Mitchell Hadley's Blog: It's About TV!, page 90

This week in TV Guide: August 19, 1972

When last we visited Miami Beach, the Sun and Fun Capital of the World, it was for the most entertaining stretch of television since Jackie Gleason and the June Taylor Dancers were in town. I speak, of course, of last month's Democratic National Convention, otherwise known as the Circular Firing Squad, otherwise known as the convention where their nominee for president gave his acceptance speech at 3:00 a.m. Eastern time. "They blew that terribly," Walter Cronkite tells Richard K. Doan and Neil Hickey in this week's story previewing this week's Republican Convention, to be held in the same city. "I think it must have hurt them a great deal."
The Republicans take their turn in Miami Beach determined not to repeat the Democrats' mistakes of 1968 and 1972. Their solution: what may be the first purely made-for-TV convention. One Republican strategist puts it succinctly: "It's be short and sweet and to the point. And it'll be a whole new kind of TV show, different even from our own conventions of the past." After all, they only have two things to accomplish: "to nominate Richard Nixon in prime time, and to get those delegates in bed each night before midnight." As David Brinkley says, "This one will be even more difficult for us than the Democrats' because there will be fewer surprises, less suspense, and less to talk about." 
The differences will be noticeable even before the gavel drops; unlike most modern-day conventions, this one is scheduled for three days rather than four. The convention floor itself will be less cramped, with the Republicans having only 1,348 delegates as opposed to 3,016 for the Democrats. The platform and credentials procedures are scheduled for afternoon sessions, rather than in prime time. To liven things up, three giant video screens have been installed around the convention hall to provide slide shows and films for viewers, including three short films by documentarian David L. Wolper. And because ABC is once again foreswearing gavel-to-gavel coverage, major speeches won't be scheduled until after 9:30 p.m., to make sure they appear on all three networks. Says Fred Rheinstein, who oversees the party's television and radio arrangements, "If the convention has a good look and is visually effective and interesting without seeming manipulated—which it will not be—then I've succeeded."   The convention itself kicks off Monday night with a speech by temporary convention chairman, Ronald Reagan, thought to be a kind of consolation prize since he was obviously finished as a presidential hopeful; followed by a speech from GOP Chairman Bob Dole (who was old even then). Tuesday night Nixon's name is placed in nomination by another old adversary, New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller. And then on Wednesday night Vice President Spiro Agnew delivers his acceptance speech, leading into Nixon's own speech. Everything ends by 11:00 p.m., or close to it, and everyone goes home happy. In November, Nixon wins 49 out of 50 states, garnering nearly 61 percent of the popular vote. Less than two years later, he'll be out of politics. Such are the vagaries of politics, after all.
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I should have warned you that this was going to be a political issue; in the first of three parts, Edith Efron takes a look at the state of blacks in broadcasting. Namely, why are there so few, and what's being done about it. 
Considering we're only going to get one-third of the story this week, a top-level overview is probably the best way to take it. Examination of the problem begins with the Congressional Black Causus; their investigation sugggests that the black community is "grossly excluded, distorted, mishandled and exploited by the white-controlled news media," and that "black people are systematically excluded from employment at most levels in newspapers, radio and television stations, though token nubers are to be found." Furthermore, the white media have "failed miserably" at honest reporting in the day-to-day news from the black community. In other words, Efron summarizes, "the hiring-promotion-and firing proces is racist, and that news coverage is racist."
Somewhat interestingly, Efron decides to investigate rather than simply take the words of black groups that the discrimination is intentional and racially motivated. The people she talks to at the station level, mostly heads of network-owned and operated stations, offer various perspectives on increasing black representation in the newsroom. Robert Hocking, at WCBS, stays that it's difficult to train people in these "complex jobs"; thus, they tend to rely on those who've already received training. They're also moving to increase hiring in the sales area, since "most stations get management people through sales." Across the board, they agree that although the numbers are still low, major strides are being made.
Howard University professor Samuel Yette, the "self-appointed" spokesman for the black journalists, contends that the increase in hiring is largely "pacification, not unlike other pacification measures aimed at blacks during the last decade." To which a white editor replies, "Do you realize what he's saying? He's saying we're racists if we don't hire blacks—and that we're racists if we do hire blacks." One top decision-maker explains the complexities involved. The bottom line is "protecting the station license," and everything is measured against that. If you hire too many blacks, you face the public calling you "the black station." If you hire too many inexperienced blacks, "the work begins to sink." If you put too many in the sales department, "those people in the ad agencies [may] take their business elsewhere." Most important for the credibility of the station, "How many blacks without real managerial experience can you put in decision-making jobs before they bankrupt you." At the same time, he acknowledges a double-standard. "Our staff is loaded with white mediocrities. Every staff is loaded with white mediocrities. But we're used to white mediocrity. When it's a black mediocrity, it feels as if somebody forced him down your craw. I grant you, it's racism."
The bottom line, Efron says in the conclusion to part one of the story, is that Yette's analysis, "couched in 'master-slave' language, is seeing the situation from the 'outside.'" Station mangers and executives look at the same problem from the "inside." What does it add up to? Black unpreparedness due to historical racism is a reality; but contemporary efforts to fix the situation are also a reality; but continuing racism in the industry is also a reality. Which is the dominant one? What they all agree on is that there is a problem. 
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Surely there must be something available for anyone not in the political frame of mind. And even with the Convention taking up three nights, there's a little something for everyone.
Football season will be here before you know it, and on Saturday, NBC airs a prime-time pre-season matchup between the Raiders and Rams from Los Angeles. (8:00 p.m.) For those of you trying to keep track of these things, this pits a team that would move from Oakland to Los Angeles and then back to Oakland and finally to Las Vegas, against a team that had moved to Los Angeles from Cleveland and would eventually move to St. Louis, and then back to Los Angeles. At one point both teams played in Los Angeles at the same time. After all that, who cares who wins?
Sunday includes what's sure to be a controversial episode of William F. Buckley Jr.'s Firing Line (PBS, 7:00 p.m.), as Buckley welcomes the controversil psychologist ◄ B.F. Skinner, discussing his book Beyond Freedom and Dignity. (You can see it here .) Among other things, Skinner advocaters that "man be controlled and conditioned to serve group interests." I'm not entirely sure about this, but I think Skinner might have wound up as head of the Centers for Disease Control; he certainly sounds like it. Either that, or he's a distant relative of Anthony Fauci. And speaking of programs with a modern theme, Darren McGavin stars as the defendant on "The Lawyers" segement of The Bold Ones (9:00 p.m., NBC). He admits causing $50,000 worth of damage to a private investigating firm: but it turns out the firm had complied a secret dossier on him that cost him his job, his marriage, and his reputation. The script, which won an Emmy following the original broadcast, was entered in the Congressional Record. Today, the firm that compiled the dossier would probably get a government contract. (According to IMDb, the information they gathered was erroneous, which guarantees they'd get the contract.)
With convention coverage starting on Monday, our pickings are going to begin getting a little slim, unless you're a political junkie as I was when I was that age. Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In (6:30 p.m., NBC) has an all-sports rerun, featuring Rams quarterback Roman Gabriel, whom you might have seen in the game Saturday, and cameos from Vida Blue, Andy Granatelli, Sugar Ray Robinson, Bill Russell, Doug Sanders, Vin Scully and Willie Shoemaker. Nice show. For those of a musical vein, the 1971 Montreaux Jazz Festival is featured on PBS (7:00 p.m.), and ABC—making good use of their extra 90 minutes before joining the convention in progress—repeats the pilot for the upcoming series The Rookies (7:00 p.m.), with Darren McGavin as Sergeant Ryker, a role that will be played in the fall by Gerald S. O'Loughlin, and Jennifer Billingsley as Danko, who will be played by Kate Jackson in the series.
It's the annual NBC telecast of the Ice Follies on Tuesday (6:30 p.m.), and this year Snoopy and his creator, Charles M. Schulz, are the headliners. On a repeat of The Mod Squad (6:30 p.m., ABC) has Andy Griffith as a man facing death threats after his testimony puts away a killer. And on Marcus Welby, M.D. (7:30 p.m., ABC), Gary Collins plays a hard-nosed father whose tough discipline is making things worse for his son; I'd bet on Dr. Welby against any bully. The GOP Convention wraps up on Wednesday, as does Steve Allen's stint as guest host (along with wife Jayne Meadows) on The Dick Cavett Show (11:30 p.m., ABC). Different time, same situation: Joey Bishop is guest host on The Tonight Show (10:30 p.m., NBC). Unlike the Democratic Convention, which saw sessions running until 6:00 a.m., the talk shows are in no danger of being pre-empted by the GOP. 
Thursday is a night of specials on ABC, topped off by a series' "best show of the season." It starts at 7:00 p.m. with Kid Power, a prime-time preview of a new Rankin-Bass Saturday morning animated series that begins next month. It's based on the "Wee Pals" comic strip, focusing on a multicultural group of youngsters sharing thougths on "prejudice, teamwork and responsiblity." A total of 17 episodes are made. That's followed at 7:30 by a "fast-paced" concert starring Three Dog Night with special guest Roberta Flack, and it had better be fast-paced since they're going to fit six songs into a half-hour (minus commercials). But I know; songs were shorter back then, and why not? At 8:00, it's a cinéma-vérité look at Julie Andrews, who just happens to have an ABC variety series starting next month, directed by Blake Edwards, who just happens to be married to Julie. And at 9:00, Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law presents "Victim in Shadow," a charged episode dealing with rape. Stefanie Powers is the victim, and Rick Nelson is the rapist.
The Summer Olympics start tomorrow in Munich with the Opening Ceremonies, and on Friday (7:00 p.m.) ABC presents a two-hour preview of what is already being referred to as the "Peaceful Olympics," meant to erase the bad memories of Hitler and the 1936 Berlin games. The network is planning a record 61½ hours of coverage (which is a drop in the bucket compared to what NBC does today, but times were different back then), and tonight's special gives us a look at the favorites, along with some memorable moments from the past. Next week's TV Guide will have an extensive look at the Games, but it's worth a look at an excerpt from that article, describing the atmosphere likely to prevail:

The atmosphere surrounding the Games should be thick with Bavarian Gemutlichkeit [friendliness]. A German Olympic official has promised, "We know only too well that crimes have been committed in the German name, and how many people have suffered . . . These Olympics will be what they are supposed to be: the great meeting of the youth of the world; of the new, hopefully enlightened generation; and thus a small contribution to world peace."

Ironic, isn't it?
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The last word, though, belongs to our cover star, Chad Everett. Everett was riding high on the success of Medical Center in 1972, and Jeanie Kasindorf's profile highlights some of Everett's, shall we say, controversial viewpoints, such as referring to his wife as "the most beautiful animal I own." (Did I mention already that this was a heavily political issue?) That remark, on the Dick Cavett show, caused guest Lily Tomlin to walk off, and for that reason alone we probably ought to thank Everett for performing a public service.

Everett was something of a chauvinist, albeit a benign one, who professed that he'd never heard of Gloria Steinem. But his comments suggest something more: an insight into the the very nature of gender roles, and the cultural controversy that exists today about the definition of masculinity and what it means to be a man in the 21st Century: "Please, women, don't take all of my roles as a protector away. Let me open doors and take care of you. If you want to come out and compete in the business world, I'm still gonna give you my seat on the bus."

(I'll interject here a juxtaposition with another article in this week's issue, a profile of soap opera star Marie Masters, who plays Susan Stewart on As the World Turns. In Ross Drake's story, she talks about the need for "a more balanced relationship" between men and women. "There is no reason why a man should be a prince, while everybod else in his home is a slave." Maybe this just interests me, but when Kasindorf asks Everett about John Lennon and Yoko Ono calling women "slaves," Everett—who "bristles" at Lennon and Ono's description—indirectly responds to Masters as well: "It's ridiculous. A woman shares in the income of her man by giving a cleaning service. It's honorable work. Wives aren't slaves or prisoners." As I say, maybe I'm the only one interested in this, but it's almost as if these two articles were posited against each other. Coincidental, I suppose. And this is probably the longest parenthetical digression I've ever engaged in.)
Everett, a political conservative (in case you hadn't guessed), sees Communism trying to "destroy morals and break down the family unit." And also makes what I find a curious comment, and I find myself wondering if it had anything to do with him being involved in a medical show, since I don't think this was something on the radar of the average American in 1972: "For us, day care centers and text tube babies are things that are unthinkable. I know I would rather not have children if the only type of woman who was available to me was one who wanted to get pregnant, transfer her embryo to another woman's body, then receive the baby back from the hospital and stick it in a child care center." 
You might wonder how his wife, the actress Shelby Grant , felt about all this. Well, she differed from him on some points, but on the whole her thoughts align with his. "Chad's never changed a diaper, and a lot of women don't like that attitude. But I don't think, as long as he's making the money, he should have to. I've seen a lot of pussyfoot men at the laundromat and the supermarket each week. In our house Chad doesn't waer my clothes and I don't wear his." (Masters thinks that it's "unfair" for any woman who can't afford a housekeeper to have to do all the work herself. But I'm digressing again.) And when she died in 2011, she and Chad had been married for 45 years. Not bad for a piece of property. TV  

Around the dial

For those of you searching for something interesting, I'm making my semi-regular appearance with Dan on the Eventually Supertrain podcast, discussing—what else?—Search . The rest of the show is pretty good, too. We'd surely appreciate you tuning in.
At The Ringer, Claire McNear has a pretty unflattering look at the new host (for at least a second or two) of Jeopardy!,  Mike Richards. I have to admit I don't have a horse in this race; I haven't watched Jeopardy! in years, at least in part because I'm not much interested in the questions. Having said that, I will allow as to how my favorite host has always been Art Fleming, That's not to diss Alex Trebek, though; we saw him once at the Minnesota State Fair, and the man couldn't have been more gracious. When the station ran out of pictures for him to sign and suggested the crowds should disperse, he not only seemed disappointed, but volunteered to stayed around until they could get more pictures, continuing to sign other things in the meantime. What is class?
As you know, I like to mix my classic television with books about classic television, and if you're of a similar mind, you'll want to check out John's latest at Cult TV Blog, in which he links to several Avengers novelizations available at the Internet Archives . Ah, what a resource.
At Fire-Breathing Dimetroden Time, it's a continuation of Danger Man, which may or may not be the prequel to The Prisoner. This week: the exciting second-season episode " The Battle of the Cameras ," with guest star Dawn Addams as "the femme fatale."
Silver Scenes goes back in time to a 1967 interview with Roger Moore that suggests the off-screen Roger Moore is much like Simon Templar, The Saint. Maybe, maybe not, but for all of the distinguished personages who've played the role, from George Sanders to Vincent Price, I've always felt that Roger Moore is The Saint.
At Classic Film & TV Café, Rick looks at one of the classics of the British "kitchen sink dramas," The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner , with a brilliant performance by Tom Courtenay. I've always been fond of this period of British movies, which includes This Sporting Life, Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, Look Back in Anger, and others. Watched almost all of those on late-night TV.
Alex Cord , the venerable actor of television and movies, died earlier this month, aged 88. He was never what you would have called a big, big star, but he was a busy and very good actor, and Terence has an appropriate appreciation of his career at A Shroud of Thougths. And while you're at it, spare a thought for Terence, whose brother (fortunately) survived a massive heart attack last week. 

