Mitchell Hadley's Blog: It's About TV!, page 83
December 15, 2021
Looking for the perfect holiday gift?
As much as I complain about Amazon, I can't entirely desert it; for one thing, I get my books published there. For another, it has made the ability to get last-minute gifts much easier than it used to be. So even though there are only nine shopping days left until Christmas, that leaves plenty of time for you to pick out something special for that special someone, Even if that special someone happens to be you.Allow me to humbly suggest The Electronic Mirror: What Classic TV Tells Us About Who We Were and Who We Are (and Everything In-Between). After all, you wouldn't be here if you didn't already like classic television, right? So why not take advantage of it? When I compare the total sales to the number of readers of this blog, I know there are a few of you out there who have yet to take advantage of it.
The Electronic Mirror looks at how classic TV acts as a time capsule, telling us how life used to be, and in many cases how things got the way they are today. It contains the best of what I've written for It's About TV!, along with many new essays written expressly for the book. Not only does it feature many of your favorite shows and stars, it also places them in context, explaining their meaning and significance. As Carol Ford (Bob Crane: The Definitive Biography) says, "You won't watch TV the same way again!" Best of all, you'll have fun along the way. If you like It's About TV!, you'll love The Electronic Mirror. And at $12.95 (plus shipping, unless you're a Prime member) it won't break the bank.
The link above takes you to the Amazon link, but The Electronic Mirror is also available at Barnes & Noble.com, as well as many other online retailers. And if you really want to make it a special gift, how about a signed copy? After you've placed your order, just send me an email (the address is on the sidebar) with your address, telling me who it's for and how you'd like it signed, and I'll send you a bookplate that you can insert in your copy. Don't be shy; I won't bite!
I'm very proud of The Electronic Mirror, and I'm confident you and your favorite classic TV fan will enjoy this trip through television history. If you've already got it (and if you haven't, why not?), consider one of my novels, The Collaborator or The Car, available here . You'll want the complete Mitchell Hadley collection of books, for sure, so order now. There may still be time, but it isn't infinite, you know. TV
December 13, 2021
What's on TV? Tuesday, December 15, 1959
I've mentioned before that sometimes the most interesting things are hidden in the details; I'd like to think that it's more than just an excuse to talk about things that only interest me, and we'll test that this week. For instance, you'll note that Walter Cronkite is off the noontime news this week, and John Daly is also missing from ABC's evening news. They're accompanying President Eisenhower on his trip to Europe and the Middle East, "the most extensive foreign tour ever undertaken by an American chief executive." And then there's Art Linkletter's guest on House Party, Dr. Carlton Williams. The topic of the day's show is the flouride controversy, and if you think this has to do with different ways of fighting tooth decay, then it's time to introduce you to the
Communist plot to use fluoride as a mass tranquilizer
. It's worth looking into further, but I'm not sure we're ready to drag the John Birch Society into this discussion. Maybe next week. As for this week, the listings are from the Minnesota State Edition.-2- KTCA (Educ.) MORNING 8:30 SCIENCE—Grade 7 9:00 SCIENCE—Grade 1 9:30 SCIENCE—Grade 7 10:00 ARTS AND THE ARTISTS 10:30 SCIENCE—Grade 7 11:00 CHILDREN GROWING III—Piers 11:30 SCIENCE—Grade 7 AFTERNOON 1:00 SCIENCE—Grade 7 1:30 HISTORY WITH HERB HAKE 2:00 SCIENCE—Grade 7 2:30 TO BE ANNOUNCED EVENING 6:30 UNITED NATIONS REVIEW 6:45 INDUSTRY ON PARADE 7:00 ICE SKATING—Kirby 7:30 FROM OUR HERITAGE 8:00 STUDY OF THE FAR EAST 8:30 SACRED SCRIPTURE—Religion 9:00 SOCIOLOGY III—Johnson 9:30 TWIN CITIES PROFILE 10:00 HISTORY WITH HERB HAKE 10:30 BRIEFING SESSION—Discussion
-3- KDAL (DULUTH) (CBS) MORNING 7:00 CONTINENTAL CLASSROOM Physics: Ballistics 7:30 CONTINENTAL CLASSROOM Chemistry: Heavy Water 8:00 NEWS—Hottelet Allan Jackson substitutes 8:15 CAPTAIN KANGAROO 9:00 RED ROWE—Variety 9:30 ON THE GO—Linkletter 10:00 I LOVE LUCY 10:30 DECEMBER BRIDE 11:00 LOVE OF LIFE 11:30 SEARCH FOR TOMORROW—Serial 11:45 GUIDING LIGHT AFTERNOON 12:00 NEWS—Cronkite Douglas Edwards substitutes this week 12:05 TOWN AND COUNTRY—Becker 12:30 AS THE WORLD TURNS—Serial 1:00 FOR BETTER OR WORSE—Dr. James Peterson 1:30 HOUSE PARTY Guest: Dr. Carlton Williams 2:00 MILLIONAIRE 2:30 VERDICT IS YOURS 3:00 BRIGHTER DAY 3:15 SECRET STORM 3:30 EDGE OF NIGHT 4:00 LIFE OF RILEY—Comedy 4:30 MY LITTLE MARGIE—Comedy 5:00 BANDSTAND—Rassbach 5:30 FRONTIER—Western EVENING 6:00 NEWS 6:15 NEWS—Edwards 6:30 QUICK DRAW McDRAW 7:00 MANHUNT—Adventure 7:30 DOBIE GILLIS—Comedy 8:00 TIGHTROPE! 8:30 RED SKELTON COLOR Guest: Marie McDonald 9:00 GARRY MOORE Guests: Steve Lawrence, Johnny Carson 10:00 NEWS, SPORTS 10:15 MOVIE—Drama “Passage Home” (English; 1956)
3 KGLO (MASON CITY) (CBS) MORNING 8:00 NEWS—Hottelet Allan Jackson substitutes 8:15 CAPTAIN KANGAROO 9:00 ELEMENTARY SPANISH 9:30 ON THE GO—Linkletter 10:00 I LOVE LUCY 10:30 DECEMBER BRIDE 11:00 LOVE OF LIFE 11:30 SEARCH FOR TOMORROW—Serial 11:45 GUIDING LIGHT AFTERNOON 12:00 NEWS 12:30 AS THE WORLD TURNS—Serial 1:00 FOR BETTER OR WORSE—Dr. James Peterson 1:30 HOUSE PARTY Guest: Dr. Carlton Williams 2:00 MILLIONAIRE 2:30 VERDICT IS YOURS 3:00 BRIGHTER DAY 3:15 SECRET STORM 3:30 EDGE OF NIGHT 4:00 BOB CAVANAUGH—Variety 4:30 MY LITTLE MARGIE—Comedy 5:00 BART’S CLUBHOUSE—Kids 5:45 NEWS, MARKETS, WEATHER EVENING 6:15 NEWS—Edwards 6:30 WHIRLYBIRDS—Adventure 7:00 DENNIS O’KEEFE—Comedy 7:30 DOBIE GILLIS—Comedy 8:00 TIGHTROPE! 8:30 RED SKELTON COLOR Guest: Marie McDonald 9:00 GARRY MOORE Guests: Steve Lawrence, Johnny Carson 10:00 NEWS, SPORTS 10:30 MOVIE—Drama “While New York Sleeps” (1938)
-4- WCCO (CBS) MORNING 7:00 CARTOONS—Siegfried 8:00 NEWS—Hottelet Allan Jackson substitutes 8:15 CAPTAIN KANGAROO 9:00 REUBEN K. YOUNGDAHL 9:15 NEWS—WHAT’S NEW? 9:30 ON THE GO—Linkletter 10:00 I LOVE LUCY 10:30 DECEMBER BRIDE 11:00 LOVE OF LIFE 11:30 SEARCH FOR TOMORROW—Serial 11:45 GUIDING LIGHT AFTERNOON 12:00 NEWS 12:15 TAKE FIVE—Randy Merriman 12:20 WEATHER—Kraehling 12:30 AS THE WORLD TURNS—Serial 1:00 FOR BETTER OR WORSE—Dr. James Peterson 1:30 HOUSE PARTY Guest: Dr. Carlton Williams 2:00 RANDY MERRIMAN—Variety 2:30 VERDICT IS YOURS 3:00 BRIGHTER DAY 3:15 SECRET STORM 3:30 EDGE OF NIGHT 4:00 AROUND THE TOWN—Haeberle 4:30 S.S. POPEYE—Kids 4:50 BOZO THE CLOWN—Kids 5:00 AXEL AND DOG—Clellan Card 5:30 THREE STOOGES—Comedy 5:55 SPORTS NEWS, WEATHER EVENING 6:15 NEWS—Edwards 6:30 HUCKLEBERRY HOUND 7:00 RESCUE 8—Adventure 7:30 DOBIE GILLIS—Comedy 8:00 TIGHTROPE! 8:30 RED SKELTON COLOR Guest: Marie McDonald 9:00 GARRY MOORE Guests: Steve Lawrence, Johnny Carson 10:00 NEWS, SPORTS 10:30 NIGHT COURT—Drama 11:00 WEATHER—Don O’Brien 11:05 MOVIE—Drama “Crash Dive” (1943)
