This week in TV Guide: March 13, 1965

I had something all planned for this week's lede—Edith Efron's co-cover story on sex in the soaps—but it turned out to be so engrossing, so complex, and so long that I've chosen to carry it over to Wednesday's essay. Good news for me, because it gives me material for another day, but bad news for you, because it deprives you of an essential part of this week's issue.

Or does it? Let's see if we can make up for it with Sullivan vs. the Palace, World War I, child stars, and some other stuff, beginning with a look at the producer of the number one television program in America.

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This week's other cover story is on David Dortort, producer of Bonanza, a man to whom, Dwight Whitney reports, "even network nabobs speak softly." The crucial November Nielsen ratings have come out—November being the time in which many a series meets an inglorious end, and many a producer's heart is broken—and Bonanza has, once again, topped the list, with a higher percentage spread over the second-place show than has ever been seen before. As a result, there are no meddling network executives roaming through the offices, no panic buttons being pressed. And everyone, from agents to out-of-work directors to studio execs, wants to be on the good side of David Dortort.

Dortort is in a unique position. As Whitney notes, Bonanza is his baby; it "represents the taste, judgment and creative ability of one man. It is not too much to say that Bonanza—with its romanticized feudal father, its earnest glorification of the all-male hearth and home, and its tendency to regenerate even its most despicable villains—is David Dortort, right down to the last psychological nuance." And yet you'd hardly know it from the man himself, described as "shy and gentle," who seldom ever raises his voice to anyone "below the level of a trouble some network vice president." After writing what Whitney describes as "an agonizingly subjective account of the horror of his youth," a novel that was praised by critics and ignored by readers, he resolved to "write for the world," and poured out scrips for shows such as Climax!, The Lineup, and Suspense, and movies from The Big Land to Reprisal. 

When the network tapped him for Bonanza, he displayed a vision at odds with that found in the typical Western. "Most Westerns are about lonely cowpokes in dusty cow towns. How about the glories of the West? The lakes, the mountains, the cool clear air?" He was also troubled by something we've read about consistently in television history, the portrayal of fathers. "I was concerned about the damage television was doing to the American father image. He was being portrayed as a weakling and an idiot. I wanted to reinstate him." And if that wasn't enough, he also was determined to cast relative unknowns in the lead roles, rather than more established names. "TV makes its own stars," he told the network.

Bonanza opened to lukewarm reviews and ratings, and the panicked network sent various show doctors in to repair what it saw as the damage. The series was saved by a "sudden upswing" in the ratings; Dortort says it took him nearly four years to cull the herd of its network influence. But despite the show's success, it hasn't all been fun. There is, for example, the notoriously difficult Pernell Roberts. Dortort acknowledges both Roberts's talent and the problems he causes, and doesn't mince words on either. "The problems, all his rudeness, his impossible conduct and lack of professionalism—I would forgive all that if he would come back. He is that good." (Talk about damning with praise.) Michael Landon has shown some reluctance to play a fight scene in his bare chest. ("Mike's funny that way," Dortort says.) On the other hand, Lorne Greene, who currently has a number one Billboard hit with his record "Ringo," is, Dortort says, "The perfect Bonanza image." 

It is only when Dortort talks of his own life that one begins to see the parallels, to understand why he believes so strongly in the story he tells through Bonanza. His father "was a marvelous man. I love him dearly. I would not hurt him. I tell people he was an insurance broker. This is not strictly so. He ran a little candy store and it failed. That is why we moved from Far Rockaway to the tenements when I was seven. Mother bore the burden. She was a saint." Looking back, he says, "Can you imagine how reckless it would be for such a boy to announce he was going to be a writer?" He shared with Little Joe an innate resistance to authority, a temper. He shares Pernell Roberts's impatience; "I tell myself, also as Pernell does, 'I'm bright, I’m sharp, intuitive and quick—what is wrong with people? Can't they see I’m the only man with integrity in town?'" His crew of directors and writers is comprised of many with hard-luck stories or up-and-comers with ambition. "I pick up strays. The Hoss in me, I guess." And that's not all he's shared with his characters; "My father's name is Ben," he says with a smile.

He closes with a candid assessment of Roberts that matches his own self-assessment. Roberts has announced his intention to leave the show for a more "serious" acting career. (How'd that go for you, Pernell?) "One day I may go back to serious writing, myself. But I am a slum boy who sometimes feels he’s trying to be something he shouldn't, and I have learned one thing: When fortune smiles, best not kick it in the teeth."

An interesting article about an interesting man. Good thing the soap opera essay ran so long.

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

Sullivan: Tonight's show is a salute to St. Patrick’s Day. Scheduled guests: actor Pat O’Brien, singer Abbe Lane, comics Allen and Rossi, the folk-singing Clancey Brothers and Tommy Makem, actor Pernell Roberts of Bonanza and harpist Dierdre O'Callaghan. (According to the episode guide, Petula Clark, Nancy Walker and Bert Lahr, singer Jimmy Roselli, pianist Dorothy Donegan, and the Olympiades bodybuilders were also on the show; Abbe Lane, Pernell Roberts, and Dierdre O'Callaghan were no-shows. At least they got a few of the names right.) 

Palace: The host is comic-pianist Victor Borge, who demonstrates how great composers stumbled on some of their famous compositions. Guests include songstress Rosemary Clooney; comic Shecky Greene, who offers a monologue on folk and night-club singers; the singing Kessler Twins; the Two Freddies, trampolinists; swordbalancer Marco; and ventriloquist Russ Lewis.

Sullivan's guest list is all over the place this week, and were it not for Pat O'Brien, Allen & Rossi, and the Clanceyh Brothers, I'd have been tempted to think I was looking at the wrong day. Nevertheless, with Victor Borge, Rosemary Clooney, and Shecky Greene, I'm tempted to go with the Palace. 

A note on the Kessler Twins, Alice and Ellen, who were German singers and were very popular on variety shows of the day, took their own lives via assisted suicide on November 17 of last year. That's a very dark ending to a very successful career. However, that doesn't diminish the strength of this week's lineup, and this week's nod goes to the Palace.

