December 16, 2019

What's on TV? Wednesday, December 22, 1971

If you were like me when growing up, this was one of the longest weeks of the year. Christmas break had started at school, and yet Christmas Eve wasn't until Friday. That was a long time to wait. Today, I'd give anything for the week before Christmas to last that long.

One of the reasons I chose to spotlight today's programs is that, in a week full of Christmas shows, there's very little seasonal programming to be had tonight—a choral program on Channel 2, and Christmas Is on NBC—which I think adds to the sense of anticipation, the feeling that something's one the way but isn't quite here yet. Have you had that sense watching television this year? 

This week's listings are from the Minneapolis-St. Paul edition.




 2  KTCA (PBS)

AFTERNOON

     4:00
MISTER ROGERS -C- 

     4:30
SESAME STREET -C- 

     5:30
ELECTRIC COMPANY—Children -C- 

EVENING

     6:00
CHRISTMAS CONCERT -C- 
Special: The Northfield Boys Choir

     6:30
INQUIRY—Discussion

     7:00
FRENCH CHEF -C- 

     7:30
THIS WEEK—Analysis

     8:00
GREAT AMERICAN DREAM MACHINE -C- 

     9:00
BOOKS AND IDEAS -C- 

     9:30
AMERICAN CRAFTSMAN -C- 

Northfield, Minnesota, is the home of St. Olaf College, and one of the finest college music programs in the country, if not the world. I suspect the Northfield Boys Choir is pretty good as well.


 4  WCCO (CBS)

MORNING

     6:30
SUNRISE SEMESTER -C- 
Urban Politics: City government

     7:00
CLANCY AND CARMEN -C- 

     7:30
CLANCY AND WILLIE -C- 

     8:00
CAPTAIN KANGAROO -C- 

     9:00
LUCILLE BALL -C- 

     9:30
MY THREE SONS -C- 

   10:00
FAMILY AFFAIR -C- 

   10:30
LOVE OF LIFE -C- 

   11:00
WHERE THE HEART IS -C- 

   11:25
LIVE TODAY—Religion -C- 
         
   11:30
SEARCH FOR TOMORROW -C- 

AFTERNOON

   12:00
NEWS -C- 

   12:30
AS THE WORLD TURNS -C- 

     1:00
LOVE IS A MANY SPLENDORED THING -C- 

     1:30
GUIDING LIGHT -C- 

     2:00
SECRET STORM -C- 

     2:30
EDGE OF NIGHT -C- 

     3:00
GOMER PYLE, USMC -C- 

     3:30
MOVIE—Musical -C- 
“Small Town Girl” (1953)

     5:30
CBS NEWS—Walter Cronkite -C- 

EVENING

     6:00
NEWS -C- 

     6:30
GOLDDIGGERS -C- 
Guest: Lou Rawls

     7:00
CAROL BURNETT -C- 
Guests: Tim Conway, the Carpenters

     8:00
MEDICAL CENTER -C- 

     9:00
MANNIX -C- 

   10:00
NEWS -C- 

   10:50
MOVIE—Drama
“Conspirator” (1949)

   12:35
MOVIE—Comedy -C- 
“The Second Greatest Sex” (1955)

A number of you, commenting on Cleveland Amory's review of The Carol Burnett Show last week, mentioned how you felt Tim Conway made the show funnier. Friends, this week's show is for you.


 5  KSTP (NBC)

MORNING

     6:30
MINNESOTA TODAY -C- 

     7:00
TODAY -C- 
Holiday drinks with Roy Andries de Groot, author Velma Johnston

     9:00
DINAH SHORE -C- 
Guest: Dick Clark

     9:30
CONCENTRATION -C- 

   10:00
SALE OF THE CENTURY -C- 

   10:30
HOLLYWOOD SQUARES -C- 
Marty Allen, Gene Hackman, Harvey Korman, Paul Lynde, Suzanne Pleshette, Karen Valentine, Wally Cox, Charley Weaver

   11:00
JEOPARDY -C- 
         
   11:30
WHO, WHAT OR WHERE—Game -C- 

AFTERNOON

   12:00
NEWS -C- 

   12:15
DIAL 5 -C- 

     1:00
DAYS OF OUR LIVES -C- 

     1:30
DOCTORS -C- 

     2:00
ANOTHER WORLD -C- 

     2:30
BRIGHT PROMISE -C- 

     3:00
SOMERSET -C- 

     3:30
VIRGINIA GRAHAM—Variety -C- 
Guests: Henny Youngman, Dennis Cole, Earl Wilson

     4:30
DICK VAN DYKE

     5:00
HOGAN’S HEROES -C- 

     5:30
NBC NEWS—John Chancellor -C- 

EVENING

     6:00
NEWS -C- 

     6:30
CHILDREN’S SPECIAL -C- 
Special: “Christmas Is”

     7:00
ADAM-12 -C- 

     7:30
NBC MYSTERY MOVIE -C- 
McCloud

     9:00
NBC WHITE PAPER: VIETNAM HINDSIGHT -C- 
Special: “The Death of Diem”

   10:00
NEWS -C- 

   10:30
JOHNNY CARSON -C- 
Guest Host: Joey Bishop. Guests: Martina Arroyo, John Carradine, Jackie Kahane

   12:00
SKI SCENE—Barry Zevan -C- 

   12:30
DAVID FROST -C- 
Guests: Robert Shaw, Mary Ure, Lee Grant

If you watch Roy Andries de Groot on Today and then catch Graham Kerr as The Galloping Gourmet later this morning, you ought to be flying for the rest of the day.


