August 15, 2016

What's on TV? Wednesday, August 21, 1968

It's always nice being back in the Twin Cities, at least when it comes to TV listings; I always know what I'm talking about. The great majority of my back issues are still from Minneapolis-St. Paul, but it's been some time since I've been able to acquire any; the ones that are out there are going for outrageous prices. I thought all those socialists back there were against making big profits!

Just kidding, folks. Mostly.


KTCA, Channel 2 (NET)

Evening


06:00p
Real Revolution

06:30p
Supervision Concepts

07:00p
Black Voices (color)

08:00p
Feeling for Justice

08:30p
Jazz Casual (guest Woody Herman)

09:00p
Urban Crisis

10:00p
News in Perspective (color)

Nothing casual about the great Woody Herman on Jazz Casual. 


WCCO, Channel 4 (CBS)

Morning

06:00a
Summer Semester (color)

06:45a
Siegfried and His Flying Saucer (color)

07:00a
Clancy & Carmen (color)

07:30p
Clancy & Willie (color)

08:00a
Captain Kangaroo (color)

09:00a
Live Today (color) 

09:05a
Merv Griffin (guests John Forsythe, Anita Gillette, Slappy White, Joanne Worley) (color)

10:00a
Andy Griffith

10:30a
Dick Van Dyke

11:00a
Love of Life (color)

11:25a
CBS News (Joseph Benti) (color)

11:30a
Search for Tomorrow (color)

11:45a
The Guiding Light (color)

Afternoon

12:00p
News (Dean Montgomery) (color)

12:20p
Something Special (color)

12:30p
As the World Turns (color)

01:00p
Love is a Many Splendored Thing (color)

01:30p
House Party (guest Pat Paulson) (color)

02:00p
To Tell the Truth (color)

02:25p
CBS News (Douglas Edwards) (color)

02:30p
The Edge of Night (color)

03:00p
The Secret Storm (color)

03:30p
The Beverly Hillbillies (color)

04:00p
Mike Douglas (co-host George Segal, guests Buddy Rich, Bennett Cerf, Ruth Buzzi, Debbie Drake, Blanche Scarlett Phelps) (color)

05:30p
CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite (color)

Evening


06:00p
News (Dave Moore) (color)

06:15p
Weather (Bud Kraehling) (color)

06:20p
Sports (Hal Scott) (color)

06:30p
Lost in Space (color)

07:30p
The Beverly Hillbillies (color)

08:00p
Green Acres (color)

08:30p
He & She (color)

09:00p
Dom DeLuise (guests Rick Little, Enid Mosier, Earl Wilson Jr.) (color)

10:00p
The Scene Tonight (color)

10:45p
Reading Dynamics

11:00p
Movie – “Apache Drums” (color)

How interesting that Art Linkletter's House Party is talking about Pat Paulsen and his quixotic presidential campaign. Merv, maybe, but Art? And do you notice that 15 minute infomercial for Reading Dynamics at 10:45, after The Scene Tonight. That's for the Evelyn Wood speed reading course, which was a big thing when I was growing up. It's still around today. I always wondered, though, whether or not that kind of speed reading would take away the pleasure of reading. Any of you had any experience with it?


KSTP, Channel 5 (NBC)

Morning

06:45a
City and Country (color)

07:00a
Today (guests Alan Alda, Elizabeth Wood, Gerard Cushing) (color)

09:00a
Snap Judgment (guests Don Meredith, Joanne [Mrs. Johnny] Carson) (color)

09:25p
NBC News (Nancy Dickerson) (color)

09:30a
Concentration (color)

10:00a
Personality (celebrities Cliff Robertson, Flip Wilson, Pat Carroll, Hugh O’Brien) (color)

10:30a
The Hollywood Squares (celebrities Kaye Ballard, Bill Bixby, Nanette Fabray, Paul Lynde, Greg Morris, Vincent Price, Wally Cox, Rose Marie, Charley Weaver) (color)

11:00a
Jeopardy (color)