-5- KSTP (NBC) MORNING 6:00 CONTINENTAL CLASSROOM—Education Physics: Parallel Circuits 6:30 CONTINENTAL CLASSROOM—Education COLOR Chemistry: Acid Constants 7:00 TODAY—Garroway Local news at 7:25 and 8:25 9:00 DOUGH RE MI 9:30 PLAY YOUR HUNCH—Quiz 10:00 PRICE IS RIGHT—Cullen COLOR 10:30 CONCENTRATION 11:00 TRUTH OR CONSEQUNECES 11:30 IT COULD BE YOU—Bill Leyden COLOR AFTERNOON 12:00 NEWS 12:20 TREASURE CHEST—Quiz 1:00 QUEEN FOR A DAY 1:30 THIN MAN 2:00 YOUNG DR MALONE 2:30 FROM THESE ROOTS 3:00 HOUSE ON HIGH STREET—Drama 3:30 SPLIT PERSONALITY—Tom Poston 4:00 TOPPER—Comedy 4:30 MY LITTLE MARGIE—Comedy 5:00 ROBIN HOOD—Adventure 5:45 NEWS—Huntley, Brinkley EVENING 6:00 NEWS 6:15 WEATHER SHOW—Morris 6:30 LARAMIE—Western 7:30 FIBBER McGEE AND MOLLY—Comedy 8:00 ARTHUR MURRAY COLOR Guests: Burgess Meredith, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Shelly Berman 8:30 STARTIME—Drama COLOR “Cindy’s Fella” 9:30 THIS MAN DAWSON—Police 10:00 NEWS, SPORTS 10:30 HARBOR COMMAND—Police 11:00 JACK PAAR—Variety Guests: Charley Weaver, Genevieve 12:00 NEWS—Krupp
-6- WDSM (DULUTH) (NBC) MORNING 7:00 TODAY—Garroway Local news at 7:25 and 8:25 9:00 DOUGH RE MI 9:30 PLAY YOUR HUNCH—Quiz 10:00 PRICE IS RIGHT—Cullen COLOR 10:30 CONCENTRATION 11:00 TRUTH OR CONSEQUNECES 11:30 IT COULD BE YOU—Bill Leyden COLOR AFTERNOON 12:00 NEWS 12:05 COMEDY TIME 12:30 OUR MISS BROOKS—Comedy 1:00 QUEEN FOR A DAY 1:30 THIN MAN 2:00 YOUNG DR MALONE 2:30 FROM THESE ROOTS 3:00 HOUSE ON HIGH STREET—Drama 3:30 SPLIT PERSONALITY—Tom Poston 4:00 CAPTAIN Q. AND POPEYE—Kids EVENING 6:00 NEWS 6:15 NEWS—Huntley, Brinkley 6:30 LARAMIE—Western 7:30 FIBBER McGEE AND MOLLY—Comedy 8:00 ARTHUR MURRAY COLOR Guests: Burgess Meredith, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Shelly Berman 8:30 STARTIME—Drama COLOR “Cindy’s Fella” 9:30 WICHITA TOWN—Western 10:00 NEWS, SPORTS 10:20 MACKENZIE’S RAIDERS 10:50 SPORTS—Bob Junkert 11:00 JACK PAAR—Variety Guests: Charley Weaver, Genevieve
6 KMMT (AUSTIN) (ABC) MORNING 11:00 THIS IS THE LIFE—Religion 11:30 CARTOON CARNIVAL—Kids AFTERNOON 12:00 RESTLESS GUN—Western 12:30 LOVE THAT BOB!—Comedy 1:00 MUSIC BINGO—Quiz 1:30 NEWS, WEATHER 1:40 MATINEE WITH MARGE 2:00 DAY IN COURT—Drama 2:30 GAIL STORM—Comedy 3:00 BEAT THE CLOCK—Games 3:30 WHO DO YOU TRUST?—Quiz 4:00 AMERICAN BANDSTAND 5:30 RIN TIN TIN—Adventure EVENING 6:00 NEWS 6:15 NEWS—John Daly Don Goddard substitutes this week 6:30 BRONCO—Western 7:30 WYATT EARP—Western 8:00 RIFLEMAN—Western 8:30 PHILIP MARLOWE—Mystery 9:00 ALCOA PRESENTS—Drama “Father Image” 9:30 KEEP TALKING—Comedy 10:00 NEWS, SPORTS 10:30 SHERLOCK HOLMES—Mystery 11:00 PARIS PRECINCT—Police 11:30 NEWS BRIEFS
8 WKBT (LA CROSSE) (CBS) MORNING 9:30 ON THE GO—Linkletter 10:00 I LOVE LUCY 10:30 DECEMBER BRIDE 11:00 LOVE OF LIFE 11:30 SEARCH FOR TOMORROW—Serial 11:45 GUIDING LIGHT AFTERNOON 12:00 NEWS—Cronkite Douglas Edwards substitutes this week 12:05 COLONEL FLACK—Comedy 12:30 AS THE WORLD TURNS—Serial 1:00 FOR BETTER OR WORSE—Dr. James Peterson 1:30 HOUSE PARTY Guest: Dr. Carlton Williams 2:00 MILLIONAIRE 2:30 VERDICT IS YOURS 3:00 BRIGHTER DAY 3:15 SECRET STORM 3:30 EDGE OF NIGHT 4:00 MOVIE—Western “Round-up Time in Texas” (1937) 5:00 FLIGHT—Drama 5:30 RIN TIN TIN—Adventure EVENING 6:00 FARM DIGEST 6:05 SPORTS, NEWS, WEATHER 6:15 NEWS—Edwards 6:30 COULEE CROSSROADS 7:00 RIFLEMAN—Western 7:30 WYATT EARP—Western 8:00 TIGHTROPE! 8:30 PETER GUNN—Mystery 9:00 GARRY MOORE Guests: Steve Lawrence, Johnny Carson 10:00 NEWS, SPORTS 10:20 SPORTS ALBUM 10:30 LINEUP—Police 11:30 CHARLEY WEAVER—Comedy
-9- KMSP (Ind.) MORNING 10:30 CHAPEL OF THE AIR—Religion 10:40 NEWSBEAT—Lee, Parker 11:00 MOVIE—Drama “Child of Divorce” (1946) AFTERNOON 12:00 KARTOONTIME—Pegge and Dave 12:30 CHUCK CARSON—Variety 1:00 COMBAT SERGEANT—Drama 1:30 MR. AND MRS. NORTH—Mystery 2:00 MOVIE—Drama “Grand Exit” (1935) 4:00 IT’S A GREAT LIFE—Comedy 4:30 I MARRIED JOAN—Comedy 5:00 SUSIE—Comedy 5:30 OUR MISS BROOKS—Comedy EVENING 6:00 LOONEY TUNERS CLUB—Lee 6:30 SPORTS HOT SEAT—O’Neil 7:00 CRUNCH AND DES—Adventure 7:30 BISHOP SHEEN—Religion 8:00 WRESTLING—Minneapolis 9:00 HONEYMOONERS—Gleason 9:30 KEEP TALKING—Comedy 10:00 MOVIE—Comedy “Bedtime Story” (1941) 11:45 NEWS, SPORTS, WEATHER 12:00 TV READER’S DIGEST—Drama 12:30 NEWS
10 KROC (ROCHESTER) (NBC) MORNING 6:00 CONTINENTAL CLASSROOM—Education Physics: Parallel Circuits 6:30 CONTINENTAL CLASSROOM—Education COLOR Chemistry: Acid Constants 7:00 TODAY—Garroway Local news at 7:25 and 8:25 9:00 DOUGH RE MI 9:30 PLAY YOUR HUNCH—Quiz 10:00 PRICE IS RIGHT—Cullen COLOR 10:30 CONCENTRATION 11:00 TRUTH OR CONSEQUNECES 11:30 IT COULD BE YOU—Bill Leyden COLOR AFTERNOON 12:00 NEWS 12:15 CHANNEL 10 CALLING 12:30 CHRISTOPHERS—Religion 1:00 QUEEN FOR A DAY 1:30 THIN MAN 2:00 YOUNG DR MALONE 2:30 FROM THESE ROOTS 3:00 HOUSE ON HIGH STREET—Drama 3:30 SPLIT PERSONALITY—Tom Poston 4:00 WHAT’S NEW?—Don Perry 4:30 CIRCUS BOY—Adventure 5:00 THREE STOOGES—Comedy 5:30 QUICK DRAW McGRAW EVENING 6:00 NEWS 6:15 NEWS—Huntley, Brinkley 6:30 LARAMIE—Western 7:30 FIBBER McGEE AND MOLLY—Comedy 8:00 ARTHUR MURRAY COLOR Guests: Burgess Meredith, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Shelly Berman 8:30 STARTIME—Drama COLOR “Cindy’s Fella” 9:30 JOHN NESBITT—Drama 10:00 NEWS, SPORTS 10:30 JACK PAAR—Variety Guests: Charley Weaver, Genevieve
11 WTCN (ABC) MORNING 8:30 FILM FEATURE 8:55 FARM NEWS—Stuart A. Lindman 9:00 ROMPER ROOM—Miss June 9:45 SHAPE UP—Louraine Larson 10:00 MOVIE—Drama “Wings for the Eagle” (1942) 11:45 NEWS, WEATHER AFTERNOON 12:00 RESTLESS GUN—Western 12:30 LOVE THAT BOB!—Comedy 1:30 BURNS AND ALLEN—Comedy 2:00 DAY IN COURT—Drama 2:30 GAIL STORM—Comedy 3:00 BEAT THE CLOCK—Games 3:30 WHO DO YOU TRUST?—Quiz 4:00 AMERICAN BANDSTAND 5:00 CASEY JONES—Kids 5:30 RIN TIN TIN—Adventure EVENING 6:00 UNION PACIFIC—Adventure 6:30 BRONCO—Western 7:30 WYATT EARP—Western 8:00 RIFLEMAN—Western 8:30 PHILIP MARLOWE—Mystery 9:00 ALCOA PRESENTS—Drama “Father Image” 9:30 DENNIS O’KEEFE—Comedy 10:00 NEWS, SPORTS 11:25 FINAL NEWS ROUNDUP 11:30 I LED THREE LIVES—Carlson
13 WEAU (EAU CLAIRE) (NBC) MORNING 6:00 CONTINENTAL CLASSROOM—Education Physics: Parallel Circuits 6:30 CONTINENTAL CLASSROOM—Education COLOR Chemistry: Acid Constants 7:00 TODAY—Garroway Local news at 7:25 and 8:25 9:00 DOUGH RE MI 9:30 PLAY YOUR HUNCH—Quiz 10:00 PRICE IS RIGHT—Cullen COLOR 10:30 CONCENTRATION 11:00 TRUTH OR CONSEQUNECES 11:30 IT COULD BE YOU—Bill Leyden COLOR AFTERNOON 12:00 FILM FEATURE 12:30 NEWS, MARKETS 1:00 QUEEN FOR A DAY 1:30 THIN MAN 2:00 YOUNG DR MALONE 2:30 FROM THESE ROOTS 3:00 HOUSE ON HIGH STREET—Drama 3:30 SPLIT PERSONALITY—Tom Poston 4:00 FILM FEATURE 4:30 CARTOONS—Kids 5:00 FILM FEATURE 5:30 BOOK BREAK EVENING 6:00 OUR LAND, OUR LIVING 6:10 NEWS, WEATHER 6:30 LARAMIE—Western 7:30 ERNIE RECK SHOW—Music 8:00 RIFLEMAN—Western 8:30 STARTIME—Drama COLOR “Cindy’s Fella” 9:30 FIBBER McGEE AND MOLLY 10:00 NEWS, SPORTS 10:20 MOVIE—War Drama “God Is My Co-Pilot” (1945) 10:30 CHARLEY WEAVER—Comedy 11:00 MOVIE—Mystery “House in the Woods” (English; 1957) TV