 9  KMSP (ABC)

MORNING

     7:00
NEWS—John Hart -C- 

     8:00
NEWS AND VIEWS -C- 

     8:30
GRANDPA KEN—Children -C- 

     9:00
ROMPER ROOM—Miss Jody -C- 

     9:30
MANTRAP—Discussion -C- 
Guest: Alan Sues. Panel: Sharon Acker, Nina Foch, Carol Wayne

   10:00
GREEN ACRE -C- 

   10:30
THAT GIRL -C- 

   11:00
BEWITCHED -C- 
         
   11:30
PASSWORD -C- 
James Brolin, Juliet Prowse

AFTERNOON

   12:00
ALL MY CHILDREN -C- 

   12:30
LET’S MAKE A DEAL -C- 

     1:00
NEWLYWED GAME -C- 

     1:30
DATING GAME -C- 

     2:00
GENERAL HOSPITAL -C- 

     2:30
ONE LIFE TO LIVE -C- 

     3:00
LOVE, AMERICAN STYLE -C- 

     3:30
FLYING NUN—Comedy -C- 

     4:00
HAZEL—Comedy

     4:30
I LOVE LUCY

     5:00
NEWS, WEATHER, SPORTS -C- 

     5:30
ABC NEWS—Smith/Reasoner -C- 

EVENING

     6:00
TO TELL THE TRUTH—Game -C- 

     6:30
TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES -C- 

     7:00
BEWITCHED -C- 

     7:30
COURTSHIP OF EDDIE’S FATHER -C- 

     8:00
SMITH FAMILY -C- 

     8:30
SHIRLEY’S WORLD -C- 

     9:00
MAN AND THE CITY—Drama -C- 

   10:00
NEWS -C- 

   10:30
WILD WILD WEST—Western -C- 

   11:30
DICK CAVETT -C- 

     1:00
NEWS -C- 

Another reason I chose this day's listings is that we have several shows here that you have to be a real TV pro to remember. The Smith Family, Henry Fonda's cop-family comedy-drama, isn't as well-remembered as you might think, although it did last two seasons. It's followed by Shirley's World, starring Shirley MacLaine as a photojournalist; and The Man and the City, with Anthony Quinn as a big-city mayor. The victories came at different points in their careers, but I wonder if this is the only time that a network schedule featured three consecutive shows starring current or future Academy Award winners?


11 WTCN (Ind.)

MORNING

     8:00
CASEY AND ROUNDHOUSE -C- 

     8:30
HOBO KELLY—Children -C- 

     9:00
NEWS -C- 

     9:30
JACK LaLANNE—Exercise -C- 

   10:00
DIALING FOR DOLLARS -C- 

   10:30
PATTY DUKE—Comedy

   11:00
DIVORCE COURT—Drama -C- 
         
   11:30
GALLOPING GOURMET -C- 
Guest: Tiny Tim

AFTERNOON

   12:00
LUNCH WITH CASEY -C- 

     1:00
MOVIE—Science Fiction -C- 
“Village of the Giants” (1965)

     2:50
LUCILLE RIVERS—Sewing -C- 

     3:00
BEAT THE CLOCK—Game -C- 
Guest: Dick Clark

     3:30
FRED AND FRIENDS -C- 

     4:00
GENTLE BEN—Adventure -C- 

     4:30
GILLIGAN’S ISLAND—Comedy -C- 

     5:00
PETTICOAT JUNCTION -C- 

     5:30
STAR TREK—Drama -C- 

EVENING

     6:30
JEANNIE—Comedy -C- 

     7:00
PERRY MASON—Mystery

     8:00
DRAGNET—Crime Drama -C- 

     8:30
NEWS, WEATHER, SPORTS -C- 

     9:00
COLLEGE BASKETBALL -C- 
Special: Notre Dame at UCLA

   11:00
MOVIE—Drama
Time approximate. “Operation Idiot” (Italian; 1966)

As I mentioned on Saturday, UCLA won the game against Notre Dame, 114-56. On the very day that I'm typing this, December 14, the two teams played again (it's an annual rivalry); this time, Notre Dame wins 75-61. How times change. TV  

3 comments:

  1. Given that WCCO Channel 4 was once one of CBS's strongest affiliates (CBS now owns WCCO), it's a surprise they didn't run John Hart's CBS morning newscast, which wound up on ABC station KMSP Channel 9.

    On the other hand, CBS's morning news has trailed the field in morning news ratings for many years. I believe CBS is still third in the morning, but no longer a distant third.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Also noteworthy is the absence of The Mike Douglas Show. The number one syndicated talk variety show is not on any of the stations’ lineups.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Although she wasn't the star of The Courtship of Eddie's Father, Miyoshi Umeki who played Miss Livingston on the show won an Academy Award for her role in Sayonara in 1957.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for writing! Drive safely!