Have you ever heard of a made-for-TV, family-friendly, disaster flick? Well, you have now, if you go to Drunk TV and read Paul's report on  The Beasts are On the Streets , the 1978 NBC movie made by Hanna-Barbera. And that gives me an idea—why not reboot Gilligan's Island in the style of The Poseidon Adventure, but as a comedy with lovable characters? Who wouldn't watch it? TV  

The man who reminded us that life is worth living

   .

I first  published this almost six years ago, and in looking back on it, I notice how dismal we thought things were in 2015. Back then, I wrote, "there seems to be this sense that things aren't good and they're only getting worse, that perhaps things might never get better." It seems as if I was more of an optimist back then. 
Whenever I scroll through Twitter, I'm struck by what I read. There are so many people out there in various states of despair and depression. They feel trapped by a system that seems to be systematically grinding them down into dust. They've spent nearly two years in various stages of isolation, until they feel that their lives are no longer their own. They worry about persecution at the hands of their own government. They're crying out in pain, pleading for prayers, feeling like there's nowhere for them to turn, and it's just heartbreaking to see.
The political situation? It doesn't matter who wins or loses, nothing changes. The economy? There's nothing we can do about it, and we'll probably never be able to retire. Religion? Who knows what to believe anymore. What kind of a world is it today? What kind of people are we? It may well be that we're suffering from what the 5th Century monk and theologian John Cassian defined as "acedia."  
So, if anything, it's more appropriate than ever to revisit what I wrote back then, and the message it contains: a message we desperately need to hear.
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In some ways, this isn't much different from the '50s and '60s. Remember that the '50s, for all the talk about limitless potential, was still marked by fear and trembling. The threat of the Bomb. The Russians leading in the space race. The pressure to keep up with the Joneses in a newly consumerist society is intense. The idea of an unwanted pregnancy or a spouse unwilling to agree to a divorce is the pivot point of many a murder mystery. Whenever you look at entertainment of the era, from Patterns to The Twilight Zone's memorable " A Stop at Willoughby " (both written by Rod Serling) to Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman to the movie The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit, one can see the tumult just under the surface of the post-war era. And the '60s just ramp up the pressure, with Vietnam, sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll just the tip of the iceberg.

In such an era, is it any surprise that one of the most successful programs on television featured a Catholic priest whose message was simple yet direct: life is worth living.

That priest was Bishop Fulton J. Sheen, and his program, Life Is Worth Living, premiered on DuMont in 1952, and after moving to ABC in 1955, continued to air weekly until 1957; the program continued on in syndication, under the less-descriptive title The Fulton Sheen Program, off-and-on until 1968. Volumes have been written about Bishop Sheen (who began in broadcasting with a radio program in 1930), and I won't attempt to recapitulate it all here; suffice it to say that Fulton Sheen was extremely successful on television, drawing as many as thirty million viewers a week, and being the only show to provide any serious competition when aired opposite Milton Berle's hit show*; and was as successful in print, authoring over 70 books on the spiritual life. He was responsible for the conversion of many prominent people into the Catholic Church, and probably only God Himself knows how many other people he touched in one way or another. Bishop Sheen died in 1979, but many of his books remain in print, and many of his shows continue to air on television (EWTN) and sell on DVD.

*Berle, known as "Uncle Miltie," dubbed his good friend "Uncle Fultie," and when winning an Emmy, Sheen's acceptance speech thanked his four writers: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

It's a remarkable legacy for any media figure, let alone a clergyman. I'll grant you that times were different then; it's unimaginable that such a show as Life Is Worth Living could air on network television today. But then, in these confusing times it's unimaginable that so many people—Catholic, Protestant and Jewish alike—could find solace in those four simple words: life is worth living.

A side note: in one of his most famous broadcasts, delivered in February of 1953, he delivered what Brooks and Marsh's Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows called a "hair-raising" rendition (without notes) of Marc Antony's famous funeral oration for Caesar as written by Shakespeare. The show apparently doesn't exist, at least not at any site I've checked, but in my collection of scripts from the show I've got a copy of that one, in which Sheen substitutes names of prominent Soviet leaders—Stalin, Beria, Malenkov, and Vishinsky—for those of Caesar, Cassius, Marc Antony, and Brutus. It is hair-raising, just in print, and I can only imagine how it must have sounded in Sheen's magnificent, charismatic oration. Concluding the program, Sheen dramatically notes that "Stalin must one day meet his judgment." A few days later, Stalin suffered a stroke and was dead within the week.

Sheen was no Pandora; he recognized well the threat of Communism (" Communism in America ," " Western and Communist World ," " Does Capitalism Still Exist ") as well as the threats that were implicit in the culture built by the post-war era. He discussed man's weaknesses (" Hope for a Wounded World ," "Human Passions and Emotions," " Selfishness "), the struggles of daily life (" Gloom ," " Guilt ," " Suffering ," " Temptation ," " The Identity Crisis "), ways of self-improvement (" An Alcoholic is Not a Pig ," "How to Improve Your Mind," " How to Think "). Shows such as " The Psychology of the Rat Race ," " What is Meant by Happiness? " and " War as a Judgment From God " could be given today without very little editing, and in shows like " There Is Hope " he reinforces the message of those four words. And what could possibly be more appropriate for these times than " Fear and Anxiety "?
Listening to Sheen's programs today, one is struck (not for the first time when watching classic television) by how little has changed. The specific names of issues may be different, the circumstances may be slightly altered, but at heart the insecurities, frailties, fears and sins of man remain as ever they have been and ever will be. What Sheen understood, perhaps better than anyone who's ever appeared on television, is the essential existentialist struggle that is part of life. Pope John Paul II once remarked that the ordinary life is full of drama far beyond what any dramatist could concoct, and in a program such as " The Stranger Within " Sheen illustrates that existential drama. Television is in many ways a remarkable medium, but one thing it has never done well is existentialism. It does nihilism far better, by the way, and it's also quite good at amorality, but to seriously discuss the meaning of life and the implications arising from various answers is something one doesn't see anymore, and seldom did anywhere (aside from a top-notch drama) other than from Bishop Sheen.

Perhaps the biggest difference to be found, from the Catholic viewpoint, is how the Church has ceased to be the public foundation of certainty and instruction. Today, even if someone were to have the opportunity to speak from a network-provided pulpit, it's unlikely he'd be able to speak from any kind of authority; if people didn't like he was saying, they'd just get contradictory advice from another Catholic prelate.

So a debate rages on, mainly from within the Church but extending outside as well, as to what exactly the Catholic Church stands for, what she represents, what her role is in the world. What I find remarkable is that through all this conflict, which in and of itself is enough to cause one to despair, so few people have hearkened back to the message of Fulton J. Sheen, and how applicable it is to people today. And yet we live in a time when suicide is rampant, especially among young people and military veterans, when so many people are inclined to throw up their hands in exasperation, when nihilism has invaded the subconscious and the existential. We debate liberal vs. conservative, orthodox vs. heterodox, we've battled over race, gender, identity; we've done just about everything within our power to ridicule and demonize those who disagree with us, and even some of those who agree. But through it all, from each and every source, I rarely hear those four words, the words that Bishop Sheen preached every week for so many years, the words that are not necessarily the end but most assuredly are the beginning, and from which goodness can ultimately flow.

Life is worth living. On that you can depend. TV  

What's on TV? Monday, August 14, 1967

Xne of the things I notice in these older TV Guides is the sheer number of programs that used to be on. Almost all of the daytime shows are a half-hour, and a couple of the soaps on CBS are still 15 minutes long. Then there are the five-minute news updates, and the programs like The Children's Doctor and Doctor's House Call. Add in the 10 half-hour shows in primetime, including two half-hour dramas, and compared to today, or even to the 1980s, it makes for a long list of programs. (Though not as long as the listings from the 1950s, when it seems like everything was 15 minutes long.) Now, the remaining soaps are an hour, the remaining game shows are an hour, local news programs are at least an hour, and Today is what, eight hours long now? But then, since just about everything we consume has been super-sized, why should TV shows be any different? Your lengthy listings come from the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul.
  -2- KTCA (EDUC.)

  Evening

      6:00

CAMERAS ON JAPAN

      6:30

NOW SEE THIS—Education

      7:00

VIOLIN SONATA—Music

      7:30

NET JOURNAL—Report

“Modern Women—The Uneasy Life”

      8:30

PROFILE—Discussion

      9:00

SYMPHONIES—Concert

    10:00

AGE OF KINGS—Shakespeare

 

 

  -4- WCCO (CBS)

  Morning

      6:00

SUMMER SEMESTER

      6:30

SIEGFRIED—Children

      7:00

CLANCY & CARMEN 

  COLOR        7:40

CLANCY & WILLIE 

  COLOR        8:00

CAPTAIN KANGAROO—Children

      9:00

DR. REUBEN K. YOUNGDAHL—Religion 

  COLOR        9:05

MERV GRIFFIN—Variety

    10:00

ANDY GRIFFITH—Comedy

    10:30

DICK VAN DYKE—Comedy

    11:00

LOVE OF LIFE—Serial 

  COLOR      11:25

NEWS—Joseph Benti 

  COLOR      11:30

SEARCH FOR TOMORROW—Serial 

  COLOR      11:45

GUIDING LIGHT—Serial 

  COLOR    Afternoon

    12:00

NEWS—Montgomery 

  COLOR      12:20

SOMETHING SPECIAL 

  COLOR      12:30

AS THE WORLD TURNS—Serial 

  COLOR        1:00

PASSWORD—Game   COLOR  Guests: George Grizzard, Sheila MacRae

      1:30

HOUSE PARTY   COLOR  Guest: Loriene Chase

      2:00

TO TELL THE TRUTH 

  COLOR        2:25

NEWS—Edwards 

  COLOR        2:30

EDGE OF NIGHT—Serial

      3:00

SECRET STORM—Serial

      3:30

BEVERLY HILLBILLIES—Comedy

      4:00

MIKE DOUGLAS—Variety   COLOR  Guest host: Martha Raye. Guests: Jean Pierre Aumont, Greg Hatza, Ross Di Lorenzo

      5:30

NEWS—Walter Cronkite 

  COLOR    Evening

      6:00

NEWS—Dave Moore 

  COLOR        6:15

WEATHER—Kraehling 

  COLOR        6:20

SPORTS—Hal Scott 

  COLOR        6:30

GILLIGAN’S ISLAND—Comedy 

  COLOR        7:00

MR. TERRIFIC—Comedy 

  COLOR        7:30

VACATION PLAYHOUSE—Comedy

“Heaven Help Us”

      8:00

ANDY GRIFITH—Comedy 

  COLOR        8:30

FAMILY AFFAIR—Comedy 

  COLOR        9:00

SOMETHING SPECIAL—Lane   COLOR  Guests: José Greco and his dancers, Sandler and Young. Host: Abbe Lane

    10:00

NEWS—Dave Moore 

  COLOR      10:15

WEATHER—Kraehling 

  COLOR      10:20

SPORTS—Hal Scott 

  COLOR      10:30

CORONET BLUE—Drama 

  COLOR      11:30

MOVIE—Drama

“Girls in the Night” (1953)

      1:10

MOVIE—Comedy

Time approximate. “Jalopy” (1953)

 

 

  -5- KSTP (NBC)

  Morning

      6:00

DAVID STONE—Music 

  COLOR        6:30

CITY AND COUNTRY 

  COLOR        6:55

DOCTOR’S HOUSE CALL—James Rogers Fox 

  COLOR        7:00

TODAY   COLOR  Guest host: Burgess Meredith. Guests: Robert Culp and Bill Cosby, Leonard Sloane

      9:00

SNAP JUDGMENT—Game   COLOR  Guests: Bess Myerson, Stephen Strimpell

      9:25

NEWS—Sander Vanocur 

  COLOR        9:30

CONCENTRATION 

  COLOR      10:00

PERSONALITY—Game   COLOR  Celebrities: Claire Bloom, Joan Fontaine, Barry Nelson, Burgess Meredith (film)

    10:30

HOLLYWOOD SQUARES—Game   COLOR  Celebrities: Morey Amsterdam, Sandy Baron, Wally Cox, Nanette Fabray, Buddy Hackett, Sue Ane Langdon, Rose Marie, Dick Patterson, Charley Weaver. Host: Peter Marshall

    11:00

JEOPARDY—Game 

  COLOR      11:30

EYE GUESS—Game 

  COLOR      11:55

NEWS—Edwin Newman 

  COLOR    Afternoon

    12:00

NEWS—Gene Berry 

  COLOR      12:10

WEATHER—Morris 

  COLOR      12:15

DIALING FOR DOLLARS—Game 

  COLOR      12:30

LET’S MAKE A DEAL 

  COLOR      12:55

NEWS—Nancy Dickerson 

  COLOR        1:00

DAYS OF OUR LIVES 

  COLOR        1:30

DOCTORS—Serial 

  COLOR        2:00

ANOTHER WORLD 

  COLOR        2:30

YOU DON’T SAY!—Game   COLOR  Celebrities: Tammy Grimes, Les Crane

      3:00

MATCH GAME   COLOR  Guests: Hal Holbrook, Dr. Joyce Brothers

      3:25

NEWS—Floyd Kalber 

  COLOR        3:30

DIALING FOR DOLLARS—Game 

  COLOR        4:30

OF LANDS AND SEAS 

  COLOR        5:25

NEWS—Gene Berry 

  COLOR        5:30

NEWS—Huntley, Brinkley 

  COLOR    Evening

      6:00

NEWS—Bob Ryan 

  COLOR        6:15

WEATHER—Morris 

  COLOR        6:20

SPORTS—Al Tighe 

  COLOR        6:30

MONKEES—Comedy 

  COLOR        7:00

I DREAM OF JEANNIE—Comedy 

  COLOR        7:30

CAPTAIN NICE—Comedy 

  COLOR        8:00

ROAD WEST—Western 

  COLOR        9:00

RUN FOR YOUR LIFE—Drama 

  COLOR      10:00

NEWS—MacDougall 

  COLOR      10:15

WEATHER—Morris 

  COLOR      10:20

SPORTS—Al Tighe 

  COLOR      10:30

JOHNNY CARSON 

  COLOR      12:00

NEWS AND SPORTS 

  COLOR      12:15

M SQUAD—Police

Time approximate.

