Mitchell Hadley's Blog: It's About TV!, page 61
December 26, 2022
What's on TV? Tuesday, December 25, 1973
Happy Boxing Day! In many of the world's civilized countries, the day after Christmas is a legal holiday, but here in the United States, where we don't celebrate Boxing Day, we have today off anyway because Christmas fell on a Sunday. (Interestingly, where Boxing Day is celebrated, it remains December 26, and the Christmas day off is December 27. Go figure.) But I digress, other than to say that I hope you all had a happy and blessed Christmas. Today we're looking at Christmas, 1973, I could have chosen a TV Guide from Minneapolis-St. Paul rather than this one, which includes Philadelphia and New York City, but quite frankly the Yuletide programming for the Twin Cities was fairly underwhelming. This way, with larger metropolitan areas and more TV stations to choose from, I've got a lot more to work with!
For the most part, the Christmas season is over as far as the networks are concerned, since all the presents have already been purchased, so most of our Christmas television comes from the locals. There's one exception, although, which is NBC's annual coverage of the Christmas Day Service from Washington's National Episcopal Cathedral (10:00 a.m.). This was always a lovely program which some wonderful Christmas music; I think the service is still shown online. WOR and WPVI also have live coverage of Christmas services, and WKBS rebroadcasts Pope Paul's Midnight Mass (10:30 a.m.). ABC's movie of the week is Home for the Holidays (8:30 p.m.) with Eleanor Parker, Sally Field, Jessica Walter, Julie Harris, Jill Haworth and Walter Brennan, but it's not what you think: a holiday family reunion in which one of the family members is a murderer.
Other programs today are rebroadcasts from earlier in the week (such as WTAF's Ranch Hope Christmas Show), but WNET presents A Joyful Noice, music from the Beers Family (10:00 a.m.), followed by a quintet of short Christmas stories (11:30 a.m.), and KYW's Christmas Story (noon) has entertainment from area ensembles, including the Philadelphia Civic Ballet, Holy Trinity Church Choirs, Westminster Bell Ringers, and LaSalle College Singers. There are a couple of airings of Christmas Is, an animated special with Hans Conried as the voice of the Innkeeper, and WABC has Christmas in Jazz (10;30 a.m.), with Tommy and Ernie Furtado and their jazz groups. And of course, there are movies for the kiddies, including Pinocchio in Outer Space and The Wacky World of Mother Goose. Here are the complete listings; enjoy the day!
2 WCBS (NYC) (CBS) MORNING 6:20 NEWS 6:30 SUNRISE SEMESTER 7:00 CBS NEWS—Rudd/Quinn 8:00 CAPTAIN KANGAROO 9:00 ANYTHING YOU CAN DO 9:30 PAT COLLINS 10:00 JOKER’S WILD—Game 10:30 $10,000 PYRAMID—Game Betsy Palmer, Leonard Nimoy 11:00 GAMBIT—Game 11:30 LOVE OF LIFE—Serial 11:55 CBS NEWS—Douglas Edwards AFTERNOON 12:00 YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS—Serial 12:30 SEARCH FOR TOMORROW—Serial 1:00 WHAT’S MY LINE? 1:30 AS THE WORLD TURNS—Serial 2:00 GUIDING LIGHT—Serial 2:30 EDGE OF NIGHT—Serial 3:00 PRICE IS RIGHT—Game 3:30 MATCH GAME June Lockhart, Jack Cassidy, Loretta Swit Charles Nelson Reilly, Brett Somers Klugman, Richard Dawson 4:00 SECRET STORM—Serial 4:30 MIKE DOUGLAS Co-host: Bill Hayes. Robert Klein and Brenda Boozer, Susan Strasberg, Christopher Finch, Hugh McDonald, Bobby Sandler EVENING 6:00 NEWS 7:00 CBS NEWS—Walter Cronkite 7:30 NEW TREASURE HUNT 8:00 MAUDE 8:30 HAWAII FIVE-O 9:30 HAWKINS—Crime Drama 11:00 NEWS 11:30 MOVIE—Adventure “Ivanhoe” (1952) 1:40 MOVIE—Comedy BW “Mr. Deeds Goes to Town” (1936) 3:55 MOVIE—Drama BW “All Mine to Give” (1957)
-3- KYW (PHILADELPHIA) (NBC) MORNING 6:05 FARM MARKET REPORT 6:10 NEWS 6:15 SPEAK FOR YOURSELF Lesson: “Scarlet Ribbons” 6:45 FARM, HOME AND GARDEN 7:00 TODAY—McGee/Walters 9:00 SOMERSET 9:30 JEOPARDY 10:00 CHRISTMAS DAY SERVICES Special: From Washington National Cathedral 11:00 WIZARD OF ODDS—Game 11:30 HOLLYWOOD SQUARES James Coco, James Brolin, Joan Rivers, Carol Lynley, Marty Allen, John Davidson, Paul Lynde, Charley Weaver AFTERNOON 12:00 CHRISTMAS STORY Special 1:30 THREE ON A MATCH—Game 2:00 DAYS OF OUR LIVES—Serial 2:30 DOCTORS—Serial 3:00 ANOTHER WORLD—Serial 3:30 RETURN TO PEYTON PLACE—Serial 4:00 MIKE DOUGLAS Guests: Anne Baxter, Kreskin, Desi Arnaz Jr., Don Goodwin 5:30 NEWS EVENING 6:00 NEWS 6:30 NBC NEWS—John Chancellor 7:00 WHAT’S MY LINE? Soupy Sales, Carole Shelley, Gene Shalit, Arlene Francis. Host: Larry Blyden 7:30 NEW TREASURE HUNT 8:00 CHASE—Crime Drama 9:00 MAGICIAN—Drama 10:00 POLICE STORY—Crime Drama 11:00 NEWS 11:30 JOHNNY CARSON Guest host: Jerry Lewis. Guest: Enzo Stuarti 1:00 TOMORROW—Discussion 2:00 NEWS
4 WNBC (NYC) (NBC) MORNING 6:30 EMPLOYMENT SERVICES 7:00 TODAY—McGee/Walters 9:00 NOT FOR WOMEN ONLY Guests: Viveca Lindfors, Harry Hershfield, Nada Skerly 9:30 TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES 10:00 CHRISTMAS DAY SERVICES Special: From Washington National Cathedral 11:00 WIZARD OF ODDS—Game 11:30 HOLLYWOOD SQUARES James Coco, James Brolin, Joan Rivers, Carol Lynley, Marty Allen, John Davidson, Paul Lynde, Charley Weaver AFTERNOON 12:00 JEOPARDY—Game 12:30 WHO, WHAT OR WHERE—Game 12:55 NBC NEWS—Edwin Newman 1:00 CONCENTRATION 1:30 THREE ON A MATCH—Game 2:00 DAYS OF OUR LIVES—Serial 2:30 DOCTORS—Serial 3:00 ANOTHER WORLD—Serial 3:30 RETURN TO PEYTON PLACE—Serial 4:00 SOMERSET—Serial 4:30 MOVIE—Comedy “Merry Andrew” (1958) EVENING 6:00 NEWS 7:00 NBC NEWS—John Chancellor 7:30 NEWARK BOYS CHORUS Special 8:00 CHASE—Crime Drama 9:00 MAGICIAN—Drama 10:00 POLICE STORY—Crime Drama 11:00 NEWS 11:30 JOHNNY CARSON Guest host: Jerry Lewis. Guest: Enzo Stuarti 1:00 TOMORROW—Discussion 2:00 MOVIE—Drama BW “The Green Helmet” (English; 1961)
5 WNEW (NYC) (Ind.) MORNING 6:30 CHRISTMAS IS Special 7:00 UNDERDOG 7:30 FLINTSTONES 8:00 BUGS BUNNY 8:30 FLYING NUN—Comedy 9:00 HAZEL—Comedy BW 9:30 MOTHERS-IN-LAW—Comedy 10:00 I LOVE LUCY—Comedy BW 10:30 GREEN ACRES—Comedy 11:00 ANDY GRIFITH—Comedy BW 11:30 MIDDAY LIVE Celeste Holm, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, Bobby Short AFTERNOON 1:00 MOVIE—Comedy BW “Horse Feathers” (1932) 2:30 MOVIE—Comedy BW “Man on the Flying Trapeze” (1935) 4:00 CHRISTMAS IS 4:30 CARTOONS 5:30 FLINTSTONES EVENING 6:30 ANDY GRIFFITH—Comedy 7:00 I LOVE LUCY—Comedy BW 7:30 BEWITCHED—Comedy 8:00 THAT GIRL—Comedy 8:30 MERV GRIFFIN Florence Henderson, Jack Jones, Karen Valentine, Susan George 10:00 NEWS—Bill Jorgensen 11:00 HOGAN’S HEROES—Comedy 11:30 MOVIE—Drama BW “Going My Way” (1944) 2:05 COMBAT—Drama BW 3:05 BIG ATTACK—Drama BW
-6- WPVI (PHILADELPHIA) (ABC) MORNING 6:30 OPERATION ALPHABET 7:00 CHRISTMAS LOST AND FOUND—Puppets Davey and Goliath 7:30 CAPTAIN NOAH 9:00 DIRECTOIONS 10:00 UNTO US A CHILD IS BORN—Religion 10:30 CHRISTMAS IS 11:00 CHRISTMAS SERVICE Special: From St. Thomas Episcopal Church AFTERNOON 12:00 NEWS 12:30 SPLIT SECOND—Game 1:00 ALL MY CHILDREN—Serial 1:30 LET’S MAKE A DEAL—Game 2:00 NEWLYWED GAME 2:30 GIRL IN MY LIFE 3:00 GENERAL HOSPITAL—Serial 3:30 ONE LIFE TO LIVE—Serial 4:00 I LOVE LUCY—Comedy BW 4:30 BIG VALLEY—Western BW 5:30 TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES EVENING 6:00 NEWS 6:30 ABC NEWS—Smith/Reasoner 7:00 TO TELL THE TRUTH Nipsey Russell, Kitty Carlisle 7:30 WILD KINGDOM 8:00 TEMPERATURES RISING—Comedy 8:30 MOVIE—Drama “Home for the Holidays” (Made-for-TV; 1973) 10:00 MARCUS WELBY, M.D. 11:00 NEWS 11:30 MEDICINE SHOW 1:00 PERSPECTIVE
7 WABC (NYC) (ABC) MORNING 6:30 LISTEN AND LEARN—Science BW 7:00 A.M. NEW YORK 9:00 FAMILY THEATRE 10:30 CHRISTMAS IN JAZZ 11:00 GOMER PYLE, USMC 11:30 TO BE ANNOUNCED AFTERNOON 12:00 PASSWORD—Game Sandy Duncan, Bill Bixby. Host: Allen Ludden 12:30 SPLIT SECOND—Game 1:00 ALL MY CHILDREN—Serial 1:30 LET’S MAKE A DEAL—Game 2:00 NEWLYWED GAME 2:30 GIRL IN MY LIFE 3:00 GENERAL HOSPITAL—Serial 3:30 ONE LIFE TO LIVE—Serial 4:00 LOVE, AMERICAN STYLE 4:30 MOVIE—Adventure “Seven Cities of Gold” (1955) EVENING 6:00 NEWS 7:00 ABC NEWS—Smith/Reasoner 7:30 WILD, WILD WORLD OF ANIMALS 8:00 TEMPERATURES RISING—Comedy 8:30 MOVIE—Drama “Home for the Holidays” (Made-for-TV; 1973) 10:00 MARCUS WELBY, M.D. 11:00 NEWS 11:30 MEDICINE SHOW 1:00 MOVIE—Mystery BW “Fast Company” (1938)
9 WOR (NYC) (Ind.) MORNING 7:30 NEWS BW 8:00 GARNER TED ARMSTRONG 8:30 JOURNEY TO ADVENTURE 9:00 CHRISTMAS DAY MASS Special 10:00 MOVIE—Musical “The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T” (1953) AFTERNOON 12:00 MI DULCE ENAMORADA BW 12:55 NOTICIAS 1:00 MOVIE—Cartoon “Pinocchio in Outer Space” (1965) 2:30 BEVERLY HILLBILLIES BW 3:00 MOVIE—Drama BW “Outcasts of Poker Flats” (1937) 4:00 MOVIE—Drama BW “Tom Brown’s School Days” (English; 1951) EVENING 6:00 WILD WILD WEST—Adventure BW 7:00 LUCY SHOW—Comedy BW 7:30 BOWLING FOR DOLLARS 8:00 MOVIE—Musical “For the First Time” (1959) 10:00 CELEBRITY BOWLING Bob Newhart and James Farentino vs. Robert Lansing and Stephen Young. Host: Jed Allan 10:30 NEWS—Tom Dunn 11:00 WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE—Western BW 11:30 MOVIE—Drama “The Long Gray Line” (1955) 2:00 JOE FRANKLIN 3:00 NEWS
10 WCAU (PHILADELPHIA) (CBS) MORNING 6:30 WAKE UP! 7:00 CBS NEWS—Rudd/Quinn 8:00 CAPTAIN KANGAROO 9:00 BETTY HUGHES AND FRIENDS 9:30 SAFARI TO ADVENTURE 10:00 JOKER’S WILD—Game 10:30 $10,000 PYRAMID—Game Betsy Palmer, Leonard Nimoy 11:00 GAMBIT—Game 11:30 LOVE OF LIFE—Serial 11:55 CBS NEWS—Douglas Edwards AFTERNOON 12:00 YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS—Serial 12:30 SEARCH FOR TOMORROW—Serial 1:00 SECRET STORM—Serial 1:30 AS THE WORLD TURNS—Serial 2:00 GUIDING LIGHT—Serial 2:30 EDGE OF NIGHT—Serial 3:00 PRICE IS RIGHT—Game 3:30 MATCH GAME June Lockhart, Jack Cassidy, Loretta Swit Charles Nelson Reilly, Brett Somers Klugman, Richard Dawson 4:00 MOVIE—Drama “Friendly Persuasion” (1956) EVENING 6:30 NEWS 7:00 CBS NEWS—Walter Cronkite 7:30 JOHNNY MANN’S STAND UP AND CHEER Guest: Rich Little 8:00 MAUDE 8:30 HAWAII FIVE-O 9:30 HAWKINS—Crime Drama 11:00 NEWS 11:30 MOVIE—Adventure “Ivanhoe” (1952) 1:40 MOVIE—Musical “The Vagabond King” (1956) 3:30 GIVE US THIS DAY 3:35 MOVIE—Musical “Bundle of Joy” (1956)
11 WPIX (NYC) (Ind.) MORNING 7:00 NEWS—Roy Whitfield 7:30 LITTLE RASCALS BW 8:00 COURAGEOUS CAT 8:30 LIVING EASY WITH DR. JOYCE BROTHERS Co-host: Hermoine GIngold 9:00 PUERTO RICAN NEW YORKER 9:30 EQUAL TIME 10:00 MOVIE—Drama BW “Bush Christmas” (Australian; 1947) 11:00 MAN WHO KILLED CHRISTMAS 11:30 ABBOTT AND COSTELLO BW AFTERNOON 12:00 NEW ZOO REVUE—Children 12:30 CHRISTMAS IS 1:00 GALLOPING GOURMET Pumpkin and oyster soup 1:30 GET SMART—Comedy 2:00 FATHER KNOWS BEST BW 2:30 NANNY AND THE PROFESSOR 3:00 MAGILLA GORILLA 3:30 FELIX THE CAT BW 4:00 POPEYE 4:30 BATMAN—Adventure Guest Villain: Cesar Romero (The Joker) 5:00 F TROOP—Comedy 5:30 GILLIGAN’S ISLAND—Comedy EVENING 6:00 I DREAM OF JEANNIE—Comedy 6:30 BEAT THE CLOCK Guest: Tom Poston 7:00 BILL DAILY’S HOCUS POCUS GANG Special: Guests: Jerry Lewis, Ruth Buzzi, Frank Gorshin, Art Metrano 8:00 NORTH-SOUTH SHRINE GAME Special Football from Miami 11:00 NEWS 11:30 PERRY MASON BW
12 WHYY (WILMINGTON-PHILADELPHIA) (PBS) AFTERNOON 4:00 SESAME STREET 5:00 MISTER ROGERS 5:30 ELECTRIC COMPANY—Children EVENING 6:00 DELAWARE NEWS BW 6:30 ANTIQUES 7:00 TAKE 12 7:30 ON TOP OF IT BW 8:00 WAR AND PEACE Part 6 9:30 PERFORMANCE—Music Maryland Baroque Ensemble 10:00 FIRING LINE Guest: Dr. Malachi Martin
13 WNET (NYC) (PBS) MORNING 9:00 SESAME STREET 10:00 A JOYFUL NOISE Special 11:00 SOUNDS OF JOY—Drama 11:30 CHRISTMAS QUINTET 1. “The First Christmas” 2. “How the Animals Discovered Christmas” 3. “Little Shepherd and the First Christmas” 4. “The Little Drummer Boy” 5. “Twelve Days of Christmas” AFTERNOON 12:30 McKONKEY’S FERRY—Documentary Special 1:00 THE MESSIAH—Music Special: Arion Music Club of Milwaukee 3:00 SILENT COMEDY FILM FESTIVAL 4:00 SESAME STREET 5:00 MISTER ROGERS 5:30 ELECTRIC COMPANY—Children EVENING 6:00 HODGEPODGE LODGE 6:30 ZOOM 7:00 REALIDADES 8:00 WAR AND PEACE Part 6 9:30 INSIDE THE WORLD OF JESSE ALLAN 11:00 PERFORMANCE—Music 11:30 JANAKI
17 WPHL (PHILADELPHIA) (Ind.) MORNING 11:40 NEWS 11:45 BULLETIN BOARD AFTERNOON 12:00 CARTOON CLUB 12:30 GOMER PYLE, USMC—Comedy 1:00 MOVIE—Puppets “The Wacky World of Mother Goose" (1967) 2:30 PATTY DUKE—Comedy BW 3:00 BULLWINKLE—Cartoon 3:30 ASTRO BOY—Cartoon BW 4:00 MARINE BOY—Cartoon 4:30 POPEYE—Cartoon 5:00 SPIDERMAN—Cartoon 5:30 JOHNNY SOKKO EVENING 6:00 UNTOUCHABLES—Crime Drama BW 7:00 BONANZA—Western 8:00 OF LANDS AND SEAS 9:00 MOVIE—Drama “Three Coins in the Fountain” (1954) 11:00 ALFRED HITCHCOCK—Drama BW 11:30 MOVIE—Comedy BW “Topper Takes a Trip” (1939) 1:30 BULLETIN BOARD
29 WTAF (PHILADELPHIA) (Ind.) AFTERNOON 2:00 RANCH HOPE CHRISTMAS SHOW Special 3:00 DENNIS THE MENACE—Comedy BW 3:30 THREE STOOGES BW 4:30 SUPERMAN—Adventure BW 5:00 BATMAN—Adventure Guest Villains: Ida Lupino (Dr. Cassandra Spellcraft) and Howard Duff (Cabala) 5:30 BATMAN—Adventure Guest Villain: Zsa Zsa Gabor (Minerva) EVENING 6:00 BEWITCHED—Comedy 6:30 COURTSHIP OF EDDIE’S FATHER—Comedy-Drama 7:00 THAT GIRL—Comedy 7:30 HOGAN’S HEROES—Comedy 8:00 NORTH-SOUTH SHRINE GAME Special: Football from Miami 11:00 BOWLING
