It's About TV: What's on TV? Friday, December 8, 1961

December 4, 2017

What's on TV? Friday, December 8, 1961

It's the first week of December; I think I've mentioned this before, but although there were many more seasonal programs on television in the late '50s and '60s, they tended to air later in the month than they do now. Cartoons were always something of an exception, since their basic purpose has always been to sell toys. But Rudolph and Charlie Brown and the Grinch are all still a little ways away, and since the variety shows usually air their Christmas episodes right before December 25, things are pretty much as normal this week. The listings are from the Twin Cities, and although there's nothing too spectacular, I think you'll enjoy some of the familiar names and programs.

	2 KTCA (EDUC.) x
	MORNING
	9:55	SCIENCE – Grade 1
	10:20	GERMAN – Grade 5
	10:35	MUSIC – Grade 4
	11:00	YA HABLAMOS ESPANOL
	11:15	BRITISH CALENDAR
	11:30	ECONOMICS Ch 2 leaves the air until 1:30 P.M.
	AFTERNOON
	1:30	YA HABLAMOS ESPANOL
	1:45	KOMM, LACH UND LERNE
	2:00	EXPLORING SCIENCE – Grade 4
	2:30	BEGINNING GERMAN
	3:00	EFFICIENT READING – Brown Ch 2 leaves the air until 6 P.M.
	EVENING
	6:00	WORDS ON RELIGION – Education
	6:30	EFFICIENT READING – Brown
	7:00	ECONOMIC FORECAST – Lunde S
	7:30	SCORED FOR THREE – Music
	8:00	MUSIC OF GREGORIAN CHANT
	8:30	GOALS FOR AMERICANS
	9:00	INTRODUCTION TO THEATER
	10:00	AMERICANS AT WORK
	10:15	INDUSTRY ON PARADE
	10:30	BACKGROUND – Dr. Ziebarth
	10:40	SPEAK UP – Education

	4 WCCO (CBS) x
	MORNING
	6:30	COLLEGE OF THE AIR “New Biology”
	7:00	ON THE SCENE – Farm News
	7:05	FLYING SAUCER – Siegfried
	8:00	CAPTAIN KANGAROO – Children
	9:00	NEWS – Dean Montgomery
	9:10	DR. REUBEN K. YOUNGDHAL
	9:20	WHAT’S NEW? – Arle Haeberle
	9:30	I LOVE LUCY – Comedy
	10:00	VIDEO VILLAGE – Monty Hall
	10:30	YOUR SURPRISE PACKAGE
	10:55	NEWS – Harry Reasoner
	11:00	LOVE OF LIFE – Serial
	11:30	SEARCH FOR TOMORROW – Serial
	11:45	GUIDING LIGHT – Serial
	AFTERNOON
	12:00	NEWS – Dave Moore
	12:15	SOMETHING SPECIAL – Merriman
	12:25	WEATHER – Bud Kraehling
	12:30	AS THE WORLD TURNS – Serial
	1:00	PASSWORD – Allen Ludden Contestants: Betsy Palmer, Zachary Scott
	1:30	HOUSE PARTY – Art Linkletter Guest Host: Ralph Story Guest: Norman Rockwell
	2:00	MILLIONAIRE – Drama
	2:30	VERDICT IS YOURS – Drama
	2:55	NEWS – Charles Collingwood
	3:00	BRIGHTER DAY – Serial
	3:15	SECRET STORM – Serial
	3:30	EDGE OF NIGHT – Serial
	4:00	AROUND THE TOWN – Haeberle
	4:30	BOZO THE CLOWN – Children
	5:00	AXEL AND DOG – Clellen Card
	5:30	CLANCY THE COP – Children
	5:55	MR. MAGOO – Cartoon
	EVENING
	6:00	NEWS – Dean Montgomery
	6:10	WEATHER – Don O’Brien
	6:15	NEWS – Douglas Edwards
	6:30	RAWHIDE – Western
	7:30	ROUTE 66 – Adventure
	8:30	FATHER OF THE BRIDE – Comedy
	9:00	WESTINGHOUSE PRESENTS SPECIAL “Come Again to Carthage”
	10:00	NEWS – Dave Moore
	10:15	WEATHER – Bud Kraehling
	10:20	SPORTS – Ray Scott
	10:30	MOVIE – Drama “Drango” (1957)

