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50 Years Ago: Fall 1958

RALfan's thread on ABC's 1958 "Operation Daybreak"
gave me the idea to post the networks' fall 1958
schedules, somewhat earlier than I normally do for
50 years back.
Source: Castleman and Podrazik, "The TV Schedule
Book."

PRIME TIME

MON ABC 7 PM (Local)
7:15 ABC News (Don Goddard, I believe)
7:30 Polka-Go-Round (ABC just couldn't
quit trying for another Lawrence Welk)
8:30 Bold Journey
9 PM Voice Of Firestone (will end after this
season but return on Sunday nights
in 1962)
9:30 Anyone Can Play (this show had aired
during the summer as Anybody Can Play,
and the title change makes no sense--
Groucho's sidekick George Fenneman emceed)
10 PM Traffic Court
10:30 John Daly And The News
10:45 (Local)

CBS 7 PM (Local)
7:15 (Local) or Douglas Edwards
With The News
7:30 Name That Tune
8 PM THE TEXAN (new shows are always in CAPS)
8:30 Father Knows Best (moves from NBC)
9 PM Danny Thomas Show
9:30 ANN SOTHERN SHOW (Katy O'Connor)
10 PM WESTINGHOUSE DESILU PLAYHOUSE/
Lucille Ball & Desi Arnaz Show (Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour)
about once a month
11 PM (Local)

NBC 7 PM (Local)
7:15 (Local) or Huntley-Brinkley Report
7:30 Tic Tac Dough
8 PM Restless Gun
8:30 Tales Of Wells Fargo
9 PM PETER GUNN
9:30 Alcoa-Goodyear Theater
10 PM Arthur Murray Party
10:30 (Local)
11:15 Jack Paar Show (to 1 AM)

TUE ABC 7 PM (Local)
7:15 ABC News
7:30 The Cheyenne Show (BRONCO/
Sugarfoot) (Clint Walker was holding
out for more money.)
8:30 Wyatt Earp
9 PM THE RIFLEMAN
9:30 NAKED CITY (first version, with James
Franciscus--the hour version with Paul
Burke is probably better remembered)
10 PM Confession
10:30 John Daly And The News
10:45 (Local)

CBS 7 PM (Local)
7:15 (Local) or Douglas Edwards With
The News
7:30 STARS IN ACTION (reruns of various
drama anthologies)
8 PM Keep Talking
8:30 To Tell The Truth
9 PM Arthur Godfrey Show
9:30 Red Skelton Show
10 PM GARRY MOORE SHOW
11 PM (Local)

NBC 7 PM (Local)
7:15 (Local) or Huntley-Brinkley Report
7:30 Dragnet
8 PM George Gobel Show/Eddie Fisher Show
9 PM GEORGE BURNS SHOW (Burns And Allen
without Gracie, eventually more a variety
show than a sitcom)
9:30 Bob Cummings Show
10 PM The Californians
10:30 (Local)
11:15 Jack Paar Show

WED
ABC 7 PM (Local)
7:15 ABC News
7:30 Lawrence Welk's Plymouth Show
8:30 Ozzie And Harriet
9 PM DONNA REED SHOW
(These two shows would run in tandem
again: Thursdays 1961-63 and Saturdays
January-September 1966.)
9:30 OLDSMOBILE SHOW WITH
PATTI PAGE
10 PM Wednesday Night Fights (I
don't know what they did if
news broke after 10:30)
11 PM (Local)

CBS 7 PM (Local)
7:15 (Local) or Douglas Edwards With
The News
7:30 Twilight Theater (more anthology reruns)
8 PM PURSUIT
9 PM The Millionaire
9:30 I've Got A Secret
10 PM U.S. Steel Hour/
Armstrong Circle Theater
11 PM (Local)

NBC 7 PM (Local)
7:15 (Local) or Huntley-Brinkley Report
7:30 Wagon Train
8:30 The Price Is Right
9 PM KRAFT MUSIC HALL WITH MILTON
BERLE
9:30 BAT MASTERSON
10 PM This Is Your Life
10:30 (Local)
11:15 Jack Paar Show

THU

ABC 7 PM (Local)
7:15 ABC News
7:30 Leave It To Beaver (taken from CBS)
8 PM Zorro
8:30 Real McCoys
9 PM Pat Boone Chevy Showroom
9:30 ROUGH RIDERS
10 PM This Is Music
10:30 John Daly And The News
10:45 (Local)

CBS 7 PM (Local)
7:15 (Local) or Douglas Edwards With
The News
7:30 I Love Lucy (reruns)
8 PM December Bride
8:30 YANCY DERRINGER
9 PM Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater
9:30 Playhouse 90
11 PM (Local)