48 WKBS (PHILADELPHIA) (Ind.) MORNING 10:30 POPE PAUL’S CHRISTMAS MASS Special AFTERNOON 12:00 MOVIE—Comedy BW “It’s a Wonderful Life” (1946) 3:00 HUCK AND YOGI—Cartoon 3:30 SPEED RACER—Cartoon 4:00 LITTLE RASCALS BW 4:30 FLINTSTONES—Cartoon 5:30 GILLIGAN’S ISLAND—Comedy EVENING 6:00 STAR TREK—Adventure 7:00 MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 8:00 MOVIE—Drama BW “The Jazz Singer” (1927) 10:00 PERRY MASON BW 11:00 NIGHT GALLERY 11:30 MOVIE—Comedy BW “Holiday Affair” (1949)
TV
December 24, 2022
This week in TV Guide: December 22, 1973
Xemember the Energy Crisis™ of 1973? You would if you'd lived through it. Record gas prices, long lines at gas stations, even-odd days when you could even buy gas. Events were rescheduled for daytime so lights didn't need to be used; many cities kept their Christmas lights off that year, and some (like Minneapolis) never put them back up. It's a good thing we don't have to go through anything like that any—well, let's just forget that last sentence.Unlike today's energy problems, though, there's a good reason for the crisis of 1973: the Arab oil embargo, a response to U.S. support for Israel during the Yom Kippur War, which resulted in the price for a barrel of oil going from around $2.90 a barrel before the embargo to $11.65 a barrel by January 1974. The price at the pump went from 39 cents per gallon before the crisis to 53 cents in 1974, and while that sounds like a dream price today, back then it represented an increase of around 36% in less than a year.
But you didn't come here for a lesson in international power politics, now, did you? No, you came here to read about television, and right about now you're waiting to see how I'm going to tie all this in together, aren't you? As it happens, Richard K Doan is going to take care of all that for us, in his report on how the energy crisis is actually good news for the television industry. "Faced with gasless Sundays and the like, they figure, more people will stay home and watch the tube." Before they get too excited, though, they should know that Congress is worried about the amount of television people watch. Not because TV is bad for viewers; it's that they're afraid people watching too much TV will put a drain on electricity, and to combat that there's been talk of establishing a 1:00 a.m. TV curfew, or perhaps something even earlier. Meanwhile, the FCC is gathering data on just how much energy those radios and television sets consume. The networks insist that this is all much ado about nothing; says one executive, "TV helps keep people off the road ant that saves a lot of gasoline. Personally I think people would rather wear sweaters to cut down on heating oil than cut back on their TV."If all this sounds pretty ridiculous to you, you're right—it sounds like something out of a Don DeLillo novel, frankly—but I can't say that I'm surprised the government would think of a TV curfew; it's just one more way to regulate your behavior. I am surprised, though, that I don't remember any talk about establishing a television time-out; you'd think that when it comes to turning off TV, I'd be all ears. Of course, at the time I was rotting away in the World's Worst Town™, so that might have something to do with it. KCMT went off the air after Johnny Carson anyway, so it wouldn't have changed a thing.
Elsewhere at The Doan Report, morning shows are big news. CBS, struggling with its disastrous pairing of Hughes Rudd and Sally Quinn on the CBS Morning News, is putting Quinn on the Washington beat for a couple of weeks. It doesn't necessarily mean she'll be reporting from there permanently; "We're just trying various approaches." The one they finally settle on is to ask Quinn not to approach the program anymore; the February 1, 1974, program is her last, as the network buys off her $70,000-a-year contract.ABC, meanwhile, is looking for something different with its morning show, opting for a format that "will be basically entertainment with news capsules dropped in, presided over by a show-biz personality rather than a newsman." In other words, they're looking back at the old CBS Morning Show, hosted by, at various times, Walter Cronkite, Jack Paar and Dick Van Dyke, and featuring the Baird Puppets. Well, you know how television goes; what's old is new again. Anyway, the program, AM America, hosted by newsman Bill Beutel and Stephanie Edwards, with the news provided by Peter Jennings. It lasts just ten months before being replaced by Good Morning America with David Hartman, the show which finally strikes the balance the network is looking for.
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. Our first look at detective Theo Kojak came last year, with the TV movie The Marcus-Nelson Murders. It was, Cleveland Amory says, "one of last season's better TV-movies." Now that it's a weekly series, Amory calls it "not only one of the better series, but the best new series of the season."
Now, it's true, he says, that there are too many crime shows on TV, so "drop one of the ones you've been watching and try this one instead." It's also true that, outwardly, there's nothing to distinguish Kojak from these other shows, with the same absurd chases and awful music and psycho robber-killers. But even when it's awful, "it was really awful—there was reality there." And in far better episodes, there's even more reality. It spares no horrors; "we admit it's not for the squeamish," but it also spares no expense—"it isn't one of those shows that looks as if it is trying to fill the time without spending too much money." The crowd scenes have real crowds, "and when you get up against a gang, you don't get just the indication of the gang, you get the whole dang gang."
The supporting cast for Kojak—primarily Dan Frazier as Kojak's boss, and Kevin Dobson as one of his detectives—does the job without constantly reminding you what kind of cop they're supposed to be, so pay attention the first time. But above all, Kojak is Telly Savalas, who is "far more than just a good, strong actor playing a good, tough cop. He is a very fine, sensitive actor playing a very interesting, sensitive man." His reactions, Amory says, are "forked lightning." He shoots quickly, he can "grab a killer or twist the arm of a suspect so rapidly that it's almost over before you see it."
If Kojak fails short, according to Cleve, it's in the episode featuring a bad guy named Cleveland. "He's a hot young hood," Kojak tells his boss. "Got a piece of the action everywhere." Then again, they did describe Cleveland as a hot young hood.
Whenever when we can, we'll match up two of the biggest rock shows of the era, NBC's The Midnight Special and the syndicated Don Kirshner's Rock Concert, and see who's better, who's best.Kirshner I (Saturday, 8:30 p.m., WNEW): Seals and Crofts, and Tower of Power are the guests. Songs include "We May Never Pass This Way Again," "Summer Breeze," "Hummingbird," "Ruby Jean and Billie Lee," "Unborn Child." (Seals and Crofts).
Kirshner II (Saturday, 1:15 a.m., KYW): Johnny Winter and Argent perform at New York's Palace Theatre. Numbers include "Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo," "Jumpin' Jack Flash," "Silver Train," "Johnny B. Goode" (Winter); "Hold Your Head Up," "God Gave Rock and Roll to You," "I Am the Dance of Ages," "It's only Money" and "I Don't Believe in Miracles" (Argent).
Special: An all-country show featuring Marty Robbins (host), Charlie Rich, Tanya Tucker, Doug Kershaw, Johnny Rodriguez, Bobby Bare, Barbara Mandrell and Barbie Benton. Marty sings "Gotta Travel On" and "My Woman, My Woman, My Wife," and Charlie performs "Behind Closed Doors."
It's hard to compare two entirely different genres, which is what we have this week; it's like trying to compare athletes from different eras. As always, you may have your own ideas, but it's hard to deny that Midnight Special's all-country lineup is an all-star one as well; not my kind of music, but talent will out, and for Marty Robbins alone, Special hits the top of the charts.
We're now at the point where football games start to mean something, which makes it much more interesting, with NFL doubleheader playoff games on both Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, the Minnesota Vikings defeat the Washington Redskins 27-20 (1:00 p.m., CBS), while the Oakland Raiders best the Pittsburgh Steelers in a rematch of last year's Immaculate Reception game, 33-14 (4:00 p.m., NBC). Sunday, it's the defending Super Bowl champion Miami Dolphins over the Cincinnati Bengals 34-16 (1:00 p.m., NBC), and the Dallas Cowboys take the Los Angeles Rams 27-16 (4:00 p.m., CBS).
One of the announcers in that last game is Pat Summerall, whose new CBS contract next year will make him the network's #1 announcer. As Melvin Durslag's article points out, Summerall is one of those announcers who's made it to the top even though he "neither talks like country folks, feeds off controversy, coats his subjects with sweet batter, nor projects the notion that he is a longhead to whom franchise-holders tell it first." A former player with the Cardinals and Giants, Pat taught high school history in the off-season (imaging athletes having off-season jobs nowadays), and did some announcing a radio station on the side. Eventually, after his career ended, he made it to CBS, where in addition to the NFL, he's also the network's anchor for golf, the NBA, tennis, and bowling, and brings the same sense he does to football—that the game is more important than the announcer. He was what I always called a big-game announcer, meaning that any time you heard him on a broadcast you automatically paid attention, because it was important. I wish there were more like him today.We're also at bowl season for college football, with a couple of games this week: Saturday night, the Tangerine Bowl pits Miami of Ohio against Florida, with #15 Miami coming out on top 17-16 (8:00 p.m., Mizlou syndication). The Tangerine Bowl, in case you were wondering, is still around; today, it's called the Florida Citrus Bowl, played on New Year's Day. Then, on Friday, it's the Peach Bowl from Atlanta, with Georgia defeating #18 Maryland 17-16 (8:00 p.m., Mizlou). There's a slight increase in the number of bowl games in 1973; the total is now eleven. This year, there are 43. There's also an all-star game on Christmas night from Miami, the North-South Shrine Game, for those players whose teams didn't make it to bowls. (Tuesday, 8:00 p.m., Mizlou). Of note, the quarterback for the South is UCLA's Mark Harmon—before he became an NCIS agent.
Then, there's the most unusual sporting event of the week, on Wide World of Sports (Saturday, 5:00 p.m,, ABC). It's Billy Smart's Christmas Circus, featuring an international lineup of acts, and hosted by Jim McKay from London. And that leads us to our next topic. . .
Now, you didn't think I'd ignore Christmas, did you? We may only have a half-week's worth of programming to look at, but it'll be more than enough. Several stations are broadcasting the syndicated Christmas with Oral Roberts, an hour-long special featuring the televangelist and his family, joined by the Lennon Sisters, Doc Severinsen, and the World Action Singers. Michael Landon hosts A Whole New Season Called Winter (Saturday, 2:30 p.m. ET, WNBC), described as "a musical romp" through Grand Teton National Park, with the Landon family, Dr. Joyce Brothers, Larry Storch, and the Joy People singing group. (Can't wait to see the production number in that one!) In a slightly more serious vein, Burt Lancaster hosts An American Christmas (various days and times, PBS), a look back at Christmas past in films, readings and carols, with James Earl Jones, the Ella Mitchell Singers, the Columbus Boys Choir, and the Harlem Children's Chorus. On the ABC religious program Directions (Sunday, 1:00 p.m.), the late poet Dylan Thomas reads from his classic work, "A Child's Christmas in Wales," set against scenes of modern-day Wales. That story also makes an appearance on This is Tom Jones (Sunday, 5:00 p.m., WNEW), as Welshman Tom recites it ; his guests are Judy Collins, David Frye, Millicent Martin and the Welsh Treorchy Male Choir.
For those of you in the mood for a Christmas movie—not the Hallmark kind, but a real movie—you've got many to choose from, some of them shown more than once. In no particular order, your choices include but are not limited to: Christmas in ConnecticutIt's a Wonderful LifeWe're No AngelsMiracle on 34th StreetA Christmas Carol (with Alastair Sim)The Bells of St. Mary'sHoliday InnThree GodfathersGoing My WaySilent Night, Lonely NightA Dream for ChristmasThe Holly and the IvyHome for the HolidaysHoliday AffairBush ChristmasIf you can't find something there to watch, you're really a Scrooge.
Since this week's issue is from the Philadelphia-New York area, it's not surprising that there's a colonial aspect to some of our programs on Christmas Eve: McKonkey's Ferry (6:30 p.m., WNJS/WNJT) dramatizes Washington's daring crossing of the Delaware River on Christmas Eve, 1776; Christmas Eve in Christ Church, 1775 (7:30 p.m., WCAU) recaptures the spirit of Christmas from 200 years ago; and Colonial Christmas at Williamsburg (9:00 p.m., WTAF), hosted by Melvyn Douglas, looks at a traditional Christmas in the colonial town. WTAF, incidentally, is presenting nine-and-a-half hours of Christmas specials on Monday, including Christmas episodes of Petticoat Junction, The Addams Family, Dennis the Menace, Bewitched, That Girl, and Laramie.
