What's on TV? Tuesday, October 16, 1973

I suppose tonight's World Series game is the highlight for sports fans, but as I mentioned on Saturday, you might find two movies worth your while: Kim Novak and Tony Curtis in The Third Girl on the Left, and Peter Ustinov in Viva Max! Still, I'm sure you'll be able to find your favorites; today's listings are from the Philadelphia-New York metro area.

What's on TV? Monday, September 20, 1971

Tonight represents a landmark in the history of televised sports. No, it's not the inaugural season of Monday Night Football; that was last year. It's close, though: for the second season debut, Frank Gifford replaces Keith Jackson as play-by-play announcer, a move that has twin ramifications. In joining Howard Cosell and Don Meredith, Gifford helps form one of the most memorable broadcasting teams in television sports history, one that would earn the praise and ire of millions around the country. They helped turn Monday Night Football from a mere football game to an event, a colossal Roman circus that inspired such activities as barroom contests to throw bricks through televisions when the trio appeared on the screen. More sedate, but perhaps more significant, Jackson moved from the NFL to college football, in the process becoming one of the greatest big-game announcers in television history. On such a historic night as this, everything else pales in comparison, right? This week's issue covers the Philadelphia-New York City area.

What's on TV? Wednesday, August 6, 1969

Network television had, by 1969, converted almost entirely to color. (And if you don't think it's a pain putting the little "C" after all these shows, you've got another think coming. Someone at TV Guide must have felt the same way, because it isn't long after this that they start labeling those few shows that air in black-and-white instead.) You'll notice, though, that there are still a handful of daytime programs, mostly reruns, from the pre-color era. Most educational programming is still in B&W, and so are some local programs. And, of course, so is Stock Market Report on WIBF, where you don't need color to tell you that your stocks are in the black; the Dow ends the day up 4.70, closing at 825.90. By comparison, this last Friday the market closed at  52,485.03—it's not just TV changing over the years. This week's listings are from Philadelphia.

What's on TV? Saturday, June 28, 1969

I've been spending some video time lately looking at the late 1960s, at what a divisive and changed time it is. That's one reason why I'm struck looking at the listings for this Saturday morning, looking at how many westerns there are. The science fiction and superhero cartoons make sense—that is, after all, the future. But westerns? I understand the lure of the Lone Ranger, Roy Rogers and Hopalong Cassidy; I had my share of cowboy hats and six-shooters among my childhood toys. I'm just a bit surprised that the wild west is still seen as fodder for kids; it's so traditional, so conventional, so unlike everything that the end of the '60s is supposed to be about. Oh well; if that's what's on TV in Philadelphia, that's the way it must be!

What's on TV? Wednesday, June 24, 1970

ome very interesting things on the schedule for today. For instance, Merv Griffin's lineup is a classic of the time: Phil Silvers, Shecky Greene, Red Buttons and Charo. That had to be out of control before it even started. And then there's poet James Dickey appearing on Bob Cromie's Book Beat, discussing his first novel. You might have heard of it—Deliverance. And even though I've seen it many times in these old issues, I'm always somewhat taken aback when Mister Rogers' name appears as one word: Misterogers. Makes him sound sort of like a superhero, doesn't it? Well, there's plenty more for you to see down there; this week's listings are from Philadelphia.

What's on TV? Thursday, November 24, 1955

After the Saturday summary, there isn't really much more to say about this Thanksgiving Day 1955, but I will notice that 11:25 p.m. program on WPTZ, Harry K. Smith—Comment. Now, I'm just guessing here, mind you, but don't you think that has to be Howard K. Smith giving commentary? And I've never, ever heard anyone call him Harry. I don't know, he just doesn't seem like the Harry type; I'd think even his wife called him Howard. But then, had I known him, I'd probably have referred to him as "Mr. Smith." I do know this, though, that this week's listings are from Philadelphia.

What's on TV: Thursday, July 16, 1959

You might notice that the image above includes channel bullets for stations I haven't listed below, such as channels 27 and 43. Now, that's not because I'm holding back on you; you should know better than that by now, dear readers. No, it's that the Philadelphia edition carries network listings only for the four additional stations in Harrisburg, Lebanon, and York, Pennsylvania. Given that we already know what those network programs are, it would seem somewhat redundant to include them, wouldn't it? So don't worry; you aren't missing a thing!

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.

What's on TV? Wednesday, November 3, 1954

I know I've written about this before, and I'll probably do so again when there's nothing else in particular to point out, but I'm always amazed by how many programs there were on television, particularly in daytime. Most of the soaps were only 15 minutes (a carryover from radio), and almost everything else was a half-hour, but with occasisonal news updates thrown in. Look at WGAL, for instance: 19 programs between noon and 6:00 p.m. And WPTZ has 17 programs in primetime. Do you think networks even have that many ideas for programs nowadays? Judging by how much of the day is turned over to news, I doubt it. The news for you is that these listings are from the Philadelphia edition.

