Mitchell Hadley's Blog: It's About TV!, page 89

What's on TV? Monday, September 7, 1964

Happy Labor Day, everyone! On Saturday I joked about calling this Labour Day, since most of today's listings are from Canada. Be that as it may, it's certainly an interesting day of television we have, and while the commentary might be lighter than usual, I don't doubt but what we'll find something to write about!

  -3- WCAX (BURLINGTON) (CBS)

  Morning

   8:00

CAPTAIN KANGAROO—Children

     9:00

INDUSTRY ON PARADE

     9:15

SOCIAL SECURITY IN ACTION

     9:30

AROUND THE WORLD

    10:00

NEWS—Mike Wallace

    10:30

I LOVE LUCY—Comedy

    11:00

McCOYS—Comedy

    11:30

PETE AND GLADYS—Comedy

    Afternoon   12:00

LOVE OF LIFE—Serial

    12:25

NEWS—Robert Trout

    12:30

SEARCH FOR TOMORROW

    12:45

GUIDING LIGHT—Serial

     1:00

ACROSS THE FENCE

     1:15

MIXING BOWL—Women

     1:30

AS THE WORLD TURNS—Serial

     2:00

PASSWORD—Allen Ludden

Guests Piper Laurie, Marty Ingels

     2:30

HOUSE PARTY—Art Linkletter

Guests: Thomas Harrison, Jack Linkletter

     3:00

TO TELL THE TRUTH—Panel

Panelists: Barry Nelson, Ann Sheridan, Orson Bean, Eva Gabor

     3:25

NEWS—Douglas Edwards

     3:30

EDGE OF NIGHT—Serial

     4:00

SECRET STORM—Serial

     4:30

GAIL STORM

     5:00

WOODY WOODPECKER—Cartoons

     5:30

TIME OUT FOR SPORTS

     5:50

POLITCAL TALK

    Evening    6:00

SPORTS, WEATHER, NEWS

     6:30

NEWS—Walter Cronkite

     7:00

REBEL—Western

     7:30

TO TELL THE TRUTH—Panel

Panelists: Orson Bean, Betty White, Kitty Carlisle, Tom Posten

     8:00

I’VE GOT A SECRET—Panel

     8:30

VACATION PLAYHOUSE—Drama

     9:00

DANNY THOMAS—Comedy

     9:30

ANDY GRIFFITH—Comedy

    10:00

EAST SIDE/WEST SIDE—Drama

    11:00

NEWS, WEATHER, SPORTS

    11:25

I LED THREE LIVES—Drama

 

 

 

  -4- CBOT (OTTAWA) (CBC)

    Afternoon       2:15

MOVIE—Comedy

“Happy is the Bride” (1958)

    4:00

R.C.M.P.—Police

    4:30

VACATION TIME

    5:30

FIREBALL XL-5—Children

  Evening       6:00

BROADWAY GOES LATIN

    6:30

MARITIME GAZETTE

    7:00

NEWS, WEATHER, SPORTS

    7:30

DR. FINLAY’S CASEBOOK—Drama

    8:30

SINGALONG JUBILEE—Variety

    9:00

RED SKELTON

Guests Rhonda Fleming, Hank Henry

  10:00

UNDER ONE ROOF

  10:30

EXPLORATIONS

  11:00

NEWS, WEATHER, SPORTS

  11:15

VIEWPOINT

  11:20

LOCAL NEWS

  11:35

ALCOA PREMIERE—Drama

 

 

  -5- WPTZ (PLATTSBURGH) (NBC, ABC)

  Morning     7:00

TODAY—Hugh Downs

Guests: Ashley Montagu, Judith Crist

    9:00

EDUCATIONAL TV

    9:30

JACK LA LANNE—Exercise

  10:00

MAKE ROOM FOR DADDY

  10:30

WORD FOR WORD

  COLOR    10:55

NEWS—Edwin Newman

  11:00

CONCENTRATION—Hugh Downs

  11:30

JEOPARDY—Fleming

  Afternoon   12:00

SAY WHEN—Art James

  COLOR    12:30

TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES—Bob Barker

  COLOR    12:55

NEWS—Ray Scherer

    1:00

GENERAL HOPSITAL—Serial

    1:30

BASEBALL—Colt .45’s vs. Mets  COLOR  Houston Colt .45s vs New York Mets

    4:00

FATHER KNOWS BEST—Comedy

    4:30

TRAILMASTER—Western

    5:30

ADVENTURE CLUB—Children 

  Evening     6:00

SPORTS—Len Cane

    6:10

NEWS, WEATHER

    6:30

NEWS—Chet Huntley, David Brinkley

    7:00

BILL DANA—Comedy

    7:30

MOVIE—Drama  COLOR  Monday Night at the Movies: “David and Bathsheba” (1951)

  10:00

SING ALONG WITH MITCH

  COLOR    11:00

NEWS, WEATHER, SPORTS

  11:25

TONIGHT  COLOR  Guest host: Alan King. Guest: Shirley Harmer

 

 

  -6- WRGB (SCHENECTADY) (NBC)

  Morning    7:00

TODAY—Hugh Downs

Guests: Ashley Montagu, Judith Crist

   9:00

EDUCATIONAL TV

   9:30

TOP PLAYS

  10:00

MAKE ROOM FOR DADDY

  10:30

WORD FOR WORD

  COLOR    10:55

NEWS—Edwin Newman

  11:00

CONCENTRATION—Hugh Downs

  11:30

JEOPARDY—Fleming

  Afternoon   12:00

SAY WHEN—Art James

  COLOR    12:30

TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES—Bob Barker

  COLOR    12:55

NEWS—Ray Scherer

   1:00

MAN FROM COCHISE—Drama

   1:25

BASEBALL—Colt .45’s vs. Mets  COLOR  Houston Colt .45s vs New York Mets

   4:00

SATELLITE SIX

   5:30

RIFLEMAN—Western

  Evening    6:00

EARLE PUDNEY

   6:15

NEWS, WEATHER

   6:30

NEWS—Chet Huntley, David Brinkley

   7:00

FRACTURED FLICKERS—Comedy

   7:30

MOVIE—Drama  COLOR  Monday Night at the Movies: “David and Bathsheba” (1951)

  10:00

SING ALONG WITH MITCH

  COLOR    11:00

NEWS, WEATHER, SPORTS

  11:25

TONIGHT  COLOR  Guest host: Alan King. Guest: Shirley Harmer

 

 

   6  CBMT (MONTREAL) (CBC)

  Afternoon    3:30

SEA HUNT—Adventure

     4:00

R.C.M.P.—Police

     4:30

VACATION TIME

     4:45

BREADTIME STORIES—Fisk

     5:00

WOODY WOODPECKER—Cartoons

     5:30

FIREBALL XL-5—Children

    Evening     6:00

CITIZEN JAMES—Comedy

      6:30

MARITIME GAZETTE

      7:00

NEWS, WEATHER, SPORTS

      7:30

DR. FINLAY’S CASEBOOK—Drama

      8:30

SINGALONG JUBILEE—Variety

      9:00

RED SKELTON

Guests Rhonda Fleming, Hank Henry

     10:00

UNDER ONE ROOF

     10:30

EXPLORATIONS

     11:00

NEWS, WEATHER, SPORTS

     11:15

VIEWPOINT

     11:20

LOCAL NEWS

     11:35

MOVIE—Adventure

“Destination Moon” (1950)

 

 

 

  -8- WMTW (POLAND SPRING) (ABC)

  Morning     8:15

FARM AND HOME

  COLOR      8:45

TEDDY BEAR PLAYHOUSE—Children

  10:25

NEWS—Dick Gove

  10:30

PRICE IS RIGHT—Bill Cullen

Guest: Dick Patterson

  11:00

GET THE MESSAGE—Buxton

Guest panelists: Robert Q. Lewis, Roger Smith, Shari Lewis, Selma Diamond

  11:30

MISSING LINKS—Dick Clark

Guests: Tom Poston, Nipsey Russell, Dr. Joyce Brothers

  Afternoon   12:00

FATHER KNOWS BEST—Comedy

  12:30

ERNIE FORD—Variety

Guest: Pat Harrington Jr.

