June 29, 2015

What's on TV? Wednesday, July 6, 1960

This week we revisit New England, and a typical night's viewing.  Nothing special here, nothing destined for immortality.  It's an entertaining night nonetheless, so let's take a closer look at what Wednesday night had to offer.


WGBH, Channel 2 (Educ.)

Evening

06:15p
Compass Rose

06:30p
News (Louis Lyons)

06:45p
Backgrounds

07:00p
Briefing Session

07:30p
The Constitution in Action

08:00p
Redman’s America

08:30p
The Presidency Perspective

09:00p
Boston Symphony Orchestra (special)

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

It's not surprising that WGBH, the famed Boston public station, would broadcast the Boston Symphony Orchestra.  I wonder how often this was done on a regular basis?  In Minneapolis, we didn't televise the Minnesota Orchestra, but they were on radio every week.


WBZ, Channel 4 (NBC)

Morning

06:30a
Sign On Seminar

06:45a
Daily Almanac

07:00a
Today

09:00a
News at Nine

09:30a
Truth or Consequences

10:00a
Dough Re Mi

10:30a
Play Your Hunch

11:00a
The Price is Right (color)

11:30a
Concentration

Afternoon

12:00p
News (Jack Chase)

12:15p
Big Brother

12:30p
Movie – “He Stayed for Breakfast”

02:20p
News (Leo Egan)

02:30p
Loretta Young

03:00p
Young Dr. Malone

03:30p
From These Roots

04:00p
The Thin Man

04:30p
Yancy Derringer

05:00p
Movie – “My Reputation”

Evening

06:30p
News, Weather (local)

06:45p
The Huntley-Brinkley Report

07:00p
U.S. Border Patrol

07:30p
Wagon Train

08:30p
The Price is Right (color)

09:00p
Happy

09:30p
Tate

10:00p
This Is Your Life (guest Lowell Thomas)

10:30p
Johnny Midnight

11:00p
News, Weather (local)

11:15p
Movie Double Feature – “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir”, “Man Wanted”

We didn't usually know who the guest on This Is Your Life would be, but this week it's a rerun, so we know that the surprise honoree is newsman Lowell Thomas.  According to the always-reliable Wikipedia, Thomas "displayed obvious anger and embarrassment" at being surprised by host Ralph Edwards.


WHDH, Channel 5 (ABC, CBS, NBC)

Morning

06:30a
Cartoons

07:00a
Big Mac

07:30a
Captain Bob (color)

08:30a
Ding Dong School

08:45a
Teddy Bear Cartoons

09:00a
Romper Room (color)

10:00a
News (local) (color)

10:15a
We Believe (color)

10:30a
Damon Runyon Theater

11:00a
Cameo Theater (color)

Afternoon

12:00p
The Restless Gun

12:30p
Farm and Home (color)

01:00p
About Faces

01:30p
Way of Life

02:00p
Day in Court

02:30p
Gale Storm

03:00p
Beat the Clock

03:30p
Who Do You Trust?

04:00p
American Bandstand

05:00p
Bozo the Clown (color)

05:30p
My Friend Flicka

Evening

06:00p
Dateline Boston

06:30p
Burns and Allen

07:00p
Douglas Edwards with the News

07:15p
News, Sports (local) (color)

07:25p
Weather (local) (color)

07:30p
Music for a Summer Night

08:30p
The Nelson Family

09:00p
Hawaiian Eye

10:00p
The Wednesday Night Fights (Rodriguez vs. Atkins)

10:30p
Sports (Curt Gowdy)

11:00p
News, Weather (local)

11:15p
Jack Paar Tonight

Music for a Summer Night was ABC's attempt to appease fans of the long-running Voice of Firestone after having cancelled the show for low ratings.  Appeasing the fans, but also Congressional leaders who were talking about an investigation into the ratings system, to see if it really served the viewers' interests.


