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TV Seasons

1961

1961/62 – Wagon Train was #1 on NBC Wednesday.

Note: Any BOLD shows were cancelled in 1961 season; Bugs Bunny was cancelled in the second season.

Alternate Series:

Armstrong Circle Theatre and The U.S. Steel Hour were on CBS Wednesday at 10 PM.

The Bell Telephone Hour and The Dinah Shore Show were on NBC Friday at 9:30 PM.

Anniversary:

The Adventures Of Ozzie & Harriet celebrated ten years on ABC.

Death Valley Days celebrated ten years in syndication.

Ed Sullivan celebrated fifteen years on CBS.

Biggest New Hit: Hazel was #4 on NBC Thursdays. Shirley Booth must have been quite proud of herself. She has the biggest hit of the year; it was her first series. She won the best actress Emmy in the first year. Previously, in 1953, she won the best actress Oscar for her role on Come Back, Little Sheba, thus becoming the first actress to win an Oscar and a Tony for the same role. She became the fourth performer to win the Triple Crown of Acting in 1962; the Triple Crown is The Tony, The Oscar and The Emmy.

Death: Joseph Kearns died on February 17, 1962 during the third season of Dennis The Menace. Well, there goes the fun for Dennis. George Wilson wasn’t around anymore to be kick around. Then again, his brother, John Wilson, was introduced in May 1962. Things went back to normal for Mr. Wilson and Dennis. Gale Gordon was the new Mr. Wilson.

Local TV: Open End was on local TV in New York from 1958–1961, then it was syndicated from 1961–1987.

Movies 2 TV:

Dr. Kildare was based on the 1937 Joel McCrea movie, Interns Can't Take Money. There were nine more movies.

Margie was based on the 1946 Jeanne Crain movie.

Room For One More was based on the 1952 Cary Grant movie. They later renamed the movie to The Easy Way.

Name Change:

The Bob Cummings Show to The New Bob Cummings Show in December 1961.

Comedy Spotlight to The Comedy Spot

The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor to Robert Taylor's Detectives.

Mrs. G Goes To College to The Gertrude Berg Show in January 1962.

The Jack Paar Show to The Tonight Show on April 2, 1962.

Original Run:

87th Precinct was on NBC Monday at 9 PM.

Original Title: The Dick Van Dyke Show was going to be called Head Of The Family with the creator, Carl Reiner, in the lead role, sans Dick Van Dyke. Carl originally planned to produce and star in the show, but the pilot failed miserable. Johnny Carson almost play Rob Petrie, but Sheldon Leonard, the show's executive producer, suggested Van Dyke. Dick was perfect for the role of Rob; Carl settled for the role of Alan Brady.

Reruns:

NBC aired reruns of the ABC series, The Rebel, during the summer of 1962.

ABC aired reruns of the NBC series, Law of the Plainsman, during the summer of 1962.

CBS aired reruns of Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre during the summer of 1962.

The Return:

Robert Young returned to a failed series, Window On Main Street, after a year absence. He was best known for Father Knows Best in the 1950’s. People was more interest of seeing Father Knows Best reruns in prime time on CBS Tuesdays, then the new show on CBS Mondays. Robert retired once again till something much better come along in the name of Marcus Welby.

Gertrude Berg returned to a failed series, Mrs. G. Goes to College, after a six-year absence. She was best known for The Goldbergs in the early 1950s.

Bob Cummings returned to a failed series, The Bob Cummings Show, after a two-year absence. He was best known for Love That Bob in the late 1950’s

Groucho Marx returned to a short-lived weekly series, Tell It To Groucho. He was best known for You Bet Your Life in the 1950’s

The Steve Allen Show returned to ABC after a year absence. He was previously on NBC for five years.

Chet Huntley Reporting returned to prime time. It was previously on NBC Sunday afternoon for two years.

Play Your Hunch returned to NBC for the summer. It was last seen on NBC in 1960.

Soupy Sales returned to ABC prime time after a seven–year absence.

Summer Replacement:

The Adventures Of Sir Francis Drake replaced Car 54, Where Are You for the summer.

The Comedy Spot replaced The Red Skelton Show for the summer.

Kraft Mystery Theater replaced Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall for the summer.

Talent Scouts replaced The Garry Moore Show for the summer.

Switch Networks:

Bachelor Father went from NBC to ABC

The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor went from ABC to NBC.

Really, Mr. Ed jumped from syndication to CBS.

