What's on TV? Thursday, June 4, 1964

This was a fine issue of TV Guide, and while there aren't any blockbusters in store on Thursday, June 4, it strikes me as the kind of day that made for pleasant television viewing. I've seen the episode of Password featured in this issue, as I have the Kraft Suspense Theatre story with Ronald Reagan. I've got the complete sets of Yogi Bear, Danger Man, Peter Gunn, The Untouchables, and Perry Mason, so I would have seen those episodes as well. Other people have sets of Rawhide, Dr. Kildare, The Flintstones, and Donna Reed, and they'd have tonight's episodes as well. Son of Belle Starr and The Vengeance of Ursus, two of the movies shown locally, are available on DVD as well. In fact, today you can see quite a lot of what was on TV this particular day, and as this was 53 years ago, I think that's quite a remarkable thing.
                                           

KTCA, Channel 2 (Educ.) Morning
10:00a	Microbiology
Afternoon
12:00p	Psychology
02:50p	Science
03:15p	Social Science
05:30p	Kindergarten
Evening
06:00p	The Big Picture (Army)
06:30p	Man’s Reach
07:00p	String Quartet
07:30p	Sense of Sight
08:00p	Profile
08:30p	General Science
09:00p	Going to College
09:30p	Town and Country
10:00p	Unreasonable Men
10:30p	Public Responsibility

You can tell we're in to summer vacation season by the afternoon programs on Channel 2 - Psychology and Social Science don't sound exactly like the kinds of classroom programs they run during the school year.

WCCO, Channel 4 (CBS) Morning
06:30a	Summer Semester (Modern Comparative Drama)
07:00a	Siegfried, Axel, Clancy
08:00a	Captain Kangaroo
09:00a	News (Dean Montgomery)
09:15a	What’s New?
09:25a	Dr. Reuben K. Youngdahl
09:30a	I Love Lucy
10:00a	The McCoys
10:30a	Pete and Gladys
11:00a	Love of Life
11:25a	CBS News (Robert Trout)
11:30a	Search for Tomorrow
11:45a	The Guiding Light
Afternoon
12:00p	News (Dave Moore)
12:15p	Something Special
12:25p	Weather (Bud Kraehling)
12:30p	As the World Turns
01:00p	Password (guests Barbara Rush, Robert Merrill)
01:30p	House Party (guest Elaine McKenna)
02:00p	To Tell the Truth (guests Phyllis Newman, Robert Alda, Mel Tormé, Joan Fontaine)
02:25p	CBS News (Douglas Edwards)
02:30p	The Edge of Night
03:00p	The Secret Storm
03:30p	Danger Man
04:00p	Around the Town
04:30p	Axel and Deputy Dawg
05:00p	Yogi Bear
05:30p	CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite
Evening
06:00p	News (Dave Moore)
06:15p	Sports (Don Dahl)
06:20p	Spotlight (George Rice)
06:25p	Weather (Bud Kraehling)
06:30p	Password (guests Laurence Harvey, Georgia Brown)
07:00p	Rawhide
08:00p	Perry Mason
09:00p	Texaco Star Parade (host Meredith Wilson, guests Caterina Valente, Sergio Franchi, Rini Wilson, the Young Americans)   SPECIAL
10:00p	News (Dave Moore)
10:15p	Weather (Bud Kraehling)
10:20p	Sports (Hal Scott)
10:30p	Outdoor Sports (Rollie Johnson)
10:35p	Steve Allen (guests Gabe Dell, the Clancy Brothers, Tommy Makem)
12:00a	Movie – “Son of Belle Starr” (1953) (News follows the movie)

I don't know how many people remember Meredith Wilson. CBS signed him to host three musical specials in 1964; this was the first. He was a composer of musical comedies, as well as pop songs and even classical music. You might not remember him, but he did have a couple of reasonably big hits on Broadway - The Music Man and The Unsinkable Molly Brown. On the local side, I am interested that Channel 4 has Patrick McGoohan's Danger Man, the forerunner to The Prisoner, on in the afternoon - it just doesn't seem like that kind of show.

