February 23, 2015

What's on TV? February 28, 1962

This week it's back to New England, and the listings for the Boston/Portland/
Providence/New Hampshire area.  As I've mentioned, my links to this area are far too recent to offer much in the way of background, but it's still interesting to look at what they've got to offer.  So let's go to Wednesday, February 28, 1962




WGBH, Channel 2 (Educ.)

Morning

09:00a
Literature (Grade 3)

09:45a
Music (Elementary)

10:15a
Exploring Nature

11:00a
Science Special

Afternoon

01:00p
Parlons Francais

01:15p
Science Special

01:45p
Parlons Francais

05:30p
What’s New?

Evening

06:00p
Classical Music

06:25p
News (local)

06:30p
News (local)

06:45p
Backgrounds

07:00p
Press Conference

07:30p
Heritage

08:00p
Age of Overkill

08:30p
Urban Politics

09:00p
Self-Encounter

09:30p
MIT Science Report

10:00p
Marketing on the Move

10:30p
Backgrounds

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

WGBH, one of the nation's most famous public channels, is also one of the few I've seen to have regular local news programs.  Although you don't see it in this listing, they also carried network programs such as Issues and Answers that had previously appeared on an affiliate.  I still think this is the definition of what public broadcasting should be.


WBZ, Channel 4 (NBC)

Morning

06:00a
Continental Classroom (Statistics) (color)

06:30a
Our Country (American Revolution)

07:00a
Today

09:00a
News (local)

09:30a
Medic

10:00a
Say When

10:30a
Play Your Hunch (color)

11:00a
The Price Is Right (color)

11:30a
Concentration

Afternoon

12:00p
News (local) 

12:10p
Weather (local)

12:15p
Big Brother

12:45p
Kukla and Ollie

12:50p
Movie -  “Dust Be My Destiny”

02:15p
News (local)

02:25p
Weather (local)

02:30p
Loretta Young

03:00p
Young Dr. Malone

03:30p
Our Five Daughters

04:00p
Make Room for Daddy

04:30p
Here’s Hollywood (guest Barrie Chase)

04:55p
NBC News (Sander Vanocur)

05:00p
Movie – “Ruggles of Red Gap”

Evening

06:30p
News, Weather (local)

06:45p
Huntley-Brinkley Report

07:00p
Death Valley Days

07:30p
Wagon Train

08:30p
Complex Community (special)

09:00p
Music Hall Goes West (host Rex Allen, guests Jaye P. Morgan, Sons of the Pioneers, the Grate Ballantine, Vic Schoen and his Orchestra) (special) (color)

10:00p
Bob Newhart (color)

10:30p
David Brinkley’s Journal (color)

11:00p
News, Weather (local)

11:15p
PM (guests Georgia Gibbs, Larry Storch, Frank Mankiewicz, Edeltraud Brexner, Willy Dirtl, Abe Burrows)

01:00a
Movie – “Wild Boys of the Road”

On Saturday's entry I talked a little bit about PM, Mike Wallace's late-night talk show.  One of his guests, Frank Mankiewicz, appears on the show in his role as a director of the Peace Corps.  He goes on to be the campaign manager for Bobby Kennedy in 1968.  His uncle was the great film director Joseph L. Mankiewicz; his brother and uncle were both writers.  His son Ben is a host on TCM.  Frank Mankiewicz just died last year.


WHDH, Channel 5 (CBS)

Morning

05:55a
News (local)

06:00a
College of the Air (Biology)

06:30a
Continental Classroom (American Government) (color)

07:00a
Morning Key Club (color)

08:00a
Captain Kangaroo

09:00a
Romper Room (color)

09:45a
Debbie Drake

10:00a
News (color)

10:05a
Chris Evans (color)

10:15a
We Believe

10:30a
I Love Lucy

11:00a
Video Village

11:30a
Clear Horizon

11:55a
CBS News (Harry Reasoner)

Afternoon

12:00p
Love of Life

12:30p
Search for Tomorrow

12:45a
The Guiding Light

01:05p
Farm and Food (color)

01:30p
As the World Turns

02:00p
Password (panelists Sally Ann Howes, Durward Kirby)

02:30p
House Party (guest Morey Amsterdam)

03:00p
The Millionaire

03:30p
The Verdict is Yours

03:55p
CBS News (Charles Collingwood)

04:00p
The Brighter Day

04:15p
The Secret Storm

04:30p
The Edge of Night

05:00p
Bozo the Clown (color)

05:45p
Rocky and His Friends

Evening

06:00p
News (local) (color)

06:05p
Dateline Boston (color)

06:30p
Bat Masterson

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

07:10p
Weather (local) (color)

07:15p
Douglas Edwards With the News

07:30p
The Alvin Show

08:00p
Window on Main Street

08:30p
Checkmate

09:30p
Dick Van Dyke

10:00p
Armstrong Circle Theater

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

11:15p
Jack Paar (color)

01:00a
Almanac Newsreel

01:05a
News, Sports, Weather (local)

The Brighter Day was, as we may have mentioned before, the first religious soap opera.  You'd never see anything like that on network TV today, and certainly not on a soap.


