May 29, 2017

What's on TV? Thursday, June 4, 1964

This was a fine issue of TV Guide, and while there aren't any blockbusters in store on Thursday, June 4, it strikes me as the kind of day that made for pleasant television viewing. I've seen the episode of Password featured in this issue, as I have the Kraft Suspense Theatre story with Ronald Reagan. I've got the complete sets of Yogi Bear, Danger Man, Peter Gunn, The Untouchables, and Perry Mason, so I would have seen those episodes as well. Other people have sets of Rawhide, Dr. Kildare, The Flintstones, and Donna Reed, and they'd have tonight's episodes as well. Son of Belle Starr and The Vengeance of Ursus, two of the movies shown locally, are available on DVD as well. In fact, today you can see quite a lot of what was on TV this particular day, and as this was 53 years ago, I think that's quite a remarkable thing.
                                           
KTCA, Channel 2 (Educ.)
Morning
10:00a
Microbiology
Afternoon
12:00p
Psychology
02:50p
Science
03:15p
Social Science
05:30p
Kindergarten
Evening
06:00p
The Big Picture (Army)
06:30p
Man’s Reach
07:00p
String Quartet
07:30p
Sense of Sight
08:00p
Profile
08:30p
General Science
09:00p
Going to College
09:30p
Town and Country
10:00p
Unreasonable Men
10:30p
Public Responsibility

You can tell we're in to summer vacation season by the afternoon programs on Channel 2 - Psychology and Social Science don't sound exactly like the kinds of classroom programs they run during the school year.

WCCO, Channel 4 (CBS)
Morning
06:30a
Summer Semester (Modern Comparative Drama)
07:00a
Siegfried, Axel, Clancy
08:00a
Captain Kangaroo
09:00a
News (Dean Montgomery)
09:15a
What’s New?
09:25a
Dr. Reuben K. Youngdahl
09:30a
I Love Lucy
10:00a
The McCoys
10:30a
Pete and Gladys
11:00a
Love of Life
11:25a
CBS News (Robert Trout)
11:30a
Search for Tomorrow
11:45a
The Guiding Light
Afternoon
12:00p
News (Dave Moore)
12:15p
Something Special
12:25p
Weather (Bud Kraehling)
12:30p
As the World Turns
01:00p
Password (guests Barbara Rush, Robert Merrill)
01:30p
House Party (guest Elaine McKenna)
02:00p
To Tell the Truth (guests Phyllis Newman, Robert Alda, Mel Tormé, Joan Fontaine)
02:25p
CBS News (Douglas Edwards)
02:30p
The Edge of Night
03:00p
The Secret Storm
03:30p
Danger Man
04:00p
Around the Town
04:30p
Axel and Deputy Dawg
05:00p
Yogi Bear
05:30p
CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite
Evening
06:00p
News (Dave Moore)
06:15p
Sports (Don Dahl)
06:20p
Spotlight (George Rice)
06:25p
Weather (Bud Kraehling)
06:30p
Password (guests Laurence Harvey, Georgia Brown)
07:00p
Rawhide
08:00p
Perry Mason
09:00p
Texaco Star Parade (host Meredith Wilson, guests Caterina Valente, Sergio Franchi, Rini Wilson, the Young Americans)   SPECIAL 
10:00p
News (Dave Moore)
10:15p
Weather (Bud Kraehling)
10:20p
Sports (Hal Scott)
10:30p
Outdoor Sports (Rollie Johnson)
10:35p
Steve Allen (guests Gabe Dell, the Clancy Brothers, Tommy Makem)
12:00a
Movie – “Son of Belle Starr” (1953) (News follows the movie)

I don't know how many people remember Meredith Wilson. CBS signed him to host three musical specials in 1964; this was the first. He was a composer of musical comedies, as well as pop songs and even classical music. You might not remember him, but he did have a couple of reasonably big hits on Broadway - The Music Man and The Unsinkable Molly Brown. On the local side, I am interested that Channel 4 has Patrick McGoohan's Danger Man, the forerunner to The Prisoner, on in the afternoon - it just doesn't seem like that kind of show.

