February 16, 2015

What's on TV? Saturday, February 11, 1967

It's fitting that we're looking at a Saturday listing this week; one of the feature stories in this issue is about Saturday morning television.  It's entitled "Where Did All The People Go," and it discusses how animated cartoons dominate the schedule.  Parents find them acceptable, networks appreciate how sponsors flock to them*, cartoonists everywhere are kept in business - and, of course, kids love them.  Gone are the days of live-action shows like Lassie, Fury, Flicka, Dennis the Menace, Howdy Doody, and Sherri Lewis and her puppets, and the Saturday morning Westerns.

*Fred Silverman, 29-year-old CBS VP, says that Kellogg and General Mills drove the trend; as recently as four years ago, CBS had but two cartoons, Alvin and Mighty Mouse on the Saturday schedule.

This will change eventually; today, there aren't any cartoons on Saturday morning on the networks, and marathon blocks of local news and infomercials have become dependable products for local stations.  So let's enjoy this while we can!

This week's listing is, in case we haven't mentioned it, from the Twin Cities edition of TV Guide, with selected outstate stations included.


KGLO, Channel 3 (Mason City IA) (CBS)

Morning


07:00a
Captain Kangaroo

08:00a
Mighty Heroes (color)

08:30a
Underdog (color)

09:00a
Frankenstein Jr. (color)

09:30a
Space Ghost (color)

10:00a
Superman (color)

10:30a
The Lone Ranger (color)

11:00a
Road Runner (color)

11:30a
The Beagles (color)

Afternoon


12:00p
Tom and Jerry (color)

12:30p
Here’s Allen

01:00p
College Basketball (North Texas St. vs. Bradley)

03:00p
College Basketball (Iowa vs. Ohio State)

05:00p
Phoenix Open Golf (special) (color)

05:30p
CBS Evening News (Roger Mudd) (color)

Evening


06:00p
News (local)

06:15p
Western Music

06:30p
The Jackie Gleason Show (The Honeymooners) (color)

07:30p
Mission: Impossible (color)

08:30p
Pistols ‘n’ Petticoats (color)

09:00p
Gunsmoke (color)

10:00p
News (local)

10:20p
Movie – “Leave Her to Heaven”

See what I mean about the cartoons?  I find it interesting that the 1:00pm basketball game, North Texas State vs. Bradley, is part of the Missouri Valley Conference Game of the Week package.  It's on Channel 11 as well; with the Big Ten Game of the Week on Channel 4, there weren't many other packages available.  How things have changed.


WCCO, Channel 4 (CBS)

Morning


06:00a
Sunrise Semseter

06:30a
Siegfried and His Flying Saucer

07:00a
Captain Kangaroo

08:00a
Mighty Heroes (color)

08:30a
Underdog (color)

09:00a
Frankenstein Jr. (color)

09:30a
Space Ghost (color)

10:00a
Superman (color)

10:30a
The Lone Ranger (color)

11:00a
Road Runner (color)

11:30a
The Beagles (color)

Afternoon


12:00p
News (local) (color)

12:30p
Woodcraft Hobby Show (color)

01:00p
CBS Golf Classic (Bo Winninger and Tommy Bolt vs. R. H Sikes and Bob Goalby)

02:00p
Championship Bowling (Dave Soutar vs. Bud Horn) (color)

03:00p
College Basketball (Iowa vs. Ohio State)

05:00p
Phoenix Open Golf (special) (color)

Evening


06:00p
News (local) (color)

06:30p
The Jackie Gleason Show (The Honeymooners) (color)

07:30p
Mission: Impossible (color)

08:30p
Pistols ‘n’ Petticoats (color)

09:00p
Gunsmoke (color)

10:00p
News (local) (color)

10:30p
Movie – “Blue Denim”

12:15a
The Bedtime Nooz (color)

12:30a
Weather (local)

12:35a
This Must Be the Place (color)