   1:00

MOVIE—Biography

“The Great Victor Herbert” (1939)

   2:00

TOWN AND COUNTRY TIME

   2:30

DAY IN COURT

   2:55

NEWS—Lisa Howard

   3:00

GENERAL HOSPITAL—Serial

   3:30

QUEEN FOR A DAY—Bailey

   4:00

TRAILMASTER—Western

   5:00

SUPERMAN—Adventure

   5:30

MOVIE—Drama

“An American Romance” (1944)

  Evening    7:00

NEWS—Ron Cochran

   7:15

NEWS AND WEATHER

   7:30

OUTER LIMITS—Drama

   8:30

WAGON TRAIN—Western

  COLOR    10:00

BREAKING POINT—Drama

  11:00

NEWS, WEATHER, SPORTS

  11:20

MOVIE—Drama

“The Cheaters” (1945)

 

 

  12 CFCF (MONTREAL) (Ind., CTV)

    Morning       9:45

MEDITATION

  10:00

HERITAGE

  10:30

ROMPER ROOM—Children

  11:00

ED ALLEN TIME—Variety

  11:30

ABRACADABRA—Children  DEBUT  

  COLOR    Afternoon     12:00

LITTLE THEATER

    1:00

MOVIE—Musical

“The West Point Story” (1950)

    2:30

FOUR OF A KIND 

  DEBUT     3:00

ROUTE 66—Drama

    4:00

SPORTS PROFILE

    4:15

FOOTBALL FORECAST

    4:30

PRO FOOTBALL—Alouettes vs. Roughriders

Montreal Alouettes at Saskatchewan Roughriders

  Evening       6:30

CHANNEL 12 STAKES

    6:45

NEWS, SPORTS, WEATHER

    7:00

TRAVELS OF JAMIE McPHEETERS—Drama

    8:00

DICK VAN DYKE—Comedy

    8:30

DEATH VALLEY DAYS—Drama

    9:00

McHALE’S NAVY—Comedy

    9:30

TEXAN—Western

  10:00

DR. KILDARE—Drama

  11:00

NEWS, WEATHER, SPORTS

  11:35

OUTER LIMITS—Science Fiction

 

 

  13 CJOH (OTTAWA) (Ind., CTV)

  Afternoon

   1:30

GOOD AFTERNOON

     1:40

MOVIE—Comedy

“Are Husbands Necessary?” (1942)

     3:10

COFFEE CLUB—Variety

     4:05

NEWS, WEATHER

     4:15

FOOTBALL FORECAST

     4:30

PRO FOOTBALL—Alouettes vs. Roughriders

Montreal Alouettes at Saskatchewan Roughriders

    Evening

   7:00

TV BINGO

     7:30

MOVIE—Western

“The Naked Hills” (1956)

     9:00

McHALE’S NAVY—Comedy

     9:30

TEXAN—Western

    10:00

DR. KILDARE—Drama

    11:00

NEWS, WEATHER, SPORTS

 

TV  

This week in TV Guide: September 5, 1964

You remember Newton Minow. When he was head of the FCC, he looked out at the television landscape and saw only a vast wasteland, and wound up having the marooned ship in Gilligan's Island named after him. Well, he did a lot more than that, actually, before leaving his position in June of 1963 to become executive vice president of Encyclopaedia Britannica. Now he's back, and in excerpts from his forthcoming book Equal Time: The Private Broadcaster and the Public Interest, he discusses the problems and potential of television.

One priority for Minow is eliminating interference from advertisers, something far more prevalent then than it is now. The Quiz Show Scandals, for instance, resulted in large part from sponsors exercising creative control over the shows they often developed and sold to television networks. Here's an example of what Minow's talking about:

Automobile sponsors do not like shows involving automobile accidents; or even stories that use "chase" scenes with cars driven at high speed to the sound of squealing brakes. Detective Michael Shayne might be an authority on cognac, but if he discusses this specialty, no beer company wants sponsorship.

Sherlock Holmes' love of the pipe rules out a cigaret company or a cigar maker for sponsorship. A coffee sponsor would not allow the comic scenes in Gunsmoke in which Chester makes such dreadful coffee for Marshal Matt Dillon. A company manufacturing shaving tools would never permit a bearded hero, and a soap company does not want a hero who wears dirty clothes.

Colorfully written, but I think it's essentially accurate. Of course, the Law of Unintended Consequences is bound to rear its ugly head here; an outgrowth of the Quiz Show fiasco was greater control by the networks over their programming. The downside to this, not surprisingly, is that networks become far more anxious over ratings; in order to placate sponsors leery of investing their money in a program over which they've had no control, they've had to make the investment as attractive as possible, and low ratings aren't a particular inducement to a company to spend their money. As we've seen throughout time, the rating system has come under heavy criticism from viewers and legislators concerned that "quality" television falls victim to a fickle public, and ultimately is sacrificed in the name of the financial bottom line.

Minow appears to have anticipated this, taking a long, hard look at the relationship between broadcasters and the FCC. He cites examples of FCC commissioners and their too-cozy relationship with the industry they're supposed to be regulating, and points out that commissioners, as governmental appointees, are likely to be opposed by powerful interest groups if they take too strong of a stand against the networks and/or their affiliates. The only way to counteract this is to open the FCC up more to public input, and as FCC chair he'd urged President Kennedy to streamline and reorganize the Commission. Rather than the regulated controlling the regulator, he feels that such an approach will set up healthy conflict: "the sight and sound of battle [between public and private interests] are the public's best evidence that their rights are being protected."

And there will be battle, for as Minow writes, there is and will be that eternal conflict between public and private interests. One the one hand, he readily recognizes that broadcasters have "a vested and narrow interest in achieving and preserving profits." On the other, however, the FCC exists to guarantee that the public's interest is being served by those who hold the special and precious privilege of owning a broadcasting license. Broadcasters have come to view this not as a privilege but as a right—but, as Minow points out, "a 'right' cannot be regulated. It is part of the power the people refuse to give to a government. Only a privilege can be regulated."

This is an important concept and a huge conflict, one that resonates through our political system today despite the fact that Minow's statement can trace its roots all the way back to the Declaration of Independence and Jefferson's assertion that the "unalienable Rights" which mankind enjoys come not from the government, but from "their Creator," and that government exists not to bestow but to secure those rights. When privileges become rights, when the government seeks to grant obfuscate the difference and then grant something over which it has no natural authority, then the entire concept of the governor and the governed falls under suspicion.

This, invariably, leads to a discussion of politics and political advertising, an emerging point of import for Minow's FCC. Again, he takes the industry to task for thinking that their granting of free time to candidates is a gift from them to the candidate; in fact, Minow contends, the gift is in actuality from the public, which has allowed the broadcaster the right to use the public airwaves. It is, therefore, the obligation of the broadcaster to treat this time with care, and not to look at it as yet another opportunity to make a profit: "Television's soaring costs have created a monumental danger that a dollar wall will be stretched across ready access to the public air waves. This wall can create obstacles to the most able candidates—while helping the election of the most obligated candidates. Such an event would be a catastrophe."

Minow's answer is for broadcasters to be obligated to make "minimal amounts of free political time an explicit responsibility of those privileged to hold a broadcast license." He then makes the prescient observation, true even from the early days of television, that "Some politicians believe that television sells candidates as well as soap. But we cannot stack the deck in favor of the candidate able to buy the most time."

What a kettle of fish this discussion has opened! For the power in Minow's arguments is that they strike at the heart of how our system of government functions. Television and radio broadcasting can't, and shouldn't, be treated as something above and beyond the established system, and if that system can't handle something like this, if an activity as vital as broadcasting cannot fit in or conform to those sensibilities, then the question must be asked: can anything? Minow seems confident at the end of these excerpts, as long as "each of us insists that those involved in broadcasting—in industry and government alike—ceaselessly go to the people." It has become apparent, with over fifty years to reflect on it, that neither industry nor government any longer feels such a need or obligation. We are starting to see the fruits of such behavior ripen; what the future portends is anyone's guess.

l  l  l
During the 60s, the Ed Sullivan Show and The Hollywood Palace were the premiere variety shows on television. Whenever they appear in TV Guide together, we'll match them up and see who has the best lineup..

Sullivan: Ed's guests are the Kim Sisters, Italian recording stars Rita Pavone and Enzo Stuardi, and one of America's favorite clowns, Bert Lahr. The tap-dancing Stepp Brothers perform and the Two Carmenas present their head-to-head balancing act. Other guests are child saxophonist Attila Galamb, and comedians London Lee and Pat Buttram.

Palace: Host Louis Jourdan introduces songstress Anna Maria Alberghetti; the singing King Sisters; comedian Henny Youngman; tap dancer John Bubbles; ventriloquist Russ Lewis; comics Lewis and Christy; juggler Johnny Broadway; and Olympic gymnasts Muriel and Abe Grossfeld, Armando Vega and NCAA champion gymnast Ron Barak.

An interesting comparison this week, as Ed presents a rerun from earlier in 1964, while the Palace is into its new season. Both shows are into the vaudeville look, with jugglers, tap-dancers, singers and comedians. It's not particularly an inspired choice, but dapper French actor and singer  Louis Jourdan 's (Gigi) picture appears next to "suave" in the dictionary, Anna Maria Alberghetti is lovely to look at and delightful to listen to, and when he's on Henny "Take my wife, please" Youngman* is as funny as anyone. Perhaps Bert Lahr should have been singing "If I only had some help," because the choice is The Palace by a comfortable, if unimpressive, margin.

*Whose first name is spelled "Henry" in the issue. The proof reader must not have been a fan.

