The two, who weren’t yet successful at writing songs, lived in an antique store with Bobby’s younger sister Jenny (played by Susan Neher). Their landlady, Rita, was played by Pat Carroll; Jack Burns played Rita’s boyfriend Rudy, a police officer. To help pay the rent, Bobby worked at a recording studio and, for some reason, he drove around in a hearse.

The characters of Bobby Conway and Lionel Poindexter first appeared in an the first season finale of The Partridge Family, broadcast on Friday, March 19th, 1971. In the episode, titled “A Knight in Shining Armor,” Conway tries to convince the Partridges to record some of his songs. Instead, they introduce him to Poindexter, who had mailed the Partridges some poems, thinking that perhaps the two can work together. With Conway in tow, the Partridges head to Denver to meet with the eccentric Poindexter (they find him wearing a suit of armor) and before long a creative partnership is born.

Getting Together

“A Knight in Shining Armor” was written by Bernard Slade, who had created The Partridge Family. A working title for the episode was “Words & Music.” Getting Together was produced by Bob Claver and Paul Junger Witt, who also produced The Partridge Family and had previously produced Here Come the Brides, which co-starred Bobby Sherman.

In the series premiere, broadcast on Saturday, September 18th, a social worker uncomfortable with Jenny’s living arrangements, threatens to remove her from Bobby’s custody. In response, Bobby makes the tough decision to ask Lionel to move out, hoping that will convince the social worker he is serious about taking care of his sister. However, the plan backfires when Jenny, upset at the prospect of having ruined her brother’s partnership with Lionel, runs away. Everything worked out in the end, of course. Later episodes saw Bobby and Lionel agreeing to participate in a scientific experiment, Bobby trying to help a young boy whose mother doesn’t want him to be a singer, Rita and Rudy feuding, Jenny preparing for her first date and the dating woes of both Bobby and Lionel.

Show Spotlight: “Getting Together”

Critics were split on whether Getting Together was worth watching. Raymond Hart of The Cleveland Plain Dealer suggested it had “about as much chance of making it over the long haul as a sprinter with a sore foot” [1]. The Chicago Tribune‘s Clarence Peterson, on the other hand, called it “a pleasant little story for the kiddies, harmless and entertaining and neither preachy nor patronizing” [2]. Harry Harris of The Philadelphia Inquirer referred to it as “teeny tribulations for teenyboppers,” which could be taken positively or negatively [3].

Despite Bobby Sherman’s popularity, Getting Together was crushed in the Nielsen ratings by All in the Family, regularly ranking near the bottom of the Nielsen charts. That doesn’t necessarily mean it was one of the lowest-rated programs every week. According to Broadcasting, the October 2nd, episode ranked in the upper half of programs ranked below the 50th spot while the October 16th episode was in the bottom third of programs ranked belo the 40th spot (for the record, at the time there were between 63 and 68 programs broadcast during any given week) [4, 5].

Getting Together was initially supposed to air opposite My Three Sons on CBS, not All in the Family. Had it not faced such stiff competition from All in the Family, or if ABC had scheduled it after The Partridge Family, perhaps it would have lasted longer. The network canceled the series in November of 1971 [6]. The 14th and final episode aired on January 8th, 1972. Guest stars appearing during the show’s brief run included Cindy Williams, Martin Speer, Della Reese, Little Dion, Roger C. Carmel, Stuart Margolin, Rob Reiner and Penny Marshal.

Bobby Sherman and Wes Stern – September 6th, 1971
Copyright © TV Guide, 1971 [1]

The theme song for the series, sung by Bobby Sherman, was titled “Getting Together” and was released as a B-side on a 45 record (the A-side was “Jennifer”) by Metromedia Records. Metromedia also issued an LP titled Getting Together, which included the theme. Two tie-in novels were published by Curtis Books. Charlton Comics released a single comic book based on the series. A trading card set was put together by Topps but never officially released; according to the official Bobby Sherman website perhaps only 20 complete sets were produced. The series has never been released commercially but the episode of The Partridge Family that served as a pilot for the series is available on DVD.

Works Cited:

Image Credits:

Related posts:

1. Show Spotlight: “Swingin’ Together” (Unsold Pilot)
2. Show Spotlight: “San Francisco International Airport”
3. Show Spotlight: “The John Forsythe Show”

Michael H. Dann, CBS vice president of programming, stated that the network was actively seeking both new scriptwriters as well as those who had left the medium. Fred Coe, Herbert Brodkin, George Schaefer and Worthington Minor had been approached to producer while Barbara Schultz would serve as executive story editor [3]. Scriptwriters responded positively to the announcement. Said Paddy Chayefsky, “I couldn’t be more delighted by the C.B.S. announcement. I’ve got about nine ideas and I’d like to try them if I can avoid all the nonsense of ratings and pressures by networks, sponsors and packagers” [4].

CBS wasn’t the only network planning to revive the original television drama. ABC had earlier announced a regularly scheduled series for the 1966-1967 season called Stage ’67 while NBC had a variety of dramas in the works. In August, Michael Dann announced that Herbert Brodkin, Fred Coe, Martin Manulis and George Schaefer had signed on as producers for CBS Playhouse, with each contracted for a single episode [5]. Reginald Rose was the first scriptwriter attached to the project, receiving $25,000 for a script titled “Dear Friends.” Said Rose, “It’s like old times. And I’m told by C.B.S. that I will have absolute freedom in writing what I want and also in the playing time. Mike Dann said it could be an hour, an hour and a half, an hour and 42 minutes or two hours” [6].

