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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1. Show Spotlight: “T.H.E. Cat”
2. Show Spotlight: “To Rome with Love”
3. Show Spotlight: “The John Forsythe Show”

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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1. Show Spotlight: “O.K. Crackerby!”
2. Show Spotlight: “To Rome with Love”
3. Show Spotlight: “The John Forsythe Show”

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:

Related posts:

1. Show Spotlight: “San Francisco International Airport”
2. Show Spotlight: “Karen” (1975)
3. Show Spotlight: “The John Forsythe Show”

Amory’s original idea would focus on Harvard-educated St. John Quincy, hired by widower O.K. Crackerby, the richest man in the world, to help usher his children into the elegant and cultured world of the upper crust. The episodes would present a satirical bent of New England society. Or so Amory hoped. Instead, Crackerby used his money to more or less buy a way into high society for his children and St. John was simply along for the ride.

Singer-actor Burl Ives was cast as Crackerby and commercial personality Hal Buckley as St. John Quincy. According to George Gent in The New York Times, Buckley was hired after Thomas W. Moore, President of ABC, saw one of his commercials for sunscreen and called his agent. Said Buckley:

Mr. Moore saw me in a beach commercial and it was mostly my back that showed. I think it must have put on a marvelous performance. Actually though, a girl rubbed some ointment on my back and I turned briefly toward the camera and said a few sincere words about how soothing it was. I suppose you can say it was the best possible exposure. [2]

Laraine Stephens played Susan Wentworth, St. John’s girlfriend; Dick Foran was Slim, one of Crackerby’s friends; and John Indrisano appeared as the family chauffeur. Rounding out the cast were Brooke Adams, Brian Corcoran and Joel Davison as Crackerby’s children Cynthia, Junior and Hobart. The series premiered on Thursday, September 16th, 1965 opposite the series premiere of Laredo on NBC and the season premiere of My Three Sons on CBS.

Critics either loved or hated the show. Rex Polier of The Philadelphia Evening Bulletin called the show “very slickly done” while Harold Rogers of the Christian Science Moniter wrote that the show had the kind of writing that brings American television closer to its age of maturity” [3]. But Harry Harris in The Philadelphia Inqurier slammed the series, writing that “nothing has appalled us as much as the premise … that money can buy anything [4].

And Jack Gould of The New York Times lamented that “not even Burl Ives could lend much weight to the thinly-drawn money-bags and the personable Buckley as the tutor, had the weight of establishing the half-hours precarious premise. If in the environment of Hollywood TV [Abe] Burrows can extract a sound comedy on conflicting social values he’ll be a wonder. So far Crackerby is O.K. in name only [5].

The first few episodes were produced by Charles Stewart but he was soon replaced by Elliot Lewis [6]. The pilot dealt with Crackerby buying a hotel that didn’t please him. In another episode, Crackerby bribes Hobart with the promise of a mythical Griffin if the boy will just go to a fancy party. Hobart later uses his father’s money to campaign for school treasurer. Other episodes saw a woman try to hire St. John away from Crackerby, a shady businessman tricking Crackerby into discussing plans for a railroad, Crackerby falling in love with a woman at the airport, a young woman (played by Chris Noel) planning to marry Crackerby’s poor nephew and a gossip columnist blackmailing Crackerby regarding an honorary law degree.

ABC announced it was cancelling O.K. Crackerby! in early November of 1965, with filming for the last episode wrapping on Friday, November 5th, according to The New York Times. The paper reprinted a statement sent to reviewers and columnists by Burl Ives:

We have had a succession of different producers and directors and the show never did get off the ground in the script department. I can’t say that I am happy that the show did not make it, because of course, one goes into television, as into any medium of theatrical communication, to make a go of it. However, this is one that was not destined to succeed. [7]

The final episode aired on Thursday, January 6th, 1966. It was replaced the following week by Gidget, which was shifted from its Wednesday time slot. A new show, The Blue Light, took over for Gidget. For the three months running October to December 1965, O.K. Crackerby! ranked 76th out of 99 weekly programs with a 14.9 Nielsen rating [8]. By comparison, My Three Sons on CBS ranked 11th with a 23.6 rating and Laredo on NBC 39th with a 19.9 rating.