There is, by the way, an article in this week's issue on how The Hollywood Palace has made vaudeville work in the same time spot where Jerry Lewis failed so spectacularly.

l  l  l
You know you're in an election year when the week's TV review is of the networks' convention coverage. And, surprise, surprise, it's not all that different from what we're used to today. "To a large degree," writes Samuel Grafton, "[the networks] have made themselves the show, instead of the meetings they are supposed to be covering." In the process, he asserts, they missed important stories at both conventions.

For example, they were so fired-up to see Pennsylvania Governor William Scranton as a serious challenger to Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater—a challenge that was always hopeless—they missed the bigger story, that of how Goldwater took over the Republican party in the first place. Seems to me it's not unlike their confusion as to how Donald Trump took over the Republicans in 2016. (Oh well, I guess some things never change.) At least, he notes, ABC kept their cameras trained on the podium, unlike NBC and CBS, who "constantly cut away from Senator Dirksen's nominating speech, to tell us what they thought about what Dirksen was saying, instead of letting him say it." David Brinkley's humor, however, was in good form, part of the reason why NBC thrashed CBS in the ratings (leading the network to sack Walter Cronkite for the Democratic convention in favor of the "team" of Robert Trout and Roger Mudd). ABC's own team of Howard K. Smith and Edward P. Morgan worked hard, but "lost out in the ratings because they did not show enough of the special qualities—the glint, the jokesmithing—that these broadcasters' Olympics now seem to call for."

The Democratic convention wasn't much better for the networks, as they again missed the big story: once again preferring conflict (in this case, delegate challenges in Alabama and Mississippi) to the more significant fact that Southern delegates, by-and-large, stood by their party rather than walking out because of LBJ's civil rights legislation. No matter how hard they tried, the floor reporters were unable to convince delegates that it was in their best interests - the networks' best interests, that is - to make trouble.

In the end, concludes Grafton concludes, viewers were frequently treated to scenes that looked more like a "convention of reporters" rather than delegates. Even when they were forced off the floor during the demonstration for Johnson's nomination, they wound up cutting away to show Johnson's arrival in Atlantic City. It makes one pine for the old days "when television was only a camera reporting the news, and modestly keeping itself off the screen."

l  l  l
And now a word about this week's issue. As is the case from time to time (we'll see it again in a couple of weeks), we're going north of the boarder, with the St. Lawrence edition covering Montreal, Ottawa and Sherbrooke, in addition to stations in upper New York, Vermont, and Poland Spring, Maine. Many of the programs are similar (you'll see CBC programming in Monday's piece)—except when it comes to sports, specifically football. Although the NFL, AFL and colleges haven't kicked off yet, the Canadian Football League is in full swing, having started in July.

On Labor Day (or Labour Day, I suppose we should say) CTV carries the matchup between the Montreal Alouettes and Saskatchewan Roughriders from Regina, while a Friday doubleheader pairs the Alouettes and the Edmonton Eskimos, followed by the Ottawa Rough Riders (no relation to the Saskatchewan Roughriders) against the British Columbia Lions (taped Tuesday). If you've not seen the Canadian version of football, you should catch it sometime when it's on one of the ESPN networks; it's similar to our version, just different.

As far as American sports, there's plenty of that as well. The New York stations have the Mets, playing the Dodgers in New York on Sunday, the Houston Colt 45s* on Labor Day, and the Dodgers again on Friday, this time in Los Angeles. And on ABC's final Friday Fight of the Week, former and future Middleweight Champion Dick Tiger takes on Rocky Rivero in Cleveland.

*Known today as the Houston Astros.

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Finally, a quick look at the rest of the news.

The front section of the magazine takes note that on August 27, Gracie Allen died of a heart attack at age 58.* Her widower, George Burns, debuts on Friday night with his new ABC series, Wendy and Me, co-starring Connie Stevens in the dumb blonde role.

*Or 69, as the case may be; her birth records were destroyed in the San Francisco earthquake. Her actual birth year remains a mystery.

Actress Maureen O'Sullivan is leaving her role as the "Today Girl" after four months. She's headed back to acting, having called her role on Today "asinine." She explains, "It's not enough to sit ther and smile every day with nothing to do. . . The show is simply no place for a woman." Her successor is Barbara Walters.

On Wednesday, CBS's Robert Pierpoint interviews Mrs. Barry Goldwater at the family home outside Phoenix. Apropos of the times, the listing never gives us her first name, Margaret. I hardly think the viewers would have confused her with some other Mrs. Goldwater...

Also on Friday, Jack Paar's prime time program (10:00 p.m. ET, NBC) has Muhammad Ali and Liberace as guests, and the two team up for a memorable duet.


And finally, the final program of the week also makes for a great exit line. It's the biographical film "I Aim at the Stars," the story of the brilliant rocket scientist Wernher von Braun, who designed the Saturn V booster that helped land Americans on the moon. The British, who remembered von Braun as the man who developed the V2 rockets that rained terror on England, had a different name for the movie. As Tom Wolfe recalls in The Right Stuff, they called it "I Aim at the Stars—But Sometimes Hit London." TV  

Around the dial

We'll start off the week at Comfort TV, where David takes a fond look back at some of the best work by Will Geer . People of our age remember him as Grandpa Walton, but as David shows, there was much more to Geer's portfolio than that.
I really enjoyed Fire-Breathing Dimetroden Time this week, because of Grant's pleasure at discovering a show that's long been one of my favorites: The Saint. (Which probably says more about my age than anything else.) The episode: the second-season "The Romantic Matron."
At Cult TV Blog, John has some thoughts on the 1979 series Dick Barton , chronicling the adventures of the post-WWII special agent. We know that John can be apprehensive when it comes to period dramas, but have no fear: this one is top-notch!
Carol has a treat at Bob Crane: Life & Legacy: family videos of Bob with his wife and children, including one from Father's Day, 1978—just ten days before his murder. The videos come courtesy of his son, Scott.
With the Emmy Awards just around the corner, Rick poses seven things to know about the Emmys , at Classic Film & TV Café. Whether or not you're a fan of the Emmys (or award shows in general), I think you'll find these fun facts quite interesting.
Perhaps the Emmys would have a bigger viewing audience if they followed the recommendation from The Horn Section, where Hal looks at the F Troop episode "Bring on the Dancing Girls" from 1966. Not one of the show's strongest episodes, but still entertaining. 
Finally, at Television's New Frontier: The 1960s, a review of the first half of the sole season of Stoney Burke , starring Jack Lord. Although I'm a bigger fan of the series than he is (I reviewed it here ), it's a comprehensive look at the who and what of the series, with some valid observations. Maybe it would have been more successful if it had been called Stoney Burke's Law. TV  

Ayn Rand with Johnny Carson, August 11, 1967

Ayn Rand, political philosopher and author of Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead, among other novels, has never really been out of the public eye, though it's likely that few of the people who read her and debate her ideas today ever had the chance to see her live. So let's take this opportunity to look at footage of Rand appearing with Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show on August 11, 1967. (Johnny's other guests included Florence Henderson and the Temptations—an eclectic show to say the least.)

This was the first of three 1967 appearances by Rand with Carson, and not only does this give us a chance to hear Rand describe the philosophy of Objectivism in her own voice, it points out the vapidity of today's late night talk shows. In fact, Carson's own version of The Tonight Show was a shadow of its former self by the time it came to an end, but it towers as an ivory tower of intellectualism compared to Colbert, the Jimmys, Myers and the rest.



I've frequently written in the past about the decline of what Terry Teachout refers to as "middlebrow" culture on television. Usually I'm talking about the lack of classical music, drama or documentary shows, but this reminds us that the dearth of smart programming extends to the talk show as well. Sure, you might have been able to find something like this from Charlie Rose (as a matter of fact, offhand he's the only one I can think of who would have done something like this), but perish the thought that a stimulating political discussion (that wasn't also a piece of partisan advocacy) would appear on one of the broadcast networks today. 
As for daytime talk shows—well, we won't even go there. (Although it would have been interesting to see what Rand would have done to Oprah. TV  

What's on TV? Friday, September 3, 1954

Xaptain Video and His Video Rangers, at 6:00 p.m. on WGN, is one of the last stalwarts of the DuMont network. Debuting in 1949 and lasting until 1955, it was the first science-fiction series on television; since it ran as a five-days-a-week serial (and sometimes on Saturday as well), the series totaled more than 1,500 episodes, as well as a wealth of toys and other commercial tie-ins. (You can still find them in antique stores and at various nostaligia shows.) Unfortunately, very few episodes exist, but while the special effects were crude and the show suffered from the typical pitfals of early live television (the always-reliable Wikipedia says cast members could sometimes be seen turning away from the carmeas so they wouldn't be seen laughing, it still remains one of the halmarks of early television, and a historic feature of this Chicagoland issue.
  ❷ WBBM (CBS)

  MORNING

       6:40

Today’s Thoughts

       6:45

Farm Daily—Menard

       7:00

The Morning Show—Variety

       9:00

Garry Moore—Variety

     10:30

Strike It Rich—Quiz

     11:00

Valiant Lady—Serial

     11:15

Love Of Life—Serial

       