11:30a
Eye Guess (color)

11:55a
NBC News (Edwin Newman) (color)

Afternoon

12:00p
News (Bill Beebe) (color)

12:10p
Weather (Johnny Morris) (color)

12:15p
Dialing For Dollars (color)

12:30p
Let’s Make a Deal (color)

01:00p
Days of Our Lives (color)

01:30p
The Doctors (color)

02:00p
Another World (color)

02:30p
You Don’t Say! (guests James Franciscus, Susan Oliver) (color)

03:00p
The Match Game (guests Bennett Cerf, Meredith MacRae) (color)

03;25p
NBC News (Floyd Kalber) (color)

03:30p
Dialing For Dollars (color)

04:30p
Of Lands and Seas (color)

05:00p
News (Bob Ryan) (color)

05:30p
The Huntley-Brinkley Report (color)

Evening


06:00p
News (Bob Ryan) (color)

06:15p
Weather (Johnny Morris) (color)

06:20p
Sports (Al Tighe) (color)

06:30p
The Virginian (color)

08:00p
Kraft Music Hall (host Ed McMahon, guests Tim Hardin, Sly and the Family Stone, the Four Tops, Rita Gardner, Joan Rivers) (color)

09:00p
Run For Your Life (color)

10:00p
News (John MacDougall) (color)

10:15p
Weather (Johnny Morris) (color)

10:20p
Sports (Al Tighe) (color)

10:30p
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (guest host Jerry Lewis, guests Jose Ferrer, Roger Smith, George Kirby, Prof. Irwin Corey, Dr. Joyce Brothers) (color)

12:00a
Henry Wolf  (color)

KSTP makes a big deal in its advertising about its new 5:00 p.m. news, with anchorman Bob Ryan. And it was a big deal back then; I don't remember any other station with a 5:00 local news show, except for Channel 9, and they did it because they didn't have a 6:00 report. Nowadays everyone has a 5:00 report; some of them start the local news even earlier than that.


KMSP, Channel 9 (ABC)

Morning

07:30p
Timmy and Lassie

08:00a
Dennis the Menace

08:30a
It’s Happening (guests Sam and Dave, Prof. Irwin Corey)

08:55a
The Children’s Doctor

09:00a
Romper Room (color)

09:30a
Dick Cavett (guest Joan Baez) (color)

11:00a
Bewitched

11:30a
Treasure Isle (color)

Afternoon

12:00p
Dream House (color)

12:30p
News (Jerry Smith)

01:00p
The Newlywed Game (color)

01:30p
The Dating Game (color)

02:00p
General Hospital (color)

02:30p
One Life to Live (color)

03:00p
Dark Shadows (color)

03:30p
Movie – “Shack Out on 101”

05:00p
ABC Evening News with Frank Reynolds (color)

05:30p
McHale’s Navy

Evening


06:00p
Truth or Consequences (color)

06:30p
The Avengers (color)

07:30p
Dream House (color)

08:00p
Movie – “Bus Stop” (color)

10:00p
News (Bill Fahan, Jim Steer) (color)

10:25p
Sports (Tony Parker) (color)

10:30p
Joey Bishop (guests Tommy Leonetti, Robin Wilson) (color)

12:00a
77 Sunset Strip

I was never a big fan of Professor Irwin Corey in the first place; can you imagine watching him at 8:30 in the morning? Maybe you can.


WTCN, Channel 11 (Ind.)