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

Morning

05:55a
Farm Market Report

06:00a
Continental Classroom (Statistics) (color)

06:30a
Continental Classroom (American Government) (color)

07:00a
Today

09:00a
Romper Room (Miss Connie)

09:30a
Best of Groucho

10:00a
Say When

10:30a
Play Your Hunch (color)

11:00a
The Price Is Right (color)

11:30a
Concentration

Afternoon

12:00p
Your First Impression (color)

12:30p
Truth or Consequences

12:55p
NBC News (Ray Scherer)

01:00p
Weekday on Six

02:00p
Jan Murray (color)

02:25p
NBC News (Floyd Kalbur)

02:30p
Loretta Young

03:00p
Young Dr. Malone

03:30p
Our Five Daughters

04:00p
Make Room for Daddy

04:30p
Here’s Hollywood (guest Barrie Chase)

04:55p
NBC News (Sander Vanocur)

05:00p
Popeye’s Crew

05:30p
Wyatt Earp

Evening

06:00p
Phil Silvers

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

06:45p
Huntley-Brinkley Report

07:00p
Adventure Theater

07:30p
Wagon Train

08:30p
Joey Bishop

09:00p
Music Hall Goes West (host Rex Allen, guests Jaye P. Morgan, Sons of the Pioneers, the Grate Ballantine, Vic Schoen and his Orchestra) (special) (color)

10:00p
Bob Newhart (color)

10:30p
David Brinkley’s Journal (color)

11:00p
News, Weather (local)

11:15p
Jack Paar (color)

Jan Murray's 2:00 show was actually a combination variety and game show called Charge Account.  I remember him many times appearing with Carson and other talk-show hosts of the day - always liked him.


WNAC, Channel 7 (ABC)

Morning


07:00a
The Three Stooges

08:30a
Day in Court

08:55a
News (local)

09:00a
Jack LaLanne

09:30a
Louise Morgan

09:55a
News (local)

10:00a
Jane Wyman

10:30a
Make a Face

11:00a
The Texan

11:30a
Yours for a Song

Afternoon

12:00p
Camouflage

12:30p
Truth or Consequences

12:55p
NBC News (Ray Scherer)

01:00p
Movie – “Kid Glove Killer”

02:25p
NBC News (Floyd Kalbur)

02:30p
Seven Keys

03:00p
Queen for a Day

03:30p
Who Do You Trust?

04:00p
Movie – “Tarzan’s Magic Fountain”

05:30p
The Three Stooges

Evening

06:00p
ABC Evening Report

06:15p
News (local)

06:25p
Weather (local)

06:30p
Ripcord

07:00p
Whiplash

07:30p
Howard K. Smith: News and Comment

08:00p
Straightaway

08:30p
Top Cat

09:00p
Hawaiian Eye

10:00p
Naked City

11:00p
News, Weather (local)

11:15p
Movie Double Feature – “The Dark Mirror”, “Joe Smith, American”

WNAC may be an ABC affiliate, but they have a good share of NBC programming nonetheless.  You know, I kind of miss those days when a market would have only one or two stations, and you'd see programs from different networks on the same station.  Tells you a bit about what was popular at the time.  Of course, having lived in an area like that back in the '70s (in The World’s Worst Town™), I can tell you it wasn't all fun and games.  Could be pretty awful, as a matter of fact!


WMTW, Channel 8 (Portland, ME) (ABC)

Morning

08:15a
Farm and Home

08:45a
Teddy Bear Playhouse

10:00a
Music (Elementary)

10:15a
Teddy Bear Playhouse

10:30a
Town and Country Time

10:55a
Weather (local)

11:00a
The Texan

11:30a
Yours for a Song

Afternoon

12:00p
Camouflage

12:30p
Make a Face

01:00p
Day in Court

01:25p
ABC News (Alex Dreier)

01:30p
Janet Dean

02:00p
Jane Wyman

02:30p
Seven Keys

03:00p
Queen for a Day

03:30p
Who Do You Trust?