   11:30

Search For Tomorrow

     11:45

Guiding Light—Serial

  AFTERNOON

     12:00

Portia Faces Life—Serial

     12:15

The Seeking Heart—Serial

     12:30

Welcome Travelers

       1:00

Robert Q. Lewis—Variety

       1:30

Linkletter’s House Party

       2:00

Big Payoff—Quiz Game

       2:30

Bob Crosby—Musical

       3:00

Brighter Day—Serial

       3:15

Secret Storm—Serial

       3:30

On Your Account—Quiz

       4:00

Shopping With Miss Lee

       4:20

MOVIE—Drama

“Closeup”

       5:00

Range Riders—Adventure

       5:30

Gene Autry—Western

  EVENING

       6:00

Sports—Bob Elson

       6:15

News—Julian Bentley

       6:30

News—Douglas Edwards

       6:45

Perry Como—Musical

       7:00

MAMA—Comedy-Drama 

  RETURN         7:30

TOPPER—Comedy

       8:00

PLAYHOUSE OF STARS

       8:30

OUR MISS BROOKS

       9:00

STAR THEATER—Film Drama

“Guitar in Guatemala”

       9:30

PERSON TO PERSON 

  RETURN       10:00

NEWS—Fahey Flynn

     10:15

IN TOWN TONIGHT—Variety

     10:25

SPORTS—Art Mercier

     10:30

NEWS—John Harrington

     10:45

IRV KUPCINET—Comments

     11:00

The Howard Miller Show

 

     1:00

News

 

 

    4  WTMJ (MILWAUKEE) (NBC)

  MORNING

       7:00

Today—News, Interviews

       9:00

Ding Dong School—Kids

       9:30

A Time To Live—Serial

       9:45

Three Steps To Heaven

     10:00

Home—Women’s News

     11:00

Gordon Thomas—Variety

  AFTERNOON

     12:00

What’s New In The Kitchen

     12:45

Let’s Look At The News

       1:00

Grenadiers—Musical

       1:30

Bob Heiss—Interview

       1:55

Weather—Bill Carlsen

       2:00

To Be Announced

       2:15

Golden Windows—Serial

       2:30

To Be Announced

       2:45

Concerning Miss Marlowe—Serial

       3:00

Hawkins Falls—Serial

       3:15

First Love—Serial

       3:30

The Betty White Show

       4:00

Beulah Donohue—Women

       4:30

Howdy Doody—Puppets

       5:00

Super Circus—3 Ring Thrills

       5:30

Foreman Tom—Western

  EVENING

       6:00

Hot Shot Revue—Musical

       6:15

News—Paul Skinner

       6:25

Weather—Bill Carlsen

       6:30

Sports—Larry Clark

       6:45

News—John C. Swayze

       7:00

THE DUKE—Comedy

       7:30

PLAYHOUSE OF STARS

       8:00

LIBERACE—Musical

       8:30

SOUNDSTAGE—Drama

This is the final show of the series. Next week: Peter Lawford stars in Dear Phoebe, with Marcia Henderson. A half hour situation comedy.)

       9:00

BOXING—Mad. Sq. Gar.   RETURN  Charlie Norkus vs. Cesar Brian

       9:45

YESTERDAY’S NEWSREEL

     10:00

PLAYHOUSE 15—Drama

     10:15

NEWS—Paul Skinner

     10:25

WEATHER

     10:30

JUSTICE—Drama

     10:45

HERBIE MINTZ—Musical

     11:00

Mickey Rooney Show

     11:30

MOVIE—Drama

“Phantom Caravan”

 

     1:00

News—Tom Mercein

       1:05

MOVIE—Adventure

“South Of Pago Pago”

 

 

  ❺ WNBQ (NBC)

  MORNING

       6:45

Everett Mitchell—Discussion

       7:00

Today—News, Interviews

       9:00

Ding Dong School—Kids

       9:30

A Time To Live—Serial

       9:45

Three Steps To Heaven

     10:00

Home—Women’s News

     11:00

Bob Smith Show—Variety

       

   11:30

To Be Announced

  AFTERNOON

     12:00

Noontime Comics—Kids

     12:30

Bob And Kay—Variety

       1:00

Home Cooking—Recipes

       1:30

Melody Magazine—Music

       2:00

Greatest Gift—Serial

       2:15

Golden Windows—Serial

       2:30

One Man’s Family—Serial

       2:45

Concerning Miss Marlowe—Serial

       3:00

Hawkins Falls—Serial

       3:15

First Love—Serial

       3:30

The Betty White Show

       4:00

Pinky Lee—Variety

       4:30

Howdy Doody—Puppets

       5:00

Elmer The Elephant—Kids

       5:30

Close-Up—Musical

  EVENING

       6:00

Weather—Clint Youle

       6:05

News—Jack Angell

       6:10

Weather—Wayne Griffin

       6:15

Dorsey Connors—Travel

       6:20

Alex Dreier—Features

       6:25

Tony Weitzel—Comments

       6:30

Eddie Fisher—Musical

       6:45

News—John C. Swayze

       7:00

THE DUKE—Comedy

       7:30

WALT’S WORKSHOP—Crafts

       8:00

BEST IN MYSTERY

”Victim Ann Norville”

       8:30

SOUNDSTAGE—Drama

This is the final show of the series. Next week: Peter Lawford stars in Dear Phoebe, with Marcia Henderson. A half hour situation comedy.)

       9:00

BOXING—Mad. Sq. Gar.   RETURN  Charlie Norkus vs. Cesar Brian

       9:45

MOMENTS IN SPORTS

     10:00

WEATHER—Clint Youle

     10:10

DORSEY CONNORS—Tips

     10:15

NEWS—Jack Angell

     10:30

SPORTS—Norman Barry

     11:00

MOVIE—Western

“Cattle Queen”

 

  ❼ WBKB (ABC)

   

MORNING    

       7:00

Chicago Parade—Variety

 

     8:00

Breakfast Club—McNeill

 

     9:00

Pied Piper—Kids

 

     9:30

Play House—Kiddies

 

   10:00

Creative Cookery—Recipes

 

   10:55

News—Ulmer Turner

 

   11:00

Danny O’Neill Show

 

   11:55

News—Ulmer Turner

 

AFTERNOON

     12:00

Happy Pirates—Kids’ Fun

     12:55

News—Ulmer Turner

       1:00

Ruth Crowley—Baby Care

       1:15

The Doctor Answers

       1:30

Claude Kirchner—Variety

       2:00

Swingalong—Musical

       3:00

Home Theater—Comedy

       3:30

Time For Uncle Win—Kids

       3:55

News—Ulmer Turner

       4:00

Jungle Adventure—Film

       4:30

Garfield Goose and Friend

 

     5:00

Jolly Seven Gang—Kids

 

     5:45

News—Austin Kiplinger

 

EVENING

 

     6:00

Sports—Jack Grees

 

     6:10

Weather—Wayne Griffin

 

     6:15

News—John Daly

 

     6:30

Stu Erwin—Comedy Drama

 

     7:00

OZZIE AND HARRIET

 

     7:30

HOUSE OF PLENTY—Drama

 

     8:00

PAUL HARTMAN SHOW

 

     8:30

ROYAL PLAYHOUSE—Drama

 

     9:00

DANGEROUS ASSIGNMENT

 

     9:30

MR. DISTRICT ATTORNEY

 

   10:00

COURTESY HOUR—Variety

 

   11:00

News—Ulmer Turner

 

   11:05

Tom Duggan—Comments

 

   12:00

MOVIE—Feature Film

     ❾ WGN (Du Mont)

  MORNING

       9:00

Paul Fogarty—Exercises

       9:30

Time For Stories—Kids

     10:00

A To Z Of Cookery--Tips

     10:55

News—Steve Fentress

     11:00

King’s Crossroads—Film

       

   11:30

Earl Nightingale—Chats

     11:55

News—Steve Fentress

  AFTERNOON

     12:00

Hi Ladies—Interviews

     12:45

Charm Salon—Beauty

     12:55

News—Steve Fentress

       1:00

MOVIE—Action

“A Yank In Lybia”

       2:00

Paul Dixon Show—Music

       3:00

MOVIE—Western

“The Mexicali Kid”

       4:00

Bandstand Matinee—Music

       4:55

News—Les Nichols

       5:00

Bob Atcher Show—Western

       5:30

News—Leslie Monypenny

       5:45

Curbstone Cut Ups—Chat 

  SPECIAL    EVENING

       6:00

Captain Video—Adventures

       6:15

Sports Final—Vince Lloyd

       6:30

News—Spencer Allen

       6:45

Chicagoland Newsreel

       7:00

MR. AND MRS. NORTH

       7:30

MYSTERY FILM—Drama

“Sisters in Crime”

       8:00

THE STRANGER—Drama

       8:30

THE WORLD IS YOURS

       9:00

CHANCE OF A LIFETIME

       9:30

PEOPLES PLAYHOUSE

“The Long Fall”