Aaron Copland was commissioned by compose a one-minute theme for CBS Playhouse, his first work for television [7]. In October of 1966, Val Adams wrote an article in The New York Times questioning when CBS Playhouse would debut on television, reporting that the series would likely premiere in early 1967 and that 13 scripts had been commissioned, including works from Peter Shaffer, Luther Whitsitt and Ronald Ribman. Adams also provided a list of other writers “official at work” on the series: Reginald Rose, Ernest Kinoy, Ellen Violett, Adrian Spies, Loring Mandel, Robert Crean, Roger O. Hirson, Jan Hartman, Mario Fartti, Anthony Terpiloff [8].

In November, CBS officially announced that CBS Playhouse would premiere in February of 1967, with Ronald Ribman’s “The Final War of Olly Winters,” about “a Nergo Army sergeant serving as a United States military advisor in South Vietnam in 1963 before this country committed troops to combat” [9]. It ultimately aired on January 29th, 1967. Critical response was ecstatic. CBS took out a full page advertisement in The New York Times that included quotes from ten newspapers, including The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Cleveland Press, The New York Post and The Baltimore Sun; the advertisement noted that 30 million viewers watched the play [10].

In early February, the General Telephone & Electronics Corportion agreed to spend $2 to sponsor four additional installments of CBS Playhouse during the 1967-1968 season, the first of which, Loring Mandel’s “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Night,” would star Fredric March and his wife Florence Eldridge. Commercials would probably be limited to just two breaks per hour; “The Final War of Olly Winter” had featured several minute-long commercials from a variety of advertisers [11].

March and Eldridge were forced to pull out of the play due to March’s health ; they were replaced by by Melvyn Douglas and Shirley Booth [12]. In August, The New York Times reported that the October 17th premiere of CBS Playhouse would run without commercial breaks, featuring a 5-6 minute commercial at the start of the program and, depending on running time, an additional 3-minute commercial at the end [13]. The broadcast garnered a 17.3 Nielsen rating, placing it outside the Top 25 for the week, but not by that much (two programs tied for 25th with 19.9 Nielsen ratings) [14].

Three other episodes of CBS Playhouse were broadcast during the 1967-1968 season: “Dear Friends” (Reginald Rose, December 6th, 1967), “My Father and Mother” (Robert Crean, February 13th, 1968) and “Secrets” (Tad Mosel, May 5th, 1968). General Telephone renewed its sponsorship of the series in March [15]. The first broadcast of the 1968-1969 season, J.P. Miller’s “The People Next Door” on October 15th, 1968, ranked 20th for the week with a 20.8 Nielsen rating [16].

Show Spotlight: “CBS Playhouse”

The other three episodes broadcast during the 1968-1969 season included “Saturday Adoption” (Ron Cowen, December 4th, 1968), “The Experiment” (Ellen Violett, February 25th, 1969) and “Shadow Game” (Loring Mandel, May 7th, 1969). General Telephone once again renewed its sponsorship of the series in June of 1969 [17]. During the 1969-1970 season, however, only three episodes were aired: “Appalachian Autumn” (Earl Hamner Jr., October 7th, 1969), “Sadbird” (George Bellak, December 1st, 1969) and “The Day Before Sunday” (Robert Crean, February 10th, 1970). In May of 1970, The New York Times reported that CBS Playhouse had lost General Telephone as sponsor and would have fewer productions during the 1970-1971 season [18].

In June of 1970, Michael Dann resigned as as senior vice president of programming for CBS (taking a 75% pay cut, he went to work for the Children’s Television Workshop, responsible for Sesame Street) [19]. His departure may have played a part in the decision not to continue CBS Playhouse. In February of 1972, a new irregularlly scheduled dramatic series had its debut on the network: CBS Playhouse 90. The title combined CBS Playhouse with the venerable Playhouse 90.

Works Cited:

Related posts:

1. Status Guide – “CBS Playhouse”
2. Show Spotlight: “Mr. Terrific”
3. Show Spotlight: “The John Forsythe Show”

In its March 6th, 1954 issue, Billboard reported that a syndicated television series based on “The Whistler” was in the works at CBS-TV Film Sales [1]. In May, Billboard published a list of filmed series available for both repeat and first-run syndication, including information on the distributor and the number of episodes to be available as of September 1st. The Whistler was said to be a first-run, half-hour mystery series with 26 episodes ready to go [2]. The head of CBS-TV Film Sales, Leslie Harris, approached Oscar Katz, head of research for CBS-TV, to conduct “intensive research studies” of The Whistler in an attempt to determine its “audience composition” [3].

Katz would have a mixture of children and adults, both male and female, to fill out questionnaires listing their likes and dislikes. It was expected that male viewers would be most interested in the series but specific information on their preferences would allow CBS-TV Film Sales to approach advertisers targeting male viewers [4]. According to Billboard, CBS-TV Film Sales was willing to offer a “projected rating for the show in cities of 100,000 population” based in part on how well the radio version did; Signal Oil maintained records on which radio programs were most popular and episodes of the television series would be based on those episodes [5].