December 11, 2021
This week in TV Guide: December 12, 1959
This week leads off with an interesting article—well, interesting to me, anyway—by the historian Arthur Schlesinger, who in time will become best-known as one of President Kennedy's chief advisers. The article is entitled "How Television Can Meet Its Responsibilities," which TV Guide bills as the third in a series of articles by "outstanding Americans." It's a dual reminder to us that 1) we're still sorting out our way when it comes to television's overall effect on society*; and 2) TV Guide is still, in these decades, a serious magazine discussing serious issues. But I digress.*As my friend JB reminds us, Kurt Vonnegut famously said that future generations would look back on TV as the lead in the water pipes that slowly drove the Romans mad.
Like so many, Schlesinger mourns the content of television, quoting Edward R. Murrow's description of the medium being used to "distract, delude, amuse and insulate," and echoes Pat Weaver's complaint that TV is "nothing but being largely a storytelling medium." Of course, there are exceptions: Omnibus, See It Now, and special presentations of "Richard III" and the Bolshoi Ballet. "But these well-advertised gestures of piety do not alter the fact that the central, the all-encompassing, the all-devouring commitment of television is to mass entertainment, conceived in a very limited way."
Arthur Schlesinger with JFKFrom here, Schlesinger takes up the question of how television got this way. The traditional argument, of course, is that it's a medium that simply gives the public what it wants, but Schlesinger points to the argument made by Gilbert Seldes, TV host, occasional columnist for TV Guide, and director of the Annenberg School of Communications at Penn.* Seldes says the question that should be asked is this: if TV is, in fact, simply giving the public "what it wants," how did the public get that way in the first place? And does the public even know how good television can be? How can it, when network executives refuse to demonstrate it to them?*The TV Guide connection is no surprise, given that Walter Annenberg is the magazine's publisher.
Interjecting the political for just a moment, Schlesinger was known as one of the most liberal of Kennedy's New Frontier men, and I think this attitude comes through in some of his observations. For instance, he insists that "artistic excellence is not something to be determined by majority vote," which I actually agree with, but it carries the whiff of the elitist argument that you've got to give the people what's good for them, whether they like it or not. He feels that networks cannot continue to base their profits on the domination of advertisers, refusing to let them dictate what programs go on the air.
He also calls for more government regulation of television, suggesting the FCC should become more active in reviewing station licenses as they come up for renewal. "The FCC might stipulate in the license that appropriate proportions of prime time be devoted to sustaining programs, to programs dealing with public issues, to cultural programs, to local live programs; that advertising be limited; that free time be grated during Presidential campaigns to all parties polling more than 10 percent of the vote in the previous election." Some of these ideas might sound good, but remember that the Prime Time Access rule, which gave the first half-hour of prime time back to local affiliates, has given us not incisive public affairs programs dealing with local issues, but endless reruns of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, Family Feud, and Entertainment Tonight. Who's to say what constitutes a cultural program? If The Muppet Show does an opera satire, does that count as culture? Even if Kermit wears a tuxedo? After all, many of us received our first introduction to classical music from Bugs Bunny—how do we classify that?Schlesinger compares the effects of such action to that of the minimum wage bill of the '30s, and dismisses accusations of government control: "the setting of federal standards need not mean Government domination of television." Need not, you notice—not does not.
In conclusion, Schlesinger, quotes CBS chief Frank Stanton, saying "the strongest sustained attention of America is now, daily and nightly, bestowed on television as it is bestowed on nothing else." Schlesinger views this as a "frightening thought," but adds that if it is true, then so also is the fact that "if television is anywhere near so significant a public influence," then it must realize that if it does not regulate itself—if it does not take steps to ensure the broadcast of what Schlesinger sees as necessary programming—then "it must expect some form of public intervention."'
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That man on this week's cover, in case you weren't aware, is Danny Thomas, and at the time of this issue, he is one of the biggest stars on television. His hit sitcom, originally titled Make Room for Daddy but now simply called The Danny Thomas Show, has just begun its seventh season, and, he notifies the author of this week's profile, he has no intentions of quitting any time soon. "How could I quit?" he asks rhetorically. "I was born to show business. I don't do it so much to make money, but to stay alive."
Not that he isn't aware of the risks that even the most successful show business personalities face. Success is transitory, and the man known as the "World's Foremost Entertainer" isn't exempt from it. "Well, that's tough," he says. "There's always the guy who comes in, gets himself a front row table and says, "Okay, genius, foremost me." One reason the show continues to roll on, it is said, is that it has the ability to reinvent itself—other "dimensions," they call it here. Over time, the show has evolved from a standard sitcom about an entertainer and his family, to one about a widower and his kids (after Thomas's first screen wife Jean Hagen left the show), to one about a blended family (when Marjorie Lord becomes the new wife, with her own child), to one in which the kids take a more active part as they grow older. You get the idea.While Thomas has other projects he'd like to take on, including variety specials for the network, he's happy with the way things are. And, in fact, he has good reason to: The Danny Thomas Show is good until 1964, and then it makes a comeback a few years later as Make Room for Granddaddy. Thomas continues with other shows after that; none of them are particularly successful, but neither does he embarrass himself. But as the years go on, Thomas begins to be eclipsed, first by his daughter Marlo, and then by time itself. And so I wonder, how many people remember Danny Thomas today? Oh, you and I do, but then that's they way we're wired; it's why we're here at this site in the first place. But in popular culture? Well, let's see, he founded St. Jude's, and that's kind of good, isn't it? And then there was—well, you know.