 

 

  -9- KMSP (IND.)

  Morning

      7:40

MORNING SHOW—Smith 

  COLOR        8:00

DATELINE: HOLLYWOOD

Interviews: James Shigeta, Ann Hamilton Spaulding

      8:25

CHILDREN’S DOCTOR—Advice

      8:30

ROMPER ROOM 

  COLOR        9:30

JACK LA LANNE 

  COLOR      10:00

HONEYMOON RACE 

  COLOR      10:30

FAMILY GAME

    11:00

EVERYBODY’S TALKNG—Game

Celebrities: Frankie Avalon, Ruta Lee, Selma Diamond

    11:30

DONNA REED—Comedy

  Afternoon

    12:00

FUGITIVE—Drama

      1:00

NEWLYWED GAME 

  COLOR        1:30

DREAM GIRL—Contest   COLOR  Celebrities: Judy Carne, Louis Nye, William Smith, Ron Soble

      1:55

NEWS—Marlene Sanders 

  COLOR        2:00

GENERAL HOSPITAL—Serial

      2:30

DARK SHADOWS 

  COLOR        3:00

DATING GAME 

  COLOR        3:30

MOVIE—Drama

“Lure of the Swamp” (1957)

      5:00

NEWS—Frank Reynolds, Keith McBee 

  COLOR        5:30

TIMMY AND LASSIE—Drama

  Evening

      6:00

McHALE’S NAVY—Comedy

      6:30

IRON HORSE—Western 

  COLOR        7:30

RAT PATROL—Drama 

  COLOR        8:00

FELONY SQUAD—Drama 

  COLOR        8:30

PEYTON PLACE—Serial 

  COLOR        9:00

BIG VALLEY—Western 

  COLOR      10:00

NEWS—Fahan, Steer 

  COLOR      10:25

SPORTS—Tony Parker 

  COLOR      10:30

MOVIE—Mystery   COLOR  “The 39 Steps” (1960)

    12:20

JOEY BISHOP—Variety   COLOR  Time approximate. Guests: Lainie Kazan, Anthony and the Imperials

 

 

  11 WTCN (ABC)

  Morning

      8:55

NEWS—Gil Amundson

      9:00

CARTOON CARNIVAL 

  COLOR        9:30

GLORIA—Exercise 

  COLOR      10:00

ABBOTT AND COSTELLO

    10:30

WHIRLYBIRDS—Adventure

    11:00

BACHELOR FATHER—Comedy

    11:30

COOKING WITH HANK—Women

    11:45

NEWS—Gil Amundson

  Afternoon

    12:00

LUNCH WITH CASEY—Children

      1:00

MOVIE—Melodrama

“The Unknown Terror” (1957)

      2:45

MEL’S NOTEBOOK—Interview

      3:00

VIRGINIA GRAHAM—Interviews

Guests: Leslie Uggams, Joan Rivers, Irene Pachanik

      3:30

BAT MASTERSON—Western

      4:00

POPEYE AND PETE—Children

      4:30

CASEY AND ROUNDHOUSE

      5:30

FLINTSTONES—Cartoon 

  COLOR    Evening

      6:00

HUCKLEBERRY HOUND 

  COLOR        6:30

LARAMIE—Western

      7:30

RACE TO RICHES 

  COLOR        8:00

MOVIE—Drama

“Tap Roots” (1948)

    10:15

NEWS, WEATHER, SPORTS

Time approximate.

    10:45

MOVIE—Science Fiction   COLOR  Time approximate. “The Mysterians” (Japanese; 1959)

 

TV  

This week in TV Guide: August 12, 1967

There are times when, as a cultural archaeologist, you just shake your head at your good fortune. Take this week's opening story, written by Michael Fessier, Jr., who takes us backstage at what those Dating Game weekends are really like, by following a young couple who'd been paired up on a recent program. 
Our celebrity bachelor is a guy named Mike Reagan, 22, whose father happens to be governor of California. He's rather unpolitical in real life, but in time, he'll become a radio talk show host and political commentator; a chip off the old Gipper, so to speak. His date is 20-year-old starlet  Sheryl Ullman , who stars in a bunch of Elvis Presley movies and winds up as one of Dean Martin's Golddiggers. Sheryl chose Mike from a panel of three bachelors, the other two being actor Sal Mineo and UCLA football star Norman Dow. Their reward is a fabulous weekend in beautiful Victoria, British Columbia. 
Fessier wants to learn more about how all this works, so he stops by Chuck Barris Productions—you knew, of course, that Barris had to be part of this somehow. The boss, unfortunately, is busy, so Fessier winds up talking with Mike Hill, the executive responsible for planning the Dating Game trips. Now, it's my theory—based on Barris's later claim that those trips to exotic international locations were just cover for his other job as a CIA assassin—that he's unavailable because he's over in Southeast Asia somewhere, but there's nothing in Fessier's article to substantiate this, unless Barris somehow gets to him later on.
Mike and Sheryl spend much of their time posing for photos—"One more in color," "One more in black and white"—before heading out for a Saturday night on the town: specifically, as guests of honor at a dinner dance being held by their home for the weekend, the Empress Hotel. They dance a bit ("the only ones on the floor") to music that's described as "pre-Guy Lombardo." The next day there's a visit to the wax museaum, followed by dinner at the Oak Bay Marina. This is breathlessly reported on the radio (Victoria is a place "hungry for even a whiff of glamor"), but what they didn't report as that the couple "returned to their suite, watched an old Brian Donleavy movie on television and retired to their separate chambers." This is different from The Bachelor, isn't it?
On the trip home Monday, Mike muses about his date. "She'll probably marry some millionaire who'll make me a star," he says. "I guess she thinks I'm some kind of nice boy or something." For Sheryl's part, she finally kicks loose at the wrap party, "high-kicking and free as a bird." "I really enjoy life," she says.
Alas, there's to be no storybook ending. Of Sheryl, Mike says, "I dig her and I don't dig her," while Sheryl vows the first thing she'll  do when she returns home is "call my agent."
t t t
While The Hollywood Palace is on summer break, ABC fills the Saturday night time slog with Piccadilly Palace, a London-based variety show starring the iconic British comedy duo of Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise. We'll stop in from time to time during the summer months to see who has the best lineup..
Sullivan:  Ed's guest in this rerun are actors Eddie Albert and Carroll Baker; comedians Allan Sherman, Pat Cooper and Stiller and Meara; singers Sergio Franchi, the Four Tops, and the Kessler Twins; the Suzuki Violins; and trampolinist Dick Albers.

Piccadilly:  British comedians Morecambe and Wise are the permanent hosts of Piccadilly Palace, so by definition there's a limited guest lineup, but this week it is pianist Peter Nero and the rockin' Tremeloes. Singer Millicent Martin is part of the permanent cast.

Well, this really does bring into focus what it means when you're talking about the dog days of summer. There may have been individual bits and pieces of Piccadilly Palace that stood out, but on sheer volume Ed has the edge. Allan Sherman, Stiller and Meara, the Four Tops, Sergio Franchi. I don't know about you, but I'll take Sullivan by majority decision.
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I don't know if Cleveland Amsory ever spent a day of his life fishing. Maybe when he was a kid, but I've always assumed that he was born full-grown, with a pipe in his mouth and a pen between his finters. At any rate, everyone has to to on vacation sometime, so let's assume that wherever he is this week, he's having a good time. 
Usually when Cleve is out, we just skip the week's review, but this week I'm making an exception, as guest reviewer Burt Prelutsky takes a look at one of the great cult classic shows in summer replacement history, Coronet Blue. The show's cult was, I think, based primarily on its being an enigma, in more than one way: first, the hero, Michael Alden (Frank Converse), doesn't know who he is, and doesn't know why someone wants him dead. All he knows is that when he was rescued, half-dead, from drowning in New York harbor, he was mumbling the words, "Coronet Blue." Second, the show, which took two years to make it to television, ended without the mystery ever being resolved; it became a surprise hit during the summer, but by that time it was impossible to reunite the cast to continue the story. 
We may not know what "Coronet Blue" means, but we do know what Burt Prelutsky thinks about Coronet Blue: it is, he writes, "pretentious, boring and badly written." Of Alden's quixotic quest for his past, which drives the action each week, he says, "Go on he does—into one of the prize cockamamic shows of all time. There were enough hokey subplots an dcliche characters in that first 60-minute episode to keep most TV series running for a dozen years." And of Converse's performance as Alden, [he] does a lot of dopy things with his eyes that are supposed to denote, I suspect, the desperate plight of a man in search of his identity. It doesn't quite come off that way. What it really looks like, to tell you the truth, is like an actor doing a lot of dopey things with his eyes." 
At least we're not left guessing what Burt thinks. Thing is, having bought the series when it came out on DVD a couple of years ago, I'm in substantial agreement with much of what he says. Now, I'm willing to accept the amnesia premise—as dramatic devices go, it's got possibilities. Some of the stories, particularly as the series went on, were among the best the show had to offer. And I thought that the supporting characters, especially his friend Max (played by Joe Silver), were quite good. But I'm all in on his assessment of Converse—I liked him a lot as a tough detective in N.Y.P.D., and Michael Alden could have used some of that edge to his personality, as opposed to merely throwing punches without really knowing who he's striking out at. 
Coronet Blue's biggest problem, in the end analysis, is that it's not The Bourne Identity, which took a similar premise and ran with it at such high velocity that you didn't have time to look for any inconsistencies. And Frank Converse isn't Matt Damon, whose Jason Bourne had more edges to him than Gillette, and was too busy trying to stay alive to make cow eyes at sympathetic women. I liked Coronet Blue more than Prelutsky does, but it's a series that could have been so much better than it was. And wasted potential is something you just can't forget.
t t t
It doesn't seem possible, but American Bandstand celebrates it's 10th anniverary on Saturday with the second of a two-part show featuring the Mamas and the Papas and the Supremes, while Dick Clark talks about how the music scene has changed during the decade and interviews former Bandstanders. (12:30 p.m. CT, ABC) Over on NBC, the baseball Game of the Week continues coverage of the torrid American League pennant race with three of the four contenders: most of the country gets the Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins, but in Minneapolis the home team blackout means we're getting the Baltimore Orioles (the odd team out) visiting the Detroit Tigers (1:00 p.m.) And on Critics Award Theater (11:30 p.m, WCCO), it's a movie that asks the same question I've been asking about this website for years: How to Be Very, Very Popular . 
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King is the guest on Sunday's Meet the Press (1:30 p.m., NBC), and later in the afternoon an NBC News Special called "The Documentaries of Ted Yates" (5:00 p.m.) looks at the work of one of television's finest journalists; Yates was killed in June while covering the Six Day War. His widow, Mary, would later marry Mike Wallace. On a lighter note, Rich Litle is on Candid Camera (9:00 p.m., CBS), pranking a secretary by impersonating famous men on the phone.
On Monday Martha Raye begins a week-long stint as Mike Douglas's guest host (4:00 p.m., WCCO). Mike is this week's cover story, and Patrick Walsh says of him, "Talk is [his] stock in trade—and millions of housewives are eager to buy." Nowadays we think of daytime talk as consisting of self-help, celebrity puff pieces, armchair psychoanalysis, or cooking tips, but Mike Douglas was a real talk show host whose show ran in syndication from 1961 to 1982. Unlike other daytime hosts (Merv Griffin, Dick Cavett), Mike never made the move to prime time, being content to provide easy-going, middle of the road entertainment to an older, mostly female audience. And that's what's most interesting about this article, the emphasis on "housewives" and "grannies" who can't get enough of Douglas' "wholesome as whole-wheat soda bread" show, even though he had his share of controversial guests (Dick Gregory, Stokley Carmichael). How the culture has changed since then.
Get up early Tuesday morning to watch Today, (7:00 p.m., NBC) as guest host Burgess Meredith interviews Star Trek stars William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy. This evening, The Fugitive airs its last rerun before the two-part series finale that results in the exoneration of Dr. Richard Kimble and the apprehension of the One-Armed Man (9:00 p.m,. ABC). I've read that the final episode aired in August because the decision to end the series was made too late in the season to have the story ready an earlier; nonetheless, as far as I know, except for shows that went off the air immediately after their finale, no other series has done this, and I don't know why. Not only was it extremely effective, there was little competition from the other two networks. As you can see, the anticipation is building.
Wednesday is probably the most enjoyable night of the week; on part one of the latest Batman adventure (6:30 p.m., ABC), the villainous Catworman (Julie Newmar version) plans to steal the voices of British rockers Chad and Jeremy, playing themselves. Eddie Albert and Eva Gavor play dual roles on Green Acres (8:00 p.m., CBS), showing how their ancestors once crossed paths. Boris Karloff is the guest star of what must have been a fun episode of I Spy (9:00 p.m., NBC), playing a scientist working on an anti-missile system, who gets caught up in Quixotic escapades.
On Thursday night ABC's Summer Focus takes a look at the 1968 presidential contenders. It's easy to look at these shows in retrospect and make fun of them, but if the show was anything like the write-up for it, it proved to be remarkably prescient. For the Democrats, "the man is President Johnson. If he bows out, look for a bitter fight on the convention floor." As I say, you couldn't get more right than that, although I'm not sure they intended for the Democrats to take the word "fight" literally. As for the Republicans, the close-up quite accurately identifies Nixon as the front-runner, although "he must enter the primaries to prove that he is still a vote-getter," and Mike Reagan's father as a "fast-rising GOP star." They speculate on Nelson Rockefeller as a candidate who could win a deadlocked convention. (He would, in fact, finish second to Nixon, and just ahead of Reagan.) And yet, for all that, it barely scratches the surface of 1968.
Friday, Jimmy Stewart is the host for a visit to the World Boy Scout Jamboree (8:00 p.m., ABC) held earlier this month at Farragut State Park in Idaho. For music fans, the highlight is an NET special on Duke Ellington (10:00 p.m.), featuring the Duke at the Monteray Jazz Festival, and including interviews with Earl "Fatha" Hines and Jon Hendricks.
t t t
There's a short bit in The Doan Report about the networks taking yet another look at prime-time news programs, this time the idea of a show that would fill the last half-hour of the night's schedule. These kinds of ideas come up all the time; it seems as if there was never an era when there wasn't serious discussion about prime-time evening news, most of the time involving the perennially ratings-challenged ABC, but this one specifically mentions NBC as the network most likely to check it out, with the others to follow if it's a success. It isn't, and they don't.
There's also a note, kind of cynical if you ask me, about how audiences are more likely to watch a taped drama such as Death of a Salesman, which recently scored big ratings on CBS, if they think they're watching a movie. ABC plans to capitalize on this "misunderstanding," as all ten of their upcoming dramas are remakes of well-known movies such as Dial M for Murder. Their plan is to advertise them not as they'd originally intended, with the title A Night at the Theater, but simply as a special presentation. Imagine a television network trying to trick its viewers into thinking they're seeing something other that what's actually on. I'm shocked, shocked, at the thought.
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Finally, I don't know if I've ever written about That Girl, the series with Marlo Thomas, but this Thursday's episode gives us a real cultural snapshot. From the listings: "No matter how you add it up, Ann and boy friend Don face a delicate situation: They're stranded with newlyweds in a hotel—that has only two vacant rooms." It's clear what the dilemma for Ann and Don is: they can't share a room because they're not married, but if the two men take one room and the two women the other, they'll be separating the newlyweds, something the other couple wants no part of. This is interesting for so many reasons: first, the idea of an unmarried couple sharing a hotel room is nothing today—hell, probably most of the couples in hotels aren't married—or at least not to each other. Thing is (and I'll admit I haven't seen the episode, so this could be a moot point), this very type of scenario (unmarried couple sharing hotel room) has been a stalwart of the screwball comedy for decades. You can hang a bedsheet down the middle of the room, you can have the guy sleep on the floor, etc. etc. In other words, there's a myriad number of ways they could handle this. I wonder which ones they used?

