This week in TV Guide: December 3, 1966

Things should be all smiles on the set of ABC's new war drama The Rat Patrol. It's the biggest new hit of the season, the only new show in the top 20. And yet, as Dick Hobson reports in this week's cover story, almost everyone involved in the original production has been fired, thge actors are "near insurrection," and the series is leaking money at a rate that is beyond alarming. Is this the way all new series start out? Not on your life.

The show's troubles started at once. Producer-Creator Tom Gries, shooting the pilot in Yuma, Arizona (a stand-in for the show's desert setting) had to deal with 118-degree temperatures, jeeps that were constantly breaking down, a scheduled disrupted by star Christopher George's movie commitments, and a price tag that ran $200,000. Gries was sacked, although as creator he still gets a fat check every week. Mirisch-Rich Productions, already having to deal with a feature film, Hawaii, that was $7 million over budget, balked at the cost of shooting the series in Spain (where equipment from Battle of the Bulge and The Great Escape was available), and pushed ahead only after ABC threatened to sue. The new producer, Stan Shpetner, pushed for a "hipper" show, filled with "pungent dialog. . . action, excitement, guts; he wanted the screen to jump." His motto: Audacious, Gassy and Cool. The cast hated Shpetner's scripts, particularly the dialog, while the directors hated the visual effects called for in those scripts, which they called "unshootable." After a showdown, Shpetner was called back to Hollywood, and eventually sacked.

The problems continued; George, as well as co-stars Lawrence Casey and Justin Tarr, were injured in various accicents. It was almost impossible to find Spanish Army Corp soliders tall enough to play Germans. Film footage was lost en ruote from Paris to Hollywood. Associate producer Dick Landau was tasked with rewriting six episodes on the spot, as well as writing two original scripts and collaborating with director John Peyser, one of Shpetner's most outspoken critics, on a three-part story. Landau strove to introduce more realism, to make The Rat Patrol more like Combat! and less like The Wild Wild West, which Shpetner had once worked on. They never viewed the footage, never did a retake, and got almost no feedback from the Front Office on what had been done other than that the footage was "great," or that they were "40 feet short." Thirteen episodes emerged from all this chaos.

On-location shooting in Spain.

Despite all this, the show was an immediate hit. Nonetheless, Lee Rich, head of Mirisch-Rich Productions, pulled the show home from Spain and decided to shoot future episodes on an MGM soundstage, with any location shooting done locally. He had little choice; the show was over budget at a rate that would put it $1 million in the hole by the end of the season, a deficit that would take three years to recap, assuming the show ran that long. Cast and crew, having come together in solidary against adversity, were distressed. Production manager Lemoine, bitter that he wasn't named producer, remained in Spain. Associate producer Landau was replaced by someone from Mirisch-Rich. Director Peyser quit to return to feature films. The new producer, Jon Epstein, came from Tarzan, another series that had run over budget. ABC, just happy that the show was a ratings success, "pooh-poohed" any programs that might have occurred. I don't know about you, but all this exhausts me; nowadays, the inevitable series based on the behind-the-scenes turmoil would be far more interesting and successful that the series itself.

When all was said and done, Shpetner maintained that his epic romanticism was faithful to Tom Gries' original concept. Meanwhile, the former associate producer, former production manager, former directors, and cast maintained that it was their "down-to-earth realism" carried forth Gries' original concept. The only person happy about it all was Tom Gries himself. After all, as Hobson concludes, "He's got what every gambler in the TV Sweepstakes has always craved: a hit show, no headaches, and all that money."

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During the 60s, the Ed Sullivan Show and The Hollywood Palace were the premiere variety shows on television. Whenever they appear in TV Guide together, we'll match them up and see who has the best lineup..

Sullivan: Scheduled guests: baritone Robert Merrill and tenor Jan Peerce of the Metropolitan Opera; comedian Red Buttons; the rock ‘n’ rolling Supremes, and Gary Lewis of the Playboys; singer Lainie Kazan; basketball’s comical Harlem Globetrotters; the Brothers Tonito, tightrope walkers; and trapeze artist Miss Mara.