Steve Allen went from NBC to ABC.

The Wonderful World of Disney went from ABC to NBC.

Tidbits:

Matt Dillon? Hmm, where did I hear of that name before? Oh, yes! Matt is the main character on Gunsmoke. CBS started showing Gunsmoke reruns under the Matt Dillon’s name on Tuesdays at 7:30 PM.

The New Breed was John Clarke’s first series; it only lasted a season. John found great success in the world of daytime soaps in 1965. He was an original Days Of Our Lives cast member till he retired from acting in 2004. Since then, Frances Reid is the one and only original cast member on Days. Frances and John played mother/son - Alice & Mickey Horton.

The New Breed was Leslie Nielsen’s first series; he became a great comic foil in the movies from Airplane to Naked Gun to Scary Movie 3.

The Hathaways was Belle Montrose’s first and only series. She was Steve Allen’s real mother. She appeared on This Is Your Life with Steve in 1958.

Cain’s Hundred was based on actual cases histories that the show dramatized.

A Lion Walks Among Us, a Bus Stop episode, caused controversial that the USA Congress held hearings of the violence on TV. The episode was about a young psychopath bent on murder and mayhem; it was the most explicit violence and sadism ever seen on TV at that time.

The Alvin Show was originally shown in B/W on CBS because CBS didn’t switch to full color TV till 1964. Ross Bagdasarian and Shepard Menken provided the voices. Ross died from a heart attack in 1972. His son, Ross Bagdasarian Jr. took over the voices and a new version, Alvin & The Chipmunks, premiered on NBC in 1983.

James Moser produced Ben Casey; he was also the creator of Medic from 1954-56.

The Defenders was Robert Reed’s first series. He became more famous on The Brady Bunch.

Dr. Kildare was Richard Chamberlain’s first series. He became more famous in the mini series, Centennial, Shogun and The Thorn Birds. We got to give it to Richard; for a gay man, he was truly convincing as the straight man in the min series, notable The Thorn Birds. That, my friends, makes a great actor.

A very batty actor, Adam West, joined the last season of Robert Taylor's Detectives. It was his first series. His second series, Batman, turned him into a star.

Fred Gwynne and Al Lewis played fellow police officers, Francis Muldoon & Leo Schnauser, on Car 54, Where Are You. Their greatest fame was The Munsters as Herman Munster & Grandpa Munster few years later.

The Dinah Shore Show vacated the Sunday time slot to Bonanza and moved to Friday. Bonanza thrived on Sundays for the next eleven year; it was #1 from 1964 to 1967.

 

1961/62 Fall Season

One Season (1961/62)

Alcoa Premiere – 1961–1963, ABC, dramatic anthology, Fred Astaire

Ben Casey – 1961–1966, ABC, drama, Vince Edwards

Car 54, Where Are You? – 1961–1963, NBC, comedy, Joe E. Ross, Fred Gwynne, Al Lewis

David Brinkley’s Journal – 1961–1963, NBC, documentary, David Brinkley

The Defenders – 1961–1965, CBS, drama, Robert Reed, E.G. Marshall

The Dick Powell Show – 1961–1963, NBC, dramatic anthology, Dick Powell

The Dick Van Dyke Show – 1961–1966, CBS, comedy, Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, Carl Reiner

Dr. Kildare – 1961–1966, NBC, drama, Richard Chamberlain

DuPont Show of The Week – 1961–1964, NBC, various

Hazel – 1961–1965, NBC; 1965/66, CBS, comedy, Shirley Booth

International Showtime – 1961–1965, NBC, variety, Don Ameche

The Joey Bishop Show – 1961–1964, NBC; 1964/65, CBS, comedy, Joey Bishop

Marshal Dillon reruns – 1961–1964, CBS, western, James Arness

 