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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, Cleveland Amory reviews a series I've not only seen, but reviewed myself. It's the excellent CBS documentary series World War I, a 26-episode look at the "War to End War." Now, we know that documentaries get a bad rap on television: they're either deadly dull, poorly done, slanted in their outlook, formulaic, or a combination of the above. They also tend to have difficulty getting clearance when they're shown on network television. And, says Cleve, the idea of a 13-hour series on the First World War "sounds about as intriguing as watching your great-uncle’s old movies." But, "don't be misled. This show may now be called World War I but, make no mistake about it, it is great."

There's plenty of credit to go around, beginning with John Sharnik, who not only served as co-producer, but wrote more than half of the "truly memorable scripts." The other co-producer, Isaac Kleierman, started preparing the series with Sharnik two years in advance (the project was aired to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the start of the war), and obtained footage "from private sources and secret archives, never before seen on any public TV screen." Not only is it the straight story, but it also took pains to correct many inaccuracies in the historical record, ones that had been around for decades. The music, composed by Morton Gould, is "truly magnificent," the narration by Robert Ryan is "excellent," and the battle scenes, which were originally silent to begin with, are presented without dubbed sound (Ken Burns could take a lesson or two here), which "adds curiously to the show’s moving authenticity." 

Rather than attempting to tell the war's story in a chronological order, the producers chose to focus on themes, which were then brought together as the series progressed. One of the most intriguing episodes of all, one which Amory calls "remarkable," focused solely on the music of the war. It's called "Tipperary and All That Jazz," and I myself can't remember an episode like it in any documentary I've seen. It presents the story of the war from beginning to end, "with the songs played over the silent shots of the soldiers—and not just the happy songs like 'Mademoiselle from Armentieres' but also the sad ones like 'Keep the Home Fires Burning'" and winds up with "There’s a Long, Long Trail A-Winding" as we reach the front. World War I is, thankfully, available on DVD, and it gives the viewer a comprehensive look at a war that seems, even today, to defy understanding. It doesn't drown in detail, it never stoops to mawkish emotion, and it makes every attempt to provide answers to the questions that persist. Except, of course, for the questions that have no answers.

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We often have features on the latest starlets, but what about the male half of the equation? We'll make up for it this week, with a couple of youngsters who make good: the brothers Howard, 11-year-old Ronnie and 6-year-old Clint.

The Howards, back when they had hair.  

Marian Dern* admits being less than enthusiastic about the assignment, envisioning "doll-faced little monsters," and after hearing a press agent describe what a "cute relationship" they had, "big brother masterminding little brother's career," she grew even more apprehensive. Until, that is, she met the two boys, and their parents, Jean and Rance. Rance is an actor himself, and when Dern asked Ronny if he'd taken acting lessons, he replied, "No, my dad coaches me. He knows all about acting. Course, I can read my lines now to learn them, but Clint can’t read yet." When she asked him if it was true that he coached Clint to follow in his footsteps, he looked confused, then said, "Naw, my father coaches Clint, just like he coaches me." And when she inquired as to whether or not he watched a lot of TV ("being in the business and all"), he eagerly told her the best thing on TV: baseball! He plays a lot of it, and the two boys became animated talking about their favorite players, their batting averages, and how Clint hit one "over the fence" one time. Forget television, this was exciting.

*Marian Dern was also the writer of the comic strip Rick O'Shay and Hipshot, and the second wife of animator Chuck Jones. Small world, isn't it?

Rance explains how Ronny got in the business. "I was seeing a casting director in New York about a job. He happened to be looking for a child for a film called "The Journey." I told him I had a son. The next day I brought Ronny in, and that was that." Ronny has said in the past that he wants to continue acting as a career, although he'd also like to be a ball player. (Who does he think he is, Chuck Connors?) But the conversation quickly turned to movie monsters, and the boys showed off their monster-model collection, "at least 17 varieties." When asked whether or not their classmates made a fuss over the brothers, Jean replied, "Well, no, they treat them like everyone else, though once, at school, some sixth-graders came to Ronry’s room asking for autographs. But I spoke to the school and they put a stop to it." She also recalls the time a couple of teenage girls came to the door and asked Rance if he was Ronny's father. When he admitted he was, they said, "Aw, you don't look anything like Andy Griffith." 

Soon, the boys were off for another neighborhood ball game. Dern later talked to some of the kids at school, desperate to find some evidence of the "doll-faced little monsters." Doesn't he act impressed with himself, she asked one. "Naw, he never acts stuck-up. Sometimes the kids who cluster around him act awful dumb though." It seems, she concludes, that the only monsters in this story are the models the boys build.

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The Letters section contains this tidbit that I thought I'd share in full, as one of those examples of a hidden clue, a casual reference to something that turned out to be a big deal indeed.  The letter:

Many thanks to Marian Dern [that name again!] for the fine article “Man in Pursuit of Himself” [TV Guide, Feb. 27]; however, I would like to correct some quotes attributed to Donna Reed’s husband, producer Tony Owen. I was not dropped from The Donna Reed Show because of a demand for more money, but had already informed Tony Owen last August I would be leaving at the end of the current season. Donna did say they had always wanted a next-door neighbor during the first five years of the show and finally found one in me. I had already filmed two episodes before they hired Ann McCrea to play my wife. Finally, I am not “begging to be back” next year as my new CBS series, Hogan's Heroes, starts in the fall, Friday nights at 8:30, and will keep me quite busy. 

Bob Crane

Los Angeles

As indeed it did, for six seasons—only two less, come to think of it, than The Donna Reed Show. 

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I've mentioned before how one of the things we seem to have lost today is a sense of wonder, and one corrective to that—or at least a reminder of how we used to look at things—can be found in the David L. Wolper documentary The Bold Men (Saturday, 7:30 p.m. PT, ABC), the second in a series looking at "the extraordinary men of our time." Included is Don Wilson, a construction worker on the 32nd story of a building under construction; Red Adair, the famous firefighter putting out a blaze in the Sahara; John D. Craig, the adventurer riding a 40-foot whale shark; plus lion tamers, cliffdivers, stuntmen, surfers, and snake trappers. Humans have been replaced by machines in so many endeavors, it's easy to forget how remarkable—and courageous—we can be, and how thrilled we are when we see someone willing to take risks, which in our risk-averse world is increasingly rare.