NBC 7 PM (Local)
7:15 (Local) or Huntley-Brinkley Report
7:30 Jefferson Drum
8 PM ED WYNN SHOW (he plays a grandpa
who's also on his town's council)
8:30 Twenty-One (to October 16)/
CONCENTRATION
9 PM BEHIND CLOSED DOORS (I'm quite
sure Charlie Rich didn't do the theme song.)
9:30 The Ford Show Starring Tennessee
Ernie Ford
10 PM You Bet Your Life
10:30 Masquerade Party (Bert Parks becomes the
last host of the network version, but Richard
Dawson will host a syndicated version in 1974-75.)
11 PM (Local)
11:15 Jack Paar Show

FRI

ABC 7 PM (Local)
7:15 ABC News
7:30 Rin Tin Tin
8 PM Walt Disney Presents
9 PM MAN WITH A CAMERA
9:30 77 SUNSET STRIP
10:30 John Daly And The News
10:45 (Local)

CBS 7 PM (Local)
7:15 (Local) or Douglas Edwards
With The News
7:30 Your Hit Parade (taken from NBC)
8 PM Trackdown
8:30 Jackie Gleason Show (Buddy Hackett
replaces Art Carney as Gleason's sidekick--
works about as well as Carol Burnett and
Dick Van dyke a couple decades later.)
9 PM Phil Silvers Show (Sgt. Bilko)
9:30 Lux-Schlitz Playhouse
10 PM The Lineup
10:30 Person To Person
11 PM (Local)

NBC 7 PM (Local)
7:15 (Local) or Huntley-Brinkley Report
7:30 Buckskin
8 PM FURTHER ADVENTURES OF ELLERY QUEEN
9 PM M Squad
9:30 The Thin Man
10 PM Gillette Cavalcade Of Sports
10:45 Post-Fight Beat
11 PM (Local)
11:15 Jack Paar Show

SAT

ABC 7:30 Dick Clark Beechnut Show
8 PM Jubilee U.S.A.
9 PM Lawrence Welk's Dodge Dancing
Party
10 PM MUSIC FROM MANHATTAN (Sammy
Kaye's orchestra, sponsored by
Manhattan Shirt Co.)
10:30 (Local)

CBS 7:30 Perry Mason
8:30 WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE
9 PM Gale Storm Show
9:30 Have Gun, Will Travel
10 PM Gunsmoke
10:30 (Local)

NBC 7:30 People Are Funny
8 PM Perry Como Show
9 PM STEVE CANYON
9:30 CIMARRON CITY
10:30 BRAINS AND BRAWN (later revived
as a Saturday-morning kids' show)
11 PM (Local)

SUN

ABC 7 PM You Asked For It
7:30 Maverick
8:30 LAWMAN
9 PM Colt .45
9:30 ENCOUNTER
10:30 (Local)

CBS 7 PM Lassie
7:30 Jack Benny/Bachelor Father
8 PM Ed Sullivan Show
9 PM General Electric Theater
9:30 Alfred Hitchcock Presents
10 PM The $64,000 Question (to Nov. 1),
then Keep Talking moves here
10:30 What's My Line?
11 PM CBS News
11:15 (Local)

NBC 7 PM Saber Of London
7:30 NORTHWEST PASSAGE/
THE MUSIC SHOP
8 PM Steve Allen Show
9 PM Dinah Shore Chevy Show
10 PM Loretta Young Show
10:30 (Local)

MON-FRI DAYTIME

ABC 11 AM DAY IN COURT
11:30 PETER LIND HAYES SHOW
12:30 MOTHER'S DAY
1 PM LIBERACE SHOW
1:30 (Local)
2 PM CHANCE FOR ROMANCE
2:30 (Local)
3 PM Beat The Clock
3:30 Who Do You Trust?
4 PM American Bandstand
5 PM Tales Of The Texas Rangers
5:30 Mickey Mouse Club (MWF)/
WALT DISNEY'S ADVENTURE TIME (TTh)
6 PM (Local)

CBS 8 AM Captain Kangaroo
8:45 CBS News (Richard Hottelet)
9 AM (Local)
10 AM For Love Or Money
10:30 Play Your Hunch
11 AM Arthur Godfrey Show
11:30 Top Dollar
12 N Love Of Life
12:30 Search For Tomorrow
12:45 Guiding Light
1 PM CBS News
1:05 (Local)
1:30 As The World Turns
2 PM Jimmy Dean Show
2:30 Art Linkletter's House Party
3 PM Big Payoff
3:30 The Verdict Is Yours
4 PM Brighter Day
4:15 Secret Storm
4:30 Edge Of Night
5 PM (Local)
6:45 (Local) or Douglas Edwards
With The News