What's on TV? Monday, January 1, 1962

I debated whether or not to do New Year's Day as our first listing for 2024. After all, I've already given you the highlights of the day; what more could there be? But then I reconsidered. Unlike later New Year's, the bowl games are over by the beginning of the evening, meaning that the regular prime-time schedule is more or less unaffected. We have Johnny Carson, who later in the year will become the new host of The Tonight Show, as a panelist on To Tell the Truth; Brett Somers and John Larch as a husband and wife on Ben Casey; Alan Hale on The Andy Griffith Show; and Dick Van Dyke as a guest on I've Got a Secret. So there was more to add after all! The listings are from the Philadelphia edition; any references you might see to channels 15, 21, 27, and 43 are stations in Lebanon, York, and Harrisburg; only their network listings appear in TV Guide, and so they haven't been included here. Happy New Year!

What's on TV? Monday, October 10, 1955

I always enjoy these 1950s Philadelphia editions; it's not that I have any connection to the city (I've never been there), but I get a charge out of seeing the names of some of my old sports heroes, people like John "The Voice of God" Facenda and Jack Whitaker—the kind they don't make anymore. Something else you don't see anymore: network coverage of a speech given by the Secretary of State, but that's what you get at 1:00 p.m. when John Foster Dulles addresses the American Legion convention in Miami. And ther's a nice bit of cross-promotion when Dave Garroway interviews Tonight host Steve Allen on Today. What other favorites do you recognize this week?

What's on TV? Wednesday, July 6, 1955

For once, I'm at something of a loss for words. There really isn't anything new that I can mention today that I didn't already cover last Saturday, and none of these shows are particularly landmarks. That's not to say things are dull; "Seal Island" is an award-winning nature movie on Disneyland, and WPFH has a couple of classic movies: The Devil and Daniel Webster and part one of Things to Come. If you lived in Philadelphia in 1955, I don't think you would have had any trouble finding something to watch. So enjoy, and go out there and celebrate Independence Day tomorrow!

What's on TV? Tuesday, December 25, 1973

Happy Boxing Day! In many of the world's civilized countries, the day after Christmas is a legal holiday, but here in the United States, where we don't celebrate Boxing Day, we have today off anyway because Christmas fell on a Sunday. (Interestingly, where Boxing Day is celebrated, it remains December 26, and the Christmas day off is December 27. Go figure.) But I digress, other than to say that I hope you all had a happy and blessed Christmas. 

Today we're looking at Christmas, 1973, I could have chosen a TV Guide from Minneapolis-St. Paul rather than this one, which includes Philadelphia and New York City, but quite frankly the Yuletide programming for the Twin Cities was fairly underwhelming. This way, with larger metropolitan areas and more TV stations to choose from, I've got a lot more to work with! 

For the most part, the Christmas season is over as far as the networks are concerned, since all the presents have already been purchased, so most of our Christmas television comes from the locals. There's one exception, although, which is NBC's annual coverage of the Christmas Day Service from Washington's National Episcopal Cathedral (10:00 a.m.). This was always a lovely program which some wonderful Christmas music; I think the service is still shown online. WOR and WPVI also have live coverage of Christmas services, and WKBS rebroadcasts Pope Paul's Midnight Mass (10:30 a.m.). ABC's movie of the week is Home for the Holidays (8:30 p.m.) with Eleanor Parker, Sally Field, Jessica Walter, Julie Harris, Jill Haworth and Walter Brennan, but it's not what you think: a holiday family reunion in which one of the family members is a murderer.

Other programs today are rebroadcasts from earlier in the week (such as WTAF's Ranch Hope Christmas Show), but WNET presents A Joyful Noice, music from the Beers Family (10:00 a.m.), followed by a quintet of short Christmas stories (11:30 a.m.), and KYW's Christmas Story (noon) has entertainment from area ensembles, including the Philadelphia Civic Ballet, Holy Trinity Church Choirs, Westminster Bell Ringers, and LaSalle College Singers. There are a couple of airings of Christmas Is, an animated special with Hans Conried as the voice of the Innkeeper, and WABC has Christmas in Jazz (10;30 a.m.), with Tommy and Ernie Furtado and their jazz groups. And of course, there are movies for the kiddies, including Pinocchio in Outer Space and The Wacky World of Mother Goose. Here are the complete listings; enjoy the day!

What's on TV? Thursday, September 30, 1954

Do network stars still work their way up from the affiliates, or do they have other ways of self-promotion? I'm not being snarky here; since I haven't watched local television for years, I really don't know anymore. I do know that you can find a couple of legendary names for sports fans, with John Facenda and Jack Whitaker both coming from WCAU, part of Philadelphia's great television heritage. Ernie Kovacs got his start on television in Philadelphia, and the host of WPTZ's Lunch with Uncle Pete is Pete Boyle, father of the actor Peter Boyle. Of course, The Mike Douglas Show originated from Philadelphia for many years, as did American Bandstand (seen here on WFIL in its pre-national, pre-Dick Clark days). And speaking of WFIL, that was owned by Triangle Publications, publisher of—TV Guide! It's a small world, isn't it?