Palace: Host Victor Borge presents songstress Petula Clark; the singing-dancing team of Jean Pierre Aumont and his wife Marisa Pavan; comics Marty Allen and Steve Rossi, who offer a routine about a Japanese baseball star; French ballet dancers Claire Sombert and Michel Bruel; the Flying Cavarettas, teen-age aerialists; performing elephant Baby Sabu; and escape artist Dennis Breilein. Victor sings soprano, tenor and bass in a parody of Mozart’s operas.

So what do we have this week? The only change in Ed's lineup, from what I can gather, is the substitution of comedians Wayne and Shuster (a Sullivan favorite) for the Brothers Tonito, which improves an already-good cast. In addition to a medley of their hits, the Supremes sing "My Favorite Things," and since this has become a Christmas staple, I'd say they're starting to ring in the season. Combine that with Gary Lewis's farewell appearance before going into the military, and that's a hard lineup to beat. Although the Palace has Victor Borge, whom I always enjoy, this week I'm giving the edge to Sullivan. 

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From 1963 to 1976, TV Guide's weekly reviews were written by the witty and acerbic Cleveland Amory. Whenever they appear, we'll look at Cleve's latest take on the shows of the era. 

This week, Cleve takes on the CBS sitcom Run, Buddy, Run, for which he says you should run, not walk, to your nearest television set to watch. It's a spoof of Fugitive-type shows, with a Coronet Blue-type premise: Buddy (Jack Sheldon), an innocuous sort, has the misfortune to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and when he overhears two Syndicate types utter the words "Chicken Little," he knows that he already knows too much. The mob knows he knows, and Syndicate boss Mr. D (Bruce Gordon, in a wonderful parody of his role as Frank Nitti in The Untouchables) puts a hit out on him. And so Buddy must run, and keep running, to stay one step ahead of a fatal step.

As Amory says, you just can't igonre a setup like this, Buddy's problem, as is the case with our friendly Doctor Richard Kimble, is that he just can't keep running; he's too good-hearted to not stop and help those in need, which means he can never get too far away from those nasty hitmen. In fact, he's so good-hearted, he even attends a fake funeral for Mr. D, which is actually a trap: Mr. D, you see, knew Buddy would show up, being so good-hearted and all, and, "of course, when Buddy got there, you can guess whose funeral Mr. D really has in mind." All this works because the acting is of particularly high calibur, especially from Sheldon and Gordon, who fit their roles to a T. Sheldon, in particular, manages to make Buddy a sympathetic character you root for, which isn't always easy; other actors might tempt you to think that he had it coming, but not in this case. And while it's not always easy to spoof targets that are so obvious, this show manages to do it on a regular basis.

Which makes it unfortunate, Amory says, that CBS has decided to cancel the show. We occasionally get an Amory review of a show that's bound for cancellation, but very seldom does he actually mention the fact in his column, as he does here. The Doan Report says that the network is reconsidering the cancellation, as the ratings are inching up; perhaps Cleve is trying to give that effort a boost by encouraging people to tune in. In a season where the spoof is the everywhere (UNCLE, Batman, et al), a show like Buddy fits right in. It's just a shame that CBS couldn't find a slot into which they could fit it.

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Yes, it's that time of the year agaon, when we sample the seasonal specials the networks are providing for the enjoyment of the advertisers the viewing audience. Actually, I kid about that; Christmas commercials from this era are, I think, among our fondest memories. Noëlco, anyone? 

Leading off is a big on; the third airing of "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer" on the General Electric Fantasy Hour (Sunday, 5:30 p.m., NBC). "A brand new song and new adventures have been added," the ads promise; the new song is "Fame and Fortune," which replaces "We're a Couple of Misfits." As you probably have heard, Rudolph will be airing once again on NBC, for the first time since 1971.

On Wednesday, it's "Christ Is Born" (8:00 p.m., ABC), from the network's acclaimed documentary series Saga of Western Man. Filmed on location in the Holy Land, gospel readings from John Huston are intersperced with footage shot in Jerusalem and at the Sea of Gallilee, the River Jordan, and Madada. Producer John Secondari and his wife, director Helen Jean Rogers, are narrators. ABC plans to repeat the program on Christmas Day. 

Eddie Albert is the host and narrator of Tchaikovsky's classic, The Nutcracker (Friday, 7:30 p.m., CBS), featuring an international cast including Edward Villella, Patricia McBride, and Melissa Hayden. Franz Allers conducts the Budapest Philharmonic in this broadcast, first telecast last December. You can see a clip of it here; it's available on DVD as well.