According to Leslie Harris, the studies would have a hand in “pre-fabricating the show as much as possible for maximum sales,” which meant removing “all violence, bloodshed, drinking and even cigarettes” (getting rid of cigarettes meant advertising for cigars) [6]. In September, it was revealed that Joel Malone would oversee production of the 26 episodes for Lindsley Parsons Productions, Inc. [7]. Signal Oil, sponsor of the original radio show, would also sponsor the television show on an alternate week basis, but only on the West Coast; Lipton Tea had also purchased the series on an alternate week basis in some markets [8].

Interestingly, despite The Whistler being filmed in color, Billboard reported that CBS Television Film Sales was also shooting color trailers for the show (as well as other filmed shows like Jeffrey Jones and Amos & Andy) in order to test various processes for filming in color. The color trailers would be shown on the CBS color system while regular black and white trailers would be sent to most stations for promotional use [9]. What become of any color trailers for The Whistler is unknown.

In early October, Billboard reported that CBS Television Film Sales was reevaluating its current crop of film programs, dropping those that were not performing well for advertisers, and working on improving distribution, all in an effort to better deal with an increasingly competitive syndication business. The company planned to spend more money, for sets and “general production detail,” on The Whistler “to make certain that its quality is satisfactory” [10].

The Whistler likely debuted on stations across the nation between September and November of 1954. In late November, Joel Malone formed his own company, Joel Malone Associated, to take over production of the remaining 26 episodes of The Whistler (meaning 13 had been completed out of a total 39), due to disputes over costs between CBS-TV Film Sales and Lindsley Parsons Productions [11]. The disputes related to the length of time it was taking to film the series and Malone’s control of over-the-line costs.

According to Billboard, The Whistler tied for 14th in the November 1954 Pulse Multi-Market Ratings with a 12.0 rating (it was tied with Foreign Intrigue) [12]. That placed it behind other CBS-TV Film Sales shows — Gene Autry and Annie Oakley, for example — but ahead of Amos & Andy. It performed better among male viewers, tied for 6th with Boston Blackie, drawing 84 male viewers out of every 100 television households [13].

Among teens, according to the November Pulse Multi-Market Ratings, The Whistler was tied for 20th with seven other shows, drawing only 19 teenage viewers for every 100 television households [14]. In the December Pulse Multi-Market Ratings, The Whistler was 11th overall with a 13.4 rating and tied for 6th among men [15, 16].

The Whistler was not renewed for a second season in first-run syndication, although the 39 episodes remained on television for years to come. Why weren’t new episodes commissioned? The ratings were solid but perhaps the conflict over production led CBS-TV Film Sales to decide against ordering another season. Or perhaps sponsors pulled out. Regardless, the series remained popular in repeat syndication throughout the 1950s.

Bill Forman served as narrator for The Whistler, continuing the role he had played on radio. Each episode had a new cast; guests stars included King Donovan, Charles McGraw, Irene Ryan, John Hoyt, Arthur Franz, Craig Stevens, Lon Chaney, Ellen Corby, Art Gilmore, Dorothy Green, Harry Lewis and Maureen O’Sullivan. Episodes involved blackmail, murder, con men, missing persons and other unsavory goings-on. Print advertisements for the series declared that “Everyone will enjoy this totally different mystery for, even though you know who’s guilty–there’s always a big surprise before the final curtain” [17].

Works Cited:

Related posts:

1. Show Spotlight: “CBS Playhouse”
2. Show Spotlight: “Swingin’ Together” (Unsold Pilot)
3. Show Spotlight: “The John Forsythe Show”

Singer and teen idol Bobby Rydell starred in “Swingin’ Together” as Bobby Day, leader of a band — Bobby Day and His Four Knights — that traveled the country in a bus, playing any gig they could get in the hopes of eventually making it big. The Four Knights were Yogi, Big “D”, Steve and Skooby Doo, played by Peter Brooks, Art Metrano, Larry Merrill and Bob Bryant, respectively. James Dunn played the band’s agent and bus driver, P.J. Cunningham. The back of the bus was roomy enough to fit a drum set, a piano and an upright bass, not to mention a guitar and a saxophone. There was even a shower.

Guest stars in the pilot included Stefanie Powers as Linda Craig, a prudish young woman who meets the band at a classy country club and learns to be a little less straight-laced, as well as Dennis, Lindsay and Phillip Crosby (three of Bing Crosby’s sons) who appeared, not surprisingly, as singers. Songs featured in the pilot included “Let’s Twist Again,” “This Could Be the Start of Something Big” and “Little Bitty Tear.” Howard Leeds wrote the pilot, which was directed by Gene Reynolds.

Why didn’t the pilot sell? The concept may have been the perfect showcase for Bobby Rydell’s singing but as a weekly series it didn’t have much to offer. There are only so many venues where Bobby Day and His Four Nights could conceivably have played at before things became repetitive. And after a season of not hitting the big times, viewers may have decided that the band just wasn’t that good.

