It's About TV: What's on TV? Tuesday, November 21, 1978

Here we are in Thanksgiving week, although since I gave that a pretty good rundown on Saturday, I think I'll skip the listings for the actual date. Instead, we'll take a look at Tuesday in the Twin Cities. As you can see, things have changed from some of the earlier TV Guides we've looked at lately; KTCA now has a normal broadcasting day; they also have most of the shows for children, those having disappeared from local broadcast stations. Game shows and soaps are still around, though—the wretched talk shows and judge shows that we're inundated with today haven't overrun us yet. Let's take a look at what else is on.

	2 KTCA (PBS)
	MORNING
	7:00	ISSUES IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE
	7:30	SURVIVAL SKILLS FOR THE CLASSROOM TEACHER
	8:00	SESAME STREET—Children
	9:00	ELECTRIC COMPANY—Children
	9:30	MUSIC—Children
	10:00	CONSUMER SURVIVAL KIT
	10:30	TRADE-OFFS
	11:00	ZOOM—Children
	11:30	SESAME STREET—Children
	AFTERNOON
	12:30	MISTER ROGERS—Children
	1:00	ELECTRIC COMPANY—Children
	1:30	MINNESOTA ISSUES
	2:00	OVER EASY—Hugh Downs Guest: Howard Jarvis
	2:30	DICK CAVETT Guest: William F. Buckley Jr.
	3:00	NOVA
	4:00	MISTER ROGERS—Children
	4:30	SESAME STREET—Children
	5:30	ELECTRIC COMPANY—Children
	EVENING
	6:00	FREESTYLE—Children
	6:30	MacNEIL/LEHRER REPORT
	7:00	LIVE FROM THE MET—Opera Special: “The Bartered Bride”
	10:10	AMERICA 2NIGHT—Comedy Guest: Mark Hamill
	10:40	VISIONS—Drama “The Dancing Bear”
	12:10	SOUNDSTAGE

Howard Jarvis, the guest on Hugh Downs' Over Easy, was at the time one of the most prominent and most controversial political figures in the United States. He authored Proposition 13, California's celebrated tax-cutting initiative which became law in 1978 and cut property taxes by nearly 60%.

	4 WCCO (CBS)
	MORNING
	5:30	SUNRISE SEMESTER American Character
	6:00	CBS NEWS—Stahl/Threlkeld
	7:00	ALLEN’S WINDOW—Children
	7:30	CAPTAIN KANGAROO
	8:00	PHIL DONAHUE
	9:00	JOKER’S WILD—Game
	9:30	PRICE IS RIGHT—Game
	10:30	LOVE OF LIFE—Serial
	10:55	NEWS
	11:00	YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS
	11:30	SEARCH FOR TOMORROW
	AFTERNOON
	12:00	MIDDAY Guest: Charlton Heston
	12:30	AS THE WORLD TURNS—Serial
	1:30	GUIDING LIGHT—Serial
	2:30	*MASH**
	3:00	EVERYDAY Guests: Seals & Crofts
	4:00	MIKE DOUGLAS Co-host: Helen Reddy. Guests: Richard Benjamin, Isaac Hayes, Elayne Boosler, Richard Hatch
	5:30	CBS NEWS—Walter Cronkite
	EVENING
	6:00	NEWS
	6:30	$1.98 BEAUTY SHOW Judges: Gloria DeHaven, Jamie Farr, Jaye P. Morgan
	7:00	PAPER CHASE—Drama
	8:00	MOVIE—Drama “The Pirate” (Made For TV; 1978)
	10:00	NEWS
	10:45	MARCUS WELBY, M.D.—Drama
	11:55	BONANZA—Western
	1:00	ROOKIES—Crime Drama

Charlton Heston is a busy man today—in addition to appearing on the Midday show here, he's also on Twin Cities Today on Channel 5; both shows are broadcast live. My guess is that he was in town promoting his new book The Actor's Life, a copy of which resides in our library.

	5 KSTP (NBC)
	MORNING
	5:50	MINNESOTA TODAY
	6:20	COUNTRY DAY
	7:00	TODAY—Tom Brokaw Guest: Alexis Smith
	9:00	TWIN CITIES TODAY Guest: Charlton Heston
	10:00	HIGH ROLLERS—Game
	10:30	WHEEL OF FORTUNE—Game
	11:00	AMERICA ALIVE!—Jack Linkletter
	AFTERNOON
	12:00	HOLLYWOOD SQUARES—Game June Carter Cash, Melissa Gilbert, George Gobel, Richard Lewis, Paul Lynde, Roddy McDowall, Richard Mulligan, Wendy Phillips, Jimmie Walker
	12:30	DAYS OF OUR LIVES—Serial
	1:30	DOCTORS—Serial
	2:00	ANOTHER WORLD—Serial
	3:00	CONCENTRATION
	3:30	NEW MICKEY MOUSE CLUB
	4:00	BATTLE OF THE PLANETS
	4:30	DR. WHO—Science Fiction
	5:00	HOGAN’S HEROES—Comedy
	5:30	NBC NEWS—Chancellor/Brinkley
	EVENING
	6:00	NEWS
	6:30	THAT’S HOLLYWOOD!
	7:00	GREATEST HEROES OF THE BIBLE—Drama
	9:00	DEAN MARTIN Special: Suzanne Somers Roast
	10:00	NEWS
	10:30	JOHNNY CARSON Guests: Anthony Quinn, Steve Martin, Paul Williams
	12:00	TOMORROW—Tom Snyder
	1:00	NEWS