There are also a couple of local broadcasts: On California U.S.A. (Sunday, 10:30 a.m., KCRA in Sacramento), the Salvation Army Band of Sacramento presents its annual Christmas program. Later that day, the Art of Puppetry (5:00 p.m., KVIE in Sacramento and KIXE in Redding) features the Sacramento State College Little Theatre marionettes in "Punch and Judy," "Alice in Wonderland," and songs of Christmas.

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What else? Well, it's a big week for movies, starting on Saturday, as Richard Harris and Rachel Roberts star in the movie This Sporting Life (11:20 p.m., KPIX in San Francisco), a gritty kitchen-sink British drama about the world of professional rugby; both Harris and Roberts earned Oscar nominations for the movie, one of my favorites. Speaking of Oscars, Saturday also sees Stalag 17 (9:00 p.m., NBC), with William Holden in his Oscar-winning role as a cynical American POW during World War II. Judith Crist, in her review, praises its blend of "human comedy and tragedy," and singles out both Holden and Otto Preminger, at his "nasty-Nazi best" as the camp commendant.

More big movies; on Sunday afternoon, KPIX is back with the magnificent Witness for the Prosecution (5:00 p.m.), Agatha Christie's supreme courtroom drama starring the Oscar-nominated Charles Laughton, Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich, Elsa Lanchester, and, in a small but important role, Ruta Lee. And Glenn Ford stars in The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (9:00 p.m., ABC), a remake of Valentino's 1921 silent film classic, with Ingrid Thulin, Charles Boyer, Paul Lukas, Yvette Mimieux, Paul Henreid, and Lee J. Cobb. Big cast, long running time (three hours), disappointing result; Crist pronounces that neither Ford nor anyone else "survives this clumsy, over-blown banality about cousins caught on opposite sides in World War II." As you can tell, the plot differs somewhat from the 1921 original.

Gilligan's Island goes into Twilight Zone territory on Monday (7:30 p.m., CBS), as Gilligan finds his castaway companions disappearing one by one, convincing him that he's a Jekyll and Hyde responsible for it all. Later, on The Felony Squad (9:00 p.m., ABC), the detectives investigate the owner of a pro football team (William Smithers) who framed a former star (Ed Asner) in a murder. Admit it; sports team owners are such a slimy bunch, you'd love to see one of them accused of murder, wouldn't you? And on The Tonight Show (11:30 p.m., NBC), Senator Everett Dirksen (R-Ill.) is one of Johnny's guests. He's not there just to talk politics, but to plug his latest spoken-word album, Gallent Men: Stories of the American Adventure. The following year, the title track will hit #16 on the Billboard 200.

It's William Holden again in another big-screen war epic, The Brtidges at Toko-Ri (Tuesday, 9:00 p.m., NBC), based on the Korean War best-seller by James A. Michener, with an all-star cast including Grace Kelly, Fredric March, and Mickey Rooney. Also on Tuesday, the great Marion Anderson hosts and stars in S. Hurok Presents (9:30 p.m., CBS), a musical tribute to impresario Sol Hurok, the man responsible for bringing Russia's Bolshoi Ballet to the United States in 1959; they also toured the country in 1962, during the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Anderson is joined in the tribute by pianist Van Cliburn, violinist Isaac Stern, guitarist Andrés Segovia, Antonio and the Ballets de Madrid, and prima ballerina Maya Plisetskaya and members of the Bolshoi.

Hallmark has Christmas cards to sell, which helps explain the presence of Hallmark Hall of Fame's "Blithe Spirit" (Wednesday, 7:30 p.m, NBC), an adaptation of Noel Coward's witty comedy, starring Dirk Bogarde, Rosemary Harris, the aforementioned Rachel Roberts, and Ruth Gordon. That's not the only big special on the network Wednesday; following "Blithe Spirit," it's Frank Sinatra: A Man and His Music—Part II (9:00 p.m.), a sequel to Sinatra's one-man show from last November; this year, he's joined by his daughter Nancy, and long-time Sinatra arranger-conductors Nelson Riddle and Gordon Jenkins. 