01:05a
Changing Times

01:20a
Nite Kappers

I loved Channel 4's late-nite programming.  After Critics Award Theater at 10:3, which was at one time sponsored by the iron-mining industry in northern Minnesota and featured limited commercial interruptions in return for a long infomercial about the industry at the beginning), there was The Bedtime Nooz, anchorman Dave Moore's hilarious news satire.  Following a brief weather update, This Must Be the Place was a local variety show hosted by local newsman and entertainment reporter Bill Carlson (whose wife Nancy Nelson did the weather update), an infomercial for Changing Times magazine, and then Carlson returning for the comedy show Nite Kappers before signing off.  You don't have local programming like that anymore.


KSTP, Channel 5 (NBC)

Morning


06:30a
Movie – “Ride, Tenderfoot, Ride”

07:30a
Animal Secrets (color)

08:00a
Super 6 (color)

08:30a
Atom Ant (color)

09:00a
The Flintstones (color)

09:30a
Space Kidettes (color)

10:00a
Secret Squirrel (color)

10:30a
The Jetsons (color)

11:00a
Cool McCool (color)

11:30a
Smithsonian (color)

Afternoon


12:00p
Movie – “Light of Old Santa Fe”

01:00p
Movie – “The Boogie Men Will Get You”

02:15p
Movie – “The Man Who Lived Twice”

03:30p
Car 54, Where Are You?

04:00p
Science Fiction Theater

04:30p
The Outer Limits

05:30p
NBC News (Scherer-MacNeil) (color)

Evening


06:00p
News (local) (color)

06:30p
Flipper (color)

07:00p
Please Don’t Eat the Daisies (color)

07:30p
Get Smart (color)

08:00p
Saturday Night at the Movies – “Dark City”

10:00p
News (local) (color)

10:30p
Johnny Carson (guests Sam Levenson, Billy Eckstein, Luba Lisa, Jeannine Pivoteau) (color)

12:00a
Movie – “Black Friday”

Ah, some human beings still exist on Saturday mornings.  In addition to the obligatory Western movie short to kick off the day, there's Animal Secrets, hosted by the distinguished educator and writer Dr. Loren Eisley.  The morning rounds out with NBC's Smithsonian, hosted by my friend Marc Ryan's father Bill.


KMMT, Channel 6 (Austin) (ABC)

Morning


08:30a
Porky Pig (color)

09:00a
King Kong (color)

09:30a
The Beatles (color)

10:00a
Casper (color)

10:30a
Milton the Monster (color)

11:00a
Bugs Bunny (color)

11:30a
Magilla Gorilla (color)

Afternoon


12:00p
Hoppity Hooper (color)

12:30p
American Bandstand (guests Mojo Men, Jimmy Castor)

01:30p
Film Feature

02:00p
Cartoons

02:30p
Pro Bowlers Tour

04:00p
Wide World of Sports (Clay vs. Terrell heavyweight championship, Ski Jumping)

05:30p
Death Valley Days

Evening


06:00p
News (local)

06:30p
The Dating Game (guest Tina Sinatra) (color)

07:00p
The Newlywed Game (color)

07:30p
Lawrence Welk (guest Harry Middlebrooks) (color)

08:30p
The Hollywood Palace (Sammy Davis Jr., Mickey Rooney, Liberace, Kaye Stevens, Lee Tully, Mascots, Mr. and Mrs. Bob Top) (color)

09:30p
Movie – “Ten North Frederick”

11:30a
News (local)

That title fight between Muhammad Ali (or Cassius Clay, if you will) and Ernie Terrell was a unification bout, as Terrell had won a share of the title after Ali had been stripped for granting an automatic rematch with Sonny Liston.  It was Ali at his ugliest (a side so many sycophants prefer to overlook); Terrell had referred to him in the buildup to the fight as "Cassius Clay" and Ali mercilessly taunted him throughout the fight, repeatedly snarling at him "What's my name?" and once even spitting at Terrell's feet.  He strung him along for 15 rounds, inflicting as much pain on him as he could.  The affection in which Ali is held today is a remarkable testament to the power of revisionist history.