How about some more music? Arthur Fiedler conducts the Boston Pops and the Tanglewood Festival Chorus in an hour of Yuletide beauty in Christmas at Pops (various dates and times, PBS); the San Francisco Ballet presents The Nutcracker (3:00 p.m., WOR); the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Westminster Ensemble celebrate The Joy of Christmas (7:30 p.m., WNEW); the Arion Musical Club of Milwaukee performs Handel's immortal Messiah (8:00 p.m., WNET); A Renaissance Christmas (11:00 p.m., WNET) consists of Renaissance music from the Boston Camarata interwoven with readings from the Bible; and since Johnny Carson is off Christmas Eve, Doc Severinsen, Henry Mancini, and Victor Buono celebrate The Sounds of Christmas in the half-hour before the Midnight Mass (11:30 p.m., NBC). And we can't possibly forget the eighth annual appearance of the Yule Log! (9:00 p.m., WPIX)That religious side of Christmas—and that, after all, is what it's all about—fills the late-night hours. Pope Paul VI's Christmas Mass is telecast from the Vatican on tape delay (6:00 p.m, WNEW and 8:30 p.m., WKBS), while Robert Schuler delivers the Christmas message in The Hour of Power Christmas Special (10:00 p.m., WPHL). At 11:30 p.m., CBS presents Bless the Lord, All Ye Beasts, hosted by Beatrice Straight, with drawings of the Nativity and stories of the saints; that's followed at midnight by the Christmas Eve service from the Church of St. Francis of Assisi in Chicago. And on NBC, the Midnight Mass comes from St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City.
And then there's Christmas Day—but I'm afraid you'll have to wait until Monday to find out more about that. Ho ho.
MST3K alert: Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (Monday, 1:00 p.m., WPHL). 1964, Fantasy. "A Martian leader abducts Santa to make life better for Mars Kiddies. Children should like it. John Call, Leonard Hicks." (And, I should mention, an eleven-year-old Pia Zadora.) An obvious choice, but as for other options: The Crawling Hand, Gorgo, Attack of the Giant Leeches, Bride of the Monster, This Island Earth, and for Rifftrax fans, House on Haunted Hill. You could say that this week is the gift that keeps on giving—but what else would you expect on Christmas week?
And finally, to one and all,
TV
December 23, 2022
Around the dial
I've used this photo before at this time of the year; it's not me, but it could have been: cat, TV, Christmas cards, presents. What more could you ask for? Anyway, I think it's just a great picture. Let's stay on that Christmas theme for a bit, starting with this look at Comet Over Hollywood at 75 years and five versions of Miracle on 34th Street , which includes the rare fifth version that stars Ed Wynn as Kris. I knew about that one, but I'd really like to see it someday.
At The Epoch Times, Jeffrey Tucker writes about the lessons we can learn from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer . I think there's a temptation to read articles like this tongue-in-cheek, but not this one: his conclusion is very serious, especially considering the times we live in today.
You'll recall that last week I wrote an article on the many things that are wrong with "holiday" movies on networks like Hallmark, Netflix and the like. This week, The Babylon Bee comes up with the natural headline: Hallmark Researchers Close to Developing a Second Movie Plot .
Meanwhile, over at Comfort TV, David looks back at That Girl's first Christmas episode , and how his opinion of it has changed upon second viewing. Sometimes things don't always turn out the way you planned, and that's a rare message for TV at Christmastime.
At Garroway at Large, Jodie reminds us of Dave Garroway's appearance as Santa Claus in the 1954 and 1955 productions of Babes in Toyland , as well as a link to the 1954 broadcast. We watched this last week, and it's absolutely charming; Dave is exactly what you'd expect as Santa. Well worth it!
And Silver Scenes has a look at another Christmas special we've got, although we didn't watch it this year (we like to rotate the Bing Crosby specials, since there are so many of them)— Mary Costa singing the Ukranian Carol on Bing's 1970 show, which also features Robert Goulet, as well as the Crosby clan.
TV Guides from the mid-70s often referred to Boris Karloff Presents Thriller, which always puzzled me, there being only one version of a show called Thriller that I was aware of, until I learned about the British show of the same name. Today at Cult TV Blog, John talks about that version, and the episode " Kill Two Birds ."
For those of you already looking forward to the New Year's weekend, Shadow & Substance has the lowdown on Syfy's Twilight Zone marathon . It's hard for me to watch the edited versions, especially when I have it on DVD, but if you turn over for a few minutes, you might be there for a couple of hours.
Diane McBain, who was one of the last stars from the golden age of WB detective shows in the late-50s and early-60s, died this week at age 81 . She was always enjoyable on these shows; she was criminally underutilized on Surfside 6, but I've complained about that before. I'll be we'll be seeing some tributes to her on the blogosphere over the next couple of weeks.
Finally, congratulations to Aurora on the 11th anniversary of Once Upon a Screen. Here's hoping to many more!
For those of you who may not be checking in here until after the weekend, be safe if you're facing the heavy weather as we are here in Indiana, and my wishes for a very Merry Christmas! TV
December 21, 2022
Who's Wonderful Life is it, anyway?
A few years ago, I got into the habit of writing vaguely humorous, Christmas-themed pieces that were even more eccentric than the usual content here. One year, it was imagining "A Christmas Carol" as
an episode of The Twilight Zone
; another time I speculated on recasting It's a Wonderful Life with
various comedy teams
in the roles of George Bailey and his guardian angel, Clarence; I got two stories out of Miracle on 34th Street, beginning with
Fred Gailey as the Mystery Guest
on What's My Line; and a few years later looking at proposals for
various series concepts
based on Fred's life after Miracle.This year, it's a return to the world of Bedford Falls. Believe it or not, although it's almost impossible to imagine anyone else as George Bailey, the always-reliable Wikipedia says both Cary Grant and Henry Fonda were, at various times, considered for the role. Needless to say, it would have been quite a different movie with someone else, so we thought it would be interesting to speculate on what a dozen or so alternate versions of It's a Wonderful Life might have looked like, and how they would have appeared in the pages of TV Guide.
To Catch George Bailey Having been falsely convicted of theft from the Bailey Savings and Loan, George Bailey (Cary Grant) escapes after the train taking him to prison derails. With the help of his beautiful wife Mary (Grace Kelly), Bailey attempts to recover the money by breaking into the French villa of the real culprit, international thief Le Noir Potter (Martin Landeau) while being relentlessly pursued by the police detective obsessed with his capture (John Williams). Hitchcock cameos as a gargoyle.
Twelve Angry Bankers When sinister financier H. F. Potter (Orson Welles) attempts a hostile takeover of Bailey S&L following the sudden and unexpected death of the CEO, the CEO's son, George (Henry Fonda), must try to convince the other eleven men on the bank's board of directors to reject Potter's offer. Initially Bailey is the only member to oppose the offer and, one by one, he attempts to sway the votes of the others. Co-stars Milton Berle, Alan Hale Jr., Sid Melton.
Genesee Blvd. Savings and loan president George Bailey (William Holden) is found floating face down in an icy river, having apparently jumped to his death from the bridge. In flashbacks narrated by Bailey, we see the events that led to his death, involving his wife Mary (Barbara Stanwyck), mistress Violet (Jane Greer), alcoholic partner Bill (Edmund O'Brien) and hedge fund manager Henry Potter (Vincent Price). Meanwhile, Lieutenant Bert (Ray Collins) is determined to get to the truth.
The Bailey Syndrome: A Space Odyssey After returning from the first manned mission to Mars, astronaut George Bailey (Keir Dullea) discovers neither his wife (Peggie Castle), mother (Gladys Cooper) or anyone else in his hometown has any memory of who he is. Suspicious that his flight has somehow altered history, he consults astrophysicist Sam Wainwright (Roy Thinnes), who tells Bailey he believes his ship's computer, P.O.T.T.E.R. (voice of James Earl Jones) has something to do with it.
The Best Years of Bedford Falls Returning from World War II, Army veteran George Bailey (Dana Andrews) finds that everything has changed in his hometown of Bedford Falls. Now being run by the mob, led by gangster Potter (Edward G. Robinson), the town has turned into a haven for brothels and gambling tables. Bailey hopes to clean up the town with the help of his old friend, alcoholic Police Chief William (Dan Duryea), and former flame Mary (Gene Tierney).
Life at Point Blank Range After having been imprisoned on trumped-up embezzlement charges, a bitter George Bailey (Lee Marvin) returns to his former home of Bedford Falls, determined to seek revenge against those responsible for putting him in prison: his ex-wife Mary (Jessica Walter), his former partner Bill (Henry Silva), and syndicate head Potter (Richard Widmark). Along the way, he reunites with an ex-con friend (Lee Van Cleef) and his former sister-in-law (Angie Dickinson).
The Manchurian Bailey Brother Relying on a deathbed confession from an alcoholic pharmacist (Dean Martin), intelligence officer George Bailey (Frank Sinatra) races against time to thwart a plot to assassinate President Henry Potter (Raymond Massey). The assassin? Bailey's brother Harry (Laurence Harvey), a Medal of Honor winner who was unknowingly brainwashed by the Chicoms to kill every time an angel gets its wings. Mary: Janet Leigh. Wo Fat: Victor Buono.
Do Not Forsake Me Oh George Bailey George Bailey (Gary Cooper) finds himself standing alone against the villainous Hank Potter (Kirk Douglas) for control of Bailey's hometown after the rest of the town's citizens desert him. When even George's wife Mary (Patricia Neal) urges him to give up the fight and let Potter win, Bailey knows he has only one choice left to him and calls out Potter to shoot it out on Genesee Street at high noon. John Wayne makes a cameo appearance as the town's marshal.
Tommy Tune's Wonderful Life After winning a local dance contest, teens George and Mary (Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland) head to New York, hoping to make it on Broadway with the backing of their friend Sam (Oscar Levant), who's just made a fortune in plastics. Their big break arrives when Potter (Bob Fosse), a famous impresario, takes an interest in them—provided Mary's willing to visit his casting couch. Gwen Verdon, Twiggy. Sammy Davis Jr. appears as himself. Delightful songs by Allan Sherman.
Die Wonderfully Hard When his ex-wife Mary (Sigourney Weaver) is taken hostage during a terrorist attack at the Bailey Savings and Loan Christmas party, George Bailey (Bruce Willis) attempts to free those trapped inside from the villainous Potter Meinhof Gang and its leader (Christoph Waltz), unaware that Mary already has the situation under control. With Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mel Gibson, Harrison Ford, Charlize Theron, and Chris Elliot. Fantastic special effects.
The Seventh Day of Christmas Ingmar Bergman's masterpiece. A weary knight, Sir George of Bedford (Max von Sydow) returns from the Crusades and enters into a chess match with the black-robed Potter (Bo Svenson) for the soul of his village's citizens. The penalty if he loses? Death. Olympic star Sonja Henie appears in the skating scene. Mary: Scarlett Johansson. Clarence: Dolph Lundgren. Violet: Inger Stevens. Uncle Bill: Viggo Mortensen. Shown with subtitles. Viewer discretion advised.
