Mitchell Hadley's Blog: It's About TV!, page 148

This week in TV Guide: November 27, 1965

There was, once upon a time, an era in which the biggest college football game of the year was played on the last weekend in November. It was the game between Army and Navy, played at Philadelphia Stadium, attracting well over 100,000 people each season. The teams were perennially among the best in the nation; Army won the national championship in 1944 and 1945, while Navy finished the 1963 season ranked #2, and in the twenty years between 1945 and 1965 the two schools combined to produce five Heisman Trophy winners.

By 1965, however, things had changed. For one thing the venue in which the game was played, although it was the same stadium, was now called John F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium. For another, the two teams had started their long decline into football irrelevance. The symptoms weren't readily apparent; the 1965 teams were said to have had "disappointing" seasons (4-5 for Army; 4-4-1 for Navy, who'd lost Roger Staubach to graduation the previous year), and a crowd of 102,000 was expected, including President Lyndon B. Johnson. The teams played to a 7-7 tie.

It seems as if we're always talking about how dramatically televised sports has changed over the years, and here's another example. Later that Saturday afternoon, CBS's NFL Countdown features live reports on the "NFL college-player draft," being held at the Summit Hotel in New York. You'll note first of all that the draft is being held in November, rather than April of the following year. It's not only before the end of the college season, it's also before the NFL season ends. 

Today, of course, the draft is a TV spectacle, with two nights of prime-time coverage on three separate networks (ESPN, NFL Network, and Fox). Draft parties are held in cities throughout the country, and TV draft experts are a cottage industry.

But that's not to say that the pro football draft in the 1960s was without drama.* For one thing, the NFL had competition from the AFL. Each league held their own draft, with the result that most of the top players were drafted by a team from each league. The battle to sign the top draft picks was fierce, and stories abounded of scouts from one league hiding players in hotel rooms under fake names, spiriting them away in the trunks of cars, and doing anything they could to keep them away from their rivals in the other league. Many college players made a ceremony of coming to terms with a professional team, often signing the contract under the goal posts after their final college game. (Some others, of course, signed before their final game, but that's another story for another time). With the increased competition came, naturally, increased salaries, which went through the roof. This ended in 1967, when as a precursor to the NFL-AFL merger the two leagues for the first time held a common draft, in which all teams took part, alternating picks. It was an end to the bidding war between the leagues, although the era of big-money contracts was here to stay.

*Not to be confused with the military draft, drama of a different kind altogether.
 

Around the dial

Stephen Hillenburg, creator of SpongeBob SquarePants, one of the most delightfully bizarre, surrealistic, laugh-out-loud cartoons ever to make it to television, died earlier this week from ALS. He was only 57. Among the many tributes paid to him was this article from The Ringer , in which the staff discuss some of the show's greatest moments. For me, it would undoubtedly be the one in which SpongeBob and Patrick wind up crew members for the Flying Dutchman . "You're good, you're good, keep moving, you're good."

Speaking of favorite episodes, at Classic Film and TV Café Rick has his own list: the five best Monty Python skits . Classics, each and every one, but I'd have to include "Deja Vu" and "The Spanish Inquisition" as part of my own list, not to mention " Philosopher Football ." (Which I've mentioned before, so I guess it is to mention.)

The richness of Dave Garroway's time at Today extends to the people who surrounded him during those years (or, considering Garroway's influence over the show, it would probably be more accurate to call them the people with whom Garroway surrounded himself). As Jodie points out at Garroway at Large, that includes the fascinating Beryl Pfizer , who had quite a time during and after her stint on Today. It's yet another glimpse into the complexities of Garroway.

Things wrapped up early at the Blog last week, it being Thanksgiving and all, which meant I missed Jack's latest "Hitchcock Project" installment at bare-bones e-zine. I intend to rectify that now, by looking at " The Jokester ," the grimly satisfying fourth season episode brilliantly adapted by Bernard C. Schoenfeld. As usual, it has an ending that's pure Hitchcock.

OK, so The Third Man is treading into movie territory (unless you're talking about the television version with Michael Rennie), but I figure I first saw it on TV, so I'm going to count it anyway, since The Last Drive-In  writes about it this week . It features one of the great all-time movie quotes, spoken (and perhaps written) so memorably by Orson Welles: "Like the fella says, in Italy for thirty years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland, they had brotherly love—they had five hundred years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock." 

At Cult TV Blog, John takes a first look at one of the legendary shows in British television: the police drama Target . John calls it "a visual delight" of images of the '70s; I hope he writes more about it; I'm looking forward to reading about it.

The recent death of Stan Lee prompts David at Comfort TV to reminisce about classic television's checkered treatment of the Marvel universe . Let's just say that this is one situation where, compared to the spectacular superhero movies of today, older isn't necessarily better.

Finally, the Broadcasting Archives at the University of Maryland links to this article at Advertising Week on the history of the NBC peacock. TV  

Looking for the perfect holiday gift? How about "The Electronic Mirror"!

Still hunting for that perfect gift? Or, like the people on the Black Friday commercials, are you thinking about a little treat for yourself? Allow me to suggest The Electronic Mirror: What Classic TV Tells Us About Who We Were and Who We Are (and Everything In-Between). After all, you wouldn't be here if you didn't already like classic television, right? So why not take advantage of it?

The Electronic Mirror looks at how classic TV acts as a time capsule, telling us how life used to be, and in many cases how things got the way they are today. Not only does it feature many of your favorite shows and stars, it also places them in context, explaining their meaning and significance. As Carol Ford (Bob Crane: The Definitive Biography) says, "You won't watch TV the same way again!"  Best of all, you'll have fun along the way. If you like It's About TV!, you'll love The Electronic Mirror. And at $12.95 (plus shipping, unless you're a Prime member) it won't break the bank.