For sure, you wouldn't see this dilemma on TV today. TV  

Around the dial

For my money, Friday has always been the best day of the week. I'll grant you that the best 24 consecutive hours are those from midnight Friday to midnight Saturday, but there's a satisfaction in reaching the end of the work week, and surrendering myself to a fine night of TV viewing. But there's another reason for enjoying Fridays, and that's our trip around the classic TV dial, and some most excellent blogs.
Let's start at bare•bones e-zine, where Jack wraps up his review of the William Link and Richard Levinson Hitchcock scripts with the ninth-season " Nothing Ever Happens in Linvale ," with Fess Parker, Gary Merrill and Phyllis Thaxter. I think it would have been kind of fun if it had starred Joanna Linville, but I wasn't there for the casting.
I'm no longer at a point where I need to feel any older than I am, but David's latest at Comfort TV has succeeded in reminding me anyway: Marcia Brady is 65. Or at least Maureen McCormick is , and so a happy birthday to someone who, from all accounts, is as nice a person as she appeared to be on TV.
At Cult TV, John worries that he's straying too far from the subject, which happens to be the Doctor Who episode "Fury From the Deep," starring Patrick Troughton, but in actuality it's a very interesting discussion on the topic of reconstructed Doctor Who videos . You might think this is a little too "inside baseball" unless you've collected telesnaps and grey market videos, but I loved it.
You've all heard the jokes about reading Playboy for the stories, but back in the day the magazine, like so many of the era, had an excellent reputation for publishing short fiction from some of the best (or soon-to-be best) writers around. At The Twilight Zone Vortex, Jordan looks at the magazine's contributions by TZ writers , including Ray Bradbury and Charles Beaumont. 
Staying in the genre, Shadow & Substance has a writeup of Rod Serling's Night Gallery story " The House ," a nasty little story starring Joanna Pettet and directed by John Astin. Night Gallery was, I thought, always a bit uneven in quality (even without the Sixth Sense episodes thrown in), but this is certainly in the upper percentile.
At Inner Toob, it's a look at the various crossover stars and historical figures from the WB western series Bronco that link the show to other WB series. (You can choose to believe me or not when I say that we were just talking about Bronco at dinner last night, for no particular reason. The clincher that caused me to add this piece is the 1960 Maverick episode "Hadley's Hunters," and trust me: you don't want to run into them.
It seems that every time I head over to A Shroud of Thoughts, Terence is penning another obituaries of a star who has passed, and this week there are three: Pat Hitchcock , Markie Post , and Jane Withers . Godspeed to them all.
Television's New Frontier: The 1960s returns with a trip to 1962 and The Donna Reed Show. The year saw the end of the show's fourth season and the start of the fifth, and as Reed began to tire from the 39-episode grind, the focal point, more and more, became Paul Petersen. That's not all there is to the show, of course, with storylines and guest stars aplenty.
Now, if all this has added to your enjoyment of the best day of the week, I'm pleased to have helped out. But stay tuned for tomorrow; there's even more to come. TV  

The Descent into Hell: "The Children's Story. . . but not just for children" (1982)

