What's on TV? Sunday, May 17, 1959

This week we get a chance to look at the rich history of Philadelphia's childrens' shows; three of today's shows are hosted by hosted by members of the city's "Broadcast Pioneers Hall of Fame." Back then, local stations actually were television pioneers; Chicago and Philadelphia were as important to the early history of television as New York and Hollywood. As I recall, Ernie Kovacs started out in Philadelphia (where he once wrestled a jaguar on live television); Dick Clark and American Bandstand started in Philly; and of course who can forget NFL Films' "Voice of God," John Facenda, the longtime news anchorman. I'm leaving out many more, but you're more interested in getting to the listings than listening to me blather.

WRCV, Channel 3 (NBC) Morning
06:25a	Thought for Today
06:30a	Farm, Home and Garden
07:00a	Cartoon Comics
08:00a	The Catholic Hour
08:30a	It is Written (color)
09:00a	Satellite Police
10:00a	Come Little Children (color)
10:30a	Abbott and Costello
11:00a	Bertie the Bunyip
Afternoon
12:00p	Buckskin Billy Playhouse – “Northwest Trail”
01:00p	Danger is my Business (color)
01:30p	Pinpoint
02:00p	I Search for Adventure
02:30p	Tales of the 77th Bengal Lancers
03:00p	Hollywood Playhouse – “The Kid from Cleveland”
04:30p	Kingdom of the Sea (color)
05:00p	Kaleidoscope
Evening
06:00p	Meet the Press (guest Abba Eban)
06:30p	Chet Huntley Reporting
07:00p	The Honeymooners
07:30p	Steve Allen (guests George Gobel, Diahann Carroll, Vaughn Monroe, the Pensacola Naval Air Training Center Cadet Choir, the Nicholas Dancers) (color)
08:30p	Pete Kelly’s Blues
09:00p	Dinah Shore (guests Van Johnson, Peggy Lee, Cliff Arquette, Sujata and Asoka) (color)
10:00p	Loretta Young
10:30p	Movie 3 – “The Wild Dakotas”
11:00p	News (Paul Taylor)
11:10p	Movie Continues
12:30a	Science Fiction Theater
01:00a	News (local)
01:05a	Thought for Today

Bertie the Bunyip was a popular kids' show in Philly, hosted by Lee Dexter and running from 1954 to 1966, featuring puppet characters. And what, you may ask, is a Bunyip? According to the always-reliable Wikipedia, "The bunyip is a large mythical creature from Australian Aboriginal mythology, said to lurk in swamps, billabongs, creeks, riverbeds, and waterholes. The origin of the word bunyip has been traced to the Wemba-Wemba or Wergaia language of Aboriginal people of South-Eastern Australia." Here's what a bunyip looks like, more or less (the bunyip is on the left, Lee Dexter on the right):

                                              

WFIL, Channel 6 (ABC) Morning
08:45a	Through the Porthole
09:00a	Adventures in Israel
09:30a	Christian Science
09:45a	The Christopher Program
10:15a	The Way
10:45a	Bozo Cartoon Theater
11:15a	Chief Halftown’s Pow-Wow
11:30a	Halls of Ivy
Afternoon
12:00p	Gateway to the World
12:30p	Your Star Showcase
01:30p	Chief Halftown’s Pow-Wow
01:45p	News (Bill Webber)
01:50p	Baseball Warmup
02:00p	Baseball (Phillies vs. Cardinals)
04:50p	Grandstand Manager
05:00p	Pioneer Playhouse
Evening
06:00p	Tugboat Annie
06:30p	Sergeant Preston of the Yukon
07:00p	You Asked For It
07:30p	Maverick
08:30p	The Lawman
09:00p	Colt .45
09:30p	Talk Back
10:00p	Heart of the City
10:30p	Meet McGraw
11:00p	News (John Roberts)
11:10p	Weather (Francis Davis)
11:15p	World’s Best Movies – “Conquest”, “Yank on the Burma Road”

Chief Halftown was another legendary childrens' program, running for fifty years (1950-1999). Its star, Traynor Ora Halftown was, interestingly enough, 100% Seneca, and always preferred Indian to Native American. He was also a professional bowler and spokesman for Brunswick.