The link above takes you to the Amazon link, but The Electronic Mirror is also available at Barnes & Noble.com, as well as many other online retailers. And if you really want to make it a special gift, how about a signed copy? After you've placed your order, just send me an email (the address is on the sidebar) with your address, telling me who it's for and how you'd like it signed, and I'll send you a bookplate that you can insert in your copy. Don't be shy; I won't bite!

I'm very proud of The Electronic Mirror, and I'm confident you and your favorite classic TV fan will enjoy this trip through television history. Order now, in time for your gift-giving! TV  

What's on TV? Friday, November 29, 1968

Well, here we are, the day after Thanksgiving. (Kind of funny to write that, since Thanksgiving was actually four days ago, in real time. Ah, the perils of the digital world.) As I mentioned on Saturday, one of the highlights of the day is ABC's annual cartoon festival, four hours of cartoons from the Saturday morning lineup. I always enjoyed this greatly, even though I didn't usually watch it; it was part of the fun of seeing shows outside of when you were used to seeing them. You get to thinking that tomorrow's Sunday, because today feels like Saturday. Then you wake up tomorrow, and—it's only Saturday! What a deal! (TVParty! remembers those day-after-Thanksgiving cartoon festivals here .)


Today's listings are from New York City—have fun!



 2  WCBS (CBS)
Morning
    6:30 SUNRISE SEMESTER—Education   COLOR 
    7:00 NEWS   COLOR 
    7:05 NEWS—Joe Benti   COLOR 
    7:30 NEWS—Joseph Benti   COLOR 
    7:55 NEWS   COLOR 
    8:00 CAPTAIN KANGAROO   COLOR 
    9:00 LEAVE IT TO BEAVER—Comedy
    9:30 DONNA REED—Comedy
  10:00 LUCILLE BALL—Comedy   COLOR 
  10:30 BEVERLY HILLBILLIES
  11:00 ANDY GRIFFITH—Comedy   COLOR 
  11:30 DICK VAN DYKE—Comedy
Afternoon
  12:00 LOVE OF LIFE   COLOR 
  12:25 NEWS—Joe Benti   COLOR 
  12:30 SEARCH FOR TOMORROW—Serial   COLOR 
    1:00 FARMER’S DAUGHTER
    1:30 AS THE WORLD TURNS—Serial   COLOR 
    2:00 LOVE IS A MANY SPLENDORED THING—Serial   COLOR 
    2:30 GUIDING LIGHT   COLOR 
    3:00 SECRET STORM   COLOR 
    3:30 EDGE OF NIGHT   COLOR 
    4:00 LINKLETTER SHOW   COLOR 
    4:25 NEWS—Edwards   COLOR 
    4:30 MIKE DOUGLAS—Variety   COLOR Guests: Roger Smith, Ann-Margaret, B.J. Thomas, Thodes Brothers, Frank Tallman
Evening
    6:00 NEWS—Jim Jensen   COLOR 
    7:00 NEWS—Walter Cronkite   COLOR 
    7:30 WILD WILD WEST   COLOR 
    8:30 GOMER PYLE, USMC   COLOR 
    9:00 MOVIE—Suspense   COLOR “North by Northwest” (1959)
  11:40 NEWS—Bob Young   COLOR 
  12:10 MOVIE—Drama“Voice in the Mirror”
    2:15 NEWS   COLOR 
    2:20 MOVIE—Western   COLOR “California Conquest” (1952)
    3:55 MOVIE—Drama “Young Man with a Horn” (1950)


 3  WTIC (HARTFORD) (CBS) Morning     6:30 SUNRISE SEMESTER—Education   COLOR      7:00 NEWS, WEATHER   COLOR      7:05 NEWS—Joe Benti   COLOR      7:30 COLLEGE CAMPUS—Discussion   COLOR      8:00 CAPTAIN KANGAROO   COLOR      9:00 HAP RICHARDS   COLOR      9:15 HUCKLEBERRRY HOUND   COLOR      9:30 MAKE ROOM FOR DADDY   10:00 LUCILLE BALL—Comedy   COLOR    10:30 DONALD O’CONNOR—Variety   COLOR Guests: Irwin Corey, David Watson, Vivian Bonnett, Roy Stuart, Kellie Greene Afternoon   12:00 LOVE OF LIFE   COLOR    12:25 NEWS—Joe Benti   COLOR    12:30 SEARCH FOR TOMORROW—Serial   COLOR      1:00 VIRGINIA GRAHAM—Interviews   COLOR Guests: Dina Merrill, Helen Rose     1:30 AS THE WORLD TURNS—Serial   COLOR      2:00 LOVE IS A MANY SPLENDORED THING—Serial   COLOR      2:30 GUIDING LIGHT   COLOR      3:00 SECRET STORM   COLOR      3:30 LINKLETTER SHOW   COLOR Guests: Carol Burnett, Greer Garson     3:55 RANGER STATION   COLOR      4:30 HAZEL   COLOR      5:00 PERRY MASON—Mystery Evening     6:00 WEATHER   COLOR      6:05 SPORTS—Ehrlich   COLOR      6:15 NEWS   COLOR      6:30 NEWS—Walter Cronkite   COLOR      7:00 DEATH VALLEY DAYS—Drama   COLOR      7:30 WILD WILD WEST   COLOR      8:30 GOMER PYLE, USMC   COLOR      9:00 MOVIE—Suspense   COLOR “North by Northwest” (1959)   11:40 NEWS—Bill Hanson   COLOR    11:55 WEATHER   COLOR    12:00 SPORTS—Webster   COLOR    12:05 MOVIE—Double Feature1. “The Unforgiven” (Western; 1960)   COLOR  2. “Outside the Law” (Drama; 1956)