The problem with Hollywood today is that too many decision-makers are afraid to think outside the box. Your mileage may vary, of course, but I think any of these movies would be a cinch to join the Christmas canon. They didn't happen, but they could have, couldn't they? TV
December 19, 2022
What's on TV? Saturday, December 17, 1966
You know, I may remember this day, or at least one like it. Football games all day, in all varieties (AFL, college, NFL), and Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol in the evening. They all ring a bell; I have memories that I can date further back than this, so why not? Saturdays were always my favorite days during the Christmas season, and all that goes to show is that I haven't changed any over the years. Oh, but there's one special program I want you all to take note of! At 4:00 p.m. on KCMT, it's the high school choir from the World's Worst Town™! This was six years before we moved there, but what did I say the other day about a rose by any other name? Anyway, let's not talk about it; I'm having such a good day. We're looking this week at the Minnesota State Edition.-2- KTCA (EDUC.) Evening 7:30 COMMENCEMENT EXERCISES
-3- KDAL (DULUTH) (CBS) Morning 7:00 CAPTAIN KANGAROO—Children 8:00 MIGHTY HEROES—Cartoons COLOR 8:30 UNDERDOG—Cartoons COLOR 9:00 FRANKENSTEIN JR.—Cartoons COLOR 9:30 SPACE GHOST—Cartoons COLOR 10:00 SUPERMAN—Cartoons COLOR 10:30 LONE RANGER—Cartoons COLOR 11:00 ROAD RUNNER—Cartoons COLOR 11:30 BEAGLES—Cartoons COLOR Afternoon 12:00 TOM AND JERRY—Cartoons COLOR 12:30 ERNEST TUBB—Music COLOR 1:00 CHAMPIONSHIP BOWLING COLOR 2:00 NFL COUNTDOWN COLOR 3:00 PRO FOOTBALL—Brows vs. Cardinals SPECIAL COLOR Cleveland Browns at St. Louis Cardinals Evening 6:00 NEWS—Roger Mudd COLOR 6:30 JACKIE GLEASON—Musical Comedy COLOR 7:30 PISTOLS ‘N’ PETTICOATS—Comedy COLOR 8:00 MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE—Adventure COLOR 9:00 GUNSMOKE COLOR 10:00 NEWS 10:15 MOVIE—Adventure COLOR “Against All Flags” (1952) 12:00 UNTOUCHABLES—Drama
3 KGLO (MASON CITY) (CBS) Morning 7:00 CAPTAIN KANGAROO—Children 8:00 MIGHTY HEROES—Cartoons COLOR 8:30 UNDERDOG—Cartoons COLOR 9:00 FRANKENSTEIN JR.—Cartoons COLOR 9:30 SPACE GHOST—Cartoons COLOR 10:00 SUPERMAN—Cartoons COLOR 10:30 LONE RANGER—Cartoons COLOR 11:00 ROAD RUNNER—Cartoons COLOR 11:30 BEAGLES—Cartoons COLOR Afternoon 12:00 TOM AND JERRY—Cartoons COLOR 12:30 HERE’S ALLEN 12:45 NEW HORIZONS—Travel COLOR 1:00 JOYFUL HOUR—Religion SPECIAL 2:00 NFL COUNTDOWN COLOR 3:00 PRO FOOTBALL—Brows vs. Cardinals SPECIAL COLOR Cleveland Browns at St. Louis Cardinals Evening 6:00 NEWS 6:15 WESTERN MUSIC—Leo Greco 6:30 JACKIE GLEASON—Musical Comedy COLOR 7:30 PISTOLS ‘N’ PETTICOATS—Comedy COLOR 8:00 MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE—Adventure COLOR 9:00 GUNSMOKE COLOR 10:00 NEWS 10:20 MOVIE—Drama “The Keys of the Kingdom” (1945)
-4- WCCO (CBS) Morning 6:00 SUNRISE SEMESTER—Education 6:30 SIEGFRIED—Children 7:00 CAPTAIN KANGAROO—Children 8:00 MIGHTY HEROES—Cartoons COLOR 8:30 UNDERDOG—Cartoons COLOR 9:00 FRANKENSTEIN JR.—Cartoons COLOR 9:30 SPACE GHOST—Cartoons COLOR 10:00 SUPERMAN—Cartoons COLOR 10:30 LONE RANGER—Cartoons COLOR 11:00 ROAD RUNNER—Cartoons COLOR 11:30 BEAGLES—Cartoons COLOR Afternoon 12:00 NEWS COLOR 12:30 HOBBY SHOW COLOR 1:00 BOWLERAMA—Don Dahl 2:15 ADVENTURE—Travel 2:45 PRE-GAME SHOW—Hal Scott 3:00 PRO FOOTBALL—Brows vs. Cardinals SPECIAL COLOR Cleveland Browns at St. Louis Cardinals Evening 6:00 NEWS COLOR 6:30 JACKIE GLEASON—Musical Comedy COLOR 7:30 PISTOLS ‘N’ PETTICOATS—Comedy COLOR 8:00 MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE—Adventure COLOR 9:00 GUNSMOKE COLOR 10:00 NEWS COLOR 10:30 MOVIE—Drama “Johnny Trouble” (1957) 12:05 NEWS COLOR 12:20 WEATHER—Nancy Nelson 12:25 THIS MUST BE THE PLACE Guest: Muriel Grosfeld 12:55 NIGHT KAPPERS
-5- KSTP (NBC) Morning 6:30 MOVIE—Western 7:30 ANIMAL SECRETS—Children COLOR 8:00 SUPER 6—Cartoons COLOR 8:30 ATOM ANT—Cartoons COLOR 9:00 SECRET SQUIRREL—Cartoons COLOR 9:30 SPACE KIDETTES—Cartoons COLOR 10:00 COOL McCOOL—Cartoons COLOR 10:30 JETSONS COLOR 11:00 TOP CAT—Cartoons COLOR 11:30 SMITHSONIAN COLOR Afternoon 12:00 PRO FOOTBALL—Patriots vs. Jets SPECIAL COLOR Boston Patriots at New York Jets 3:00 SCIENCE FICTION THEATER 3:30 CHEYENNE—Western 4:30 OUTER LIMITS—Science Fiction 5:30 NEWS—Ray Scherer, Robert MacNeil COLOR Evening 6:00 NEWS COLOR 6:30 MAGOO’S CHRISTMAS CAROL—Children SPECIAL COLOR “Flipper” and “Please Don’t Eat the Daisies” are pre-empted 7:30 CHRISTMAS MUSIC—Lorne Greene SPECIAL COLOR “Get Smart” is pre-empted 8:00 MOVIE—Musical COLOR “White Christmas" (1954) 10:30 NEWS COLOR 11:00 JOHNNY CARSON COLOR Guests: Godfrey Cambridge, John Byner, Howard Keel, Ketty Lester, Anita Gillette 12:30 MOVIE—Melodrama “Enemy Agent” (1940)
-6- WDSM (DULUTH) (NBC) Morning 7:00 FILM FEATURE 7:30 CARTOONS—Children 8:00 SUPER 6—Cartoons COLOR 8:30 ATOM ANT—Cartoons COLOR 9:00 SECRET SQUIRREL—Cartoons COLOR 9:30 SPACE KIDETTES—Cartoons COLOR 10:00 COOL McCOOL—Cartoons COLOR 10:30 JETSONS COLOR 11:00 TOP CAT—Cartoons COLOR 11:30 SMITHSONIAN COLOR Afternoon 12:00 PRO FOOTBALL—Patriots vs. Jets SPECIAL COLOR Boston Patriots at New York Jets 3:00 AMERICAN CHALLENGE SPECIAL 4:00 GREATEST SHOW COLOR 5:00 NFL GAME OF THE WEEK COLOR 5:30 NEWS—Ray Scherer, Robert MacNeil COLOR Evening 6:00 NEWS COLOR 6:15 YOU ASKED FOR IT—Smith 6:30 MAGOO’S CHRISTMAS CAROL—Children SPECIAL COLOR “Flipper” and “Please Don’t Eat the Daisies” are pre-empted 7:30 CHRISTMAS MUSIC—Lorne Greene SPECIAL COLOR “Get Smart” is pre-empted 8:00 MOVIE—Musical COLOR “White Christmas" (1954) 10:30 NEWS COLOR 10:45 SERENDIPITY '66 COLOR 11:45 IT’S A SMALL WORLD COLOR 12:00 TRAILS THROUGH ASIA—Travel COLOR
6 KMMT (AUSTIN) (ABC) Morning 9:00 KING KONG COLOR 9:30 BEATLES COLOR 10:00 CASPER COLOR 10:30 MAGILLA GORILLA—Cartoons COLOR 11:00 BUGS BUNNY COLOR 11:30 MILTON THE MONSTER—Cartoons COLOR Afternoon 12:00 HOPPITY HOOPER—Cartoons COLOR 12:30 AMERICAN BANDSTAND—Music Performers: The Sandpipers, Tina Mason 1:15 BLUEBONNET BOWL—Mississippi vs. Texas SPECIAL COLOR Mississippi vs. Texas, from Houston 4:00 WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS COLOR 1. National Parachuting Championships 2. World Figure-8 Stock Car Championship 3. National Surf-Rescue Boat Racing Championship 5:30 DEATH VALLEY DAYS—Drama Evening 6:00 NEWS 6:30 SHANE—Western COLOR 7:30 LAWRENCE WELK COLOR Guest: Connie Smith 8:30 HOLLYWOOD PALACE COLOR Host: Eddie Fisher Guests: Agnes Moorhead, the Young Americans, Joey Forman, Alice and Ellen Kessler, the Canestrelli Family, the Swordsmen of the Lido 9:30 MOVIE—Western “War of the Wildcats” (1943) News follows the movie
-7- KCMT (ALEXANDRIA) (NBC, ABC) Morning 8:00 SUPER 6—Cartoons COLOR 8:30 ATOM ANT—Cartoons COLOR 9:00 SECRET SQUIRREL—Cartoons COLOR 9:30 SPACE KIDETTES—Cartoons COLOR 10:00 COOL McCOOL—Cartoons COLOR 10:30 JETSONS COLOR 11:00 FAMILY CHRISTMAS PARTY SPECIAL Afternoon 12:00 PRO FOOTBALL—Patriots vs. Jets SPECIAL COLOR Boston Patriots at New York Jets 3:00 GLENWOOD HIGH SCHOOL CHOIR—Concert 3:30 DATING GAME 4:00 [NAME REDACTED] HIGH SCHOOL CHOIR 4:30 AFL REPORT—Football COLOR Last show of the series 5:00 MONTEVIDEO HIGH SCHOOL CHOIR—Concert 5:30 F TROOP—Comedy Evening 6:00 NEWS 6:30 MAGOO’S CHRISTMAS CAROL—Children SPECIAL COLOR “Flipper” and “Please Don’t Eat the Daisies” are pre-empted 7:30 CHRISTMAS MUSIC—Lorne Greene SPECIAL COLOR “Get Smart” is pre-empted 8:00 MOVIE—Musical COLOR “White Christmas" (1954) 10:30 NEWS 11:00 MOVIE—Western “Utah Blaine” (1957)
8 WKBT (LA CROSSE) (CBS) Morning 7:00 CAPTAIN KANGAROO—Children 8:00 MIGHTY HEROES—Cartoons COLOR 8:30 UNDERDOG—Cartoons COLOR 9:00 FRANKENSTEIN JR.—Cartoons COLOR 9:30 SPACE GHOST—Cartoons COLOR 10:00 SUPERMAN—Cartoons COLOR 10:30 LONE RANGER—Cartoons COLOR 11:00 ROAD RUNNER—Cartoons COLOR 11:30 BEAGLES—Cartoons COLOR Afternoon 12:00 TOM AND JERRY—Cartoons COLOR 12:30 AMERICAN BANDSTAND—Music Performers: The Music Machine 1:30 MOVIE—Comedy “Sorrowful Jones” (1949) 3:00 PRO FOOTBALL—Brows vs. Cardinals SPECIAL COLOR Cleveland Browns at St. Louis Cardinals Evening 6:00 TO BE ANNOUNCED 6:30 JACKIE GLEASON—Musical Comedy COLOR 7:30 LAWRENCE WELK COLOR Guest: Connie Smith 8:30 I’VE GOT A SECRET—Game Scheduled guest: Bud Collyer 9:00 GUNSMOKE COLOR 10:00 NEWS 10:25 FILM SHORT 10:30 MOVIE—Comedy “Period of Adjustment” (1962)
-9- KMSP (ABC) Morning 8:30 GRANDPA KEN—Children 9:00 KING KONG COLOR 9:30 BEATLES COLOR 10:00 CASPER COLOR 10:30 MAGILLA GORILLA—Cartoons COLOR 11:00 BUGS BUNNY COLOR 11:30 MILTON THE MONSTER—Cartoons COLOR Afternoon 12:00 HOPPITY HOOPER—Cartoons COLOR 12:30 AMERICAN BANDSTAND—Music Performers: The Sandpipers, Tina Mason 1:15 BLUEBONNET BOWL—Mississippi vs. Texas SPECIAL COLOR Mississippi vs. Texas, from Houston 4:00 WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS COLOR 1. National Parachuting Championships 2. World Figure-8 Stock Car Championship 3. National Surf-Rescue Boat Racing Championship 5:30 LEAVE IT TO BEAVER—Comedy Evening 6:00 HUCKLEBERRY HOUND COLOR 6:30 SHANE—Western COLOR 7:30 LAWRENCE WELK COLOR Guest: Connie Smith 8:30 HOLLYWOOD PALACE COLOR Host: Eddie Fisher Guests: Agnes Moorhead, the Young Americans, Joey Forman, Alice and Ellen Kessler, the Canestrelli Family, the Swordsmen of the Lido 9:30 DEATH VALLEY DAYS—Drama COLOR 10:00 NEWS 10:30 MOVIE—Drama “Odds Against Tomorrow” (1949) “ABC News and Sports” follows the movie
10 WDIO (DULUTH) (ABC) Morning 9:00 KING KONG COLOR 9:30 BEATLES COLOR 10:00 CASPER COLOR 10:30 MAGILLA GORILLA—Cartoons COLOR 11:00 BUGS BUNNY COLOR 11:30 MILTON THE MONSTER—Cartoons COLOR Afternoon 12:00 HOPPITY HOOPER—Cartoons COLOR 12:30 AMERICAN BANDSTAND—Music Performers: The Sandpipers, Tina Mason 1:15 BLUEBONNET BOWL—Mississippi vs. Texas SPECIAL COLOR Mississippi vs. Texas, from Houston 4:00 WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS COLOR 1. National Parachuting Championships 2. World Figure-8 Stock Car Championship 3. National Surf-Rescue Boat Racing Championship 5:30 ADVENTURES IN PARADISE Evening 6:30 SHANE—Western COLOR 7:30 LAWRENCE WELK COLOR Guest: Connie Smith 8:30 HOLLYWOOD PALACE COLOR Host: Eddie Fisher Guests: Agnes Moorhead, the Young Americans, Joey Forman, Alice and Ellen Kessler, the Canestrelli Family, the Swordsmen of the Lido 9:30 TWILIGHT ZONE—Drama 10:00 NEWS AND SPORTS 10:30 MOVIE—Biography COLOR “Prince of Players” (1955) 12:00 MOVIE—Drama “The Girl in the Black Stockings” (1957)
10 KROC (ROCHESTER) (NBC) Morning 8:00 SUPER 6—Cartoons COLOR 8:30 ATOM ANT—Cartoons COLOR 9:00 SECRET SQUIRREL—Cartoons COLOR 9:30 SPACE KIDETTES—Cartoons COLOR 10:00 COOL McCOOL—Cartoons COLOR 10:30 JETSONS COLOR 11:00 TOP CAT—Cartoons COLOR 11:30 SMITHSONIAN COLOR Afternoon 12:00 PRO FOOTBALL—Patriots vs. Jets SPECIAL COLOR Boston Patriots at New York Jets 3:00 CHAMPIONSHIP BOWLING 4:00 FASHIONS IN MUSIC 4:30 AFL REPORT—Football COLOR Last show of the series 5:00 NFL GAME OF THE WEEK COLOR 5:30 NEWS—Ray Scherer, Robert MacNeil COLOR Evening 6:00 PARRISH BROTHERS—Music 6:30 MAGOO’S CHRISTMAS CAROL—Children SPECIAL COLOR “Flipper” and “Please Don’t Eat the Daisies” are pre-empted 7:30 CHRISTMAS MUSIC—Lorne Greene SPECIAL COLOR “Get Smart” is pre-empted 8:00 MOVIE—Musical COLOR “White Christmas" (1954) 10:30 NEWS 10:50 MOVIE—Drama “The Unguarded Moment" (1956)
11 WTCN (IND.) Morning 9:00 NEWS 9:15 FILM SHORT 9:30 FARM FORUM 10:00 BACHELOR FATHER—Comedy 10:30 WHIRLYBIRDS—Adventure 11:00 LONE RANGER—Western 11:30 MACK AND MYER—Comedy Afternoon 12:00 LUNCH WITH CASEY—Children 1:00 ROCKY AND HIS FRIENDS 1:30 MOVIE—Double Feature 1. “Red Planet Mars” (Science Fiction; 1952) 2. “Alias John Preston” (English drama; 1955) 3:45 COMMERCIAL—Music 4:00 UPBEAT—Music Guests: Gene Pitney, Vivki Anderson, ? and the Mysterians, Ronnie Dante, Chris and Peter Allen, P.F. Sloan, the Music Explosion, Windsor King, Donald Loutrec, Leah Dawson, Inez and Charlie Foxx. Host: Don Webster 5:00 LARAMIE—Western COLOR Evening 6:00 ALL STAR WRESTLING 7:30 FILM FEATURE 8:00 COLLEGE HOCKEY—Gophers Minnesota at Wisconsin Regular programs are pre-empted 10:00 NEWS 10:30 MOVIE—Western Time approximate. “The Dark Command” (1940)
12 KEYC (MANKATO) (CBS) Morning 7:00 CAPTAIN KANGAROO—Children 8:00 MIGHTY HEROES—Cartoons COLOR 8:30 UNDERDOG—Cartoons COLOR 9:00 FRANKENSTEIN JR.—Cartoons COLOR 9:30 SPACE GHOST—Cartoons COLOR 10:00 SUPERMAN—Cartoons COLOR 10:30 LONE RANGER—Cartoons COLOR 11:00 ROAD RUNNER—Cartoons COLOR 11:30 BEAGLES—Cartoons COLOR Afternoon 12:00 TOM AND JERRY—Cartoons COLOR 12:30 HERE’S ALLEN 12:45 NEW HORIZONS—Travel COLOR 1:00 JOYFUL HOUR—Religion SPECIAL 2:00 NFL COUNTDOWN COLOR 3:00 PRO FOOTBALL—Brows vs. Cardinals SPECIAL COLOR Cleveland Browns at St. Louis Cardinals Evening 6:00 I BELIEVE IN MIRACLES 6:30 JACKIE GLEASON—Musical Comedy COLOR 7:30 PISTOLS ‘N’ PETTICOATS—Comedy COLOR 8:00 MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE—Adventure COLOR 9:00 GUNSMOKE COLOR 10:00 NEWS 10:20 MOVIE—Drama “The Keys of the Kingdom” (1945)
13 WEAU (EAU CLAIRE) (NBC) Morning 7:00 SERGEANT PRESTON 7:30 SALVATION ARMY—Religion 8:00 SUPER 6—Cartoons COLOR 8:30 ATOM ANT—Cartoons COLOR 9:00 SECRET SQUIRREL—Cartoons COLOR 9:30 SPACE KIDETTES—Cartoons COLOR 10:00 COOL McCOOL—Cartoons COLOR 10:30 JETSONS COLOR 11:00 TOP CAT—Cartoons COLOR 11:30 SMITHSONIAN COLOR Afternoon 12:00 PRO FOOTBALL—Patriots vs. Jets SPECIAL COLOR Boston Patriots at New York Jets 3:00 WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS 1. World Surfing Championships 2. Riverside Grand Prix 3. National Aerobatics Championship 4:30 AFL REPORT—Football COLOR Last show of the series 5:00 NFL GAME OF THE WEEK 5:30 ERNIE RECK—Music Evening 6:00 THIS DAY OF GRACE—Religion 6:15 SPORTS, WEATHER, NEWS 6:30 MAGOO’S CHRISTMAS CAROL—Children SPECIAL COLOR “Flipper” and “Please Don’t Eat the Daisies” are pre-empted 7:30 PORTER WAGONER—Music 8:00 MOVIE—Musical COLOR “White Christmas" (1954) 10:30 NEWS 11:00 COMBAT!—Drama 12:00 MOVIE—Adventure COLOR “Dangerous Exile” (English; 1957)
TV
December 17, 2022
This week in TV Guide: December 17, 1966
James Burnham, the midcentury political philosopher, coined a series of ten maxims about the realities of life which his friends collectively referred to as "Burnham's Laws." Number four on the list is "You cannot invest in retrospect," and while that's certainly true, it's also unfortunate, because if you could go back in time and invest in some of the longshots of the 1966-67 television season, you'd be in pretty good shape.You see, there are viewers out there who believe this is "the 'worst' television season on record." There are critics who agree with them. There are even network executives who—privately, of course—concede this to be the case. They're not talking about news or public affairs shows, specials, or movies; they're specifically referring to how few hits there have been among the new season of weekly shows. The last few seasons have produced at least one or two hits each year, but "Critics, professional and home-style alike, have been keenly disappointed in the series unveiled so hopefully last September. There have been a few raves, much criticism and vast indifference." What do we know?The Rat Patrol is "the only new series anyone could cite immediately as a success of sorts."Family Affair is "no instant hit but frequently touted as a comer for its quality of human warmth."CBS's senior programming vice president, claims critical success for Mission: Impossible, "a view not necessarily shared outside CBS." Mort Warner, NBC's top programmer, believes "The Monkees would be a hit if the Monday series had more station clearances," but many program movies on Monday nights instead.Warner also thinks "Star Trek could be in for a long run."At ABC, an anonymous executive insisted that the network is changing what the audience doesn't, like, and "insisted that That Girl and Love on a Rooftop will wind up hits. He described The Time Tunnell as an "unsung hero." Well, let's see. The Rat Patrol did, indeed, run for two seasons, and spawned product tie-ins and comic books. But Family Affair does indeed strike that warm chord with viewers and lasts five successful seasons. Mission: Impossible does even better, running seven seasons, the first three of which are excellent. The Monkees lasts two seasons, but The Monkees last forever. Star Trek—well, there's no need to go where that series has gone before, is there? That Girl, like Family Affair, runs for five seasons and sets the standard for the single working woman. I don't think I'm exaggerating to say that each of these five shows (we're excluding Rat Patrol) became, in their own way, iconic shows in television history.