Works Cited:

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1. Q & A: “Undercover Cops,” An Unsold Miller-Boyett Pilot
2. Q & A: “Zero Intelligence” (Unsold Pilot)
3. New Article: Unsold Pilots on Television, 1967-1989

Show Spotlight: “100 Grand”

According to Thomas W. Moore, ABC Vice President, “an advertiser has an option to buy the program and we will know the answer this week. If the advertiser picks up the option, then the show is definite. And if this advertiser does not buy, we will seek another” [3]. The name of the potential advertiser, as well as any information about the format of 100 Grand, was kept secret by both the network and General Artists Corporation, the company that represented the show’s producer Bob Stivers [4].

Four days later, on April 5th, The New York Times reported that 100 Grand would offer cities the opportunity to field “a representative who would pit his knowledge against that of a professional expert in some particular field,” with any winnings being given to the city, which in turn would “allocate the prize to a public project” [5]. On May 5th, Val Adams reprinted portions of an announcement from Daniel Melnick, ABC Vice President in Charge of Night-Time Programming pertaining to 100 Grand, now scheduled to premiere on September 15th:

The program’s format was specifically designed to incorporate built-in safeguards that guarantee the integrity of the contest.

The format of ’100 Grand’ will be announced at a press conference before premiere date, at which time the program’s built-in security precautions, which are an intrinsic part of its format, will also be outlined.

The A.B.C.-TV program department examined many quiz programs over the past three years before deciding on ’100 Grand’ as the one that met its requirements for audience appeal, drama and format-imposed integrity.

We believe we have developed a format, tested and refined through a series of run-throughs, to insure the complete integrity of ’100 Grand.’ [6]

ABC revealed the rules to 100 Grand in mid-July in a 1,400 statement; in response, Val Adams suggested that once the show premiered, “the network may have to spend the first several weeks explaining the procedure to its viewers” [7]. In order to win the $100,000 prize, an “amateur expert” must face off with a “professional authority” over the course of five weeks. Each player comes up with his own questions for the other to answer. If the amateur beats the professional for those five weeks, the viewing public then submits its own questions, five of which are chosen by a computer for the amateur to answer. Should he answer all five correctly, he gets the $100,000 [8].

In mid-August, veteran game show personality Jack Clark was announced as the host of 100 Grand [9]. On September 1st, John P. Shanley lamented the return of the quiz show, worried that should 100 Grand succeed, “we might be in for a new wave of quiz telecasts. It’s a depressing thought, but it could happen in the amazing world of television” [10]. Jack Gould reviewed 100 Grand on September 16th, suggesting that it “probably will be a major hit of the season;” he continued:

The key to “100 Grand” is more sophisticated methodology. The program pits an amateur expert–last night’s subjects were the old standbys of the Civil War and opera–against a professional expert. Each asks questions of the other and can win points two ways–by stumping the opponent or successfully handling his questions.

With such a procedure it is to the advantage of contestants to keep their questions to themselves, and each sets of inquiries is checked for accuracy by different review boards. [11]

During the first broadcast, amateur Civil War expert William Neill of Waterloo, Wisconsin faced Dr. Joe Coss, assistant superintendent of schools in Downey, California; amateur opera expert Frederick Kushin of Long Beach, Long Island battled Walter Kappasser, founder of the Civic Opera in St. Louis, Missouri. Both amateurs beat the experts and banked $10,000. Gould opined that the format of “instant recall” was more important than the personalities, but did feel that the network might need to find smarter professionals [12].

Advertisement for 100 Grand – September 15th, 1963
Copyright © The New York Times, 1963 [1]

Following the third episode of 100 Grand, broadcast on Sunday, September 29th, ABC canceled the show. Robert Stivers, executive producer of the show, told The New York Times that “the public looked, they weren’t interested, and they voted no. I think the only viewers we had last Sunday were relatives of Freddy Kushin. The network did what was right by canceling the show. I don’t disagree with them [13]. Neill and Kushin were the only contestants to appear on the show and both were beaten by professionals during the September 29th broadcast; the professionals hailed from Miami, Florida and Vicksburg, Mississipi and both cities received $10,000 [14]. Kushin and Neill walked away with $1,000 savings bonds.

Val Adams noted that with Kushin and Neill off the show, 100 Grand would have had to “rebuild viewing interest with a new set of contestants,” suggesting perhaps that had the two remained or eventually won the $100,000 prize, the show may have been more successful [15]. 100 Grand was replaced by Laughs for Sale, a comedy panel with Hal March, on October 20th [16].

Were additional episodes of 100 Grand produced? I don’t believe the show was broadcast live, which could mean other episodes were filmed before it was canceled. None of the big four television archives have copies of the three episodes that were broadcast. The 1963 fall preview for the series, available above, does not include any footage from the show itself. For the record, articles in The New York Time gave the names of the contestants as William Neill or Neil and Frederick Kushin or Kushing. I don’t know which is the correct spelling.