 4  WNBC (NBC)
Morning
    7:00 TODAY   COLOR 
    9:00 FOR WOMEN ONLY   COLOR 
    9:30 JOAN RIVERS   COLOR Guests: Louis Nizer, Lyle Stuart
  10:00 SNAP JUDGMENT—Game   COLOR Guests: Jayne Meadows, Bill Cullen
  10:25 NEWS—Dickerson   COLOR 
  10:30 CONCENTRATION   COLOR 
  11:00 PERSONALITY—Game   COLOR Celebrities: Godfrey Cambridge, Joan Rivers, George C. Scott, Peter Fonda
  11:30 HOLLYWOOD SQUARES   COLOR Players: Bill Bixby, Ruth Buzzi, Nanette Fabray, Arte Johnson, Paul Lynde, Garry Moore, Jane Powell, Morey Amsterdam, Wally Cox
Afternoon
  12:00
  12:30
  12:55 JEOPARDY   COLOR 
EYE GUESS—Game   COLOR 
NEWS—Newman   COLOR 
    1:00 PDQ—Game   COLOR Guests: Abby Dalton, Paul Lynde, Will HutchinsWill be pre-empted if teachers’ strike continues
    1:30 MAKE A DEAL   COLOR 
    2:00 DAYS OF OUR LIVES—Serial   COLOR 
    2:30 DOCTORS—Serial   COLOR 
    3:00 ANOTHER WORLD   COLOR 
    3:30 YOU DON’T SAY!—Game   COLOR Guests: Raymond St. Jacques, Ruta Lee
    4:00 MATCH GAME   COLOR Guests: Joe Garagiola, Denny McLain
    4:25 NEWS—Kalber   COLOR 
    4:30 MOVIE—Adventure   COLOR “Rhino!” (1964)
Evening
    6:00 NEWS—Lew Wood   COLOR 
    7:00 NEWS—Chet Huntley, David Brinkley   COLOR 
    7:30 HIGH CHAPARRAL   COLOR 
    8:30 NAME OF THE GAME   COLOR 
  10:00 STAR TREK—Adventure   COLOR 
  11:00 NEWS—Jim Hartz   COLOR 
  11:10 WEATHER—Field   COLOR 
  11:15 NEWS—Jim Hartz   COLOR 
  11:25 SPORTS—Kyle Rote   COLOR 
  11:30 JOHNNY CARSON   COLOR Guest host: Peter Lawford. Guest: Vic Damone
    1:00 NEWS—Bob Teague   COLOR 
    1:15 MOVIE—Drama   COLOR “The Mark of the Hawk” (1958)


 5  WNEW (IND.)
Morning
    7:00 YOGA FOR HEALTH
    7:30 DAPHNE’S CASTLE   COLOR 
    9:00 MOVIE—Comedy “Spy Chasers” (1955)
  10:00 OUTER LIMITS—Drama
  11:00 ALFRED HITCHCOCK—Drama
  11:30 DEAR ALAN   COLOR 
Afternoon
  12:00 MOVIE—Comedy“Take a Letter, Darling” (1942)
    2:00 SKITCH HENDERSON   COLOR 
    3:30 MIGHTY MOUSE   COLOR 
    4:00 BOB McALLISTER   COLOR 
    5:00 FLINTSTONES   COLOR 
    5:30 SEA HUNT—Adventure
Evening
    6:00 McHALE’S NAVY—Comedy
    6:30 MY FAVORITE MARTIAN
    7:00 I LOVE LUCY—Comedy
    7:30 TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES—Game   COLOR 
    8:00 PAY CARDS!—Game   COLOR 
    8:30 MERV GRIFFIN—Variety   COLOR Guests: Sam Levenson, Peggy Cass, Maxine Greene, the Drifters
  10:00 NEWS—Bill Jorgensen   COLOR 
  11:00 DONALD O’CONNOR—Variety   COLOR Guests: Irwin Corey, David Watson, Vivian Bonnell, Roy Stuart, Kellie Greene
  12:30 SCIENCE FICTION THEATER
    1:00 BOLD JOURNEY—Travel
    1:30 NEWS


 7  WABC (ABC)
Morning
    6:50 NEWS
    7:00 CARTOONS   COLOR 
    8:00 MOVIE—Drama “Ginger” (1946)
    9:30 MILTON THE MONSTER—Children   COLOR 
  10:00 CASPER—Children   COLOR 
  10:30 BULLWINKLE   COLOR 
  11:00 KING KONG—Children   COLOR 
  11:30 JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH   COLOR 
Afternoon
  12:00 GULLIVER—Children   COLOR 
  12:30 FANTASTIC VOYAGE   COLOR 
    1:00 GEORGE OF THE JUNGLE—Children   COLOR 
    1:30 HAPPENING ’68—Variety   SPECIAL    COLOR Host: Mark Lindsay. Guests: Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart
    1:55 CHILDREN’S DOCTOR   COLOR 
    2:00 NEWLYWED GAME   COLOR 
    2:30 DATING GAME   COLOR 
    3:00 GENERAL HOSPITAL—Serial   COLOR 
    3:30 ONE LIFE TO LIVE   COLOR 
    4:00 DARK SHADOWS   COLOR 
    4:30 MOVIE—Comedy“My Favorite Spy” (1951)
Evening
    6:30 NEWS—John Schubeck   COLOR 
    7:00 NEWS—Frank Reynolds   COLOR 
    7:30 OPERATION: ENTERTAINMENT   COLOR 
    8:30 FELONY SQUAD—Crime Drama   COLOR 
    9:00 DON RICKLES—Comedy   COLOR Guest: Kirk Douglas
    9:30 GUNS OF WILL SONNETT   COLOR 
  10:00 MAN AND HIS UNIVERSE   SPECIAL    COLOR “The Scientist”
  11:00 NEWS—Roger Grimsby   COLOR 
  11:30 JOEY BISHOP   COLOR Guest host: Sammy Davis Jr. Guests: Ann-Margaret, Roger Smith, Josh White Jr., Rich Little
    1:00 MOVIE—Mystery “Autopsy of a Criminal” (Italian; 1964)