Dutch Masters and Murial Cigars: I don't know about you, but when I hear that, I think of Ernie Kovacs and Edie Adams. But there's another cigar-smoking star out there—Danny Thomas—and on Sunday, the two brands team up to present Danny's special, "The Wonderful World of Burlesque" (9:00 p.m., NBC), with guests Mickey Rooney, Jim Nabors, and Lee Remick, and appearances in the sketches by Jack Benny, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Andy Griffith, Don Knotts, Edie Adams (see?), Carl Reiner, Sid Melton and Herbie Faye. They're hearking back to the days before burlesque "went over to the strippers." Ironically, the special pre-empts Bonanza, whose stars are on the cover this week.

There's an interesting program on Monday, Living Camera (10:00 p.m., Channel 10), focusing on "what may be the last five days of life for convicted murderer Paul Crump." Crump was convicted of killing a security guard in Chicago in 1953; while his four accomplices received prison sentences, Crump was sentenced to death. While in prison, Crump wrote an autobiographical novel, Burn, Killer, Burn!; this documentary, which was made in 1963, was made by Robert Drew and Associates, who came to fame with a superb series of cinema-verite films about John F. Kennedy. Phil Ochs went on to write a song about Crump; this publicity, combined with legal efforts from attorneys Louis Nizer and Donald Paige Moore, resulted in Crump's death sentence being commuted to 119 years; he was paroled in 1993, but later sent back to prison for "harassing a family member and violating an order of protection."

The guest on The Red Skelton Hour Tuesday night (8:30 p.m., CBS), is Paul Anka, who stars with Red in an outrageous spoof of Robin Hood-type adventure movies: Paul plays Ponnie Prince Gorgeous, while Red is his long-lost brother, Bonnie Prince Ugly, who has returned to claim the throne after having been raised in the forest by a gorilla. I ask you: how can you possibly pass that up? The late-night movie on Channel 11 is The Hell Fire Club (11:30 p.m.), which is exactly the kind of movie that Red Skelton's spoofing: "The rightful heir finds that his cousin has usurped the estate." Over on educational television, David Susskind's Open End program (9:00 p.m., KQED) spends the entire two hours with Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Abba Eban. Wouldn't that be an interesting show today?

On Wednesday, Dinah Shore returns for her final variety special of the season (8:30 p.m., ABC), a gala at the brand-new Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, longtime home of the Academy Awards broadcast. Dinah's guests include Henry Mancini, classical guitarist Laurindo Almeida, ballet dancers Maria Tallchief and John Butler, bossa nova exponent Joao Gilberto, jazz organist Jimmy Smith, and the 100-voice UCLA chorus. And, last but not least, the ubiquitous Bob Hope, who's probably going to hang around until the next Oscarcast. For more variety, tune in to The Danny Kaye Show (10:00 p.m., CBS), as Danny celebrates St. Patrick's Day with Imogene Coca and singer Enzo Stuarti.

If you haven't had enough of documentaries this week, try Man Invades the Sea (Thursday, 10:00 p.m., ABC), an early Jacques Cousteau special investigating one of the earth's last frontiers, the "inner space" of the ocean. Included is astronaut Scott Carpenter, who's working on Project Sealab, a program by Captain George Bond. If you have had your fill of documentaries, head on over to Kraft Suspense Theatre (10:00 p.m., NBC), with the husband-and-wife team of John Cassavetes and Gena Rowlands joining Jack Klugman in this story of an army pilot, hoping to return to his simple law practice following the Berlin Airlift, who finds himself defending a murder suspect. (Watch it here.)

On Friday night, it's America's Junior Miss Pageant (10:00 p.m., NBC), from Mobile, Alabama. James Franciscus is the host, and there's a very interesting lineup of judges, including religious author Catherine Marshall (the widow of U.S. Senate chaplain Peter Marshall and author of the novel Christy) and Leonard Lé Sourd, executive editor of the religious magazine Guidepost. You can't get much more wholesome than that. Former winners included Mary Frann and Diane Sawyer, but the 1965 winner is Junior Miss Michigan, Patrice Gaunder. And the late-night entertainment on Channel 2 is the science fiction classic Forbidden Planet, starring Leslie Nielsen, Walter Pidgeon, and Anne Francis. Not to be confused with a movie that isn't a classic...

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MST3K alert: Hercules Unchained (Italian-French; 1959) Hercules engages in the War of the Chariots. Steve Reeves, Sylva Koscina, Primo Carnera.(Sunday, 4:00 p.m., KXTV in Sacramento) The second Hercules movie to star the great Steve Reeves Hercules (but the first shown on MST3K) features dueling twin brothers in a battle for control of Thebes, and Hercules undone by the Waters of Forgetfulness. Which is a good way to regard this movie, come to think of it.  TV

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I tried to come up with a picture of George Washington watching television for today, but unfortunately, photography hadn't yet been invented, so we'll go instead with a picture of Sebastian Coe's mother watching her son win the gold medal in the 1500 meters at the 1980 Olympics. This came, by the way, from a 2017 story of how 80 people in Bristol, England, were still watching black and white TV. Among the reasons given were that the license for a black and white TV costs only a third of what one pays to watch TV in color (or, I should say, colour). See, in England, you have to pay a yearly license to watch television at the same time it's being broadcast. This is what subsidizes the BBC, and the current fee is £174.50 for a color license, £58.50 for black and white. It doesn't matter if you watch the BBC or not, or even if you like it; you pay to keep it going. Remember that the next time you're tempted to complain about commercial television. There are, however, no complaints about this week's lineup, however.

Twin Peaks: The Return was one of the most astonishing, confusing, and maddening series to air on television since  The Prisoner, maybe? Apparently, David Lynch wasn't happy with how it was mixed for TV, and so he created one for theaters. Now, it's about to hit the big screen in New York City. I wonder if it will ever make it out here to real America?

My favorite musical of all time is 1776, partially, I suspect, because it has less music in it than almost any musical ever to make it to Broadway. It's the story of the writing of the Declaration of Independence, one of the greatest adventures in human history, and at Captain Video, we see an animated Congress, thanks to a comic book adaptation of the story that captures things quite well.

Returing to British TV, at Cult TV Blog, John writes about "Welcome Home," an episode of the British series Out of the Unknown, that's part mystery, part science fiction. When you get to the heart of the mystery, it proves to be quite intriguing.

At Comfort TV, David takes time to remember some of the major figures who've recently departed, as well as one who, thankfully, is still around: the deaths of Rick Hurst, Lalo Schifrin, Bobby Sherman, and Bill Moyers; and the 100th birthday of June Lockhart. All part of my TV memories, needless to say.

