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? Sunday, September 14, 1980

This week's international issue reminds us that the United States and Canada aren't all that different, at least when it comes to television. Sunday features pro football, just as it is south of the border. And a good many American programs make the lineup on both CBC and CTV. No matter which way you look at it, it spells entertainment. This week's issue covers Washington and British Columbia, with Ted Turner's Superstation thrown in as part of the bargain.

What's on TV? Wednesday, September 6, 1961

At first glance, nothing seems to pop out from today's listings, but a deeper look gives us some gems. For instance, this afternoon's Science Fiction Theater features Vincent Price as a police scientist; Ian Hendry, one of the originals on The Avengers, is being blackmailed into treason on Kraft Mystery Theater; future Oscar winner Beatrice Straight is on Route 66; Naked City highlights Martin Balsam as the guest star; more powerful, and more disturbing, are the turns by Frank Sutton and Robert Blake as a pair of psychopath brothers who meet a bad end; and Rhonda Fleming is "The Woman in Gray" on Hong Kong. Not bad, hmm? The listings this week are from the Utah-Idaho edition.

 

What's on TV? Thursday, September 4, 1980

We've talked about half-hour shows, hour shows, 90-minute shows, and even 45-minute shows, but here we see an example of the 70-minute show. What's that, you say? You don't remember 70-minute programs? Of course not, because there aren't any. In reality, they're nothing more than hour-long shows with ten extra minutes of commercials! As if some of these shows weren't already long enough, the late-night timeslot has become dominated by bonus commercials. Look at WCCO and KMSP, for example, or the ABC affiliates, in the 10:30 p.m. timeslot. All of a sudden, instead of programs starting on the hour or half-hour, they begin at 11:40 or 12:10. Yes, just what we need: more commercials. Well, never mind me; enjoy these listings from the Minnesota State Edition. Meanwhile, I have to tell some kids to get off my lawn.

What's on TV? Tuesday, August 25, 1959

Let's see: what do we have this week? Well, you might notice that the anchor of the CBS evening news this week is Ron Cochran, and if you're an eagle-eyed reader, you'll probably recognize him more for his time as anchor of the ABC evening news. He's with CBS until 1963, and in fact he'll be the host of the network's Armstrong Circle Theatre in 1961 and 1962, as was Douglas Edwards before him. See, network anchors have to find a way to make ends meet, just like the rest of us.

The rest of the day is pretty ordinary, but I'm sure you'll find your favorites anyway. The listings come from the Minnesota State Edition.

What's on TV? Thursday, August 21, 1969

In Saturday's write-up, I spent some time on the late-night talk show wars, now fully joined with the addition of Merv Griffin to the continuing battle between Johnny Carson and Joey Bishop. We've got a second sighting of Merv tonight, with an appearance on WCCO at 7:00 p.m.; since Arthur Treacher, Merv's sidekick, is on the show, it looks like an episode of his old syndicated show. Doesn't hurt the hype, though. Speaking of which, you notice that WCCO is showing Wednesday's show on Thursday; good old Channel 4, tape-delaying it a night because the news runs until 10:45 p.m. And while Dick Cavett isn't on tonight, Hugh Hefner is—and Steve Allen's on in the morning. What a deal! These listings are from the Minnesota State Edition.

What's on TV? Tuesday,

All this week on NBC's You Don't Say!, it's the battle of the doctors, as Dr. Joyce Brothers takes on Dr. Frank Baxter. Who is Dr. Frank Baxter? Well, in 1965 you would have recognized him. According to the always-reliable Wikipedia, "Baxter is best remembered for his appearances from 1956–1962 as 'Dr. Research' in The Bell Laboratory Science Series of television specials. These films became a staple in American classrooms from the 1960s through the 1980s. The Bell series combined scientific footage, live actors and animation to convey scientific concepts and history in a lively, entertaining way; and the bald, bespectacled and affable Baxter served as narrator, lecturer and host. These films made Baxter (who was not a scientist) something of a scientific icon among baby boomers. 

"Several of Baxter's science films have been released on DVD. Baxter also appeared (as himself) in a prologue to the 1956 film The Mole People, in which he gave a brief history of theories of life beneath the surface of the earth. 

"In 1966, Baxter hosted a popular TV series called The Four Winds to Adventure, featuring filmmakers exploring little-known areas of the world, whether across continents, oceans, or local people and animals in a particular region."

And now you know the rest of the story. Let's go to the Minnesota State Edition.

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? Friday, July 24, 1953

Tere's not much to report today; I mentioned the addition of the Milwaukee listing for WTMJ on Saturday, and appropriately enough I've listed it after all the Chicago stations, just as it was in the issue. Besides, when you have the following, you don't need anything more. It's the description for Double Crossed Fool, the movie at 3:00 p.m. on WBKB: "Hitler, Mussolini, and Hirohito run into American sailors when they go to an island to make a treaty with the native chief."* According to the always-reliable Wikipedia, it's also known as That Natzy Nuisance, and it's a sequel to The Devil with Hitler. It's a comedy, in case you hadn't guessed, and while it sounds as if it should star the Three Stooges, it doesn't. I'll let you take it from there.

*"Hitler, Mussolini, and Hirohito walk into a bar. . ."

There's a note preceding the Milwaukee listings that they're in Central Standard Time. Now, we've discussed the checkered history of Daylight Saving Time before, and I don't pretend to know what things were like then in Chicago, but it might well be that Chicago is observing DST; hence, the mention that Milwaukee is not. But life is confusing enough as it is without having to figure this out as well.