 8  WNHC (NEW HAVEN) (ABC)
Morning
    6:10 NEWS
    6:15 INFINITE HORIZONS
    6:45 SACRED HEART—Religion
    7:00 MR. GOOBER   COLOR 
    8:30 THUNDERBIRDS   COLOR 
    9:00 CARTOONS   COLOR 
    9:30 MILTON THE MONSTER—Children   COLOR 
  10:00 CASPER—Children   COLOR 
  10:30 MOVIE—Comedy“The Bellboy” (1960)
Afternoon
  12:00 STEVE ALLEN—Variety   COLOR Guests: Cliff Robertson, Peter Yarrow, Joanie Sommers
    1:30 I LOVE LUCY—Comedy
    2:00 NEWLYWED GAME   COLOR 
    2:30 DATING GAME   COLOR 
    3:00 GENERAL HOSPITAL—Serial   COLOR 
    3:30 MR. GOOBER   COLOR 
    4:30 MERV GRIFFIN—Variety   COLOR Guests: John Cassavetes, Gena Rowlands, Allan Sherman, Corbett Monica, Marty Brill, the Dells, Dr. Lendon Smith
Evening
    6:00 LOCAL NEWS—Norman
    6:15 WEATHER—Carroll
    6:20 SPORTS—Galiette   COLOR 
    6:25 SPORTS   COLOR 
    6:30 NEWS—Frank Reynolds   COLOR 
    7:00 TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES—Game   COLOR 
    7:30 MOVIE—Comedy   COLOR “The Marriage-Go-Round” (1961)
    9:30 GUNS OF WILL SONNETT   COLOR 
  10:00 MAN AND HIS UNIVERSE   SPECIAL    COLOR “The Scientist”
  11:00 NEWS—Thompson   COLOR 
  11:05 WEATHER—Bob Jones   COLOR 
  11:10 NEWS—Thompson   COLOR 
  11:20 SPORTS—Galiette   COLOR 
  11:30 JOEY BISHOP   COLOR Guest host: Sammy Davis Jr. Guests: Ann-Margaret, Roger Smith, Josh White Jr., Rich Little
    1:00 NEWS


 9  WOR (IND.)
Morning
    7:40 NEWS AND WEATHER
    7:45 IN DEPTH   COLOR 
    8:00 SCRUB CLUB   COLOR 
    9:00 ROMPER ROOM   COLOR 
  10:00 JOE FRANKLIN   COLOR 
  11:30 JOURNEY TO ADVENTURE   COLOR 
Afternoon
  12:00 NEWS—John Wingate, Mary McPhillips   COLOR 
  12:30 MOVIE—Comedy“My Little Chickadee” (1940)
    2:00 LORETTA YOUNG—Drama
    2:30 WEAKER (?) SEX—Discussion   COLOR 
    3:00 DIVORCE COURT—Drama   COLOR 
    3:30 MOVIE—Western    COLOR “The Last Outpost” (1951)
    5:00 MAKE ROOM FOR DADDY
    5:30 REAL McCOYS—Comedy
Evening
    6:00 GILLIGAN’S ISLAND—Comedy   COLOR 
    6:30 I SPY—Drama   COLOR 
    7:30 STEVE ALLEN—Variety   COLOR Guests: Tony Martin, Jayne Meadows, Gert Mehr
    9:00 WHAT’S MY LINE—Game   COLOR Panelists: Joanna Barnes, Godfrey Cambridge, Arlene Francis, Soupy Sales
    9:30 MOVIE—Drama   COLOR “Tripoli” (1950)
  11:00 MOVIE—Science Fiction   COLOR “The Human Duplicators” (1964)
  12:45 FILM   COLOR 
    1:00 NEWS AND WEATHER


11 WPIX (IND.)
Morning
    7:30 SURVIVAL!—Documentary
    8:00 GUMBY—Children   COLOR 
    8:30 MIGHTY HERCULES
    9:00 UNDERDOG—Children
    9:30 JACK LA LANNE
  10:00 MOVIE—Drama“Courage of Black Beauty” (1957)
  11:30 KIMBA—Children   COLOR 
Afternoon
  12:00 BOZO—Children   COLOR 
  12:30 LITTLE RASCALS   COLOR 
    1:00 ROCKY—Children   COLOR 
    1:30 CONTINENTAL MINIATURES
    2:00 MOVIE—Drama“Adventures of Robinson Crusoe” (1954)
    3:30 SPEED RACER   COLOR 
    4:00 THREE STOOGES   COLOR 
    4:30 SUPERMAN—Adventure
    5:00 MUNSTERS—Comedy
    5:30 BATMAN—Adventure   COLOR 
Evening
    6:00 F TROOP—Comedy
    6:30 VOYAGE—Adventure   COLOR 
    7:30 RAT PATROL—Drama   COLOR 
    8:00 RUN FOR YOUR LIFE—Drama   COLOR 
    9:00 NEWS—Lee Nelson   COLOR 
    9:30 PASSWORD—Game   COLOR Guests: Betsy Palmer, Joel Grey
  10:00 PERRY MASON—Mystery
  11:00 NFL THIS WEEK   COLOR 
  11:30 MOVIE—Mystery “Psychomania” (1964)
    1:00 NEWS—Lee Nelson   COLOR                

