February 18, 2019

What's on TV? Thursday, February 23, 1961

For some reason, I really enjoyed this issue. It's not that there are landmark series or important specials to look at; it's just an average night. Perhaps that's it, that it's because it's so representative of the era, at least living in the Twin Cities. In fact, this week I've been take a closer look at the local angle of the television shows in Minneapolis-St. Paul; even though I wasn't even one year old when this issue went to press, so many of the same personalities were around for most of my time growing up there.


 2  KTCA (Educ.)

    MORNING   

    8:30
GUIDANCE INFORMATION

    9:00
MUSIC FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

    9:30
GUIDANCE INFORMATION

  10:00
MATHEMATICS—Grade 12

  10:30
GUIDANCE INFORMATION

  AFTERNOON 

  12:00
GUIDANCE INFORMATION

  12:30
SCULPTING—Merrell Gage

    1:00
GUIDANCE INFORMATION

    1:30
SCIENCE—Grade 6

    2:00
GUIDANCE INFORMATION

    2:30
MUSIC—Grade 3

    3:00
RAGTIME ERA—Documentary

    3:30
CHIMNEY CORNER—Education

     EVENING    

    6:15
FRIENDLY GIANT—Children

    6:30
RAGTIME ERA—Documentary

    7:00
INICIACIO’N AL ESPANOL—Burett

    7:30
WHAT ARE THE ODDS?

    8:00
GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS HOUR

    8:30
MUSIC—Gustavus Adolphus

    9:00
ECONOMIC GROWTH—Goldstein

    9:30
TOWN AND COUNTRY—Ray Wolf

  10:00
FITZPATRICK’S CARTOONS

  10:30
BACKGROUND—Ziebarth

  10:40
ANIMALS OF THE SEA

Last week I mentioned that the Hamline College Hour ran for only 30 minutes; you'll see that this is the case with the Gustavus Adolphus Hour this week as well, although they do have a 30-minute music program that follows, so I guess technically that adds up to an hour. Gustavus Adolphus is a top-ranked private college in St. Peter, Minnesota, in case you were wondering.


 4  WCCO (CBS)

    MORNING   

    7:00
FLYING SAUCER—Siegfried

    8:00
NEWS—Richard C. Hottelet

    8:15
CAPTAIN KANGAROO—Children

    9:00
NEWS—Dean Montgomery

    9:10
DR. REUBEN K. YOUNGDAHL

    9:20
WHAT’S NEW?—Arle Haeberle

    9:30
VIDEO VILLAGE—Monty Hall

  10:00
I LOVE LUCY—Comedy

  10:30
CLEAR HORIZON—Serial

  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

  12:20
WEATHER—Bud Kraehling

  12:30
AS THE WORLD TURNS—Serial

    1:00
FULL CIRCLE—Serial

    1:30
HOUSE PARTY—Linkletter
Guest: Dr. Loriene Johnston

    2:00
RANDY MERRIMAN—Variety

    2:30
VERDICT IS YOURS—Drama

    3:00
BRIGHTER DAY—Serial

    3:15
SECRET STORM—Serial

    3:30
EDGE OF NIGHT—Serial

    4:00
AROUND THE TOWN—Haeberle

    4:30
AXEL AND DOG—Clellan Card

    4:50
BOZO THE CLOWN—Children

    5:00
YOGI BEAR—Cartoons

    5:30
CLANCY THE COP—Children

    5:55
SPORTS—Rollie Johnson

     EVENING    

    6:00
NEWS—Dean Montgomery

    6:10
WEATHER—Don O’Brien

    6:15
NEWS—Douglas Edwards

    6:30
ANN SOTHERN—Comedy

    7:00
ANGEL—Comedy

    7:30
ZANE GREY—Western

    8:00
SHRINE CIRCUS—Randy Merriman   SPECIAL 

    8:30
THERE OUGHT TO BE A LAW   SPECIAL 

    9:00
FACE THE NATION—Interview
Guests: Walter Reuther, Dr. Edward R. Annis

  10:00
NEWS—Dave Moore

  10:15
WEATHER—Bud Kraehling

  10:20
SPORTS—Dick Enroth

  10:30
TIGHTROPE—Police

  11:00
WEATHER—Don O’Brien

  11:05
MOVIE—Drama
“Big Town Scandal” (1948)