As for why the performance of the new shows has been so underwhelming, there are many reasons. Most agree that movies provide the stiffest competition, as there are now five, soon to be six, movie nights a week. Of course, the ironic thing is that if this is true, the networks have only themselves to blame, since they're the ones programming the movies. Herb Brodkin (The Defenders) thinks "the networks would like to improve the quality of their programming, but I don't think they know what to do." Producer Hubbell Robinson thinks it's "getting harder and harder to find something different." How many different ways, he says, can you tell the same story? One network executive says there's no new blood out there; out of 50 scripts for proposed new series, "I liked about three or four. One was sensational."
What do we make of all this? For one thing, you have to give those executives credit for defending their shows; if we'd bet on their success at the odds that must have been offered at the time, we might be able to afford our own network. But the closing comment from one station-group executive seems prescient for our times. "The American public has been spoiled," he says. "It's had too much programming to choose from, from early morning to late night." That was when there were only three networks; what would he say today, according to The Hollywood Reporter, the year 2021 featured 559 English-language scripted shows? To borrow his own words—hanged if I know."
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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: Scheduled guests: singer Diahann Carroll, Count Basie and his orchestra, dancer-choreographer Peter Gennaro, comedienne Totie Fields, and the singing duo of Tony Sadler and Ralph Young.
Palace: Host Eddie Fisher presents Agnes Moorhead of Bewitched, who offers a reading from Marcel Proust's Remembrance of Things Past; the singing Young Americans; comedian Joey Foreman; singing dancers Alice and Ellen Kessler; the Canestrelli Family's trampoline act; and the Swordsmen of the Lido.
You probably remember Diahann Carroll from last week's TV Guide, where she was appearing as an actress rather than a singer; I don't know if she's performing with Count Basie or not, but either way that's some top music. Sadler and Young top the Kesslers, and I think we'll be entertained by both Peter Gennaro and Totie Fields. Palace isn't bad, but this week Sullivan takes the title.
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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. If you're a fan of The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and you're thinking that twice as many shows would be twice as nice, Cleveland Amory may have you wanting to cry uncle before his review is over. You see, for a spoof like the U.N.C.L.E. franchise to work, "it must surely have, to begin with, something serious to spoof off from. Or, failing that, it must at least be funny enough that you don't care whether you believe it or not." Unfortunately, this spinoff, with Stefanie Powers as April Dancer and Noel Harrison as Mark Slate, "has neither one nor the other. It's about as believable as women's wrestling. And it has about as much wit as a roller derby." That hurts.
The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. came along as The Man from U.N.C.L.E. was going full Batman-style camp, so it's no surprise that it takes, as its inspiration, what was undoubtedly the worst of the three-and-a-half seasons of its predecessor. And it's no surprise that the stories involve the Lost Continent of Atlantis, cheese impregnated with microdots with secret information, and the like. Talented, likeable, charming actors can overcome such pitfalls, or at least make them more palatable. But, Cleve points out, Noel Harrison (son of Rex, singer of "The Windmills of Your Mind") "seems to conceive his role as a combination of court jester and village idiot." As for Stefanie, she "runs [or perhaps he should have said Dancers] charmingly around in leotards, shorts and bathing suits, and she bowls over all her enemies with just one whiff of her secret weapon." And your complaint is?
Seriously, it's true that all that charm can only get you so far. "Even Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin look bad n their occasional appearances here." Now, I'm a big fan of The Man from U.N.C.L.E., I own the series on DVD, and even I admit that the show was on life support by then, and the final half-season was a case of too little, too late. The Girl never made it to a second season, which is probably for the best. I was wrong about one thing, though. At the end of his review, Cleve says it's enough to make you cry aunt. And here I thought I was being the clever one.
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This week's highlight is the premiere of Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Sunday, 6:00 p.m., CBS), one of television's most beloved animated specials. Leslie Raddatz has a background article on the making of The Grinch, which took almost a year to complete, and is the most expensive half-hour animated cartoon ever created for television. Seuss, aka Theodore Geisel, had been reluctant to get involved with the Hollywood "mass-production area," but was assuaged by the assurances of his old friend, Chuck Jones, that he would give the Grinch "the same loving care that Geisel himself would." After all, as Geisel's publisher Bennett Cerf points out, "We have some great names on our list—Faulkner, O'Hara, Capote. But Ted Geisel is the only real genius among them."
But there's more! The festivities actually get started on Saturday, with The Jackie Gleason Show's Honeymooners Christmas episode (6:30 p.m., CBS), in which Ralph (Gleason) thinks that Alice (Sheila MacRae) is expecting, and takes a job as a sidewalk Santa. Opposite that on NBC, it's Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol (6:30 p.m.), one of the best adaptations of the Dickens story, with Jim Backus unforgettable as Magoo. NBC continues the holiday cheer at 7:30 p.m. with Christmas with Lorne Greene, featuring the UNICEF Children's Choir, a group of 45 youngsters from Long Beach, California; included is an imaginary trip back to Dickens' London, and Greene's recitation of "One Solitary Life," the story of Jesus. NBC then rounds off the evening with the Irving Berlin classic White Christmas (8:00 p.m.), starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, Vera-Ellen, and Dean Jagger. Judith Crist points out that it has a "soppy plot" and is "low on laughter," but tune in for the wonderful Berlin songs. Returning to Sunday, The Grinch unfortunately conflicts with the second half of The Bell Telephone Hour's live "Christmas Through the Ages" (5:30 p.m., NBC), with Florence Henderson hosting "a musical outline of the history and customs of Christmas" with Sherrill Milnes and Gianna d'Angelo of the Metropolitan Opera, and musical theater stars Anita Gillette and Bruce Yarnell, concluding with Mrs. Brady's reading of the Nativity. I own a DVD of this; it's as fine a Christmas special as you'd want to see. How unfortunate that viewers were forced to choose between these two specials back in 1966. The night concludes with The Andy Williams Christmas Show (9:00 p.m., NBC), with the traditional lineup: Andy's wife Claudine Longet, and his parents, the Williams Brothers, and their children. I think you'll agree that this is an easy choice over the Candid Camera Christmas show, as the hidden camera picks up a group of children debating whether or not Santa is real, what to give their teachers for Christmas, and their wishes for the New Year.
And let's not forget Perry Como; Mr. C's Kraft Music Hall Christmas special (Monday, 8:00 p.m., NBC) stars the Met Opera's Anna Moffo, ventriloquist Senor Wences, and Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara. In addition to Christmas music, Stiller and Meara do a North Pole skit, and Perry recites the Nativity story. Skipping ahead to Wednesday, ABC Stage '67 presents Truman Capote's autobiographical story "A Christmas Memory" (9:00 p.m., ABC), starring Geraldine Page and Donnie Melvin, and narrated by Capote himself; the much-acclaimed program will win an Emmy and Peabody the next year. Watch it, and you'll miss The Danny Kaye Show's Christmas episode (9:00 p.m, CBS), with Peggy Lee, Wayne Newton, and the International Children's Choir from Long Beach, Ca—wait a minute. That UNICEF choir on Lorne Greene's show on Saturday was from Long Beach. You don't suppose that these two choirs are one and the same, do you? I see a page for the International Children's Choir , but why would a UNICEF choir be based in Long Beach, instead of, say, Zurich? I wonder if we're looking at a case of rebranding here?
Finally, on Friday it's Merv Griffin's syndicated Christmas show (7:30 p.m.), with Garry Moore reading the Nativity, Merv's sidekick Arthur Treacher, ballet dancers Lupe Serrano and Scott Douglas, singer-actress Patrice Marand, singers Gilbert Price and David Soul, singer-actor Frankie Michaels, and the choir from St. Michael's Orphan Home on Staten Island.
By the way, you'll notice the place the Nativity story plays in these shows. Garry Moore reads it—as do Perry Como, Lorne Greene, Florence Henderson, and Andy Williams (in the lyrics of his songs). The Nativity didn't used to be controversial on television shows, given that the event Christmas commemorates is, you know, the Nativity. I guess I'm just a little too simple-minded to understand what the problem is.
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Speaking as we were of Danny Kaye, that Christmas show of his will be the last one, at least for the near future. After four "disappointing" seasons, during which the show dropped in the ratings to 77th (out of 100), CBS has decided to pull the plug. According to Richard K. Doan, "Kaye had evidently kept too well his 1963 promise: 'With a weekly show. . . I can take chances. I can afford to be lousy." CBS permitted Kaye to resign, so to speak, rather than get fired, by announcing that Kaye's agent had informed the network Kaye would not return to TV next season. I believe that Danny Kaye and Judy Garland both debuted their variety shows the same season; they were both big stars who had resisted going into weekly television for some time before finally taking the plunge. Of course, Garland had her own problems and really wasn't served well by the network, but (and this isn't an original thought), Some say he was at the height of his popularity, but his last few movies had been bombs; I wonder if Kaye waited too long to make the jump? Or perhaps, as Doan suggests, he was just lousy too often. His replacement? Carol Burnett, who would inherit Harvey Korman from the cast.On Meet the Press (Sunday, 3:00 p.m., NBC), the guest is Republican governor Dan Evans of Washington, who's asked about the significance of the GOP's gains in last month's midterm elections. I can tell you the answer to that in one sentence: the Republican party just nominated Richard Nixon for the presidency. Let me explain; after LBJ's landslide win over Goldwater in 1964, the Democrats held supermajorities in both houses of Congress (68-32 in the Senate, 295-140 in the House). Nixon campaigned tirelessly for Republican candidates in the midterms, resulting in a gain of two seats in the Senate and 40 in the House. Nixon earned a lot of IOUs through his campaigning, and that would play an important role in his winning the nomination in 1968, especially in keeping conservatives from endorsing Ronald Reagan. The Republicans may not realize it yet, but Nixon is about to make the greatest comeback in American political history.
You remember the family specials I've mentioned that so often made up a part of the holiday season? On Monday night, CBS presents a musical version of Jack and the Beanstalk by New York's Prince Street Players (6:30 p.m.), one in a series of children's musicals the Players did on CBS. You can see that broadcast right here .
As a demonstration of how ambitious local news organizations used to be, WCCO's Phil Jones has just returned from Vietnam, and he reports on servicemen from Minnesota in Our Men in Vietnam (Tuesday, 8:30 p.m.). On Friday at 10:30 p.m., WCCO associate news director Joe Bartelme interviews Jones for further observations on his trip to Vietnam. Here's another WCCO report on Vietnam from 1969. I know KSTP anchors Gene Berry reported from Vietnam as well; I don't know how much of this happened in the Gulf.
Wednesday night, Maurice Evans►, who was so good in so many Shakespearian dramas on Hallmark Hall of Fame (not to mention Samantha's father in Bewitched) is The Puzzler in Part 1 of Batman (6:30 p.m., ABC). His M.O.: leaving a trail of Shakespearian quotes and puzzles, of course.In the Teletype, Mike Connors will be playing a detective in the CBS pilot Mannix, filmed by Desilu. That's going to be a big hit for both Connors and the network. Also in the Teletype: "The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. is coming up with its first musical of the year. "The Brublegratz Affair" which will feature a new rock-'n'-roll group, the Daily Flash." That single paragraph goes a long, long way toward explaining Cleveland Amory's review above, and why the show won't be back for another season (and another musical). Fortunately for them, the Daily Flash had a longer career
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Finally, this week's MST3K alert: The Lost Missile (Monday, 10:30 a.m., WTCN). 1958. "New Yorkers have little more than an hour left to live as a radioactive missile circles the earth, destroying everything in a 10-mile-wide swath. Robert Loggia, Larry Kerr, Ellen Parker." This is another movie that wasn't on MST3K, but was riffed by Trace Beaulieu and Frank Conniff, the mad scientists from MST3K. Will scientist Robert Loggia save the city before it's too late? A riff by any other name would sound as snarky. TV
December 16, 2022
Around the dial
I'm not going to ask if you're planning to watch A Charlie Brown Christmas this year, only if you've already watched it. Whether or not you have, you might find this Smithsonian article interesting on
the flop that wasn't
. At bare-bones e-zine, Jack introduces us to the third Jerry Sohl script to air on Hitchcock, " The Doubtful Doctor ," a suggestion of what you get when you cross It's a Wonderful Life with The Twilight Zone, with Dick York and Gena Rowlands. It doesn't happen at Christmas, but this is a good time to read about it.
One of the Christmas episodes we watched recently was from Window on Main Street, the single-season series that starred Robert Young in his follow-up to Father Knows Best. It gives you a chance to really appreciate how fine an actor he was, and at Comfort TV, David goes a step further and highlights the elegant prose and poetry read by Young and others during the run of Father Knows Best. They don't write 'em like that anymore.
Gill has been at it again at RealWeegieMidget, with her latest co-host blogathon being on the great Christopher Plummer. Here's the final installment , but you'll want to check out her other entries to see what everyone's had to say. I got to see him perform in person once, doing a reading of Henry V to music by William Walton, performed by the Minnesota Orchestra. Those were the days.