Works Cited:

Image Credits:

Related posts:

1. Show Spotlight: “CBS Playhouse”
2. Show Spotlight: “Mr. Terrific”
3. Show Spotlight: “The John Forsythe Show”

The Power Pill, invented by Dr. Ned Reynolds (played by Ned Glass), could bestow the power of flight, super strength and invulnerability, but it only worked for an hour (booster pills provided additional ten minute bursts). But poor, gentle Stanley was the only man the Bureau could find for whom the Power Pill worked its wonders. So, the head of the Bureau, Barton J. Reed (played by John McGiver), decided to enlist his help in fighting crime. Unfortunately (and predictably) the Power Pill would wear off just when Stanley was in the thick of things. Dick Gautier played Hal Waters, who co-owned the gas station with Stanley.

Fresh from his role as Wilbur Post in Mister Ed, Alan Young starred in the original pilot episode for Mr. Terrific, in which the character of Stanley Beamish was a shoe salesman. CBS considered this version of Mr. Terrific for its 1966-1967 schedule; in its February 7th, 1966 issue Broadcasting wrote that the pilot (from Universal Television), was among those “considered hottest prospects by agency men, who said they based their judgment on advance information” from CBS [1].

Several weeks later, on February 21st, Broadcasting reported that it was one of six pilots for CBS “with more than a good chance” [2]. For some unknown reason, however, CBS decided not to move forward with the Alan Young Version. On September 12th, Broadcasting revealed that Stephen Strimpell had replaced Young and that the network now planned to use the show during its 1967-1968 season, although it could be rolled out earlier if needed [3].

Filming on a new pilot with Strimpell began September 19th [4]. On October 3rd, Broadcasting reported that CBS executives were “enthuastic” about the pilot and had ordered additional episodes [5]. In its October edition, Television Magazine listed Mr. Terrific as a possible mid-season replacement for CBS [6]. Val Adams, in a November 13th article in The New York Times, wrote that Mr. Terrific would be replacing Run, Buddy, Run beginning Monday, January 9th, 1967 [7].

Mr. Terrific would follow Gilligan’s Island and compete with I Dream of Jeannie on NBC and Iron Horse on ABC. Reviews for the most part were negative, with Larry Williams of the Memphis Commercial Appeal calling it “abominably silly” while Hal Humphrey of The Los Angeles Times writing that “the laugh track was overdone and Stanley will need more than his silver cape to keep him aloft on the rating scale” [8]. The Washington Evening Star‘s Bernie Harrison called it “strictly on the pre-school age level” and George Gent of The New York Times opined that it was “nothing less than a disaster” [9].

One slightly more positive review came from Harry Harris, who wrote in the Philadelphia Inquirer that the series was “more amusing [than Captain Nice], though hardly hilarious” [10]. Critics who jointly reviewed Mr. Terrific and Captain Nice were almost uniformly more impressed with Captain Nice. For example, Bettelou Peterson wrote in the Detroit Free Press that “Terrific is Terrible. Nice is Nicer” [11]. On the other hand, The Indianapolis Star‘s Julia Inman suggested that “Mr. Terrific shows some possibilities. Captain Nice was just plain bad” [12].

Finally, there were those critics who detested both shows. Paul Molloy wrote in The Chicago Sun-Times that both shows were “so unbelievably bad [they] further emphasize how disastrous the current season is” and UPI’s Rick Du Brow called them “super flops” [13]. Viewers, of course, don’t always agree with critics. The premiere of Mr. Terrific easily beat its competition in both the preliminary Arbitron and Trendex ratings, drawing a 22.7/38 Arbitron rating (compared to a 14.4/24 for Iron Horse and a 12.3/21 for I Dream of Jeannie) and a 22.1/40.8 Trendex rating (compared to a 13.3/24.6 for I Dream of Jeannie and a 12.7/23.5 for Iron Horse) [14].

Broadcasting suggested that its “favorable timeslot” could have something to do with the early success of a “show that didn’t seem to hold much appeal when screened as a pilot” [15]. Nationally, the first two episodes averaged a 24.5 Nielsen rating, placing 14th for the two-week period ending January 22nd [16]. The next two episodes dropped to 27th for the two-week period ending February 5th [17]. The strong showing didn’t keep CBS from canceling Mr. Terrific when it announced its 1967-1968 schedule on February 22nd. A total of 17 episodes were broadcast; the final first-run episode aired on May 8th. Repeats aired through August 27th.

According to The New York Times, despite being “one of the more successful midseason programs” CBS “apparently felt that the series had reached its peak audience with the children and was not likely to pick up steam” [18]. In other words the show simply skewed too young. For the 1966-1967 season as a whole Mr. Terrific ranked 36th with a Nielsen share of 30.2; it beat out shows like Gilligan’s Island, The Fugitive, Star Trek and both installments of Batman (due to Nielsen quirks some of these shows drew a larger share of the audience but had a lower rating) [19].

Said Arnold Becker, Director of Audience Measurement for CBS, “everyone knows they want Lucy back. Everyone knows the shows at the bottom of the ratings are going off. It’s the marginal shows—the Mr. Terrifics of the world—we quibble about” [20]. Mr. Terrific was never syndicated, aside from a made-for-TV movie titled The Pill Caper that was edited from four individual episodes. For years, private collectors were only able to get their hands on a few episodes. The show was reportedly very popular in Germany, however, and all 17 episodes were released on DVD in that country on July 17th, 2009. Included was the original English soundtrack as a secondary audio choice. You can read Rob Falcone’s wonderful review of the set here.