Cancelled TV shows

The Alvin Show – CBS, cartoon, Ross Bagdasarian

Bullwinkle – NBC, cartoon, Bill Scott

Bus Stop – ABC, drama, Marilyn Maxwell

The Bob Cummings Show – CBS, comedy/adventure, Bob Cummings

The Bob Newhart Show – NBC, comedy/variety, Bob Newhart

Cain’s Hundred – NBC, crime drama, Mark Richman

Calvin & The Colonel – ABC, cartoon, Freeman Gosden

87th Precinct – NBC, crime drama, Robert Lansing

Follow The Sun – ABC, adventure, Barry Coe

Father Of The Bride – CBS, comedy, Leon Armes, Ruth Warrick

Frontier Circus – CBS, western, Chill Willa, John Derek

The Hathaways – ABC, comedy, Peggy Cass, Belle Montrose

Here & Now – NBC, documentary, Frank McGee

Ichabod & Me – CBS, comedy, Robert Sterling, George Chandler

The Investigators – CBS, mystery, James Franciscus

Margie – ABC, comedy, Cynthia Pepper

Mrs. G Goes To College – ABC, comedy, Gertrude Berg

The New Breed – ABC, crime drama, Leslie Nielsen, John Clarke

1, 2, 3 Go – NBC, educational children's, Richard Thomas

The Steve Allen Show – ABC, variety, Steve Allen

Straightaway – ABC, adventure, Brian Kelly

Target: The Corruptors – ABC, drama, Stephen McNally

Top Cat – ABC, cartoon, Arnold Stang

Window On Main Street – CBS, comedy, Robert Young

 

13 out of 37 new series SURVIVED for 1962/63

ABC – 2/13, Alcoa Premiere & Ben Casey

CBS – 3/10, The Defenders, The Dick Van Dyke Show & Marshal Dillon

NBC – 8/14, Car 54, Where Are You, David Brinkley’s Journal, Dick Powell Show, Dr. Kildare, DuPont Show of The Week, Hazel, International Showtime & Joey Bishop Show

 

Mid season shows

Bell & Howell Closeup – November 1961–1963, ABC, documentary

Chet Huntley Reporting – January 1962–1963, NBC, news/documentary, Chet Huntley

Howard K Smith-News & Comment – February 1962–1963, ABC, news commentary, Howard K Smith

The Lively Ones – 1962–1963, NBC, musical variety, Vic Damone

Password – January 1962–1965, CBS, game, Allen Ludden

Talent Scouts – July 1962–1963, CBS, talent/variety, Jim Backus

 

Cancelled Mid Season Shows

Accent On An American Summer – CBS, travelogue, John Ciardi

The Adventures Of Sir Francis Drake – NBC, adventure, Terence Morgan

Oh, Those Bells – CBS, comedy, Herbert Wiere

Play Your Hunch – NBC, quiz, Merv Griffin

Room For One More – ABC, comedy, Peggy McKay

The Saturday Sports Final – ABC, sports news, Merle Harmon

Soupy Sales – ABC, children's, LIVE, Soupy Sales

Tell It To Groucho – CBS, comedy/interview, Groucho Marx

This Is NBC News – NBC, news, Ray Scherer

Who In The World – CBS, interview, Warren Hull

Yours For A Song – ABC, quiz, LIVE, Bert Parks

 

Syndication

Biography – February 1962–1964, syndication, documentary, Mike Wallace

King Of Diamonds – syndication, crime drama, Broderick Crawford

Open End – 1961–1987, syndication, talk, David Susskind

Ripcord – 1961–1963, syndication, adventure, Larry Pennell

Whiplash – syndication, western, Peter Graves

 

Two Seasons (1960/61)

The Andy Griffith Show – 1960–1968, CBS, comedy

Matty's Funday Funnies – 1960–1963, ABC; cartoon

The Bugs Bunny Show – 1960–1962, ABC, cartoon

CBS Reports – January 1961–1971, CBS, documentary

Candid Camera – 1960–1967, CBS, humor

Checkmate – 1960–1962, CBS, mystery

Expedition – 1960–1962, ABC, wildlife

Eyewitness To History – 1960–1963, CBS, news analysis

General Electric Theater – February 1961–1962, CBS, dramatic anthology

Fight of the Week – 1960–1964, ABC, sports boxing

The Flintstones – 1960–1966, ABC, cartoon

Focus On America – 1961–1963, ABC, documentary

Kraft Mystery Theater – 1961–1963, NBC, dramatic anthology

Make That Spare – 1960–1964, ABC, sports

Mr. Ed – January 1961, Syndication; 1961–1965, CBS; comedy

My Three Sons – 1960–1965, ABC; 1965–1972, CBS, comedy

Naked City – 1960–1963, ABC, crime drama

National Velvet – 1960–1962, NBC, adventure

The Outlaws – 1960–1962, NBC, western

Pete & Gladys – 1960–1962, CBS, comedy

Purex Summer Specials – July 1961–1963, NBC, anthology

The Roaring Twenties – 1960–1962, ABC, drama

Route 66 – 1960–1964, CBS, adventure

Sing Along With Mitch – January 1961–1964, NBC, variety

Surfside Six – 1960–1962, ABC, detective drama

The Tall Man – 1960–1962, NBC, western

Thriller – 1960–1962, NBC, suspense anthology

The Third Man – 1960–1962, syndication, intrigue

 