Bob Crane: Life & Legacy is in a reflective mood as well, with June 29 marking the anniversary of Bob Crane's murder, still (and destined to be, apparently) unsolved. Included is a message that serves us well as to how we should view the eternal struggle against the human condition.

At Classic Film & TV Cafe, Rick reviews the two Tony Rome detective movies made by Frank Sinatra. Now, I like Frank, and I like detective movies, so these are both watchable enough, but you get the distinct impression they could have and should have been better.

Paul's latest review at Drunk TV is of season five of Mister Ed, one of those concept sitcoms that managed to transcend the concept and provide entertainment that was genuinely funny on its own. And if that wasn't enough, you get a double dose of Paul this week: at Mavis Movie Madness, he shares his observations on making it all the way through NBC's fabled daytime drama The Doctors, one of those rare soaps that exists virtually in its entirety, except for 290 episodes. That's out of 20 years, folks.

At A Shroud of Thoughts, Terence looks at a landmark 1973 episode of Medical Center, starring Lois Nettleton as a lesbian doctor. It's frank, unspectacular, and one of the first television episodes to present a homosexual character as "a healthy, well-adjusted human being."

At Television Obscurities, Robert celebrates his annual Lost TV Day with links to some fascinating stories about lost episodes, audio recordings, and more. I have a couple of stories regarding lost episodes myself, ones that I encountered while writing Darkness in Primetime, that I'll share here one day. Suffice it to say, once again, that the television industry has been very sloppy in preserving its own history.

And finally, over at Eventually Supertrain, I join Dan for our latest discussion on Garrison's Gorillas. I can personally recommend that, but make sure you make time for Ghosted and Bronk as well.

If you're reading this on Friday and you live in the United States, I hope you're enjoying the Independence Day holiday, and that you don't lose any limbs with your fireworks! If you're reading this over the weekend or next week, I'll assume you survived in one piece. TV  

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In case you missed it, I appeared in back-to-back episodes of "American TV" with Dan Schneider, both featuring staples of 1960s and '70s Saturday morning television; the first is about Sid and Marty Krofft, the second looks at the work of William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Fun to do and, I hope, fun to watch. 

At Bob Crane: Life and Legacy, the authors provide evidence to refute some of the many false claims about Bob's life, particularly his marriage to Patricia Olson (Sigrid Valdis); it's all part of their continuing efforts to tell the true story.

Jack's Hitchcock Project at bare-bones e-zine continues with "The Motive," a third-season story written by Rose Simon Kohn, featuring Skip Homeier, William Redfield, Carl Betz, Carmen Phillips, and an extremely effectve ending.

At Cult TV Blog, John's private detective "season" continues as well, and for once it's a show I've actually watched! It's the gritty series Public Eye, with Alfred Burke outstanding as a Rockford-type P.I. just trying to make a living; this week, it's the excellent episode "The Bankrupt." 

David's countdown of his 50 favorite classic TV characters proceeds at Comfort TV, and this week he turns his attention to Maxwell Smart, played so memorably by Don Adams; could you even imagine anyone else plausibly in this role?

Jordan's in-depth review of The Twilight Zone Magazine returns at The Twilight Zone Vortex, with Volume 3, Number 6, from January/February 1984. Included is an interview with Stephen King, a story by Isaac Bashevis Singer, looks at TZ and The Outer Limits, and more!

At A Shroud of Thoughts, Terence looks back at the sitcom The Jeffersons on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the show's debut. After an 11-season run on CBS, it's maintained a comfortable home in syndication, and remains one of television's groundbreaking sitcoms.

Travalanche commemorates the birthday of Ernie Kovacs with something I certainly wasn't aware of, not that I'm any kind of Kovacs scholar. It's about the time Ernie and Buster Keaton formed a comedy team, and it's well worth checking out.

Roger's review of The New Avengers continues apace at The View from the Junkyard, with the third episode of the series, "The Midas Touch," which has to do with a contagious disease threatening society, and features another outstanding performance by Joanna Lumley as Purdy. TV  

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Happy Fifth of July to all of you out there; hopefully, you're joining us with all your digits still intact, because you'll want to make sure you can maneuver your keyboard around the latest news from the week.

At Second Union, Chris looks at the 1983 telemovie Still the Beaver, and the subsequent revival series that ran, first on the Disney Channel and then on TBS, for four seasons from 1983 through 1989. It's a great in-depth look that covers everything you might want to know, including why it's never been released on DVD.

Paul revisits the 1981 miniseries East of Eden at Drunk TV, an adaptation of John Steinbeck's classic that's much more faithful than the iconic 1955 James Dean feature, and includes Jane Seymour (padding her resume as Queen of the Miniseries) as the delightfully evil villain. How does it stack up to the movie in entertainment terms? Read and find out.

Martin Mull died last week, aged 80, leaving behind many happy memories for his fans, and at A Shroud of Thoughts, Terence reviews Mull's long career, from his comedic songwriting in the 1970s to his unforgettable roles in the Mary Hartman universe, to his many appearances guest-starring in television and the movies. You can also read about his many roles in a tribute at Inner Toob.

At Television Obscurities, Robert has an excellent editorial on why YouTube is not suitable for preserving television. This is of particular interest to those of us involved in writing about the history of the medium, and considering how frustrating it can be dealing with the careless way in which the industry itself treats its history. While you're there, look at all of Robert's posts for July 1, as he celebrates "Lost TV Day 2024."

Television's New Frontier: the 1960s dips into the 1962 episodes of Naked City, one of my favorite police dramas. It does a very good job, particularly in the opening paragraphs, of describing what made Naked City different from other police shows of the era, as well as those procedurals we often have to suffer through today.

At Tales from the Junkyard, Roger and Mike compare notes on "Wish You Were Here," an Avengers episode that parodies The Prisoner, if you can believe that. The show may not be on its A game with this one, not that it would have been an easy task in the first place, but, unlike Mike, I still count myself a fan of The Avengers, so I'll give it a mulligan.

I've never seen Anatomy of a Murder in a theater, but I've seen it many times on television, which means I'm counting it here; this week, Rick looks back on it at Classic Film & TV Café and speculates that it might be the greatest courtroom drama ever. If you've never seen it, you'll be doing yourself a favor by checking out Jimmy Stewart's last Oscar-nominated performance.

