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    Archive for April 2010


    Historical TV Schedules

    WTMJ-TV Schedule, Week of December 14th, 1947

    Here's the schedule for station WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for the week starting Sunday, December 14th, 1947, straight from the weekly television listings printed in The Milwaukee Journal. The station was off the air on Mondays and Tuesdays and filled the bulk of its schedule with news programs, movies, short film programs and the occasional variety program. On Wednesday, December 17th, the station broadcast the first chapter of the 1934 film serial The Lost Jungle. The second chapter was shown on Friday, December 19th. I haven't been able to figure out what sort of program Your Attention, Please was. Probably variety.

    Sunday, December 14th, 1947 [1]
    8:00PM - Choral concert.
    8:15PM - Television newsreel.
    8:30PM - Film.
    8:45PM - How To Do It.
    9:00PM - Sunday Evening Theater, full length feature film.

    Wednesday, December 17th, 1947 [2]
    2:00PM - Meet Your Neighbor.
    2:30PM - Let's Look at the News.
    2:45PM - Film Variety.
    3:00PM - Surprise Package.
    3:15PM - Movie Matinee: Lost Jungle.
    7:45PM - News and Views.
    8:00PM - Schuster's Open House.
    8:15PM - Film Feature: Myra Hess, pianist.
    8:30PM - Television Showcase.

    Thursday, December 18th, 1947
    2:00PM - Meet Your Neighbor.
    2:30PM - Let's Look at the News.
    2:45PM - Film: Cartoon Comedy.
    3:00PM - Paul Skinner's Music Room.
    3:15PM - Baseball Film: 1943 World Series Review.
    7:45PM - News and Views.
    8:00PM - Armchair Travels, film.
    8:30PM - Wrestling, South Side Armory.

    Friday, December 19th, 1947
    2:00PM - Meet Your Neighbor.
    2:30PM - Let's Look at the News.
    2:45PM - Film: Excursions in Science.
    3:00PM - Surprise Package.
    3:15PM - Movie Matinee: Lost Jungle, Chapter II.
    7:45PM - News and Views.
    8:10PM - Basketball: Michigan Central at Milwaukee State Teachers.

    Saturday, December 20th, 1947
    2:00PM - Table Tennis Tournament.
    2:30PM - Let's Look at the News.
    2:45PM - Your Attention, Please.
    3:00PM - Teen Age Time: Holy Angels and Marquette high schools, guests.
    3:30PM - Wild West Theater: Thunder Over Texas.
    7:45PM - News and Views.
    8:10PM - Sportsreel.
    8:25PM - Basketball: Marquette vs. Michigan.

    Works Cited:

    1 "Television Over WTMJ-TV." Milwaukee Journal Screen-Radio. 7 Dec. 1947: 13.
    2 "Television Over WTMJ-TV." Milwaukee Journal Screen-Radio. 14 Dec. 1947: 13.

    Requiescat In Pace

    Dorothy Provine (1937-2010)

    Actress Dorothy Provine, who had regular roles on two relatively obscure ABC dramas in the late 1950s/early 1960s, passed away on Sunday at the age of 1975. According to her entry at the Internet Movie Database, she began her showbiz career in 1957 with a guest role on Man Without a Gun. Over the next two years she made numerous guest appearances on television as well as the occasional film, such as The Bonnie Parker Story in 1958. During the 1959-1960 season she had a regular role on The Alaskans and from 1960 to 1962 she played a nightclub singer by the name of Pinky Pinkham on The Roaring 20's. Both shows aired on ABC.

    In 1963, she played Emeline Marcus-Finch in It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World; her character was the only one not intent on chasing a purported $350,000. Throughout the remainder of the 1960s and into the early 1970s she made the occasional guest role on television shows like Dr. Kildare, The F.B.I., Police Story and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.. Her last credited was a 1976 episode of Police Woman. Obituaries can be found at The Los Angeles Times and The New York Times.

