January 26, 2015

What's on TV? January 26, 1959

Last week I mentioned that we were making a trek into the Dallas-Fort Worth area - my new hometown, but one I'm not that familiar with, TV-wise.  This week is more of the same, with a trip into upper New England.   Let's see what the programming has to offer us on Monday, January 26, 1959.


WGBH, Channel 2 (Educ.)

Morning


09:30a
Twenty-One Inch Classroom (Nuclear Energy – Grade 6)

11:00a
In School Instruction

Afternoon


04:30p
Children’s Corner

05:00p
Ruth Anne’s Camp

Evening


06:00p
Continental Classroom (Hysteresis)

06:30p
News (local)

06:45p
Huntley-Brinkley Report

07:00p
Backgrounds

07:15p
Science (Grade 5)

07:45p
Science in Sight

08:00p
Invitation to Art

08:30p
Elementary Russian

09:00p
Fine Arts Quartet

10:00p
Language and Semantics

10:30p
News (local)

Anyone who's ever watched PBS will recognize WGBH, one of the nation's most famous public broadcasting stations.  No Masterpiece Theatre yet, but a schedule that includes Nuclear Energy for 6th graders is one you have to love.  Interesting that the station not only has local news at 6:30 and 10:30, but they also carry NBC's Huntley-Brinkley Report at 6:45, which WBZ - Boston's NBC affiliate - doesn't carry. Of course, I think Huntley-Brinkley was still commercial-free at this point, so it shouldn't have posed much of a problem.


WBZ, Channel 4 (NBC)

Morning


06:30a
Sign On Seminar

06:45a
Daily Almanac

06:55a
Weather (local)

07:00a
Today

09:00a
Priscilla Lane Show

09:25a
News, Weather (local)

09:30a
Tic Tac Dough

10:00a
Dough Re Mi

10:30a
Treasure Chest

11:00a
The Price Is Right

11:30a
Concentration

Afternoon


12:00p
News (local)

12:10p
Weather (local)

12:15p
Big Brother

01:00p
Movie – “Rendezvous with Annie”

02:25p
News (local)

02:30p
Haggis Baggis (color)

03:00p
Young Dr. Malone

03:30p
From These Roots

04:00p
Queen for a Day

04:30p
County Fair

05:00p
Movie – “Gun Belt”

Evening


06:45p
News (local)

06:55p
Weather (local)

07:00p
Jeff’s Collie

07:30p
The Alphabet Conspiracy (special) (color)

08:30p
Tales of Wells Fargo

09:00p
Peter Gunn

09:30p
Alcoa Theater

10:00p
Arthur Murray Party (guest Pat Stanley) (color)

10:30p
Official Detective

11:00p
News, Weather (local)

11:15p
Double Feature – “Strange Affair”, “Earthworm Tractor”

So what does WBZ have instead of Huntley-Brinkley?  A movie that runs until 6:45, and then local news and weather.  Interesting choice.  Otherwise, a pretty standard lineup.  By the way, have you ever wondered about the Arthur Murray Party, which airs at 10pm?  Yes, it's hosted by Arthur and Kathryn Murray (although to read the listings, you'd think it was only Kathryn, as she did all the interviews with guests.  The always-reliable Wikipedia describes it as a weekly infomercial for the dance studios.


WHDH, Channel 5 (ABC/CBS/NBC)

Morning


07:55a
Breakfast Show

08:40a
Take Five

08:45a
CBS News (Richard C. Hottelet)

09:00a
Romper Room (color)

09:45a
For Women Only (color)

10:00a
News (local) (color)

10:10a
Take Five

10:15a
We Believe (color)

10:30a
Beulah

11:00a
Morning Playhouse

11:30a
Peter Lind Hayes

Afternoon


12:30p
Farm and Home (color)

12:30p
Take Five

01:00p
Liberace

01:30p
Stu Erwin

02:00p
Accused

02:30p
Music Bingo

03:00p
Beat the Clock

03:30p
Who Do You Trust?

04:00p
American Bandstand

05:30p
Mickey Mouse Club

Evening


06:00p
Dateline Boston (color)

06:30p
Life of Riley

07:00p
News, Sports (local) (color)

07:10p
Weather (local) (color)

07:15p
Douglas Edwards With the News

07:30p
Texas Rangers

08:00p
Union Pacific

08:30p
Bold Journey

09:00p
Voice of Firestone (with Roberta Peters, Cesare Siepi, Blanche Thebom, Cesare Valletti)

09:30p
Dr. I.Q.

10:00p
Patti Page (guests Roger Williams, Bill Hayes, Florence Henderson)

10:30p
How to Marry a Millionaire

11:00p
News, Weather (local) (color)

11:15p
Jack Paar

I've commented before about KCMT, the NBC/ABC affiliate in Alexandria, Minnesota.  Well, this beats them all - a station with affiliations with all three networks!  We see it right here: the CBS evening news with Douglas Edwards, Voice of Firestone from ABC, and NBC's Jack Parr Tonight Show.  There are more examples from this listing alone, but that will have to do.


