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Monday, March 8, 2010

Billboard magazine, Monday, June 17, 1957

Somewhere not too far down the road, I'm going to have to merge my collecting habits onto that old billboard highway that lies up ahead not too far. Up until today, I forgot how much I enjoy reading this magazine.

Here are some interesting bits and pieces of TV in the making...

The sale of Racket Squad to WCPO, Cincinnati, and CHCT, Calgary Canada last week put the ABC Film Syndication series in a total of 150 markets.

National Telefilm Associates (NTA) will be releasing a new 100 picture package 50 movies at a time. They've appropriately named this Package The Big Fifty. All movies are from 20th Century Fox, and some of the inclusions in the first release are Ghost And Mrs. Muir (1947), Guadacanal Diary (1943), The Lodger (1944), and Crime Of Dr. Forbes (1939).

Strom Thurmond told Congress that Toll TV is "the same as having the Congress impose a new tax on the people of this country."

AAP puts the push on Popeye merchandise to tie in with Popeye on TV.



Neilson ratings for 1956/57 & TV Radio Mirrors Annual Audience Poll 1956-57:
1. I Love Lucy
2. December Bride
3. Gunsmoke
4. Ford Show
5. $64,000 Question
6. Perry Como
7. Red Skelton Show
8. Ed Sullivan Show
9. I've Got A Secret
10. The Lineup
11. Hey, Jeannie
12. Loretta Young Show
13. This Is Your Life
14. Dragnet
15. Playhouse 90
16. What's My Line
17. Mr. Broadway (spectacular)
18. Chevy Show - Bob Hope
19. You Bet Your Life
20. People's Choice
21. Alfred Hitchcock Presents
22. G. E. Theatre
23. Jack Benny Show
24. Your Hit Parade
25. $64,000 Question
26. The Millionaire
27. Cheyenne
28. Wyatt Earp
29. Twenty-One
30. Wednesday Night Fights
31. Steve Allen Show
32. Father Knows Best
33. Person To Person
34. Gale Storm Show
35. Broken Arrow
36. Lawrence Welk Show
37. To Tell The Truth
38. Shower Of Stars
39. Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts
40. Lassie

"Six new stages will be built by Republic Stodios as part of an expansion program to cost $1.5 million. The aditions will bring the total number of stages at the lot to 27."

"NBC Television Films will convene its sales force for a weekend convention at The Greenbriar, White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia."

"Luxury liners and frieghters headed for Europe will be equipped with "V" sets from now on, with reception estimated at 270 miles from any transmitter. Caribbean cruise ships will have TV all the way..."

Kay francis slapped a $150.000 damage suit against "Strike It Rich." Aledgedly she tripped over a dolly track while participating on the show on December 29,, 1954.

"Mentholatum, Brillo Take NBC Day Slots"



"American Tobacco is taking a long look at The Reluctant Eye, a new vidfilm series produced for NBC-TV by Jack Chertok. The comedy detective series stars Bobby Van. It is not known what plans the advertiser has for the property, tho the word is that it could conceivably be subsituted for Manhunt, another new show which the advertiser bought, but which has had trouble finding an alternate week sponsor. American Tobacco owns Friday 9-9:30 on NBC."

MAG ADS LEAD WAY
"Reports are filtering thru closed ad agency doors that a number of advertisers are planning joint commercials for fall shows which they share. The problem seems not be one of making products of entirely disimilar nature to fit together smoothly into a single commercial, but of whether such alliances should replace the second commercial in each telecast or the alternate week sponsor's cross-plug, hitchhike or closing spot. The success of magazine ads, which hae been linking Aunt Jemima pancake flour with Log Cabin Syrup in a "natural tie-in," or Eastman Kodak, Johnson outboard motors and MacGregor sport shirts ina "designed tie-in" has prompted the advertisers to consider the device for TV as a means of maintaining their identity the show more strongly during the off-weeks and spreading their message over more viewing hours at no greater cost. Among the pairs of sponsors committed to fall shows who are said to be planning joint commercials are Wildroot and Johnson & Johnson for Robin Hood, Ralston Purina and Miles Labs for Broken Arrow, Buick and Frigidaire for the Patrice Munsel show, Pet Milk and S. C. Johnson for Red Skelton, and Schick and Scott Paper for Gisele MacKensie. In daytime, three sponsors of Mickey Mouse Club are mulling a round-robin version of the same idea."