KSTP, Channel 5 (NBC) Morning
06:30a	City and Country
07:00a	Today (guests Henry Wade, Judith Crist)
09:00a	Say When
09:25a	NBC News (Edwin Newman)
09:30a	Word for Word   COLOR
10:00a	Concentration
10:30a	Jeopardy   COLOR
11:00a	Your First Impression (guests John Gavin and Cicely Evans)   COLOR
11:30a	Truth or Consequences   COLOR
11:55a	NBC News (Ray Scherer)
Afternoon
12:00p	News (John MacDougall)   COLOR
12:15p	Weather (Johnny Morris)   COLOR
12:25p	Woman’s World   COLOR
12:30p	Treasure Chest   COLOR
01:00p	Let’s Make a Deal   COLOR
01:25p	NBC News (Floyd Kalber)
01:30p	The Doctors
02:00p	Another World
02:30p	You Don’t Say! (guests Pat Carroll, Ross Martin)   COLOR
03:00p	The Match Game (guests Milt Kamen, Dr. Joyce Brothers)
03:25p	NBC News (Sander Vanocur)
03:30p	Make Room for Daddy
04:00p	Movie – “Paris After Dark” (1943)
05:25p	Doctor’s House Call
05:30p	The Huntley-Brinkley Report
Evening
06:00p	News (Bob Ryan)   COLOR
06:15p	Weather (Johnny Morris)   COLOR
06:25p	Sports (Al Tighe)   COLOR
06:30p	Temple Houston
07:30p	Dr. Kildare
08:30p	Hazel   COLOR
09:00p	Kraft Suspense Theatre   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 (guests Carol Lawrence, Don Adams)   COLOR
12:00a	News and Sports   COLOR
12:05a	Movie – “Chinatown Squad” (1935)

I wrote about Kraft Suspense Theatre on Saturday; Kraft was a major sponsor of television shows over the years, among them being Kraft Television Theatre (one of the longest and best of the early anthology shows) and, of course, Kraft Music Hall, hosted by Milton Berle, Perry Como, and others.

KMSP, Channel 9 (ABC) Morning
07:45a	Breakfast with Grandpa Ken
08:30a	Romper Room (Miss Betty)
09:30a	The Price is Right (guest Virginia Graham)
10:00a	Get the Message (guests Marty Ingels, Bennett Cerf, Betty White, Julia Meade)
10:30a	Missing Links (guests Dorothy Kilgallen, Nipsey Russell, Tom Poston, Reginald Gardiner)
11:00a	Father Knows Best
11:30a	Ernie Ford (guest Barbara McNair)
Afternoon
12:00p	My Little Margie
12:30p	Peter Gunn
01:00p	Lois Leppart
01:30p	Day in Court
01:55p	ABC News (Lisa Howard)
02:00p	General Hospital
02:30p	Queen for a Day
03:00p	Trailmaster
04:00p	Movie (Western)
05:00p	News (Bob Allard)
05:15p	ABC Evening Report (Ron Cochran)
05:30p	Leave it to Beaver
Evening
06:00p	Hennesey
06:30p	The Flintstones   COLOR
07:00p	Donna Reed
07:30p	My Three Sons
08:00p	Ensign O’Toole
08:30p	Jimmy Dean (guests Jack Jones, Hank Snow, “Professor Backwards” [James Edmondson, Sr.])
09:30p	Stump the Stars (guests Eartha Kitt, Mike Connors)
10:00p	News, Weather, Sports
10:30p	The Untouchables
11:30p	Thriller
12:30a	News

Hank Snow and Jack Jones - what an interesting combination on Jimmy Dean's show. James Edmondson was an old vaudevillian whose shtick included writing and pronouncing words backwards. Something for everyone, I guess. Anyway, in a lurid footnote, Edmondson was murdered in Atlanta in 1976 by three armed gunmen. Chevy Chase presented the story on Saturday Night Live's "Weekend Update" as follows - and I kid you not: "Well, the popular TV personality known as Professor Backwards was slain in Atlanta yesterday, by three masked gunmen. According to reports, neighbors ignored the Professor's cries of 'Pleh! Pleh!' " It was a joke that, typical of SNL, was in very bad taste. It was also very funny.

WTCN, Channel 11 (Ind.) Morning
10:45a	Kukla and Ollie
11:00a	Eleven O’Clock Scholar
11:30a	Dateline: Minnesota
11:50a	Tricks for Treats
Afternoon
12:00p	Lunch with Casey
12:45p	The King and Odie
01:00p	Matinee Movie – “Dr. Rhythm” (1938)
03:00p	Bachelor Father
03:30p	Robin Hood
04:00p	Dave Lee and Pete
04:30p	The Mickey Mouse Club
05:00p	Superman
05:30p	Mac and Myer for Hire
05:45p	Rocky and His Friends
Evening
06:00p	The Rifleman
06:30p	Bold Journey
07:00p	Expedition!
07:30p	Movie – “The Vengeance of Ursus” (Italian, 1962)
09:30p	News (Dick Ford)
09:45p	Weather (Stuart A. Lindman)
09:50p	Sports (Frank Buetel, Jack Horner)
10:00p	Movie – “The Affairs of Susan” (1945)
12:15a	One Step Beyond

I think I've made this comment before, but it bears repeating; Channel 11's schedule when they weren't broadcasting the Twins or Minnesota Gophers (or, later, the North Stars) wasn't much to write about. I have to think that The Vengeance of Ursus is going to wind up on Mystery Science Theater 3000 one of these days. TV