What's on TV? Wednesday, August 31, 1966

As I mentioned on Saturday, we're looking at another part of this vast state this week, but in the long run television is television no matter where you're at. Oddly enough, though, I think the regional differences between stations were far more pronounced back then as opposed to today. They all get the same syndicated shows nowadays, their news people all went to the same school where they all learned to talk the same way, their local shows all come from the same media people, the graphics are identical from one market to another. Odd, isn't it, that we can be so homogenized in that way, yet so divided in every other way.

	KPRC, Channel 2 (Houston) (NBC)
	Morning
	07:00a	Today (guests Vaughn Monroe, Jack Greenberg) (color)
	09:00a	Eye Guess (color)
	09:25a	NBC News (Sander Vanocur)
	09:30a	Concentration
	10:00a	Chain Letter (guests Dan Rowan, Dick Martin) (color)
	10:30a	Showdown (color)
	11:00a	Jeopardy (color)
	11:30a	Swingin’ Country (guest Anette Brooks) (color)
	11:55a	NBC News (Edwin Newman)
	Afternoon
	12:00p	Midday
	12:30p	Let’s Make a Deal (color)
	12:55p	NBC News (Floyd Kalber) (color)
	01:00p	Days of Our Lives (color)
	01:30p	The Doctors
	02:00p	Another World (color)
	02:30p	You Don’t Say! (panelists Kathy Nolan, Dale Robertson) (color)
	03:00p	The Match Game (contestants Sam Levenson, Dr. Joyce Brothers) (color)
	03:25p	NBC News (Nancy Dickerson) (color)
	03:30p	Marijane’s Magicastle
	04:00p	Merv Griffin
	05:00p	Chris Chandler
	05:30p	The Huntley-Brinkley Report (color)
	Evening
	06:00p	News (Larry Rasco, Al Mofett)
	06:30p	The Virginian (color)
	08:00p	Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theater (color)
	09:00p	I Spy (color)
	10:00p	News, Weather, Sports (local)
	10:30p	The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (color)
	12:00a	M Squad

NBC has a dominant presence in this week's listings, which for the most part you'll find consistent through all the local channels. Whenever I do listings from this era, I'm always struck by the presence of Swingin' Country - a morning variety show. There used to be several of them - not anymore, unless you can get a guest to sing on one of the chat shows.

	KJAC, Channel 4 (Port Arthur) (NBC)
	Morning
	07:00a	Today (guests Vaughn Monroe, Jack Greenberg) (color)
	09:00a	Circle 4 Club
	09:30a	Concentration
	10:00a	Chain Letter (guests Dan Rowan, Dick Martin) (color)
	10:30a	Showdown (color)
	11:00a	Jeopardy (color)
	11:30a	Swingin’ Country (guest Anette Brooks) (color)
	11:55a	News (Ed Robinson)
	Afternoon
	12:00p	Wills Family
	12:30p	Let’s Make a Deal (color)
	12:55p	NBC News (Floyd Kalber) (color)
	01:00p	Days of Our Lives (color)
	01:30p	The Doctors
	02:00p	Another World (color)
	02:30p	You Don’t Say! (panelists Kathy Nolan, Dale Robertson) (color)
	03:00p	The Match Game (contestants Sam Levenson, Dr. Joyce Brothers) (color)
	03:25p	NBC News (Nancy Dickerson) (color)
	03:30p	Bachelor Father
	04:00p	Movie – “The Paleface”
	05:30p	The Huntley-Brinkley Report (color)
	Evening
	06:00p	News and Weather (local)
	06:30p	The Virginian (color)
	08:00p	Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theater (color)
	09:00p	I Spy (color)
	10:00p	News, Weather, Sports (local)
	10:30p	The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (color)

The matinee movie "The Paleface" is a typical Bob Hope comedy, as he plays a timid traveling dentist who falls in with outlaws and Jane Russell (who offers a lot to fall into, if you know what I mean). Pleasant enough, but where's Bing Crosby when you need him?

	KFDM, Channel 6 (Beaumont) (CBS)
	Morning
	07:00a	CBS Morning News With Joseph Benti (color)
	07:30a	Funtime
	08:00a	Captain Kangaroo
	09:00a	I Love Lucy
	09:30a	The McCoys
	10:00a	Andy Griffith
	10:30a	Dick Van Dyke
	11:00a	Love of Life
	11:25a	CBS News (Joseph Benti) (color)
	11:30a	Search For Tomorrow
	11:45a	The Guiding Light
	Afternoon
	12:00p	News (Wally Dixon)
	12:30p	As the World Turns
	01:00p	Password (panelists Frank Gifford, Florence Henderson)
	01:30p	House Party (guests Billy Eckstine, Dorothy Manners) (color)
	02:00p	To Tell the Truth
	02:25p	CBS News (Douglas Edwards) (color)
	02:30p	The Edge of Night
	03:00p	The Secret Storm
	03:30p	Mike Douglas (co-host Arthur Godfrey, guest Leon Shimkin)
	05:00p	Leave it to Beaver
	05:30p	CBS Evening News With Walter Cronkite (color)
	Evening
	06:00p	News, Weather, Sports (local)
	06:30p	Lost in Space
	07:30p	The Beverly Hillbillies
	08:00p	Green Acres (color)
	08:30p	Dick Van Dyke
	09:00p	John Gary (guests Joanie Sommers, Morey Amsterdam) (color)
	10:00p	News, Weather, Sports (local)
	10:30p	Stoney Burke