"Seventy per cent of network television programming during prime evening hours will originate from Hollywood next season, as against less than 25 per cent from New York. It marks the biggest westward swing in any single year since CBS Television City was dedicated and film first came into widespread use." Last season (1955-1956), the split was 54-46 in favor of Hollywood."


DATELINE, NEW YORK--"The Kellogg Company purchase of six half-hour programs on ABC-TV, while still the web's largest multiple program sale, will consist of one weekly series and five alternate week shows rather than five weekly and one alternate week buy, previously announced. Kellogg will sponsor Woody Woodpecker each Thursday in the 5 - 5:30 pm strip, with alternate week sponsorship of Superman, Sir Lancelot, Wild Bill Hickok, and The Buccaneers in the Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday slots. The advertiser will also alternate weeks (with Mars Inc.) on Circus Boy Thursdays 7:30 - 8 pm."

"Indications are that the Lux Video Theater has reached the end of the trail. This longtime radio and TV dramatic property which was used so effectively to merchandise the LUX brand name is expected to be cancelled at the end of its current run this season. It has not been decided whether Lever Bros. will retain 10 - 10:30 Thursday evenings on NBC-TV for a new series. Lux Video is now in the 10 - 11 slot that evening on the web. Lever Bros. which has bought Life Of Riley, 8:30 - 9 pm Fridays, NBC, for alternate week sponsorship next season, will sponsor the situation comedy every week during the summer. J. Walter Thompson is the agency."

Bulova--close to buying 13 hours of Crisis, the Monday night 10 - 11 dramatic show on NBC The Ford Motor Company has bought 26 hours of the show.
Breck, Sealtest--intersted in purchasing 16 Jenry Jaffe fairy tale shows which would be slotted on NBC-TV January 1958 thru January 1959, keyed to holiday season buying. Shirley Temple will act as hostess on the series, which is to be co-produced by Screen Gems and Jaffe.
Prestone--bought half of two Dean Martin Shows on NBC. Chesterfield is said to be talking about Martin for its Saturday 9 - 9:30 slot on NBC.
Colgate--wants Colonel Flack
Armstrong Cork Company has bought the Tuesday 9 - 9:30 pm slot on NBTV for a summer run of anthology dramas.
Bristol Myers & Carter Products bought the NBC-TV telecast of the U S Gold Open Tournament
NBC-TV has opened Wagon Train for 13 week deals, either consecutive or alternate weeks. The adult western, slated for Wednesdays, 7:30 - 8:30 pm, formerly could be bought for a minimum of 26 weeks.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

TV Listings, Central Indiana, Saturday 11-21-59

The absolute best TV Guides to search for are from October through November. You Pick The Year. The new fall season's just kicked into gear and the flow of half and full page ads croon across the pages like Dean Martin. And then there's the ever elusive Fall Preview issue. If you're like me (collect TV Guides regionally), they are the most difficult to obtain. The particular issue I have open in front of me is the week of November 21-27, 1959. A Thanksgiving week for us school kiddies. Wednesday before Thanksgiving pretty much consisted of sitting at your desk and messing around with construction paper and glue and scissors oh my. Clint Walker, known to us kids as Cheyenne, looked mighty big on the cover of this issue. And to show just how crazy tv had become, there's a two page article on Morgus the Magnificent, horror host of WWL-TV, New Orleans. Betty Hutton is cool and comfortable outside her DESILU bungalow, whoa, whoa. Huh--something you won't find in many of today's publications. Here's an article devoted to helping us out with all those poor picture problems (it just might be our antenna!). To tie in with the game show scandal I mentioned in the previous post, we have this: Quote: It's really interesting to note that the current TV quiz show blood-bath is really a "pay the man the two dollars" thing. It might never have come to the attention of the authorities and the investigators if Herb Stempel, who first blew the whistle, had been given the job he wanted with Barry-Enright as a warm-up comedian. End quote. And if all this wasn't enough news, we find out that (on the local scene) Santa Claus will make his annual WISH-TV channel 8 weekly afternoon show for kiddies return in the 5 pm time slot. Not only that, but Sheriff Sid's coming back from California to host Popeye cartoons on channel 3. Sorry, never knew nor never saw Sheriff Sid. Champaign IL was just too far away from the antenna hovering above our house. Sylvania wants to replace the old tv picture tubes in our black and whites with one of their new future, 50 percent brighter, built right up to 1960 standards., just ask for the Silver Screen 85 picture tubes. All of the letter writers in this issue are flat out upset about the quiz show scandal. Those pearls of wisdom truly get on up on the State of Television and Mrs. Ethel Layton of Wiley Ford West Virginia, I really don't know "why can't they take those big, fat blubbers who call themselves wrestlers off the air and take them with the quiz kids to the congressmen?" Well, it does appear at this late date that Mr. Van Doren, et. al. got dissed, but alas, those big fat blubbers have managed to avoid any type of public humiliation. Wait a minute. Maybe I oughta rephrase that. And just think: one has gone on to be a governor so there must be something to it, huh?