At Classic Film & TV Cafe, Rick rates the Dirty Harry movies of Clint Eastwood from best to worst. I'm including this for three reasons: I like Rick's website, I like Dirty Harry, and I saw all of these movies on television rather than in the theater.
Speaking of watching movies on TV (and Christmas as well), most of you have probably seen both Holiday Inn and White Christmas on television; this week Herbie Pilato compares the two classics. Head over there to see which one comes out on top.
At Cult TV Blog, John travels back to the 1970 British series Tales of Unease (gotta like that name, right?), which presented supernatural tales of horror—but then, are there any other kind? This week is the episode " The Old Banger ," about a discarded car that just won't stay away.
Let's stay with the Brits for a sec more: Classic Film and TV Corner reviews the terrific spy drama Callan , which aired from 1967 to 1972 and starred Edward Woodward in what was probably his best-ever role. If you haven't seen an episode yet, it's worth checking out.
That should do it for this week— get well soon , Terence! TV
December 14, 2022
Missing the (Hall)mark
Xccording to Jodi Walker in
this article
at The Ringer, the 2022 Christmas season will see 169 original holiday movies on various cable and streaming services—Hallmark, Lifetime, Netflix, and the like. (To put that in some perspective, there were 99 two years ago; that number jumped up to 147 last year.) It's no wonder there are so many of them: they're relatively inexpensive to make; they require almost no effort to write, since they all use basically the same plot; and they're extremely popular among viewers.The hallmark of these movies (no pun intended) is a hero or heroine who returns to their hometown, disillusioned with the life they have lived regardless of the success it may have brought them, who finds a sensitive soulmate, often recovering from a brokenness of their own, who leads them to a better understanding of themselves; overcoming a series of obstacles (with the help of a man who may or may not be Santa Claus), the two come together in a loving embrace under the twinkling of the stars or the sparkle of the Christmas tree, and everyone presumably lives happily ever after.
About that popularity—according to Walker, more than 80 million people watched at least a few minutes of a Hallmark movie last year.* Their appeal is no mystery, either: says Walker, tongue-somewhat-in-cheek, "These movies are specifically built to be discovered in fits of Thanksgiving boredom so debilitating that no member of the family is able to muster the physical or mental strength to change the channel. They are intended to temporarily uplift spirits, smooth gray matter to silk, and make you laugh at their ludicrous conceits." Even the worst holiday movie, Walker points out, "is the best holiday movie because it takes no effort to consume, and there are inevitably cookies involved." You know how even exhibition football games get larger TV audiences than regular season baseball or basketball games? Well, that's how it works with holiday movies.
*Although there's no proof to support it, my theory is that some of them could only make it through a few minutes before they had to go to the bathroom and throw up.
Most of these movies are colloquially billed as Christmas movies; many of them even have the word "Christmas" in their titles. I have to admit, though, that I have more respect for a network like Paramount+ that simply refers to them as holiday movies, though there's no question about what particular holiday we're talking about. Because, as Walker put it in an
earlier Ringer article
, "The holidays are about finding romantic love, wish-related magic, and firing up IMDb to see where you recognize that person from." But "they’re certainly not about organized religion." That's a matter of opinion, I suppose, the part about holidays not being about organized religion. I mean, I'll grant you that Independence Day and Labor Day are pretty much religion-free, but nobody makes rom-coms to show on a July 4 marathon. (Shhh—don't give them any ideas.) But there's a real feeling of a missed opportunity here. Not that your average holiday movie has anything to do with love, any more than a given season of The Bachelor; the characters may talk about love, but the stories really deal with romance, which I suppose is why they're not called luv-coms. But this holiday that dares not speak its name—Christmas—is filled with nothing but love, a love that's deeper and more profound than anything you'll see in these movies.
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Bishop Fulton Sheen, in an episode of Life Is Worth Living, said that there are three kinds of love, and used their Greek words to describe them, because there was no English word that could really measure the distinction between them. The first is eros, or affectionate love, which is probably the closest thing to what you see in holiday movies, since eros is where we get the word erotic. Then, there's philia, which is love for others made in the likeness of God. Brotherly love, as the name Philadelphia might indicate. The third is agape, or sacrificial, divine love of God for man. Pure love.
That third kind, agape, is what Christmas is all about. It's the love of God become man, to live among us, with feelings and emotions; to die among us, with the most unimaginable physical and supernatural pain imaginable; and to conquer death in the Resurrection and show us the world available to us after this life has ended. It's a love greater than the love that the handsome but sensitive cafe owner has for the beautiful heroine who's lost her way and returned home to find it. And here's another missed opportunity, because the subtext to these movies is frequently that the modern world is not all it's cracked up to be, that the high price required for success in Corporate America is not worth paying. It's the kind of introspection that Christmas demands, getting in touch with the things that matter most: not the number of presents under the tree, not who has the best light display, not the new Lexus in the driveway (although all of these can be pleasurable in moderation), but the love of a God Who gave us the most precious of gifts. These movies may see it obliquely, as if through a glass darkly, but until they give up the childish things, until they replace feelings and sentimentality with something more substantial, they'll never quite get there. And, essential as it is for the protagonist in our movie to succeed in this journey to self-discovery, the German philosopher Josef Pieper understood that self-knowledge is not enough; "we simply cannot satisfy our hunger from within. No amount of self-knowledge will satiate us entirely."
How strange it is that the true meaning of a holiday that is all about love is virtually ignored in favor of movies that talk about romance without going much deeper than, "love means never having to say you're sorry."
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Now, I know what you're thinking: what's this burr I have in my saddle (or the thorn in my side, or the bug up my, well, you know what I mean) when it comes to Christmas movies? We'll use Hallmark as a stand-in for all the various providers of the genre, since they were the first originators. Literally.
The very first episode of the Hallmark Hall of Fame was a Christmas story. An opera, to be precise. It was called "Amahl and the Night Visitors," and it aired live on December 24, 1951. The composer, Gian-Carlo Menotti, took as his inspiration Hieronymus Bosch's painting "The Adoration of the Magi." the original of which was brought to the studio for Menotti's introduction to the program.
The opera tells the story of a young shepherd, Amahl, who suffers from a crippled leg. One night he and his widowed mother are visited by three kings travelling East, following a star. They carry with them containers filled with gold, frankincense, and myrrh, meant as gifts for a newborn King they have heard about. Amahl, too, wants to pay honor to the Child, but he has nothing to give other than his crutch. when he offers it to the kings, his leg is miraculously healed. The opera ends with Amahl leaving with the kings to present his crutch to Jesus in person."Amahl and the Night Visitors" was an overnight sensation, garnering headlines and praise from around the country. It was restaged the following Easter, and then during the Christmas season every year through 1966, in the process becoming television's first Christmas tradition. I wrote an article about this many years ago, so you'll forgive me for being biased.
Over the years, Hall of Fame continued to provide high-quality, literate presentations, including the occasional Christmas drama. Many of Shakespeare's plays make an appearance, performed by America's finest actors. "The Lark" adapts a play by Jean Anouilh on the trial of Joan of Arc; "The Green Pastures" tells stories from the Old Testament and features an all-black cast (in 1957!). There are biographical stories on Churchill and Disraeli, adaptations of well-known movies such as "Dial M for Murder," and dramas by Shaw, Rostand, and Hellman. Well into the 1990s, you could count on Hall of Fame for thoughtful movies like "Sarah, Plain and Tall" and "Breathing Lessons." Over the decades, Hall of Fame was known as presenting some of the best in television, appealing to the viewer's desire for quality, middlebrow entertainment. More people probably saw one of its three telecasts of "Macbeth" than all the people who'd ever seen the play in-person up to that point.
Quality, literate, thoughtful television. "The Borrowers," "Man and Superman," "Abe Lincoln in Illinois," "Give Us Barabbas." Not Noel Next Door, A Kismet Christmas, A Magical Christmas Village, and A Christmas Cookie Catastrophe. That's what the bug is.
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Google some variant of "Christmas movies criticism" and you'll get stories from the last few years about how the casts are too white and too heterosexual, how Hallmark nixed gay relationships, how Hallmark backed away from nixing gay relationships, how Lindsay Lohan is using her Netflix holiday movie to reboot her career, and so on. As far as criticism of the content or quality of these movies is concerned, there's not a whole lot to be seen. Most people seem to understand that their plots are derivative, their content is sugary, they won't tax your brain too much, and their goal is escapism. Most people seem to like them.
Now, I'm the first to acknowledge that I'm not a romantic. I'm actually more neo-Baroque. (A little classical music humor there.) Given the choice between a movie by, say, Nora Ephron and one by Bergman, you can probably guess which one I'm going to choose. But there's nothing wrong with being a romantic, or with making extremely successful movies. One of the problems with today's Academy Awards is that it panders to movies that virtually nobody has seen, so there's a lot to be said for popular culture in films.My problem, I think, is the same problem that Martin Scorsese has with superhero movies. Scorsese, you might recall, once said of the superhero movie that, while "Many of the elements that define cinema as I know it are there in Marvel pictures. What’s not there is revelation, mystery or genuine emotional danger … They are sequels in name but they are remakes in spirit, and everything in them is officially sanctioned because it can’t really be any other way. That’s the nature of modern film franchises: market-researched, audience-tested, vetted, modified, revetted and remodified until they’re ready for consumption." I see much of the same in the Christmas cookie-cutter holiday movie.
I know, I know, people want the sameness, the story of boy-meets-girl, trouble ensues, love overcomes all. And it would be great if that's the way life was. But it isn't. As Scorsese says about cinema, so he could have said about life: it's full of revelation and mystery. The emotional danger is real because you're not guaranteed an ending that's happily-ever-after—that's up to you. But if you don't seek out that drama in your entertainment, how are you going to recognize it in your life?
Am I a hypocrite, considering how many times I say about television that it's OK to watch a show not for its realism or its intellectual content, but just because it's fun? Well, maybe; I was a political science major, which means I know a lot about hypocrisy. But if you'll recall, I also make the point that man does not live on dessert alone. Just as you need a well-balanced diet for your nutritional health, you need it for your intellectual health as well.
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My goal is never to unintentionally offend; if I'm going to offend someone, I want the satisfaction of knowing I did it. So if you're a fan of the rom-com and you're sipping warm coco from the authentic Hallmark Christmas Movie-Watching Mug™, I'm not calling you stupid, or saying your brain is full of mush. A man who watched The Gong Show daily has no place saying that. Besides, my wife used to watch these movies for years, and I know for a fact that she's none of those things. It's just that, like the old Peggy Lee song, I'm left asking "Is That All There Is?".
People gravitate towards movies like these because they offer comfort and hope. But as St. Augustine wrote, "Hope has two beautiful daughters; their names are Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things are, and Courage to see that they do not remain as they are." That was a major theme of Dickens in A Christmas Carol, and the story's held up pretty well for the past 180 or so years. Don't worry that viewers can't handle it: we can. And we, as viewers, can be more discriminating; we need to start challenging ourselves more: to be better, and to demand better.
As I said, I'm not a romantic. And I'll admit to being a bit of a contrarian, but I'm not a humbug. If your Christmas isn't complete without a Christmas movie on Hallmark, Lifetime, Netflix or Paramount+, by all means enjoy. It won't surprise you that I won't be watching any of them; I'll be sticking with the classics, with their subtle subtexts: How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Miracle on 34th Street, which remind us that Christmas is about more than commercialism; Amahl, which shows the power of sacrificial love; the various versions of A Christmas Carol, which demonstrates the importance of repentance, and, echoing the
Parable of the Workers
, reminds us that it's never too late, no matter how old you are, no matter what you've done in the past. That ought to be as comforting to us as a warm Christmas cookie.So my wish, this Christmas, is that Hallmark might consider, just once, returning to its roots and doing a movie with quality, depth, and gravitas; and that all of the networks might produce even one movie out of 169 that tells the true Christmas story without some vague allusion to an amorphous spirituality—perhaps something like The Fourth Wise Man , a fine TV-movie with Martin Sheen from years ago. Two or even three movies would make up less than two percent of your annual new output, not including reruns from past years.
Christmas is more than sugar and spice and everything nice. (That's what little boys are made of.) It's more than giving and receiving gifts, more than discovering the things in life that really matter. For that matter, it's more important than crafting the most literate movie ever made. Most important, it's far, far more important than mere romance. Christmas is part of the Greatest Love Story Ever Told, and the challenge in accepting that love.