KCMT, Channel 7 (Alexandria) (NBC/ABC)

Morning


07:00a
St. Cloud State College

08:00a
Super 6 (color)

08:30a
Atom Ant (color)

09:00a
The Flintstones (color)

09:30a
Space Kidettes (color)

10:00a
Secret Squirrel (color)

10:30a
The Jetsons (color)

11:00a
Cool McCool (color)

11:30a
Smithsonian (color)

Afternoon


12:00p
Animal Secrets (color)

12:30p
Discovery ‘67

01:00p
Milton the Monster

01:30p
Sergeant Preston

02:00p
To Be Announced

02:30p
Pro Bowlers Tour

04:00p
Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf (Billy Casper vs. Miguel Sala) (color)

05:00p
The Dating Game

05:30p
F Troop

Evening


06:00p
News (local)

06:30p
Flipper (color)

07:00p
Please Don’t Eat the Daisies (color)

07:30p
Get Smart (color)

08:00p
Saturday Night at the Movies – “Dark City”

10:00p
News (local)

10:30p
Movie – “High Flight”

A nice mix of networks for Channel 7 this week - in addition to their NBC schedule, they've inserted the ABC shows Discovery '67, Milton the Monster, the Pro Bowlers Tour, The Dating Game and F Troop.


WKBT, Channel 8 (LaCrosse) (CBS)

Morning


07:00a
Captain Kangaroo

08:00a
Mighty Heroes (color)

08:30a
Underdog (color)

09:00a
Frankenstein Jr. (color)

09:30a
Space Ghost (color)

10:00a
Superman (color)

10:30a
The Lone Ranger (color)

11:00a
Road Runner (color)

11:30a
The Beagles (color)

Afternoon


12:00p
Tom and Jerry (color)

12:30p
American Bandstand (guests Mojo Men, Jimmy Castor)

01:30p
CBS Golf Classic (Ken Venturi and Johnny Pott vs. Frank Beard and Miller Barber)

02:30p
Pro Bowlers Tour

04:00p
Wide World of Sports (Clay vs. Terrell heavyweight championship, Ski Jumping)

05:30p
Coliseum

Evening


06:30p
The Jackie Gleason Show (The Honeymooners) (color)

07:30p
Lawrence Welk (guest Harry Middlebrooks) (color)

08:30p
The Rat Patrol (color)

09:00p
Gunsmoke (color)

10:25p
News (local) Film Short

10:30p
Movie – “The Man With the Golden Arm”

Although WKBT was not shown as an ABC affiliate, they had room to fit in Lawrence Welk in their Saturday night lineup.  Gotta please that demographic, you know!  They also have American Bandstand for the kids, The Rat Patrol for the veterans, the Pro Bowlers Tour for blue-collar people, and Wide World of Sports for the rest of us.


KMSP, Channel 9 (ABC)

Morning


08:00a
Grandpa Ken

08:30a
Porky Pig (color)

09:00a
King Kong (color)

09:30a
The Beatles (color)

10:00a
Casper (color)

10:30a
Milton the Monster (color)

11:00a
Bugs Bunny (color)

11:30a
Magilla Gorilla (color)

Afternoon


12:00p
Hoppity Hooper (color)

12:30p
American Bandstand (guests Mojo Men, Jimmy Castor)

01:30p
Linus the Lionhearted

02:00p
This Week in Sports

02:15p
Changing Times

02:30p
Pro Bowlers Tour

04:00p
Wide World of Sports (Clay vs. Terrell heavyweight championship, Ski Jumping)

05:30p
The Lieutenant

Evening


06:30p
The Dating Game (guest Tina Sinatra) (color)

07:00p
The Newlywed Game (color)

07:30p
Lawrence Welk (guest Harry Middlebrooks) (color)