For some reason, the pilot episode was apparently broadcast in black and white, but the remaining sixteen episodes were shown in color.

Works Cited:

Related posts:

1. Show Spotlight: “87th Precinct”
2. Show Spotlight: “Karen” (1975)
3. Show Spotlight: “The John Forsythe Show”

The pilot for San Francisco International Airport aired on September 29th, 1970 as an installment of The NBC Tuesday Night Movie. It ranked 14th for the week, tied with The Carol Burnett Show on CBS [1]. Pernell Roberts starred as Jim Conrad, manager of San Francisco International Airport. Clu Gulager played chief of security Bob Hatten. The plot involved the attempted theft of some $3 million with Tab Hunter as a bad guy, Van Johnson as a reporter and David Hartman as a pilot whose wife is being held hostage.

Lloyd Bridges and Clu Gulager as Jim Conrad and Bob Hatten – September 12th, 1970
Copyright © TV Guide, 1970 [1]

Cecil Smith lamented the fact that the made-for-TV movie was so melodramatic and compared it, in an unfavorable way, to Grand Hotel with its numerous story lines all running at the same time. He did concede that the airport scenery was “as fascinating in fact as the story it enclosed was routine fiction” [2].

When the first hour-long episode of San Francisco International Airport aired on Wednesday, October 28th, Pernell Roberts had been replaced. Jim Conrad was now played by Lloyd Bridges. Clu Gulager returned as Bob Hatten. Joining the cast were Barbara Weste as Conrad’s secretary, June, and Barbara Sigel as his daughter, Suzie. Bridges only agreed to take on the role because it required just a six week commitment:

Unlike a lot of shows I’ve worked on, we had scripts to study at least a month ahead of production this time. That gave us the leeway to really get into the characters and develop them. In addition, a dozen or so stories were bought, then the six best were winnowed out of them. I think they spent about $30,000 extra just to get better material. That, plus the extra time we’ve had to rehearse and shoot, should mean a pretty good end product. [3].

The six episodes that aired involved a scientist planning on blowing up a deadly container of gas in an anti-war demonstration, a general facing an assassination attempt, the mob forcing Conrad to allow them to fly out of the country, a damaged 727 in need of an emergency landing, a proposed study of supersonic transport (SST), and a drug lord connected to a murder. In its Fall Preview issue, TV Guide mentioned two scripts, one of which involved supersonic transport (which was produced), the other a threatened trucking strike (which wasn’t) [4].

Show Spotlight: “San Francisco International Airport”

Cecil Smith, who called the pilot telefilm routine, had better things to say about the weekly series. He praised Lloyd Bridges and noted that the first episode no longer felt like an airborne Grand Hotel. Furthermore, he called it “straight melodrama in sharp focus with a taut, disciplined script to which the flying and technical material was like the illuminations on a manuscript” [5].

Smith did worry that Four-in-One, which had been doing well in the Nielsen ratings, would have to start fresh with viewers [6]. How San Francisco International Airport fared is unknown. However, of the four shows that made up Four-in-One, only two were renewed for the 1971-1972 season and San Francisco International Airport was not one of them. McCloud returned as part of The NBC Mystery Movie while Night Gallery became a standalone series.

Barbara Werle as June

Both San Francisco International Airport and the fourth show, The Psychiatrist, were cancelled after their initial six-episode runs.

