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.