't have anything against Dunne, although I do prefer the work of his brother, Dominick Dunne , to either John Gregory or his wife, Joan Didion , but it bears saying that Dunne's story on Williams displays, I think, the worst aspects of TV Guide writing of the era.

There is, for starters, the annoying habit of the author injecting himself into the article. Dunne notes in the first page that "I had no particular desire to meet the boy next door, and the first two paragraphs concern Dunne's reactions to the comments of Williams' publicist, his thoughts on the decor of the dressing room, his impressions of the books on the shelf.

Once the focus of the story turns to the putative subject, Williams, there are more TV Guide trademarks; the anonymous criticisms, for instance. "One executive who has had dealings with [Williams] refers to him in extremely unflattering terms. Another says, 'He's not a very nice young man.'" We are, of course, never told who the unnamed critics are, nor are the criticisms put in any context. Is Williams an unpleasant person? A hard negotiator? A driven, hands-on micromanager of his own show? Your guess is as good as mine.

I'm not a fan of this kind of faceless, nameless attack, but one reads it week after week in the TV Guides of the 60s. A story about insecure Gene Barry, a score-evening profile of David Susskind, a hatchet job on Patty Duke—it's almost as if the magazine. desperate to distinguish itself from the fan magazines of the era, bends over backwards to tear down every star it profiles. Now, these comments could be from someone with a score to settle: a jealous co-worker, a disgruntled former employee, a frustrated publicist. They might be completely true, or a bushel of lies, or something in-between. We could be seeing one side of the story with two sides, or we could learn what everyone in Hollywood already knows.

The point is, I don't much like writers who repeat anonymous comments without providing context. I don't think it's good journalism. I'm not suggesting all TV Guide profiles should be puff pieces; that's just as bad, and it's terrible to read. But a journalist should demand more of his sources—he should challenge them just as much as he does his subject. If what they have to say is reliable, if he's satisfied himself that their comments have merit, if he can give a positive answer to the question "Do my readers need to know this?" then by all means go ahead. But if that's the case, then give your readers that same satisfaction. Otherwise, I'm going to think your source is just nursing a grudge—and you're just a lazy writer.