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1. Show Spotlight: “To Rome with Love”
2. Show Spotlight: “Karen” (1975)
3. Show Spotlight: “The John Forsythe Show”

Playing the daughters were Melanie Fullerton as Pokey, Susan Neher as Penny and Joyce Mengus as Alison. During the first season, Kay Medford appeared occasionally as Michael’s sister Harriet, who continually attempted to convince his brother to move back to Iowa. Walter Brennan joined the cast in the second season as Michael’s father-in-law who moved to Italy to be closer to his granddaughters. Fleshing out the Italian locale were Vito Scotti and Peggy Mondo as Mr. Mancini and Mama Vitale. To Rome with Love ran for two seasons and 48 episodes, with the final first-run episode airing in February of 1971.

To Rome with Love was produced by Don Fedderson and Edmond Hartmann, the creative team behind My Three Sons and Family Affair. Asked if the show had a good chance of success, Forsythe replied that “it’s slightly different, without being new” and suggested that what viewers really wanted was to “be entertained by people they have grown comfortable with” [1]. He also opined that To Rome with Love would be far better than The John Forsythe Show, explaining that “I choose to forget about that one. It was a disaster from the start. I hope the world forgets it too, especially the name” [2].

“Cast of To Rome with Love – September 13th, 1969
Copyright © TV Guide, 1969 [1]

Reviewing To Rome with Love the day before it premiered, critic Jack Gould wrote that “the personable John Forsythe is the main asset of the series, but it is doubtful if he alone can overcome the handicap of imposing Hollywood nonsense on a city rich in drama and laughter yet to be explored with understanding by TV. For the viewer, one solution is to turn off the sound and settle for incidental scenic background” [3].

The San Diego Union’s Donald Freeman called the show “all stereotyped and unfailingly pleasant” while Terrence O’Flarhety of The San Francisco Chronicle complained that it “is a giant pizza which appears to be filled with every situation comedy cliché in TV history and every Italian character actor south of San Luis Obispo” [4]. Slightly more positive was Dwight Newton of The San Francisco Examiner, who referred to the show as “another little innocuous comedy drama series” [5].

Show Spotlight: “To Rome with Love”

According to Broadcasting, To Rome with Love premiered with a 15.0 Nielsen rating; the following week it settled into the middle third of the pack [6, 7]. In late December, Clarence Petersen reported that To Rome with Love was one of several new shows on CBS “having ratings problems” [8]. Nevertheless, CBS renewed the the show for the 1970-1971 season in February of 1970, shifting it to Tuesdays from 7:30-8PM [9].

When its second season premiered in Tuesday, September 15th, 1970, however, To Rome with Love occupied the 9:30-10PM half-hour on Tuesdays. The premiere tied for 36th for the week [10]. Beginning with the January 13th, 1971 broadcast, the show shifted to Wednesdays at 8:30PM. CBS officially cancelled the sitcom on March 17th, 1971 [11]. The final repeat was aired on September 1st.

What went wrong? Likely a variety of factors. Aside from the setting, To Rome with Love was a particularly noteworthy concept. That it received a second season could have been due to a poor development slate rather than belief the show would draw new viewers. Or, perhaps, CBS did think it could improve the show’s numbers. According to an August 9th, 1970 article in The Chicago Tribune, the show “did rather well in its first season last year, even tho it was opposite Walt Disney on Sunday nights. But everyone felt something new should be added in the second year and it was John Forsythe, the star of the show, who suggested to [producer] Don Fedderson that he try to get Walter Brennan to play Grandpa” [12].

In the end, middling ratings and poor critical reception likely combined to doom the show. One final note: when it was first announced in February of 1969, the show was called When in Rome [13].

Works Cited:

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Related posts:

1. Show Spotlight – “PBL”
2. Show Spotlight: “San Francisco International Airport”
3. Show Spotlight: “The John Forsythe Show”

Karen Valentine won an Emmy award in 1970 for her portrayal of teacher Alice Johnson on ABC’s Room 222 (she was nominated again in 1971). The comedy-drama ran from September of 1969 to January of 1974, ending midway through its fifth season. Valentine would soon return to television in her own sitcom, simply titled Karen. In early October of 1974, only a few weeks after the start of the 1974-1975 season, Gary Deeb called Karen (then known as The Karen Valentine Show) “definite” for mid-season 1975 [1].