KSTP, Channel 5 (NBC)
Morning
06:30a
City and Country
07:00a
Today (guests Henry Wade, Judith Crist)
09:00a
Say When
09:25a
NBC News (Edwin Newman)
09:30a
Word for Word   COLOR 
10:00a
Concentration
10:30a
Jeopardy   COLOR 
11:00a
Your First Impression (guests John Gavin and Cicely Evans)   COLOR 
11:30a
Truth or Consequences   COLOR 
11:55a
NBC News (Ray Scherer)
Afternoon
12:00p
News (John MacDougall)   COLOR 
12:15p
Weather (Johnny Morris)   COLOR 
12:25p
Woman’s World   COLOR 
12:30p
Treasure Chest   COLOR 
01:00p
Let’s Make a Deal   COLOR 
01:25p
NBC News (Floyd Kalber)
01:30p
The Doctors
02:00p
Another World
02:30p
You Don’t Say! (guests Pat Carroll, Ross Martin)   COLOR 
03:00p
The Match Game (guests Milt Kamen, Dr. Joyce Brothers)
03:25p
NBC News (Sander Vanocur)
03:30p
Make Room for Daddy
04:00p
Movie – “Paris After Dark” (1943)
05:25p
Doctor’s House Call
05:30p
The Huntley-Brinkley Report
Evening
06:00p
News (Bob Ryan)   COLOR 
06:15p
Weather (Johnny Morris)   COLOR 
06:25p
Sports (Al Tighe)   COLOR 
06:30p
Temple Houston
07:30p
Dr. Kildare
08:30p
Hazel   COLOR 
09:00p
Kraft Suspense Theatre   COLOR 
10:00p
News (John MacDougall)   COLOR 
10:15p
Weather (Johnny Morris)   COLOR 
10:20p
Sports (Al Tighe)   COLOR 
10:30p
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (guests Carol Lawrence, Don Adams)   COLOR 
12:00a
News and Sports   COLOR 
12:05a
Movie – “Chinatown Squad” (1935)

I wrote about Kraft Suspense Theatre on Saturday; Kraft was a major sponsor of television shows over the years, among them being Kraft Television Theatre (one of the longest and best of the early anthology shows) and, of course, Kraft Music Hall, hosted by Milton Berle, Perry Como, and others.

KMSP, Channel 9 (ABC)
Morning
07:45a
Breakfast with Grandpa Ken
08:30a
Romper Room (Miss Betty)
09:30a
The Price is Right (guest Virginia Graham)
10:00a
Get the Message (guests Marty Ingels, Bennett Cerf, Betty White, Julia Meade)
10:30a
Missing Links (guests Dorothy Kilgallen, Nipsey Russell, Tom Poston, Reginald Gardiner)
11:00a
Father Knows Best
11:30a
Ernie Ford (guest Barbara McNair)
Afternoon
12:00p
My Little Margie
12:30p
Peter Gunn
01:00p
Lois Leppart
01:30p
Day in Court
01:55p
ABC News (Lisa Howard)
02:00p
General Hospital
02:30p
Queen for a Day
03:00p
Trailmaster
04:00p
Movie (Western)
05:00p
News (Bob Allard)
05:15p
ABC Evening Report (Ron Cochran)
05:30p
Leave it to Beaver
Evening
06:00p
Hennesey
06:30p
The Flintstones   COLOR 
07:00p
Donna Reed
07:30p
My Three Sons
08:00p
Ensign O’Toole
08:30p
Jimmy Dean (guests Jack Jones, Hank Snow, “Professor Backwards” [James Edmondson, Sr.])
09:30p
Stump the Stars (guests Eartha Kitt, Mike Connors)
10:00p
News, Weather, Sports
10:30p
The Untouchables
11:30p
Thriller
12:30a
News

Hank Snow and Jack Jones - what an interesting combination on Jimmy Dean's show. James Edmondson was an old vaudevillian whose shtick included writing and pronouncing words backwards. Something for everyone, I guess. Anyway, in a lurid footnote, Edmondson was murdered in Atlanta in 1976 by three armed gunmen. Chevy Chase presented the story on Saturday Night Live's "Weekend Update" as follows - and I kid you not: "Well, the popular TV personality known as Professor Backwards was slain in Atlanta yesterday, by three masked gunmen. According to reports, neighbors ignored the Professor's cries of 'Pleh! Pleh!' " It was a joke that, typical of SNL, was in very bad taste. It was also very funny.