I briefly mentioned Randy Merriman, host of the Shrine Circus broadcast, on Saturday; he also hosts his own variety show at 2:00 p.m., as well as the 15-minute Something Special at 12:15 p.m. Not surprisingly, he's in the Minnesota Broadcasting Hall of Fame, and you can read about (and listen to) him here.


 5  KSTP (NBC)

    MORNING   

    6:00
CONTINENTAL CLASSROOM   COLOR 
Chemistry

    6:30
CONTINENTAL CLASSROOM   COLOR 
Probability and Statistics

    7:00
DAVE GARROWAY
Local news at 7:25 and 8:25 A.M.

    9:00
SAY WHEN—Art James

    9:30
PLAY YOUR HUNCH—Merv Griffin   COLOR 
Guest: Jose Melis

  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
NEWSJohn MacDougall

  12:15
WEATHER—Johnny Morris

  12:20
TREASURE HUNT—Jim Hutton

    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
Guests: Michael Ansara and Barbara Eden; the Corcoran family

    4:00
TOPPER—Comedy

    4:30
T.N. TATTERS—Children

    5:15
CITY DETECTIVE—Police

    5:45
NEWS—Huntley, Brinkley

     EVENING    

    6:00
NEWS—Bob Ryan

    6:15
WEATHER—Johnny Morris

    6:30
OUTLAWS—Western

    7:30
BAT MASTERSON—Western

    8:00
BACHELOR FATHER—Comedy

    8:30
ERNIE FORD—Variety   COLOR 
Guest: Minnie Pearl

    9:00
GROUCHO—Quiz

    9:30
MANHUNT—Police

  10:00
NEWS—John MacDougall

  10:15
WEATHER—Johnny Morris

  10:20
SPORTS—Dick Nesbitt

  10:30
JACK PAAR—Variety   COLOR 

  12:00
NEWS—Roger Krupp

Johnny Morris was the longtime weatherman at KSTP, part of a 55-year career in television and radio which is commemorated in this video from KOAT in Albuquerque, where Morris was news anchor from 1979 to 1999. Here's a look-back at his career from when he retired at KOAT.


 9  KMSP (Ind.)

    MORNING   

    9:50
CHAPEL OF THE AIR—Religion

    9:55
NEWSBEAT—Tony Parker

  10:00
JACK LA LANNE—Exercises

  10:30
MOVIE—Mystery
“The Woman from Tangier” (1947)

  11:30
I MARRIED JOAN—Comedy

  AFTERNOON 

  12:00
KARTOONTIME—Children

  12:30
WILLY—Comedy

    1:00
FOLLOW THAT MAN—Mystery

    1:30
RACKET SQUAD—Police

    2:00
MOVIE—Adventure
“Green Hell” (1939)

    4:00
HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE—Comedy

    4:30
MR. ADAMS AND EVE

    5:00
SUSIE—Comedy

    5:30
OUR MISS BROOKS—Comedy

     EVENING    

    6:00
LOONEY TUNERS CLUB—Children

    7:00
SILENT SERVICE—Drama

    7:30
ASSIGNMENT: UNDERWATER

    8:00
GRAY GHOST—Adventure

    8:30
TRACKDOWN—Western

    9:00
MOVIE—Mystery
“Notorious” (1946)

  10:35
NEWS—Paul Sevareid

  10:50
SPORTS—Tony Parker

  10:55
WEATHER—Jere Smith

  11:00
PLAYBOY’S PENTHOUSE
Guests: Vic Damone, Mabel Mercer, Ken and Mitzi Welch, the Signatures, Vic Perry

As one of our commenters pointed out a while back, Paul Sevareid was the older brother of Eric Sevareid, the CBS correspondent and commentator. Unlike his brother, who was identified with liberal politics, Paul was an official with the Minnesota Republican party. You'll generally see his name associated more often with WTCN, where he was the newscaster in the late '50s.