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

Morning

06:20a
Farm Report

06:30a
Sunrise Semester

07:00a
Today

09:00a
Romper Room (Miss Connie)

09:30a
The Life of Riley

10:00a
Dough Re Mi

10:30a
Play Your Hunch

11:00a
The Price is Right (color)

11:30a
Concentration

Afternoon

12:00p
Truth or Consequences

12:30p
It Could Be You (color)

01:00p
Weekdays on Six

02:00p
Queen for a Day

02:30p
Loretta Young

03:00p
Young Dr. Malone

03:30p
From These Roots

04:00p
The Thin Man

04:30p
Yancy Derringer

05:00p
Popeye

05:30p
Robin Hood

Evening


06:00p
Phil Silvers

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

07:00p
Brave Stallion (aka Fury)

07:30p
Wagon Train

08:30p
The Price is Right (color)

09:00p
Happy

09:30p
Tate

10:00p
This Is Your Life (guest Lowell Thomas)

10:30p
People Are Funny

11:00p
News, Weather (local)

11:15p
Jack Paar Tonight

It's interesting that People Are Funny, Art Linkletter's long-running vehicle, comes immediately after This Is Your Life; Linkletter and Ralph Edwards were, in real life, not the best of friends.  They each had accused the other of taking credit for ideas they claimed as their own, and there was something about Edwards' personality that ground on Linkletter.  For a man known as one of the sunniest personalities in television, Linkletter made no bones of the fact that he did not care for Ralph Edwards.


WNAC, Channel 7 (NBC)

Morning

07:00a
Laurel and Hardy

08:00a
Captain Kangaroo

09:00a
Morning Star Time

10:00a
My Little Margie

10:30a
I Married Joan

11:00a
I Love Lucy

11:30a
December Bride

Afternoon

12:00p
Love of Life

12:30p
Search for Tomorrow

12:45p
The Guiding Light

01:00p
Louise Morgan

01:30p
As the World Turns

02:00p
Topper

02:30p
House Party

03:00p
The Millionaire

03:30p
The Verdict is Yours

04:00p
The Brighter Day

04:15p
The Secret Storm

04:30p
Movie – “Action in Arabia”

Evening

06:15p
News (Roy Leonard)

06:30p
Movie – “Together Again”

08:30p
Men Into Space

09:00p
The Millionaire

09:30p
I’ve Got a Secret (guest Johnny Carson)

10:00p
Armstrong Circle Theater

11:00p
News, Weather (local)

11:15p
Movie Double Feature – “Of Mice and Men”, “Girls’ School”

I remember when Laurel and Hardy became regular viewing on Channel 4 in Minneapolis, and it's in the TV Guides of the era that we see the same thing happening throughout the country.  Both Stan and Ollie and The Three Stooges had much to owe television for their comebacks into the American consciousness.


WMTW, Channel 8 (Portland) (ABC)

Morning

10:00a
Farmer Al Falfa

10:30a
Movie – “Emma”

Afternoon

12:00p
The Restless Gun

12:30p
Love That Bob!

01:00p
About Faces

01:30p
Film Drama

02:00p
Day in Court

02:30p
Gale Storm

03:00p
Beat the Clock

03:30p
Who Do You Trust?

04:00p
American Bandstand

05:30p
My Friend Flicka

Evening

06:00p
Movie – “A Yank at Oxford” Part 2

07:20p
News, Weather (local)

07:30p
Songs for a Summer Night

08:30p
High Road

09:00p
Hawaiian Eye

10:00p
The Wednesday Night Fights (Rodriguez vs. Atkins)

10:45p
Golf

11:00p
News, Weather (local)

11:15p
Movie – “Lady Scarface”

The 6pm movie, A Yank at Oxford, reminds me of how often networks and local stations used to split movies into two parts; I think you see that a couple of times in today's listings alone.  Nowadays, when we've become so accustomed to having movies presented uncut and without commercial interruption, it's hard to fathom sitting down to watch something that was not only cut up with ads, but only ran an hour or so in the first place, leaving you to watch the rest the next day.  At least with serials, you had a cliffhanger ending.