13 WNDT (NET)
Afternoon
    4:30 LITTLE ADAM   COLOR 
    4:45 FRIENDLY GIANT—Children
    5:00 MISTEROGERS—Children
    5:30 WHAT’S NEW—Children
Evening
    6:00 CAPITOL REPORT
    6:30 INGLES PARA TODOS
    7:00 NEW JERSEY SPEAKS
    7:30 WORLD WE LIVE IN   COLOR 
    8:00 WASHINGTON WEEK IN REVIEW—News Analysis   COLOR 
    8:30 NET PLAYHOUSE—Drama “A Mother for Janek”
    9:30 FRANK GUARRERA—Profile   SPECIAL 
  10:00 NEWSFRONT—Mitchell Krauss


31 WNYC (IND.)
Morning
  11:00 HUMAN RIGHTS FORUM
  11:30 COMMUNITY ACTION
Afternoon
  12:00 FILMS
    1:00 INTERLUDE
    3:00 YOUNG MUSICAL ARTISTS
    3:30 NAVY FILM   COLOR 
    4:00 AROUND THE CLOCK—Police
    4:30 PERSPECTIVE—Documentary
    5:00 FILMS FROM FRANCE
    5:30 WINGS TO THE WORLD
Evening
    6:00 STATEN ISLAND TODAY
    6:30 NEWS—Paul Manacher   COLOR 
    6:45 FILM
    7:00 FILM
    7:30 BROOKLYN COLLEGE
    8:00 COMMUNITY REPORT
    8:30 CONSULTANTS AT LARGE
    9:00 SIGHT AND SOUND—Music
    9:30 NEWS—Paul Manacher   COLOR 
    9:45 FILM
  10:00 IN THE LAW LIBRARY
  10:30 LATIN AMERICA


47 WNJU (NEWARK) (IND.)
Afternoon
    5:25 NEWS
    5:30 MOVIE—Comedy “Conflicto Inesperando” (Spanish; 1952)
Evening
    7:30 HABLA EL DUQUE DE ASALTA—Discussion   COLOR 
    8:00 MOVIE—Drama “La Ilegitima” (Mexican; 1957)
    9:30 SPANISH DRAMA   COLOR 
  10:00 VARIETY HOUR—Lanza   COLOR 
  10:30 NEWS—Corrigan   COLOR 
  10:45 VARIETY HOUR—Lanza   COLOR 
  11:15 MOVIE—Comedy “Conflicto Inesperando” (Spanish; 1952)
  12:30 NEWS—Arturo Rodriguez
 TV  

This week in TV Guide: November 23, 1968

Doesn't it seem as if we just celebrated Thanksgiving here last week? Well, I did warn you this was coming, so if you've had your fill of turkey, feel free to skip skip over that, but stay for the rest.

And this week, "the rest" means Marya Mannes' provocative article on the lack of women in television news. Oh, there's Pauline Frederick, NBC's UN correspondent; Marlene Sanders, who has the afternoon news update on ABC; Liz Trotta, reporting from Vietnam for NBC; and Mannes herself, who had her own show on WNEW in 1959 and has been a frequent radio and television commentator since.*

*It's interesting that Barbara Walters isn't included in this group, but then , even though she's now co-host of Today with Hugh Downs, she isn't apparently taken seriously as a journalist. 

"[I]t is a fact," Mannes writes, "that the only national television female of real authority is Julia Child." That's because women are supposed to be experts on food; nobody cares that she doesn't look like Raquel Welch; "in fact, quite properly, they care for her more because she is, simply, herself." But put a woman behind the news desk and the situation changes quickly. For starters, "she should look young and smooth-faced, and who can be that after 20 or 30 years of training, involvement and experience?"* As one network executive says, who "wants to look at a middle-aged dame, especially if she's bright?" Such a one would be likely to remind men of their mothers, wives, or mothers-in-law, "always talking or laying down the law."

*See Fox News, for example, although to their credit, (a) they aren't the only ones with attractive women anchoring the news, and (b) some of their reporters are not only quite good, they're also quite experience. Nonetheless, if the shoe fits,...

Mannes makes an interesting argument that television is, after all, entertainment; therefore, why aren't more women in news? The exceptions to the rule—public affairs programs such as WNBC's For Women Only (which, Mannes notes, is a stupid name for the show) are shown in the morning, which means housewives can watch—but what about prime time? Mannes acknowledges that there's still a "deep-seated resentment" to career women, which, interestingly, she says is"quite understandable in the case of militant females who bulldoze their opinions with strident voices, contorted faces and guerrilla tactics." Even worse, perhaps, are "those silken-voiced, super-groomed ladies who use the guise of femininity to conceal a vaulting and implacable ambition."

What Mannes looks forward to is the time when it won't matter if the news is presented "by a man or a woman, or whether, if a woman, she is young or not young, neither a fashion model nor a Playboy centerfold." (Again, see Fox.) By their very nature, Mannes says, women have a lot to offer in terms of special and different insights. "I believe that women have a special way of looking at things and feeling about them that men by their very nature often lack." If nothing else, adding more women to television news would provide viewers with more variety, which can be quite refreshing.

What will it be, she asks network executives in conclusion. "Could it be that you are more concerned with public acceptance—than with the public interest? Could it be that because you are men, you see only your own image?"

Around the dial

Is a good crop of links on tap this week— not a turkey among them.

Comfort TV gets us off to a good start, as David reviews the most unconvincing Indians of classic television. They're also some of the funniest portrayals; ah, I'm glad that at least part of my life was spent in a "gleefully unenlightened era."