11 WTCN (ABC)

    MORNING   

    7:55
FARM NEWS—Frank Seifert

    8:00
GOOD MORNING MINNESOTA!

    8:30
CARTOON CIRCUS—Children

    9:00
ROMPER ROOM—Miss Betty

    9:45
SHAPE UP—Louraine Larson

  10:15
WAYS WITH FOOD—Cooking

  10:30
LIFE OF RILEY—Comedy

  11:00
MORNING COURT—Drama

  11:30
LOVE THAT BOB!—Comedy

  AFTERNOON 

  12:00
CAMOUFLAGE—Don Morrow

  12:30
NUMBER PLEASE—Bud Collyer

    1:00
ABOUT FACES—Ben Alexander

    1:30
DR. HUDSON’S SECRET JOURNAL—Drama

    2:00
DAY IN COURT

    2:30
ROAD TO REALITY—Drama

    3:00
QUEEN FOR A DAY—Bailey

    3:30
WHO DO YOU TRUST?—Carson

    4:00
AMERICAN BANDSTAND—Clark

    5:00
5 O’CLOCK REPORT—Huston

    5:05
CASEY JONES WITH POPEYE

    5:30
ROCKY AND HIS FRIENDS

     EVENING    

    6:00
U.S. MARSHALL—Police

    6:30
GUESTWARD HO!—Comedy

    7:00
DONNA REED—Comedy

    7:30
REAL McCOYS—Comedy

    8:00
MY THREE SONS—Comedy

    8:30
UNTOUCHABLES—Police

    9:30
ERNIE KOVACS—Panel

  10:00
NEWS—Chick McCuen

  10:15
WEATHER—Stuart A. Lindman

  10:20
SPORTS—Buetel, Horner

  10:30
BROTHERS BRANNAGAN—Police

  11:00
NEWS—Ken Anderson

  11:05
MOVIE—Drama
Theater 11: “The Magnificent Ambersons” (1942)

  12:30
NEWS—Stuart A. Lindman


The last person you see on Channel 11 is Stuart A. Lindman, who is another member of the Minnesota Broadcasting Hall of Fame. He was on WTCN for years and years; I remember him most as the local host of the Jerry Lewis Telethon, and I'll admit that I was never a big fan of his. I don't know; perhaps I thought he was a big glib? I suspect the way local newscasters are now, I'd consider him a paragon of gravitas. TV  

2 comments:

  1. On the one hand, I have this issue (but I guess you might remember that from last time).
    On the other hand, it's the Chicago edition, which is sort of light on Minnesota info.
    On the third hand, there's your habit of ignoring details about the day-to-day programs that those of us who were around back then were actually watching …

    As I checked the daily listings, I saw more the a few points of interest that I would have given some notice to.
    One example was Playboy's Penthouse, which had its initial airing that week on Sunday night on Channel 7, the ABC Chicago station where it was produced.
    Hugh Hefner's guests included Ken and Mitzi Welch, a nightclub duo who were about to join forces with a New York revue performer named Carol Burnett - but that's another story …
    Then, while seeking out stuff in my Old DVD Wall, I happened upon the loglines for Checkmate, Peter Gunn, and The Untouchables; you might want to give them a look and see what they have in common this week …

    But the one you really ought to look at - I mean the show, which you have indicated you have access to - is Ernie Kovacs's game show Take A Good Look, which was rounding the far turn that week.
    I would request that you look up that particular TAGL show (February 23, 1961), with special reference to the second guest spot therein.
    No spoilers - I want to see again if you're really reading these.
    Be sure to let me know, if and when …

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomorrow! I've got a box set of Ernie's shows, which includes TAGL, so I might have already seen it a few years ago, but I'll check it out and get back to you!

      Delete

Thanks for writing! Drive safely!