04:00p
American Bandstand (guest Dale Wright)

04:50p
American Newsstand

05:00p
Superman

05:30p
Movie – “They Were Expendable”

Evening

07:15p
News, Weather (local)

07:30p
Howard K. Smith: News and Comment

08:00p
M-Squad

08:30p
Top Cat

09:00p
Hawaiian Eye

10:00p
Naked City

11:00p
ABC News Final (Ron Cochran)

11:15p
News, Weather (local)

11:20p
Movie – “Salty O’Rourke”

I have to admit - that Teddy Bear Playhouse slays me.  "Today on Teddy Bear Playhouse, we present "The Bear" by Anton Chekhov.  Probably not it, huh?  American Newsstand, which aired immediately following American Bandstand, was in fact an attempt by ABC to create a news program that would appeal to the same young people that watched Bandstand.  Speaking of news, Ron Cochran would soon move from the ABC News Final to anchor the network's evening news, and would be there the following year to cover JFK's assassination.


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

Morning

09:30a
Movie – TBA

10:30a
Fitness is Fun

10:45a
Kathy Peterson

11:00a
The Texan

11:30a
Yours for a Song

Afternoon

12:00p
Camouflage

12:30p
Make a Face

01:00p
Day in Court

01:25p
ABC News (Alex Dreier)

01:30p
Country Store

02:00p
Jane Wyman

02:30p
Seven Keys

03:00p
Queen for a Day

03:30p
Who Do You Trust?

04:00p
American Bandstand (guest Dale Wright)

04:50p
American Newsstand

05:00p
Uncle Gus

Evening

06:00p
Gene Autry (debut)

06:30p
News, Weather (local)

06:45p
ABC Evening Report

07:00p
Country Folk

07:30p
Howard K. Smith: News and Comment

08:00p
Straightaway

08:30p
Top Cat

09:00p
Hawaiian Eye

10:00p
Naked City

11:00p
ABC News Final (Ron Cochran)

11:15p
News, Weather (local)

11:30p
Movie – “The Phantom President”

The Phantom President - is that about our current incumbent?  Just kidding!  Actually, the story sounds as if it could have been prophetic to today's politics.


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

Morning

06:25a
News (local)

06:30a
Continental Classroom (American Government) (color)

07:00a
Today

09:00a
The World Around Us

09:30a
Queen for a Day

10:00a
Best of Groucho

10:30a
Play Your Hunch (color)

11:00a
The Price Is Right (color)

11:30a
Concentration

Afternoon

12:00p
News (local)

12:05p
Talk of the Town

12:30p
Truth or Consequences

12:55p
NBC News (Ray Scherer)

01:00p
Movie – “There’s Something About a Soldier”

02:25p
NBC News (Floyd Kalbur)

02:30p
Loretta Young

03:00p
Young Dr. Malone

03:30p
Our Five Daughters

04:00p
Make Room for Daddy

04:30p
Here’s Hollywood (guest Barrie Chase)

04:55p
NBC News (Sander Vanocur)

05:00p
Movie – “Dangerous Mission”

Evening

06:30p
News, Weather (local)

06:45p
Huntley-Brinkley Report

07:00p
Assignment: Underwater

07:30p
Wagon Train

08:30p
Joey Bishop

09:00p
Music Hall Goes West (host Rex Allen, guests Jaye P. Morgan, Sons of the Pioneers, the Grate Ballantine, Vic Schoen and his Orchestra) (special) (color)

10:00p
Bob Newhart (color)

10:30p
David Brinkley’s Journal (color)

11:00p
News, Weather (local)

11:15p
Jack Paar (color)

That Bob Newhart show isn't either of the ones we've come to know and love, but was a short-lived 1961 variety show.  I can't imagine that being the most effective format for him; the sitcom suits his humor much better.  And few could do it as well as he could.


WENH, Channel 11 (Durham, NH) (Educ.)

Morning

09:15a
Man and the Living World

10:00a
Music (Elementary)

10:15a
Exploring Nature

10:45a
Listen and Say

11:00a
Parlons Francais

Afternoon

12:15p
Man and the Living World

01:00p
Parlons Francais

01:30p
Listen and Say

01:45p
Parlons Francais

02:30p
Careers

Evening

06:00p
Classical Music

06:25p
Events

06:30p
News (local)

06:45p
Backgrounds

07:00p
Press Conference

07:30p
Heritage

08:00p
Man and the Living World

08:30p
Language and Linguistics

09:00p
Concert

09:30p
MIT Science Report

They really liked Man and the Living World, didn't they?