     10:00

MOVIE—Action

“Steel Helmet”

     11:30

News—Les Nichols

     12:45

Weather—Carl Greyson

 

   12:50

Commercial

x TV  

Friday, September 3, 1954

Xaptain Video and His Video Rangers, at 6:00 p.m. on WGN, is one of the last stalwarts of the DuMont network. Debuting in 1949 and lasting until 1955, it was the first science-fiction series on television; since it ran as a five-days-a-week serial (and sometimes on Saturday as well), the series totaled more than 1,500 episodes, as well as a wealth of toys and other commercial tie-ins. (You can still find them in antique stores and at various nostaligia shows.) Unfortunately, very few episodes exist, but while the special effects were crude and the show suffered from the typical pitfals of early live television (the always-reliable Wikipedia says cast members could sometimes be seen turning away from the carmeas so they wouldn't be seen laughing, it still remains one of the halmarks of early television, and a historic feature of this Chicagoland issue.
  ❷ WBBM (CBS)

  MORNING

       6:40

Today’s Thoughts

       6:45

Farm Daily—Menard

       7:00

The Morning Show—Variety

       9:00

Garry Moore—Variety

     10:30

Strike It Rich—Quiz

     11:00

Valiant Lady—Serial

     11:15

Love Of Life—Serial

       

   11:30

Search For Tomorrow

     11:45

Guiding Light—Serial

  AFTERNOON

     12:00

Portia Faces Life—Serial

     12:15

The Seeking Heart—Serial

     12:30

Welcome Travelers

       1:00

Robert Q. Lewis—Variety

       1:30

Linkletter’s House Party

       2:00

Big Payoff—Quiz Game

       2:30

Bob Crosby—Musical

       3:00

Brighter Day—Serial

       3:15

Secret Storm—Serial

       3:30

On Your Account—Quiz

       4:00

Shopping With Miss Lee

       4:20

MOVIE—Drama

“Closeup”

       5:00

Range Riders—Adventure

       5:30

Gene Autry—Western

  EVENING

       6:00

Sports—Bob Elson

       6:15

News—Julian Bentley

       6:30

News—Douglas Edwards

       6:45

Perry Como—Musical

       7:00

MAMA—Comedy-Drama 

  RETURN         7:30

TOPPER—Comedy

       8:00

PLAYHOUSE OF STARS

       8:30

OUR MISS BROOKS

       9:00

STAR THEATER—Film Drama

“Guitar in Guatemala”

       9:30

PERSON TO PERSON 

  RETURN       10:00

NEWS—Fahey Flynn

     10:15

IN TOWN TONIGHT—Variety

     10:25

SPORTS—Art Mercier

     10:30

NEWS—John Harrington

     10:45

IRV KUPCINET—Comments

     11:00

The Howard Miller Show

 

     1:00

News

 

 

    4  WTMJ (MILWAUKEE) (NBC)

  MORNING

       7:00

Today—News, Interviews

       9:00

Ding Dong School—Kids

       9:30

A Time To Live—Serial

       9:45

Three Steps To Heaven

     10:00

Home—Women’s News

     11:00

Gordon Thomas—Variety

  AFTERNOON

     12:00

What’s New In The Kitchen

     12:45

Let’s Look At The News

       1:00

Grenadiers—Musical

       1:30

Bob Heiss—Interview

       1:55

Weather—Bill Carlsen

       2:00

To Be Announced

       2:15

Golden Windows—Serial

       2:30

To Be Announced

       2:45

Concerning Miss Marlowe—Serial

       3:00

Hawkins Falls—Serial

       3:15

First Love—Serial

       3:30

The Betty White Show

       4:00

Beulah Donohue—Women

       4:30

Howdy Doody—Puppets

       5:00

Super Circus—3 Ring Thrills

       5:30

Foreman Tom—Western

  EVENING

       6:00

Hot Shot Revue—Musical

       6:15

News—Paul Skinner

       6:25

Weather—Bill Carlsen

       6:30

Sports—Larry Clark

       6:45

News—John C. Swayze

       7:00

THE DUKE—Comedy

       7:30

PLAYHOUSE OF STARS

       8:00

LIBERACE—Musical

       8:30

SOUNDSTAGE—Drama

This is the final show of the series. Next week: Peter Lawford stars in Dear Phoebe, with Marcia Henderson. A half hour situation comedy.)

       9:00

BOXING—Mad. Sq. Gar.   RETURN  Charlie Norkus vs. Cesar Brian

       9:45

YESTERDAY’S NEWSREEL

     10:00

PLAYHOUSE 15—Drama

     10:15

NEWS—Paul Skinner

     10:25

WEATHER

     10:30

JUSTICE—Drama

     10:45

HERBIE MINTZ—Musical

     11:00

Mickey Rooney Show

     11:30

MOVIE—Drama

“Phantom Caravan”

 

     1:00

News—Tom Mercein

       1:05

MOVIE—Adventure

“South Of Pago Pago”

 

 

  ❺ WNBQ (NBC)

  MORNING

       6:45

Everett Mitchell—Discussion

       7:00

Today—News, Interviews

       9:00

Ding Dong School—Kids

       9:30

A Time To Live—Serial

       9:45

Three Steps To Heaven

     10:00

Home—Women’s News

     11:00

Bob Smith Show—Variety

       

   11:30

To Be Announced

  AFTERNOON

     12:00

Noontime Comics—Kids

     12:30

Bob And Kay—Variety

       1:00

Home Cooking—Recipes

       1:30

Melody Magazine—Music

       2:00

Greatest Gift—Serial

       2:15

Golden Windows—Serial

       2:30

One Man’s Family—Serial

       2:45

Concerning Miss Marlowe—Serial

       3:00

Hawkins Falls—Serial

       3:15

First Love—Serial

       3:30

The Betty White Show

       4:00

Pinky Lee—Variety

       4:30

Howdy Doody—Puppets

       5:00

Elmer The Elephant—Kids

       5:30

Close-Up—Musical

  EVENING

       6:00

Weather—Clint Youle

       6:05

News—Jack Angell

       6:10

Weather—Wayne Griffin

       6:15

Dorsey Connors—Travel

       6:20

Alex Dreier—Features

       6:25

Tony Weitzel—Comments

       6:30

Eddie Fisher—Musical

       6:45

News—John C. Swayze

       7:00

THE DUKE—Comedy

       7:30

WALT’S WORKSHOP—Crafts

       8:00

BEST IN MYSTERY

”Victim Ann Norville”

       8:30

SOUNDSTAGE—Drama

This is the final show of the series. Next week: Peter Lawford stars in Dear Phoebe, with Marcia Henderson. A half hour situation comedy.)

       9:00

BOXING—Mad. Sq. Gar.   RETURN  Charlie Norkus vs. Cesar Brian

       9:45

MOMENTS IN SPORTS

     10:00

WEATHER—Clint Youle

     10:10

DORSEY CONNORS—Tips

     10:15

NEWS—Jack Angell

     10:30

SPORTS—Norman Barry

     11:00

MOVIE—Western

“Cattle Queen”

 

  ❼ WBKB (ABC)

   

MORNING    

       7:00

Chicago Parade—Variety

 

     8:00

Breakfast Club—McNeill

 

     9:00

Pied Piper—Kids

 

     9:30

Play House—Kiddies

 

   10:00

Creative Cookery—Recipes

 

   10:55

News—Ulmer Turner

 

   11:00

Danny O’Neill Show

 

   11:55

News—Ulmer Turner

 

AFTERNOON

     12:00

Happy Pirates—Kids’ Fun

     12:55

News—Ulmer Turner

       1:00

Ruth Crowley—Baby Care

       1:15

The Doctor Answers

       1:30

Claude Kirchner—Variety

       2:00

Swingalong—Musical

       3:00

Home Theater—Comedy

       3:30

Time For Uncle Win—Kids

       3:55

News—Ulmer Turner

       4:00

Jungle Adventure—Film

       4:30

Garfield Goose and Friend

 

     5:00

Jolly Seven Gang—Kids

 

     5:45

News—Austin Kiplinger

 

EVENING

 

     6:00

Sports—Jack Grees

 

     6:10

Weather—Wayne Griffin

 

     6:15

News—John Daly

 

     6:30

Stu Erwin—Comedy Drama

 

     7:00

OZZIE AND HARRIET

 

     7:30

HOUSE OF PLENTY—Drama

 

     8:00

PAUL HARTMAN SHOW

 

     8:30

ROYAL PLAYHOUSE—Drama

 

     9:00

DANGEROUS ASSIGNMENT

 

     9:30

MR. DISTRICT ATTORNEY

 

   10:00

COURTESY HOUR—Variety

 

   11:00

News—Ulmer Turner

 

   11:05

Tom Duggan—Comments

 

   12:00

MOVIE—Feature Film

     ❾ WGN (Du Mont)

  MORNING

       9:00

Paul Fogarty—Exercises

       9:30

Time For Stories—Kids

     10:00

A To Z Of Cookery--Tips

     10:55

News—Steve Fentress

     11:00

King’s Crossroads—Film

       