For the first time in eleven years, John returns to the world of Spyder's Web at Cult TV Blog; the 1972 series tells the story of a secret government espionage unit (always a worthwhile subject), and features among its stars Anthony Ainley, so memorable as The Master on Doctor Who. It is, says John, of a kind with 1960s eccentric TV, which makes it worth a look.

David continues his Comfort TV look at his 50 favorite classic TV characters with Sabrina Duncan, the Charlie's Angel played by Kate Jackson. Though she may have been difficult in real life, there's no questioning the importance of her character to the success of Charlie's Angels; as David says, there was no coming back once she left.

Last week was the fiftieth anniversary of Bob Crane's murder (can it really be that long ago?), and at Bob Crane: Life & Legacy, the team looks back at that date, and takes the time to, once again, correct the malicious and false stories that always appear at these anniversaries. Hard to believe that Bob Crane has now been dead longer than he lived. TV  

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At bare-bones e-zine, we start the week with Jack's Hitchcock Project, looking at Irving Elman's seventh-season teleplay "The Door Without a Key," starring the great Claude Rains, John Larch, and Billy Mumy, familiar faces all.

The Broadcast Archives has a small but important explanation for why it's important to preserve broadcast archives. I wish--no, I ache for all the material that's been lost over the years because it wasn't preserved.

Did you ever wonder how TV bloggers get ideas on what to write about? One way is by having a constant supply of programs to watch, and at Cult TV Blog, John shares some of the contents of his laptop. We'll be reading about them later!

At The Horn Section, Hal is back to continue his series dispelling myths about the ratings for the series F Troop, which were actually much better than those for more heralded show such as That Girl.

The Avengers returns at The View from the Junkyard, with "The Forget-Me-Knot," and a restatement of what the series is all about: "lots of fights, some baddies with a dastardly plan, eccentric secret agents, a gimmicky element to the story, and plenty of humour." Find out how all these come together.

Was The Love Boat the most influential program ever to air on television? This article from CNN, discussing the impact the show made on the cruise industry, makes a compelling case that it was; what do you think?

Did you ever wonder how James Garner wound up as Jim Rockford? My old friend Billy Ingram has the story at TVParty, the site that gave me my start in the classic TV business!

We're up to the 1962 episodes of the sitcom Dennis the Menace, and Television's New Frontier: The 1960s takes an in-depth look at the year's episodes and the direction the show is headed, including the transition from Joseph Kearns to Gale Gordon.

TV Obseurities presents a new audio exhibit looking at the closing credits to the 1975-76 season of All in the Family,. It's worth it for the voiceover promotions you hear over the credits, a great look back at what the network had to offer almost 50 years ago.

At Cult TV Lounge, it's a look at one of the best episodes of The Twilight Zone, the chilling, surprising "The After Hours," starring Anne Francis as a department store customer who isn't what she seems, in a store that isn't what it seems.

Finally, the podcast Flipside: The True Story of Bob Crane presents a special Bob hosted to mark the 8th anniversary of his KNX-CBS radio program. It's a reminder of what a great radio host he was, and how entertaining his show was. TV  

Around the dial

If you haven't seen my latest podcast appearance, I'm with the great Ken Reid on his show TV Guide Counselor, where we talk about classic shows, the role of TV in American pop culture, and TV Guide (naturally). Plus, I shill for The Electronic Mirror! You can listen to the podcasts here, and you can buy the book here. Do it soon, before my next one comes out.

The temperatures here in Indiana have been close to 90 the last few days, which of course means it's a perfect time to check in with Joanna's Christmas in July at Christmas TV History. The latest is a look at the 1956 Alcoa Hour production of "The Stingiest Man in Town," a musical adaptation of "A Christmas Carol" with Basil Rathbone, Vic Damone, Johnny Desmond, and Patrice Munsel. Thought lost for many years, it turnd up on DVD just a few years ago; of course, it's in our library.

John continues his series on The X-Files and the American Dream at Cult TV Blog, with examinations of "Young at Heart" and "E.B.E." In particular, the link between "E.B.E." and the deconstruction of the Dream is quite interesting.

Where were you on Wednesdays in 1972? A look at Comfort TV might refresh your memory, as David's series on 1970s TV arrives; among the best is NBC's winning lineup of Adam-12, Banacek (as part of the Wednesday Mystery Movie) and Search. On the other hand, CBS counters with The Carol Burnett Show, Medical Center, and Cannon, and ABC features the Wednesday Movie of the Week as its biggest entry. What an interesting night of programming.

Speaking of Movie of the Week, at Drunk TV, Paul reviews the 1975 teleflick Sweet Hostage, a kidnapping drama starring Martin Sheen (in one of his patented psycho roles that he did so well early in his career) and Linda Blair. I have a feeling Paul's review is a bit better than the movie itself.[

At Bob Crane: Life & Legacy, Carol takes on the wretched biopic Auto Focus, and how it completely (and deliberately) distorted Bob Crane's life story. I'm not surewould even make a good fictional story; as one that purports to represent fact, it's a dishonest failure.

All Bones Considered—isn't that a great name for a podcast? It tells the stories of people buried in the Laurel Hill Cemeteries near Philadelphia, two of whom are Dave Garroway and his wife Sarah Lee Lippincott. Jodie links to the episodes at Garroway at Large; spend some time listening to these fascinating stories.

I've been using televised highlights of 1960s and '70s U.S. Open golf tournaments as white noise lately (revisiting my youth, you know), which is a good lead-in to Roger and Mike's take on The Avengers episode "The Thirteenth Hole" at The View from the Junkyard. Is it a birdie or a bogey? Find out what they think.

That episode of The Avengers features Diana Rigg as Mrs. Peel, but at Cult TV Lounge we skip ahead to the Tara King era, with Linda Thorson leading the way in the episode "The Interrogators"—and how much better does it get when your guest star is the great Christopher Lee? 

Martin Grams revisits one of the iconic shows of the 1980s: Miami Vice. (And by the way, in addition to being influential, is there any show around that epitomizes a decade the way that one does the Eighties?) See why you might enjoy the return trip, especially the first two seasons.