And once again we're reminded that fame is fleeting, even for the World's Foremost Entertainer. Danny Thomas's legacy is intact, at least as a humanitarian; it's just another example of how the cultural icons of our own time can so easily dry up and blow away if we're not careful, and why the cultural historians have to work to keep them alive.
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The Hallmark Hall of Fame makes an appearance on NBC Sunday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. CT with a four-part "Christmas Festival." In part one, Olympic figure skating champion Dick Button appears in "The Ice Princess"; part two features the Obernkirchen Children's Choir* singing Christmas carols; Walter Slezak stars in part three's story "The Borrowed Christmas" and part four consists of Judith Anderson (not yet a Dame) narrating the story of the Nativity. All that in just an hour—quite a show.*Perhaps best known for their recording of "The Happy Wanderer."
It's not really a Christmas movie, but The Wizard of Oz has already become a holiday television tradition, and CBS airs the annual broadcast at 5:00 p.m. Sunday,* hosted by Red Skelton and his daughter Valentine. There's a short feature about it in the national section of the issue; because the movie only runs an hour and 40 minutes, they need something to fill the remainder of the timeslot; hence, the studio host. Nowadays they'd just fill it with commercials.
*So you'd better record either this or Hallmark—oh wait, DVRs haven't been invented yet!
On Tuesday, Ford Startime (8:30 p.m., NBC) presents "Cindy's Fella," a Western version of "Cinderella" starring Jimmy Stewart, George Gobel and Lois Smith. There's a TV Guide preview of this, remarking about how "Cindy's Fella" actually started out as an idea for Stewart's radio show The Six-Shooter, which on television was converted into The Restless Gun, starring John Payne. Who, of course, starred in one of the great Christmas movies, Miracle on 34th Street. But you already knew that.
Also on Tuesday, Red Skelton (8:30 p.m, CBS) has a Christmas theme (if not a complete show), with Clem Kadiddlehopper as a temporary post officer worker helping during the Christmas rush. Wednesday, the U.S. Steel Hour (9:00 p.m., CBS) shows "A Rose For Christmas," starring Helen Hayes and Patty Duke as a nun and an orphan. And Friday's live Bell Telephone Hour (7:30 p.m, NBC) has its Christmas special, hosted by the fine actor Thomas Mitchell, with Rosemary Clooney, the Lennon Sisters, and opera stars Lisa Della Casa and Giorgio Tozzi, among others. In subsequent years I recall Bell's Christmas show being shown on Christmas Eve, but it's always a very pleasant hour of holiday music, no matter when it's on.
There's another aspect to Christmas programming though, one that we don't see much anymore: local shows. And there are plenty of them this week, starring local choirs. On Wednesday and Thursday afternoons, Eau Claire's WEAU features local school choirs, and on Thursday evening Austin's KMMT has a Lutheran church choir. Friday evening the Rochester Male Chorus is on KROC in Rochester. TV Guide notes that the group performed earlier in the year at the Sugar Bowl. And various local choruses will be appearing on KSTP's Treasure Chest show on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (12:20 p.m.). Thursday's is particularly interesting—a 60 voice choir from the Minnesota School of Business. Do organizations like that have choirs anymore?
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The big news story this week is President Eisenhower's overseas trip, which is, as the TV Guide preview tells us, "the most extensive foreign tour ever undertaken" by an American president. His 19-day trip begins in Rome and, by the time it's over, will include the capitals of Turkey, Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, Iran, Greece, Tunisia, France, Spain, and Morocco, as well as the Big Four Western summit in Paris.
Television coverage of the President's trip is extensive. All three networks have specials planned for Saturday; NBC's is called the "Journey to Understanding" (8:30 p.m.), while CBS labels it "Eyewitness to History" (9:30 p.m.). ABC's, also at 9:30, is fairly laid back by comparison, just "Presidential Mission." NBC also has specials scheduled for Sunday and Friday, as well as daily updates on Today, while CBS counters with a Friday special (9:00 p.m.) devoted to America's "brittle" relationship with Iran. Ah, if only they knew.
Meanwhile, speaking not of current but of future presidents, a brief note on my favorite ad of the week. It's the one on your right, for General Electric Theater (Sunday, 8:00 p.m., CBS—it really is a terrific day for television, isn't it?) and "The House of Truth," starring host Ronald Reagan in the story of how a library in Southeast Asia leads the fight against Communism. It's good to know that even back then, over 20 years before becoming president, he's fighting the war against the Commies. And by the way, Ronald Reagan, needless to say, was no fan of Arthur Schlesinger.l l l
How about some sports? It's the last weekend of the regular season in the NFL, with the Championship game still two weeks away,* and we've got a pair of games to round out the schedule. In a Saturday broadcast, CBS carries the game between the Baltimore Colts and Los Angeles Rams (3:30 p.m.). It's preceded on NBC by an NBA game between the Cincinnati Royals and Minneapolis Lakers (1:15 p.m.), from the Armory in downtown Minneapolis (a building I'm well-familiar with). At noon, CBS has a one-hour condensed replay of an August baseball game between the Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Athletics. Do you notice how many of those teams are no longer in the same cities?.
*The game, played on December 27, is a rematch of the previous year's title contest. It's won by the Baltimore Colts, 31-16 over the New York Giants.
On Sunday, the NFL finale pits the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears (1:00 p.m., CBS). It's up against another NBA contest, this one between the New York Knickerbockers and Detroit Pistons (1:15 p.m., NBC) At least none of these four teams have moved. Aside from some golf and bowling, that does it for Sunday's sports, which explains why the networks have time for shows like the Hallmark Hall of Fame and The Wizard of Oz. For the rest of the time, I'm afraid you'll have to be content with Roller Derby and Championship Bridge, and the Wednesday and Friday Night Fights. Like I keep saying, it's a different time.
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Here's a quick look at the rest of the week, with the accent on variety.
On Sunday, Ed Sullivan (7:00 p.m., CBS) has veteran entertainer Sophie Tucker, singer-actress Dorothy Dandridge, singer Brook Benton, the Ames Brothers, and David Seville and his Chipmunks, who did pretty well with a Christmas song, as I recall. Elsewhere, Ed's competition on ABC is a Frank Sinatra special (7:30 p.m.), featuring his Rat Pack buddy Peter Lawford, comedienne Hermione Gingold, singer Ella Fitzgerald, Juliet Prowse, and Red Novro's jazz combo. NBC's Chevy Show (8:00 p.m.) features hosts Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, and singers Dennis Day, Jimmy Dean and Molly Bee.
Steve Allen, who used to compete directly with Ed, welcomes his wife Jayne Meadows to his Monday show (9:00 p.m., NBC) has his wife Jayne Meadows, singers Vic Damone and Sandy Warner, and pianist Andre Previn. Steve's also joined by his three sons from a previous marriage in a comedy sketch. Arthur Murray's Tuesday night dance party (8:00 p.m., NBC) features Burgess Meredith, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Shelly Berman and Merv Griffin, while Garry Moore (9:00 p.m., CBS) welcomes Steve Lawrence and Johnny Carson. Perry Como's guests on Wednesday (8:00 p.m, NBC) are actor Maurice Evens, singer Jane Morgan, and the Wiere Brothers comedy team. Pat Boone, who at 23 was the youngest person ever to host a network variety show when his Thursday show debuted in 1957, has Polly Bergen and Louise O'Brien as guests (8:00 p.m., ABC), and Ernie Ford guest is the great Kate Smith (8:30 p.m., NBC). And while we don't have any details, Jack Paar's taken The Tonight Show on the road—specifically, to Nassau in the Bahamas (Friday, 10:30, NBC), where Jack's bandleader, Jose Melis, leads a steel drum band.
Next week, I expect even more Yuletide fare in store, no matter what year it may be. Why don't you tune in and see if I'm right. TV
December 10, 2021
Around the dial
Xxne of the things I depend on from classic television is the "inadvertent documentary," the things that once were but no longer are. At Comfort TV, David (who has a fine appreciation of such things) looks at
five things you see on classic TV that don't exist
any longer. How many of them do you remember?I've occasionally drifted from the borders of classic TV with stories about classic radio, so I've no problem when John at Cult TV Blog takes a look at a movie short that could easily have been a bit on TV: a parody of Sherlock Holmes called " The Case of the Mukkinese Battle-Horn ," starring members of The Goon Show.