Morning

08:55a
News (Gil Amundson)

09:00a
Cartoon Carnival (color)

09:30a
Wild Cargo (color)

10:00a
Adventure Calls (color)

10:30a
Famous Playhouse

11:00a
Treasure (color)

11:30a
News (Gil Amundson, Warren Martin)

Afternoon

12:00p
Lunch With Casey

01:00p
Movie – “The Wasp Woman”

03:00p
Virginia Graham (guest Chris Calloway) (color)

03:30p
Whirlybirds

04:00p
Popeye and Pete

04:30p
Casey and Roundhouse

05:00p
The Flintstones (color)

05:30p
The Rifleman

Evening


06:00p
The Twilight Zone

06:30p
Burke’s Law

07:30p
Perry Mason

08:30p
Alfred Hitchcock Presents

09:00p
Movie – “Our Man in Havana”

11:15p
News (Stuart A. Lindman)

11:30p
Weather (Rodger Kent)

11:40p
Sports (Frank Beutel)

11:45p
Sea Hunt

As the independent station in the Twin Cities, news wasn't a major priority at WTCN, and they didn't have a major news operation. Frank Beutel, who gives the 11:40 p.m. sports, was the play-by-play man for the University of Minnesota hockey and basketball teams, the North Stars hockey team, and the state high school hockey and basketball tournaments; he also hosted the baseball scoreboard show following Twins games. As such, he was a very familiar face on Twin Cities television. Gil Amundson, who hosts the sign-on news and the 11:30 a.m. news, always struck me as being the closest thing to a real newsman the station had. He was with WTCN for 30 years as an anchorman and reporter, and loved his work. When he died six years ago, his wife recounted in his obit, “Whenever someone griped about their job he would say, ‘You are in television, what could be more fun than that?’ ” How do you not like someone like that? TV  

13 comments:

  1. I wonder why the Minnesota TV Guide edition is so desired. For that matter what are the most desired editions? I know a lot of western TV Guide editions are rare (Montana is almost impossible to find), but when they do pop up they go for reasonable prices.
    Going back to Irwin Corey, the show he's on (Happening 68) was a youth based show hosted by Paul Revere and the Raiders in the late afternoon. So by airing it at 8:30am, they were totally missing the intended audience. Why air it at all, especially since you'd have to tape/kinescope all the shows?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, Channel 9 was funny that way. Unless my memory is playing tricks on me, they were very bad at that kind of thing. You're right though, it wouldn't make any sense to show it that far out of its intended audience.

      Delete
    2. KMSP wasn't the only affiliate to do that. WNAC Boston was also known to move it (and it's predecessor Where The Action Is) to a similar time slot.

      Delete
  2. I believe Rodger Kent was also known as the announcer/interviewer for AWA Wrestling, which was a Sunday morning staple for us in southern Wisconsin. (Ever since the great champion Nick Bockwinkel died, I haven't felt very good myself.)

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  3. Wait, no he wasn't. Mean Gene Okerlund was the announcer. Rodger Kent was the play-by-play guy. ("Ohhh, he felt that one! He doesn't know whether he's foot or horseback!")

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    Replies
    1. And don't forget Marty O'Neill, who was the announcer on WTCN when they did the Saturday night wrestling. Would you have gotten him in Wisconsin back in the day?

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    2. We did, although the chronology of when has grown hazy (like much else).

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  4. There was a time in the mid70s-early 80s that WCCO was the only station with news at 5. KSTP ran "Hogan's Heroes" for years at 5.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, and I faithfully watched it. I remember when I was in college I used to try to watch the 'CCO news so I'd look serious. I finally realized I had nothing to be ashamed of by watching "Hogan." Such a life.

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  5. It's Happening was actually fed to stations on ABC at 1:30 p.m. / 12:30 Central. I think it was only intended to be a summer series anyway. The Saturday version of the show was Happening '68 and that continued on for awhile. What's weird about ch. 9 in this situation is this: Why break up your children's block of programming with It's Happening? Why not air it at 9 a.m. and Romper Room at 8:30?

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  6. 8:30pm would've been some hard choices, most acutely between NET's JAZZ CASUAL and CBS's HE AND SHE, but even the syndicated repeat of HITCHCOCK PRESENTS: would be a draw, as would the NBC MUSIC HALL...the run of BUS STOP comes in last but not by much.

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  7. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  8. Speed-reading, including Wood's sort, was Real Good for missing subtleties. A well-written, straightforward newspaper report probably wouldn't suffer.

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Thanks for writing! Drive safely!