Last but not least, Maddy recalls the career of the wonderful Eve Arden at Classic Film and TV Corner. Maybe you remember her best for Our Miss Brooks and her later series The Mothers-in-Law, but her film career reads like an index of delightful movies. TV  

Around the dial

It looks like someone didn't get the lesson in school about never sitting too close to the television set. Remember how they used to tell us it would ruin our eyes? They never said anything about it runing our mind. At any rate, your mind will only be enhanced by today's offerings. 

First off, in case you haven't seen this (I retweeted it earlier this week), you have to see this very smart, hilarious video by Rachel Lichtman of "Programme 4," the funniest network that never was, this side of SCTV. "Pinpoint parody," one viewer called it; I settled for "Sheer genius." Either way, you can see it here.

Next is Classic Film & TV Café, where Rick reviews Saddle the Wind, a 1958 movie written by Rod Serling, someone we generally associate with television. But this big screen movie, with a big-name cast including Robert Taylor, Julie London, and John Cassavetes, is well worth your time despite its flaws.

At Comfort TV, David returns to the concept of "Terrible Shows I Liked," or, in this case, would have liked: Dick Tracy, a 1967 pilot for a proposed series that never came to pass. It was produced by William Dozier, the brain behind TV's Batman, and would have been in much the same vein (even including Batman vet Victor Buono as Mr. Memory); it's too bad nothing came of it. 

There's a new subject in the Hitchcock Project at bare•bones e-zine: Charlotte Armstrong, who penned the fifth-season story "Across the Threshold," a tight little mystery with a twist ending, starring George Grizzard, Barbara Bel Geddes, and Patricia Collinge. A worthy addition to the Hitchcock collection.

At Cult TV Blog, John continues his series on the American Dream as seen in The X-Files, and I hope you've been keeping up with it, because it's the kind of thing that's going to make you think, something I thoroughly enjoy. I particularly like this entry, because it's excursions into capitalist wealth, Watergate, and allegory make some very good points.

You won't be surprised to know that I'm typing this on Thursday evening; as much as I love you all, I'm not getting up at 6 AM Friday morning to get this ready. And Thursday is the 45th anniversary of the murder of Hogan's Heroes star Bob Crane. Bob Crane: Life & Legacy remembers the event, and reminds us there was much more to him than some would have you believe.

The Broadcast Archives does some remembering as well, of Sonny Fox, best-known for hosting the children's show Wonderama, but responsible for much more, including the book But You Made the Front Page!, published in 2012. Ah, the stories he had to share.

It's never too early to start thinking about Christmas, especially if the name of your website is Christmas TV History, and this week Joanna announces her plans for this year's Christmas in July. I can promise you'll want to keep up with this!

At The View from the Junkyard, Roger and Mike put their minds to the wonderful Avengers episode "The Girl from AUNTIE," which of course has nothing to do with The Man from U.N.C.L.E. beyond the title. But it's The Avengers, right? And Steed is the centerpiece of the story. What more do you need?

One of the most controversial, as well as most influential, television programs of the 1970s was the PBS docuseries An American Family, which aired 50 years ago this year. I wrote about it a few years ago, and this week Travalanche looks back at the series and how it influenced television for decades to come.

Television's New Frontier: the 1960s looks at the medical series The Eleventh Hour, starring Wendell Corey and Jack Ging. Those of you following along here know that this has been one of my favorite series of recent years, and this gives you a good look at the 1962 episodes. Why WB never released the second season of this series—well, we probably know why, but I'd snap it up in a second.

I told you this would be an educational week, didn't I? TV  

This week in TV Guide: February 27, 1965

Imagine, if you will, a popular television show with a mystery at the core of its plot. This mystery has become central to its core of loyal fans, who can't keep from speculating on the show's outcome. Theories and countertheories are proposed, viewers reach out to the producers with suggestions, and even the show's stars are confronted in public by those demanding to know what's going on behind the scenes. There's even a theory, labeled "wild speculation" by some, that the producers already know how the show will end, that the final episode has already been written, and that some people have even seen it via bootleg videos, and this theory has gained such a following that it's become the subject of a national magazine, with denials being issued that only fuel the speculation. It's nice to have such devoted fans, but still . . .

The Sopranos. Mad Men. Breaking Bad. Game of Thrones. Yes, of course, to all of them. But remember, this is 1965, and the series in question is The Fugitive.

It's a little hard to say how or where this rumor started, but as Henry Harding's "For the Record" feature recounts, this rumor, "running rampant around the country," which

has been detailed in hundreds of letters to TV GUDE and Fugitive producer Quinn Martin, says that the final episode of the series has been shot, has already been shown on some stations, and that the one- armed man did not kill Dr. Kimble’s wife after all. In the episode, the one-armed man purportedly tells Dr. Kimble that he saw Lieutenant Gerard do it—during what appeared to be a lovers’ quarrel. They haven’t actually seen this episode, the letter-writers say, but they know people who know people who have.

As if to prove the accuracy of this observation, the week's letters to the editor section includes a letter from Mrs. Janice F. Angevine of Shreveport, Louisiana, who says that this "wild rumor" is "running rampant over the city of Shreveport and environs." "It says The Fugitive’s last chapter has been written and actually shown in some cities and that policeman Gerard is the real killer of Kimble’s wife. Kimble, in the last episode, finally finds the one-armed man who tells a horrendous tale of a love affair between Lt. Gerard and Mrs. Kimble, and reveals that Gerard killed her."

Harding quickly dismisses the rumor; with The Fugitive currently ninth in the Nielsens, "Dr. Kimble may still be running long after the rest of us have stopped." Producer Quinn Martin hasn't given any thought to a conclusion (in fact, he was against the idea of bringing the mystery to a close, fearing that it would damage the show's prospects in syndication), but doesn't mind the attention. "People ask me, 'Isn’t it awful about all these rumors?' I say, 'what’s awful about it?' " Martin speculates that The Fugitive may have tapped into a universal theme, probably the fear of being accused of something you didn't do, and adds, "It’s marvelous that people care so much about the show."

(L-R) Morse, Janssen, Raisch

Looking back at this from the perspective of nearly sixty years, I'm struck by a couple of things, one having to do with storytelling in general, the specifically with The Fugitive. As far as speculation about popular television programs, what we've seen in the social media era is nothing new; in fact, social media itself is nothing new, if one wants to look not only at TV Guide, but all the other publications of the time. People read, write letters, exchange gossip over the backyard fence, and pretty soon the rumor mill is operating at full power. The internet simply allows it to happen more quickly and involving more people.