Stoney Burke is one of those shows that I'm kind of surprised to see pop up on DVD. It only ran for one season, and despite its rodeo setting it's not a period Western. It does have Jack Lord though, on the cusp of stardom in Hawaii Five-0. I've seen an episode in the past; I wouldn't be surprised to see the set wind up in my DVD collection one of these days.

	KPLC, Channel 7 (Lake Charles, LA) (NBC)
	Morning
	07:00a	Today (guests Vaughn Monroe, Jack Greenberg) (color)
	09:00a	Eye Guess (color)
	09:25a	NBC News (Sander Vanocur)
	09:30a	Concentration
	10:00a	Chain Letter (guests Dan Rowan, Dick Martin) (color)
	10:30a	Showdown (color)
	11:00a	Jeopardy (color)
	11:30a	Swingin’ Country (guest Anette Brooks) (color)
	11:55a	NBC News (Edwin Newman)
	Afternoon
	12:00p	News, Weather, Sports (local)
	12:30p	Let’s Make a Deal (color)
	12:55p	NBC News (Floyd Kalber) (color)
	01:00p	Days of Our Lives (color)
	01:30p	The Doctors
	02:00p	Another World (color)
	02:30p	You Don’t Say! (panelists Kathy Nolan, Dale Robertson) (color)
	03:00p	Lee Janot
	04:00p	Mike Douglas (co-host Arthur Godfrey, guest Leon Shimkin)
	05:30p	The Huntley-Brinkley Report (color)
	Evening
	06:00p	News, Weather, Sports (local)
	06:30p	The Virginian (color)
	08:00p	Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theater (color)
	09:00p	I Spy (color)
	10:00p	Pulse
	10:30p	The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (color)

I know I Spy isn't on the hit parade at the moment due to Bill Cosby, but for three seasons it was a dependable series on NBC, and Cosby's presence, as the first black actor to star in a drama series on TV, is groundbreaking. Tonight's episode, not so much - they boys are assigned to prevent the spoiled daughter of a Cabinet official from causing trouble during a visit to Mexico. Sounds more like it should be on The Man from U.N.C.L.E. - the bad years.

	KUHT, Channel 8 (Houston) (Educ.)
	Evening
	06:00p	What’s New
	06:30p	Sports World
	07:00p	Today’s Health
	07:30p	U.S.A.
	08:00p	Travel Club
	08:30p	Einstein (special)

That biography of Einstein - we think of him today as a very distant figure, but he was far less distant in 1966; he'd only been dead for 11 years. Today, 11 years ago was 2005 - not so far back, is it?

	KTRE, Channel 9 (Lufkin) (NBC, ABC, CBS)
	Morning
	07:00a	Today (guests Vaughn Monroe, Jack Greenberg) (color)
	08:30a	Captain Kangaroo
	09:00a	Eye Guess (color)
	09:25a	NBC News (Sander Vanocur)
	09:30a	Concentration
	10:00a	Chain Letter (guests Dan Rowan, Dick Martin) (color)
	10:30a	Showdown (color)
	11:00a	Jeopardy (color)
	11:30a	Swingin’ Country (guest Anette Brooks) (color)
	11:55a	NBC News (Edwin Newman)
	Afternoon
	12:00p	Father Knows Best
	12:30p	Let’s Make a Deal (color)
	12:55p	NBC News (Floyd Kalber) (color)
	01:00p	Days of Our Lives (color)
	01:30p	The Doctors
	02:00p	Another World (color)
	02:30p	You Don’t Say! (panelists Kathy Nolan, Dale Robertson) (color)
	03:00p	The Match Game (contestants Sam Levenson, Dr. Joyce Brothers) (color)
	03:25p	NBC News (Nancy Dickerson) (color)
	03:30p	General Hospital
	04:00p	Ben Casey
	05:00p	Summer Fun
	05:30p	The Huntley-Brinkley Report (color)
	Evening
	06:00p	At Your Service News, Weather, Sports (local)
	06:30p	The Virginian (color)
	08:00p	Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theater (color)
	09:00p	I Spy (color)
	10:00p	News, Sports and Weather (local)
	10:15p	Honey West
	10:45p	The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (color)

Yes, most of their programming may have been from NBC, but you have to love how they cut short Today in order to show Captain Kangaroo, and delay Johnny Carson so they can show Honey West.

