Television Obscurities » Articles

New Article: Early Networks and the East-Midwest Connection

RGJ — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 02:30:34 +0000

One of the more interesting aspects of television in the 1940s, at least in my mind, is that despite the growth of the medium following the end of World War II for the most part it was a very local affair. Viewers in the largest cities may have had three or even four channels to choose from but they were confined to programs produced in their respective cities unless they were lucky enough to be one of the few cities connected to another city or two through a relay or a coaxial cable.

By the late 1940s, of course, the networks were slowly establishing themselves with regional “chains” on the East Coast and in the Midwest. This article covers some of the NBC and DuMont networks, building up to the connection between cities in the East and cities in the Midwest thanks to AT&T. Here’s the summary for Early Networks and the East-Midwest Connection:

Prior to September 4th, 1951 (when President Truman opened the Japanese Peace Treaty Conference in San Francisco) television in the United States wasn’t truly a national medium. There was no way for viewers on both coasts to watch the same program at the same time. Network broadcasting was originally confined to the East Coast before expanding to the Midwest and, finally, coast-to-coast. This article focuses on the various NBC and DuMont networks of the 1940s and the East-Midwest connection that took place on January 11th, 1949.

It’s certainly not a comprehensive history of regional networks but hopefully it provides an adequate introduction to network television in the mid-to-late 1940s. As always, please leave any comments at the article itself.

New Article: “The Interns”

RGJ — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 02:35:13 +0000

Take a few minutes to read my latest article about The Interns. I don’t have access at the moment to the episodes I used when writing this episode, so I can’t check the closing credits to see if Richard Frede is mentioned. But it seems The Interns was at least slightly based on Frede’s 1960 novel, The Interns, and/or the 1962 film adaptation. The show ran jut one season on CBS, from 1970-1971, and never caught on with viewers. Was it an overload of “relevant” programming? Too many medical dramas? The fact that the series aired opposite The Brady Bunch? I can’t say for sure.

This medical drama was savaged by critics and unable to make much of an impression with viewers during the 1970-1971 season when relevance was the word of the day and television was filled with young, eager characters striving to make a difference. Broderick Crawford starred Dr. Peter Goldstone, the surly supervisor of five fresh-faced interns played by Stephen Brooks, Christopher Stone, Hal Frederick, Mike Farrell and Sandra Smith. Every week they faced medical crises and personal problems, sometimes at the same time.

Please add any comments to the article itself.

New Article: “The Four Seasons”

RGJ — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 18:47:10 +0000

This CBS sitcom was Alan Alda’s second attempt at creating a television series (his first, We’ll Get By, ran for half a season in early 1975). It premiered to strong Nielsen ratings but CBS decided to pre-empt the series and then place it on a lengthy hiatus. A move away from the powerhouse that was 60 Minutes didn’t help either. Take a moment to read all about The Four Seasons:

This short-lived CBS television series, based on the 1981 film of the same title, was Alan Alda’s follow-up to M*A*S*H. He only appeared in the special one-hour premiere but was heavily involved behind the scenes. Jack Weston, reprising his role from the film, starred as Danny Weston, a dentist who moves with his wife from New York City to Los Angeles. The series followed the trials and tribulations of Danny, his family and his friends through the ups and downs of life. Thirteen episodes were aired between January and June of 1984.

If you have any comments, please add them to the article itself.

New Article: “Otherworld”

RGJ — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 20:19:28 +0000

I’m a sucker for television shows involving time travel or alternate/parallel universes and thus this article is as much for me as it is for fans of Otherworld. I’d definitely call the show a popular obscurity, but it was certainly short-lived (just eight episodes) and left an impression on many viewers, some of whom decades later e-mailed me wondering just what was this show they remembered.

This drama series ran for just eight episodes during the 1984-1985 season on CBS and was soon cancelled due to low ratings. Nevertheless, it developed a small but passionate fan base intrigued by the concept of an everyday family marooned on a parallel Earth where life is similar but different in every way. CBS insisted on a family friendly show and during its short run Otherworld produced episodes resembling Beauty and the Beast, Footloose and Mad Max.

There’s also an unfortunate rumor circulating that five episodes of Otherworld were filmed and never aired in the United States. The Internet Movie Database page for the series includes this rumor in its trivia section. And Wikipedia even states that viewers in Spain remember seeing an episode in which the Sterlings found their way home!

While at least one unproduced script does exist, there are no additional unaired episodes. Otherworld was syndicated in the United States by two cable channels, both of which certainly would have picked up the rights to additional episodes if they were available. And if these five episodes were broadcast internationally there would be more than just rumors. Someone would have seen them and know for sure. Plus, contemporary articles and reviews explicitly refer to the existence of just eight episodes.

None of them, however, explain why the two-hour pilot movie was cut in half. Perhaps CBS just wanted eight episodes to fill its schedule rather than seven (the pilot plus six standalone episodes). I’d love to see more episodes of Otherworld but they’re just not out there.

New Article: Writing the Networks in the 1960s

RGJ — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 12:18:55 +0000

I’m not quite sure how I feel about this article. I think the subject matter is very interesting but I’m worried the article itself isn’t. So take a few minutes to read Writing the Networks in the 1960s and let me know what you think:

During the 1960s, tens of thousands of letters poured into to the mail rooms of the television networks. Some complained about commercials or violence or controversial content. Others asked for medical advice or suggested ways to improve a certain program. Sometimes the letters didn’t make much sense at all. But each and every one was read and given a reply. The networks took audience research seriously, using it to gauge reaction to their programs. Learn who was reading viewer letters during the 1960s and how many were received.