We deserve better than what we're being given. We need better than that. TV
December 12, 2022
What's on TV? Monday, December 16, 1968
I'm intrigued by the eclectic styles of musical talent appearing on different shows today. James Brown, the Godfather of Soul, is on Today; shortly after, it's Joel Grey, triumphant on Broadway in Cabaret and George M., on Snap Judgment. The folk-singing group The Brothers Four are on The Mike Douglas Show, while opera stars Eileen Farrell and Marilyn Horne guest on The Carol Burnett Show. And the evening is rounded out by German pop singer Manuela on The Joey Bishop Show. You used to be able to hear that kind of variety on your favorite radio station, before music radio became so specialized. Now, everything is specialized, including the news; you only hear what you want to hear. Tell me again how that's a good thing. This week's variety of programming is from the Minnesota State Edition. -2- KTCA (NET) Morning 8:30 CLASROOM—Education Afternoon 3:00 EFFICIENT READING COLOR 3:30 FILM 4:00 SHORTCUTS TO FASHION 4:30 ANTIQUES—Education 5:00 TV KINDERGARTEN 5:30 APOLLO 7 COLOR Evening 6:00 FILM 6:30 MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING 7:00 NET JOURNAL—Report 8:00 ENGINEERING COLOR 8:30 CONCORDIA COLLEGE 9:00 ENGINEERING COLOR 9:30 FOLIO—U of M 10:00 MONDAY FOR MEDICINE
-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 COLOR 10:00 ANDY GRIFFITH—Comedy 10:30 CHRISTMAS SHOPPER COLOR 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 LINKLETTER SHOW COLOR Guests: Richard Crenna, Edith Head 3:25 NEWS COLOR 3:30 MIKE DOUGLAS—Variety COLOR From Baltimore: Guests: Mayor Thomas D'Alesandro, Gary Moore, Jim Bishop, Norm Crosby, the Brothers Four, Gym Cana Troupe 5:00 GILLIGAN’S ISLAND—Comedy 5:30 NEWS—Walter Cronkite COLOR Evening 6:00 NEWS COLOR 6:30 GUNSMOKE COLOR 7:30 HERE’S LUCY—Comedy COLOR 8:00 MAYBERRY COLOR 8:30 FAMILY AFFAIR—Comedy COLOR 9:00 CAROL BURNETT COLOR Guests: Eileen Farrell, Marilyn Horne 10:00 NEWS COLOR 10:25 EDITOR’S CHOICE COLOR 10:30 RUN FOR YOUR LIFE—Drama COLOR 11:30 MOVIE—Drama “Ashes and Diamonds” (Polish; 1958)
3 KGLO (MASON CITY) (CBS) Morning 7:30 NEWS COLOR 7:55 NEWS 8:00 CAPTAIN KANGAROO COLOR 9:00 JACK LA LANNE COLOR 9:30 BEVERLY HILLBILLIES—Comedy COLOR 10:00 ANDY GRIFFITH—Comedy 10:30 DICK VAN DYKE 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 LINKLETTER SHOW COLOR Guests: Richard Crenna, Edith Head 3:25 NEWS COLOR 3:30 SPORTSMANLIKE DRIVING—Instruction COLOR 4:00 BART’S CLUBHOUSE COLOR 5:00 LUCILLE BALL—Comedy COLOR 5:30 NEWS—Walter Cronkite COLOR Evening 6:00 NEWS COLOR 6:30 GUNSMOKE COLOR 7:30 HERE’S LUCY—Comedy COLOR 8:00 MAYBERRY COLOR 8:30 FAMILY AFFAIR—Comedy COLOR 9:00 CAROL BURNETT COLOR Guests: Eileen Farrell, Marilyn Horne 10:00 NEWS COLOR 10:45 CHRISTMAS CONCERT COLOR Waldorf College Choir 11:15 GREATEST SHOW—Drama COLOR
-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: Jack Carter, Pat Cooper, Anita Gillette 10:00 ANDY GRIFFITH—Comedy 10:30 DICK VAN DYKE 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 LINKLETTER SHOW COLOR Guests: Richard Crenna, Edith Head 3:25 NEWS COLOR 3:30 LUCILLE BALL—Comedy COLOR 4:00 MIKE DOUGLAS—Variety COLOR From Baltimore: Guests: Mayor Thomas D'Alesandro, Gary Moore, Jim Bishop, Norm Crosby, the Brothers Four, Gym Cana Troupe 5:30 NEWS—Walter Cronkite COLOR Evening 6:00 NEWS COLOR 6:30 GUNSMOKE COLOR 7:30 HERE’S LUCY—Comedy COLOR 8:00 MAYBERRY COLOR 8:30 FAMILY AFFAIR—Comedy COLOR 9:00 CAROL BURNETT COLOR Guests: Eileen Farrell, Marilyn Horne 10:00 NEWS COLOR 10:45 MOVIE—Adventure COLOR “Zarak” (1957)
-5- KSTP (NBC) Morning 6:00 MINNESOTA TODAY COLOR 7:00 TODAY COLOR Guests: James Brown, Karl Shapiro 9:00 SNAP JUDGMENT—Game COLOR Guests: Joel Grey, Peggy Cass 9:25 NEWS COLOR 9:30 CONCENTRATION—Game COLOR 10:00 PERSONALITY COLOR Celebrities: Joan Fontaine, Connie Francis, Milt Kamen. On-film: Robert Vaughn 10:30 HOLLYWOOD SQUARES—Game COLOR Celebrities: Wally Cox, Nanette Fabray, Henry Gibson, Werner Klemperer, Gypsy Rose Lee, Paul Lynde, Rose Marie, Jan Murray, 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: Sebastian Cabot, Pat Carroll 3:00 MATCH GAME COLOR Guests: Peter Lawford, Peggy Cass. Host: Gene Rayburn 3:25 NEWS COLOR 3:30 DIALING FOR DOLLARS—Game COLOR 4:30 WHAT’S MY LINE?—Game COLOR Panelists: Alan Alda, Peggy Cass, Arlene Francis, Earl Wilson Jr. Host: Wally Bruner 5:30 NEWS—Chet Huntley, David Brinkley COLOR Evening 6:00 NEWS COLOR 6:30 JEANNIE COLOR 7:00 ROWAN AND MARTIN COLOR Guest: Douglas Fairbanks Jr. 8:00 MOVIE—Drama COLOR “The Sunshine Patriot” (Made-for-TV; 1968) 10:00 NEWS COLOR 10:30 JOHNNY CARSON COLOR Guest host: Woody Allen. Guests: Shari Lewis, Turk Murphy 12:00 MR. DISTRICT ATTORNEY
-6- WDSM (DULUTH) (NBC) Morning 7:00 TODAY COLOR Guests: James Brown, Karl Shapiro 9:00 SNAP JUDGMENT—Game COLOR Guests: Joel Grey, Peggy Cass 9:25 NEWS COLOR 9:30 CONCENTRATION—Game COLOR 10:00 PERSONALITY COLOR Celebrities: Joan Fontaine, Connie Francis, Milt Kamen. On-film: Robert Vaughn 10:30 HOLLYWOOD SQUARES—Game COLOR Celebrities: Wally Cox, Nanette Fabray, Henry Gibson, Werner Klemperer, Gypsy Rose Lee, Paul Lynde, Rose Marie, Jan Murray, 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: Sebastian Cabot, Pat Carroll 3:00 MATCH GAME COLOR Guests: Peter Lawford, Peggy Cass. Host: Gene Rayburn 3:25 NEWS COLOR 3:30 WENDY AND ME—Comedy 4:00 MR. TOOT—Children COLOR 5:00 NEWS COLOR Evening 6:00 NEWS—Chet Huntley, David Brinkley COLOR 6:30 JEANNIE COLOR 7:00 ROWAN AND MARTIN COLOR Guest: Douglas Fairbanks Jr. 8:00 MOVIE—Drama COLOR “The Sunshine Patriot” (Made-for-TV; 1968) 10:00 NEWS COLOR 10:30 JOHNNY CARSON COLOR Guest host: Woody Allen. Guests: Shari Lewis, Turk Murphy
6 KAUS (AUSTIN) (ABC) Morning 9:00 ROMPER ROOM—Children 9:30 DICK CAVETT COLOR Guests: Lee Marvin, Ida Kaminska 11:00 BEWITCHED—Comedy 11:30 TREASURE ISLE—Game COLOR Afternoon 12:00 DREAM HOUSE COLOR 12:30 FUNNY YOU SHOULD ASK COLOR Guests: Bob Crane, Stu Gilliam, Buddy Hackett, Connie Stevens, JoAnne Worley. Host: Lloyd Thaxton 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 COLOR 3:30 MOVIE—Drama “Only the Best” (1951) 5:00 NEWS—Frank Reynolds COLOR 5:30 McHALE’S NAVY—Comedy Evening 6:00 NEWS COLOR 6:30 AVENGERS—Adventure COLOR 7:30 PEYTON PLACE COLOR 8:00 OUTCASTS—Western COLOR 9:00 BIG VALLEY—Western COLOR 10:00 NEWS COLOR 10:30 JOEY BISHOP COLOR Guest: Manuela
-7- KCMT (ALEXANDRIA) (NBC, ABC) Morning 7:00 TODAY COLOR Guests: James Brown, Karl Shapiro 9:00 SNAP JUDGMENT—Game COLOR Guests: Joel Grey, Peggy Cass 9:25 NEWS COLOR 9:30 CONCENTRATION—Game COLOR 10:00 PERSONALITY COLOR Celebrities: Joan Fontaine, Connie Francis, Milt Kamen. On-film: Robert Vaughn 10:30 HOLLYWOOD SQUARES—Game COLOR Celebrities: Wally Cox, Nanette Fabray, Henry Gibson, Werner Klemperer, Gypsy Rose Lee, Paul Lynde, Rose Marie, Jan Murray, Charley Weaver 11:00 JEOPARDY—Game COLOR 11:30 EYE GUESS—Game COLOR 11:55 NEWS COLOR Afternoon 12:00 NEWS COLOR 12:20 TRADING POST 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: Sebastian Cabot, Pat Carroll 3:00 MATCH GAME COLOR Guests: Peter Lawford, Peggy Cass. Host: Gene Rayburn 3:25 NEWS COLOR 3:30 GENERAL HOSPITAL—Serial 4:00 WELCOME INN—Variety COLOR 4:30 ADVENTURES OF GULLIVER 5:00 CHRISTMAS CONCERT COLOR Alexandria High School Choir 5:30 NEWS—Chet Huntley, David Brinkley COLOR Evening 6:00 NEWS COLOR 6:30 JEANNIE COLOR 7:00 ROWAN AND MARTIN COLOR Guest: Douglas Fairbanks Jr. 8:00 MOVIE—Drama COLOR “The Sunshine Patriot” (Made-for-TV; 1968) 10:00 NEWS COLOR 10:30 JOHNNY CARSON COLOR Guest host: Woody Allen. Guests: Shari Lewis, Turk Murphy
-8- WDSE (DULUTH) (NET) Afternoon 5:00 TV KINDERGARTEN 5:30 BIG PICTURE COLOR Evening 6:00 FILM 6:30 WHAT’S NEW—Children 7:00 NET JOURNAL—Interview COLOR Former Yugoslav VP Milovan Djilas 8:00 ECHOES FROM THE CLOISTERS—St. John’s University COLOR 8:30 FRENCH CHEF 9:30 FOLIO—U of M 10:00 MONDAY FOR MEDICINE
8 WKBT (LA CROSSE) (CBS) Morning 7:30 NEWS COLOR 7:55 NEWS 8:00 CAPTAIN KANGAROO COLOR 9:00 LUCILLE BALL—Comedy COLOR 9:30 BEVERLY HILLBILLIES—Comedy COLOR 10:00 ANDY GRIFFITH—Comedy 10:30 DICK VAN DYKE 11:00 LOVE OF LIFE—Serial COLOR 11:25 NEWS COLOR 11:30 SEARCH FOR TOMORROW—Serial COLOR Afternoon 12:00 NOONTIME—Ken Hutson 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 LINKLETTER SHOW COLOR Guests: Richard Crenna, Edith Head 3:25 NEWS COLOR 3:30 GENERAL HOSPITAL—Serial 4:00 NEWLYWED GAME 4:30 MERV GRIFFIN—Variety COLOR Guests: Hermoine Gingold, Jackie Vernon, Rod Perry, Willie Tyler 5:30 NEWS—Walter Cronkite COLOR Evening 6:00 NEWS, NEWATHER, SPORTS 6:30 GUNSMOKE COLOR 7:30 HERE’S LUCY—Comedy COLOR 8:00 MAYBERRY COLOR 8:30 FAMILY AFFAIR—Comedy COLOR 9:00 CAROL BURNETT COLOR Guests: Eileen Farrell, Marilyn Horne 10:00 NEWS, WEATHER, SPORTS 10:30 BIG VALLEY—Western COLOR 11:30 RIFLEMAN—Western
-9- KMSP (ABC) Morning 7:00 7:30 GRANDPA KEN COLOR TIMMY AND LASSIE—Drama 8:00 NEWS—Jerry Smith COLOR 8:30 DREAM HOUSE—Game 9:00 ROMPER ROOM COLOR 9:30 DICK CAVETT COLOR Guests: Lee Marvin, Ida Kaminska 11:00 BEWITCHED—Comedy 11:30 TREASURE ISLE—Game COLOR Afternoon 12:00 STEVE ALLEN—Variety COLOR Guests: Werner Klemperer, Engelbert Humperdinck, Choo Choo Collins 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 COLOR 3:30 MOVIE—Western “Northwest Stampede” (1948) 4:55 NEWS—Jerry Smith COLOR 5:00 NEWS—Frank Reynolds COLOR 5:30 McHALE’S NAVY—Comedy Evening 6:00 TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES—Quiz COLOR 6:30 AVENGERS—Adventure COLOR 7:30 PEYTON PLACE COLOR 8:00 OUTCASTS—Western COLOR 9:00 BIG VALLEY—Western COLOR 10:00 NEWS COLOR 10:30 JOEY BISHOP COLOR Guest: Manuela 12:00 77 SUNSET STRIP—Mystery
10 WDIO (DULUTH) (ABC) Morning 8:30 CARTOON CARNIVAL COLOR 9:00 ROMPER ROOM COLOR 9:30 DICK CAVETT COLOR Guests: Lee Marvin, Ida Kaminska 11:00 BEWITCHED—Comedy 11:30 TREASURE ISLE—Game COLOR Afternoon 12:00 DREAM HOUSE COLOR 12:30 FUNNY YOU SHOULD ASK COLOR Guests: Bob Crane, Stu Gilliam, Buddy Hackett, Connie Stevens, JoAnne Worley. Host: Lloyd Thaxton 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 COLOR 3:30 TALL MAN—Western 4:00 MOVIE—Drama “Counterplot” (1960) 5:30 NEWS—Frank Reynolds COLOR Evening 6:00 NEWS COLOR 6:30 AVENGERS—Adventure COLOR 7:30 PEYTON PLACE COLOR 8:00 OUTCASTS—Western COLOR 9:00 BIG VALLEY—Western COLOR 10:00 NEWS COLOR 10:30 MOVIE—Drama “General Della Rovere” (Italian; 1960) 12:00 JOEY BISHOP COLOR Guest: Manuela
10 KROC (ROCHESTER) (NBC) Morning 7:00 TODAY COLOR Guests: James Brown, Karl Shapiro 9:00 SNAP JUDGMENT—Game COLOR Guests: Joel Grey, Peggy Cass 9:25 NEWS COLOR 9:30 CONCENTRATION—Game COLOR 10:00 PERSONALITY COLOR Celebrities: Joan Fontaine, Connie Francis, Milt Kamen. On-film: Robert Vaughn 10:30 HOLLYWOOD SQUARES—Game COLOR Celebrities: Wally Cox, Nanette Fabray, Henry Gibson, Werner Klemperer, Gypsy Rose Lee, Paul Lynde, Rose Marie, Jan Murray, 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: Sebastian Cabot, Pat Carroll 3:00 MATCH GAME COLOR Guests: Peter Lawford, Peggy Cass. Host: Gene Rayburn 3:25 NEWS COLOR 3:30 MIKE DOUGLAS—Variety COLOR From Baltimore: Guests: Mayor Thomas D'Alesandro, Gary Moore, Jim Bishop, Norm Crosby, the Brothers Four, Gym Cana Troupe 5:00 FLINTSTONES COLOR 5:30 NEWS—Chet Huntley, David Brinkley COLOR Evening 6:00 NEWS COLOR 6:30 JEANNIE COLOR 7:00 ROWAN AND MARTIN COLOR Guest: Douglas Fairbanks Jr. 8:00 MOVIE—Drama COLOR “The Sunshine Patriot” (Made-for-TV; 1968) 10:00 NEWS COLOR 10:30 JOHNNY CARSON COLOR Guest host: Woody Allen. Guests: Shari Lewis, Turk Murphy
11 WTCN (IND.) Morning 9:00 CARTOON CARNIVAL COLOR 9:30 MISTER ED—Comedy 10:00 SEA HUNT—Adventure 10:30 PATTY DUKE—Comedy 11:00 FUNNY YOU SHOULD ASK—Game COLOR 11:25 CHILDREN’S DOCTOR COLOR 11:30 NEWS COLOR Afternoon 12:00 LUNCH WITH CASEY COLOR 1:00 MOVIE—Adventure “Tarzan’s Revenge” (1937) 3:00 ALFRED HITCHCOCK—Drama 3:30 POPEYE AND PETE COLOR 4:00 CASEY AND ROUNDHOUSE—Children COLOR 4:30 GILLIGAN’S ISLAND—Comedy 5:00 FLINTSTONES COLOR 5:30 BATMAN—Adventure COLOR Guest Villain: The Minstrel (Van Johnson) Evening 6:00 INVADERS—Drama COLOR 7:00 RUN FOR YOUR LIFE—Adventure COLOR 8:00 PERRY MASON—Drama 9:00 MOVIE—Musical COLOR “It’s Always Fair Weather” (1955) 11:00 NEWS COLOR 11:30 BAT MASTERSON—Western
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 COLOR 10:00 ANDY GRIFFITH—Comedy 10:30 DICK VAN DYKE 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 LINKLETTER SHOW COLOR Guests: Richard Crenna, Edith Head 3:25 NEWS COLOR 3:30 SOUNDS OF CHRISTMAS COLOR Tracy High School Choir 4:00 FILM—Agriculture 4:15 BART’S CLUBHOUSE COLOR 4:30 SOUNDS OF CHRISTMAS COLOR St. Mary’s High School Choir 5:00 LUCILLE BALL—Comedy COLOR 5:30 NEWS—Walter Cronkite COLOR Evening 6:00 NEWS COLOR 6:30 GUNSMOKE COLOR 7:30 HERE’S LUCY—Comedy COLOR 8:00 MAYBERRY COLOR 8:30 FAMILY AFFAIR—Comedy COLOR 9:00 CAROL BURNETT COLOR Guests: Eileen Farrell, Marilyn Horne 10:00 NEWS COLOR 10:45 MANKATO STATE COLLEGE—Discussion COLOR 11:15 GREATEST SHOW—Drama COLOR
13 WEAU (EAU CLAIRE) (NBC) Morning 6:30 FILM 7:00 TODAY COLOR Guests: James Brown, Karl Shapiro 9:00 SNAP JUDGMENT—Game COLOR Guests: Joel Grey, Peggy Cass 9:25 NEWS COLOR 9:30 CONCENTRATION—Game COLOR 10:00 PERSONALITY COLOR Celebrities: Joan Fontaine, Connie Francis, Milt Kamen. On-film: Robert Vaughn 10:30 HOLLYWOOD SQUARES—Game COLOR Celebrities: Wally Cox, Nanette Fabray, Henry Gibson, Werner Klemperer, Gypsy Rose Lee, Paul Lynde, Rose Marie, Jan Murray, Charley Weaver 11:00 JEOPARDY—Game COLOR 11:30 EYE GUESS—Game COLOR 11:55 NEWS—Bob Dawson Afternoon 12:00 FARM AND HOME—Variety 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: Sebastian Cabot, Pat Carroll 3:00 MATCH GAME COLOR Guests: Peter Lawford, Peggy Cass. Host: Gene Rayburn 3:25 NEWS COLOR 3:30 DATING GAME 4:00 WHITE HOUSE CHRISTMAS TREE SPECIAL COLOR “Bewitched” is pre-empted 4:30 LEAVE IT TO BEAVER—Comedy 5:00 CHRISTMAS CONCERT Menomonie High School Choir 5:30 NEWS—Chet Huntley, David Brinkley COLOR Evening 6:00 NEWS, WEATHER, SPORTS 6:30 JEANNIE COLOR 7:00 ROWAN AND MARTIN COLOR Guest: Douglas Fairbanks Jr. 8:00 MOVIE—Drama COLOR “The Sunshine Patriot” (Made-for-TV; 1968) 10:00 NEWS, WEATHER, SPORTS 10:30 JOHNNY CARSON COLOR Guest host: Woody Allen. Guests: Shari Lewis, Turk Murphy 12:00 MOVIE—Drama “On Dangerous Ground” (1952)
TV
December 10, 2022
This week in TV Guide: December 14, 1968
Let's face it: 1968 was a pretty crummy year. And even now, with only 17 days left, we're still dwelling on one of the most fractious events of the year: the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.Reuven Frank, the head of NBC News (remember him from last week's The Wall?), defends the media's coverage of the riots in a very long (eight pages) article that's very difficult to condense, but once you get beyond the details of what happened in Chicago and how the networks covered it, you get to the crux of the matter: you find that the specific complaints are just a symptom of a greater problem that goes beyond Chicago; they deal with the psyche of the nation, the threats that people feel they face, and perhaps the truths they don't want to face.