As far as days/nights to watch the old black and white, my favorites were Saturday and Friday. You see, in TV Guide World, Saturday comes before Friday. Saturday and Friday had the best programming. Sunday was a big programming night too but since I couldn't stay up past Bonanza because I had to get up and go to school the next morning, I really don't count Sunday as one of my favorites. Same goes for Monday through Thursday. I do remember the Saturday morning line-up of kiddie shows from this period. Captain Kangaroo. First thing in the morning. But Learn To Draw came on channel 6 at 8:45 so my sister always changed channels and on most Saturday mornings, I'd been ready since 8:15. Learn To Draw was hosted by Jon Gnagy. Couldn't go into a toy department at this time without seeing a Jon Gnagy Learn To Draw kit, could you? My sister got one for Christmas. I can still see that mailbox with snow on top. Learn To Draw only lasted 15 minutes. In the beginning of the 1960's, Learn To Draw would be followed by an hour and a half of the 3 Stooges or in Stooge time, 3 shorts. But on this particular morning, Roy and Dale brought justice to the west in The Ride of the Ranchers. Then I had to choose between Heckle & Jeckle or Howdy Doody at 10. I always went with Heckle & Jeckle. Then dammit! They made me choose between Mighty Mouse and Ruff n' Reddy. No kid should EVER have to make a choice like that! It just wasn't fair! Then at 11, they do it to you again. Either Fury or Sky King. Some saturday mornings it was just too much for my brain to register so I went outside and dug a hole in the back yard but it would only be a half hour hole because Soupy Sales came on at 11:30. I ALWAYS passed on Circus Boy. Afternoons were for playing. The railroad tracks. Yes! They were a block and a half from the house. On the other side was a corn field so large you couldn't see the ends. Summer or winter, it stretched as far as the eye could see. But I had to be home by 4 o'clock so I could watch Superman. Superman came on each Saturday on channel 13. Today's episode is The Wedding Of Superman. Eh--maybe I'll stay out and play a little longer today. Roller Derby. Now there's a show that sums up beer drinking television watching in the 1950's. It came on at 6:30. TV Guide lists it as a Sports program, much in the same manner as Wrestling, only here you have women in tight uniforms on roller skates knocking the shit out of the others team mates. Too bad they never made it into an Olympic event. In this particular TV Guide, there's a nice 1/2 page ad for Highway Patrol.

This is 2150, by--until next time.


Saturday, November 21, 1959

















Wednesday, March 3, 2010

TV Listings, Central Indiana, Saturday 1-27-62

Lordy lordy, what it must be like to have a normal life instead of sitting here scanning these pages into the computer so I can post them here. Pretty pitiful, huh? Put on your red dress, baby, 'cause we're goin' out tonight! That's not me. That's Jose Feliciano. The song I'm listening to. It's not a bad thought though. Save me save me save me from this squeeze!
This issue of TV Guide has an ad for the album Remember How Great?, Volume 2. I think just about every household in America had this album stacked up by the 45 changer. I think dad got his copy when he bought a car, but don't hold me to that. It might have come with a carton of cigarettes. Hell, I can't remember. It's been one too many years. I sure do remember listening to it. ALOT. Cab Calloway doing the Jumpin' Jive, Tequila by the Champs, Mr. Sandman by the Chordettes. Come On-a My House. Rosemary Clooney. Hey--it's 1960's middle class all the way. You can probably find it somewhere on some music blog. This particular offering says for you to mail $1.00 and 10 empty Lucky Strike packs and be sure to include a self addressed shipping label, too. Orders received after May 31, 1962 will not be honored which makes me real happy that I already own a copy. Please allow 3 weeks for delivery.