Sure enough, when ABC announced its mid-season overhaul on November 13th, Karen was given the Thursday 8:30-9PM time slot [2]. It was set to premiere on January 16th, 1975 following another new sitcom, Hot L Baltimore.

In Karen, Valentine would star as Karen Angelo, a young woman who moves from Sebastopol, California (Valentine’s actual hometown) to Washington, D.C. and finds a job with Open America, a consumer advocacy/lobbyist organization. Rounding out the cast were Denver Pyle as Dale Busch, Karen’s boss at Open Arms; Dena Dietrich as Dena Madison, one of Karen’s co-workers; Aldine King as Cissy Peterson, an FBI agent; and Will Seltzer as Adam Cooperman, an office boy.

The series was created by Gene Reynolds and Larry Gelbart, the duo responsible for M*A*S*H, and Carl Kleinschmitt. In a December 1974 article in The Los Angeles Times (which gave the start date of the series as January 24th, 1975) the Reynolds and Gelbart explained how the series came to be. Said Gelbart: “It seems quite astonishing that we have series set in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Honolulu, Chicago, even Minneapolis–but none in Washington, which is the center of the whole Western world” [3].

After deciding to set the series in Washington, D.C., Reynolds called Laurence Laurent, television critic for The Washington Post “and asked him what a single girl would be doing in Washington. He said she’d probably be working for one of the government agencies or as a lobbyist” [4]. So, Karen became a lobbyist. Open America was, in the words of Reynolds, “advocating the opening up of government operations for public inspections, no more secret deals, that sort of thing” [5].

On January 8th, 1975, The Chicago Tribune’s Aaron Gold reported there were problems behind the scenes, with two of the first three scripts being scrapped [6]. He also revealed that Valentine’s Room 222 contract required ABC to broadcast at least thirteen weeks of another show in which she starred. On January 23rd, Gold reported even more problems: Denver Pyle had been replaced by Charles Lane, requiring segments of the five filmed episodes to be reshot, and the premiere had been pushed back to January 30th [7]. According to Gold, “it’s also obvious that ABC brass doesn’t care what happens to Karen because they put it up against the Waltons and the Mac Davis Show” [8].

When Karen finally did premiere on January 30th, critics focused on Karen Valentine’s cuteness. Mary Murphy of The Los Angeles Times called the show “one of the most likable and well assembled series to debut this year” while noting that “whether Valentine can be kept from becoming too cute, which has prevented her from being taken seriously in the past, remains to be seen” [9].

Gary Deeb opened his review by stating that “the sight of Karen Valentine battling nasty politicians is about as believable as the thought of John Davidson engaged in heavy philosophical debate with William Buckley” [10]. After noting that “television hasn’t seen such an absurdity since CBS decided to transform Sandy Duncan into a liberated woman,” Deeb returned to the issue of Valentine’s looks: “Like John Davidson, Karen Valentine’s strongest asset — her cuteness — also is her heaviest lability. She’s perky, wide-eyed, and innocent. And she probably cleans out her dimples with Q-tips. Trouble is, a pretty face can only take you so far, and with Valentine, once she finishes the 8-by-10 there’s nothing left” [11].

Cyclops, who reviewed the series for The New York Times in mid-February, wrote that the show “is really quite witty. A good idea, good writers and a good director got together and had fun. The political humor [...] scores consistently. The portrait of the congressman for whom Karen once worked, a sort of JOhn Tunney under three coats of shellac, is marvelous. The problem I’m afraid, is Miss Valentine” [12]. He suggested that “an actress of Diana Rigg’s steely intelligence would be more appropriate in these circumstances” [13].

