45-Minute Network Shows?

[Stanislav]

In doing TDITVH research, I was reminded that ABC experimented with 45-minute episodes for General Hospital and One Life to Live in 1976-77. Question: have there been other network shows that ran at this unusual length? The only example I can think of is Arrest and Trial (the original 1963 ABC show, not the more recent syndicated Dick Wolf offering), although technically it was one 90-minute series. (The "Arrest" and "Trial" segments were two separate segments with distinctive casts.)

 

[LasVegasRadioJunky]

In doing TDITVH research, I was reminded that ABC experimented with 45-minute episodes for General Hospital and One Life to Live in 1976-77. Question: have there been other network shows that ran at this unusual length? The only example I can think of is Arrest and Trial (the original 1963 ABC show, not the more recent syndicated Dick Wolf offering), although technically it was one 90-minute series. (The "Arrest" and "Trial" segments were two separate segments with distinctive casts.)

There are hundreds of examples of 45-minute network shows. AND, all of them came with 15 minutes of freakin' commercials!

 

[azumanga]

In 1969, ABC had two 45-minute prime-time shows back-to-back -- "The Music Scene", a pop music program; and "The New People" (think "Lost" meets "The Mod Squad"). Both shows started September 22, 1969 and ended January 12, 1970.

 

[RicoGregg]

In 1969, ABC had two 45-minute prime-time shows back-to-back -- "The Music Scene", a pop music program; and "The New People" (think "Lost" meets "The Mod Squad"). Both shows started September 22, 1969 and ended January 12, 1970.

The New People had in its cast a young, unknown actor named Richard Dreyfuss.

 

[Tim L]

In 1957-58 CBS had the Jimmy Dean Show on from 7-7:45 AM weekday mornings followed by a 15 minute CBS Newscast with Richard C. Hottelet.

Captain Kangaroo followed from 8-8:45 AM..There may have been a second CBS Newscast from 8:45-9AM. WJW-8 Cleveland and WKBN-27 Youngstown preempteed it for local programming..

Sort of off the topic, but during this era, Channel 27 ran Captain Kangaroo TWICE-Back to back 8-8:45 and 9-9:45..seems like an odd thing to do..

 

[bpatrick]

According to Castleman and Podrazik, there was
a second CBS newscast at 8:45. By the early '60s,
Hottelet's newscast aired 8-8:15, and "Captain Kangaroo"
8:15-9. I think "Captain Kangaroo" went to an hour
in the fall of 1961, when CBS introduced "Calendar" with
Harry Reasoner at 10 AM.

 

[oldiesfan6479]

In 1957-58 CBS had the Jimmy Dean Show on from 7-7:45 AM weekday mornings...
Captain Kangaroo followed from 8-8:45 AM...
Channel 27 ran Captain Kangaroo TWICE-Back to back 8-8:45 and 9-9:45...

By the fall of 1957, CBS probably had a few Ampex 1000 VTRs on-line in New York
(not to mention TV City), and since by then they had about a year's experience with
them, this may have been an early instance of a split feed for early morning shows
to the Central time zone, in order to air them 7-9 CT instead of 6-8. The delay may
even have been done at WBBM-TV, as they were still doing (for the CBS Morning
News) in the 1970s).

A second feed of Captain K at 9 ET was easier, as 9-10 ET was a local hour for
the Eastern time zone.

Related: does anyone know when NBC started refeeding the first hour of Today from
9-10 ET, so the Central zone could air the show 7-9, albeit in reverse order? I would
guess it was around the same time, when NBC had installed sufficient VTRs and became
comfortable with using them for delays.

I know we've discussed here in the past that spring 1958 (the start of DST) was the
first time some or all of the nets began doing a one-hour delayed feed of programming
for ET/CT stations in standard time areas, so they would still air at the same clock time.
Live events excepted of course, as we've seen in some posted listings where shows
were flipped in standard time areas.

 

[bpatrick]

It would be my guess that NBC began showing
the first hour of "Today" as the second hour in
the Central time zone around this time. Prior to
that, the show was on for three hours, although
only two hours aired in any time zone. The first
hour was re-created live 9-10 AM (ET) and fed
to the Central time zone.

There were some CBS affiliates in the Eastern time
zone that carried the second feed of "Captain
Kangaroo." I remember WNCT/9 Greenville, NC, and
WDEF/12 Chattanooga (sister stations in those days)
doing so because they had local programs followed by
the "CBS Morning News" on a one-hour delay. WRBL/3
Columbus, GA (now a sister station to WNCT) did so
because part of its coverage area is in Alabama (Central
time), so it made sense to run the Captain at 9/8 Central.

Going 'way back, "Ted Mack's Amateur Hour" was seen for
45 minutes on Tuesdays in 1952. NBC aired it 10-10:45 PM.
And non-title fights were always listed as 45 minutes in TV
Guide, with the remainder of the hour filled by something like
"Make That Spare." "Queen For A Day" also aired for 45 minutes
for most of its NBC run (1956-60) but always 30 minutes on ABC
(1960-64).

 

[mleach]

Back in 1957 The US Steel Hour ( I believe that was the title ) aired a 45 minute show to honor a request by Desi Arnaz. Desi felt he needed that extra 15 minutes for the first edition of the Lucy & Desi Comedy Hour ( Westinghouse Playhouse I believe the show was called back then ) to tell the full story of how the Ricardos met, how they met the Mertzes, and so forth.

Desi made some promise to US Steele that if they would give him that 15 minutes they would have the highest rated telecast in their history and that indeed happened.

 

[Stanislav]

It would be my guess that NBC began showing
the first hour of "Today" as the second hour in
the Central time zone around this time. Prior to
that, the show was on for three hours, although
only two hours aired in any time zone. The first
hour was re-created live 9-10 AM (ET) and fed
to the Central time zone.

So, does that mean that they avoided guests/interviews in the first (ET) hour? Or did they tell them, "sorry, you have to sit around for a couple of hours so we can do it all over again for the Midwest?"

 

[oldiesfan6479]

...the first hour of "Today"......was re-created live 9-10 AM (ET) and fed to the
Central time zone.

So, does that mean that they avoided guests/interviews in the first (ET) hour?
Or did they tell them, "sorry, you have to sit around for a couple of hours so we
can do it all over again for the Midwest?"

Or since a guest/interview spot was five, maybe ten minutes at best, did they
make a kinnie of it, rush it to the lab (on site or off?) and hopefully have it back
before the "rerun" a bit less than two hours later?

When VTRs arrived, they may have started taping interviews, and when they got
comfortable with tape-delaying en masse, started playing back the whole first hour
at 9 ET as discussed above.

 

[Ultimajock]

...in 1956, after CBS canceled The Johnny Carson Show from its prime-time schedule, the network gave Carson another series, this time in weekday middays. It was also titled The Johnny Carson Show and was a 45-minute talk/variety show not unlike the shows Arthur Godfrey and Garry Moore also had on CBS daytime. It lasted only a few weeks to burn off the remainder of Carson's CBS contract...