tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post4151187931218983016..comments2024-03-27T22:27:16.556-04:00Comments on It's About TV: What's on TV? Monday, October 9, 1961Mitchell Hadleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08695771505209080030noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post-29530233467566843512015-10-09T00:27:31.616-04:002015-10-09T00:27:31.616-04:00Finally, you use an issue that I've got. and y...Finally, you use an issue that I've got. and you pick the wrong day.<br /><br />Wednesday was way more interesting than Monday.<br /><br />Examples follow:<br /><br /> - <i>Wagon Train</i> had Barbara Stanwyck leading an all-woman wagon train, trying to hire Robert Horton away from John McIntire (this may have been a 'backdoor pilot'; Stanwyck was always coming with series ideas, and particularly wanted a Western).<br /><br />- Meanwhile, at ABC, Steve Allen's new show was presenting the Smothers Brothers at the onset of their career (one of the first times, if not the absolute first); this was about the time that Allen first brought on a TV director from Cleveland who was then called Tom Conway (it was Steve's idea for Conway to "... dot the O ...", in deference to George Sanders's brother).<br /><br /> - <i>Checkmate</i> had a story about an advertising man who kills his boss for a promotion.<br />The homicidal MadMan was played by Tony Randall, who was phasing himself out of TV at this point.<br />(The original story was credited to a Canadian actor who'd just started working in the USA: William Shatner.)<br /><br /> - Meanwhile, at NBC, Joey Bishop's show had him helping to set up a <i>This Is Your Life</i> appearance for Danny Thomas - or rather, for Danny Williams. The whole CBS family appeared on an NBC show, demonstrating how much power Thomas and Sheldon Leonard had back then.<br /><br /> - <i>Mrs. G. Goes To College</i>, Gertrude Berg's comeback vehicle, which co-starred Sir Cedric Hardwicke as a professor, added a recurring character, another professor, played by Peter Lorre.<br />(I mention this one because I'm about to add this series to my DVD wall; details on request.)<br /><br /> - Bob Newhart's new show was a favorite in our house, largely because of the presence of Dan Sorkin, the Chicago DJ who essentially godfathered Newhart's career.<br />The Four Preps were having hit records in those days; one of the Four was Glen Larson, who went on to produce a whole gang of hit shows in the '60s and '70s.<br />Years later, Larson would appear with the other Preps on PBS beg week specials. <br />He'd be third in line, a fat guy with a waist-length ponytail.<br />Together, they all looked more like The Four Perps.<br /><br /><br /><br />Mike Dorannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post-69114795936338753212015-10-07T08:22:19.824-04:002015-10-07T08:22:19.824-04:00I lived in Riverside CA when this schedule came ou...I lived in Riverside CA when this schedule came out and I had just turned five years old, but boy do I remember a lot of this. On Monday nights, I'd sneak out of bed and watch the nighttime Price Is Right with mom and dad.<br /><br /> Could WGAL's telecast of Mighty Mouse (5 PM) be a delay from Saturday? I don't recall it being on weekdays in 1961. Christopher Cookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00208133153188861928noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post-10236155951292699342015-10-06T16:22:05.574-04:002015-10-06T16:22:05.574-04:00"Password" premiered a week before, and ..."Password" premiered a week before, and immediately became a smash. The original version would run for six very successful years.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com