In April, Burt Prelutsky shared Larry Gelbart’s thoughts on Karen: “We did Karen because the network was anxious to get Karen Valentine on in something, and they asked us to do it. What can I say? We shouldn’t have done it” [14]. Karen was officially cancelled on May 2nd, 1975 when ABC issued its 1975-1976 schedule [15]. A total of 13 episodes were broadcast, the last of which was seen on May 8th. Repeats continued for several weeks.

Later that month Cecil Smith lamented that many of the best shows weren’t going to be returning. He included Karen: “Karen, it seems to me, has the sharpest and brightest dialog on television, but maybe it’s a loser because its sophistication doesn’t really jibe with the Little-Bo-Beep image of Karen Valentine” [16].

Works Cited:

Related posts:

1. Show Spotlight: “87th Precinct”
2. The Karen Valentine Program Opening Credits
3. Show Spotlight: “The John Forsythe Show”

Charles, in the year 2011, dies in a hovercraft accident. When he gets to the pearly gates St. Peter (played by Joseph Maher) can’t decide whether to let him in or not. It seems poor Charles hasn’t led a great life but neither has he been a terrible person. So, St. Peter decides to send him back to 1987 and instructs him to keep a close eye on his younger self. If he can help keep himself on the straight and narrow in the past, he’ll lead a better life in the future and Charles can get into heaven.

So, Charles takes the last name Time and moves into the apartment over his childhood home. Future Friends star Matthew Perry played the younger Charles Russell, nicknamed Chazz. Randee Heller played their mother, Helen, and William Gallo played Chazz’s best friend Francis “Booch” Lottabucci. Another friend, Eugene, was played by Demian Slade. Second Chance premiered on Saturday, September 26th, 1987 running from 9-9:30PM.

TV Guide Ad for Second Chance – September 26th, 1988
Copyright © TV Guide, 1988 [1]

Critics were all but disgusted by the sitcom. The Los Angeles Times wrote that “just when you think you’ve seen the worst, something even lower and more trivial comes along. This is it, flat-out the dumbest of this season’s new shows, one that didn’t deserve even a first chance” [2. Newsday called it "a mindless, overlong skit" [3]. And The Washington Post referred to it as “a new wretched Fox sitcom” [4].

One positive review came from the Providence Journal: “The premise of being given a chance to relive one’s life is nothing new, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be done well. Second Chance relies a little heavily on standard sitcom silliness, but could redeem itself as a relationship grows between Charles and his younger self” [5]. Even if the reviews had been universally positive, however, the simple fact that the show was on FOX meant viewers most likely wouldn’t find it.

The October 10th episode of Second Chance ranked seventh out of FOX’s nine weekly programs, all lower rated than every single show on ABC, CBS and NBC [6]. The October 17th episode was dead last in the Nielsens [7]. Starting with the October 24th episode Second Chance was pushed back to 9:30PM. It was pre-empted on October 31st and a month later went into repeats. Just nine episodes had been aired.

When the series returned on January 16th, 1988 it had a new title and a new time slot. Boys Will Be Boys aired from 8-8:30PM. Gone were Kiel Martin as adult Charles and Joseph Maher as St. Peter. Added to the cast was Terri Ivens as Debbie Miller, Chazz’s neighbor-turned-girlfriend. According to The Providence Journal, FOX’s audience research people had determined that Matthew Perry had “tremendous potential” and thus Boys Will Be Boys was born [8].

Show Spotlight: “Second Chance/Boys Will Be Boys”

While episodes of Second Chance had involved Charles trying to steer Chazz away from robbery and alcohol, Boys Will Be Boys dealt more with girls and cars. In a two-part episode Chazz moves into the garage apartment and is soon joined by Booch, who wants to get away from his alcoholic father. A special 30-second public service announcement for the Alateen hotline and the National Council on Alcoholism featuring William Gallo was shown after the second part, broadcast on February 13th [9].