Make your comments at the article itself.

New Article: Nancy

RGJ — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 02:21:31 +0000

I don’t know why I have such an interest in Nancy. It’s one of those shows, like Sons and Daughters, that for some reason fascinate me. The one episode I’ve seen, in addition to be of atrocious quality, was really sappy. I’ve read a script for another episode and it was equally sugary sweet. And yet I’d love nothing more than to see additional episodes. One tie-in novel was published based on the series and I’ll probably try to pick up a copy sooner rather than later. It may be an original story of a novelization of the first episode, I’m not sure.

Anyway, here’s the description for my article on Nancy:

It was the perfect concept for a television comedy: a handsome young veterinarian meets a beautiful young woman and falls in love. Then he learns she’s the daughter of the President of the United States of America. Hilarity ensues. Renne Jarrett and John Fink starred in this NBC series as the young lovers, with Celeste Holm and Robert F. Simon in supporting roles. Competing with The CBS Thursday Movie during the 1970-1971 season, the series was cancelled after just 17 episodes.

The New People, The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. Articles Revised

RGJ — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 23:23:35 +0000

Over the past few months I’ve revised several articles with an eye towards making them a little easier to read. Most of my articles still have small images that are “floated” to the left or the right of a paragraph. All new articles, and those that have been revised, include larger images that are centered in between paragraphs, making them easier to see and making the text easier to read. The two articles I’ve revised today focus on a pair of shows I’m personally quite fond of.

Added to the article on The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. is a short video featuring an interesting scene from the series in which poor April Dancer (played by Stefanie Powers) is nearly pecked to death by a bird. I’ve also added new images that are larger and placed in the center of the article rather than “floated” to one side or the other in a block of text.

You’ll find new, larger images in my article about The New People as well, including a nice shot of the cast from the 1969 Fall Preview issue of TV Guide. I also think I may have finally solved the mystery of Rod Serling’s involvement in The New People. I came across an article from The Los Angeles Times in which Serling specifically states that he only wrote the pilot. This doesn’t explain why writing credit for the pilot is given to somebody else, though…

New Article: Unsold Pilots on Television, 1967-1989

RGJ — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 12:00:41 +0000

A companion piece to Unsold Pilots on Television, 1956-1966, this article is a bit of a disappointment to me. I couldn’t find a single image to add to it, not a TV Guide advertisement, not a newspaper advertisement, nothing. I suppose by the 1980s the networks realized that paying to advertise unsold pilots wasn’t cost effective. I’ll keep looking and I’ll keep researching unsold pilot programs. I’m sure there must be a few others that I haven’t covered. For now, though, take a few minutes to read Unsold Pilots on Television, 1967-1989. Here’s the summary:

Television pilots are produced by the dozens every year. These test episodes are used to sell potential programs to advertisers and networks but a large percentage of them aren’t picked up and never become an actual television series. What happens to an unsold pilot? Most are never heard of again. But the costs of making a pilot are high and starting in the mid-1950s it was commonplace for the networks to run summer replacement series made up entirely of unsold pilots. Read about nine such programs, including Just for Laughs, Comedy Theatre, Comedy Time and CBS Summer Playhouse, aired between 1967 and 1989.

New Article: Save Our Show Campaigns Prior to Star Trek

RGJ — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 02:59:11 +0000

Here’s my latest article, Save Our Show Campaigns Prior to Star Trek. It discusses nine television shows that inspired “save our show” campaigns between 1951 and 1965. I’m quite pleased with the way this article turned out. I learned a lot researching it and I hope it will be of interest to a lot of people. So take a few minutes to read it when you have a chance. Here’s the summary:

Everyone knows how Star Trek was saved from cancellation by fan letters. The very first example of viewers successfully staging a “save our show” campaign may have taken place in 1951 when a CBS children’s show was returned to the airwaves months after being cancelled due to angry viewers. Read all about several examples of successful and not-so-successful campaigns to save such shows as Mister Peepers, It’s a Man’s World, East Side/West Side and more.
How many people have written an actual letter to a network in support of a television show? These days e-mail is just too easy to be as meaningful.

Related posts:
New Exhibit: Star Trek Promotional Spots, 1987-2001
Commercials for 1986 Contest for Star Trek Tickets
Star Trek Syndication Advertisements, Circa 1969-1970

Voting for New Articles Suspended

RGJ — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 18:30:09 +0000

I’ve decided to stop putting up polls asking readers to vote for new articles for the foreseeable future. I’m still going to be writing two new articles each month; one of the articles this month will be Save Our Show Campaigns Prior to Star Trek, which won the June poll, but after that they’ll be complete surprises and picked solely by me. Using the polls was an experiment to see if many of the people who visit Television Obscurities would be interested in influencing what is published here. Judging from the number of people voting, the vast majority don’t seem to care what topics are covered as long as new content continues to be rolled out each month.

Perhaps in the future I’ll restart the polling. Thanks to everyone who participated and don’t worry, I’ve got plenty of exciting ideas.