Three Seasons (1959/60)

Adventures In Paradise – 1959–1962, ABC, adventure

Bell Telephone Hour – 1959–1968, NBC, music

Bonanza – 1959–1973, NBC, western

The Comedy Spot – 1960–1962, CBS, comedy anthology

Dennis The Menace – 1959–1963, CBS, comedy

Robert Taylor's Detectives – 1959–1961, ABC; 1961/62, NBC, crime drama

Hawaiian Eye – 1959–1963, ABC, drama

Hennessey – 1959–1962, CBS, comedy/drama

Laramie – 1959–1963, NBC, western

Many Loves of Dobie Gillis – 1959–1963, CBS, comedy

The Third Man – 1959–1962, syndication, intrigue

The Twilight Zone – 1959–1965, CBS, anthology

The Untouchables – 1959–1963, ABC, crime drama

 

Four Seasons (1958/59)

Bronco – 1958–1962, ABC, western

The Donna Reed Show – 1958–1966, ABC, comedy

The Garry Moore Show – 1958–1964, CBS, variety

The Lawman – 1958–1962, ABC, western

Rawhide – January 1959–1966, CBS, western

The Rifleman – 1958–1963, ABC, western

77 Sunset Strip – 1958–1964, ABC, drama

 

Five Seasons (1957/58)

Bachelor Father – 1957–1959, CBS, 1959–1961, NBC, 1961/62, ABC, comedy

Have Gun, Will Travel – 1957–1963, CBS, western

Leave It To Beaver – 1957/58, CBS; 1958–1963, ABC, comedy

Maverick – 1957–1962, ABC, western

Perry Mason – 1957–1966, CBS, drama

The Price Is Right – 1957–1963, NBC; 1963/64, ABC, game

The Real McCoys – 1957–1962, ABC; 1962/63, CBS, comedy

Wagon Train – 1957–1962, NBC; 1962–1965, ABC, western

 

Six Seasons (1956/57)

The Dinah Shore Show – 1956–1963, NBC, variety

Tales Of Wills Fargo – March 1957–1962, NBC, western

To Tell The Truth – December 1956–1967, CBS, game

 

Seven Seasons (1955/56)

Alfred Hitchcock Presents – 1955–1960, CBS; 1960–1962, NBC; 1962–1964, CBS; 1964/65, NBC, suspense anthology

Cheyenne – 1955–1963, ABC, western

Gunsmoke – 1955–1975, CBS, western

 

Eight Seasons (1954/55)

Father Knows Best reruns – 1960–1962, CBS; 1962/63, ABC, comedy

Lassie – 1954–1971, CBS; 1971–1974, Syndication, adventure

The Lawrence Welk Show – 1954–1971, ABC, music

The Jack Paar Show – July 1957–1962, NBC, talk/variety

Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color – 1954–1983, anthology

 

Nine Seasons (1953/54)

The Danny Thomas Show – 1953–1957, ABC; 1957–1965, CBS, comedy

U.S. Steel Hour – 1953–1955, ABC; 1955–1963, CBS, dramatic anthology

 

Ten Seasons (1952/53)

The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet – 1952–1966, ABC, comedy

Death Valley Days – 1952–1975, syndication, western anthology

General Electric Theater – February 1953–1962, CBS, dramatic anthology

 

Eleven Seasons (1951/52)

I’ve Got A Secret – June 1952–1967, CBS, game

Red Skelton – 1951–1953, NBC; 1953–1970, CBS; 1970/71, NBC, variety

 

Twelve Seasons (1950/51)

The Jack Benny Show – 1950–1964, CBS; 1964/65, NBC, comedy

 

Thirteen Seasons (1949/50)

Armstrong Circle Theatre – June 1950–1957, NBC; 1957–1963, CBS, dramatic anthology

What’s My Line? – February 1950–1967, CBS, game

 

Fourteen seasons (1948/49)

The Perry Como Show – 1948–1950, NBC; 1950–1955, CBS; 1955–1963, NBC, variety

 

Fifteen seasons (1947/48)

The Ed Sullivan Show – June 1948–1971, CBS, variety

Meet The Press – November 1947–1965, NBC, interview

 

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