Works Cited:

Related posts:

1. Show Spotlight: “Captain Nice”
2. Show Spotlight: “T.H.E. Cat”
3. Status Guide – “Mr. Terrific”

Show Spotlight: “Captain Nice”

Clad in an outfit sewn by his mother, Captain Nice bravely fought the forces of evil and defended Big Town. Ann Prentiss played Sgt. Candy Kane, Carter’s love interest and Byron Foulger appeared as his father. Liam Dunn played the Mayor of Big Town (who was also Carter’s uncle) and William Zuckert played Chief of Police Segal. Episodes of the series saw Captain Nice battling counterfeiters, a deadly caterpillar, mobsters and a charge of public drunkenness, not to mention his fear of flying and his mother’s domineering.

Broadcasting reported in September of 1966 that Captain Nice was one of three sitcoms, along with Sheriff Who? and Dick Tracy, NBC was preparing as potential mid-season replacements [1]. It was created and executive produced by Buck Henry, better known for creating Get Smart. According to the October 24th issue of Broadcasting, Proctor & Gamble was considering using the show as a replacement for Hey, Landlord [2. On November 14th, it was reported that NBC had decided to use Captain Nice as a substitute for The Roger Miller Show instead [3].

Captain Nice was given the 8:30-9PM time slot opposite The Lucy Show on CBS and Rat Patrol on ABC. The series premiere drew a 17.9/29 Arbitron rating and a 14.2/24.8 Trendex rating, placing it second behind Rat Patrol according to both companies [4]. According to Broadcasting, “agency buyers” thought the show was in a “workhorse time period” and its performance was said to reflect “audience interest” [5].

Critics, tasked with reviewing two similar programs with similar themes, plots and characters, did a lot of comparing and contrasting. Percy Shain of the Boston Globe wrote that “Nice was nicer than Terrific–but not by much” while Bettelou Peterson of the Detroit Free Press opined that “Terrific is Terrible. Nice is Nicer” [6]. The Los Angeles Herald-Examiner‘s Bob Hull wrote that the shows were “both embarrassing likenesses in theme, costume and gag” while Harriet Van Horne of the New York World Journal Tribune called them “sick, depraved comic book fantasies.”

There were also some positive reviews, however. Bernie Harrison of the Washington Evening Star called it a “smartly written” show that “moves briskly and ingeniously” [7]. The Tulsa Daily World‘s Chuck Wheat noted that “it has definite swank style” [8]. And George Gent of The New York Times suggested that it “at least gave some evidence of a sense of style” [9]. But Harry Harris of the Washington Evening Star wrote that it had “little to commend” and Kay Gardella of the New York Daily News said simply that it “bombs” [10].

Within a month of its premiere, Captain Nice was already in trouble. Broadcasting revealed on February 20th, 1967 that it was probably not going to be renewed [11]. On February 28th, George Gent reported in The New York Times that Captain Nice was one of eleven shows that had been canceled [12]. The final new episode aired on May 1st; repeats would be shown through August.

For a show that only ran for 15 episodes, Captain Nice produced an astounding amount of memorabilia. A tie-in novel from Tempo, a comic book from Gold Key and an unreleased set of trading cards from Topps. The novel and comic book are relatively easy and cheap to come across but the trading cards, because they were never actually released, are incredibly scarce. A complete test set was sold by Mastro Auctions for $14,052 in August of 2006. It may be the only complete set in existence; at least one other partial set also exists, according to the Professional Sports Authenticator website. Individual proof cards were sold on eBay directly from the Topps Vault, many went for more than $150 apiece. An uncut card sheet sold for $7,878 and a sample wax pack wrapper for $1,603.

Captain Nice has not been released on VHS or DVD. It was shown on cable in the 1990s, however.

Works Cited:

Related posts:

1. Show Spotlight: “Mr. Terrific”
2. Bookshelf: Captain Nice
3. Show Spotlight: “T.H.E. Cat”

For the opening segment, the Laboratory decided to focus on the issue of race, specifically “the failure of communication between the races” [2]. The broadcast included coverage of mayoral campaigns in several cities (Cleveland and Boston among them), a meeting between “black nationalists and liberal whites” and a stating of Douglas Turner Ward’s “Day of Absence,” a play in which a small town in the South must deal with the disappearance of its African Americans [3]. According to Broadcasting, “it was played by Negro actors in white-face as a double-edged device reversing minstrel-show stereotypes” [4].

Advertisement for the Premiere of PBL – November 5th, 1967
Copyright © The New York Times, 1967 [1]

In addition to the South Carolina and Georgia stations, the episode was also not carried by the Alabama and Vermont educational networks, but no details were provided; station KETS(TV) in Little Rock, Arkansas could not afford to open on Sunday in order to broadcast the episode; WFSU-TV in Tallahassee, Florida had planned to pick up the episode from one of the Georgia stations; KFME-TV in Fargo, North Dakota had a mechanical failure; and WVIZ-TV in Cleveland was covering a mayoral election and pre-empted the episode [6].