    Bookshelf

    Bookshelf: TV Tie-In Comics Reprinted

    As part of my Bookshelf feature I've reviewed a number of television tie-in comics from the 1960s, including The Man from U.N.C.L.E. #16, Bonanza #25, Secret Agent #2, Cain's Hundred #2, The Twilight Zone #18 and Wagon Train #4. These are all comics I've purchased over the years, typically at the lowest price possible, meaning they aren't always in the best condition. A few select television programs have seen their tie-in comics reprinted recently, often with bonus material. One company that has released several of these tie-in compilations is Hermes Press. I wrote about Hermes Press and its plans to reprint the tie-in comics based on Irwin Allen's television shows way back in November of 2008. Since then, Hermes has reprinted comics based on Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and The Time Tunnel, with Land of the Giants still to come.

    The first release from Hermes Press was Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea: The Complete Series Volume 1, which was published on July 13th, 2009. The hardcover book reprinted the first eight issues of Gold Key's comic series, which was originally published between 1964 and 1970, and included documentary material about the series. Next up was Time Tunnel: The Complete Series, published on October 15th, 2009. The paperback volume reprinted both issues of Gold Key's comic series, originally published in 1967, along with documentary material, essays and blueprints. Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea: The Complete Series Volume 2 was released early last month on March 2nd, and according to press material contained issue #s 7-14. If the first volume reprinted the first eight issues then the second volume should have reprinted the remaining eight issues, but I can't say for sure what the contents are.

    Still to come from Hermes Press is Land Of The Giants The Complete Series, a hardcover volume reprinting all five issues of Gold Key's comic series. It should come out on July 9th. Also coming out in July are Dark Shadows: The Complete Series Volume 1 and Dark Shadows: The Complete Series Volume 2, the first of five hardcover volumes that will eventually reprint all 35 issues of the Gold Key comic series, originally published between 1968 and 1976.

    In May of 2009, Dark Horse Comics released Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery Archives Volume 1. Gold Key published two comic books based on Thriller between 1962 and 1963 and then renamed the series Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery in April of 1963 (it would run for 96 issues and was published until February of 1980). Both issues of Gold Key's Thriller as well as the first two issues of Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery can be found in this first Dark Horse volume. Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery Archives Volume 2, published in February of this year, contains issues the next six issues of Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery.

    Gold Key also published 61 comic books based on Star Trek between 1967 and 1979. Golden Press released the first 38 issues -- skipping #29, #35, and #37, which were reprints -- in four volumes known as The Enterprise Logs. In June of 2004, Checker Publishing Group began reprinting The Enterprise Logs as The Key Collection. According to Amazon.com, six volumes were released, the last of which was published in April of 2009. The Checker website suggests that Volume 6 was originally supposed to come out in October 2008 but won't be published until May of this year. A seventh and final volume may or may not also be in the works. I've seen conflicting reports about whether these volumes include the Gold Key issues that were originally reprints. If anyone knows for sure, please let me know.

    I'm not aware of any other recent television tie-in comics reprint compilations. If there are any others out there, please let me know. Personally, I'd love to see the five issues of Gold Key's comic book based on The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. reprinted. Or maybe the two issues of Dell's comic book based on The New People.

    Q & A

    Q & A: Dr. Simon Locke/Police Surgeon

    I get a lot of e-mails from people asking me about television shows, made-for-TV movies or miniseries they remember from years or decades past. I try to answer each question as best I can. Every now and then I like to dig through my inbox and pull out a few choice e-mails to answer here at Television Obscurities for everyone to read. Keep reading for today's questions and answers.

    There was a show on television in the early 1970's, it apparently didn't last very long. This guy was both a doctor and a cop, I don't remember the name of the show I just remember seeing it. I was about 5 or 6 years of age at the time. Would you know anything about it, I have looked all over the internet to find info, and can't.