There's more British television in store at Fire-Breathing Dimetroden Time, with an episode of The Persuaders! called " The Old, the New and the Deadly ," featuring Doctor Who's Patrick Troughton, along with Derrin Nesbitt, whom I remember from several Brit shows.
Eddie Mekka , Carmine from Laverne & Shirley, died this week at the young age of 69 (when you get within ten years of my age, I start to get uncomfortable), and Terence looks back at his career at A Shroud of Thoughts,
Television's New Frontier: the 1960s continues to look at the year 1962 with Car 54, Where Are You? , a year in which creator Nat Hiken began to scale back his involvement in the series, affecting the overall quality of the show—and not for the better.
I've mentioned before that It's a Wonderful Life is not among my favorites (I wrote what I thought was a humorous piece on comedy teams that could have made it better), but even I enjoyed Martin Grams and his look at bloopers from the movie.
And at Drunk TV, Paul wraps up this week with 1982's cartoon special Yogi Bear's All-Star Comedy Christmas Caper , bringing along those Hanna-Barbera characters that we all know and love. That was almost 40 years ago, believe it or not. I do, but I don't want to. TV
December 8, 2021
Season's greetings, from 1966
Fr was watching some old Christmas variety specials this week, which put me in mind to look back at this piece from a couple of years ago. It's a look back at CBS's famous Christmas interstitials, pen-and-ink drawings designed by R.O. Blechman and animated by Willis Pyle, with musical accompaniment arranged by Arnie Black. They were first used in 1966.This is the best-remembered and most-loved:
However, this one is no slouch:
This copy is kind of fuzzy, but you get the idea:
There were four altogether; I haven't been able to locate the fourth, which features reindeer and poinsettias. Fortunately, CBS has updated their iconic bumpers:
No matter how you say it, the important thing is that you say it, and say it often. We need it now, more than ever. TV
December 6, 2021
What's on TV? Monday, December 7, 1964
I don't suppose this is the right time to wax pjlosophical about how TV was better when there were only three networks and five, at most, channels to choose from. But I'll say this much: it makes things a lot easier for yours truly when it comes time to list them all here. Each of the five Twin Cities stations had a unique personality, a distinctive style, a way of relating to viewers through their own local personalities I don't know if the programs themselves were better, but the experience certainly was. -2- KTCA (EDUC.) Morning 8:40 COMMUNICATION—Paterek 9:15 SPANISH—Grade 4 9:30 GERMAN—Grade 5 9:45 PORTFOLIO—Grade 9 10:10 SPANISH—Grade 5 10:25 MATHEMATICS—Grade 5 10:40 SPANISH—Grade 6 10:55 FRENCH—Grade 4 11:50 QUALITY IN EDUCATION Afternoon 12:20 PHARMACOLOGY—Lecture 12:55 SCIENCE—Grade 2 1:10 TO BE ANNOUNCED 1:25 SPANISH—Grade 4 1:40 GERMAN—Grade 4 1:55 SPANISH—Grade 5 2:10 FRENCH—Grade 5 2:25 GERMAN—Grade 6 2:40 SPANISH—Grade 6 3:00 TEA AT THREE—Vivian Hoff 3:30 CHEMISTRY—David Stoppel 5:30 KINDERGARTEN—Education Evening 6:00 BIOLOGY—Eville Gorham 7:00 NATURAL HISTORY—Partch 8:00 POLITICAL SCIENCE—Fogelman 8:30 HAMLINE UNIVERSITY 9:00 SINGER—Roy Schuessler 9:30 WORLD AFFAIRS—Craig 10:00 ANTIQUES—Art 10:30 BIG PICTURE—Army
-4- WCCO (CBS) Morning 6:30 SUNRISE SEMESTER—Education Russian Literature in Translation: “Turgenev’s First Novels” 7:00 CLANCY AND AXEL—Children 8:00 CAPTAIN KANGAROO—Children 9:00 NEWS—Dean Montgomery 9:15 WHAT’S NEW?—Women 9:25 DR. REUBEN K. YOUNGDAHL 9:30 I LOVE LUCY—Comedy 10:00 ANDY GRIFFITH—Comedy 10:30 McCOYS—Comedy 11:00 LOVE OF LIFE—Serial 11:25 NEWS—Robert Trout 11:30 SEARCH FOR TOMORROW 11:45 GUIDING LIGHT—Serial Afternoon 12:00 NEWS—Dean Montgomery 12:15 SOMETHING SPECIAL 12:25 WEATHER—Bud Kraehling 12:30 AS THE WORLD TURNS—Serial 1:00 PASSWORD—Game Panelists: Barry Sullivan, Martha Wright. Allen Ludden is host. 1:30 HOUSE PARTY—Art Linkletter 2:00 TO TELL THE TRUTH—Panel Panelists: Douglas Fairbanks, Joan Fontaine, Peter Lind Hayes, Phyllis Newman 2:25 NEWS—Douglas Edwards 2:30 EDGE OF NIGHT—Serial 3:00 SECRET STORM—Serial 3:30 JACK BENNY—Comedy 4:00 AROUND THE TOWN—Interview 4:30 AXEL AND DEPUTY DAWG 5:00 CLANCY AND COMPANY 5:30 NEWS—Walter Cronkite Evening 6:00 NEWS—Dave Moore 6:15 SPORTS—Don Dahl 6:20 DIRECTION—Dr. R. Gornitzka 6:25 WEATHER—Don O’Brien 6:30 TO TELL THE TRUTH—Panel Panelists: Orson Bean, Peggy Cass, Kitty Carlisle, Tom Posten. Moderator: Bud Collyer 7:00 I’VE GOT A SECRET—Panel Guest: Robert Merrill. Panelists: Betsy Palmer, Henry Morgan, Bill Cullen, Bess Myerson. Host: Steve Allen 7:30 ANDY GRIFFITH—Comedy 8:00 LUCILLE BALL—Comedy 8:30 MANY HAPPY RETURNS 9:00 SLATTERY’S PEOPLE—Drama 10:00 NEWS—Dave Moore 10:15 WEATHER—Bud Kraehling 10:20 SPORTS—Hal Scott 10:30 COMMERCIAL—Music 10:45 LES CRANE—Variety
-5- KSTP (NBC) Morning 6:30 CITY AND COUNTRY—Stone 7:00 TODAY 9:00 MAKE ROOM FOR DADDY 9:30 WHAT’S THIS SONG?—Game COLOR Celebrities: Michael Landon, Phyllis Diller. Host: Win Martindale 9:55 NEWS—Edwin Newman 10:00 CONCENTRATION—Game 10:30 JEOPARDY—Game COLOR 11:00 SAY WHEN!—Game COLOR 11:30 TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES—Game COLOR 11:55 NEWS—Ray Scherer Afternoon 12:00 NEWS—MacDougall COLOR 12:15 WEATHER—Morris COLOR 12:20 DIALING FOR DOLLARS—Jane Johnston COLOR 12:30 LET’S MAKE A DEAL COLOR 12:55 NEWS—Floyd Kalber 1:00 LORETTA YOUNG—Drama 1:30 DOCTORS—Serial 2:00 ANOTHER WORLD—Serial 2:30 YOU DON’T SAY!—Game COLOR Celebrities: Sid Elton, Ruta Lee 3:00 MATCH GAME Celebrities: Pat O’Brien, Carmel Quinn 3:30 DIALING FOR DOLLARS—Jim Hutton COLOR 4:30 LLOYD THAXTON—Variety Guest: Mike Clifford 5:25 DOCTOR’S HOUSE CALL—Fox 5:30 NEWS—Huntley, Brinkley Evening 6:00 NEWS—Bob Ryan COLOR 6:15 WEATHER—Morris COLOR 6:25 SPORTS—Al Tighe COLOR 6:30 90 BRISTOL COURT—Comedy Karen 7:00 90 BRISTOL COURT—Comedy Harris Against the World 7:30 90 BRISTOL COURT—Comedy Tom, Dick and Mary 8:00 ANDY WILLIAMS—Variety COLOR Guests: Robert Goulet, Bobby Darin 9:00 ALFRED HITCHCOCK—Drama 10:00 NEWS—MacDougall COLOR 10:15 WEATHER—Morris COLOR 10:20 SPORTS—Al Tighe COLOR 10:30 JOHNNY CARSON—Variety COLOR Guest Host: Milton Berle 12:15 MOVIE—Mystery ”Trapped by Boston Blackie” (1948)
-9- KMSP (ABC) Morning 7:45 BREAKFAST—Grandpa Ken 8:30 ROMPER ROOM—Miss Betty 9:30 PRICE IS RIGHT—Game Celebrity: Don Ameche 10:00 GET THE MESSAGE—Game Panelists: Roddy McDowall, Jack Douglas, Gretchen Wyler, Hermione Gingold 10:30 MISSING LINKS—Game Celebrities: Darryl Hickman, Florence Henderson, Tom Poston, Jimmy Dean 11:00 FATHER KNOWS BEST—Comedy 11:30 ERNIE FORD—Variety Guest: Morey Amsterdam Afternoon 12:00 CIRCUS BOY—Adventure 12:30 PEOPLE’S CHOICE—Comedy 1:00 LOIS LEPPART—Interview 1:30 DAY IN COURT—Drama 1:55 NEWS—Marlene Sanders 2:00 GENERAL HOSPITAL—Serial 2:30 YOUNG MARRIEDS—Serial 3:00 TRAILMASTER—Western 4:00 MAVERICK—Western 5:00 NEWS—Ron Cochran 5:15 NEWS AND WEATHER 5:30 LEAVE IT TO BEAVER—Comedy Evening 6:00 YOGI BEAR—Cartoons 6:30 VOYAGE—Adventure 7:30 NO TIME FOR SERGEANTS 8:00 WENDY AND ME—Comedy 8:30 BING CROSBY—Comedy 9:00 BEN CASEY—Drama 10:00 NEWS—Bill Fahan 10:15 WEATHER—Jerry Smith 10:20 SPORTS—Tony Parker 10:30 MOVIE—Biography “Viva Zapata” (1952)
11 WTCN (IND.) Morning 10:05 KUKLA AND OLLIE—Children 10:20 HANK MEADOWS—Foods 10:30 MOVIE—To Be Announced 11:45 NEWS—Dick Ford Afternoon 12:00 LUNCH WITH CASEY—Children 12:45 KING AND ODIE 1:00 MOVIE—Musical Comedy “Rainbow Island” (1944) 3:00 BACHELOR FATHER—Comedy 3:30 DAVE LEE AND PETE—Children 4:30 SUPERMAN—Adventure 5:00 CASEY AND ROUNDHOUSE 5:45 ROCKY AND HIS FRIENDS Evening 6:00 RIFLEMAN—Western 6:30 BOLD JOURNEY—Travel 7:00 BIOGRAPHY—Documentary 7:30 WRESTLING—Minneapolis 9:00 WANTED—DEAD OR ALIVE 9:30 NEWS—Dick Ford 9:45 WEATHER—Stuart A. Lindman 9:50 SPORTS—Buetel, Horner 10:00 MOVIE—Drama “Count Three and Pray” (1955) 12:15 AMOS ‘N’ ANDY—Comedy Time approximate