	KHOU, Channel 11 (Houston) (CBS)
	Morning
	06:30a	Summer Semester
	07:00a	Weather, Surfing, Fishing
	07:05a	CBS Morning News With Joseph Benti (color)
	07:30a	Morning
	08:30a	Captain Kangaroo
	09:00a	I Love Lucy
	09:30a	The McCoys
	10:00a	Andy Griffith
	10:30a	Dick Van Dyke
	11:00a	Love of Life
	11:25a	CBS News (Joseph Benti) (color)
	11:30a	Search For Tomorrow
	11:45a	The Guiding Light
	Afternoon
	12:00p	News (Al Bell, Joanne King)
	12:30p	As the World Turns
	01:00p	Password (panelists Frank Gifford, Florence Henderson)
	01:30p	House Party (guests Billy Eckstine, Dorothy Manners) (color)
	02:00p	To Tell the Truth
	02:25p	Doctor’s House Call
	02:30p	The Edge of Night
	03:00p	The Secret Storm
	03:30p	Movie – “Castle on the Hudson”
	05:00p	Marshal Dillon
	05:30p	CBS Evening News With Walter Cronkite (color)
	Evening
	06:00p	News, Weather, Sports (Stone, Bell, Temple, Lasher)
	06:30p	Lost in Space
	07:30p	The Beverly Hillbillies
	08:00p	Green Acres (color)
	08:30p	Dick Van Dyke
	09:00p	John Gary (guests Joanie Sommers, Morey Amsterdam) (color)
	10:00p	News, Sports and Weather (local)
	10:30p	Movie – “June Bride”

John Gary was a popular singer of the day; never at the top of the charts, but possessor of a very good voice nonetheless, and certainly good enough to host this summer replacement series, filling in for Danny Kaye.

	KBMT, Channel 12 (Beaumont) (CBS)
	Morning
	08:50a	News (local)
	09:00a	Laurel and Hardy
	09:30a	Yancy Derringer
	10:00a	Supermarket Sweep
	10:30a	The Dating Game
	11:00a	Donna Reed
	11:30a	Father Knows Best
	Afternoon
	12:00p	Ben Casey
	01:00p	The Newlywed Game
	01:30p	A Time For Us
	01:55p	ABC News (Marlene Sanders)
	02:00p	General Hospital
	02:30p	The Nurses
	03:00p	Dark Shadows
	03:30p	Popeye
	03:45p	Rocky and His Friends
	04:00p	Superman
	04:30p	Where the Action Is (guests the Temptations, Michiru Maki, the Robbs, Keith Allison)
	05:00p	Peter Jennings with the News
	05:15p	News and Weather (local)
	05:30p	Bat Masterson
	Evening
	06:00p	Peter Potamus
	06:30p	Batman (color)
	07:00p	Patty Duke (last show of the series)
	07:30p	Blue Light (color) (last show of the series)
	08:00p	Wednesday Night Movie – “Bachelor Flat” (color)
	10:00p	News and Weather (local)
	10:20p	Movie – “Magnetic Monster”

As I mentioned Saturday, it's the last night for The Patty Duke Show on the network. Interesting how the series (and especially it's theme song) have become so ingrained in pop culture of the era, particularly since it had a relatively short run of three years.

	KTRK, Channel 13 (Houston) (ABC)
	Morning
	06:30a	Cadet Don
	07:00a	News (Stephenson, Jones)
	07:30a	Cadet Don
	08:30a	Kitty’s Corner
	09:00a	Jack LaLanne (color)
	09:30a	Girl Talk
	10:00a	Supermarket Sweep
	10:30a	The Dating Game
	11:00a	Donna Reed
	11:30a	Father Knows Best
	Afternoon
	12:00p	Ben Casey
	01:00p	The Newlywed Game
	01:30p	A Time For Us
	01:55p	ABC News (Marlene Sanders)
	02:00p	General Hospital
	02:30p	The Nurses
	03:00p	Dark Shadows
	03:30p	Where the Action Is (guests the Temptations, Michiru Maki, the Robbs, Keith Allison)
	04:00p	Kitirik’s Karrousel
	05:00p	Kitty’s Corner
	05:30p	Leave it to Beaver
	Evening
	06:00p	News, Weather, Sports (local)
	06:15p	Peter Jennings with the News
	06:30p	Batman (color)
	07:00p	Salute to Youth (special)
	08:00p	Wednesday Night Movie – “Bachelor Flat” (color)
	10:00p	News, Sports and Weather (local)
	10:30p	Far Away Places (color)
	11:00p	Movie – “The Youngest Spy”
	12:45a	Conaway Comments

The 11:00 movie "The Youngest Spy" sounds like something from Nickelodeon, doesn't it? In reality, it's probably much grimmer. Here's the description of the 1962 Russian film: "A 12-year-old boy joins a World War II Russian regiment as a scout after he sees his mother and sister killed by the Nazis." Not quite Harriet the Spy territory, is it? TV