Show Spotlight: “Second Chance/Boys Will Be Boys”

The series was shifted to 8:30PM beginning on April 9th. Twelve episodes of Boys Will Be Boys were produced (that makes for a total of 21 when combined with the nine episodes of Second Chance). The last new episode aired on May 7th. Repeats would continue until July 2nd. The following week, Family Double Dare took over.

Works Cited:

Image Credits:

Related posts:

1. Show Spotlight: “T.H.E. Cat”
2. Show Spotlight: “O.K. Crackerby!”
3. Show Spotlight: “The John Forsythe Show”

He would return to television during the 1965-1966 season in another sitcom: The John Forsythe Show. It was originally titled The Mister and the Misses [1]. Forsythe played, once again, a bachelor, a retired Air Force major named John Foster who inherited a school in California from his aunt. Imagine his surprise when he showed up and learned it was an elite all-girls school. Elsa Lanchester co-starred as Miss Culver, the school’s principal, and Ann B. Davis appeared as Miss Wilson, a gym teacher. Helping Foster run Miss Foster’s School for Girls, was an old Air Force buddy, Sgt. Ed Robbins (played by Guy Marks).

Show Spotlight: “The John Forsythe Show”

The John Forsthye Show premiered on Monday, September 13th, 1965 on NBC. It aired from 8-8:30PM opposite I’ve Got a Secret on CBS and the second half of Twelve O’Clock High on ABC. Two of the students were played by Forsthye’s own daughters, Page and Brook; according to The Chicago Tribune he only allowed them to film during the summer) [2].

Critical reaction was mostly negative. Hal Humphrey of The Los Angeles Times called it “a newly dressed version of Forsthye’s old Bacehlor Father series plus a dash of vintage Bob Cummings” and noted that “even the living color couldn’t cover up the cliche dialogue in the opening episodes” [3]. Jack O’Brian, writing in the New York Journal-American called it a “cavalcade of nubile nonsense” [4]. It was “milksoppy” according to Rex Polier in the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin and “pure frivolity with a sprinkling of sentimentality” according to John Marshall Cuno in the Christian Science Monitor [5].

There were a few positive voices, however. Henry Mitchell of the Memphis Commercial Appeal stated that “it’s going to be a winner” [6]. And Larry Wolters of The Chicago Tribune suggested that “a lot of kids and parents, too, will enjoy this one if it can keep up its snappy pace” [7]. Either way, viewers didn’t tune in. From October to December the series averaged a 15.5 Nielsen rating, ranking 73rd out of 99 programs. Its competition did better: ABC’s Twelve O’Clock High tied for 53rd with a 18.2 rating and I’ve Got a Secret on CBS tied for 23rd with a 21.4 [8].

Beginning with the January 31st, 1966 episode, The John Forsthye Show switched formats somewhat. The adventures at Miss Foster’s School for Girls were de-emphasized while Major Foster and Sgt. Robbins went off on spy missions. The series was cancelled in March of 1966 [9].

Works Cited:
1 Adams, Val. “Telsun Puts Off Three U.N. Shows.” New York Times. 11 Feb. 1965: 79.
2 Lyon, Herb. “Tower Ticker.” Chicago Tribune. 13 Sep. 1965: 26.
3 Humphrey, Hal. “TV Reviews.” Los Angeles Times. 14 Sep. 1965: C12.
4 Quoted in “How the Critics See the New Season,” Broadcasting, 20 Sept. 1965, 33-39.
5 Ibid.
6 Ibid.
7 Wolters, Larry. “TV’s Wildest Week Ever is Under Way.” Chicago Tribune. 13 Sep. 1965: C10.
8 “The Season in Three Parts: How It Turned Out Vs. How Gray Called It.” Television Magazine. Mar. 1966: 40-41.
9 Smith, Bob. “Networks Roll Out Hopefuls for Fall.” Los Angeles Times. 4 Mar. 1966: C23.