TV
December 4, 2021
This week in TV Guide: December 5, 1964
I have a friend who, for the last 30 years without fail, has called me on November 1 to leave a message on my voicemail: "Let the holidays begin!" For him, it was the best time of the year; putting pumpkins and haystacks on the doorstep, other decorations throughout the house, and before long it would be Thanksgiving, and then Christmas, and then New Year's. Yes, it is the best time of the year.I'm not quite as quick on the draw as my friend is; for me, it starts to sink in on Monday of Thanksgiving week. But there's no doubt that by the time we reach the December 5 issue of TV Guide, the holiday season is in full swing, and our television programming reflects it. There's not a lot this week, but what there is is big time, beginning with the very first airing of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, on Sunday afternoon's General Electric Fantasy Hour* (4:30 p.m. CT, NBC). The debut is accompanied by a full-color feature story with color pictures; in it, we learn that each figure cost upward of $5,000 to make, and it took 100 technicians and 22 room-sized sets to make the 25-year-old song into a reality. Even an eyebrow out of place could cost the production a week's worth of expenses to reshoot.
*It airs in the afternoon partly because it's a family program, partly because there's not yet the connection to adult nostalgia that there will be in years to come, partly because there's no doubleheader football showing on a regular basis, and mostly because this is the regular timeslot for GE's other big weekly show, College Bowl. It also preempts Meet the Press, for what it's worth.
This year will be the 58th broadcast year for Rudolph, and I wonder if anyone could possibly have imagined that when it started out? Says Arthur Rankin of producers Rankin-Bass, "When a film takes a year to make and costs a half-million dollars, you can be sure you won't see it on TV every day." No, but what about every year?
It's a bit early for other Christmas specials; we haven't yet created the avalanche of cartoons that will signify the toy-buying season; the only other one at present is Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol—but the other event this week spells quality as well. It's the movie We're No Angels, presented on Wednesday Night at the Movies (8:00 p.m., NBC), and those of who you haven't seen it really should. It tells the story of three criminals (Humphrey Bogart, in a rare comedic appearance, Peter Ustinov and Aldo Ray) who escape from the infamous Devil's Island penal colony in French Guiana on Christmas Eve, and become involved in the lives of a good-hearted but hapless dry goods store manager (Leo G. Carroll), his wife (Joan Bennett) and their daughter (Gloria Talbott). The trouble begins when the absentee owner of the store, who's also the villain of the piece (Basil Rathbone, all but twirling his mustache), shows up unexpectedly.
The movie, directed by Michael Curtiz (who was also responsible for Casablanca and White Christmas, among many others), is perfect for anyone who can't take the saccharine sweetness and sickly sentimentality of the Hallmark/Lifetime made-for-TV schlockfests; the three escapees are, respectively, an embezzler (Bogart, wry with a hint of menace) and a pair of murderers (Ustinov, chewing the scenery wonderfully, and Ray, the wackiest of the three), and the tone throughout is that of a very dark, very funny comedy. By the way, did I mention their pet viper, Adolphe? You should check this out—I don't believe you'll be disappointed.
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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 include Sophie Tucker; Sid Caesar; Jerry Lewis; drummer Gary Lewis (Jerry's son) and the Playboys, instrumental quartet; the folk singing [Chad] Mitchell Trio; singer-dancer Piccola Pupa; and comic Bob Lewis.
Palace: Phil Harris is the host and his guests include Ginger Rogers; comedian Bill Dana; the McGuire Sisters, who do a medley of their hits; singer Gary Crosby; the Jubilee Four vocal group; Dwight Moore and his mongrels; and the Merkys, acrobats.
Tough one this week. The headliners are solid on both programs—stars (Jerry Lewis and Phil Harris), sons of stars (Gary Lewis and Gary Crosby), comedians (Sid Caesar and Bill Dana), vocal groups (the Chad Mitchell Trio and the Jubilee Four). Ultimately, the tiebreaker goes to Ginger Rogers (even without Fred Astaire) and the McGuire Sisters, and that gives the slight edge to the Palace. .
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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 week, Cleveland Amory sets his eyes on Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. And for once, Cleve has good things to day in his review. I think, that is; sometimes it can be hard to tell. His description of Jim Nabors' Pyle is "a goof-off, a goldbrick and pea-brained knucklehead - and, on the occasions when he is late, a late goof-off, goldbrick and pea-brained knucklehead." In addition, however, Nabors is "as fine a broad comedian as your screen has mustered up this season."
Fine, too, is Frank Sutton, who up to this point has been seen most often as a small-time crook in shows like The Untouchables and Naked City, playing Pyle's foil, Sergeant Carter*. Sutton's sputtering reactions to Pyle's naïve bumbling, says Amory, have "that wonderful rage in reserve—the quiet, low-voiced, clearly enunciated third-degree burn."
*Not to be confused with Sergeant Carter on Hogan's Heroes.
Each week's show features at least one "epic" moment, such as the time when Carter, in desperation, tries to get the sleeping Pyle to sign a receipt. "Write your name," he whispers to Pyle, only to find out later that this is just what Pyle has written: "Your Name." Just as epic, though, is Amory's imitation of Pyle's thick Southern accent; "Naow, thayut's sneaky. Whut I done wuzn't sneaky," he writes at one point, and if Amory had written on a computer with spellcheck, that sentence would have broken it. My impression is that Amory doesn't see Gomer Pyle as great art, let alone great television; it's fun television, though, well worth an evening's viewing.
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It's the last day of the college football season, and NBC's game of the week is the Egg Bowl between Mississippi State and Ole Miss (1:45 p.m.), neither of which are having a very good season. So if that's not to your liking, the NFL has a Saturday game to offer as well, with the Green Bay Packers taking on the Chicago Bears from Wrigley Field (1:00 p.m., CBS). They're not having stellar seasons either, but it's something different. Besides, your alternative is the Miss America Rodeo—or
Miss Rodeo America
, as it's actually known—from Las Vegas (1:00 p.m., NBC), although I'll admit it might be fun to see Miss Alabama trying to wrestle steers with that sash and swimsuit on.* In fact, the most interesting football note is in the TV Teletype section, which notes that in two weeks ABC will be televising the Liberty Bowl, from inside the Atlantic City Convention Center in New Jersey—coincidentally, the venue of the Miss America pageant. Maybe they should have held the Miss America Rodeo there instead of Vegas.*Oh, you mean it isn't that kind of Miss America?