As far as The Fugitive itself, this shows how quickly the series gained traction with viewers. It's only been on for a year and-a-half, since September 1963. Fred Johnson, the one-armed man (played by Bill Raisch) had only appeared in three episodes to this point, and one of those was a flashback; that people are, even then, speculating on a showdown between Kimble and Johnson is, although inevitable, quite interesting. Most intriguing of all is this idea that some parts of the country have already seen the final episode, although it's always been the friend of a friend of a friend who saw it. Something like this would have been a fairly significant story—when the final episode did air, it drew a record audience—so the thought that it could have been "sneaked" onto only a few stations is absurd. And yet, it shows that being media savvy wasn't the norm back then; people weren't conditioned to think that way. You and I may know that a network would use the suspense of a final episode to whip up a tremendous amount of publicity prior to its airing (just look at "Who Shot J.R.?), but I don't think people stopped to think about that in 1965; other than a "very special" marriage episode of a series, storytelling didn't work that way.

In any event, it's fun to read a contemporary account of this. The Fugitive was less than halfway through its four-season run, and Gerard would always remain a favorite suspect in the minds of viewers (people wanted him to be the bad guy); one version was that the series would end with Gerard unscrewing a fake arm, and David Janssen and Barry Morse used to joke that it would end with the two of them going off together into the sunset. While that final episode isn't the best of The Fugitive, it gave viewers what they wanted: a conclusion. It also gave ABC what it wanted: ratings.

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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: Ed presents a show from Florida’s Miami Beach Auditorium. Scheduled guests are comedians Alan King and Bill Dana; the singing Barry Sisters; dancer Juliet Prowse; singer Wayne Newton; the singing Hialeah Jockey Octet; the Hurricanes, the University of Miami’s Glee Club; the Sensational Leighs, aerial act; and the Cypress Gardens Water Skiers.

Palace: Co-hosts Roy Rogers and Dale Evans (accompanied by Trigger and the Sons of the Pioneers) introduce comedian Shelley Berman; rock ‘n’ rollers Jan and Dean; the Ballet Folklorico of Mexico; the Nicholas Brothers, singing dancers; the Murias, Japanese jugglers; and the Flying Armors’ trapeze act. 

I think this is one of those weeks where when it comes to picking the winner, your mileage may vary. I look at Roy Rogers and Dale Evans and see a couple of legends; I look at Shelley Berman and see one of the best satirists of the time; I look at the Nicholas Brothers and see two of the most dynamic singer-dancers ever captured on film. That doesn't mean Sullivan doesn't have a good lineup this week; in fact, I think it's a bit deeper. But you can already tell which way I'm going, can't you? The Palace rides off with the prize.

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While looking at the Hollywood Palace lineup, I was drawn to a program on KQED, the educational station in the Bay Area: Freberg Revisited . . . Again (Saturday, 9:00 p.m. PT) Professor Edwin Burr Pettet of Brandeis University visits (for the third time) Stan Freberg, who discusses "his philosophy about the commercial aspects of show business." Pettet was a noted expert on comedy and drama in the theater, and it would have been a natural for him to be talking with Freberg, who applied comedy to the art of advertising in a way that was revolutionary, or at least highly successful. Freberg's satiric radio series was very funny, as were his television appearances, and yet I think we most remember him for commercials like this one for Jeno's Pizza Rolls, perhaps one of the greatest of all time. Imagine what he could have done with the Super Bowl commercials.

Here's another interesting show: Profiles in Courage (Sunday, 6:30 p.m., NBC), which, of course, is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book by then-Senator John F. Kennedy. The original profiles in Profiles were too few to fill up a television series (there were only eight, and they were all Senators), so prior to his assassination JFK authorized the inclusion of additional subjects. Tonight's subject is one of those additional biographies: Andrew Johnson, future President of the United States, but at present a senator from Tennessee, staking his prestige and his future on a fight to keep his state from seceding and joining the Confederacy. Walter Matthau stars as Johnson, in yet another reminder of what a fine dramatic actor he was, and how interesting his career might have been had he continued in that vein.

Had Kennedy lived, one of the added profiles might well have been of John Glenn, the most heroic of the astronauts whom Kennedy so admired. Glenn is with Walter Cronkite on the CBS Special Report "T-Minus 4 Years, 9 Months and 30 Days" (Monday, 10:00 p.m.), an investigation on the progress of the American manned space program, and whether or not the United States is still on track to land a man on the moon by 1970. The report, taped earlier this afternoon, includes a test of the Saturn V booster supervised by Dr. Werhner von Braun in Huntsville, Alabama. I like that, and I also like tonight's episode of I've Got a Secret (8:00 p.m., CBS), in which Buddy Hackett subs for panelist Bill Cullen, and Lorraine Bloy, a stewardess chosen from the audience last week, sits in for vacationing Bess Myerson. 

I know that space is limited in TV Guide listings, and sometimes you have to take shortcuts to describe the plot of an episode, but here's one for The McCoys (Tuesday, 10:30 a.m., CBS) that I would have redone: "Kate thinks Luke doesn't love her—he's not as affectionate as her neighbor's husband." I'm sure they're not suggesting that her neighbor's husband is more affectionate to Kate than Luke, right? Better to ignore that and check out The Bell Telephone Hour (10:00 p.m., NBC), as host Robert Goulet is joined by Eydie Gorme, Mildred Miller, Barbara Cook and Susan Watson to tell "The History of the American Girl." Sounds to me like something you'd see on one of NET's sociology programs. 

Fellow Rat-Packers Sammy Davis Jr. and Peter Lawford appear as themselves on The Patty Duke Show (Wednesday, 8:00 p.m., ABC), as Patty is tasked with finding a big-name star for the high-school prom. They didn't have that problem in the World's Worst Town™, the big name would have been whoever could come up with the keg for the after-prom party. And speaking of big-name guest stars, they're always available at Burke's Law (9:30 p.m., ABC); this week's lineup includes Joan Bennett, Edd Byrnes, Arlene Dahl, Paul Lynde, and Bert Parks.