WPRO, Channel 12 (Providence, RI) (CBS)

Morning

07:00a
College of the Air (Biology)

07:30a
Storytime

08:00a
Captain Kangaroo

09:00a
Romper Room (Miss Bonnie)

09:25a
Morning Merry-Go-Round

10:00a
Calendar

10:30a
I Love Lucy

11:00a
Video Village

11:30a
As the World Turns

Afternoon

12:00p
Love of Life

12:30p
Search for Tomorrow

12:45p
The Guiding Light

01:00p
Movie – “High Wall”

02:20p
News (local)

02:30p
House Party (guest Morey Amsterdam)

03:00p
The Millionaire

03:30p
The Verdict is Yours

03:55p
CBS News (Charles Collingwood)

04:00p
The Brighter Day

04:15p
The Secret Storm

04:30p
The Edge of Night

05:00p
Salty Brine’s Shack

Evening

06:00p
Beany and Cecil

06:30p
News, Weather (local)

06:45p
Douglas Edwards With the News

07:00p
Blue Angels

07:30p
77 Sunset Strip

08:30p
Checkmate

09:30p
The Lawman

10:00p
Armstrong Circle Theater

11:00p
News, Weather (local)

11:15p
Sports (local)

11:20p
Movie – “The Third Man”

Charles Collingwood, who did the 3:55 news on CBS, was one of Edward R. Murrow's boys in Europe during World War II, and succeeded Murrow on Person to Person.  It was said that he was under serious consideration to take Douglas Edwards' place on the evening news, along with Eric Sevareid, but lost out to a guy named Cronkite.  It would have been very interesting to see how Collingwood, whom I tend to like, would have done.


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

Morning

06:55a
News, Weather (local)

07:00a
Cartoons

07:30a
Wonderful World

08:00a
Captain Kangaroo

09:00a
Jack LaLanne

09:30a
Binnie Ellis

10:00a
Calendar

10:30a
I Love Lucy

11:00a
Video Village

11:30a
Our Miss Brooks

11:55a
CBS News (Harry Reasoner)

Afternoon

12:00p
Love of Life

12:30p
Search for Tomorrow

12:45p
The Guiding Light

01:00p
Medic

01:30p
As the World Turns

02:00p
Password (panelists Sally Ann Howes, Durward Kirby)

02:30p
House Party (guest Morey Amsterdam)

03:00p
The Millionaire

03:30p
The Verdict is Yours

03:55p
CBS News (Charles Collingwood)

04:00p
The Brighter Day

04:15p
The Secret Storm

04:30p
The Edge of Night

05:00p
Captain and the Kids

05:30p
Movie – “The Gallant Blade”

Evening

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

07:15p
Douglas Edwards With the News

07:30p
The Alvin Show

08:00p
Window on Main Street

08:30p
Checkmate

09:30p
Dick Van Dyke

10:00p
Armstrong Circle Theater

11:00p
News, Weather (local)

11:15p
Movie – “Carry On, Admiral”

Armstrong Circle Theater, unlike other anthology series, presented what we would today refer to as "docudramas" based on true stories.  This could have been dry, but my impression is that many of these were quite good.  The host of Armstrong Circle Theater was none other than the aforementioned Ron Cochran, when he was with CBS.

9 comments:

  1. Great choice here, as these are the programs my grandfather in Saugus, MA, could've watched on his 55th birthday. I remember we could pick up the stations from Providence (the ABC affiliate in New Bedford, MA went on the air on 1/1/63), though they came in fuzzy, and we watched the stations out of Portland & Poland Spring, ME, when we visited my grandparents' cabin in E. New Hampshire.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The 6:30 P.M. local news on WENH-11 in New Hampshire was probably a simulcast of the local news on Boston's WGBH, which would then have been anchored by a man named Louis Lyons, who had three decades of experience as a print journalist before WGBH signed-on their TV station in 1955.

    Lyons was definitely NOT the stereotype of the local TV news anchor.

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  3. Ironically, Boston's Channel 7 got the call letters WHDH in the early 1990's when then-owned David Mugar purchased WHDH Radio (the latter lost a years-long fight to retain Channel 5 in 1972), and in another irony, Channel 7 is today the NBC affiliate for Boston.

    Channel 7 got NBC in January of 1995 after WBZ-4 owner Westinghouse purchased CBS.

    As for Channel 5, it's been an ABC affiliate since 1972 when it became WCVB, originally owned by a local concern. In the early eighties, WCVB was sold to Metromedia; today, it's owned by Hearst Television.