WTCN, Channel 11 (Ind.)
Morning
10:45a
Kukla and Ollie
11:00a
Eleven O’Clock Scholar
11:30a
Dateline: Minnesota
11:50a
Tricks for Treats
Afternoon
12:00p
Lunch with Casey
12:45p
The King and Odie
01:00p
Matinee Movie – “Dr. Rhythm” (1938)
03:00p
Bachelor Father
03:30p
Robin Hood
04:00p
Dave Lee and Pete
04:30p
The Mickey Mouse Club
05:00p
Superman
05:30p
Mac and Myer for Hire
05:45p
Rocky and His Friends
Evening
06:00p
The Rifleman
06:30p
Bold Journey
07:00p
Expedition!
07:30p
Movie – “The Vengeance of Ursus” (Italian, 1962)
09:30p
News (Dick Ford)
09:45p
Weather (Stuart A. Lindman)
09:50p
Sports (Frank Buetel, Jack Horner)
10:00p
Movie – “The Affairs of Susan” (1945)
12:15a
One Step Beyond

I think I've made this comment before, but it bears repeating; Channel 11's schedule when they weren't broadcasting the Twins or Minnesota Gophers (or, later, the North Stars) wasn't much to write about. I have to think that The Vengeance of Ursus is going to wind up on Mystery Science Theater 3000 one of these days. TV  

6 comments:

  1. Here, There, but not quite Everywhere:

    - This being summertime, with rerun season underway, it might have helped if you'd included (at least) episode titles with the various series - you know, so those of us with the DVDs might actually find the shows in question (couldn't hurt ...).

    - Meredith Willson:
    Old Time Radio fans will recall that Willson was a performer on radio comedy shows (where he was already employed as musical director) in the '40s.
    Being an Iowan, he was given a hayseed character to play, but he's remembered for ad-libbing a line to Tallulah Bankhead that became a catch phrase:
    To an imperious order from Tallulah, Willson answered "Yes sir, Miss Bankhead!"
    This show was ordered up because the Texaco boss was a fan of Willson's musicals - and Willson was an enthusiastic performer of his own work.
    On YouTube, you can find the opening number from this show, which was an early example of outdoor video tape recording: a bunch of marching bands gathered together with a full chorus to play and sing "Seventy-six Trombones" while marching all around the grounds of CBS Television City in Hollywood.
    This most American of songs is sung by Sergio Franchi (from Italy), Caterina Valente (from Spain), and Rini Willson (of French-Russian birth) - all with te expected ethnic accents.
    Given the 1964 tech, this is all very impressive indeed. As I said, it's on YouTube - and when you look it up, remember that it's two 'l's in Willson.

    _ I guess I should also mention a CD I got from Amazon not long ago.
    Some years back, Meredith and Rini Willson made an LP for Capitol in which they re-created the "backer's audition" of The Music Man score and story that they did for Broadway producer Kermit Bloomgarden.
    Bloomgarden loved the show and brought it to Broadway, so there's a happy ending, but the Willsons brought a lot to the performance on their own, and Capitol released it commercially, so there's that.
    Now it's available on CD,and it's worth the effort to get it.

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  2. I was looking at the WTCN, Channel 11 (Independent) lineup for 6/4/1964, and I saw a name that, to me, looks familiar at the 9:30 slot.

    His name is Dick Ford, and if I'm not mistaken, that could very well be the same Dick Ford that would eventually be on St. Louis television, mainly on KSD-TV (later KSDK), channel 5 and later on KTVI, channel 2.

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  3. I agree that channel 11 line-up isn't real strong, but there's no way I would have missed Robin Hood at 3:30. Robin Hood, Robin Hood, riding through the glen----Great show.

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  4. Maybe the KTCA educational programs during summer daytime hours were meant to be watched by teachers who could learn new things about those subjects that they could in turn teach their students come the following September.

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  5. I didn't know "Professor Backwards" was a real person.

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  6. At my house, The Professor Backwards joke got laughs that shook the walls.
    It was also an example of gallows humor.

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Thanks for writing! Drive safely!