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

Morning

10:00a
Cartoons

10:50a
Movie – “Whispering Footsteps”

11:30a
News (Gus Bernier)

Afternoon

12:00p
The Restless Gun

12:30p
Country Store

01:00p
About Faces

01:30p
Janet Dean

02:00p
Day in Court

02:30p
Gale Storm

03:00p
Beat the Clock

03:30p
Who Do You Trust?

04:00p
American Bandstand

05:00p
Popeye

Evening

06:00p
Captain Grief

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

06:45p
Shopping for Fashions

07:00p
Country Folk

07:30p
Movie – “Tomorrow We Live”

09:00p
All-Star Theater

09:30p
Racket Squad

10:00p
The Wednesday Night Fights (Rodriguez vs. Atkins)

10:45p
Sports Feature

11:00p
News, Weather (local)

11:05p
Movie – “Judgment Deferred”

As I was typing this up I had to look twice to make sure I'd gotten the name of the show correct - Captain Grief.  Most of the time when you run across a program with the word "Captain" in its title, it turns out to be a kids' show, and although it isn't the case here, you have to wonder what a kids' show named Captain Grief would have been like.  "Today Captain Grief reads the story of "Garfield the Cat Gets Feline Leukemia"?


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

Morning

07:00a
Today

09:00a
Movie – “Edge of Darkness” part 1

10:30a
Play Your Hunch

11:00a
The Price is Right (color)

11:30a
Concentration

Afternoon

12:00p
Truth or Consequences

12:30p
It Could Be You (color)

01:00p
Movie – “Second Fiddle”

02:30p
Loretta Young

03:00p
Young Dr. Malone

03:30p
From These Roots

04:00p
The Thin Man

04:30p
Yancy Derringer

05:00p
Movie – “The Yearling” part 2

Evening

06:30p
News, Weather (local)

07:00p
Lock Up

07:30p
Wagon Train

08:30p
The Price is Right (color)

09:00p
Happy

09:30p
Tate

10:00p
This Is Your Life (guest Lowell Thomas)

10:30p
People Are Funny

11:00p
News, Weather (local)

11:15p
Jack Paar Tonight

Yes, I knew there was another example of two-part movies here - two of them, in fact.   We have Edge of Darkness beginning at 9am, and The Yearling concluding at 5pm.  In-between it's a perfectly serviceable lineup, including Macdonald Carey's lawyer show Lock Up, in which he plays real-life attorney Herb Maris, a corporate lawyer who occasionally took on cases of people unjustly accused of crimes.


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

Evening


06:00p
Classical Music

06:25p
Events

06:30p
News (Louis Lyons)

06:45p
Backgrounds

07:00p
The Friendly Giant

07:15p
Off to Adventure

07:30p
Reading Out Loud

08:00p
Commonwealth of Nations

08:30p
The Presidency Perspective

09:00p
Boston Symphony Orchestra (special)

I don't think WENH was up and running the last time we visited New England for one of these looks.  I remember, in the four years I lived in Maine, having seen many a Doctor Who episode on the station.


WPRO, Channel 12 (Providence) (CBS)

Morning

07:00a
Popeye

07:30a
Storytime

08:00a
News (Dave Mohr)

08:15a
Captain Kangaroo

09:00a
Romper Room (Miss Bonnie)

09:30a
Movie – “A Strange Adventure”

10:45a
News (Stuart/Mohr)

11:00a
I Love Lucy

11:30a
December Bride

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
The Life of Riley

02:30p
House Party

03:00p
The Millionaire

03:30p
The Verdict is Yours

04:00p
The Brighter Day

04:15p
The Secret Storm

04:30p
The Edge of Night

05:00p
Cartoons

05:30p
Salty Brine’s Shack

Evening


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

06:45p
Douglas Edwards with the News

07:00p
Movie – “The Gallant Legion”

08:30p
Men Into Space

09:00p
The Millionaire

09:30p
I’ve Got a Secret (guest Johnny Carson)

10:00p
Armstrong Circle Theater

11:00p
News, Weather (local)

11:15p
Movie – “A Yank at Oxford” Part 2

No, you're not seeing things - another station with a two-part showing of A Yank at Oxford.  It stars Robert Taylor, Vivian Leigh, Maureen O'Sullivan, Lionel Barrymore and Edmund Gwynn.  No wonder so many stations showed it.