The teacher was afraid," the story begins. "And the children were afraid. All except Johnny. He watched the classroom door with hate. He felt the hatred deep within his stomach. It gave him strength. 
"It was two minutes to nine." 
This, in its entirety, is the first page of James Clavell's "The Children's Story," first published in Ladies' Home Journal in October, 1963, and made into a half-hour drama, written and directed by Clavell himself and telecast on February 18, 1982 (in most markets) on the syndicated Mobil Showcase Network. It remains, to this day, one of the most subversive television shows ever aired, a deceptively simple story that tackles indoctrination, brainwashing, and what could be called a unique form of child abuse. It's perhaps the most disturbing program I've ever seen.
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Mobil Showcase was a kind of commercial companion to PBS's Masterpiece Theatre, which Mobil had underwritten for years. Its first presentation was a sensation: the 12-part British miniseries Edward the King, hosted by newsman Robert McNeil, which ran on Wednesday nights in 1975 on an ad-hoc lineup of nearly 50 stations around the country, including 27 network affiliates. It was a huge success, not only for the stations airing it but for Mobil, which had the opportunity to air its commercials during the program, rather than being limited to brief mentions at the beginning and end of Masterpiece Theatre. (After all, the goodwill from underwriting programs on public broadcasting only goes so far.)
Showcase returned in early 1977 with another success, the ten-part BBC documentary series Ten Who Dared, narrated by Anthony Quinn (David Attenborough had been the voice of the British airing), featuring great explorers who had trekked around the world to previously unexplored areas. Today they might be convicted of cultural appropriation by the students of "The Children's Story," but in 1977 the series outdrew several network shows (including The Waltons) during its run. In 1979, the series struck gold yet again with Edward & Mrs. Simpson, the story of the ill-fated romance between Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson.
In early 1983, Mobil Showcase returned with Charles Dickens' sprawling story, The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, in a triumphant nine-hour saga spread over four consecutive nights.* Nickleby, which had been the smash hit of Broadway the year before, had been turned down by all three networks; Mobil reportedly bought it for $1.1 million and spent another $3 million to distribute it over its ad hoc network, which was down one station after CBS pressured its Flint, Michigan, affiliate, not to carry it. In 1984, it was an acclaimed production of King Lear, featuring Laurence Olivier in the title role (Olivier would win a Best Actor Emmy for this, his last Shakespearian performance), and an all-star supporting cast including Colin Blakely, John Hurt, Diana Rigg and Leo McKern. 
*Mobil limited commercials to 21 minutes for the entire nine hours, promising "no hard-sell or advocacy advertising this time."
I hadn't really thought about this until now, but it's quite possible that Mobil Showcase was the premier prestige dramatic show on commercial television during its run. It reminds me of what the Hallmark Hall of Fame used to be.
t t t
The story opens in "A Neighborhood Schoolroom." It takes place at an indeterminate time in the very near future; we're only told that "THEY have just conquered us."  
Old Miss Warden (Mildred Natwick) sits at her desk, playing nervously with her fingers; her students, each of them about seven years old, can feel the tension in the air. In front of her is an official document, which she reads to them: "All current teachers will turn over their classes to new teachers." She is afraid, they are all afraid, except for Johnny, who defiantly repeats the words his father told him: "We're scared too much. We're dead even though we're alive. We are not to ever be afraid." 
The clock turns over to 9:00, the door opens and the New Teacher (Michaela Ross) enters. She is young, attractive, dressed in olive green. With a smile, she greets the children, and she gently tells Miss Warden that "You're to go to the principal's office," As the old woman tearfully looks back at her students before the door closes, some of them are crying. The New Teacher greets each one of them by name, and they are surprised; their old teacher sometimes forgot their names. But then, the New Teacher tells them, you sit in the same desks every day; she just memorized the list. "I had to work three whole days just to remember all your names." It's very lazy for a teacher to not know who's here and who isn't, she continues. 
Without formality, without even being aware of it, their education has begun.
"How do you start school?" she asks the children. "What do you do to begin?" A student tells her they say the Pledge of Allegiance. What does it mean? she asks them. None of them know; neither their teachers nor their parents ever explained it to them. "I don't think that was very good not to explain. You can always ask me anything—that's what a real teacher should do." She then tells them that allegiance means to pledge loyalty to "a king or president or leader or to your government." But you can’t pledge allegiance to a flag—"that's like saying the flag is more important than a person.” 
The flag is very pretty, though, she says. “I wish I could have a piece of it.” Removing it from the pole, she tells the students that if the flag is that important, “we should all have a piece of it.” She finds a pair of scissors in Miss Worden’s desk, and allows a thrilled Leslie to cut the first piece, since it’s her birthday. (And they’re so thrilled that she knows things like birthdays.) They all line up excitedly around the teacher’s desk to get a piece of the flag. But what to do with the bare flagpole? One student, giggling, suggests they throw it out the window—is he serious, or just wondering how far they can go, how outrageous is too outrageous. But the New Teacher tells them that “if that’s what you want to do, you can do it.” The students gleefully follow through. The time is 9:12.
*Clavell would make the point that an actual flag was not used in the filming of this scene.
The New Teacher then plays a kind of Ask Me Anything, and one student asks why Miss Warden was crying. She was probably tired and needed a rest, the Teacher replies. “She’s going to have a long rest. We think the teachers should be young. I’m 23.” Another asks her “Is the war over?” “Yes. Isn’t that wonderful?” she replies. “Now all of your daddies will be home soon.” “Did we win or did we lose?” “We—that’s you and I and all of us—we won. We’re all one world now.” 
Johnny, who’s been silent through most of this, finally speaks up. “Where’s my dad?” he cries. “What have you done to my dad?” The children look expectantly toward the New Teacher. Will she be able to answer? She walks toward Johnny, sits on the edge of a desk next to him, rests her hand on his arm gently, explains that his dad had to go back to school. “He had some strange thoughts, and he wanted other grown-ups to believe them. It’s not right for others to believe wrong thoughts. Is it?” She tells them, for example, that whenever their parents don’t have time to talk to them, that’s a wrong thought. And that’s what they do all the time. "Perhaps my mom should go back to school," one student says. "Perhaps she should," another agrees. "There’s a good boy," the New Teacher says.
And now there’s another surprise: all the students will be staying at the school overnight. "We have a lovely room and bed and there’s lots of food and we’ll all tell stories and have such a lovely time." And they can stay up until 8:30—what an adventure! "But first we have to say our prayers," one little girl reminds her. 
"Let's all pray for candy."What shall we pray for? the New Teacher asks. “I know. Let’s pray for candy.” And so they all pray, the Teacher as well as the students, with their eyes closed and their hands together. But when they open their eyes, there is no candy. How can that be? After all, if we pray to God, He’ll answer our prayers. Isn’t that true? “I prayed for a puppy,” one boy says, “but never got one.” Maybe we need to try harder, the Teacher says. “Perhaps we’re using the wrong name. Instead of God, let’s say Our Leader. Let’s pray to Our Leader for candy.” As the children kneel, with their eyes closed tightly, she removes some candy (Hershey’s Kisses, I’d say) from her satchel. The children are amazed when they open their eyes and see it in her hand. “I’m going to pray to Our Leader every time,” one says. Only Johnny sees her. “You put them there. I saw you!” he shouts.
Surprisingly, the New Teacher agrees with Johnny.” She tells the children that she did it to show them that it doesn’t matter who you pray to. “To God or anyone. Even Our Leader. No one will ever give you anything. Only another human being.” God didn’t give you the puppy you wanted, “but if you work hard, I will.” The children are excited. “Only I or someone like me can give you things.” 
And because Johnny was especially clever, she says that he should be made monitor for the whole week. He beams with pride as the children applaud. “Teacher’s right, you know,” he says to the boy sitting next to him, who replies “I’m going to work hard to not have wrong thoughts.” “Me too,” Johnny says. “Not like dad.”
The New Teacher looks out the window, surrounded by some of her students. "It’s a fine, fine land. A land to breath in," she says, more to herself than to her students, as she puts her arms around them. "And you know, all over our new world, everyone’s being taught, just like I’m teaching you. Each according to his age group, each according to his need.”
The time is 9:23. 
t t t
By the time "The Children's Story" was adapted for TV, James Clavell was a household name. He'd authored four best-selling novels (King Rat, Tai-Pan, Shōgun and Noble House), written screenplays for several movies (including The Great Escape and The Fly), and directed several others (including the Sidney Poitier smash To Sir, With Love, which he also wrote.) The 1980 television version of Shōgun, running for 12 hours over five nights, was one of the biggest hits in TV history, the biggest that NBC had ever had. With those credentials, anything by Clavell was sure to attract attention.
Compared to the books that made him famous, "The Children's Story" represents something of a change of pace. As opposed to epic sagas set in faraway exotic locales, this story is brief (only about 4,300 words, or 85 pages), takes place in an intimate, almost claustrophic setting, and deals overtly with contemporary politics. 
The story's genesis was a conversation Clavell had with his six-year-old daughter Michaela, who'd proudly told him that she had learned the Pledge of Allegiance in school. What most struck him was that, while she'd memorized it completely, she had "no idea what many of the words meant." Clavell, talking with "people of every age" about the Pledge, found that "[i]n every case . . . not one teacher, ever—or anyone—had ever explained the words to any one of them. Everyone just had to learn it to say it." It was then, he wrote, that "I realized how completely vulnerable my child's mind was—any mind for that matter—under controlled circumstances.
The subtitle of "The Children's Story," both in print and on TV: "But not just for children."
Oh, and that young actress playing the New Teacher? Her professional name was Michaela Ross; her real name is Michaela Clavell. The same Michaela who started the whole thing in the first place.
t t t
"And fear not them which kill the body but are not able to kill the soul," Jesus tells His disciples according to the evangelist Matthew, “but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Indeed, in the Middle Ages it was not uncommon for heretics to be burned at the stake. We can question the extremity of such action, but what cannot be questioned is the seriousness with which people regarded the state of the soul, the inner workings of man. 
For Christians of the era, to mislead people about the spiritual truth was, in a sense, a form of brainwashing, an indoctrination into falsehoods that threatened not the physical lives of those individuals, but their spiritual lives. Should one die while under the control of such false beliefs, their soul could very well wind up in hell, a fate far more disastrous than anything that could happen to them through torture or killing.
As such, to manipulate the young, while in their most vulnerable intellectual stage of life, comes in for particularly severe judgment. I referred to this earlier as a unique form of child abuse; Christ Himself warns of the consequences: “If anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.”
Lesson: what you believe in, what you are taught, matters.
t t t
If "The Children's Story" was a departure from Clavell's typical fare, it was also different from other Mobil Showcase presentations. Not only was it a stand-alone, single-night production (rather than the multi-part miniseries that had been the series' trademark), its running time was only 30 minutes. In addition, unlike previous programs in the series, it was presented without commercial interruption, "because of the unusual nature and importance of the program." It was appropriate, given that the story unfolds in real time.       The edition in my libraryWhen Mobil Showcase host Peter Ustinov appeared on camera to introduce the program, which he hoped viewers would find "as chilling and as thought-provoking as we do," he did so not from an elaborate set or a comfortable chair, but from a library, surrounded by some of the most dangerous elements known to mankind: books. His singularly disturbing introduction, running barely a minute, concludes with a question as prescient today as it was 40 years ago. "We take so much for granted in this wonderful world of ours," he said. "Free speech, freedom to question, to choose what we read, where our children go to school, where we live, what we say, what we think. All our glorious inalienable rights. So solid, so permanent. But are they?"
Reaction to "The Children's Story" was predictable. Janet Maslin, writing for the liberal New York Times, described it as "a half-hour alarmist fable that has a numbing obviousness, and plenty of other objectionable aspects," and compared it to "the cold-war hysteria of Rod Serling's ''The Twilight Zone'' without any of the ingenuity." Gene Triplett, writing in conservative Oklahoma for The Oklahoman, saw it differently, calling it "a riveting and thought-provoking half-hour of television viewing," and praised Ross's "effective portrayal of the soothing, manipulative instructor [through which] we are given a disturbing demonstration in how charm and fallacious logic can seduce and subvert young minds." The Christian Science Monitor's Arthur Unger  described it as a "unique horror show" and added that "This slight but important half-hour in class is a shocking lesson about the sometimes forgotten power over our children which we delegate to our schools."
Perhaps Janet Maslin right. The one thing you can depend on when it comes to evil is that it does exactly what it tells you it's going to do. If that makes it "numbingly obvious," so be it.
t t t
In Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism, by the writer and linguist Amanda Montell, the author examines how words can be manipulated to build a sense of community, enforce collective values, and even shut down the debate. I'm not necessarily applying the message of that book here, but: notice the phrases that the New Teacher uses, always insinuating the children into an exclusive club of knowledge, one that only the privileged are part of. "We know, you and I," she says, "you and I and all of us." Our new world," she says. "I can learn from you, as you can learn from me," she says. 
Arthur Unger, in that Christian Science Monitor review, called "The Children's Story" "an unnerving lesson in the danger of the hidden message."
If this isn't the language of exclusivity, if it doesn't operate in the same manner as the cult, how else should we describe it?
t t t
So there we have it. What do we make of it?
Well, it's a very unhappy ending, isn't it? Reminiscent of 1984, the first entry of this series, when, at the very end, it is said of Winston Smith, "He loved Big Brother." That's called "one of the most heartbreaking lines in literature," and for good reason.
From here on it, of course, you’re under no obligation to read my thoughts on the subject. For that matter, you don’t have to read anything I write, here or anywhere else. And if you’re concerned about being offended, you can stop here and go no further; at the very least, you'll have come away with some interesting notes about television history. Please know that I'm not here to offend anyone, but that doesn't mean I'm going to hold back either. Consider yourself warned.
In watching "The Children's Story" today, you might think to yourself that this isn't a cautionary tale so much as it is a documentary. However, Clavell's warning about the future, which appears so prescient in so many ways, got one detail wrong: the Marxist infiltration of our education system didn't require a war being lost or a nation being conquered; the abandonment of our children to this singular form of indoctrination happened without a shot being fired. 
You might also think the children in this story are very stupid, that all you have to do is say their name or know their birthday or give them a piece of candy, and they’ll do anything you want. I don’t know that I’d call them stupid, though—I’d call them human. We’re all vulnerable to flattery, to bribery, to being made to feel important. It’s like wearing a badge, or a medal.  It shows everyone else that I’m special. I’m more special than you. Now, we're all special in the eyes of God. But, I forgot—there’s no God either, is there? After all, if He were there, He’d answer your prayers, wouldn’t He?  Praying to God or anyone for something is a waste of time, the New Teacher tells her students. You can pray if you want to, if it makes you feel better, but it won’t do any good. Your parents want you to, "but we know, you and I, that it means nothing. That’s our secret."
We're told how it's so very important that we protect people from wrong thoughts, from fake news, from “misinformation” and “harmful content.” Those quotes are from Facebook’s “Community Standards and Protections Policy,” by the way. Other forms of social media have similar policies, and most companies have diversity policies with similar language. And if you violate those policies, you’re subject to some kind of sensitivity training. It’s just like going back to school. And who decides what makes thoughts strange and content harmful? The people who make the policy, of course. As the New Teacher tells Johnny, “It’s right to show grown-ups right thoughts when they’re wrong." Kind of like the Hitler Youth.
So, what were those wrong thoughts? "Just some grown up thoughts that are old fashioned. We’re going to learn all about them in class. Then we can share knowledge so I can learn from you as you can learn from me." Ah, yes, those old fashioned thoughts are so gauche, aren’t they? Ideas like religion, patriotism, and Father Knows Best, American history and the Founding Founders. Acts like questioning the "experts" when it comes to the Wuhan virus, or insisting that you have the right not to be injected with an experimental, morally illicit drug against your will. They're just in the way, you know, preventing us from getting where we need to be. Anyway, "It’s not right for others to believe wrong thoughts. Is it?"
This is the world in which we live today, the world we’ve been living in for some time now, and if you think this isn't already happening, no matter where you live, you haven't been paying attention. From Common Core to Critical Race Theory, public schools in America—and many private ones as well, including schools professing to be Christian—have become nothing more than indoctrination centers for the government, repositories of hate and division, of propagandizing and conditioning; institutions committed to undermining the authority of parents, the values of society, the traditions of a nation, and where even silence can be seen as dissent from this new Creed, the Creed of, as the New Teacher put it, “our new world.”  
A world where history is what we say it is.
A world where the only thing that matters is what happens today.
A world founded on slavery, on bigotry, where our homeland was never great, or perhaps even good. 
A world where error has no rights and wrong thoughts must be punished, where a supposedly free citizen must have the proper papers to avoid being branded as a dissident, where there are no such things as second chances, where doubt can never be allowed, even for a moment, to darken the precepts of the new morality.
In such a world, who can you trust? Not history. Not God. Certainly not what you thought you knew, or what your parents or grandparents taught you. They’re prisoners of the old way of thinking. They’re trapped by wrong ideas.
No, the only thing that matters is having right thoughts. The thoughts that you learn in your government school. That’s what it is, you know, so we might as well call it that, the unholy alliance between the state and the education establishment. 
"Freedom, however you conceive it, is such a fragile possession," Peter Ustinov says at the end of "The Children's Story." "It has to be worked at to be protected. So all of us have a part in this story. What’s the value of your child’s mind? Or your right to question?"
Yes, this children's story is not just for children.  TV  

OTHER ENTRIES IN THIS SERIES: 1984 Darkness at Noon Dialogues of the Carmelites The Obsolete Man Murder in the Cathedral Number 12 Looks Just Like You

What's on TV? Tuesday, August 10, 1965

All this week on NBC's You Don't Say!, it's the battle of the doctors, as Dr. Joyce Brothers takes on Dr. Frank Baxter. Who is Dr. Frank Baxter? Well, in 1965 you would have recognized him. According to the always-reliable Wikipedia , "Baxter is best remembered for his appearances from 1956–1962 as 'Dr. Research' in The Bell Laboratory Science Series of television specials. These films became a staple in American classrooms from the 1960s through the 1980s. The Bell series combined scientific footage, live actors and animation to convey scientific concepts and history in a lively, entertaining way; and the bald, bespectacled and affable Baxter served as narrator, lecturer and host. These films made Baxter (who was not a scientist) something of a scientific icon among baby boomers. 
"Several of Baxter's science films have been released on DVD. Baxter also appeared (as himself) in a prologue to the 1956 film The Mole People, in which he gave a brief history of theories of life beneath the surface of the earth. 
"In 1966, Baxter hosted a popular TV series called The Four Winds to Adventure, featuring filmmakers exploring little-known areas of the world, whether across continents, oceans, or local people and animals in a particular region."
And now you know the rest of the story. Let's go to the Minnesota State Edition.
  -2- KTCA (EDUC.)

  Evening

      6:00

TV JOURNAL—Science

      6:30

STELLAR WORLD

      7:00

EFFICIENT READING

      7:30

VIOLIN SONATA

      8:00

MYTHOLOGY

      8:30

MENTAL HEALTH—Interview

      9:00

SPORTS—Roy Tutt

    10:00

TO BE ANNOUNCED

    10:30

GERMAN

 

 

  -3- KDAL (DULUTH) (CBS)

  Morning

      7:50

FARM AND HOME

      8:00

CAPTAIN KANGAROO—Children

      9:00

JACK LA LANNE—Exercise

      9:30

I LOVE LUCY

    10:00

ANDY GRIFFITH—Comedy

    10:30

McCOYS

    11:00

LOVE OF LIFE

    11:25

NEWS

    11:30

SEARCH FOR TOMORROW

    11:45

GUIDING LIGHT—Serial

  Afternoon

    12:00

TOWN AND COUNTRY—Becker

    12:30

AS THE WORLD TURNS—Serial

      1:00

PASSWORD

Celebrities: Marty Allen and Steve Rossi. Host: Allen Ludden

      1:30

HOUSE PARTY

      2:00

TO TELL THE TRUTH—Panel

Celebrities: Tom Poston, Orson Bean, Phyllis Newman, Peggy Cass. Host: Bud Collyer

      2:25

NEWS—Edwards

      2:30

EDGE OF NIGHT—Serial

      3:00

SECRET STORM—Serial

      3:30

TRAILMASTER—Western

      4:30

WHERE THE ACTION IS

Performers: Fred Hughes, Les Sultans, Steve Alaimo, Linda Scott. Announcer: Dick Clark.