What's on TV? Friday, July 27, 1973

There's not much to add here that I didn't discuss on Saturday. You see above the notice about the Watergate hearings; there were none scheduled for this Friday, and none were held, leaving the night open for the College All-Star Game at 8:30 p.m. What interests me is this movie at midnight on KMSP: War Hunt. "In Korea, Pvt. Raymond Endore wins the high regard of his captain for his one-man night patrols—killing silently with a stiletto—but the new man in the squad thinks Endore's killer instinct has grown to psychotic proportions." It sounds like a cross between Seven and The Manchurian Candidate, doesn't it? John Saxon is Endore, his captain is Charles Aidman, and Robert Redford plays the "new man." Additionally, the movie features Sydney Pollack, Gavin McLeod and Tom Skerritt, and, as a truck driver, Francis Ford Coppola. Better throw Apocalypse Now in that mix for good measure. The listings are from the Minnesota State Edition.

What's on TV? Wednesday, July 14, 1971

In Saturday's article about Sesame Street, I mentioned how about 20% of the stations showing the program were commercial, not educational. We can see that in today's listings, where three commercial stations have it on; all three are CBS affiliates, and all three air Sesame Street immediately prior to Captain Kangaroo. That's seems like good scheduling to me; Children's Television Workshop urged stations to view the two shows as complimentary, rather than competitive. You can also tell, from the call letters and the common programming, the shared ownership of the KX family of stations: KXMD, KXMB, KXMC and KXJB. (There's also KXMA in Dickinson, which isn't in this issue.)  WDAY and WDAZ also have common ownership; not a surprise when you're talking about such a vast area as North Dakota, with a relatively small population. That's the edition we're looking at this week, in case you hadn't noticed.

What's on TV? Tuesday, July 5, 1966

Tonight, CBS Reports, hosted by Charles Kuralt, investigates "The Spring Grove Experiment," a look at two patients given LSD treatment at Spring Grove State Hospital in Maryland. "Films show patients under the effects of LSD: a woman, who suffered a nervous breakdown, and a male alcoholic. Six months later at their homes, they describe the effects the therapy has had on their lives." Hint: many people were involved in these experiments, and the results weren't always good. But what better place to read about it than in the Northern California edition?

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? Friday, June 18, 1965

Wou know that summer is on the way when you see notices for programs like Vacation Playhouse, which will be filling in for Gomer Pyle starting next week. Reruns dominate the rest of the night, except for that special on gambling that I mentioned on Friday. But I think the Minnesota Twins game on WTCN looks very attractive, especially since this is the year the Twins go to the World Series. At least that's what I was probably watching, since this TV Guide is from the Twin Cities. Y

What's on TV? Tuesday, June 9, 1970

If you're of an age where most of the programs in these TV Guides feel more like old friends than anything else, you'll remember Dialing for Dollars. Almost every market had some form of it, where if you knew "the count and the amount" when the station called, you could win a nice chunk of changes, 1960s style. As you can see this week, it still runs on WLAC in Nashville, appearing periodically throughout the day. But if you look carefully, you'll also see something called "Gilligan's Giveaways" during the afternoon showing of Gilligan's Island. "Gilligan's Giveaways"? Don't you wonder what that might have been? Something kid-oriented, considering the show's airtime and audience? Might have to look into that sometime, but in the meantime, the shows you're seeing this time are from the Nashville edition.

What's on TV? Wednesday, June 5, 1974

WIe're back in Northern California this week, but unlike most trips to the Bay Area, where we're in the 1960s, this time we're in the '70s, and so you'll get a slightly different look at channels as well as programs. One thing I did want to single out, tho0ugh, and that's KSHL in Chico, which features both the ABC news with Howard K. Smith and Harry Reasoner, and the CBS news with Walter Cronkite. Talk about fair and balanced, hmm?

What's on TV? Thursday, May 27, 1965

The matinee movie on KRON is one that should bring a smile to any fan of the Zucker/Abrahams/Zucker team: Zero Hour!, the movie that served as the model for Airplane! Dana Andrews stars as Ted Stryker, the ex-fighter pilot haunted by guilt who's called on to land a passenger airlineer after the crew becomes sick from eating bad fish; Linda Darnell is his wife, who's preparing to leave him because of his inability to pull his life back together; and Sterling Hayden is Captain Treleaven, Stryker's old commanding officer, who's called in to help talk Stryker down. If all this sounds familiar, it should; ZAZ paid $2,500 for the rights to the screenplay in order to make sure they didn't run into a problem with copyright while working on Airplane! (See the comparisons here.) Today's listings come from the Northern California edition.

What's on TV? Tuesday, May 17, 1955

I mentioned Milton Berle in passing on Saturday, and on tonight's show one of Uncle Miltie's guests is singer and future soap opera legend Bill Hayes, performing his biggest hit, "The Ballad of Davy Crockett," which was number one for five weeks. It was the most popular of three versions of the song that charted in 1955; the other two were by Tennessee Ernie Ford and Davy Crockett himself, Fess Parker, so Hayes's feat was no mean achievement. That and much more, in this week's Chicago edition, which also includes a couple of Indiana stations.

What's on TV? Tuesday, May 14, 1968

You'll notice plenty of coverage of the Nebraska Primary tonight; NBC plans updates during the movie, and all three networks have specials scheduled following the late local news. Bobby Kennedy, fresh off his win in Indiana, needed a victory to continue his momentum. Eugene McCarthy, the glow fading from his challenge to LBJ, mobilized hundreds of volunteers to help in the cause. Meanwhile Hubert Humphrey, electing to pass up the primaries, lurked in the shadows. Kennedy scores a decisive 52-31 victory over Clean Gene, setting up a confrontation in Oregon, followed by June's winner-take-all primary in California. But that's another story. The listings are from Northern California.