Critics were almost universal in their praise. The Boston Globe‘s Percy Shain declared “Sunday was the night television grew up,” Hal Humphrey of The Los Angeles Times simply noted that “TV isn’t likely to be the same again,” Dwight Newton of the San Francisco Examiner wrote that “it was a heady, meaty, auspicious start,” the Washington Post‘s Lawrence Laurent called it “a rare, absorbing evening and a brilliant start for a new force in television” and John Voorhees of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer explained that “its most startling aspect was that it had time to make its points without the incessant interruptions that plague commercial TV” [7].

Even negative comments were wrapped in positive: Ben Gross of the New York Daily News, for example, wrote that the premiere was “uneven, with many rough spots; but the basic idea of PBL is one of great promise and deserves enthusiastic encouragement” [8]. Television Magazine called the 1.5 rating the episode drew in New York City “a disappointing, if not disastrous, opening night” because the city “has got to be a bellwether town for educational television” [9]. The Laboratory spent some $250,000 (out of its two-year, $10 million grant from Ford) on advertising [10].

Here’s how a full-page newspaper advertisement for the premiere of PBL explained the show’s mission:

PBL’s goal is to demonstrate every Sunday night just how inventive, provocative and important Public Television can be. It will offer two hours (or maybe more) of incisive reporting, examinations of the arts and sciences, live dramas, strong opinion and probing comment. It will venture into subjects commercial television has not touched. It will be completely free of commercial interruptions and advertiser influence.

PBL will use television as it’s never been used before to deepen understanding and to offer new perspectives on the issues and events of our time. It will call upon the best minds in the academic world and public life, top dramatic talent and proven broadcast journalists headed by PBL Chief Correspondent Edward P. Morgan. [11]

Some of the subjects covered by PBL included automobile insurance, the Catholic Church, television political campaigning, genetics, utility companies, Martin Luther King, Jr., the influence of television commercials on children, economics and more.

The November 12th episode of PBL — focusing on the legality of the Vietnam War — was carried by 108 stations, with both the Georgia and South Carolina educational networks opting to air the second installment; station KYVE-TV in Yakimia Washington also aired the second episode after being unable to afford the $39 it would have cost to open a week earlier [12]. Vermont and Alabama still could not afford to air the series. PBL ran for 26 weeks during its first season; most episodes were two hours long.

When the series returned on Sunday, December 1st, 1968 it ran just 90 minutes; its second season consisted of 22 episodes and four specials [13]. PBL was not renewed following the conclusion of its initial two-year grant. Instead, the Ford Foundation and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting joined forces for two hours of Sunday night programming consisting of The Forsythe Saga (the BBC adaptation of John Galsworthy’s novel) from 9-10PM and The Advocates (a public affairs program) [14]. In addition to the 26 episodes of The Forsythe Saga, plays from Channel 13′s New York Television Theater would be presented in order to fill 39 weeks [15].

In 1994, PBS donated its archives to the Library of Congress. Here‘s a press release announcing the donation. Included was PBL. According to a reference librarian I contacted, there are 53 episodes of PBL, most of which are on 2″ videotape, as well as microfiche documents containing “episode summaries, interoffice memos, technical evaluations and some newspaper clippings– a great resource for understanding the production of the series.”

Works Cited:

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Cat operated out of a night club called Casa del Gato, or House of the Cat, owned by Pepe Cordoza (played by Robert Carricut). R.G. Armstrong played Captain MacAllister, Cat’s police liaison. The series premiered on Friday, September 16th, 1966 to mostly positive reviews. Aleene MacMinn, writing in The Los Angeles Times, called it a “very slick production” and predicted that “strong lead-in from The Man from UNCLE should help build and audience for this one and if the quality of the initial segment is maintained the audience will probably stay” [2].

Jack Gould, on the other hand, opined that “in the opening installment so many unexplained people made so many entrances and exits that the total was just confusing and bereft of suspense” [3]. The Chicago Tribune‘s Clay Gowran suggested that viewers would fall into two camps: those who loved the show for its cinematography and acrobatics and those who detested its violence and strange story lines. He ended his review by explaining that” Cat sounds pretty silly here, but he comes out better on film. We liked the show, for all its wildness and feel it deserves a chance to settle down and see it can do. But we can see it disappearing under an avalanche of protests if subsequent episodes are as woolly as last night’s” [4].

(According to Hal Humphrey, a scene cut from the pilot episode saw Cat explaining his former life of crime and acrobatic past to a woman; a new opening sequence was eventually created to share this with viewers [5].)

The first two episodes averaged a 17.5/32 Nielsen rating [6, 7]. In late October, during a press tour for the series, Loggia revealed that NBC was happy with the show’s performance: “We’re drawing about a 30 per cent share of the audience, which NBC considers fine for a new show with a new star. We hope we’ll improve that with some changes we’re making, now that we’re thru the first 16 shows and starting production of the next batch” [8].

The changes, he explained, would involve more romance (“They had me buss a blonde in the premiere, but as nearly as I can remember it hasn’t happened since. Now, tho, the kissing will start again. The audience seemed to like it–and me, I’m all for the idea”) and removing R.G. Armstrong from the series (“Cat’s supposed to be a loner, and when he works hand-in-glove with the cops he becomes an organization man”) [9]. As for the show’s violence, Loggia noted that “the spirit of our violence is different. We don’t go in for slow-moving, bone-crunching stuff; instead, Cat is supposed to be not only deadly but beautiful to watch in action, and that’s the way it seems to be getting across” [10].