NBC 6 AM CONTINENTAL CLASSROOM
7 AM Today
9 AM (Local)
10 AM Dough Re Mi
10:30 Treasure Hunt
11 AM Price Is Right
11:30 CONCENTRATION
12 N Tic Tac Dough
12:30 It Could Be You
1 PM (Local)
2 PM Truth Or Consequences
2:30 Haggis Baggis
3 PM Today Is Ours (replaced by
Young Dr. Malone in early '59)
3:30 From These Roots
4 PM Queen For A Day
4:30 COUNTY FAIR (a radio show come
to TV, with Bert Parks replacing
Jack Bailey as host)
5 PM (Local)
6:45 (Local) or Huntley-Brinkley Report

SATURDAY DAYTIME

ABC 11 AM UNCLE AL SHOW (Uncle Al Lewis, from
WCPO Cincinnati)
12 N (Local)
5 PM All-Star Golf
6 PM (Local)

CBS 9:30 Captain Kangaroo
10:30 Mighty Mouse Playhouse
11 AM Heckle And Jeckle
11:30 Robin Hood
12 N GEORGE HAMILTON IV SHOW
(not the man with the tan but
a country singer from North
Carolina--still active around
these parts)
1 PM (Local)
2 PM NHL Hockey
4:30 (Local)
5:30 The Lone Ranger
6 PM (Local)

NBC
10 AM Howdy Doody
10:30 Ruff And Reddy
11 AM Fury
11:30 Circus Boy
12 N True Story
12:30 Detective's Diary
1 PM (Local)
1:45 Wheaties Sports Page
2 PM NCAA Football
4:45 NBC Football Scoreboard
5 PM (Local)

SUNDAY DAYTIME

ABC 11:30 Johns Hopkins File 7
12 N Bishop James A. Pike
12:30 (Local)
1 PM College News Conference
1:30 (Local)
3 PM Open Hearing
3:30 Roller Derby
4:30 Bowling Stars
5 PM Paul Winchell Show
5:30 Lone Ranger (new episodes--the
ones on CBS are reruns)
6 PM (Local)

CBS
10 AM Lamp Unto My Feet
10:30 Look Up And Live
11 AM UN In Action
11:30 Camera Three
11:55 CBS News
12 N (Local)
12:30 Face The Nation
1 PM (Local)
1:45 Pro Football Kickoff
2 PM NFL Football
5 PM The Last Word
5:30 Amateur Hour
(these two pre-empted about once a
month by Conquest)
6 PM SMALL WORLD (Edward R. Murrow
interviews more substantial people
than on Person To Person.)
6:25 CBS News
6:30 The Twentieth Century

NBC 1:30 Frontiers Of Faith
2 PM Watch Mr. Wizard
2:30 NBA Basketball
5 PM Omnibus or NBC KALEIDOSCOPE
6 PM Meet The Press
6:30 Chet Huntley Reporting
 
I had mentioned this a few years back, but speaking of The Sunday afternoon 1958 schedule..The Pittsburgh stations didnt carry several of the regular News and Public Affairs Network Shows..So Educational Station WQED-TV 13, in a unique situation, picked up many of them..Here is a sampling from Sunday, May 11, 1958..

2:30 College News Conference-ABC
3PM Johns Hopkins-ABC
3:30 Bishop Dean Pike-ABC
4PM Open Hearing-ABC
4:30 Face The Nation-CBS
5PM Ceiling Unlimited-CBS (Special)
5:55 CBS News-Harry Reasoner-CBS
6PM Last Word-CBS
6:25 CBS News-Robert Trout-CBS
6:30 Outlook-Chet Huntley-NBC

WTAE-TV 4 came on the air later in 1958, so presumably the ABC shows went there..
 
What a difference a half-century makes. It's almost like a completely different world. Hard for me to fathom that I'm old enough to both remember these shows and actually have watched them.
 
interesting that CBS was willing to put NHL Hockey head-to-head against college football on Saturdays.
I love hockey, but networks today will clear air time for it only if the competition is running Synchronized Swimming and Butt-Blaster infomercials. Was it a better draw in the 50's when the NHL had only four teams based in the US?
 
CBS had hockey until 1961, then didn't touch
it again until 1967, so I doubt if the ratings were
all that much to write home about. In fact, not
a single CBS affiliate in North Carolina carried
hockey in the late '50s/early '60s; UNC's upset
win over Kansas in the 1957 NCAA basketball
championship put college basketball on the map
here, and the CBS stations were quick to cash
in on an ACC game of the week during the winter
months.

I do believe, though, that college football was
still a bigger draw than the NFL, although 1958
was the year that changed with what some still
call "the greatest game ever played": the Giants-
Colts NFL championship game.
 
What exactly was Walt Disney's Adventure Time? I noticed that it alternated with The Mickey Mouse Club weekdays on ABC.
 
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