On Thursday, Shirley Booth stars in a CBS Playhouse adaptation of Tennessee Williams' play "The Glass Menagerie" (9:00 p.m.), with Barbara Loden, Hal Holbrook, and Pat Hingle. If you're not in the mood for Williams's downbeat drama, try Bewitched (9:00 p.m., ABC), with Fredd Wayne playing Benjamin Franklin in the first of a two-part story. Wayne, who was currently touring the country in his one-man "Benjamin Franklin, Citizen", portrayed Franklin on stage and in television shows for three decades.

A big-name cast doesn't help the big-screen movie Genghis Khan (Friday, 9:00 p.m., CBS), with Omar Sharif as the Mongol conqueror, plus Stephan Boyd, James Mason, Telly Savalas, and Robert Morley; Crist says that the commercials will prevent you from sinking "into a relaxing trance" and remind you "what a silly waste of time the whole thing is." If you want my opinion, go with The Time Tunnel for your history (8:00 p.m., ABC); all I can say is that after this episode, Tony and Doug are sure to remember the Alamo.

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Is Garry Moore's career over? Two years ago, he stepped down from the weekly grind after 14 years on morning and primetime shows, including I've Got a Secret and his eponymous variety show. His warm personality and his ability to connect with an audience had given him a weekly audience, between his two shows, of 50 million viewers. In 1964, CBS cancelled The Garry Moore Show, and shortly afterward he handed the reins of Secret over to Steve Allen. 

Back in 1964, Moore tells Robert Higgins, he thought he'd like to try something different, more serious. "I thought I'd enjoy public affairs." He got a daily show on CBS radio, but it didn't work for him. "As a newsman, I was much in demand to read scripts that were already written for me. They did my research, too. It was disillusioning." Then came a show earlier this year on ABC (after CBS had passed on it) called Garry Moore's People Poll. Moore won't even talk about that one; "I've learned," he says, "that performers don't cross the line into public affairs. You're either a Garry Moore or a Walter Cronkite." (Would that more celebrities took a cue from him.) So why not just chuck the whole thing, Higgins asks? "I'm still too young to sit around being bored," he replies. It's not money; he made a half million a year during his peak years, and his contract has eight years to go, whether or not he does anything. 

This September found Moore back with a new version of The Garry Moore Show. He wanted the show to be creative, like his old daytime show, where "The dancers danced, the singers sang and I stayed the hell out of the way." But with the new show near the bottom of the ratings (The Doan Report, in fact, reports that CBS has decided to pull the plug), he's been bringing in guest stars and special episodes. The show's on Sunday nights, up against NBC's Bonanza. Moore's philosophical about it, but hopeful: "If they take me off, who're they going to throw in to do better?" (The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, as it turned out.)

"I’m worried," he continues. "I don’t admit it to myself, but I am. Because if I bomb out, I’m in serious trouble. I won’t know what to do with myself." Moore sounds like a man struggling with a midlife TV crisis. "I’m 51, and what have I been doing? I’ve been going out there once a week and trying to get a few laughs—which is tremendously foolish for a man my age."

Moore sounds not like a bitter man, but one who wonders what he really has to show for his considerable success. "I hated being in the 'famous' business," he says. "The adulation is all out of proportion. Everything is instant service. You get to expect it because you think you've earned it—which you haven't." He didn't and still doesn't, think he's earned it. "I’ve tried desperately to keep my worth in perspective. If nothing else, I’ve tried to live realistically."

As for the future—well, who knows? "As I’ve said," Moore concludes, "this is sort of a last-ditch stand for me: But I feel a winner doesn’t admit defeat until defeat happens to him. So I'll fight. At this point in my life, I'm interested in achieving the impossible." As it turns out, the end of The Garry Moore Show isn't the end of Garry Moore; when To Tell the Truth is revived as a daily syndicated show in 1969, Moore comes on board as host, and stays with it until 1977.

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MST3K alert: The Killer Shrews (1959) Carnivorous beasts terrorize an island. James Best, Ingrid Goude. Craigis: Baruch Lumet. Baines: Gordon McLendon. Lacer: Ken Curtis. (Saturday, 1:00 a.m., KCRA) Yes, that Ken Curtis, and that James Best. Curtis makes for a cowardly villain, Best an unappealing hero, and Ingrid Goude the woman that they inexplicably fight over. Oh, and of course, killer shrews. And that's why this movie is on MST3K. TV