	5 KSTP (NBC) x
	MORNING
	6:00	CONTINENTAL CLASSROOM COLOR “Modern Algebra”
	6:30	CONTINENTAL CLASSROOM COLOR “American Government”
	7:00	TODAY – John Chancellor Guest: Cleveland Amory
	9:00	SAY WHEN – Art James
	9:30	PLAY YOUR HUNCH – Merv Griffin COLOR Guest: Minnie Pearl
	10:00	PRICE IS RIGHT – Cullen COLOR
	10:30	CONCENTRATION – Hugh Downs
	11:00	TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES
	11:30	IT COULD BE YOU COLOR
	11:55	NEWS – Ray Scherer
	AFTERNOON
	12:00	NEWS – John MacDougall
	12:15	WEATHER – Johnny Morris
	12:20	TREASURE CHEST COLOR
	1:00	JAN MURRAY – Game COLOR
	1:30	LORETTA YOUNG – Drama
	2:00	YOUNG DR. MALONE – Serial
	2:30	FROM THESE ROOTS – Serial
	3:00	MAKE ROOM FOR DADDY
	3:30	HERE’S HOLLYWOOD – Interviews Guest: Pat Carroll
	3:55	NEWS – Sander Vanocur
	4:00	TOPPER – Comedy
	4:30	KUKLA AND OLLIE – Tillstrom
	4:35	T.N. TATTERS – Children COLOR
	5:15	MAN FROM COCHISE – Police
	5:45	NEWS – Huntley, Brinkley
	EVENING
	6:00	NEWS – Bob Ryan
	6:15	WEATHER – Johnny Morris
	6:30	INTERNATIONAL SHOWTIME
	7:30	DETECTIVES – Robert Taylor
	8:30	BELL TELEPHONE HOUR – Music COLOR Guests: Joan Sutherland, Margot Fonteyn, Michael Somes, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, Luboshutz and Nemenoff, Dorothy Collins and Raymond Scott
	9:30	HERE AND NOW – Frank McGee
	10:00	NEWS – John MacDougall
	10:15	WEATHER – Johnny Morris
	10:20	SPORTS – Dick Nesbitt
	10:30	JACK PAAR – Variety COLOR
	12:00	NEWS AND SPORTS – Krupp

	9 KMSP (ABC) x
	MORNING
	7:55	CHAPEL OF THE AIR – Religion
	8:00	BREAKFAST WITH CAP’N KEN
	8:30	OUR MISS BROOKS – Comedy
	9:00	JACK LA LANNE – Exercise
	9:30	MOVIE – Mystery “Donovan’s Brain” (1954)
	11:00	TEXAN – Western
	11:30	YOURS FOR A SONG – Bert Parks
	AFTERNOON
	12:00	CAMOUFLAGE – Don Morrow
	12:30	MAKE A FACE – Bob Clayton
	1:00	DAY IN COURT – Drama
	1:25	NEWS – Alex Drier
	1:30	MY LITTLE MARGIE - Comedy
	2:00	NUMBER PLEASE – Bud Collier
	2:30	SEVEN KEYS – Jack Narz
	3:00	QUEEN FOR A DAY – Bailey
	3:30	WHO DO YOU TRUST? – Carson
	4:00	AMERICAN BANDSTAND – Clark
	4:50	AMERICAN NEWSSTAND – Sharp
	5:00	LOONEY TUNERS CLUB – Children
	5:40	NEWS – Bob Allard
	5:45	NEWS – ABC Evening
	EVENING
	6:00	BUGS BUNNY – Cartoons
	6:30	STRAIGHTAWAY – Adventure
	7:00	HATHAWAYS – Comedy
	7:30	FLINTSTONES – Cartoon
	8:00	77 SUNSET STRIP – Mystery
	9:00	TARGET: CORRUPTORS – Drama
	10:00	NEWS – Bob Allard
	10:15	WEATHER – Jere Smith
	10:20	SPORTS – Tony Parker
	10:30	MOVIE – Mystery “I Confess” (1953)
	12:30	CHAPEL OF THE AIR – Religion

	11 WTCN (IND.) x
	MORNING
	9:45	CARTOON CIRCUS – Children
	10:00	ROCKY AND HIS FRIENDS
	10:15	ROMPER ROOM – Miss Betty
	11:15	BURNS AND ALLEN – Comedy
	11:45	NEWS – Jack Huston
	AFTERNOON
	12:00	LUNCH WITH CASEY – Children
	1:00	MOVIE – Drama “The Woman Accused” (1933)
	2:30	DR. HUDSON’S JOURNAL
	3:00	LIFE OF RILEY – Comedy
	3:30	AMOS ‘N’ ANDY – Comedy
	4:00	POPEYE AND PETE – Dave Lee
	4:45	ROCKY AND HIS FRIENDS
	5:00	SUPERMAN - Adventure
	5:30	DICK TRACY - Cartoons
	5:45	NEWS – Jack Huston
	EVENING
	6:00	TWO FACES WEST – Western
	6:30	ROCKY AND HIS FRIENDS
	7:00	HIGHWAY PATROL – Police
	7:30	MOVIE – Drama “The Locket” (1946)
	9:00	JOHNNY MIDNIGHT – Mystery
	9:30	NEWS – Jack Huston
	9:45	WEATHER – Stuart A. Lindman
	9:50	SPORTS – Buetel, Horner
	10:00	M SQUAD – Police
	10:30	MOVIE – Adventure “Sinbad the Sailor” (1947)
	12:30	NEWS AND WEATHER

2 comments:

UnknownDecember 4, 2017 at 11:37 PM
Since you regularly decide not to deal with the weekly series, I thought I'd fill the gap, with assistance from my DVD wall:

- CBS, 6:30:
Rawhide has an episode called "The Blue Spy".
The logline says it's about the local Indians raiding a theatrical company and taking their various costumes, and a distressed actress (Phyllis Thaxter) tries to get the drovers to help.
No one seems to remember this these days, but the Rawhide drovers were mainly veterans of the Confederate Army.
"The Blue Spy" refers to the fact that the actress I referred to above was a spy for the Union Army, which causes dispute among the drovers over whether to help her.
I remember the Civil War Centennial celebration, which had started up in earnest in '61; I was 11 at the time, and I recall that blue and gray caps were highly popular among my schoolmates during this time.
And the issues behind the War Between The States ... they got a passing mention here and there ...

