February 17, 2025

What's on TV? Wednesday, February 23, 1955




Tonight's highlight is the Kraft Television Theatre presentation "The Emperor Jones" (9:00 p.m., NBC), Eugene O'Neill's 1920 tragedy about a Pullman porter who winds up being dictator of an island in the Carribbean. Ossie Davis stars in the title role, with Evelyn Ellis and Curtis James making up part of the predominently black cast; Everett Sloane costars as a white trader who appears at the beginning and end of the play. It would have been unusual for a television drama in 1955 to feature an almost entirelly black cast, let alone one with a black actor in the starring role (and believe me, Jones dominates the play); I wonder if there were stations in the South that refused to show it? That wasn't a problem in this Philadelphia edition.

 
-3- WPTZ (NBC)
 
MORNING
 
     6:45
Thought for Today
 
     6:50
Market Reports, Weather
 
     7:00
Today—Dave Garroway
 
     8:55
Today with Mr. Rivets
 
     9:00
Let Scott Do It—Variety
 
   10:00
Ding Dong School
 
   10:30
Way of the World
 
   10:45
Operation Blackboard
 
   11:00
Home—Women’s News
 
AFTERNOON
 
   12:00
Tennessee Ernie
 
   12:30
Feather Your Nest—Quiz
 
     1:00
MOVIE—Mystery
Hollywood Playhouse: “Riverside Murder”
 
     2:20
Mac McGuire Show
 
     2:30
Television Kitchen—Recipes
 
     3:00
The Greatest Gift—Serial
 
     3:15
Golden Windows—Serial
 
     3:30
One Man’s Family
 
     3:45
Miss Marlowe—Serial
 
     4:00
Hawkins Falls—Serial
 
     4:15
First Love—Serial
 
     4:30
World of Mr. Sweeney
 
     4:45
Modern Romances
 
     5:00
Pinky Lee Show
 
     5:30
Howdy Doody
 
EVENING
 
     6:00
Fun House—Pete Boyle
 
     6:30
MOVIE—Crime
Award Theater: “I Became a Criminal”
 
     7:25
NEWS—Taylor Grant
 
     7:30
EDDIE FISHER
 
     7:45
NEWS—John Cameron Swayze
 
     8:00
I MARRIED JOAN
 
     8:30
MY LITTLE MARGIE—Comedy
 
     9:00
KRAFT THEATRE—Drama   COLOR 
“The Emperor Jones”
 
   10:00
THIS IS YOUR LIFE
 
   10:30
THE FALCON—Drama
 
   11:00
News—Taylor Grant
 
   11:10
Sports—Claude Haring
 
   11:15
Weather—Jack Pyle
 
   11:20
Tonight in Philadelphia
 
   11:30
Tonight—Stevel Allen
Guests: Roy Elderidge, Bill Harris, Ben Webster
 
     1:00
Thought for Tomorrow
 
 
 
-6- WFIL (ABC, Du Mont)
 
MORNING
 
     8:00
Your Morning Male
 
     8:55
News—Chuck Harrison
 
     9:00
Breakfast Club—Variety
Guests: Gary Mann, Jeannie McKeon
 
   11:00
Science Is Fun—Education
“Bouncing Waves”
 
   11:15
University of the Air
“Spanish”
       
   11:35
University of the Air
“Psychology of Adolescence”
 
AFTERNOON
 
   12:00
Chief Halftown Cartoons
 
   12:30
MOVIE—Western
Movie Matinee: “I Shot Billy the Kid”
 
     1:50
Features for Women
 
     2:00
Robert Q. Lewis—Variety
 
     2:30
At Home—Features
 
     3:00
Bandstand—Bob Horn
 
     5:00
Hopalong Cassidy Show
 
EVENING
 
     6:30
Rainbow Theater
 
     6:45
Newsreel—Frank Hall
 
     6:55
Weather—Francis Davis
 
     7:00
STUDIO 57—Drama
“The Haver Technique”
 
     7:30
DISNEYLAND
“Davy Crockett at the Alamo”
 
     8:30
STU ERWIN—Comedy
 
     9:00
MASQUERADE PARTY
Panelists: Bobby Sherwood, Ilka Chase, Buff Cobb, Ogden Nash. Emcee: Peter Donald
 
     9:30
WHO SAID THAT?
Panelists: Kitty Carlisle, June Lockhart, Bob Considine, Jimmy Nelson. Host: John Daly
 
   10:00
STOP THE MUSIC—Quiz
 
   10:30
EDDIE CANTOR—Comedy
 
   11:00
Newsreel—Frank Hall
 
   11:10
Weather—Francis Davis
 
   11:15
MOVIE—Mystery
Night Owl Theater: “Meeting at Midnight”
 
 
-8- WGAL (Lancester) (CBS, NBC, ABC, Du Mont)
 
MORNING
 
     7:00
Today—Dave Garroway
 
     9:00
College of the Air
“A Tour Through South America”
 