WGAN, Channel 13 (Portland) (CBS)

Morning

08:00a
News

08:15a
Captain Kangaroo

09:00a
Movie – TBA

10:00a
Red Rowe

10:30a
On the Go

11:00a
I Love Lucy

11:30a
December Bride

Afternoon

12:00p
Love of Life

12:30p
Search for Tomorrow

12:45p
The Guiding Light

01:00p
Way of Life

01:30p
As the World Turns

02:00p
Full Circle

02:30p
House Party

03:00p
The Millionaire

03:30p
The Verdict is Yours

04:00p
The Brighter Day

04:15p
The Secret Storm

04:30p
The Edge of Night

05:00p
The Three Stooges

05:30p
Rocky Jones

Evening


06:00p
Jim Bowie

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

06:45p
Douglas Edwards with the News

07:00p
Cannonball

07:30p
Reckoning

08:30p
Men Into Space

09:00p
The Millionaire

09:30p
I’ve Got a Secret (guest Johnny Carson)

10:00p
Armstrong Circle Theater

11:00p
News, Weather (local)

11:15p
Movie – “We Go Fast”

We Go Fast sounds like film noir, doesn't it?  Made in 1941, it probably is.  And while the NBC affiliates (and others) carry Jack Paar's version of Tonight, we also get a glimpse of the future at 9:30, as the guest with a secret on I've Got a Secret is the future of late-night talk, Johnny Carson.  All we need now is Steve Allen popping up somewhere, and we've got the history of Tonight in a nutshell. TV  

2 comments:

  1. It is true that Lowell Thomas took a dim view of the proceedings on THIS IS YOUR LIFE. Ralph Edwards said years later that Thomas called it a "sinister conspiracy" on the air! I remember reading about Thomas' reaction in one of Kermit Schafer's blooper books too. "Lowell Thomas, you're going to enjoy seeing all of your friends we have gathered here tonight." Thomas: "I doubt it!"

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  2. Some while back, I believe I might have mentioned a popular Chicago radio personality named Roy Leonard, who was a mainstay at WGN radio and TV from the '60s through the early 2000's.
    Sugar Roy (as he was called because of his easy-going on-air manner) came to Chicago circa 1966, after starting out in Boston - which is how I know that WNAC's 6:15 newscaster is the same guy.
    I'll guess that Roy Leonard was pretty popular in Boston back in '60, but in Chicago he became a local institution - and even now, several years after his passing, he still evokes fond memories.
    His son, Kelly Leonard, has been creative director at The Second City, the legendary Chicago comedy improve theater, for many years now.

    Because I'm too lazy to start this twice, here's a comment about your Ernie Kovacs post from Saturday:

    Take A Good Look was an example of quid pro quo: in exchange for doing this "panel quiz", the Consolidated Cigar Company gave Ernie Kovacs one week per month to do his own specials, with no interference by either themselves or the ABC network.
    Each week, Kovacs got to do one of his silent commercials for Dutch Masters cigars, which Consolidated's boss, Jack Mogulescu, loved.
    As part of the same deal, Edie Adams became the singing spokeswoman for Muriel, another Consolidated brand (after Kovacs's death, that deal continued for several more years).

    I noted that TAGL aired in Boston on Saturday; its regular network timeslot was Thursday at 10:30, after The Untouchables but many ABC affiliates delayed TAGL to other nights, as was the case here. In many of the surviving TAGL shows, Kovacs makes mocking reference to when (or if) viewers might be seeing whatever show he was doing that night.

    The sad fact, as verified by several biographies, is that Kovacs simply couldn't handle money.
    What he didn't spend, he gambled away... mainly to friends, who didn't sweat him for repayment, but the IRS wasn't nearly as accommodating.
    That he didn't get to do his own feature film, as opposed to taking acting jobs in other people's movies - well, if he hadn't been killed ...



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Thanks for writing! Drive safely!