I've noted in the past the relative merits of the hour-long Twilight Zone episodes, and this week The Twilight Zone Vortex looks at one of that format's best episodes, "Death Ship," with an outstanding cast including Jack Klugman, Ross Martin, and Fredrick Beir. Jordan mentions how this episode echoes Ray Bradbury's famous story "Mars Is Heaven!", which I've heard on the radio, but I'd never considered the similarities before.

If you're in the mood for some Christmas television (and who isn't, at this time of year?), Christmas TV History is the place to be, as Joanna tells us what various broadcast and cable stations have in mind for the season ; she also provides links to their full schedules.

At Classic Film and TV Café, Rick uses the first season of Route 66 to examine the output of one of classic television's greatest writers, Sterling Silliphant . I've written about him quite a bit too, and while I think he can be a bit strident from time to time, he's also the author of some of the most literate work on television.

In "Mad Men" Meets "Today," Jodie at Garroway at Large gives us a unique backstage look at the selling aspect of the show . In particular, we get to see how Dave Garroway was, in the words of his colleague Jack Lescoulie, one of the two best commercial spokesmen on television.

I really don't know how I feel about colorizing old TV episodes. Colorizing The Twilight Zone, for example, would be an abomination. Other series are in black-and-white simply because that's the way it was back then. Television Obscurities gives us the schedule for the latest I Love Lucy and Dick Van Dyke colorizations , both appearing on CBS.

Martin Grams has a rundown on this year's Williamsburg Nostalgia Fest , which sounds like it was a lot of fun. Bernie Kopell and Robert Fuller were there (they were a lot of fun at MANC a couple of years ago), as well as some tremendous vendors. I wonder if they'd be interested in an author of a classic TV book?

Here's hoping you all had a terrific Thanksgiving. Let the holidays commence! TV  

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, November 26, 1959

For Thanksgiving Eve, let's take a look at this rare kinescope of the 1959 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade as broadcast on NBC. The host is Bill Wendell, who was Ernie Kovacs' announcer on his NBC show, and went on to greater fame as the announcer for David Letterman's show, while Gene Rayburn provides the commentary from street level.

You'll notice it's only one hour; far shorter than today's bloated, performance-filled version. I love the parade, but I can't watch it without my thumb on the remote, ready at a moment's notice to switch over to Chicago or Detroit when the action lags. I've actually come to prefer the  online streaming  of America's Thanksgiving Parade in Detroit (you should be able to click on that link Thursday morning if you want to see it), which seems to have far more of the parade and far less of the singers lip-syncing to their latest hit. I wouldn't know what to do without them, though.


Regardless of how you feel about the parades (Mike Doran is not a fan, as I recall), please accept my best wishes for a very Happy Thanksgiving, one of the best days of the year! TV  

What's on TV? Tuesday, November 21, 1978

Here we are in Thanksgiving week, although since I gave that a pretty good rundown on Saturday, I think I'll skip the listings for the actual date. Instead, we'll take a look at Tuesday in the Twin Cities. As you can see, things have changed from some of the earlier TV Guides we've looked at lately; KTCA now has a normal broadcasting day; they also have most of the shows for children, those having disappeared from local broadcast stations. Game shows and soaps are still around, though—the wretched talk shows and judge shows that we're inundated with today haven't overrun us yet. Let's take a look at what else is on.



 2  KTCA (PBS)
MORNING
     7:00 ISSUES IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE
     7:30 SURVIVAL SKILLS FOR THE CLASSROOM TEACHER
     8:00 SESAME STREET—Children
     9:00 ELECTRIC COMPANY—Children
     9:30 MUSIC—Children
   10:00 CONSUMER SURVIVAL KIT
   10:30 TRADE-OFFS
   11:00 ZOOM—Children              11:30 SESAME STREET—Children
AFTERNOON
   12:30 MISTER ROGERS—Children
     1:00 ELECTRIC COMPANY—Children
     1:30 MINNESOTA ISSUES
     2:00 OVER EASY—Hugh DownsGuest: Howard Jarvis
     2:30 DICK CAVETTGuest: William F. Buckley Jr.
     3:00 NOVA
     4:00 MISTER ROGERS—Children
     4:30 SESAME STREET—Children
     5:30 ELECTRIC COMPANY—Children
EVENING
     6:00 FREESTYLE—Children
     6:30 MacNEIL/LEHRER REPORT
     7:00 LIVE FROM THE MET—OperaSpecial: “The Bartered Bride”
   10:10 AMERICA 2NIGHT—Comedy Guest: Mark Hamill
   10:40 VISIONS—Drama“The Dancing Bear”
   12:10 SOUNDSTAGE
Howard Jarvis, the guest on Hugh Downs' Over Easy, was at the time one of the most prominent and most controversial political figures in the United States. He authored Proposition 13, California's celebrated tax-cutting initiative which became law in 1978 and cut property taxes by nearly 60%.

 4  WCCO (CBS)
MORNING
     5:30 SUNRISE SEMESTERAmerican Character
     6:00 CBS NEWS—Stahl/Threlkeld
     7:00 ALLEN’S WINDOW—Children
     7:30 CAPTAIN KANGAROO
     8:00 PHIL DONAHUE
     9:00 JOKER’S WILD—Game
     9:30 PRICE IS RIGHT—Game
   10:30 LOVE OF LIFE—Serial
   10:55 NEWS
   11:00 YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS              11:30 SEARCH FOR TOMORROW
AFTERNOON
   12:00 MIDDAYGuest: Charlton Heston
   12:30 AS THE WORLD TURNS—Serial
     1:30 GUIDING LIGHT—Serial
     2:30 M*A*S*H
     3:00 EVERYDAYGuests: Seals & Crofts
     4:00 MIKE DOUGLASCo-host: Helen Reddy. Guests: Richard Benjamin, Isaac Hayes, Elayne Boosler, Richard Hatch
     5:30 CBS NEWS—Walter Cronkite
EVENING
     6:00 NEWS
     6:30 $1.98 BEAUTY SHOWJudges: Gloria DeHaven, Jamie Farr, Jaye P. Morgan
     7:00 PAPER CHASE—Drama
     8:00 MOVIE—Drama“The Pirate” (Made For TV; 1978)
   10:00 NEWS
   10:45 MARCUS WELBY, M.D.—Drama
   11:55 BONANZA—Western
     1:00 ROOKIES—Crime Drama
Charlton Heston is a busy man today—in addition to appearing on the Midday show here, he's also on Twin Cities Today on Channel 5; both shows are broadcast live. My guess is that he was in town promoting his new book The Actor's Life, a copy of which resides in our library.