      5:00

HUCKLEBERRY HOUND

      5:30

NEWS

  Evening

      6:00

NEWS

      6:30

PATTY DUKE—Comedy

      7:00

JOEY BISHOP

      7:30

HOLLYWOOD TALENT SCOUTS

Celebrities: Steve Allen, Carl Reiner, Frankie Laine, Leslie Uggams, Daniel Mann

      8:30

PETTICOAT HUNCTION

      9:00

BURKE’S LAW—Mystery

    10:00

NEWS

    10:15

ROARING 20’s—Drama

    11:15

MOVIE—Drama

“The Gun Runners” (1958)

 

 

   3  KGLO (MASON CITY) (CBS)

  Morning

      7:00

FRESHMAN ENGLISH

      7:30

ADVENTURES IN LIVING

      8:00

CAPTAIN KANGAROO—Children

      9:00

NEWS—Mike Wallace

      9:30

I LOVE LUCY

    10:00

ANDY GRIFFITH—Comedy

    10:30

McCOYS

    11:00

LOVE OF LIFE

    11:25

NEWS

    11:30

SEARCH FOR TOMORROW

    11:45

GUIDING LIGHT—Serial

  Afternoon

    12:00

NEWS

    12:30

AS THE WORLD TURNS—Serial

      1:00

PASSWORD

Celebrities: Marty Allen and Steve Rossi. Host: Allen Ludden

      1:30

HOUSE PARTY

      2:00

TO TELL THE TRUTH—Panel

Celebrities: Tom Poston, Orson Bean, Phyllis Newman, Peggy Cass. Host: Bud Collyer

      2:25

NEWS—Edwards

      2:30

EDGE OF NIGHT—Serial

      3:00

SECRET STORM—Serial

      3:30

JACK BENNY—Comedy

      4:00

BART’S CLUBHOUSE

      4:30

ROCKY AND HIS FRIENDS

      4:45

BART’S CLUBHOUSE

      5:00

SUPERMAN—Adventure

      5:30

NEWS

  Evening

      6:00

NEWS

      6:30

BATTLE LINE—Documentary

      7:00

JOEY BISHOP

      7:30

HOLLYWOOD TALENT SCOUTS

Celebrities: Steve Allen, Carl Reiner, Frankie Laine, Leslie Uggams, Daniel Mann

      8:30

PETTICOAT HUNCTION

      9:00

DOCTORS/NURSES

    10:00

NEWS

    10:30

MOVIE—Western

“Kansas Pacific” (1953)

 

 

  -4- WCCO (CBS)

  Morning

      6:00

SUMMER SEMESTER—Education

Politics of Peace: “Regionalism”

      6:30

SIEGFRIED—Children

      7:00

AXEL AND DEPUTY DAWG

      7:30

CLANCY AND COMPANY

      8:00

CAPTAIN KANGAROO—Children

      9:00

DR. REUBEN K. YOUNGDAHL

      9:05

NEWS—Dean Montgomery

      9:10

MIKE DOUGLAS—Variety

Guests: Molly Picon, the Lettermen, Seena Hamilton

    10:00

ANDY GRIFFITH—Comedy

    10:30

McCOYS

    11:00

LOVE OF LIFE

    11:25

NEWS

    11:30

SEARCH FOR TOMORROW

    11:45

GUIDING LIGHT—Serial

  Afternoon

    12:00

NEWS

    12:15

SOMETHING SPECIAL

    12:25

WEATHER—Bud Kraehling

    12:30

AS THE WORLD TURNS—Serial

      1:00

PASSWORD

Celebrities: Marty Allen and Steve Rossi. Host: Allen Ludden

      1:30

HOUSE PARTY

      2:00

TO TELL THE TRUTH—Panel

Celebrities: Tom Poston, Orson Bean, Phyllis Newman, Peggy Cass. Host: Bud Collyer

      2:25

NEWS—Edwards

      2:30

EDGE OF NIGHT—Serial

      3:00

SECRET STORM—Serial

      3:30

I LOVE LUCY—Comedy

      4:00

MOVIE—Comedy

“Sons of the Desert” (1934)

      5:30

NEWS

  Evening

      6:00

NEWS

      6:20

DIRECTION—Religion

      6:25

WEATHER—Don O’Brien

      6:30

OUTDOOR SPORTS—Johnson

      7:00

JOEY BISHOP

      7:30

HOLLYWOOD TALENT SCOUTS

Celebrities: Steve Allen, Carl Reiner, Frankie Laine, Leslie Uggams, Daniel Mann

      8:30

PETTICOAT HUNCTION

      9:00

DOCTORS/NURSES

    10:00

NEWS

    10:30

MOVIE-Comedy

“Please Believe Me” (1950)

    12:00

MOVIE—Comedy

“Harem Girl” (1952)

 

 

  -5- KSTP (NBC)

  Morning

      6:30

CITY AND COUNTRY 

  COLOR        7:00

TODAY

Guests: the Chad Mitchell Trio, Margaret Mead

      9:00

TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES—Game 

  COLOR        9:30

WHAT’S THIS SONG?—Game   COLOR  Celebrities: Ray Danton, Ruta Lee. Host: Win Martindale

      9:55

NEWS—Newman

    10:00

CONCENTRATION—Game

    10:30

JEOPARDY—Game 

  COLOR      11:00

CALL MY BLUFF—Game   COLOR  Celebrities: Vivian Vance, Darryl Hickman

    11:30

I’LL BET—Game   COLOR  Guests: Laraine Day and Michel Grilikhes vs. Nick and Carol Adams

    11:55

NEWS—Scherer

  Afternoon

    12:00

NEWS AND WEATHER 

  COLOR      12:15

DIALING FOR DOLLARS—Game 

  COLOR      12:30

LET’S MAKE A DEAL—Game 

  COLOR      12:55

NEWS—Kalber

      1:00

MOMENT OF TRUTH—Serial

      1:30

DOCTORS

      2:00

ANOTHER WORLD—Serial

      2:30

YOU DON’T SAY!—Game 

  COLOR  Celebrities: Dr. Frank Baxter, Dr. Joyce Brothers

      3:00

MATCH GAME   COLOR  Celebrities: Bill Leyden, Art James

      3:25

NEWS

      3:30

DIALING FOR DOLLARS—Game 

  COLOR        4:30

LLOYD THAXTON—Variety

Guests: The Dave Brubeck Quartet, Peter, Paul and Mary

      5:25

DOCTOR’S HOUSE CALL—Fox

      5:30

NEWS—Chet Huntley, David Brinkley

  Evening

      6:00

NEWS 

  COLOR        6:30

MR. NOVAK—Drama

      7:30

MOMENT OF FEAR

“Deed of Mercy”

Last show of the season. Movies will be seen in this time spot beginning next week.

      8:00

CLOAK OF MYSTERY

“Villa Portofino”

Last show of the season. Movies will be seen in the Tuesday, 7:30-10:00 P.M. time spot beginning next week.

      9:00

HULLABALOO—Music 

  COLOR  Host: Frankie Avalon. Guests: Barbara McNair, Joanie Sommers, the Supremes, Peter and Gordon, the Byrds, Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs.

Last show of the season

    10:00

NEWS 

  COLOR      10:30

TONIGHT—Variety   COLOR  Guest host: Joey Bishop. Guest: Warren Berlinger

    12:15

MOVIE—Comedy

“Up the Creek” (English; 1958)

 

 

  -6- WDSM (DULUTH) (NBC)

  Morning

      7:00

TODAY

Guests: the Chad Mitchell Trio, Margaret Mead

      9:00

TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES—Game 

  COLOR        9:30

WHAT’S THIS SONG?—Game   COLOR  Celebrities: Ray Danton, Ruta Lee. Host: Win Martindale

      9:55

NEWS—Newman

    10:00

CONCENTRATION—Game

    10:30

JEOPARDY—Game 

  COLOR      11:00

CALL MY BLUFF—Game   COLOR  Celebrities: Vivian Vance, Darryl Hickman

    11:30

I’LL BET—Game   COLOR  Guests: Laraine Day and Michel Grilikhes vs. Nick and Carol Adams

    11:55

NEWS—Scherer

  Afternoon

    12:00

REBUS—Game

    12:30

LET’S MAKE A DEAL—Game 

  COLOR      12:55

NEWS—Kalber

      1:00

MOMENT OF TRUTH—Serial

      1:30

DOCTORS

      2:00

ANOTHER WORLD—Serial

      2:30

YOU DON’T SAY!—Game 

  COLOR  Celebrities: Dr. Frank Baxter, Dr. Joyce Brothers

      3:00

MATCH GAME   COLOR  Celebrities: Bill Leyden, Art James

      3:25

NEWS

      3:30

GENERAL HOSPITAL—Serial

      4:00

DONNA REED—Comedy

      4:30

BOZO AND HIS PALS 

  COLOR        5:00

BEANY AND CECIL—Cartoons

      5:30

NEWS, ROCKY TELLER 

  COLOR    Evening

      6:00

NEWS—Huntley, Brinkley

      6:30

FLINBTSTONES—Cartoon

      7:00

BASEBALL—Twins

Minnesota Twins at New York Yankees

    10:00

NEWS

    10:20

TONIGHT—Variety   COLOR  Guest host: Joey Bishop. Guest: Warren Berlinger

 

 

   6  KMMT (AUSTIN) (ABC)

  Morning

    10:30

PRICE IS RIGHT—Game

Celebrity: Cliff Robertson. Moderator: Bill Cullen

    11:00

DONNA REED—Comedy

    11:30

FATHER KNOWS BEST

  Afternoon

    12:00

REBUS—Game

    12:30

FARM MARKETS

    12:35

CARTOONS—Children

      1:00

WHERE THE ACTION IS

Guests: The Drifters, Brian Hyland. Linda Scott, Steve Alaimo, Paul Revere and the Raiders

      1:30

A TIME FOR US—Serial

      1:55

NEWS—Marlene Sanders

      2:00

GENERAL HOSPITAL—Serial

      2:30

YOUNG MARRIEDS—Serial

      3:00

TRAILMASTER—Western

      4:00

CAPTAIN ATOM—Children

1. Cartoons. 2. Movie: “Ramar and the Jungle Secret.” (Adventure) 3. Cerial: “Fighting Devil Dogs,” Part 10.

      5:45

NEWS—Bob Young

  Evening

      6:00

NEWS

      6:30

COMBAT!—Drama

      7:30

McHALE’S NAVY—Comedy

      8:00

TYCOON—Comedy

      8:30

PEYTON PLACE

      9:00

FUGITIVE—Drama

    10:00

NEWS

    10:20

NIGHTLIFE—Variety

Guest: George Gobel. Hosts: Les Crane, Nipsey Russell, Dave Garroway

    12:00

NEWS

 

 

  -7- KCMT (ALEX) (NBC, ABC)

  Morning

      7:00

TODAY

Guests: the Chad Mitchell Trio, Margaret Mead

      9:00

TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES—Game 

  COLOR        9:30

WHAT’S THIS SONG?—Game   COLOR  Celebrities: Ray Danton, Ruta Lee. Host: Win Martindale

      9:55

NEWS—Newman

    10:00

CONCENTRATION—Game

    10:30

JEOPARDY—Game 

  COLOR      11:00

CALL MY BLUFF—Game   COLOR  Celebrities: Vivian Vance, Darryl Hickman

    11:30

I’LL BET—Game   COLOR  Guests: Laraine Day and Michel Grilikhes vs. Nick and Carol Adams

    11:55

NEWS—Scherer

  Afternoon

    12:00

NEWS

    12:15

EXTENSION NEWS, VIEWS

    12:30

LET’S MAKE A DEAL—Game 

  COLOR      12:55

NEWS—Kalber

      1:00

MOMENT OF TRUTH—Serial

      1:30

DOCTORS

      2:00

ANOTHER WORLD—Serial

      2:30

YOU DON’T SAY!—Game 

  COLOR  Celebrities: Dr. Frank Baxter, Dr. Joyce Brothers

      3:00

MATCH GAME   COLOR  Celebrities: Bill Leyden, Art James

      3:25

NEWS

      3:30

GENERAL HOSPITAL—Serial

      4:00

FATHER KNOWS BEST—Comedy

      4:30

WELCOME INN—Variety

      5:00

WOODY WOODPECKER

      5:30

NEWS—Chet Huntley, David Brinkley

  Evening

      6:00

NEWS

      6:25

COMMUNITY BILLBOARD

      6:30

WESTERN THEATER

      7:00

BASEBALL—Twins

Minnesota Twins at New York Yankees

    10:00

NEWS

    10:30

TWELVE O’CLOCK HIGH—Drama

    11:30

BAT MASTERSON—Western

 

 

  -8- WDSE (DULUTH) (EDUC.)