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3. Show Spotlight: “To Rome with Love”

Half-hour documentary series on capturing wild animals for zoos. Arthur Jones was the host.

According to Total Television, it was released in 1963. The same information is included in The Complete Encyclopedia of Television Programs, 1947-1976. That wasn’t much to work with. It turns out that Arthur Jones, the man who hosted Wild Cargo, later went on to invent the Nautilus line of exercise equipment in 1970. In the late 1950s, however, he was appearing on television shows like I Search for Adventure and Bold Journey, presenting films of his successful expeditions to Africa and South America.

Mel Levitt (?) and Arthur Jones

For example, on June 6th, 1957, he was on I Search for Adventure (a syndicated documentary series; this particular episode was shown in Los Angeles) with a film that showed him “capturing giant African reptiles for shipment to the United States” [1]. On September 22nd, 1958, he appeared on ABC’s Bold Journey with film of “an expedition into the African Congo jungle to capture the great apes of the region” [2]. Another episode of I Search for Adventure, shown in Los Angeles on March 26th, 1959, he showed “how he captured 25 alligators and crocodiles by wrestling with them” [3].

Although Total Television and The Complete Encyclopedia of Television Programs, 1947-1979 indicated otherwise, Wild Cargo debuted in syndication in New York City on Wednesday, February 15th, 1961. It was broadcast by WPIX from 10:30-11PM. In its television listings, The New York Times simply wrote “Film series on big-game hunting” [4].

“Wild Cargo”

In the opening credits, a man named Mel Levitt (I’m not sure of the spelling) appears to be the host, not Arthur Jones. Episode descriptions in The New York Times included “Hunting cheetah and elephants with pistol in Africa,” “Hunting the beaded lizard and the boa in Mexico,” “Rattlesnake round-up” and “Hunting the javalina and the kinkajou in Mexico.” If the television listings in The New York Times are accurate, a total of 29 episodes were shown before the series went into repeats in August of 1961; a handful of additional new episodes may have been shown in June of 1962 before WPIX dropped the show.

In Chicago, Wild Cargo premiered on WGN on Tuesday, January 16th, 1962, airing from 8:30-9PM (local time). Television listings in The Chicago Tribune indicate there were a total of 34 episodes; repeats began in November of 1962 and continued through August of 1964. Episode descriptions in that paper were more in-depth. A choice selection:

A documentary film hunting the Asiatic buffalo and a filmed look at the primitive Australian aborigine native dance

Natives making rope for use in capturing elephants, setting up elephant traps, killing of tigers during the night, and an attempt to capture a man-killing leopard.

A native hunter uses an ancient muzzle loading musket to hunt his prey. Various scenes of antelope, zebra and giraffe.

An attempt to locate native game poachers is highlighted by a look at various methods of killing animals by the poachers.

Hunting the Louisiana swamps for alligators, jungle rats, giant snapping turtles and black widow spiders. Shooting jungle rats with a bow and arrow for food for alligators in captivity, collecting alligator eggs, and catching water snakes.

Arthur Jones and Peter Hankin attempt to drive out and remove all types of animals serving as hosts to the deadly tsetse fly, a carrier of the sleeping sickness.

Wild Cargo also aired in Los Angeles, beginning Monday, May 28th, 1962 on KCOP. Several articles in The Chicago Tribune stated that the show was broadcast in color. The Paley Center for media has two episodes of Wild Cargo in its collection.

Arthur Jones died on August 28, 2007. He was 80.

Works Cited:
1 “Best TV Bets Today.” Los Angeles Times. 6 Jun. 1957: A14.
2 “Monday – September 22, 1958.” Chicago Daily Tribune. 20 Sep. 1958: C12.
3 “Thursday – March 26, 1959.” Los Angeles Times. 22 Mar. 1959: G16.
4 “Television.” New York Times. 15 Feb. 1961: 71.

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