 5  KSTP (NBC)
MORNING
     5:50 MINNESOTA TODAY
     6:20 COUNTRY DAY
     7:00 TODAY—Tom BrokawGuest: Alexis Smith
     9:00 TWIN CITIES TODAYGuest: Charlton Heston
   10:00 HIGH ROLLERS—Game
   10:30 WHEEL OF FORTUNE—Game
   11:00 AMERICA ALIVE!—Jack Linkletter
AFTERNOON
   12:00 HOLLYWOOD SQUARES—GameJune Carter Cash, Melissa Gilbert, George Gobel, Richard Lewis, Paul Lynde, Roddy McDowall, Richard Mulligan, Wendy Phillips, Jimmie Walker
   12:30 DAYS OF OUR LIVES—Serial
     1:30 DOCTORS—Serial
     2:00 ANOTHER WORLD—Serial
     3:00 CONCENTRATION
     3:30 NEW MICKEY MOUSE CLUB
     4:00 BATTLE OF THE PLANETS
     4:30 DR. WHO—Science Fiction
     5:00 HOGAN’S HEROES—Comedy
     5:30 NBC NEWS—Chancellor/Brinkley
EVENING
     6:00 NEWS
     6:30 THAT’S HOLLYWOOD!
     7:00 GREATEST HEROES OF THE BIBLE—Drama
     9:00 DEAN MARTINSpecial: Suzanne Somers Roast
   10:00 NEWS
   10:30 JOHNNY CARSONGuests: Anthony Quinn, Steve Martin, Paul Williams
   12:00 TOMORROW—Tom Snyder
     1:00 NEWS
I was a pretty loyal viewer of Hogan's Heroes back then, provided I'd gotten back from classes by then, but this was before I'd become a fan of (classic) Doctor Who; hence, I have absolutely no memory of having seen it on prior to Hogan. As I recall from past TV Guide issues, Channel 5 was running the Tom Baker episodes, which would eventually find a home on Channel 2, along with all the other Doctors.

 9  KMSP (ABC)
MORNING
     6:30 GOOD MORNING MINNESOTAGuest: David Wallechinsky
     7:00 GOOD MORNING AMERICAGuest: Rossano Brazzi
     9:00 DINAH!Guests: Orson Welles, Peter Strauss, Rita Moreno, Britt Ekland
   10:00 HAPPY DAYS
   10:30 FAMILY FEUD—Game
   11:00 $25,000 PYRAMID—GameNipsey Russell, Elaine Joyce              11:30 RYAN’S HOPE—Serial
AFTERNOON
   12:00 ALL MY CHILDREN—Serial
     1:00 ONE LIFE TO LIVE—Serial
     2:00 GENERAL HOSPITAL—Serial
     3:00 MEDICAL CENTER—Drama
     4:00 STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO
     5:00 ABC NEWS
     5:30 SANFORD AND SON—Comedy
EVENING
     6:00 NEWS
     6:30 $100,000 NAME THAT TUNE
     7:00 HAPPY DAYS
     7:30 LAVERNE & SHIRLEY
     8:00 THREE’S COMPANY
     8:30 TAXI—Comedy
     9:00 STARSKY & HUTCH
   10:00 NEWS
   10:30 PHOTOPLAY AWARDSSpecial
   12:00 MOD SQUAD—Crime Drama
     1:00 TWILIGHT ZONE—Drama  BW 
     1:30 NEWS
Nipsey Russell is just as busy as Charlton Heston today; he's on The $25,000 Pyramid at 11:00, and then on WTCN he's on the syndicated Cross-Wits. I say this with absolutely no disrespect, but every game-show producer in America must have had Nipsey's phone number on speeddial; I imagine if a guest was ever sick or couldn't make it, Nipsey would have been there right away to fill-in.

11 WTCN (Ind.)
MORNING
     5:30 WHAT’S NEW?
     6:00 PTL CLUB—Religion
     7:00 ARCHIES—Cartoons
     7:30 POPEYE AND PORKY—Cartoons
     8:30 GROOVE GOOLIES AND FRIENDS—Cartoon
     9:00 FRED FLINTSTONE & FRIENDS
     9:30 BEWITCHED—Comedy
   10:00 FAMILY AFFAIR—Comedy
   10:30 MAYBERRY R.F.D.—Comedy
   11:00 LOVE AMERICAN STYLE              11:30 WHAT’S NEW?
AFTERNOON
   12:30 ANDY GRIFFITH—Comedy  BW 
     1:00 MOVIE—Western“The Violent Men” (1954)
     3:00 SPIDERMAN—Cartoon
     3:30 TOM AND JERRY—Cartoons
     4:30 LEAVE IT TO BEAVER  BW 
     5:00 I LOVE LUCY—Comedy  BW 
     5:30 MY THREE SONS—Comedy
EVENING
     6:00 CAROL BURNETT AND FRIENDS
     6:30 NEWLYWED GAME
     7:00 DATING GAME
     7:30 CROSS-WITS—GameNipsey Russell, Bo Svenson, Marcia Wallace, Marianne Black
     8:00 MERV GRIFFINGuests: Odyssey, Tom Brokaw, Jane Pauley, Theodore White, William Manchester, Arthur Schlessinger Jr.
     9:30 NEWS
   10:00 MARY TYLER MOORE—Comedy
   10:30 BOB NEWHART—Comedy
   11:00 ODD COUPLE—Comedy
   11:30 GONG SHOW—GameJudges: Rip Taylor, Patti Andrews, Pat McCormick
   12:00 IRONSIDE—Crime Drama
     1:00 ALFRED HITCHCOCK—Drama  BW 
Now see, Merv Griffin has the kind of lineup that you'd never see on a talk show today; you might have the hosts of The Today Show, but look at that powerhouse group of authors: Teddy White wrote The Making of the President 1960; William Manchester The Death of a President; and Arthur Schlessinger A Thousand Days, all books about JFK. My assumption is this is to coincide with the 15th anniversary of the assassination, which happened to be today. 