  Evening

      6:00

TV JOURNAL—Science

      6:30

STELLAR WORLD

      7:00

EFFICIENT READING

      7:30

VIOLIN SONATA

      8:00

MYTHOLOGY

      8:30

MENTAL HEALTH—Interview

      9:00

SPORTS—Roy Tutt

    10:00

TO BE ANNOUNCED

    10:30

GERMAN

 

 

   8  WKBT (LA CROSSE) (CBS)

  Morning

      7:45

DEBBIE DRAKE—Exercise

      8:00

CAPTAIN KANGAROO—Children

      9:00

NEWS—Mike Wallace

      9:30

I LOVE LUCY

    10:00

ANDY GRIFFITH—Comedy

    10:30

McCOYS

    11:00

LOVE OF LIFE

    11:25

NEWS

    11:30

SEARCH FOR TOMORROW

    11:45

GUIDING LIGHT—Serial

  Afternoon

    12:00

NEWS

    12:30

AS THE WORLD TURNS—Serial

      1:00

PASSWORD

Celebrities: Marty Allen and Steve Rossi. Host: Allen Ludden

      1:30

HOUSE PARTY

      2:00

TO TELL THE TRUTH—Panel

Celebrities: Tom Poston, Orson Bean, Phyllis Newman, Peggy Cass. Host: Bud Collyer

      2:25

NEWS—Edwards

      2:30

EDGE OF NIGHT—Serial

      3:00

SECRET STORM—Serial

      3:30

YOUNG MARRIEDS—Serial

      4:00

GENERAL HOSPITAL—Serial

      4:30

MICKEY MOUSE CLUB—Children

      5:00

RIFLEMAN—Western

      5:30

NEWS

  Evening

      6:00

NEWS

      6:30

COULEE CROSSROADS

      7:00

McHALE’S NAVY—Comedy

      7:30

HOLLYWOOD TALENT SCOUTS

Celebrities: Steve Allen, Carl Reiner, Frankie Laine, Leslie Uggams, Daniel Mann

      8:30

PETTICOAT HUNCTION

      9:00

DOCTORS/NURSES

    10:00

NEWS

    10:25

FILM SHORT

    10:30

HOLLYWOOD PALACE—Variety

Host: Ed Wynn. Guests: Eydie Gorme, Jack Carter, Zizi Jeanmarie, the Rolling Stones, Linon, Rob Murray, Nicholas Brothers

    11:30

WELLS FARGO—Western

 

 

  -9- KMSP (ABC)

  Morning

      7:30

MY LITTLE MARGIE—Comedy

      8:00

BREAKFAST—Grandpa Ken

      9:00

ROMPER ROOM—Miss Betty

    10:00

REBUS—Game

    10:30

PRICE IS RIGHT—Game

Celebrity: Cliff Robertson. Moderator: Bill Cullen

    11:00

DONNA REED—Comedy

    11:30

FATHER KNOWS BEST

  Afternoon

    12:00

NEWS

    12:15

LOIS LEPPART—Interview

      1:00

WHERE THE ACTION IS

Guests: The Drifters, Brian Hyland. Linda Scott, Steve Alaimo, Paul Revere and the Raiders

      1:30

A TIME FOR US—Serial

      1:55

NEWS—Marlene Sanders

      2:00

GENERAL HOSPITAL—Serial

      2:30

YOUNG MARRIEDS—Serial

      3:00

TRAILMASTER—Western

      4:00

PETER GUNN—Mystery

      4:30

HENNESEY—Comedy

      5:00

NEWS—Bob Young

      5:15

NEWS AND WEATHER

      5:30

LEAVE IT TO BEAVER—Comedy

  Evening

      6:00

DOBIE GILLIS—Comedy

      6:30

COMBAT!—Drama

      7:30

McHALE’S NAVY—Comedy

      8:00

TYCOON—Comedy

    10:00

NEWS

    10:30

MOVIE—Drama 

  COLOR  “Run for Cover” (1955)

    12:20

NIGHTLIFE—Variety

Time approximate. Guest: George Gobel. Hosts: Les Crane, Nipsey Russell, Dave Garroway

 

 

  10 KROC (ROCHESTER) (NBC)

  Morning

      7:00

TODAY

Guests: the Chad Mitchell Trio, Margaret Mead

      9:00

TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES—Game 

  COLOR        9:30

WHAT’S THIS SONG?—Game   COLOR  Celebrities: Ray Danton, Ruta Lee. Host: Win Martindale

      9:55

NEWS—Newman

    10:00

CONCENTRATION—Game

    10:30

JEOPARDY—Game 

  COLOR      11:00

CALL MY BLUFF—Game   COLOR  Celebrities: Vivian Vance, Darryl Hickman

    11:30

I’LL BET—Game   COLOR  Guests: Laraine Day and Michel Grilikhes vs. Nick and Carol Adams

    11:55

NEWS—Scherer

  Afternoon

    12:00

NEWS

    12:15

SHOW AND TELL—Mary Bea

    12:30

LET’S MAKE A DEAL—Game 

  COLOR      12:55

NEWS—Kalber

      1:00

MOMENT OF TRUTH—Serial

      1:30

DOCTORS

      2:00

ANOTHER WORLD—Serial

      2:30

YOU DON’T SAY!—Game 

  COLOR  Celebrities: Dr. Frank Baxter, Dr. Joyce Brothers

      3:00

MATCH GAME   COLOR  Celebrities: Bill Leyden, Art James

      3:25

NEWS

      3:30

LOVE THAT BOB!—Comedy

      4:00

LONE RANGER—Western

      4:30

SERGEANT PRESTON

      5:00

FUN CLUB—Cartoons

      5:30

NEWS—Chet Huntley, David Brinkley

  Evening

      6:00

NEWS

      6:30

FILM FEATURE

      6:55

BASEBALL—Twins

Minnesota Twins at New York Yankees

    10:00

NEWS

    10:30

TONIGHT—Variety   COLOR  Guest host: Joey Bishop. Guest: Warren Berlinger

 

 

  11 WTCN (IND.)

  Morning

      9:45

NEWS

    10:00

BACHELOR FATHER—Comedy

    10:30

MOVIE—Comedy

“Henry and Dizzy” (1942)

    11:55

NEWS—Dick Ford

  Afternoon

    12:00

LUNCH WITH CASEY—Children

    12:45

KING AND ODIE—Cartoons

      1:00

MOVIE—Drama

“Alias John Preston” (English; 1955)

      3:00

GIRL TALK—Panel

Panelists: Renee Taylor, Rosemary Prinz, Suzanne Pleshette. Moderator: Virginia Graham

      3:30

DAVE LEE AND PETE—Children

      4:30

CASEY AND ROUNDHOUSE

      5:15

ROCKY AND HIS FRIENDS

      5:30

LONE RANGER—Western

  Evening

      6:00

SEA HUNT—Adventure

      6:30

HARMON KILLEBREW—Baseball

      6:40

BASEBALL WARMUP—Scott

      6:55

BASEBALL—Twins

Minnesota Twins at New York Yankees

      9:45

SCOREBOARD—Frank Buetel

    10:00

NEWS

    10:30

MOVIE—Drama

“The Abductors” (1957)

    12:30

AMOS ‘N’ ANDY—Comedy

Time approximate

 

 

  12 KEYC (MANKATO) (CBS)

  Morning

      7:00

FRESHMAN ENGLISH

      7:30

ADVENTURES IN LIVING

      8:00

CAPTAIN KANGAROO—Children

      9:00

NEWS—Mike Wallace

      9:30

I LOVE LUCY

    10:00

ANDY GRIFFITH—Comedy

    10:30

McCOYS

    11:00

LOVE OF LIFE

    11:25

NEWS

    11:30

SEARCH FOR TOMORROW

    11:45

GUIDING LIGHT—Serial

  Afternoon

    12:00

RFD 12—Mankato

    12:30

AS THE WORLD TURNS—Serial

      1:00

PASSWORD

Celebrities: Marty Allen and Steve Rossi. Host: Allen Ludden

      1:30

HOUSE PARTY

      2:00

TO TELL THE TRUTH—Panel

Celebrities: Tom Poston, Orson Bean, Phyllis Newman, Peggy Cass. Host: Bud Collyer

      2:25

NEWS—Edwards

      2:30

EDGE OF NIGHT—Serial

      3:00

SECRET STORM—Serial

      3:30

JACK BENNY—Comedy

      4:00

BART’S CLUBHOUSE

      4:30

ROCKY AND HIS FRIENDS

      4;45

BART’S CLUBHOUSE

      5:00

SUPERMAN—Adventure

      5:30

NEWS

  Evening

      6:00

NEWS

      6:30

I BELIEVE IN MIRACLES

      7:00

JOEY BISHOP

      7:30

HOLLYWOOD TALENT SCOUTS

Celebrities: Steve Allen, Carl Reiner, Frankie Laine, Leslie Uggams, Daniel Mann

      8:30

PETTICOAT HUNCTION

      9:00

DOCTORS/NURSES

    10:00

NEWS

    10:30

MOVIE—Western

“Kansas Pacific” (1953)

 

 

  13 WEAU (EAU CLAIRE) (NBC)

  Morning

      7:00

TODAY

Guests: the Chad Mitchell Trio, Margaret Mead

      9:00

TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES—Game 

  COLOR        9:30

ROMPER ROOM—Children

    10:00

CONCENTRATION—Game

    10:30

JEOPARDY—Game 

  COLOR      11:00

CALL MY BLUFF—Game   COLOR  Celebrities: Vivian Vance, Darryl Hickman

    11:30

I’LL BET—Game   COLOR  Guests: Laraine Day and Michel Grilikhes vs. Nick and Carol Adams

    11:55

NEWS—Scherer

  Afternoon

    12:00

FARM AND HOME—Discussion

      1:00

MOMENT OF TRUTH—Serial

      1:30

DOCTORS

      2:00

ANOTHER WORLD—Serial

      2:30

YOU DON’T SAY!—Game 

  COLOR  Celebrities: Dr. Frank Baxter, Dr. Joyce Brothers

      3:00

MATCH GAME   COLOR  Celebrities: Bill Leyden, Art James

      3:25

NEWS

      3:30

FATHER KNOWS BEST—Comedy

      4:00

CARTOONS—Children

      4:30

FILM  FEATURE

      5:00

CASPER—Cartoons

      5:30

NEWS—Chet Huntley, David Brinkley

  Evening

      6:00

BRIDE’S WORLD—Mrs. Marcus

      6:05

SPORTS, WEATHER, NEWS

      6:30

MR. NOVAK—Drama

      7:30

MOMENT OF FEAR

“Deed of Mercy”

Last show of the season. Movies will be seen in this time spot beginning next week.

      8:00

CLOAK OF MYSTERY

“Villa Portofino”

Last show of the season. Movies will be seen in the Tuesday, 7:30-10:00 P.M. time spot beginning next week.

      9:00

ADDAMS FAMILY—Comedy

      9:30

BEWITCHED—Comedy

    10:00

NEWS

    10:30

TWELVE O’CLOCK HIGH—Drama

    11:30

MOVIE-Mystery

“The Falcon in Danger” (1943)

TV  

This week in TV Guide: August 7, 1965

Xou all know about  my affection for Gene Barry's detective series Burke's Law . (If you don't, you haven't been reading very closely.) It was a stylish mix of humor and police drama, all done with tongue-in-cheek and twinkle-in-eye. But Burke's Law, as we know it, is now done. Starting this fall, the show's jumping on the secret agent bandwagon popularized by The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Amos Burke, Secret Agent retains Barry's suave style (and Rolls Royce) amidst a bevy of beauties, but the supporting cast that did so much to make Burke fun—Gary Conway, Regis Toomey, Leon Lontac and Eileen O'Neill—is long gone, never to be seen again.* And Amos Burke, Secret Agent will be gone before long itself; the reboot lasts a mere 17 episodes before the series bites the dust.

*Except for a cameo appearance by O'Neill as one of Burke's "secret agent" operatives. Though she doesn't play the Sergeant Ames character, I think it's significant that she's one of the few female operatives working with Burke in the new series who doesn't get killed.

According to the article by Peter Bogdanovich (!), network executives feel the Burke's Law format was getting stale, "running 'out of gas'." And despite the protestations of Tom McDermott, president of Four Star Productions that Amos Burke will not be a carbon copy of U.N.C.L.E.—"The last time I saw U.N.C.L.E., they looked like they were doing Burke's Law"—there's no doubt that the spy spoof has played a big role in the retool of Burke. It's a James Bond world now, and we're all just living in it.

Barry himself professes to be excited about the new format. "We made TV history," he says of the cameo-laden, sly humor of Burke, "and now the time is ripe to enlarge the format of the show." And to its credit, Amos Burke doesn't try to deny its past. As the season progresses, there are several references to Burke's previous career as the head of the L.A. homicide department, and Burke continues to drive his Rolls. In fact, Barry's sophistication, which everyone agrees was the major selling point of Burke, should have been tailor-made for a globe-trotting secret agent. But without the supporting cast of the previous two years, the spark just isn't there anymore. The shows are pleasant, but nowhere near as entertaining. Which once again proves that if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Besides Amos Burke, Secret Agent, the 1965-66 television season also sees the premieres of I Spy, The Wild Wild West, and Get Smart. They all go on to longer, more successful runs than Amos Burke. And when Gene Barry reprises the role of Amos Burke in 1994, it will be under the moniker of Burke's Law. As it should be.

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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..
Palace: Host Steve Lawrence inroduces Mickey Rooney and Bobby Van in a spoof of the movie "Bridge on the River Kwai"; operatic soprano Jean Fenn; the Backporch Majority, folk singers; choreographer-dancer Jack Cole; comic Gene Baylos; plate spinners Alberta and Rosita; the Gimma Brothers, novelty act; and 4-year-old drummer Poogie Bell.

Sullivan: Ed welcomes Steve Lawrence, Victor Borge, the rock 'n' rolling Dave Clark Five, comics Rowan and Martin, the Israeli Ballet, puppet Topo Gigio, the tap dancing Mattison Trio and John, a balancer.

As I typed these listings, I was thinking to myself that I really wanted go go with Palace this week because I like Steve Lawrence, but beyond Rooney and Van the lineup's pretty weak.  And then I come over to Sullivan and who do I see?  Steve Lawrence! As far as I remember, this is the first time we've had an act appear on both Palace and Sullivan the same week. Of course, it helps when both shows are in reruns. But Ed has more than Steve—try the very funny Borge, the occasionally funny Rowan and Martin, and the stylish Dave Clark Five. And if that isn't enough, you've got a puppet and a ballet company! No more calls, ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner— Sullivan takes it in a song.

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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. 