Further inside the guide, you learn that Edgar Buchanan and Arthur Hinnicut will star in Four Star's new Lum and Abner. Also, add Leave It To Beaver to the upcoming 1962-63 season. On the National Scene, "television history's most infamous episode has come to an end in a Manhattan courtroom." Charles Van Doren, Hank Bloomgarden and Elfrida Von Nardroff were sentenced to...uh, humiliation. And although the year isn't that old yet, the best mourner of the year so far goes to "Beverly Hills notables" at the funeral of Ernie Kovacs, who died in a car accident on January 13th. On the central Indiana local scene, Frank Edwards, author of such literary works as Stranger Than Science, Strangest Of All, and Flying Saucers: Serious Business, will appear on the Jack Paar Show, Tuesday, January 30th. Frank Edwards was a nightly host of his own program on WTTV, channel 4 throughout the 50's and 60's. I think I was 12 when I read Strangest Of All. Some of the stories really freaked me out!
Selwin On Saturday came on channel 8 at 2 pm. The day's feature was Tarzan and the Leopard Woman. Being January in central Indiana and if there was no snow on the ground, chances are I watched it. There's a nice, half page ad here of John Carradine guest starring in the Death Valley Days episode Miracle At Boot Hill, 7 pm, channel 8. Also, for those of you who remember the IU basketball games broadcast on Channel 4, who of you can remember the sponsor?

Spoiler












Chesty Potato Chips

So--with all that crap said, here are the TV listings for January 27, 1962...

January 27, 1962


















TV Listings, Central Indiana, Friday, 6-23-61

Sorry, but the listings I'm scanning for this blog aren't in chronological order. I just grab one at random and scan particular days. Due to bandwidth, I will not be scanning entire TV Guides for your viewing pleasure. Sorry about that, too. Instead, I'll be posting a particular day here and there.

In the June 17, 1961 issue, a small comment regarding commercials: And I quote: "This season you have 32 seconds between network programs to raid the icebox, put out the cat or watch the commercials. Beginning in September things will be a little more leisurely--10 seconds worth. CBS last week informed its affiliates that it was going along with a trend started by ABC and expanding its station breaks to 42 seconds..." Don't even get me started about the world of commercial tv today!

I was old enough to stay up late and watch Selwin, central Indiana's Horror Host. His program came on WISH-TV, Channel 8 at 11:15, but I don't remember watching Satan's Satellites on this particular Friday night.

If you check out the 7:40 pm, channel 4 Baseball listing, Sam Simmermaker is one of the announcers. Sam is still announcing, some 49 years later on WCSI radio. There are some TV programs I do not remember. 'Way Out, at 9:30 pm on channel 8 is one. I must have been watching 77 Sunset Strip. I also do not remember "Happy," on channel 6 at 7:30 pm. Ruffles the clown, who hosted Popeye cartoons I do remember. I believe there's a picture of Ruffles in one of the TV Guides I have around here. I'll be sure to post that when I run across it.

Friday, June 23, 1961













Monday, February 22, 2010

TV, Central Indiana, Thanksgiving, 11-28-57

This is the earliest issue of TV Guide from central Indiana that I've been able to locate so far. Although I was too young to remember watching tv on the Thanksgiving offerings listed below, I do remember sitting in front of the old black and white on Thanksgiving mornings, me in my pj's with milk stains on the front and maybe a Rice Krinkle still housed in one of the creases, watching the parades.
I should note that, of all the stations listed (oh-boy-what were there? A choice of 7 or 8?), we could only get channels 4, 6, 8, and 13.

Channels are as follows:
3--Champaign IL
4, 6, 8, 13--Indianapolis IN
18--Lafayette IN
10--Terre Haute IN
15, 21, 33--Ft. Wayne IN
49--Muncie IN

Thursday, November 28, 1957















TV Listings, Central Indiana, Saturday, 11-23-57

The following scans are offered for educational, research, and nostalgic purposes. I hope you enjoy.

Saturday, November 23, 1957