   11:30

Earl Nightingale—Chats

     11:55

News—Steve Fentress

  AFTERNOON

     12:00

Hi Ladies—Interviews

     12:45

Charm Salon—Beauty

     12:55

News—Steve Fentress

       1:00

MOVIE—Action

“A Yank In Lybia”

       2:00

Paul Dixon Show—Music

       3:00

MOVIE—Western

“The Mexicali Kid”

       4:00

Bandstand Matinee—Music

       4:55

News—Les Nichols

       5:00

Bob Atcher Show—Western

       5:30

News—Leslie Monypenny

       5:45

Curbstone Cut Ups—Chat 

  SPECIAL    EVENING

       6:00

Captain Video—Adventures

       6:15

Sports Final—Vince Lloyd

       6:30

News—Spencer Allen

       6:45

Chicagoland Newsreel

       7:00

MR. AND MRS. NORTH

       7:30

MYSTERY FILM—Drama

“Sisters in Crime”

       8:00

THE STRANGER—Drama

       8:30

THE WORLD IS YOURS

       9:00

CHANCE OF A LIFETIME

       9:30

PEOPLES PLAYHOUSE

“The Long Fall”

     10:00

MOVIE—Action

“Steel Helmet”

     11:30

News—Les Nichols

     12:45

Weather—Carl Greyson

 

   12:50

Commercial

x TV  

This week in TV Guide: August 28, 1954

This week's "As We See It," the editorial that often leads off TV Guide, focuses on college football on television—or the lack of it, as the case may be. From the outset, the rights to televise the college game—which, in 1954, is much bigger than its professional counterpart—have been controlled by the NCAA. According to the terms of the current contract, one game will be shown each week, on a national network. "No college eleven will be seen on the air more than once, no matter how much viewer interest there may be in top teams in various parts of the country." This, in contrast to the NFL, which plans as many as five regional games a week, plus one game broadcast nationally.*
*Keep in mind that in 1954 there were only 12 teams in the NFL, meaning a maximum of six games per week.  
The NCAA's professed concern has always been that TV games are bad for ticket sales, especially those of smaller schools. After all, who wants to see Slippery Rock take on Potsdam State when you can watch Notre Dame and Oklahoma from the comfort of your living room? And yet, point out the editors, pro football attendance was up five percent last season despite the increase in televised games. (To be fair, the college bosses were also concerned about the possibility of a team (read: Notre Dame) signing a contract to broadcast all their games nationally, giving them even more of an unfair recruiting advantage than they already had.) The answer, according to the editorial, is for "the big colleges, which can get offers to televise their football games, [declare] their independence from NCAA, an organization run by small colleges determined to keep the big boys off television."
Well, it only took 30 years, but eventually the wishes of the editors came true. In NCAA v. Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma, the Supreme Court ruled, by a 7-2 vote*. that the NCAA's television plan violated the Sherman and Clayton Antitrust Acts. That opened the door to virtually unlimited college football on TV; the first Saturday of 2021 will see 57 games on television, not including additional TV games on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Sunday, and Labor Day. (And yes, Notre Dame did sign a contract to have at least all their home games on national TV.) All of the big conferences have their own network television contracts; for that matter, most of them have their own networks, and the result has been a series of monetary machinations which have resulted in the big schools becoming even bigger, while realignment has created megaconferences, ended traditional rivalries, and turning college football into one of the biggest of big businesses. 
As for TV Guide's note that "college football attendance is declining steadily" without TV, we now have all the televised games that anyone could ask for—and attendance declines steadily. We've also gotten a national championship game, for which many fans clamored for decades, which has turned out to be dominated by a very, very few teams; the cream of the cream of the cream, so to speak.* It is difficult to say with honesty that anyone is happy with the current situation, except for those with all the money.
*I wrote about all of this here; it provides a much more detailed background, and also serves to prove that some issues never go away. 

Could all this have been forecast by the editors? It would be unfair to insist that they should have known, and yet we all know that the love of money is the root of all evil, that absolute power tends to corrupt absolutely, and that the Golden Rule really means, "whoever has the gold rules." And in looking back at this all, we also ought to remember to be careful what we wish for.
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As it happens, in 1954 NBC lost the NCAA contract for college football to ABC, and with NFL games divided between DuMont and ABC, the Peacock needed something to put on the air. I'm not sure anyone ever coined the phrase "Go North, Young Man," but that's just what the network did, and the result is the debut of the Canadian Football League, Saturday at 12:45 p.m. CT., with a game between the Ottawa Rough Riders and Toronto Argonauts, live from Varsity Stadium in Toronto. 
Those of you whose readership goes back a few years know my affinaty for Canadian football (if not, you can read about it here and here ). It really is a different game from the American version, so much so that an insert in this week's Close Up goes through some of the fundamental differences. 