On Sunday, the Minnesota Vikings travel to Yankee Stadium to play the New York Giants (1:00 p.m., CBS), followed by the Los Angeles Rams vs. the 49ers in San Francisco, joined in progress at around 3:30 p.m.; it's the last CBS doubleheader of the season. Meanwhile, on the AFL side of the ledger, the Boston Patriots play the Kansas City Chiefs (2:30 p.m., ABC). Maybe you're better off with Rudolph.
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It's still a little early for weekly shows to be running their Christmas episodes, but that doesn't mean they aren't worth watching. On Saturday, The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo ►(7:00 p.m., NBC), which was born in the wake of the success from last year's Magoo's Christmas Carol, presents the fourth and final part of "Robin Hood," with Magoo in the role of Friar Tuck, and Howard Morris voicing Robin Hood. That's followed by NBC's Saturday Night at the Movies, and a true classic, the crime thriller Bad Day at Black Rock, featuring a brilliant performance by Spencer Tracy and a nasty one by Robert Ryan. The weekend continues with Sunday's Wonderful World of Color (6:30 p.m., NBC), with the conclusion of "Big Red," starring Walter Pidgeon. That's followed by The Bill Dana Show; I've talked about him from time to time, always favorably, usually when he's playing his José Jiménez character. José's taken up many occupations, most famously an astronaut, but here he plays a bellhop, spun off from Make Room For Daddy, where he was an elevator operator.*
*Ironically, one of Dana's costars is Jonathan Harris, who would later indeed go into space, in a manner of speaking.
Monday night begins with No Time for Sergeants (7:30 p.m., ABC), the unsuccessful sitcom adaptation of the very successful play and movie, both of which starred Andy Griffith. The TV version offers us Sammy Jackson, who graces this week's cover along with his series girlfriend, Laurie Sibbald. After that, you can opt for Andy Williams (8:00 p.m., NBC), and his guests in this pre-Christmas show are Robert Goulet and Bobby Darin. And speaking of ABC, what would Christmastime be without Der Bingle? This isn't his Yuletide clambake, though, but a regular episode of his single-season sitcom (8:30 p.m., ABC), in which he portrays a retired singer named Bing Collins. Hmm.
One of the more interesting shows of the week is Sounds of Freedom, a half-hour film on WCCO Tuesday night (6:30 p.m.): "The Rev. Bob Richards and his family tour Germany, France and England comparing America's modern supermarkets to the food markets in these countries." It only took me a moment to surmise (correctly, as it turned out) that this might be the same Bob Richards who—well, you might know him better for this:
Yes, Richards was the first athlete to appear on the cover of the Wheaties box, as a result of his accomplishments as a three-time U.S. Olympian. From there he went on to become an ordained minister, physical fitness advocate, and political activist.
The Bell Telephone Hour (9:00 p.m., NBC) will have a fabulous Christmas show in a couple of weeks, but this week's show isn't bad: it's hosted by the great French entertainer Maurice Chevalier, with the equally great jazz clarinetist Pete Fountain, opera star Teresa Berganza, Stanley Holloway, and the puppet cast of "Les Poupees de Paris."
Besides We're No Angels (which I just finished watching a few minutes ago), Wednesday brings us The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (6:30 p.m., ABC), in which Rick and his frat brothers decide the "dancer" Bubbles La Tassle (Mamie Van Doren, who else?) would make a fine housemother for the fraternity. Am I wrong to think this bears a faint resemblance to Working Girl? On The Beverly Hillbillies (7:30 p.m., CBS), the Drysdale's new English butler (Arthur Treacher) mistakenly reports to the Clampetts instead, and on The Dick Van Dyke Show (8:00 p.m., CBS) Rob's not about to admit to Laura that she was right when she warned him about catching a cold while playing golf. Danny Kaye's guests this week (9:00 p.m., CBS) are Tony Bennett, Imogene Coca, and the singing Clinger Sisters. And by the way, on The Tonight Show (10:30 p.m., NBC), one of Johnny's guests is the very same Pete Fountain who appeared on Bell Telephone Hour last night.
Danny Thomas no longer has a regular series, but he's back on Thursday for his second special of the season (7:30 p.m,. NBC), with a cast including Jimmy Durante, Joey Bishop and Eddie Fisher. (Next week, we'll see Danny on the cover of a much earlier TV Guide, and ask if anyone remembers him anymore.) If you want to see it, that means you'll have to pass up the nighttime version of Password (8:00 p.m., CBS), with Paul Anka and Rita Moreno as the celebrity panelists. Have I mentioned before that Paul Anka was a very good, very intense Password player? And on KTCA's educational show Town and Country (9:30 p.m,), it's "Christmas plants for the home."
Friday night means Jack Paar's primetime show (9:00 p.m., NBC), taped in London, with Judy Garland, Robert Morley, and Randolph Churchill, Sir Winston's only son. This episode features a wonderfully entertaining, slightly tipsy Judy riffing on Marlene Dietrich in a wickedly funny bit.
Yes, I know the label on the clip says it was from November 25, but I believe this is a reference to when the show was originally recorded, not broadcast. Besides, November 25 was a Wednesday.
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Finally this week, Friday is also the night for Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre, which three weeks out of four was a dramatic anthology series, while the fourth week featured a Hope comedy special. He'll be doing his Christmas show in this time slot shortly, but tonight's episode (7:30 p.m., NBC) is "The Shattered Glass," in which "Five years ago, talented young architect David Vincent turned to the bottle after his girl friend Helen married another man. Now Helen's husband is dead, and David hopes to resume the romance." If any of this sounds the least familiar (and as my friend Mike Doran would point out, the world is filled with coincidence), let's skip ahead three years to the science fiction show The Invaders. The protagonist of that series is also an architect, also named David Vincent, who accidentally stumbles on an alien invasion after getting lost on a deserted road.
Now, my theory on this is that Vincent was drunk from one of his bouts with the bottle after Helen dumped him, which explains his getting lost. It's also why the authorities suspect Vincent merely thought he'd seen a flying saucer, when it was probably something else entirely. And, needless to say, it's one of those aliens who winds up killing Helen's husband, after which Vincent becomes conflicted, since the very aliens he's been trying to out are responsible for reuniting him with his lost love, and decides to give up the fight for good. Or maybe Helen's one of the invaders. Or perhaps after her husband dies, she marries a doctor in Indiana and becomes known as Helen Kimble.That's the great thing about television, isn't it? Absolutely anything's possible. No wonder it's the (Chrysler) theater of dreams. TV
December 3, 2021
Around the dial
We've got a full slate of stories to look at At bare-bones e-zine, Jack's Hitchcock Project focuses on the seventh-season episode "
What Frightened You, Fred?
", an excellent and taut story starring R.G Armstrong, Ed Asner, and Adam Williams, and directed by Paul Henreid.I think I've mentioned this before, but a great episode title can do wonders, and if you're an occasional viewer of Love That Bob, an episode called " Grandpa Meets Zsa Zsa " is going to be hard to turn down. Find out if Hal agrees with our instincts at this week's The Horn Section.
At Silver Scenes, the Metzinger Sisters take a gander at The Entertainers , the 1964-65 variety series that boasted a trio of rotating hosts: Bob Newhart, Carol Burnett, and Caterina Valente. The Entertainers may be an example of one of those shows that sounded better in practice; I wrote about its troubled season a couple of years ago.
Inner Toob has a fun look at John Astin's portrayal of Gomez on The Addams Family, and the crossover potential with other Astin characters, including his version of The Riddler in Batman.
Nothing sells like courtroom drama; remember that what's interesting in legal dramas is not the lives of the lawyers, but the cases they try in court. In a continuing seres, David looks at three memorable such episodes from the world of Comfort TV.
Stepping away from the exclusive world of classic TV for a moment, it's time to wish a happy blog anniversary to Gil at one of my favorite blogs, Realweegiemidget. And you can't beat the blogathons she hosts, a couple of which I've been privileged to be in.
At Cult TV Blog (or, as John now calls it, "That Blog Where the Bloke Who Never Wears a Shirt Blogs about TV and Tries to Stay on the Subject"), it's a look at a Freudian episode of The Tomorrow People, and I'll take John's word on the analysis of the episode.
One of the more controversial periods of The Twilight Zone is the brief era of videotaped episodes, made necessary in order to cut costs and meet the budget. At Shadow & Substance, Paul invites your vote on which taped episode was the best ; taken as a whole, they're really pretty good.