WCSH, Channel 6 (Portland, ME) (NBC)

Morning


06:30a
Continental Classroom (Electromagnetic Waves)

07:00a
Today

09:00a
Susie

09:25a
News, Weather (local)

09:30a
Romper Room

10:00a
Dough Re Mi

10:30a
Treasure Chest

11:00a
The Price Is Right

11:30a
Concentration

Afternoon


12:00p
Tic Tac Dough

12:30p
It Could Be You

01:00p
News (local)

01:05p
Agnes Gibbs

01:15p
Community in Focus

01:30p
Life of Riley

02:00p
Truth or Consequences (color)

02:30p
Haggis Baggis (color)

03:00p
Young Dr. Malone

03:30p
From These Roots

04:00p
Queen for a Day

04:30p
County Fair

05:00p
Fun House

Evening


06:00p
Woody Woodpecker

06:30p
News, Sports, Weather (local)

06:45p
Huntley-Brinkley Report

07:00p
Youth Cavalcade

07:30p
The Alphabet Conspiracy (special) (color)

08:30p
Tales of Wells Fargo

09:00p
Peter Gunn

09:30p
Alcoa Theater

10:00p
Arthur Murray (guest Pat Stanley) (color)

10:30p
Saber of London

11:00p
News, Weather (local)

11:15p
Jack Paar

WCSH is, then as now, the NBC affiliate in Portland, Maine.  I remember them for the four years I lived there as the network that refused to carry golf and NBA basketball because they didn't fit their viewer demographics.  Meaning, I suppose, that people who watch WCSH are all white so they don't like basketball, and all poor, so they can't afford the expensive products that advertise on golf tournaments.  What a joke.  At least this schedule seems pretty normal.


WNAC, Channel 7 (CBS)

Morning


07:00a
Laurel and Hardy

08:00a
Captain Kangaroo

08:45a
Star Time

10:00a
My Little Margie

10:30a
Arthur Godfrey

11:00a
I Love Lucy

11:30a
Top Dollar

Afternoon


12:00p
Love of Life

12:30p
Search For Tomorrow

12:45p
The Guiding Light

01:00p
Louise Morgan

01:30p
As the World Turns

02:00p
Our Miss Brooks

02:30p
House Party

03:00p
The Big Payoff

03:30p
The Verdict Is Yours

04:00p
The Brighter Day

04:15p
The Secret Storm

04:30p
Topper

05:00p
Movie – “I’m Still Alive”

Evening


06:30p
Woody Woodpecker

07:00p
Walter Winchell File

07:30p
Name That Tune

08:00p
The Texan

08:30p
Father Knows Best

09:00p
Danny Thomas

09:30p
Ann Sothern

10:00p
Desilu Playhouse

11:00p
News, Weather (local)

11:15p
Double Feature – “Canal Zone”, “Alaska Highway”

Here's the CBS affiliate in Boston; note that they have a movie and Woody Woodpecker instead of the CBS news.  I'm guessing, but their late-night double-feature of Canal Zone and Alaska Highway must have some kind of travelogue theme.  Of course, the Canal Zone was then American property, and Alaska was an American territory when that movie was made - but 23 days before this movie was broadcast, Alaska became the nation's 49th state.


WMTW, Channel 8 (Poland Spring, ME) (ABC)

Morning


08:30a
Movie – “Green Dolphin Street”

09:30a
Movie – “Green Dolphin Street” (again)

11:00a
Town and Country Time

11:30a
Peter Lind Hayes

Afternoon


12:30p
Play Your Hunch

01:00p
Liberace

01:30p
Ladies Fair

02:00p
Accused

02:30p
Music Bingo

03:00p
Beat the Clock

03:30p
Who Do You Trust?

04:00p
American Bandstand

05:00p
Engine House

05:30p
Mickey Mouse Club

Evening


06:00p
Movie – “The Beachcomber”

07:15p
News, Weather (local)

07:30p
Death Valley Days

08:00p
Medic

08:30p
Bold Journey

09:00p
Voice of Firestone (with Roberta Peters, Cesare Siepi, Blanche Thebom, Cesare Valletti)

09:30p
Dr. I.Q.

10:00p
Patti Page (guests Roger Williams, Bill Hayes, Florence Henderson)

10:30p
John Daly and the News

11:00p
Movie – “Return to Paradise”

WMTW is based in Poland Spring (home of the bottled water), and broadcasts into the Portland area.  The call letters, by the way, stand for Mount Washington, where their antenna is.  Whoever their programmer was, by the way, must have really loved Green Dolphin Street to schedule back-to-back showings, although I suspect it might have been a typo.  And I haven't mentioned this yet, but at this point in history Voice of Firestone was hosted by none other than John Daly, who would return later in the evening with his late-night news broadcast.  On Sunday, his off-day, he hosted What's My Line? on CBS.