     9:30
Hymns of Faith—Music
 
     9:45
Spotlight on the Stars
 
   10:00
Ding Dong School
 
   10:30
Way of the World
 
   10:45
Music of the West
 
   11:00
The Brighter Day—Serial
 
   11:15
Valiant Lady—Serial
       
   11:30
Strike It Rich—Quiz
 
AFTERNOON
 
   12:00
TV Farmer—Crop Data
 
   12:15
Love of Life—Serial
 
   12:30
News of the World
 
   12:40
Regional News—Whalen
 
   12:45
The Guiding Light
 
     1:00
Portia Faces Life—Serial
 
     1:15
Road of Life—Serial
 
     1:30
Welcome Travelers
 
     2:00
From the Kitchen Door
 
     2:30
Search for Tomorrow
 
     2:45
Today with Kay—Features
 
     3:00
The Big Payoff—Quiz
 
     3:30
One Man’s Family
 
     3:45
Miss Marlowe—Serial
 
     4:00
Hawkins Falls—Serial
 
     4:30
On Your Account
 
     5:00
Slapstick Theater
 
     5:15
House Party—Fun
 
     5:30
Howdy Doody
 
EVENING
 
     6:00
Wild Bill Hockok—Western
 
     6:30
Sports, Weather, News
 
     7:30
EDDIE FISHER
 
     7:45
NEWS—John Cameron Swayze
 
     8:00
ARTHUR GODFREY AND HIS FRIENDS—Variety
Guests: Frank Parker, Lu Ann Simms, The McGuire Sisters, Janette Davis, The Mariners
 
     9:00
KRAFT THEATRE—Drama   COLOR 
“The Emperor Jones”
 
   10:00
BOXING—Miami
Kid Gavilan vs. Hector Constance
 
   10:45
SLANTS ON SPORTS
 
   11:00
Eleventh Hour News
 
   11:10
Regional News
 
   11:15
Two for the Money—Quiz
 
   11:45
Tonight—Steve Allen
 
 
 
10 WCAU (CBS)
 
MORNING
 
     7:00
Morning Show—Jack Paar
Guests: Johnny Desmond, Edith Adams
 
     8:55
Mister & Missus—Features
 
     9:45
Portia Faces Life—Serial
 
   10:00
Garry Moore—Variety
 
   10:30
Arthur Godfrey Time
       
   11:30
Strike It Rich—Quiz
 
AFTERNOON
 
   12:00
Valiant Lady—Serial
 
   12:15
Love of Life—Serial
 
   12:30
Search for Tomorrow
 
   12:45
The Guiding Light
 
     1:00
Woman’s World—Features
 
     1:30
Welcome Travelers
 
     2:00
Cinderella Week-end—Quiz
 
     2:30
House Party—Fun
 
     3:00
The Big Payoff—Quiz
 
     3:30
Bob Crosby—Music
 
     4:00
The Brighter Day—Serial
 
     4:15
Secret Storm—Serial
 
     4:30
On Your Account
 
     5:00
Junior Hi-jinx—Willie
 
     5:30
Frontier Justice—Drama
 
EVENING
 
     6:00
MOVIE—Drama
Early Show: “Hollow Triumph”
 
     6:55
News—John Facenda
 
     7:00
I LED THREE LIVES—Drama
 
     7:30
NEWS—Douglas Edwards
 
     7:45
PERRY COMO—Songs
 
     8:00
ARTHUR GODFREY AND HIS FRIENDS—Variety
Guests: Frank Parker, Lu Ann Simms, The McGuire Sisters, Janette Davis, The Mariners
 
     9:00
THE MILLIONAIRE
 
     9:30
I’VE GOT A SECRET
Guest: Robert Merrill. Panelists: Jayne Meadows, Bill Cullen, Henry Morgan, Faye Emerson. Emcee: Garry Moore
 
   10:00
BOXING—Miami
Kid Gavilan vs. Hector Constance
 
   10:45
SPORTS—Bill Campbell
 
   11:00
News—John Facenda
 
   11:10
Weather—Phil Sheridan
 
   11:15
Sports Final—Jack Whitaker
 
   11:25
Five Minutes More—Variety
 
   11:30
MOVIE—Drama
Late Show: “Hollow Triumph”
 
 
 
12 WDEL (Wilmington) (Independent)
 
AFTERNOON
 
     3:00
Paul Dixon Show
 
     4:00
Film Feature—Drama
Matinee Movie: Part 3—“Catherine the Great”
 
     4:30
Aunt Kate’s Kitchen
 
     5:00
MOVIE—Western
Boots and Saddles: “Dude Bandit”
 
EVENING
 
     6:00
It’s Time for Jack
 
     6:30
News—6:30 Edition
 
     6:45
Weatherman—Fariss
 
     6:50
Time Out—George Frick
 
     7:00
CAPT. VIDEO—Adventure
 
     7:15
NEWS—Morgan Beatty
 
     7:30
MOVIE—Fantasy
Evening Playhouse: “Angel on My Shoulder”
 
     9:00
BIG PICTURE—Army Film
 
     9:30
CAVALCADE OF AMERICA
“The Hostage”
 
   10:00
MOVIE—Fantasy
Evening Playhouse: “Angel on My Shoulder”
 
   11:30
Headline Roundup
 
   11:40
Sports Today—Al Barclay
 
TV  

1 comment:

  1. The WCAU/10 (then owned by CBS) listings are fascinating, as two of the best known voices in sports were there at the time. The news anchor was John Facenda, later the distinctive voice of NFL Films. Jack Whitaker was the sports anchor, who would later be a fixture at CBS Sports, then ABC Sports.

    ReplyDelete

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