At A Shroud of Thoughts, Terence provides us with a handy guide to the Christmas movies appearing this year on Turner Classic Movies . I think I've seen 14 or 15 of them, most of which I enjoyed quite a lot. Of all the cable stations we're without since cutting the cord, I'd say that I miss TCM the most, although having The Criterion Channel more than makes up for it. Japanese noir, anyone?
Speaking of noir, The Last Drive-In begins a series of 31 flavors of noir on the fringe . As it happens, I've seen a few of these as well, and I urge you to check them out—they're the perfect antidote to those Christmas movies over at Hallmark. TV
December 1, 2021
Toscanini and the NBC Symphony, April 3, 1948
From the YouTube channel Free the Kinescopes, it's a televised performance by Arturo Toscanini and the NBC Symphony Orchestra, with the Robert Shaw Chorale, in a live broadcast from April 3, 1948. On the program: Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. There are a number of things to note, besides the now-unthinkable idea that a television network would actually have its own symphony orchestra, led by one of the world's most famous conductors. For one, the broadcast comes from NBC's famed Studio 8-H in New York City (now home to Saturday Night Live), which makes for a very intimate setting, with the small audience right on top of the action.
Given its beginnings as a radio orchestra (it was founded in 1937), it's no surprise that announcer Ben Grauer, although he appears on camera, functions essentially as he would if this were a radio broadcast, standing in front of a microphone and reading from his script. Not too fancy, perhaps, but certainly effective.
And note as well how Maestro Toscanini, though he was one of the most famous (and intimidating) conductors of his era, has to wait until Grauer has finished his introduction before launching into the downbeat. Even then, television called the shots.
TV
November 29, 2021
What's on TV? Wednesday, November 29, 1961
One of the things I noticed in today's listings was a little note in the description of the U.S. Steel Hour story "Tangle of Truth." "Taped from a live broadcast," it says, and of course it's because of the time difference because we're out here in Oregon this week. No, what's interesting is that, here in late 1961, we still have weekly (or every other week, in the case of the U.S. Steel Hour) shows that are broadcast live. As
I've mentioned before
, live television is really a different animal from film or tape; by now, other than soap operas and news and sporting events, live broadcasts are pretty much limited to prestige drama anthologies and variety shows that try to capture the energy of live performances. They're not completely gone in 1961, but they're becoming fewer and farther between.-6- KOIN (CBS) MORNING 7:00 COLLEGE OF THE AIR—Education New Biology: “Interrelation of Matter and Energy,” part 4 7:30 CARTOON TIME—Children 8:00 CAPTAIN KANGAROO—Children 9:00 CALENDAR—Harry Reasoner 9:30 I LOVE LUCY—Comedy 10:00 VIDEO VILLAGE—Monty Hall 10:30 YOUR SURPRISE PACKAGE 10:55 NEWS—Harry Reasoner 11:00 LOVE OF LIFE—Serial 11:30 SEARCH FOR TOMORROW—Serial 11:45 GUIDING LIGHT—Serial AFTERNOON 12:00 HI NEIGHBOR—Doris Kyber 12:30 AS THE WORLD TURNS—Serial 1:00 KOIN KITCHEN—Betty Davis 1:30 HOUSE PARTY—Art Linkletter Guest: Marianne Means 2:00 MILLIONAIRE—Drama 2:30 VERDICT IS YOURS 2:55 NEWS—Charles Collingwood 3:00 BRIGHTER DAY—Serial 3:15 SECRET STORM—Serial 3:30 EDGE OF NIGHT—Serial 4:00 PEOPLE’S CHOICE—Comedy 4:30 CARTOON CIRCUS—Mr. Duffy 5:00 ROCKY AND HIS FRIENDS 5:15 MAN FROM COCHISE—Police 5:45 NEWS—Foster, Kirkham EVENING 6:15 NEWS—Douglas Edwards 6:30 WHIPLASH—Adventure 7:00 TIGHTROPE!—Police 7:30 ALVIN—Cartoon 8:00 FATHER KNOWS BEST—Comedy 8:30 CHECKMATE—Mystery 9:30 MRS. G. GOES TO COLLEGE 10:00 U.S. STEEL HOUR—Drama “Tangle of Truth” 11:00 NEWS—Foster, Meyers 11:30 MOVIE—Mystery Showtime on Six” “The Lone Wolf Takes a Chance” (1941)
-8- KGW (NBC) MORNING 5:55 TOWN AND COUNTRY—Jones 6:00 CONTENTINAL CLASSROOM COLOR 1. Modern Algebra: “Parabolas” 2. American Government: “Constitutional Government.” 7:00 TODAY—John Chancellor 8:00 CARTOONER’S CLUB—Children 8:30 TELESCOPE—Variety 9:30 PLAY YOUR HUNCH—Griffin COLOR 10:00 PRICE IS RIGHT—Cullen COLOR 10:30 CONCENTRATION—Hugh Downs 11:00 TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES 11:30 IT COULD BE YOU COLOR 11:55 NEWS—Ray Scherer AFTERNOON 12:00 JAN MURRAY—Game COLOR 12:30 LORETTA YOUNG—Drama 1:00 YOUNG DR. MALONE—Serial 1:30 FROM THESE ROOTS—Serial 2:00 MAKE ROOM FOR DADDY 2:30 HERE’S HOLLYWOOD—Interviews Guest: Bob Newhart 2:55 NEWS—Sander Vanocur 3:00 MOVIE—Drama Matinee: “Hell’s Five Hours” (1958) 4:30 CARTOON CORRAL COLOR 5:00 KUKLA AND OLLIE—Tillstrom 5:05 CARTOON CORRAL COLOR EVENING 6:00 NEWS—Richard Ross 6:15 NEWS—Huntley, Brinkley 6:30 OUTDOOR SPORTSMAN COLOR 7:00 SUCCESS STORY—Portland 7:30 HOLLYWOOD: THE GOLDEN YEARS—Documentary SPECIAL “Wagon Train” will not be seen tonight. 8:30 JOEY BISHOP—Comedy 9:00 VOLCANO NAMED WHITE SPECIAL 10:00 WORLD OF BILLY GRAHAM SPECIAL “The Bob Newhart Show” and “David Brinkley’s Journal” will not be seen 11:00 NEWS—Ivan Smith 11:30 JACK PAAR—Variety COLOR Jack’s guests include author Marya Mannes
10 KOAP (Educ.) MORNING 9:00 TELECOURSE—Astronomy 10:00 TELECOURSE—Psychology 10:45 TO BE ANNOUNCED 11:00 TELECOURSE—Government AFTERNOON 2:00 TELECOURSE—Psychology 2:45 TO BE ANNOUNCED 3:00 TELECOURSE—Biology EVENING 6:30 SCIENCE IN OUR WORLD 7:00 TELECOURSE—Composition 7:30 SONGS OF THE SOUTH—Turner 8:00 WINDOW—Portland 8:30 WISDOM AND LIFE—Watts 9:00 PHILOSOPHIES OF EDUCATION 9:30 CONVERSATIONAL SPANISH 9:45 TELECOURSE—College Algebra
12 KPTV (ABC) MORNING 7:00 BREADBASKET—Farm News 7:30 ROUNDHOUSE—Uncle Charlie 8:30 ROMPER ROOM—Children 9:00 JACK LaLANNE—Exercises 9:30 BETTER HALF—Variety 10:00 COURTROOM U.S.A.—Drama 10:30 FAMOUS PLAYHOUSE—Drama 11:00 TEXAN—Western 11:30 LOVE THAT BOB!—Comedy AFTERNOON 12:00 CAMOUFLAGE—Don Morrow 12:30 MAKE A FACE—Bob Clayton 1:00 DAY IN COURT—Drama 1:25 NEWS—Alex Dreier 1:30 BURNS AND ALLEN—Comedy 2:00 NUMBER PLEASE—Bud Collyer 2:30 SEVEN KEYS—Jack Narz 3:00 QUEEN FOR A DAY—Bailey 3:30 WHO DO YOU TRUST—Carson 4:00 AMERICAN BANDSTAND—Clark 4:30 ADDIE BOBKINS—Children 5:00 THREE STOOGES—Comedy 5:30 POPEYE THEATER—Children 5:55 NEWS—Sanders, Lambert EVENING 6:15 NEWS—ABC Evening 6:30 CIMARRON CITY—Western 7:30 STEVE ALLEN—Variety Guest: Sophia Loren 8:30 TOP CAT—Cartoon 9:00 HAWAIIAN EYE—Mystery 10:00 NAKED CITY—Police 11:00 NEWS—William Lambert 11:15 MOVIE—Western Movie 12: “The Unseen” (1945)
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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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