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  4. The Chris Evans who hosted the women's show on the old WHDH-5 three mornings a week also billed herself under her full name of Christine Evans; she had been at then-sister station WHDH Radio since the mid 1940's and would stay on Channel 5 until 1966.

    As to whether she was related to actor Chris (as in Christopher) Evans (Was she his Grandma or Great Aunt?), I don't know.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Christine Evans was my mother, her full name was Helen Christine. Evans was her married name. She was the mother of 4 girls and not related to Christopher Evans. Thank you for remembering my mother she would have been proud.

      Delete
  5. The Providence TV market finally got three VHF stations on January 1, 1963 when WTEV (now WLNE) signed-on, broadcasting on Channel 6.

    WTEV in the analog era had a much worse signal than WJAR or WPRO/WPRI because their transmitter was (after 1967) in Tiverton, Rhode Island (well southeast of Providence), whereas the two latter stations had their transmitters in Rehobeth, Massachusetts (just east of Providence). Additionally, there was the issue of WCSH-6 in Portland, Maine, meaning that WTEV/WLNE's analog signal didn't travel as far north as those of it's rivals.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Exactly right; WTEV/WLNE had a variable signal depending on your location, antenna type and height, and the weather. The station was an ABC affiliate from 1963-1977, then in June 1977 WPRI went to ABC and WTEV switched to CBS. WTEV became WLNE in 1980. In September 1995 WPRI switched back to CBS and WLNE went back to ABC (and improved their signal somewhat). In 2004 WLNE started broadcasting in digital with a new transmitter on WJAR's tower in Rehoboth, which made the signal near equal with the other Providence stations.

      Delete
  6. Odds & Ends Time:

    - Bought a book the other day - My Life As A Mankiewicz, by Tom Mankiewicz (cousin of Frank [op cit.], son of Joseph L., nephew of Herman [Citizen Kane et al.], uncle of Ben (TCM) ).
    Tom completed the book just before his death in 2010, with the assistance of Robert Crane (son of Bob [Hogan's Heroes] Crane). Very much worth seeking out.

    - That Checkmate episode I mentioned last time:
    "Remembrance of Crimes Past", with guest star Angie Dickinson as a convicted espionage courier just getting out of prison after a four-year rip, and the townsfolk give her (and the halfway house she's staying at) lotsa grief. Total Cold War piece, but it is a mystery, meaning that Things Are Not What They Seem ...
    I watched this the other night from my DVD wall; not at all bad.

    - Bob Newhart's "variety" show was more of a sketch show; it always started with a telephone bit, went on to a "monodrama" (Newhart talking to an unseen someone in a scene), then a solo song by someone, finally a full-dress sketch with other actors (mainly Joe Flynn).
    The show won both an Emmy and a Peabody Award, but couldn't please its sponsor, the Sealtest Ice Cream company, which dropped it after one season.
    One other matter: the announcer was Dan Sorkin, the Chicago DJ who essentially godfathered Newhart's comedy career. Sorkin was still doing his morning drive show on WCFL in Chicago, and commuted to LA once a week for the Newhart gig.

    - Straightaway on ABC was about a pair of race car drivers, played by Brian Kelly (who went on to star in Flipper) and John Ashley (who went on to produce The A-Team [that's his voice doing the opening narration]).
    The guest star that week was Leo Penn, who was then transitioning into being a director (his sons Sean and Chris were kids at this point).

    - Naked City had a comedy, "To Walk Like A Lion", with Orson Bean as a meek guy who embezzled a smallish amount to pay for his mother's funeral - and then discovered that his boss wanted him to embezzle even more, for his (the boss's) own reasons.

    - The Phantom President was one of the only film appearances of George M. Cohan.
    I saw a clip of a scene from this online a while back; this is one that even TCM might not run, lest the Offense Police rise up (racial considerations would be involved).

    - Not that it really matters, but that NBC news anchor was Floyd Kalber, who at the time was just becoming the top-rated 10pm anchorman in Chicago, a status he held for over a decade.

    - Apparently, nobody picked up on my "quiz" about the Friday Twilight Zone "unlisted" episode.
    Wonder no more: the show was "To Serve Man".

    That's about it for now.
    Questions?


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  7. Now that I think of it, wasn't February 28th, 1962 the day astronaut John Glenn got a ticker-tape parade down the streets of New York City??

    If it was, several hours of network programming during the afternoon were likely pre-empted.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for writing! Drive safely!