    Thank you,

    -Charles

    I believe the show in question was a syndicated half-hour drama called Dr. Simon Locke. Produced in Canada, the series premiered in September of 1971 on stations throughout the United States. Sam Groom starred as the title character, Dr. Simon Locke (Groom had previously played a doctor on NBC's soap Another World). Initially, Locke worked in a small rural town and Jack Albertson co-starred as his mentor, Dr. Andrew Sellers, with Len Birman as Dan Palmer, chief of police for the town. The name of the show as changed to Police Surgeon for the 1972-1973 season, which saw Dr. Locke moving to the big city where he worked for the police department. Chief Palmer came along but Dr. Sellers left the show. For the 1973-1974 season, Chief Palmer was replaced by Lt. Jack Gordon (played by Larry D. Mann).

    Dr. Simon Locke was panned by critics when it debuted.

    John P. Reilly of The Hour called the show a "disaster" and wrote that "it has to be seen to be believed" [1]. He also had this to say:

    The program is a low-grade "Marcus Welby, MD." You know, the wise old country doctor, and the smart young whippersnapper just out of medical school who knows everything. The writers ought to get some sort of an award for being able to assemble so many cliches in one spot during a half-hour show.

    Not only is the writing bad, but the sets, the filming, the sound, the props--everything is of equally poor quality. [2]

    A review in The Associated Press was kinder, explaining that two episodes were filmed each week at a cost of about $40,000 each, which made for "just another doctor drama, less satisfactory than the hour-long shows because there is little time to develop characters and with scripts that seem threadbare from overuse" 3]. Critics weren't the only ones not happy Dr. Simon Locke; co-star Jack Albertson also had issues with the show, which is why he left after the first season.

    In May of 1972, The Palm Beach Post quoted Albertson as saying the show "was a piece of junk" [4]. He was soon able to rebound, however, with a starring role on NBC's Chico and the Man, which premiered in September of 1974. In an August 1974 article in The (Montreal) Gazette, Albertson referred to Dr. Simon Locke as "that piece of syndicated rot" [5].

    Charles likely remembers watching the Police Surgeon version of the show, when Dr. Locke was involved in solving crime. But its possible he is remembering another show entirely, so if anyone can think of any other early 1970s shows in which there was a character who was both a doctor and a cop, please let me know.

    Works Cited:

    1 Reilly, John P. "From Simon To 'Sand Pebbles." The Hour [Norwalk, CT]. 14 Oct. 1971: 4.
    2 Ibid.
    3 "'Dr. Locke' Is Remedy for Actor's Rise." Associated Press. Reading Eagle [Reading, PA]. 15 Dec. 1971: 6.
    4 Beck, Marilyn. "Divorce Disturbs Borgnine." Palm Beach Post. 19 May 1972: B8.
    5 Beck, Marilyn. "Shyness was Jack Albertson's biggest problem." TV section. The Gazette. [Montreal]. 3 Aug. 1974: 18.

    DVD Tuesday

    DVD Tuesday: I Love Lucy Rarities, Frontier Doctor

    Every Tuesday I take a look at obscure and/or classic television programs, specials, miniseries or made-for-TV movies being released on DVD. For the record I consider anything broadcast prior to 1980 to be classic or else there wouldn't be much to discuss. The releases referred to in these posts are encoded for Region 1 use in the United States and Canada.

    The past month has been a relatively good one for fans of obscure television, with the release of short-lived shows like The Oregon Trail and Whispering Smith, not to mention a variety of season sets of classic shows such as Alias Smith and Jones and The Bill Cosby Show (which was a Shout! Factory online exclusive). Today, from Paramount Home Entertainment, comes I Love Lucy: The Movie and Other Great Rarities, a single-disc release that includes I Love Lucy: The Movie (three edited episodes of the famous sitcom) and a slew of other bonus features originally released in October of 2007 as part of I Love Lucy - The Complete Series. If you didn't want to pay for the complete series now is your chance to get your hands on those bonus features. Read the official press release at TVShowsOnDVD.com.

    Also out today from Alpha Video are Frontier Doctor, Volume 3 and Frontier Doctor, Volume 4>, two single-disc releases with four episodes of the syndicated drama (which was originally released during the 1958-1959 season).

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