08:30p
The Hollywood Palace (Sammy Davis Jr., Mickey Rooney, Liberace, Kaye Stevens, Lee Tully, Mascots, Mr. and Mrs. Bob Top) (color)

09:30p
Death Valley Days (color)

10:00p
News (local)

10:30p
Movie – “Halls of Montezuma” (color)

12:40a
News and Sports (local) (color)

I'm pretty sure that the Changing Times infomercial at 2pm is the same one that Channel 4 shows later in the night.  Changing Times was a financial magazine published by Kiplinger, and you really couldn't escape their infomercials on television Saturday afternoons in the '60s and early '70s.  I miss those.


KROC, Channel 10 (Rochester) (NBC)

Morning


08:00a
Super 6 (color)

08:30a
Atom Ant (color)

09:00a
The Flintstones (color)

09:30a
Space Kidettes (color)

10:00a
Secret Squirrel (color)

10:30a
The Jetsons (color)

11:00a
Cool McCool (color)

11:30a
Smithsonian (color)

Afternoon


12:00p
Championship Bowling

01:00p
Film Feature (Auto Racing) (color)

02:00p
NHL Hockey (Montreal vs. Toronto) (color)

04:00p
Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf (Billy Casper vs. Miguel Sala) (color)

05:00p
Captain Nice (color)

05:30p
NBC News (Scherer-MacNeil) (color)

Evening


06:00p
It’s a Small World (color)

06:30p
Flipper (color)

07:00p
Please Don’t Eat the Daisies (color)

07:30p
Get Smart (color)

08:00p
Saturday Night at the Movies – “Dark City”

10:00p
News and Sports (local) (color)

10:20p
Movie – “Never Love a Stranger”

Hockey!  Or as it's actually listed in TV Guide, Canadian Hockey.  I suppose this is because it's Montreal vs. Toronto, although it's the same version of hockey we play in the states.  The game wasn't live; I suspect it was some kind of syndicated package similar to the Canadian Football games that were on Channel 11 on Saturdays in the '60s.  This was probably taped on January 25, the last time the two teams had played.  It is the last season of the classic six-team NHL.


WTCN, Channel 11 (Ind.)

Morning


09:00a
Farm Forum

09:30a
Understanding Our World

10:00a
Abbott and Costello

10:30a
Whirlybirds

11:00a
Mac & Meyer for Hire

11:30a
Lunch With Casey

Afternoon


12:30p
Rocky and Friends (color)

01:00p
College Basketball (North Texas St. vs. Bradley)

03:00p
Upbeat (guests Dana Rollin, the Dovells, Connie Youngblood, Dick Wittington’s Cats, Tommy Hunt, Kicks Incorporated, Music Machine, Clyde McPhatter, Gigi and the Charmains)

04:00p
Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf (Billy Casper vs. Miguel Sala) (color)

05:00p
Laramie (color)

Evening


06:00p
All Star Wrestling

07:30p
Perry Mason

08:30p
Alfred Hitchcock Hour

09:30p
News, Weather, Sports (local)

10:00p
Movie – “Death of a Salesman”

I don't know why Channel 5 didn't show Shell's Wonderful World of Golf, preferring instead to offer a local block of movies and syndicated programming.  It was the same with the Bell Telephone Hour on Sunday afternoon, which also appeared frequently on Channel 11.  Wrong demographic, I guess.