"Many, even most, Americans consider themselves individually threatened these days," Frank says. "There are three sources of threat: racial conflict, the Vietnam War, and dirty young people with long hair." And what "hurts" television is that there is no escape from the camera's eye. "The newspaper-reader's eye can skip what bores him, ignore what disturbs him." Not so with television; "If the Huntley-Brinkley Report shows the Vietnam War five days one week and the viewer always watches the Huntley-Brinkley Report, he will see the Vietnam War five days that week." There may be other news, including good news that networks are always accused of ignoring, "but not enough to erase the afterimage of the inescapable."
Reuven FrankDefending the images shown on the news, Frank says, "As for the news we put out, we put it out because we think it out to be put out." It's put out because it's relevant, current, and involves the public. "But American journalism as an institution is never venal. It never does things purely for its own gains." Subjective decisions are always made, but they're made according to what the public wants and the instincts of journalists as to how they should act. "They do not act from self-interest." This makes American journalism different from other countries, where journalists are expected to advance a social purpose. "And here, today, in the United States, facing a frightening jigsaw of crises for which we are unprepared, many people seem to think that American journalism, and above all American television journalism, should be governed by ennobling purposes. We are castigated for not promoting unity, for not opening channels of interracial communication, for not building an edifice of support for our fighting men, for not ignoring dissent, for not showing good news."
But who decides what is unity, what is dissent, what is good news? It could be five Albert Schweitzers sitting around a table making that decision, or it could be five Joseph Goebbelses. But, says Frank, "I say the table itself is evil." "The only safeguard is free journalism, journalism without directed purpose, because whether that purpose represents good or evil depends on who you are." Because when you start telling journalists what to put in and what to leave out, "[w]hatever you call it, censorship is censorship, and all censorship is aimed not at the transmitter but at the receiver."
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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: Tentatively scheduled guests: Gwen Verdon; comedians Steve Rossi and Joe E. Ross (appearing as a team for the first time), and Norm Crosby; Anna Maria Alberghetti; singer Stevie Wonder, who does "For Once in My Life"; and Anna Lou and Maris, magicians.
Palace: Host Jimmy Durante's guests are Ethel Merman, Sugar Ray Robinson, Bill "Jose Jimenez" Dana, Vikki Carr, singer-dancer Leland Palmer, the comedy team of Hendra and Ulett, and the Iriston Horsemen from the Moscow State Circus.
Both Ed and the Palace will be on again before Christmas, so it's a normal week of lineups. Both entertaining, neither overwhelming the other. Just because of two legends, Durante and Merman, I'll give the Palace the win by a nose, and although I know I've used that joke before, I just couldn't resist one more time.
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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. "This show," Cleveland Amory begins, "has been described as 'Dragnet on wheels.' It might also be described as 'My Mother, the Patrol Car' on the prowl." But, he warns, "don't dismiss it too lightly."
In case you haven't already figured it out, "this" show is Adam-12, NBC's new half-hour police drama, executive produced by Jack Webb. And in his review, Amory adopts a serious tone much earlier than we're accustomed to, to make a serious point. Yes, he acknowledges, we're given the traditional "veteran mentoring a young rookie," a trope that goes back at least as far as Dr. Kildare. "But underneath this surface routine it's at least an attempt to get at one of the underlying causes of one of our deepest troubles these days—that many of us fail to realize that if the average policeman of today bears no relation to the Keystone Cop of yesterday, neither does he necessarily bear any relation to helmeted Yippie-beaters." [See above.] "And," he continues, "this show tells us, without ever laboring the point, that if we can't look up to the police in quite the same way we did as kids, still we should, as adults, at least be able to look at them fairly and squarely, without looking down on them."
Amory admires the program's dedication to a kind of realism not generally seen on television—the realism that understands not every episode climaxes in a wild chase or shootout, that patrolmen will often leave the "big" stories to the detectives because crime waits for no one and there are always other calls to check out, and that as often as a policeman is an enforcer, he is also an arbiter, one who tries to keep things from reaching a head but still has to be prepared to act appropriately if it does.
Amory reserves particular praise for the show's stars: Martin Milner, as the veteran Malloy, "is excellent—just the right mixture of world-weariness on top (he's over 30 but still in possession of all his faculties) and good-guyness underneath." McCord, portraying the rookie Reed, is "just the right mixture of youthful pride and earnestness. Their scenes together will not pull you out of your chair but you will believe them." The two demonstrate sensitivity when appropriate, hardness when required—and that's not a particularly easy combination to portray.
It's been my observation, though I'll gladly defer to those who look at these shows more closely, that Adam-12 never achieved the respect of Dragnet, nor the affectionate fandom of Emergency!, two other shows from the era produced by the Webb stable. "All in all," Cleve concludes, "it may not be a show you'll want to stay home for, but if you are home, you could do a lot worse than turn it on and, afterwards, think about it."
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Last week, in another issue from another decade, I mentioned that as we got closer to Christmas, we'd likely see more programs demonstrating the Yuletide spirit; let's just cut to the chase and look at this Thursday, when NBC gives us one of the great seasonal lineups of all time:At 6:30 p.m. CT, it's the debut of what is arguably the last great Rankin-Bass animated Christmas special, The Little Drummer Boy, with Jose Ferrer as Ben Haramed, Teddy Eccles as the Drummer Boy, and Greer Garson as the narrator. I wrote about this special here; it hasn't enjoyed the network run of other specials (due, I suspect, to its overtly religious content), but remains a touching look at the true meaning of the season.
That's followed at 7:00 p.m. by the Andy Williams Christmas Show. Andy no longer hosts a regular weekly show, but you're not about to keep him away from the most wonderful time of the year. For his eighth annual Christmas show, he's joined, as always, by mom and dad Williams, the Williams brothers, wife Claudine Longet and the kids, and the Osmonds. All you need now is a fireplace and a cup of cocoa. (Incidentally, the original music for the program is written by Mason Williams.)
At 8:00 p.m., it's the Bob Hope Christmas Special. This is Bob in the studio, as opposed to the show with the troops, which usually airs after the New Year. The entire show, save the monologue, revolves around a search for the missing Santa Claus, a spoof of Mission: Impossible (interesting that they'd essentially give free publicity to a show from another network), with the typical bevy of beauties as suspects: Nancy Ames, Carol Lawrence, Janet Leigh and Stella Stevens. Along the way, Bob runs into Glen Campbell (who sings "If You Go Away") and Jerry Colonna.
To top off the night, it's the only program that's not a special, but it's still pretty special. The Christmas edition of The Dean Martin Show (9:00 p.m.) a very funny hour with special guests Dennis Weaver, Bob Newhart, Dom DeLuise, and the Golddiggers, and featuring plenty of Christmas music (including Weaver trying to sing "The Marvelous Toy" while being "assisted" by the kids of the show's stars and staff.
That's the cream of the crop, but there's more! A couple of syndicated specials highlight The King Family Christmas (Wednesday, 6:30 p.m., WCCO) and The Ray Conniff Christmas Show (Thursday, 7:30 p.m., KAUS). Back on the networks, Eddie Albert narrates an abridged version of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker (Friday, 6:30 p.m., CBS), with Edward Villella, Patricia McBride, and other stars from the New York City Ballet. Some weekly series, such as Here Come the Brides and The Beverly Hillbillies, air their Christmas episodes this week, being their last shows before Christmas. Sunday morning, Lamp Unto My Feed and Look Up and Live unite for an hour-long Hanukkah special reflecting Jewish heritage (9:00 a.m., CBS), and Roberta Peters talks about entertaining Israeli troops during the Seven-Day War and sings the Hanukkah folk song "Al Hanisim" on another Hanukkah special (11:00 a.m., NBC). WEAU in Eau Claire provides live color coverage of the lighting of the White House Christmas tree on Monday (4:00 p.m.) And throughout the week, various stations present Christmas concerts by local high schools and colleges—some of them were cringe-worthy at the time, but what I wouldn't give to see that kind of local programming today.
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It's also the time of the year when the football season winds down, with the first college bowl game of the year (of 10), and the final regular season games for the NFL and AFL. On Saturday, it's the Liberty Bowl (11:15 a.m., ABC), with Mississippi, led by future sire of famous quarterbacks Archie Manning (a pretty fair QB himself), taking on Virginia Tech. Neither team is ranked; the bowl games with the best teams are almost never before Christmas. On Sunday, both pro leagues have doubleheaders (which I would have considered a boon); on CBS it's the Minnesota Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles (12:15 p.m.) followed by the Baltimore Colts and Los Angeles Rams (3:00 p.m.), while NBC counters with the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins at 12:30 p.m., and the Oakland Raiders at the San Diego Chargers at 3:00 p.m. The playoffs start next week.
What else would you like to know? Here's something: did you know that prior to The Ten Commandments, ABC's Easter movie tradition was The Robe? Not only that, the network is showing it again this Wednesday night "as a Christmas observance," according to the Close-Up. I own the DVD, so it's not like I'm complaining, but I share Judith Crist's confusion that showing a "story of the Crucifixion at the season celebrating the Nativity is a puzzlement." (It does, however, make a certain theological sense, as Christmas inexorably leads to Good Friday, and culminates with Easter Sunday, but that's a discussion for another time and place.) In any event, it's an epic, with Richard Burton, Jean Simmons, and Victor Mature leading an all-star cast.In this week's cover story, Diahann Carroll tells Richard Warren Lewis about the importance of her new series, Julia, "the first weekly series to be built around the character of a contemporary Negro." "For a hundred years we have been prevented from seeing accurate images of ourselves and we're all overconcerned and overreacting," Carroll says. "The needs of the white writer go to the superhuman being. At the moment, we're presenting the white Negro. And he has very little Negro-ness." She's working to bring more black writers into television, ones who understand the need to present a more realistic view. "So many things have been done with black people on television that have lacked any real commitment," she says. "It is time to present the black character primarily as a human being. I want to do something that deals with a black person in the everyday situation of ups and downs, good and bad."
Mike Douglas, in a syndicated repeat from 1967, hosts an "upbeat" look at the younger generation (Friday, 9:00 p.m., KROC). "[T]his younger generation is pretty great," Mike declares, and interviews others with the same opinion, including Hubert Humphrey, the late Robert F. Kennedy [who was alive when the show originally aired], Bob Hope, Bishop James A. Pike, Jerry Lewis, Ronald Reagan, and Pearl S. Buck.
One person who definitely doesn't share Mike's upbeat opinion is Cesar Romero. In an interesting profile by Carolyn See, Romero voices his disapproval of today's movies: "Unless you take off your clothes or make love to a relative, it's not a serious movie. And children's pictures are just awful. Unless you're under 4 or a pervert, there's nothing to look at. Years ago they couldn't say damn; now they say anything." When See asks his opinion of what's brought about the decline of movies, he makes his opinion known. "I imagine the hippies, the flower children, have a lot to do with what's going on today. There's a decay in our moral system, no one knows what's right or wrong, there's a disregard for all the old values. They take drugs, they go to those love-ins, they don't go to school, they don't learn a trade, they don't know what they want to do in life. . ." As one of the last of Hollywood's Golden Age—Cesar numbers Clark Gable, Tyrone Power, Carole Lombard, Betty Grable, and William Powell among his friends—he's seen the times change, the end of the studio system, the disappearance of stock companies where young actors could learn their trade, the old days of elegance and fame, glamor and sparkle, the Hollywoodness of it all. He's become famous again for a new generation through Batman, and he enjoys playing the Joker, but his frank view of television is framed by a working actor who came through the business learning how to play different roles on a weekly, sometimes nightly, basis. Through that lens, television is something that eats up actors, asks them to play the same character week after week until everyone looks and sounds like everyone else—and because everyone is called a star, no one actually is one. "TV bores you to death," he says, "but you can build up an annuity."
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I would imagine that, with 17 days until the end of this lousy year, having been reminded of violence and racism and inequality, flower children and discontent and dirty movies, with Vietnam hanging over everything, it must have seemed like a good time for Prozac. Isn't there any good news to look forward to?
It comes on page A-68, the last page in the program section, a CBS news special at 9:45 p.m. "A preview of the Apollo 8 space flight, scheduled to begin tomorrow. Walter Cronkite reports from Cape Kennedy." The flight would leave the Cape on Saturday, December 21; three days later, on Christmas Eve, the Apollo 8 astronauts would orbit the moon, reading from Genesis, before the largest television audience in history. Many people would say that Christmas Eve broadcast saved the year; at the end of the year Time named the three-man crew "Men of the Year," and it's unlikely that anyone looking at the pictures of the Earth rising from behind the moon could have failed to be moved. As Frank Borman would say, "good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas and God bless all of you—all of you on the good Earth." And in that moment, maybe the year 1968 wasn't so bad after all. TV
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Insightful commentary on how classic TV shows mirrored and influenced American society, tracing the impact of iconic series on national identity, cultural change, and the challenges we face today.
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