I was a pretty loyal viewer of Hogan's Heroes back then, provided I'd gotten back from classes by then, but this was before I'd become a fan of (classic) Doctor Who; hence, I have absolutely no memory of having seen it on prior to Hogan. As I recall from past TV Guide issues, Channel 5 was running the Tom Baker episodes, which would eventually find a home on Channel 2, along with all the other Doctors.

	9 KMSP (ABC)
	MORNING
	6:30	GOOD MORNING MINNESOTA Guest: David Wallechinsky
	7:00	GOOD MORNING AMERICA Guest: Rossano Brazzi
	9:00	DINAH! Guests: Orson Welles, Peter Strauss, Rita Moreno, Britt Ekland
	10:00	HAPPY DAYS
	10:30	FAMILY FEUD—Game
	11:00	$25,000 PYRAMID—Game Nipsey Russell, Elaine Joyce
	11:30	RYAN’S HOPE—Serial
	AFTERNOON
	12:00	ALL MY CHILDREN—Serial
	1:00	ONE LIFE TO LIVE—Serial
	2:00	GENERAL HOSPITAL—Serial
	3:00	MEDICAL CENTER—Drama
	4:00	STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO
	5:00	ABC NEWS
	5:30	SANFORD AND SON—Comedy
	EVENING
	6:00	NEWS
	6:30	$100,000 NAME THAT TUNE
	7:00	HAPPY DAYS
	7:30	LAVERNE & SHIRLEY
	8:00	THREE’S COMPANY
	8:30	TAXI—Comedy
	9:00	STARSKY & HUTCH
	10:00	NEWS
	10:30	PHOTOPLAY AWARDS Special
	12:00	MOD SQUAD—Crime Drama
	1:00	TWILIGHT ZONE—Drama BW
	1:30	NEWS

Nipsey Russell is just as busy as Charlton Heston today; he's on The $25,000 Pyramid at 11:00, and then on WTCN he's on the syndicated Cross-Wits. I say this with absolutely no disrespect, but every game-show producer in America must have had Nipsey's phone number on speeddial; I imagine if a guest was ever sick or couldn't make it, Nipsey would have been there right away to fill-in.

	11 WTCN (Ind.)
	MORNING
	5:30	WHAT’S NEW?
	6:00	PTL CLUB—Religion
	7:00	ARCHIES—Cartoons
	7:30	POPEYE AND PORKY—Cartoons
	8:30	GROOVE GOOLIES AND FRIENDS—Cartoon
	9:00	FRED FLINTSTONE & FRIENDS
	9:30	BEWITCHED—Comedy
	10:00	FAMILY AFFAIR—Comedy
	10:30	MAYBERRY R.F.D.—Comedy
	11:00	LOVE AMERICAN STYLE
	11:30	WHAT’S NEW?
	AFTERNOON
	12:30	ANDY GRIFFITH—Comedy BW
	1:00	MOVIE—Western “The Violent Men” (1954)
	3:00	SPIDERMAN—Cartoon
	3:30	TOM AND JERRY—Cartoons
	4:30	LEAVE IT TO BEAVER BW
	5:00	I LOVE LUCY—Comedy BW
	5:30	MY THREE SONS—Comedy
	EVENING
	6:00	CAROL BURNETT AND FRIENDS
	6:30	NEWLYWED GAME
	7:00	DATING GAME
	7:30	CROSS-WITS—Game Nipsey Russell, Bo Svenson, Marcia Wallace, Marianne Black
	8:00	MERV GRIFFIN Guests: Odyssey, Tom Brokaw, Jane Pauley, Theodore White, William Manchester, Arthur Schlessinger Jr.
	9:30	NEWS
	10:00	MARY TYLER MOORE—Comedy
	10:30	BOB NEWHART—Comedy
	11:00	ODD COUPLE—Comedy
	11:30	GONG SHOW—Game Judges: Rip Taylor, Patti Andrews, Pat McCormick
	12:00	IRONSIDE—Crime Drama
	1:00	ALFRED HITCHCOCK—Drama BW

Now see, Merv Griffin has the kind of lineup that you'd never see on a talk show today; you might have the hosts of The Today Show, but look at that powerhouse group of authors: Teddy White wrote The Making of the President 1960; William Manchester The Death of a President; and Arthur Schlessinger A Thousand Days, all books about JFK. My assumption is this is to coincide with the 15th anniversary of the assassination, which happened to be today.