Before Daniel Boone was a big man, before Mr. Smith went to Washington, before Davy Crockett was king of the wild frontier, there was Fess Parker. And, according to Cleveland Amory, this is where the problem starts.
Don't get me wrong; like Amory, I like Fess Parker, both personally and as an actor. If he has not always been a great actor, or even a very good one, he has been a pleasant one, which can get you a long way with viewers, But, quite frankly, in this first season of Daniel Boone, Parker has a lot to fess up to. (Don't blame Amory; that one belongs to me.) Cleve has only two things to say about Parker's acting: "(1) He can keep up with the dialog. (2) He can out-act the Indians." When it comes to the acting, though, you can't blame Parker entirely: "[T]he only possible explanation for the dialog in this show is that it was written by writers who live in canyons—the echo techique whereby every question is asked and then reasked, answered and then reanswered." And over and over. As for the Indians, "they are fascinting in their inepitude. They play almost every scene as if someone had just told them they were not going to be paid after all." So bad are the actors playing the good guys, "one way we have found to enjoy it is to root for the bad guys, who are, at least sometimes, good actors." 
Believe me, I tried to find something good about Daniel Boone in this review, but the best I could do was an episode called "The Sisters O'Hannrahan," and, says Amory, that was good "if for no other reason because it at least had an idea for a plot." I can't really speak to the series myself; it was not a show I had any real interest in watching when I was growing up. I do know that Daniel Boone ran for six seasons and continues to be popular today. I also know that many series take awhile to get going, and the latter episodes bear only a passing resemblance to the initial ones. And finally, I know that Cleveland Amory doesn't always get it right; he is, after all, a curmudgeon. But if you enjoy someone who obviously takes great pleasure in the use of words, then this column, if not this show, is for you.
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Football? This early in August? Of course. The sporting landscape changes dramatically this week, with our usual summer fare of baseball, golf and bowling being joined on Sunday by the return of the American Football League as the Buffalo Bills and Boston Patriots face off in a pre-season tilt from Boston (1:00 p..m. CT, NBC). This is the first year of the AFL's new television contract with the network, which will give the AFL the necessary finances to launch the bidding war that ultimately results in the league's merger with the NFL.

Not to be outdone, CBS presents an NFL game opposite the AFL, but we're really talking apples and oranges here. The CBS offering (1:00 p.m.) is the Baltimore Colts inter-squad game, taped the previous night. The focus is on Baltimore's preparation for the regular season, in which they'll be out to avenge their 24-0 loss to the Cleveland Browns in the previous year's NFL championship game. In fact, it's Cleveland, not Baltimore, that makes it back to the title game, where they're waxed by my favorite team of the era, the Green Bay Packers, 23-12. Better that you should tune in a day earlier and catch their broadcast of the Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles from Hershey, PA. (1:00 p.m., CBS)

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Kellam de Forest is my kind of guy. His research company regularly vetts scripts for accuracy and liability, and is on call to answer questions that producers and scriptwriters might have about, say, how to peel a pearl (The Richard Boone Show) or what day December 30, 2022 falls on (The Twilight Zone). And while some of these items may seem like they're not such a big dea—after all, anyone with an internet connection can tell you that 12/30/22 is a Thursday—others can be very important, not only for the show's accuracy, but its financial well-being.

For one thing, de Forest conducts a vigorous background check into character names that appear in scripts. This service would have been particularly advantageous had the producers of Dr. Kildare taken advantage of it. They're currently in the midst of a $5 million lawsuit because of a recent episode in which a fictional doctor stands accused of covering up a medical mistake that resulted in the death of a young child. Seems that there's a real doctor out there with the same last name, who didn't take kindly to having that name besmirched, whether the TV doc was fictional or not. Sending the script de Forest's way could have saved the producers a lot of grief, for a fraction of the cost.

De Forest and his staffI first read about de Forest many years ago, in Marc Scott Zicree's Twilight Zone Companion , in which de Forest applied his trade to the 1963 episode " In Praise of Pip ." Rod Serling's original script contained a reference to American military action in Laos, with Jack Klugman's son Pip dying in a place where "There isn't even a war there," but de Forest pointed out that the Geneva Treaty on the neutrality of Laos stipulated the removal of all foreign troops from the country. "The implication that the U.S. has troops fighting in Laos (even in The Twilight Zone) could be an embarrassment and might cause repercussions.," de Forest noted. "U.S. Special Forces are fighting ('in an advisory capacity') in South Vietnam. Suggest South Vietnam." That wasn't his only suggestion for the script. A line from Klugman states, "There isn't even a war there," but, wrote de Forest, "In South Vietnam it is common knowledge that there is a Civil War, but U.S. troops are not supposed to be fighting there. Suggest 'There isn't even supposed to be a war there.'"

It's a fascinating line of work, at least to me. De Forest sits in his office, surrounded by a library of over 5,000 books "run[ning] the gamut from "The History of Orgies" to Dr. Spock's 'Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care.'" A script comes in, from an episode of Profiles in Courage set in the late 1800's. Among 54 research points, de Forest issues recommendations regarding the phrases "Little old bird dog, that's me" ("the term 'bird dog,' referring to one who hunts and finds objects, didn't come into use until circa 1930") and "to take in a water cooler around the bend in the corridor" ("the modern cooler was invented about 1910, though there were can-top coolers earlier"). Another Profiles script called for a scene of "great shouting and commotion" at the 1924 Democratic National Convention.  De Forest, on his own, added "The 'official' record indicates specific cries of 'soak it to them, boys, soak it to them.'"

In years to come, de Forest would continue to prove his worth to various producers, often through his name-checking. For instance, Archie Bunker was originally named "Wally" Bunker, until de Forest discovered there was already a "Wally Bunker" living in Queens. Wally quickly became Archie—the name Norman Lear wanted in the first place. Very cool, don't you think? He also did key research and technical advise for the original Star Trek; he was responsible for the stardate format by suggesting that the writers use the Julilan rather than the Gregorian calendar. (It would "not only be more precise, but more futuristic.") Kellam de Forest died in January of this year, at age 94, supposedly of Wuhan.
I don't have a Kellam de Forest Research Services at hand for my use, although the resources of the internet probably provide me with more data than de Forest could have dreamt of. It's knowing how to use the research that counts. And when it comes to storytelling, it's the details—putting a war in South Vietnam instead of Laos, or taking care to avoid historical anachronisms—that can make all the difference. 
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Some quick programming hits for the week:


Saturday, as we noted, is the return of exhibition football on CBS. That night, Al Hirt, summer replacement for Jackie Gleason (and beneficiary of a feature article elsewhere in this issue), features a pretty good middlebrow lineup, with satirist Stan Freberg (one of the funniest men in radio or television), Met Opera soprano Anna Moffo , ballet dancers Edward Villella and Patricia McBride, pop singer Dionne Warwick, rockers Chad and Jeremy, harpist Robert Maxwell and jazz pianist Willie Smith. (6:30 p.m., CBS) And then, of course, there's Al's trumpet. Pretty good lineup; to be honest, it might top Ed and Palace this week.

Sunday is public affairs day, starting with Lamp Unto My Feet (9:00 a.m., CBS). This week's topic is "Reunification of Mankind," featuring historians Arnold Toynbee and William McNeil, and the question is "Can religion help man adjust to rapid and profound social, political and technological change?" I cannot possibly imagine a more prescient topic today, given that we live in a world of profound social, political and technological change that's pretty much rendered our society a shambles, precisely because of a decline (for whatever reasons) in religious belief. This is just what Toynbee's concerned with, given his view of religion as "a powervul force in shaping man's responses to human and environmental changes." 
Later, the public affairs program ABC Scope commemorates the 20th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima. (Noon, ABC) We hear about this on an almost annual basis around this time of year, but in 1965 it was still pretty fresh in people's minds. Correspondent Lou Cioffi (incorrectly identified as Gioffi in this issue) reports on how the city has changed since then; I wonder how much discussion concerned the use of the bomb in the first place? I'm always interested in intense conversations about this today, conducted mostly by people who weren't alive then and have little feeling for the context and climate in which the decision was made.
Monday's rerun of Andy Williams (8:00 p.m., NBC) features an odd pairing of guests: Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, and Jonathan Winters. "In a circus spot, Roy demonstrates his marksmanship and Jonathan portrays a lion tamer." On the other hand, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (7:00 p.m., NBC), which is coming to camp mode by this time, has a story about "a strange disease [that] killed the entire population of a small English coastal village—by afflicting the inhabitants with old age." With a couple of tweaks, that could almost be The Andromeda Strain, couldn't it?

We're seeing the summer season wind down, and with it the shows that won't be returning in the fall. NBC has a pair on Tuesday; Moment of Fear (7:30 p.m.), which is showing an episode that originally came from G.E. Theater in 1959, and Cloak of Mystery (8:00 p.m.), which shows a failed pilot episode. Hullabaloo, also on NBC, will be back next summer, but it ends this year's run with a show hosted by Frankie Avalon, with Barbara McNair, Joanie Sommers, the Supremes, Peter and Gordon, the Byrds, and Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs. (9:00 p.m.)
Wednesday: It's Our Private World, the first prime-time program spun off from a daytime soap, in this case As the World Turns. (You'll remember Cleveland Amory reviewing this a few issues ago .) It airs twice weekly, on Wednesdays and Fridays (at 8:30 and 8:00 p.m., respectively), and stars the legendary soap actress Eileen Fulton in her ATWT role of Lisa Miller Hughes. It would have been interesting had this show taken, to have a bifurcated story universe running in both daytime and nightime; that is, even though the shows (and storylines) are separate, the participants inhabit the same universe. Alas, the show, which started in May, only makes it through to September and the beginning of the fall season.

On Thursday, the Minnesota Twins and New York Yankees wrap up a series at Yankee Stadium (7:00 p.m., WTCN, KCMT, WDSM, KROC). It's an informal changing of the guard; the Twins, who were mostly miserable as the Washington Senators, are headed for the American League pennant in 1965, as part of a run that includes a second-place finish in 1967 and West Division titles in 1969 and 1970. For the Yankees, on the other hand, it's the Twilight of the Gods: American League champions for the last five years and 22 of the last 29, the Yanks are headed for a sixth-place finish in 1965, followed by a total collapse into the cellar in 1966. They won't make it back to the World Series for another decade.


Finally, what would Friday be without a beauty pageant, or "Beauty Spectacular," as the listings put it? It's the 14th annual International Beauty Pageant, live from Long Beach, California. (9:00 p.m., NBC) John Forsythe is the host, with an all-star panel (well, kind of) of judges including actress Virginia Mayo, illustrator Alberto Vargas (yes, that Vargas ), and Tom Kelley , the fashion photographer, who took a very famous photo of Marilyn Monroe against a red background which we probably, ah, shouldn't link to here.

Interestingly enough, this lesser-known pageant is still around  (although last year's pageant was cancelled due to Wuhan), and is one of the few that doesn't judge solely on looks. Its "contestants are expected to serve as 'Ambassadors of Peace and Beauty', demonstrating tenderness, benevolence, friendship, beauty, intelligence, ability to take action, and, most importantly, a great international sensibility. The ultimate goal of the Miss International beauty pageant is to promote world peace, goodwill, and understanding."

In other words, just like this blog, right? TV  

Around the dial

Wou might recall that a couple of months ago, we looked at a TV Guide cover story on Gail Davis, star of the syndicated Western series Annie Oakley. This week, I received a very nice email from Windham Taylor and Brian Miller at the website Ammo.com, on an article they'd published (by Molly Carter) on the real Annie Oakley, America's most iconic woman sharpshooter. Would I be interested in the article? You bet I would, and I'm happy to share it here today. It's in the best tradition of the "Background" feature that TV Guide used to run, an article that would tell the story behind an upcoming movie or special. I appreciate getting links like this, and if any of you have similar things you'd like to share, please let me know!
My Twitter friend Herbie Pilato has a terrific article at the Television Academy website—you know, the people who do the Emmys—on the 50th anniversary of the Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour. Fifty years, which would make me, let's see—too old. Whether or not you were a fan of the duo, you'll be a fan of the article.   
At The Ringer, Alison Herman examines one of the many ways that streaming television has changed the very product it provides: all the conventions that governed classic TV, from the length of the show to the length of the season, are now up for grabs, with the result being what she calls "form confusion": "an exciting array of possibilities that also leaves room for error."
On a philosophical note, at The American Spectator, Lou Aguilar has an interesting—and provocative—article on how today's television is redefining masculinity . TV has the power to shape perception and behavior, of course; otherwise, advertisers would be throwing their money away. There's a reason why some people prefer classic television, back when things were black-and-white—so to speak.
In a somewhat similiar vein, at Comfort TV, David says  television should always have a Superman . A simple, declarative statement, but I think it goes beyond Superman the character, to Superman the iconic hero. There's some thought that in these days when Marvel seems to dominate all forms of entertainment, the antihero's time is over, and the age of the hero is back. We could use some.
Week in and week out, one of my favorite stops on the trip around the dial is at bare•bones e-zine, especially when it's time for one of Jack's Hitchcock Project entries. For those of you scoring at home, or even if you're alone, here is a complete index to all the episodes covered so far. The closer he gets to the end, the closer we are to seeing that much-needed book!
Speaking of recaps, you won't want to miss Joanna's recap of this year's Christmas in July feature at Christmas TV History. Considering the hot, dry summer we've been experiencing here in Minnsota, it's kind of nice to think about Christmas in July. Come December, though, we might already be sick of the snow.
At The Horn Section, Hal stops by F Troop long enough to ask the question, "What Are You Doing After the Massacre?"   It's a delightful second-season episode featuring the great Phil Harris guesting as the 147-year-old Chieftan Flaming Arrow, aiming to get the entire United States back, one parcel of land at a time. 
One of the more popular memes out there asks you to tell people your age without using numbers. For me—well, I'm old enough to remember when MTV ran nothing but music videos. (Even typing that sentence has aged me.) At A Shroud of Thought, Terence takes a look back at the history of the groundbreaking network on the occasion of its 40th anniversary.
Finally, at Eventually Supertrain, I'm back to talk about the Search episode "The Gold Machine" with Dan ; stick around as Dan discusses Planet of the Apes with Amy The Conqueror, and chats about Kolchak with Tim. Some people ask why I so often promote my own links at the bottom of the page, and the truth is it's because I have every confidence in you, my loyal readers, that you'll read to the very end, right? Right? TV