WEAU, Channel 13 (Eau Claire) (NBC)

Morning


07:00a
Sergeant Preston

07:30a
Salvation Army

07:45a
Light Time

08:00a
Super 6 (color)

08:30a
Atom Ant (color)

09:00a
The Flintstones (color)

09:30a
Space Kidettes (color)

10:00a
Secret Squirrel (color)

10:30a
The Jetsons (color)

11:00a
Cool McCool (color)

11:30a
Smithsonian (color)

Afternoon


12:00p
Animal Secrets (color)

12:30p
Bullwinkle

01:00p
Wide World of Sports (U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Auto Racing)

02:30p
The American Sportsman

03:30p
Vietnam Weekly Review (color)

04:00p
Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf (Billy Casper vs. Miguel Sala) (color)

05:00p
Death Valley Days (color)

05:30p
Ernie Reck

Evening


06:00p
This Day of Grace

06:15p
Sports, Weather, News

06:30p
Flipper (color)

07:00p
The Porter Wagoner Show (guests The Glaser Brothers)

07:30p
Get Smart (color)

08:00p
Saturday Night at the Movies – “Dark City”

10:00p
News (local)

10:30p
Combat!

11:30a
Movie – “The Maltese Falcon”

Ah, The Porter Wagoner Show.  There were two very good reasons to watch that program; anyone remember what? TV  

2 comments:

  1. "today, there aren't any cartoons on Saturday morning on the networks, and marathon blocks of local news and infomercials have become dependable products for local stations. So let's enjoy this while we can!"

    It was about 10 years ago that I discovered, much to my shock and dismay, that Saturday Morning Cartoons were no more. I hadn't watched them in about 20 years, so I'm not quite sure why I felt this way, but it really saddened me to know kids across America were no longer glued to their TV sets on Saturday mornings. I guess it was the passing of a 5-decades long shared tradition that did it. That revelation drove me into a frenzy of DVD purchasing where I bought all the Saturday morning shows I watched as a kid (both cartoon and live-action) so that I could keep the tradition alive for my kids. I'm glad I did, because my daughter really looks forward to Saturday Morning Cartoons each week, and I can re-enjoy them with her. Hopefully in a few years I'll be able to trust her with the remote and that will get me some extra sleep-in time on Saturdays. It's nice to hear her singing the theme songs to decades-old shows, but I may face some fall-out if her peers ever mock her for it. But for now, she loves her SMCs and I am thoroughly enjoying her enjoyment.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Since I don't have this issue, this will be an "odds & ends" post:

    - On ch11's early morning schedule, I note the presence of Mack & Myer For Hire.
    This show dates back to 1963. It's a 15-minute comedy, low-budget from New York.
    Burlesque veterans Mickey Deems and Joey Faye are bumblers who try to do odd jobs, and generally manage to accomplish slapstick sight gags instead.
    The 15-minute length means that stations could use M&M as a daily 15 min. , or stick two together as a half hour (as ch11 does here), or maybe even use episodes in lieu of a cartoon on a kid's show, alongside Popeye or Mighty Mouse. (Fifteen minutes less commercials comes comes to about ten minutes, or one reel).
    I know all this because Alpha Video, our major source of orphaned film and TV, released a DVD of six Mack & Myer shorts a while back, and I have it. These six shorts are apparently all that survives of M&M; according to some sources, 200 episodes were filmed (can't confirm this; probably fewer - a lot fewer).
    Should you find the Mack & Myer DVD at your local dollar store, it might be worth the $5 or so to take a look at it, for curiosity's sake if nothing else (but if you need the extra pair of socks more ...).

    - NBC's Saturday night movie is Dark City (1951), remembered mainly these days as Charlton Heston's Hollywood film debut.
    In recent times, Dark City attracted attention when people started noticing that Jack Webb and Harry Morgan appear in it together as semi-bad guys.
    This leads me to an anecdote:
    In the '80s, Charlton Heston was starting to edge back into TV, with a miniseries about an early police force (I forget the title). One of the writer-producers was Harry Morgan's son Christopher.
    Early in the filming, Heston asked the younger Morgan to say hello to his father, adding that Harry had been in Heston's first movie.
    Next day, Chris Morgan saw Heston and passed along the following:
    "I told Dad that he had been in your first movie, and he said "Chris, I was in everybody's first movie."

    I seem to have run momentarily dry.
    Standing down for now ..

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for writing! Drive safely!