	17 KTCI (PBS)
	AFTERNOON
	5:30	VILLA ALEGRE—Children
	EVENING
	6:00	ISSUES IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE
	6:30	SURVIVAL SKILLS FOR THE CLASSROOM TEACHER
	7:00	MISTER ROGERS—Children
	7:30	ELECTRIC COMPANY—Children
	8:00	MacNEIL/LEHRER REPORT
	8:30	OVER EASY—Hugh Downs Guest: Sen. Charles Percy
	9:00	SOUNDSTAGE Doobie Brothers in concert
	10:00	DICK CAVETT Guest: Jan Morris
	10:30	ABC NEWS Captioned for the hearing-impaired.

I don't know; doesn't Issues in Criminal Justice sound more like a show that would be on ESPN today? TV

10 comments:

JonNovember 19, 2018 at 10:02 AM
Tuesday was November 21, not November 22, in 1978. Thanks for a good look back though!
Mike DoranNovember 19, 2018 at 12:09 PM
In the absence of this issue from my "collection"(?), here's a true story of a sort from this time.

- Noting (as I have in the past) that your M-StP ABC station isn't carrying the best daytime drama ever, The Edge Of Night.
At this point in '78, EON's headwriter, the great Henry Slesar, had begun a storyline about a pseudo-spiritual cult called Children of the Earth.
As was always the case with daytime dramas, this story was months in the preparation: Slesar did his main plotting up to a year in advance, and outlines, summaries, and scripts were always cleared by both ABC and Proctor & Gamble well in advance of taping, which was normally two weeks in advance of air date.
The Children of the Earth storyline had starting airing in October; they were about a month into it by this week.
… when, on November 18, the Jonestown Massacre happened.
Actually, at the time nobody outside of Rev. Jim Jones's locality had ever even heard of the People's Temple; the Massacre story was all the more shocking for that fact.
But when the story broke, the phone lines between ABC in New York City, Proctor & Gamble in Cincinnati, and Edge's offices in Manhattan went alight, and the word went forth: Wrap this storyline up - real fast.
Henry Slesar and his associate writer worked Golden Time to turn the cult leader into a standard-issue con man (they liked the actor and wanted to keep him), and the day was saved, so to speak.
This wasn't the first time that soaps were caught short by a sudden news story, and it wouldn't be the last.
This being an "anniversary" (what a word to use in this context!), and since the Twin Cities missed out on the whole thing for the most arbitrary of reasons, I thought to pass this cautionary tale along for whatever it was worth …

- On a "personal" note:
A new addition to my Old DVD Wall is an incomplete set of The Eddie Capra Mysteries, a legal whodunit that NBC picked up during this season.
This series was the creation of Peter S. Fischer, whom I've mentioned elsewhere; the story goes that he used some leftover stories from Ellery Queen from a couple of years before - but that's neither here nor there …
I mention Eddie Capra here because Wendy Phillips, who had the obligatory femme sidekick role here, was on Hollywood Squares this week (in case you saw her name there and wondered who she was).
The beloved Ken Swofford was also a Capra cast member; I wonder if Squares ever considered using him on the panel (what might have been …).

- I wonder sometimes how many Millennials (God, I hate terms like that!) who are seeing ZAZ'z Airplane! for the first time wonder about the fat old guy who hails Robert Hays's cab at the start (and pays off the movie at the finish).
That, of course, was Howard Jarvis, who was all over the news/talk circuit at the time; the paying movie audience recognized him, and laughed - but who today would even have heard of him (or his cause)?
Sic transit Gloria Mundi … (you remember her, don't you?)

SeanNovember 19, 2018 at 7:58 PM
Jarvis:Well, I'll give him another twenty minutes, but that's it! :D
Dennis69November 19, 2018 at 8:44 PM
From what I remember the Eddie Capra Mysteries were picked up by NBC instead of renewing Ellery Queen because it would be cheaper to produce with it being in the present day. I heard getting those vintage 1940’s cars for Queen would run the budget up.
JofusNovember 21, 2018 at 5:12 PM
In the 1970's, the Metromedia independents ran "Merv Griffin" in prime-time.
JofusNovember 21, 2018 at 5:15 PM
This was about four months before a major three-way affiliation swap in the Twin Cities. KSTP Channel 5 went from NBC to ABC; KMSP Chanel 9 went from ABC to becoming an independent; and WTCN Channel 11 went from being an independent to becoming an NBC affiliate.

I believe that the play-by-play sports (Minnesota Twins, Minnesota Northstars, University of Minnesota, etc.) that had been on WTCN moved to KMSP at the same time, meaning that the 1978-79 Northstars' TV schedule was split between WTCN (before it became NBC) and KMSP (after it became an independent).
Ken DouglasNovember 23, 2018 at 12:30 PM
Mitch, you should know that "The $25,000 Pyramid" was a SYNDICATED show in '78; the daytime version had a top prize of $20,000. Dick Clark was the daytime host, while Bill Cullen handled the nighttime (or Prime Access) version.

Thanks for writing! Drive safely!

November 19, 2018

What's on TV? Tuesday, November 21, 1978

10 comments: