What's on TV? Friday, December 24, 1954

As I mentioned on Saturday, I’ve saved all our Christmas Eve content for today, which means we’ll have a little more written content than usual because there’s plenty to cover. Let’s get started, shall we?

	2  WBBM (CBS)
	MORNING
	6:40	Today’s Thoughts
	6:45	Farm Daily—Menard
	7:00	Morning Show—Jack Paar
	9:00	Gary Moore—Variety Guests: Brick Church Bell Choir of New York
	10:30	Strike It Rich—Quiz
	11:00	Valiant Lady—Serial
	11:15	Love of Life—Serial
	11:30	Search for Tomorrow
	11:45	Guiding Light—Serial
	AFTERNOON
	12:00	Portia Faces Life—Serial
	12:15	Road of Life—Serial
	12:30	Welcome Travelers
	1:00	Robert Q. Lewis—Variety
	1:30	Linkletter’s House Party
	2:00	Big Payoff—Quiz
	2:30	Bob Crosby—Music Guests: The Modernaires, Joan O’Brien
	3:00	Brighter Day—Serial
	3:15	Secret Storm—Serial
	3:30	On Your Account—Quiz
	4:00	Shopping with Miss Lee
	4:15	UN in Action—Discussion
	4:30	Looking Forward—Talks
	5:00	Range Rider—Adventure
	5:30	Gene Autry—Western
	EVENING
	6:00	Sports—Bob Elson
	6:15	News—Julian Bentley
	6:30	News—Doug Edwards
	6:45	Perry Como—Music
	7:00	MAMA—Comedy-Drama
	7:30	TOPPER—Comedy
	8:00	PLAYHOUSE OF STARS “Day of Good News”
	8:30	OUR MISS BROOKS
	9:00	LINE-UP—Police Drama
	9:30	PERSON TO PERSON
	10:00	NEWS AND WEATHER
	10:15	IN TOWN TONIGHT
	10:25	SPORTS—Art Mercier
	10:30	NEWS—Harrington
	10:45	KUP’S SHOW—Irv Kupcinet
	11:00	The Howard Miller Show
	11:30	Christmas Morning Service  SPECIAL  From Boys’ Town Chapel, Boys’ Town, Nebraska
	12:00	The Howard Miller Show
	1:00	News Bulletins

 

WBBM doesn’t waste any time getting to the point. Bandleader Jose Melis plays “Sleigh Ride” and other Christmas music on Jack Paar’s morning show; that’s followed by Garry Moore’s show, with a Christmas newsreel by the cast, and carols by the Brick Church Bell Choir of New York. Robert Q. Lewis gets into the act with his afternoon variety show; “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers” and “White Christmas” are on the docket. Christmas episodes of Topper, Our Miss Brooks, and even the San Francisco-based police show Line-Up make up a pleasant Eve for families wrapping presents, putting up the tree, having family for dinner, or getting ready for church. (The evening’s rounded out by Edward R. Murrow’s Person to Person, and I wouldn’t put it past him to have recorded an interview with Santa Claus at the North Pole.) Speaking of church, CBS’s annual Christmas Eve religious service comes from the famous Boys’ Town Chapel in Boys’ Town, Nebraska. No, Spencer Tracy isn’t there, but Msgr. Nicholas Wegner, the priest who succeeded Tracy’s Fr. Edward J. Flanagan, is.

	4  WTMJ (MILWAUKEE) (NBC)
	MORNING
	6:45	Everett Mitchell—Discussion
	7:00	Today—Dave Garroway
	9:00	Ding Dong School—Kids
	9:30	A Time to Live—Serial
	9:45	Three Steps to Heaven
	10:00	Home—Women’s News
	11:00	What’s New in the Kitchen
	11:30	Feather Your Nest—Quiz
	11:45	Let’s Look at the News
	AFTERNOON
	12:00	Hot Shot Review—Music
	12:30	Weather—Bill Carlsen
	12:35	Bob Heiss—Interviews
	1:30	Beulah Donohue—Women
	2:00	Greatest Gift—Serial
	2:15	Golden Windows
	2:30	One Man’s Family
	2:45	Miss Marlowe—Serial
	3:00	Hawkins Falls—Serial
	3:15	First Love—Serial
	3:30	World of Mr. Sweeney
	3:45	Modern Romances “Christmas, ’54,” conclusion
	4:00	Pinky Lee—Kids
	4:30	Howdy Doody—Puppets
	5:00	Foreman Tom—Western
	5:45	Let’s Look at the News
	5:55	Weather—Bill Carlsen
	EVENING
	6:00	Sports—Larry Clark
	6:15	Malones and Marvin—Music
	6:30	Eddie Fisher—Music
	6:45	News—John C. Swayze
	7:00	RED BUTTONS—Comedy
	7:30	BIG STORY—Drama
	8:00	LIBERACE SHOW—Music
	8:30	DEAR PHOEBE—Comedy
	9:00	SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS  SPECIAL  (Replaces boxing tonight)
	9:30	YESTERDAY’S NEWSREEL
	9:45	TO BE ANNOUNCED
	10:00	WEATHER—Bill Carlsen
	10:25	TO BE ANNOUNCED
	10:20	LET’S LOOK AT THE NEWS
	10:30	THE CUDWORTH POST
	11:00	To Be Announced
	11:30	Christmas Program Milwaukee County Council of Churches
	12:00	Midnight Mass—Service From St. Robert’s Roman Catholic Church, Shorewood, Wisconsin

 

Although we can't tell from the listings, you can bet that holiday preparations play a big part on the soaps, especially since they're broadcast live. (Considering how slowly those plots moved, it's probably been Christmas Eve all week,) And I'm betting that Red Buttons is doing something as well; maybe he's changed "Ho ho, hee hee, hah hah" to just "Ho Ho Ho!" for the occasion. Later on, it's The Liberace Show, and though TV Guide doesn't say, I wouldn't be a bit surprised if it was this episode, in which Lee celebrates the season with brother George, the rest of the cast, and their families. The evening finishes off with a special program by the Milwaukee Council of Churches, preceeding the Midnight Mass from St. Robert’s Roman Catholic Church in Shorewood, Wisconsin. And then it's off to bed, before Santa arrives on the scene.

 

	5  WNBQ (NBC)
	MORNING
	7:00	Today—Dave Garroway
	9:00	Ding Dong School—Kids
	9:30	A Time to Live—Serial
	9:45	Three Steps to Heaven
	10:00	Home—Women’s News
	11:00	Betty White Show
	11:30	Feather Your Nest—Quiz
	AFTERNOON
	12:00	Noontime Comics—Kids
	12:30	Bob & Kay—Interviews
	1:00	Home Cooking—Recipes
	1:30	That Wonderful Age
	2:00	Greatest Gift—Serial
	2:15	Golden Windows
	2:30	One Man’s Family
	2:45	Miss Marlowe—Serial
	3:00	Hawkins Falls—Serial
	3:15	First Love—Serial
	3:30	World of Mr. Sweeney
	3:45	Modern Romances “Christmas, ’54,” conclusion
	4:00	Pinky Lee—Kids
	4:30	Howdy Doody—Puppets
	5:00	Elmer the Elephant—Kids
	5:30	Close-up—Music
	EVENING
	6:00	Weather—Clint Youle
	6:05	News—Jack Angell
	6:10	Sports—Joe Wilson
	6:15	Dorsey Connors—Travel
	6:20	Alex Dreier—Features
	6:25	Tony Weitzel—Comments
	6:30	Eddie Fisher—Music
	6:45	News—John C. Swayze
	7:00	RED BUTTONS—Comedy
	7:30	WALT’S WORKSHOP—Crafts
	8:00	BIG STORY—Drama
	8:30	DEAR PHOEBE—Comedy
	9:00	SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS  SPECIAL  (Replaces boxing tonight)
	9:30	GREATEST MOMENTS
	9:45	SPORTS FILMS—Kiernan
	10:00	WEATHER—Clint Youle
	10:00	DORSEY CONNORS—Ideas
	10:15	NEWS—Jack Angell
	10:30	SPORTS—Norman Barry
	10:45	HERBIE MINTZ—Music
	11:00	Christmas Eve Service  SPECIAL  From St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Manhattan
	12:00	To Be Announced

 

WTMJ and WNBQ are both NBC affiliates, but that doesn't mean all the shows are the same. One that is, though, is The Big Story, and tonight it tells the true tale of a newspaperman who “hears a woman’s scream and the sound of an object hitting the waters of the Potomac.” That’s fine as far as it goes, but if she winds up being rescued by a man named Clarence, I’m changing the channel. Later, while WTMJ celebrates midnight in Milwaukee, NBC is in New York City for Midnight Mass from America’s most famous Catholic Church, St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Before NBC began broadcasting Midnight Mass from the Vatican in 1974, their broadcast from St. Patrick’s was a Christmas Eve tradition; the story goes that one year, a nameless network executive suggested the priests might want to shave later in the day to cut down on the five o'clock shadow for the cameras.