- ABC, 6:30:
Straightaway, a weekly half-hour about a pair of race car drivers, ha as its guest star Diana Dors, the British bombshell actress who was trying to take America by storm, with indifferent to poor success.
Miss Dors eventually returned to Britain, leaving behind her children and her husband, a standup comic known at the time as Dick Dawson.
It was afew years after this that Dick Dawson took out US citizenship for himself and his sons, and upgraded his professional billing to Richard Dawson -
- and the rest, I believe you know ...

CBS, 7:30:
Route 66 has an episode called "The Thin White Line: in which Tod drinks a glass of beer, unaware that it's been spiked with a hallucinogenic drug that sends him into psychosis.
Remember, this is 1961, long before this sort of thing became fashionable ...

- ABC, 8:00:
77 Sunset Strip has the first showing of "Reserved For Mr. Bailey", the now-legendary episode in which Efrem Zimbalist Jr. is the only actor on screen for the whole hour; written and directed by Zimbalist's friend Montgomery Pittman (about whom there should be college courses, in my opinion).

-ABC, 9:00:
I watched Target: The Corruptors from the old DVD Wall today.
This week's show was "Silent Partner", about a Mob attempt to infiltrate the garment industry, written by Shimon Wincelberg (on leave from Naked City).
Luther Adler was the Mob boss; Everett Sloane and Robert H. Harris were the put-upon dress manufacturers.
There was a subplot about how the Mob boss's son wanted to make the family business "honest", sort of (there was a "romance" with a designer which figured in this).
This is one of those shows that concentrated on the guest stars, in this case Adler, Sloane, and Harris; Stephen McNally, the nominal star, had a tendency to shout his narration, which may have held down the show's potential popularity (if you remember McNally's gravelly growl, you'll know what I mean here).
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Ken DouglasDecember 9, 2017 at 3:03 AM
Since Mike took care of some of the shows, I'll do the movies.
"The Woman Accused" is a Paramount Picture, part of the MCA TV distribution package many stations had. The story is by Polan Banks (from a Liberty magazine serial chapter by Gertrude Chapman).
During a 3-day pleasure cruise, a murder victim's friend tries to trick a new bride into admitting her guilt. Now, I know that don't stand much for plot, but the cast includes Nancy Carroll, John Halliday and a young fellow who went on to score some film renown - Cary Grant.

Most eveyone knows the story of Sinbad. In this case, a Technicolor spectacle released by RKO Radio Pictures in 1947. Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. and Maureen O'Hara are the stars. But guess what? WTCN doesn't show it in color, as all most stations could get at this time were basic B&W prints (color is still a relatively NEW thing in TV, you know, even if KSTP has done it longer). Anyway, this one's a must see for all the lavishness laid out. But if you want it in color, you're gonna have to wait a while.

I Confess is classic Alfred Hitchcock, but then there's Donovan's Brain, which actually came out the same year (Confess in February '53; Donovan in Sept.). Felix Feist directed and Hugh Brooke adapted the screenplay from Curt Siodmak's novel about an honest scientest keeping the brain of a dead millionaire alive in a tank. Donovan manages to impose his powerful will on the scientist, and uses him to murder his enemies.
The cast features Lew Ayres, Ronald Regan's wife (then known as Nancy Davis), Steve Brodie and Tom Powers. This almost reminds me of that Hawaii Five-O pilot called "Cocoon", but that's light years away from now, so we'll save that for another time.

Finally, we have WCCO's late movie, the searing story of "ONE MAN AGAINST A TOWN GONE MAD WITH LUST!" It goes like this: Major Clint Drango (Jeff Chandler) of the U.S. Army and his aide, Capt. Marc Banning (John Lupton) ride into a burned-out Georgia town shortly after the end of the Civil War with orders to set up a military governorship. The townspeople are bitter over the earlier destruction of their crops, homes, schools and church by Sherman and Union troops-but they do not know Drango was a participant in that destruction. Renegade former Confederates under Clay Allen (Ronald Howard) plan to undermine Drango's benign administration in hopes of restarting the war. The Renegades commit a series of crimes and killings, but Drango's honesty and character eventually win him a few converts.
A Hall Bartlett production, released by United Artists. The supporting cast includes Joanne Dru, Julie London, Donald Crisp, Milburn Stone (Gunsmoke's Doc), Morris Ankrum, Parley Baer and Barney Phillips.

WHEW! Where would I be without good ole IMDb? Probably up the creek-without a creek to go up towards!
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Thanks for writing! Drive safely!