Ultimately, NBC wasn’t happy enough with T.H.E. Cat‘s performance to renew it for a second season. Whether that had anything to do with the mid-season changes is debatable. It was routinely beaten by The CBS Friday Night Movie and, for the period running October through December 1966, averaged a 15.5 Nielsen rating, placing 69th out of 91 programs (The CBS Friday Night Movie had a 20.4 rating and ranked 24th; The Milton Berle Show ranked 82nd with a 12.9 rating) [11].

In late February, Broadcasting called Friday night “the biggest NBC hole to be plugged” and noted that both T.H.E. Cat and Laredo were likely to be cancelled [12]. When the network unveiled its 1967-1968 schedule on March 15th, both shows were gone [13]. Even though it wasn’t very popular with viewers Dell published four comic books based on the series during 1967. Guest stars during the show’s one and only season included Pippa Scott, Cesar Romero, Diana Muldaur, Sorrell Booke, Sally Kellerman and Susan Oliver.

Works Cited:

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Lansing would reprise his role in NBC’s 87th Precinct. Joining him were Ron Harper, Gregory Walcott and Norman Fell as detectives Bert Kling, Roger Havilland and Meyer Meyer, respectively. Detective Meyer had been given his repetative name as a hilarious joke by his father. Gena Rowlands appeared in four episodes as Carella’s wife, Teddy, who was a deaf-mute.

The series premiered on Monday, September 25th, 1961 with an installment called “The Floater,” in which Teddy involves herself in the case of an unidentified corpse found in a river. A mysterious tattoo on the corpse is the only clue to and it leads her to a tattoo parlor.

Cecil Smith called the premiere “pure unadulterated junk,” explaining that “there was some unmotivated idiocy about a tattoo parlor (WHY did she [Teddy] get herself tattooed?) and a brutal and completely unnecessary fist fight in a restaurant that had absolutely nothing to do with the plot–violence for the sake of violence” [1]. And Jack Gould criticized the portrayal of Teddy:

However, instead of making the point quietly and keeping it in everyday perspective, which so easily could have been a delightful innovation in characterization, the program went the usual Hollywood route of using the absence of speech and hearing as a primary, melodramatic end in itself. The wife’s inability to communicate vocally placed her in peril when she set out to assist her husband in the pursuit of a modern Bluebeard. [2]

Episodes of the series involved Kling coming to grips with killing a criminal for the first time (an 18-year-old); a bride and groom who receive threatening letters; a hood who is hypnotized into thinking he’s a murderer; Carella spending his vacation applying for a security position at a bank to make more money; a stenographer who falls in love with Havilland while he’s trying to protect her; phone booth bombings that lead to robberies; a criminal who continually phones the police to confuse them while he digs a tunnel under a bank; and Meyer feeling responsible when a childhood friend, arrested for robbery, escapes under his watch. Guest stars included Victor Jory, Charles McGraw, Ed Nelson, Peter Falk, Dawn Wells, Robert Vaughn, Mary LaRoche, Darryl Hickman, Leonard Nimoy and Dennis Hopper.

Lansing defended 87th Precinct in January of 1962, explaining that he expected negative reaction from critics for two reasons: first, the first episode “was a bad choice for the opener” and second, critics in general seem to react poorly to new shows [3]. No direct changes were made due to the criticism, said Lansing, “except that as we go along naturally we work better together and get more style. The interesting thing is that one eastern TV editor who was one of the most critical now calls us the most improved show of the season” [4].

Indeed, Cecil Smith wrote that the January 22nd, 1962 episode “seemed to me far above the lackluster level of this police series,” that was “filled with sharp, crackling, funny dialogue and contained delightful touches” (he praised the writer of the episode, Jonathan Latimer, for the improvement) [5]. On February 13th, Aleen MacMinn reported in The Los Angeles Times that 87th Precinct was likely to return for the 1962-1963 season [6]. And on March 17th, Seymour Korman wrote in The Chicago Daily Tribune that the series, “after a rocky start, is doing well and NBC assures the series will continue for some time” [7].

About the success of the series, Lansing explained that “we don’t solve earth shaking crimes every week. But neither does any police force. We may have a murder to tackle, but we may just as well have the case of a guy who stole some neckties” [8]. Added Norman Fell: “And the techniques we use are authentic. So much so that we get letters from cops all over the country thanking us for getting the procedure right” [9].

Despite the approval of all those cops — and NBC’s assurances — 87th Precinct was cancelled in April of 1962, likely due to low ratings [10]. Based solely on Nielsen ratings “in the twenty-four competative markets” for November and December, 87th Precinct averaged a 32 share, tied with The Andy Griffith Show and The Danny Thomas Show (Surfside Six averaged a 29 share) [12]. For the season as a whole, however, The Andy Griffith Show and The Danny Thomas Show ranked 7th and 8th while 87th Precinct was somewhere outside the Top Thirty (as was Surfside Six). It was replaced in September of 1962 by the second half of Saints & Sinners and The Price is Right.

Works Cited:

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