One of ABC's standbys is The Donna Reed Show (Thursday, 8:00 p.m.), coming up to the end of its seventh season, and while the focus is on Donna and her family, one of the featured characters is 36-year-old Bob Crane, who plays Dr. David Kelsey, next-door neighbor and colleague of Donna's husband, Alex. Marian Dern profiles Crane this week, looking at the life and motivation of one of the busiest men around, described as a combination of Jack Lemmon, Bob Cummings, and Jack Benny. Not only is Crane a regular on the Reed show, he's also one of the most popular DJs in West Coast radio, host of the morning show on KNX, the CBS flagship in Hollywood—a job that nets him a cool $75,000 a year. It's said that this is the best way to understand Crane and his frantic mix of "records, interviews (frequently testy), news items, commercials, kidding, claptrap and corn," and isn't afraid to have fun during the show's commercials, such as one for an airline during which he plays the sound of a motor sputtering and dying in the background. Advertisers seldom complain, and why should they? "They get three minutes for every one they pay for." He's leaving the Reed show next fall; Dern portrays Crane's relationship with Tony Owen, Reed's current husband and producer of the show, as a somewhat contentious one, an opinion that isn't always shared by contemporary reviewers, but not to worry: he's shooting a pilot for CBS, a World War II sitcom called The Heroes. Don't bet against him.

You may remember a few weeks ago I spent almost the entire space here commenting on creativity (or the lack thereof) of television shows, which—naturally—means I'd notice the debut episode of The Creative Person, a 28-week series that "probes the personal vision of the artist—those qualities which enable the creative person to translate the world around him into a meaningful statement." (Friday, 4:30 p.m., KQED) Let this sound too stuffy, tonight's episode, "A Thurber's Eye View of Men, Women and Less Alarming Creatures" is a comic recreation of Thurber's view of the world based on his writings, starring Eddie Bracken, Elaine Stritch, Elliott Reid, and Allyn Ann McLerie. Halla Stoddard, the producer of Broadway's "Thurber Carnival," did this adaptation. 

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How about some golf? Nowadays, there's plenty to be found between the men's and women's tournaments each week, not to mention the Golf Channel. But back in the day, televised tournaments were few and far between, aside from the major championships. And yet there's no shortage of golf this weekend, thanks to the made-for-TV events offered by the networks and in syndication. A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned the CBS Golf Classic, which features two teams of pro golfers each week leading up to the championship. This week, a quarterfinal match pits Billy Casper and Bob Rosburg against Bo Wininger and Tommy Bolt. (Saturday, 3:30 p.m.)

NBC's long-running Shell's Wonderful World of Golf, which in its original incarnation ran from 1961 to 1970, showcases not only the finest golfers but also some of the best and most scenic courses in the world. You can find that on Sunday at 4:00 p.m., as Canadian champions George Knudson and Al Balding face off at Cape Breton Highlands in Nova Scotia. There's also Big Three Golf, a series of filmed rounds contested by the three best players in the world: Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Gary Player. Eight matches are scheduled for the season, and you can see the third on Saturday at 2:00 p.m, on KCRA, or the fourth on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. on KRON. Gotta love those syndicated schedules.

So why were these so popular? Because they're filmed, the broadcast can be edited to make sure viewers see every big shot, regardless of when it happens (the average round could take between three and four hours back then); you also don't have to deal with those long breaks between holes. Because the productions take care in their camera placement, they can also bring the best views of the action. And it compares favorably to tournament golf, which was generally limited to the last three or four holes, by which the outcome might already be determined, the best shots missed, or the leader already being in the clubhouse as the broadcast starts; you're also assured of seeing the biggest names without having to worry about them missing the cut or being out of contention. There are a number of them at YouTube; they're worth checking out.

Speaking of tape-delay (or film-delay, as the case may be), we have another example of it with ABC's Wide World of Sports, and coverage of the seventh annual Daytona 500 (Saturday, 5:00 p.m.), which was held two weeks ago. As with golf, a 500-mile race can take a long time to run, and showing an edited version of it can save a lot of dead airtime. The first live coverage of the race was in 1974, when ABC joined it in progress for the last 90 minutes, using taped highlights to update viewers on what had happened prior to the start of the live telecast. The first flag-to-flag coverage of the race came on CBS in 1979. But back to 1965—the race is stopped after 133 laps due to rain, with Fred Lorenzen coming out on top.

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I hope people remember who Mae West was; Dwight Whitney calls her "the first, the funniest, and, some say, the greatest of all the modern sex symbols," and as recently as this issue, audiences are still accepting her invitation to "Come up and see me sometime." Last season, her tongue-in-cheek appearance on Mister Ed was one of the year's comedy hits, and she's hoping to make a return appearance this season. Whitney's interview with West takes place, naturally, in the boudoir, where "Everything is gilt on white. The walls are white, the carpet is white, the tufted satin bedspread on the round bet is white, the satin canopy rising majestically to the ceiling is white." She says she's been in high demand lately, estimating that she's turned down "more movie and TV offers in the last 10 years than most girls get in a lifetime." Why? "Because they are not right for me. They are not Mae West." 

She has a lot to say about today's actresses, most of it critical. Of family sitcoms the aforementioned Donna Reed Show, she replies absently, "Donna who?" Jean Harlow was "merely acting sex," she calls Lana Turner "a schoolgirl," and when asked about Marilyn Monroe, she says, "Well, they managed to do something with her." And then there's Elizabeth Taylor. She's a face," West says. "Of course, she has some blood in her veins. But that thing with that fellow—uh, what's his name?—didn't do her any good. Women won't come to see you. Of course, I haven't seen Cleopatra."

She's about to talk about her plan for two TV specials each year when she's reminded her agents are waiting, and it's time for Whitney to go. She doesn't tell him to come back up and see her sometime, but she does say, "I'm waiting for pay-TV. I'll bet I'll rate No. 1 on it." It's a ridiculous statement based on her age (72), but in the coming years she'll appear in the movies Myra Breckinridge (1970) and Sextette (1978), be interviewed by Dick Cavett, write a second book and a play, and do an album with covers of songs by The Doors. At age 84, Time will say, "Mae West is Still Mae West." It's perhaps with that in mind that Whitney concludes that he won't bet against her.

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MST3K alert: Teenagers from Outer Space (1959) "A spaceship arrives on earth carrying some youngsters. David Love, Bryan Grant." (Friday, 1:00 a.m., KRON) What this brief description doesn't tell you is that the "youngsters" are bent on conquering the Earth through the use of a monstrous "Gargon." I could explain their motive for this, but there's no percentage in it. And yes, they are teenagers, more or less. TV