	7  WBKB (ABC)
	MORNING
	7:00	Chicago Parade—Variety
	8:00	Breakfast Club—McNeill
	9:00	Women and the World
	9:30	Play House—Kids
	10:00	Creative Cookery—Recipes
	10:55	News—Ulmer Turner
	11:00	Danny O’Neil Show
	11:45	News—Ulmer Turner
	AFTERNOON
	12:00	Happy Pirates—Kids’ Fun
	12:55	News—Ulmer Turner
	1:00	The Doctor Answers—Talks
	1:15	TV Dental Clinic
	1:30	The Tom Duggan Show
	2:30	Double Features—Films (1) “Half Hour” (2)”Winter Love”
	3:30	News—Ulmer Turner
	3:35	Time for Uncle Win—Kids
	4:00	Pied Piper—Kids
	4:30	Garfield Goose and Friend
	5:00	Santa’s North Pole Review
	5:30	Jungle Adventure—Film
	5:45	News—Austin Kiplinger
	5:50	Sports—Jack Drees
	5:55	Weather—Wayne Griffin
	EVENING
	6:00	Kukla, Fran and Ollie
	6:15	News—John Daly
	6:30	Rin Tin Tin—Adventure
	7:00	OZZIE HARRIET
	7:30	RAY BOLGER SHOW
	8:00	DOLLAR A SECOND—Game
	8:30	THE VISE—Film Drama
	9:00	CAPTURED—Drama
	9:30	MR. DISTRICT ATTORNEY
	10:00	MOVIE—Christmas Film “Beyond Tomorrow”
	11:00	News—Ulmer Turner
	11:05	Weather—Wayne Griffin
	11:10	Tom Duggan—Comments
	12:00	MOVIE—Double Feature (1) “White Violet” (2) “No Strings Attached”

 

I’m sure there’s more holiday content here than meets the eye, we’re still reminded this is Christmas Eve. At 4:30 p.m. it’s Christmastime on the legendary Chicagoland kids’ show Garfield Goose and Friends; that’s followed by Santa’s North Pole Review, although it had better be on tape, since Santa should be out doing his rounds by now. Ozzie and Harriet and The Ray Bolger Show lead the way with primetime Christmas episodes, and at 10:00 p.m. it’s the 1940 Christmas movie Beyond Tomorrow, which reads something like a cross between A Christmas Carol and Wings of Desire, with Here Comes Mr. Jordan thrown in. There are no late-night church services, and the midnight movie, even though it’s a double-feature, lacks any Christmas content, and that’s kind of a disappointment.

	9  WGN (Du Mont)
	MORNING
	9:00	Paul Fogarty—Exercises
	9:30	The Femme Show
	10:00	Hi Ladies—Mike Douglas
	10:55	News—Steve Fentress
	11:00	The Romper Room—Kids
	11:45	News—Steve Fentress
	AFTERNOON
	12:00	Best of the West—Kids
	12:55	News—Steve Fentress
	1:00	All About Baby—Tips
	1:15	Film Shorts
	1:30	Learning Brings Adventure
	2:00	Paul Dixon—Music
	3:00	MOVIE—Comedy “Jeannie”
	4:00	Bandstand Matinee—Music
	4:30	News—Les Nichols
	5:00	Bob Atcher Show—Western
	5:30	News—Leslie Monypenny
	5:45	Curbstone Cut-up
	EVENING
	6:00	Captain Video—Adventure
	6:15	Sports Final—Vince Lloyd
	6:30	News—Spencer Allen
	6:45	Chicagoland Newsreal
	7:00	MR. AND MRS. NORTH
	7:30	INNER SANCTUM—Suspense
	8:00	THE STRANGER—Drama
	8:30	THE WORLD IS YOURS
	9:00	CHRISTMAS EVE CONCERT  SPECIAL  Symphony of the Air Chance of a Lifetime will not be seen tonight)
	9:30	THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS
	10:00	MOVIE—Christmas Story “The Christmas Carol” (Chgo. TV Debut) (Alastair Sim version)
	11:30	Midnight Mass—Chicago From Holy Name Cathedral

WGN’s Christmas Eve concert features the Symphony of the Air, the former NBC Symphony. Tonight’s concert, done without a conductor, is called “A Gift to the Giver,” and is an appreciation to those who’ve contributed to keep the orchestra going. That’s followed by a repeat of the Mabel Beaton Marionettes and The Spirit of Christmas, still presented by Illinois Bell. At 10:00 p.m., it’s the Chicago TV premiere of Alastair Sim’s beloved Christmas Carol (known in England as Scrooge), and that leads into the 11:30 telecast of the Midnight Mass from Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago, a tradition which continues on WGN to this day. And that’s a wonderful way to bring Christmas Eve to a close. TV