At this point in history, the CFL is actually pretty competitive with the NFL when it comes to salaries, and many black players find the country more welcoming than their own (some would eventually settle down in Canada and become Canadian citizens), so it's not as if NBC is showing a minor-league brand of football. Nonetheless, next season NBC regains the college football contract, and aside from several years when the Grey Cup championship was carried by Wide World of Sports, the CFL remains off American television until 1982, when NBC brings it back for three weeks as an experiment during the NFL players' strike. 
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That fetching young woman with the come-hither look on the cover is Roxanne, "decorative aid" to Bud Collier, host of CBS's Beat the Clock, the show that's home to outrageous stunts each week. (Example: drop two toupees, suspended by strings, into a stovepipe hat open at the top and worn by one of the contestants, without using your hands.) The show's stunts are thought up by "two professional pranksters"—I had no idea such people existed outside the White House—"who furnish 20 ideas a week." Jean Hollander, the show's co-producer, says their funniest stunt was when "Mother and children bandaged Daddy right up to his eyes, leaving him just room to brfeathe. Then everyone squirted Daddy with cream." Remember, when television was new, people would watch anything just because of the novelty.
Yup, Roxanne was a real doll.Roxanne's real name is Dolores Rosedale, born in Minneapolis in 1928. (The Rosedale Center mall in Roseville, Minnesota was not named after her, but maybe it should have been.) She was well-known enough that a plastic "Roxanne Doll" hit the market in 1953; it was 18-inches tall with moveable legs a red camera, and had a tag with the Beat the Clock logo and Roxanne would give it to the children of contestants. She'll leave the program later in 1954, a few months before giving birth; she was still alive as of a few years ago, living in Minneapolis.
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It's pretty close to the start of the fall season, close enough that we've got some new series getting a head start. One which you might have seen in the classic TV DVD bins is Hey Mulligan, Mickey Rooney's "new family comedy series." (Saturday, 7:00 p.m., NBC) Mickey plays a page at an unnamed "West Coast broadcasting company," who, of course, really wants to be an actor. (Wait until he gets there, though, then he'll really want to direct.) This is not to be confused with the movie Mickey (9:30 p.m., WTMJ), in which "A pretty fifteen-year-tomboy finds fun in a small town." (Unless, I suppose, she finds it with Mickey Rooney.) And at 10:00 p.m. on WNBQ, it's Champagne For Caesar, one of the great satires on television, with Ronald Coleman as a polymath contestant trying to prove the banality of TV quiz shows, Celeste Holm as the femme fatale, Vincent Price as the show's sponsor, and Art Linkletter as the smarmy emcee.
On Sunday, Mel Allen narrates filmed highlights of the championship game in the Little League World Series (12:00 p.m., WBBM). If you'd like a little more extensive baseball action, feel free to tune in to WGN at 1:30, where the Cubs take on the Pittsburgh Pirates in a doubleheader at Wrigley Field. The news program You Are There returns for its third season as host Walter Cronkite looks at "The Treason of Aaron Burr." (5:00 p.m., CBS) And on Toast of the Town (7:00 p.m., CBS) Eddie Fisher guest hosts for Ed Sullivan and does some singing of his own.
Monday night, and I'm wondering if this might have wound up being carried by more than one network, President Eisenhower is scheduled to make a major policy address at the American Legion Convention in Washington, D.C. (8:00 p.m., ABC) The speech covers the president's signing of the Atomic Energy Act, which created the Atomic Energy Commission as part of increased support for a civilian nuclear industry. 
On Tuesday, we see more shows returning for the new season, starting with a couple of music programs hoping to strike the right notes in the 15-minute timeshare with the evening network news; at 6:30 p.m. on NBC, it's the debut of the smooth baritone Vaughn Monroe and his epononymous varieth show; at 6:45 p.m. Jo Stafford returns for her second season on CBS. At 8:00 p.m., it's the return of the half-hour anthology series Fireside Theater, followed at 8:30 by the new season of Armstrong Circle Theater, both on NBC. And at 9:30 p.m. on CBS, it's the fourth season of See It Now, as Edward R. Murrow returns from a trip to Southeast Asia, "so vital to Western defense."
Ed Wynn is Red Skelton's special guest on Wednesday (7:00 p.m., CBS), and while Red may be an institution, he hasn't quite found the rhythm since moving from NBC o CBS; he didn't make a dent against Milton Berle when he was on Tuesday's, and CBS has been using him in Arthur Godfrey's Wednesday slot during the summer, expanding the show from a half-hour to 60 minutes. However, according to this week's unbylined review, Red is "buckling under the weight." While he's one of the best clowns in show business, his characters are getting a bit stale, and "Red has become too much of a free-wheeler, ad-libbing in a manner that's often unfunny and sometimes in deplorable taste." Poor Red; his show only has another 17 seasons to run.
Thursday looks like a night for stars, begining with Four Star Playhouse (7:30 p.m., CBS); one of those four stars, Charles Boyer, haedlines "The Bad Streak," about a young man seeking revenge on his father. Virginia Grey is the mother who brought her son up to hate; the cast includes Horace McMahon, who later stars in Naked City. Transitioning from a future police show to a present one, Dragnet (8:00 p.m., NBC) sees Friday going undercover to infiltrate a blackmail ring. On Ford Theatre* (8:30 p.m., NBC), Ronald Reagan and Teresa Wright are a couple considering adoption, and Lee Aaker (Rin Tin Tin) is, of course, a young boy. And on Kraft Theatre (8:30 p.m, ABC), Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright George Kelly is one of the stars; he wrote tonight's episode, "Philip Goes Forth," possibly an autobiographical story of a young man going to New York to bcome a great playwright. Philip's played by Roddy McDowall.
*Footnote: in October, Ford Theatre will become the first network television series to be filmed regularly in color.
The much-loved sitcom Mama, based on the book, stageplay and movie I Remember Mama, returns for its seventh season (Friday, 7:00 p.m., CBS), with Peggy Wood as Mama, and the young Dick Van Patten as one of the children. And Edward R. Murrow is back with the second season of his second series, Person to Person (9:30 p.m., CBS). 
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It's always fun to see an alum of these old issues make good, and this week's starlet, young June Lockhart (the "Encyclopedia with Curves," for reasons you'll find out), is just such an example. For the last couple of years, she's been a panelist on the quiz show Who Said That?, about which she says, "I can name evry member of almost every cabinet, including the Secretary of the Interior in Wilson's administration. This is the sort of thing most girls can get along without." 
June's no stranger to the spotlight, coming as she does from an acting family; her parents are actors Gene and Kathleen Lockhart, and you may recall that they played Mr. and Mrs. Cratchit in the 1938 version of A Christmas Carol, in which June also appeared as one of the Cratchit children.* June appeared on Who Said That? for 2½ years, matching wits with such luminaries as John Cameron Swayze, commentator H.V. Kaltenborn, columnists Bob Considine and Earl Wilson. No wonder she found herself reading seven daily newspapers and five weekly news and picture magazines, cramming for each show. "I found writing down quotes helped me to remember them," she says. She finally left the show last year, just before giving birth to her daughter, Anne Kathleen .  
*Gene also plays the judge in Miracle on 34th Street and the banker in Going My Way, meaning you see him a lot around Christmastime.
The history of Who Said That? is an interesting one, by the way. It began on NBC radio in 1947 before becoming one of the early shows to transition to television, in December 1948. The object was for a celebrity panel to identify the newsmaker responsible for a quote appearing in recent news reports. The show's first emcee was CBS newsman Robert Trout, and the last, in 1955, was What's My Line? host John Charles Daly. Some of the other panelists who made regular appearances on the show were Boris Karloff, Morey Amsterdam, and Bennet Cerf. 
Besides quiz shows, she's also done some acting on Braodway and in summer stock, and she's currently under contract to NBC. She also says she's "scouting around for another panel show." She never gets one, at least as a regular, but her career speaks for itself: Lassie, Lost in Space, Petticoat Junction, General Hospital, hostess on the Miss USA and Miss Universe Pageants, the Tournament of Roses Parade, and CBS's Thanksgiving Day parades, and countless television and movie appearances. 
When she debuted on Broadway, one of the critics wrote that "June Lockhart has burst on Broadway with the suddenness of an unpredicted comet." A comet that never did die out. TV  

Around the dial

The name Robin Miller won’t mean anything to most of you, but within the motor sports world Miller was a giant, the premier chronicler of Indycar for decades. More than that, he could be said to be the conscience of the sport. Miller was a fixture not only in print but on television, particularly on “Wind Tunnel,” the late, lamented motorsports show on the late, lamented Speed Channel. (So how’s that working for you Fox, replacing Speed with FS2?) He knew everyone who was anyone in the sport, and he defended the sport with a passion against threats both material and existential. On Wednesday Robin Miller died after a lengthy battle against multiple myeloma and leukemia, at the too-young age of 71. Not only will open-wheel racing be poorer for his absence, so will the experience of the sport for its fans. Racer has the complete details. R.I.P.
At The Ringer, Alison Herman’s review of the Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso raises a point that I think is germane to this website in general: is there such a thing as “just” a TV show? I’ve made it clear, I think, that television shows should not be faulted for aspiring to “mere” entertainment, while at the same time demonstrating that it is not only legitimate but essential to look at the content of particular shows, and the industry in general, as an indicator of something more illuminating, more significant. In fact, one could say that Herman’s article proves my point: I don’t care one whit about Ted Lasso, but reading the article introduces ideas that enhance the way one thinks about television. Which is one reason why I read articles about shows in which I have no interest.
When I was growing up, there was no sports stadium cooler than the Houston Astrodome; you'll just have to take my word for it that playing football and baseball indoors on plastic grass was beyond amazing. When the Louisiana Superdome came along in the 1970s, it couldn't take the place of the original, but it was still cool, and a lot bigger. And that's just a prelude to  Gil's review of the 1978 TV-movie Superdome , starring David Janssen, Van Johnson, Tom Sellick, Donna Mills, Ken Howard, Edie Adams, all at Realweegiemidget. 
I've never pretended to be the most talented writer in the family, and to prove that point, I'll direct you to my wife Judie's blog Nearer My God, where she touches on the extraordinary legacy of conductor Leonard Bernstein , including his groundbreaking television work on Omnibus, The Young People's Concerts, and the Norton Lectures. I've always enjoyed and admired how Bernstein never talked down to his audience, even children, and made classical music accessible to anyone.
The Hitchcock Project begins a new chapter, with the first episode written by Joel Murcott: " Number Twenty-Two ," from the show's second season, with Rip Torn and Russell Collins. Jack has the lowdown on it at bare•bones e-zine.
At Cult TV Blog, John takes a look at O.T.T.  ("Over The Top"), aver the Top, "a late-night adult version of the anarchic ATV children's show Tiswas," and I'm not quite sure how to describe either show, so you'll have to rely on John for the lowdown. I'll admit, though, that in the pantheon of English football chants, "Your mom is your dad's sister" was new to me.
The following has nothing to do with classic television, but I don't see how you can possibly pass up Mae West singing The Doors' classic "Light My Fire," do you? Read (and watch) all about it at Silver Scenes.
I'll admit that from time to time I can be a little critical of TV shows that I'm watching. ("A little?" she says), but even I'm not as bad as Star Trek fans, who, as David points out at Comfort TV, never, but never, seem to be satisfied . If I ever get like that, please shoot me.
At The Twilight Zone Vortex, Jordan goes in-depth on one of the greatest and most loved of all TZ episodes, " Nightmare at 20,000 Feet ," with William Shatner at his most unforgettable Shatner-ness. I'll wager that even if you're not a Zone fan, you've seen this episode. TV  

My books—FREE for a limited time!

I think the time has come to turn Labor Day into one of those gift-exchange holidays. After all, it's not as if it has a lot going for it right now, other than a three-day weekend: it's the end of summer, there's nothing to look forward to until Thanksgiving, and, unlike those of us who sit behind a desk and type for a living, many real laborers don't get the day off. Jerry Lewis isn't even on anymore. So why not liven things up a bit with some presents, maybe a party, and a nice card? (I'm surprised Hallmark hasn't already started a line of Labor Day cards.)
So that nobody can accuse me of not doing my part, I have an excellent gift suggestion: check out my Bookstore and, if you haven't already, make a gift of one of my books. And this week only, as an incentive, I'm making these books my gift to you—and you won't have to pay a dime! You heard that right! For the next five days—from now until Sunday—the Kindle versions of The Electronic Mirror, The Car, and The Collaborator are absolutely free . It's my way of promoting the daylights out of my books thanking you for your loyalty over the last 11+ years. All I ask in return is that you submit a (hopefully positive, but above all honest) review afterward; easy for you, and helpful for me. 
I'll be the first to admit that, besides the ad that runs permanently on the sidebar, I haven't done nearly as much as I should to promote these books, and the last couple of years of shutdowns haven't helped. But I wouldn't be asking you to check them out if I didn't think they were worth your time, and it will never be easier, or cheaper, than this.  