WMUR, Channel 9 (ABC, NBC) (Manchester, NH)

Morning


11:30a
Peter Lind Hayes

Afternoon


12:30p
Play Your Hunch

01:00p
Liberace

01:30p
Catholic Thought

01:45p
Air Force Digest

02:00p
Accused

02:30p
Music Bingo

03:00p
Beat the Clock

03:30p
Who Do You Trust?

04:00p
American Bandstand

05:30p
Gerry Kearney

Evening


06:00p
Susie

06:30p
News, Weather, Sports (local)

07:00p
Movie – “Western Pacific Agent”

08:30p
Wrestling

09:30p
Dr. I.Q.

10:00p
Star Performance

10:30p
John Daly and the News

10:45p
Weather, Sports, News (local)

11:05p
Championship Bowling

The Liberace Show was a standard on afternoon television back then - all those housewives, you know.  This week's editorial in TV Guide references one of Liberace's most famous quotes: when confronted with the withering reviews of his show by critics, he replied that he "cried all the way to the bank."


WJAR, Channel 10 (Providence, RI) (ABC/NBC)

Morning


06:30a
Daybreak College

07:00a
Today

09:00a
The World Around Us

09:30a
Hippity Hop

09:45a
Movie – “The Village”

11:00a
The Price Is Right

11:30a
Concentration

Afternoon


12:00p
Tic Tac Dough

12:30p
It Could Be You

01:00p
Movie – “Conflict”

02:30p
Haggis Baggis (color)

03:00p
Young Dr. Malone

03:30p
From These Roots

04:00p
Queen for a Day

04:30p
County Fair

05:00p
Movie – “A Yank in the RAF”

Evening


06:15p
News, Weather (local)

06:30p
The Real McCoys

07:00p
Death Valley Days

07:30p
The Alphabet Conspiracy (special) (color)

08:30p
Tales of Wells Fargo

09:00p
Peter Gunn

09:30p
Alcoa Theater

10:00p
Arthur Murray (guest Pat Stanley) (color)

10:30p
Man Without a Gun

11:00p
News, Weather (local)

11:15p
Movie – “Tall, Dark and Handsome”

I've always thought that Man Without a Gun, a syndicated Western starring Rex Reason that aired at 10:30, should have been followed by either Charles Bronson's Man With a Camera, or John Payne's The Restless Gun - just for the symmetry, you know.


WGAN, Channel 13 (Portland, ME) (CBS)

Morning


07:00a
Morning Beat

08:00a
Captain Kangaroo

08:45a
CBS News (Richard C. Hottelet)

09:00a
TV Hour of Stars

10:00a
For Love or Money

10:30a
Arthur Godfrey

11:00a
I Love Lucy

11:30a
Top Dollar

Afternoon


12:00p
Love of Life

12:30p
Search For Tomorrow

12:45p
The Guiding Light

01:00p
Burns and Allen

01:30p
As the World Turns

02:00p
Jimmy Dean

02:30p
House Party

03:00p
The Big Payoff

03:30p
The Verdict Is Yours

04:00p
The Brighter Day

04:15p
The Secret Storm

04:30p
The Edge of Night

05:00p
Colonel Bleep

05:30p
Foreign Legionnaire

Evening


06:00p
Brave Eagle

06:30p
News, Sports, Weather (local)  

06:45p
Douglas Edwards With the News

07:00p
The Silent Service

07:30p
Name That Tune

08:00p
The Texan

08:30p
Father Knows Best

09:00p
Danny Thomas

09:30p
Ann Sothern

10:00p
Desilu Playhouse

11:00p
News, Weather (local)

11:15p
Movie – “Lady at Midnight”

WGAN, now known as WGME, is still the CBS affiliate in Portland.  Unlike the Boston stations, it's presenting a completely straightforward schedule.  You can see that CBS still has four soaps that run for 15 minutes; I think that Search For Tomorrow and The Guiding Light last well into the early '60s before becoming the last two soaps to expand to a half-hour.  Not too many years later, hour-long soaps are all the rage.  Now, they're almost all gone. TV  

4 comments:

  1. Wait a minute, Huntley/Brinkley had no commercials? When did this end? And was this standard for news shows of the time?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I didn't think "Huntley/Brinkley" was still sustaining (no sponsors) in 1959; however, WGBH
      ran program promos or public-service announcements in place of the network spots (which I think were from Texaco Gasoline circa 1959).

      Delete
  2. Where were the listings for WPRO (now WPRI), Channel 12 in Providence? You had the listings for WJAR Channel 10.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I played guitar and sang in a 3-pc band I think it was Youth Cavalcade. Marty Carey and Chris Rogers and one other.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for writing! Drive safely!