What's on TV? Thursday, January 14, 1971

This week we're in Philadelphia, all set to have a good time. We're halfway through the first month of the year, and as you'll see, some of the new season's hopefuls are already dropping off the schedule. ABC has it particularly tough; Vince Edwards' return to series television ends with the final episode of Matt Lincoln, followed by the end of the first half of the Neil Simon sitcom duo, Barefoot in the Park, and Christopher George's Fugitive-like series The Immortal. Matt Lincoln will be replaced by the debut of Alias Smith and Jones, while Barefoot makes room for Danny Thomas' Make Room for Granddaddy. Whoever said April was the cruelest month obviously wasn't a television producer.

What's on TV? Wednesday, August 6, 1969

Network television had, by 1969, converted almost entirely to color. (And if you don't think it's a pain putting the little "C" after all these shows, you've got a nother think coming. Someone at TV Guide must hve felt the same way, because it isn't long after this that they start labeling those few shows that air in black-and-white instead.) You'll notice, though, that there are still a handful of daytime programs, mostly reruns, from the pre-color era. Most educational programming is still in B&W, and so are some local programs. And, of course, so is Stock Market Report on WIBF, where you don't need color to tell you that you're stocks are in the black; the Dow ends the day up 4.70, closing at 825.90. By comparison, this last Friday the market closed at  32,627.97—it's not just TV changing over the years. This week's listings are from Philadelphia.

What's on TV? Friday, March 8, 1968

It's interesting to reflect on how many daytime game shows have had simultaneous  network primetime runs over the years. Today, we see the nighttime version of The Hollywood Squares in its eight-month evening run as a replacement for the cancelled Accidental Family.  Password, The Dating Game, The Newlywed Game, Let's Make a Deal, I've Got a Secret, The Price is Right, To Tell the Truth—all of them did double duty in the 1960s (I'm sure I'm overlooking others), and several of them had long syndicated runs as well. Ah tthese are the days, aren't they? Well. This week's listings are from Philadelphia—enjoy!

What's on TV? Tuesday, November 14, 1972

There's something particularly enjoyable about today's programming. It's not just the notables—for instance, Bonanza's ill-fated move to Tuesdays, which culminates in the show's cancellation after 14 seasons, or the premiere of America, which we discussed on Saturday, or the debut on WNET of Coronation Street, the beloved British soap that dates back to 1960, and is still on today. (I wonder at what point they picked it up?) But, let's face it, Saturday's articlFlorese was a little grim, wasn't it? So it's only proper that we try to find something fun in this issue. Take channel 3 at 6:20 a.m.—Making of a Jew. Well, when a male Jew loves a female Jew very much . . . On channel 4's Not for Women Only at 9:00 a.m., opera great Anna Moffo discusses acupuncture. At 7:30 p.m., channel 6 has Hess department store's annual Chrismas Toy Show, which has to be one of the first holiday specials of the season. And Dick Cavett's guests tonight include professors Radu Florescu and Raymond McNally, discussing the origins of Dracula. Might have been better to have on before Halloween, but better late than never, right?

What's on TV? Tuesday, October 16, 1973

In case you were tuning in early today to find out whether or not I've solved the Blogger problem, you can see for yourself the results. A little extra work, but we spare no expense here for our readers, even if it's only the precious gift of time. Anyway, I suppose tonight's World Series game is the highlight for sports fans, but as I mentioned on Saturday, you might find two movies worth your while: Kim Novak and Tony Curtis in The Third Girl on the Left, and Peter Ustinov in Viva Max! Still, I'm sure you'll be able to find your favorites; today's listings are from the Philadelphia-New York metro area.

What's on TV? Monday, October 9, 1961

As I've said many times before, you don't come here to listen to my problems, and yet you're going to listen to them, for a few minutes at least. If you're a regular reader, you've come to expect this feature around 7:00 CT every Monday. The explanation for the lateness of this post can be summed up in one word: Blogger. 

Those of you in the blogging business may be aware that the Blogger platform changed over the last month or so, and it's finally caught up here. The fonts, the graphics, everything I've come to depend on when doing this feature—none of them came over when I imported this week's listings. Between my daytime job and our recent move, I haven't exactly been rolling in free time, and to find out that a quick cut-and-paste job was no longer possible, at least at present, was tanamount to when I found out Santa Claus wasn't real. Well, maybe not that crushing, but let's concede that it's an inconvenient time to be battling with the new system. So when you tune in here next week at this time, you might find that I'm running behind again. Or you may discover that this blog is now being powered by WordPress, or something similar. But just because this little pleasure has been delayed, it's not denied, so enjoy this week's programming guide from Philadelphia.