17 KTCI (PBS)
AFTERNOON
     5:30 VILLA ALEGRE—Children
EVENING
     6:00 ISSUES IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE
     6:30 SURVIVAL SKILLS FOR THE CLASSROOM TEACHER
     7:00 MISTER ROGERS—Children
     7:30 ELECTRIC COMPANY—Children
     8:00 MacNEIL/LEHRER REPORT
     8:30 OVER EASY—Hugh DownsGuest: Sen. Charles Percy
     9:00 SOUNDSTAGEDoobie Brothers in concert
   10:00 DICK CAVETTGuest: Jan Morris
   10:30 ABC NEWSCaptioned for the hearing-impaired.
I don't know; doesn't Issues in Criminal Justice sound more like a show that would be on ESPN today? TV  

This week in TV Guide: November 18, 1978

As you know, I'm a sucker for holidays, particularly Thanksgiving and Christmas (although New Year's isn't bad either). We have one of those in this week's issue, and one of the nice things about Thanksgiving is that since the date moves around, there's always a chance we'll get to look at it being celebrated in back-to-back issues—as, in fact, will be the case this week and next.

This is one of the old-fashioned Thanksgiving issues, as is apparent from the very beginning, with William Conrad anchoring CBS's All-American Thanksgiving Day Parades (8:00 a.m. CT). He always did this from a studio with a warm, welcoming scene—crackling fireplace, decorations, comfy wingback chair. It was very inviting. No wonder I have fond memories of those years. These were the years when CBS covered the parades in Detroit, Philadelphia, Toronto, and Honolulu in addition to New York. A pity they don't do that anymore, although the Detroit parade is syndicated as well as streamed online. NBC is, of course, home of the Macy's parade, and this year Ed McMahon is the host (8:00 a.m.), with a host of singing stars doing their best to sync to the songs being played over the speakers. I'd check that parade out from time to time, but CBS was the home for me.

What's Thanksgiving without football? NBC's game, beginning at 11:30 a.m. is Detroit's Turkey Day contest, this year against Denver. That's followed at 2:30 p.m. by those two old rivals, Washington and Dallas, facing off on CBS. No college action, alas; it's one of the fallow periods, before cable TV brought college games back to Thanksgiving.

I always enjoyed the other special programs that were on, even though I'd be too busy watching football to care about them. For instance, Channel 4 has an animated version of Jules Verne's "Journey to the Center of the Earth" on Famous Classic Tales at 11:00 a.m., followed at 12:30 p.m. by a Family Sports Special with figure skating from Central Park and highlights of the Moscow Circus, the Calgary Stampede, and women's gymnastics. Channel 11 presents the feature-length Hey There, It's Yogi Bear at 1:00 p.m.—it was originally made in 1964. WTCN's "Movie of the Month" is John Wayne in Hatari. (7:00 p.m.) And at 8:00 p.m. Channel 5 has part one of Howard Fast's The Immigrants, in what looks to me like an Operation Prime Time production.

One of the highlights of the day after Thanksgiving used to be ABC's cartoon festival, in which the regular Saturday morning lineup would feature on Friday morning and early afternoon. I don't know when they stopped doing that, or if it was merely an interruption in 1978, but there's no sign of it this year. ABC counters with college football at noon—once again traditional rivals, this time Pitt and Penn State. Donnie and Marie offer some Thanksgiving leftovers with their Thanksgiving program, accompanied by Cindy Williams, Seals & Crofts, and Lorne Greene—a varied lineup, to be sure.

I dunno—the parades still hit the mark, but compared to what we've seen in the past (and may see again in next week's issue), it's not as bit a television event day as it used to be. Or maybe it's just that you can't go home again, even if home is merely in your memories. As someone once said, I don't live in the past—I just vacation there.

Around the dial

This week at Thrilling Days of Yesteryear, Ivan tells us of being pleasantly surprised by the first season of The High Chaparral on DVD. That's happened to me a few times with various series, and it is indeed a pleasure. A high one, in fact.

Did you ever wonder why Colonel Hogan's German accent was so bad on Hogan's Heroes? Wonder not! Carol comes to the rescue at Bob Crane: Life & Legacy. And you might be surprised at the answer.

Ah, the DVD dress is done ! You can read about it (and see it!) at Christmas TV History, as Joanna gives you the details of this massive project.

Garroway at Large commemorates Veterans' Day with Jodie's look back at the career of Lt. Dave Garroway, USNR .

At Comfort TV, David quizzes us on the Eilbacher sisters, Cindy and Lisa. Do you know which is which? Take the test and find out !

Television Obscurities has good news for Burt Reynolds fans: his one-season police series Dan August will be out on DVD next month, just in time for Christmas!

Short but sweet this week; see you back here tomorrow. TV