WGAL, Channel 8 (Lancaster) (CBS, NBC) Morning
10:30a	The Catholic Hour
11:00a	The Christopher Program
11:30a	This is the Life
Afternoon
12:00p	Search for Health
12:15p	Your City Schools
12:30p	Championship Bowling
01:00p	The Big Picture (Army)
01:30p	Film Feature
02:00p	Baseball (Phillies vs. Cardinals)
04:30p	Film Features
05:00p	Kaleidoscope
Evening
06:00p	Doorway to Life
06:20p	News, Weather (Bill Wright)
06:30p	The Twentieth Century
07:00p	Peter Gunn
07:30p	Jack Benny
08:00p	Ed Sullivan (guests Louis Prima and Keely Smith, Shelly Berman, Jack Carter, Frank Libuse, Al Hibbler, Conrad Buckner, Baron Buika, U.S. Military Academy Cadet Choir)
09:00p	Dinah Shore (guests Van Johnson, Peggy Lee, Cliff Arquette, Sujata and Asoka) (color)
10:00p	Loretta Young
10:30p	What’s My Line? (guest panelist Eamonn Andrews)
11:00p	Sunday News Special (Walter Cronkite)
11:15p	Weather (Bill Wright)
11:20p	Victory at Sea
11:50p	News and Sports

The Christophers, as it was often known, wasn't a kids' show, but it was a long-running religious program that was seen in almost every market in the country at one time or another, including both Lancaster and Philadelphia. The religious order was founded by Fr. James Keller; their motto, "It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness," always reminds me of a Peanuts strip in which Linus quotes the saying, followed by a frame showing Lucy standing outside at night shouting, "You stupid darkness!"

WCAU, Channel 10 (CBS) Morning
06:55a	Give Us This Day
07:00a	Sunday Seminar
08:00a	Bill Bennett
08:30a	Cartoon Theater
09:30a	Sunday School
10:00a	Lamp Unto My Feet
10:30a	Look up and Live
11:00a	Research
11:30a	Camera Three
11:55a	News (Bob Collier)
Afternoon
12:00p	Shorty’s Cartoon Theater
12:30p	Paul and Mary Ritts
01:00p	Picture for a Sunday Afternoon – “Hobson’s Choice”, “Down Three Dark Streets”
04:00p	Crisis in Education (special)
05:00p	Face the Nation
05:30p	G-E College Bowl (Wayne State vs. Goucher College)
Evening
06:00p	Behind the News
06:30p	The Twentieth Century
07:00p	Lassie
07:30p	Jack Benny
08:00p	Ed Sullivan (guests Louis Prima and Keely Smith, Shelly Berman, Jack Carter, Frank Libuse, Al Hibbler, Conrad Buckner, Baron Buika, U.S. Military Academy Cadet Choir)
09:00p	G.E. Theater
09:30p	Alfred Hitchcock
10:00p	Richard Diamond
10:30p	What’s My Line? (guest panelist Eamonn Andrews)
11:00p	Sunday News Special (Walter Cronkite)
11:15p	News, Weather (Bob Collier)
11:20p	Frank Brookhouser
11:30p	The Late Show – “Othello”
01:00a	The Late, Late Show – “Tars and Spars”
02:30a	Give Us This Day

Shorty's Cartoon Theater has a page as well, or at least its host does; Bill Hart was a legend in Philadelphia broadcasting circles, and while this show was only a small part of Hart's illustrious career, it shows how multitalented many local television personalities were; Count Floyd isn't the only newsman to do double duty at the station. Hart started out virtually when the station did in the mid 1940s, and remained there until 1986. We should all do that well, hmm? TV