THE ELECTRONIC MIRROR: WHAT CLASSIC TV TELLS US ABOUT WHO WE WERE AND WHO WE AREThis collection of essays looks at TV during its formative years and examines how this most personal form of mass communication reflects the culture of its time, how it has fulfilled (or failed to fulfill) its initial promise, and how TV has—intentionally as well as unintentionally—predicted the future, with sometimes disturbing results. It is the sometimes humorous, occasionally ironic, but always interesting story of how classic television indeed is an “electronic mirror.”
THE CAR It begins with the car. But for Winter, an ordinary man living an ordinary life, it will not end until he learns what has happened to the car’s owner and why the car has been left abandoned and ignored on a city street. As Winter’s curiosity turns to obsession, his search for the missing owner intensifies and he finds the car taking him on a journey that he never expected, one of dreams and reality in which nothing–and no one–is what it seems. Not even him.
THE COLLABORATOR In this eerily prescient novel, a wildly popular new Pontiff promises reforms designed to focus the Catholic Church on inclusion, social justice and modernization. He is opposed by the powerful Prefect, a cardinal dedicated to preserving the traditional teaching of the Church, who fears the Pontiff’s plans will destroy the Church. Their inevitable confrontation is brought to a head by a Journalist’s investigation that uncovers a story of ambition, loss, deceit and more.

Pick up one, or try all three. There's nothing authors appreciate more than the sense that others are reading their words. Just remember that this promotion ends on Sunday. And if you don't, I'll just keep plugging them more and more frequently until you do. After all, it works for public broadcasting, doesn't it? TV  

What's on TV? Saturday, August 19, 1972

In a week dominated by the Reepublican Convention, I thought it only fair to give you a look at one of the four days of the week with somewhat regular programming. Not for the last time, we look at the CBS lineup and remember that people used to stay at home watching television on Saturdays, or watching it with their friends. We're also  reminded that a lot of those Saturday morning cartoons of the early 1970s were pretty awful, but that there were still a few classic ones around. We're in the Twin Cities this week, with a note that the PBS stations, KTCA and KTCI, don't broadcast on Saturdays in the Summer.
  -4- WCCO (CBS)

  MORNING

       6:30

SUMMER SEMESTER 

-C-  The Cold War and Beyond

       7:00

BUGS BUNNY 

-C-         7:30

SCOOBY DOO 

-C-         8:00

GLOBETROTTERS—Cartoon 

-C-         8:30

HELP! IT’S THE HAIR BEAR BUNCH! 

-C-         9:00

PEBBLES AND BAMM BAMM 

-C-         9:30

ARCHIE’S TV FUNNIES 

-C-       10:00

SABRINA, THE TEENAGE WITCH 

-C-       10:30

JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS 

-C-       11:00

MONKEES 

-C-           

   11:30

WHAT’S A CONVENTION ALL ABOUT? 

-C-  Special: Host: Walter Cronkite

  AFTERNOON

     12:00

NEWS, WEATHER, SPORTS 

-C-       12:30

JUVENILE JURY 

-C-  Guests: Lassie, trainers Rudd and Bob Weatherwax

       1:00

MOVIN’ WHEELS 

-C-         1:30

THE SAINT—Crime Drama

       2:30

MOVIE—Western 

-C-  “Sierra” (1950)

       4:00

GOLF TOURNAMENT 

-C-  USI Golf Classic, third round

[Pre-empts regular programming.]

       5:00

ROLLIN’ ON THE RIVER 

-C-  Guest: Jason Robards

       5:30

CBS NEWS—Roger Mudd 

-C-    EVENING

       6:00

NEWS 

-C-         6:30

LASSIE 

-C-  [Postponed from last week.]

       7:00

ALL IN THE FAMILY 

-C-         7:30

MARY TYLER MOORE 

-C-         8:00

DICK VAN DYKE 

-C-         8:30

ARNIE 

-C-         9:00

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 

-C-       10:00

NEWS, WEATHER, SPORTS 

-C-       10:50

MOVIE—Drama

“The Proud and the Profane” (1956)

       1:00

THIS MUST BE THE PLACE 

-C- 

 

 

  -5- KSTP (NBC)

  MORNING

       7:00

DR. DOLITTLE—Cartoon 

-C-         7:30

DEPUTY DAWG 

-C-         8:00

WOODY WOODPECKER 

-C-         8:30

PINK PANTHER 

-C-         9:00

JETSONS 

-C-         9:30

BARRIER REEF—Drama 

-C-       10:00

TAKE A GIANT STEP—Children 

-C-  Host: Barbara Walters

     11:00

MR. WIZARD—Science 

-C-           

   11:30

BUGALOOS—Children 

-C-    AFTERNOON

     12:00

WALLY’S WORKSHOP 

-C-       12:30

F TROOP—Comedy 

-C-         1:00

BASEBALL PRE-GAME SHOW -C-         1:15

BASEBALL 

-C-  Boston Red Sox at Chicago White Sox

[Rain game: Cincinnati Reds at New York Mets]

       4:00

NASHVILLE MUSIC 

-C-  Guests: Charlie Louvin, Melba Montgomery, Dave Dudley, Ralph Sloan and the Tennessee Travelers

       4:30

BARON—Adventure 

-C-         5:30

PRIMUS—Adventure 

-C-    EVENING

       6:00

NEWS 

-C-         6:30

MOUSE FACTORY 

-C-  Guest: Jonathan Winters

       7:00

NBC COMEDY THEATER 

-C-  “The Seven Little Foys”

       8:00

PRO FOOTBALL 

-C-  Special: Oakland Raiders at Los Angeles Rams

[Pre-empts the network movie.]

     11:00

NEWS, WEATHER, SPORTS 

-C-  Time approximate

 

   11:30

JOHNNY CARSON 

-C-  Guests: Dan Rowan and Dick Martin, James Caan, Della Reese, Jo Anne Worley

       1:00

MOVIE—Melodrama

“Night of Terror” (1933)

       2:10

MOVIE—Science Fiction

Time approximate. “Kronos” (1957)

 

 

  -9- KMSP (ABC)

  MORNING

       7:00

JERRY LEWIS—Cartoon 

-C-         7:30

ROAD RUNNER 

-C-         8:00

FUNKY PHANTOM 

-C-         8:30

JACKSON 5IVE—Cartoon 

-C-         9:00

BEWITCHED 

-C-         9:30

LIDSVILLE—Children 

-C-       10:00

CURIOSITY SHOP—Children 

-C-       11:00

JONNY QUEST 

-C-           

   11:30

LANCELOT LINK 

-C-    AFTERNOON

     12:00

AMERICAN BANDSTAND 

-C-  Guests: Connie Stevens, Harry Chapin

       1:00     2:00

ROLLER DERBY -C- MOVIE—Adventure

“Hide and Seek” (English; 1963)

       3:30

LEE TREVINO’S GOLF FOR SWINGERS 

-C-  Guests: Bing Crosby, Dean Martin

       4:00

WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS 

-C-  Daytona 300 stock car race, 1968 Olympics highlights, Fischer-Spassky update

       5:30

OLYMPIANS ’72 

-C-    EVENING

       6:00

GHOST AND MRS. MUIR 

-C-         6:30

TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES 

-C-         7:00

MOVIE—Comedy-Drama 

-C-  “The Day the Fish Came Out” (Greek-English; 1967)

       9:00

ABC COMEDY SHOWCASE 

-C-  Special

     10:00

MOVIE—Drama 

-C-  “The Rainmaker” (1956)

     12:25

TO BE ANNOUNCED

       1:00

NEWS—Sam Donaldson 

-C-  Time approximate

 

 

  11 WTCN (Ind.)

  MORNING

       8:30

STORY TIME 

-C-         9:00

FARM FORUM 

-C-         9:30

U OF MINN. 

-C-       10:00

TALK IN 

-C-       10:30

MADAGIMO—Minn. Indians 

-C-       11:00

COMMUNITY OUTREACH 

-C-           

   11:30

NEWS, WEATHER, SPORTS 

-C-    AFTERNOON

     12:00

     1:00 FRED AND FRIENDS 

-C- PATTY DUKE—Comedy        1:30

ADDAMS FAMILY—Comedy

       2:00

DEATH VALLEY DAYS

       2:30

FISHIN’ HOLE 

-C-         3:00

THEN CAME BRONSON 

-C-         4:00

WRESTLING 

-C-         5:30

HARMON KILLEBREW 

-C-         5:50

IN THE DUGOUT 

-C-    EVENING

       6:00

BASEBALL 

-C-  Minnesota Twins at Baltimore Orioles

{Pre-empts regular programming.]

       8:20

SCOREBOARD—Joe Boyle 

-C-  Time approximate

       8:30

ROLLER GAME OF THE WEEK 

-C-  Time approximate

       9:30

NEWS, WEATHER, SPORTS 

-C-       10:00

ALFRED HITCHCOCK—Drama

     11:00

MOVIE—Adventure 

-C-  “Sangaree” (1953)

TV