All color

[johnbasalla]

Am I right in saying that the last season to have new Black and White episodes during prime time on network TV was the 1965 - 1966 season? In that season, "Lost In Space" debuted in Black and White, and switched to color in Sept. 1966. "Petticoat Junction" (and I assume "The Beverly Hillbillies") switched to color in Sept. 1965. When was that one season Smothers Brothers sitcom, where Tommy played an Angel, on? I recall that as a late Black and White show. I remember being at a party at a house with a fancy color TV set and when that show came on, they switched the channel because it was in Black and White.

Another way to ask the same question: Was the 1966-1967 season the first to have all shows on all networks in color?

 

[Tim L]

I believe that 1966-67 was the first year for all the networks' Prime Time Shows in Color. I read recently that the Summer 1966 CBS series, "Wayne and Shuster Take an Affectionate Look at" was the last to begin and end the series in Black and White. Probably because they were doing shows on George Burns, Jack Benny, Bowery Boys, Movie Monsters, etc. Most of the clips from previous movies were in Black And White..

 

[RadioJunkieMike]

Am I right in saying that the last season to have new Black and White episodes during prime time on network TV was the 1965 - 1966 season? In that season, "Lost In Space" debuted in Black and White, and switched to color in Sept. 1966. "Petticoat Junction" (and I assume "The Beverly Hillbillies") switched to color in Sept. 1965. When was that one season Smothers Brothers sitcom, where Tommy played an Angel, on? I recall that as a late Black and White show. I remember being at a party at a house with a fancy color TV set and when that show came on, they switched the channel because it was in Black and White.

Another way to ask the same question: Was the 1966-1967 season the first to have all shows on all networks in color?

Yup, fall of '66 was the first all-color network sked. That Smothers Bros sitcom was in '65.

 

[brithgob]

I seem to recall reading somewhere that Mr. Ed moved from primetime to afternoon rather than switch to color. Ring any bells with anyone?

 

[bpatrick]

Am I right in saying that the last season to have new Black and White episodes during prime time on network TV was the 1965 - 1966 season? In that season, "Lost In Space" debuted in Black and White, and switched to color in Sept. 1966. "Petticoat Junction" (and I assume "The Beverly Hillbillies") switched to color in Sept. 1965. When was that one season Smothers Brothers sitcom, where Tommy played an Angel, on? I recall that as a late Black and White show. I remember being at a party at a house with a fancy color TV set and when that show came on, they switched the channel because it was in Black and White.

Another way to ask the same question: Was the 1966-1967 season the first to have all shows on all networks in color?

Yup, fall of '66 was the first all-color network sked. That Smothers Bros sitcom was in '65.

The Central Florida edition of TV Guide for the week of June 25-July 1, 1966, shows that "The Smothers Brothers Show" was the only black-and-white show in its timeslot (Friday 9:30 PM); "The Farmer's Daughter" (ABC) and "Mister Roberts" (NBC) are both in color (by that time, "I Dream Of Jeannie" was NBC's only remaining black-and-white primetime show). Wonder if other people switched away from CBS at that time for the same reason?

 

[cd637299]

I seem to recall reading somewhere that Mr. Ed moved from primetime to afternoon rather than switch to color. Ring any bells with anyone?

Per The Encyclopedia of Daytime Television by Wesley Hyatt, in Alan Young's autobiography called Mister Ed and Me, Alan denied TV Guide's claim that Young had planned to leave the show after the 65-66 season because it was [no] longer aired at night*, claiming that it was CBS alone in the decision to cancel. Nothing was mentioned about not being in color.

I remember hearing or reading also that the folk at the "Dick Van Dyke Show" decided to go out on top, as CBS said that the next season would be in color.

(*There has to be a misprint in my book, as the word "no" was missing; "no" would have to be in there to make sense of it. "Mister Ed" was on at 5pm EST for the 65-66 season, per the book.)

cd

 

[KeithE4]

Am I right in saying that the last season to have new Black and White episodes during prime time on network TV was the 1965 - 1966 season? In that season, "Lost In Space" debuted in Black and White, and switched to color in Sept. 1966. "Petticoat Junction" (and I assume "The Beverly Hillbillies") switched to color in Sept. 1965. When was that one season Smothers Brothers sitcom, where Tommy played an Angel, on? I recall that as a late Black and White show. I remember being at a party at a house with a fancy color TV set and when that show came on, they switched the channel because it was in Black and White.

Perry Mason also aired in living monochrome on CBS in 1965-66. That was its last season.

 

[oldiesfan6479]

Perry Mason also aired in living monochrome on CBS in 1965-66. That was its last season.

Except for "The Case of the Twice Told Twist," originally aired on Feb. 27, 1966,
which was in color.

Other B&W CBSers ending their runs in the '65-'66 season included The Munsters
and Rawhide (canceled mid-season).

 

[MCarney]

Both "The Patty Duke Show" and "The Donna Reed Show" left ABC at the end of the 1965-1966 season. I had heard that costs over conversion to color may have played a part in both cancellations. It seems that ABC wasn't eager to kick in extra money. They may have also run their courses, but that's a different discussion.

 

[bpatrick]

"F Troop" did go to color for its second (1966-67) and last
season. I've read (I think it was in Jeff Kisseloff's "The Box")
that Jack Warner asked ABC to cancel the show when it ran
$3000 over budget due to its being in color. Warner had never
wanted to convert the show to color to begin with for the reason
of added expense, and in an interview with his son-in-law, Bill Orr,
for the Kisseloff book, Orr says he tried to persuade Warner to film
the '50s classics such as "Maverick," "Cheyenne," and "77 Sunset
Strip" in color. True they're on ABC and they don't have color, Orr
said in the '50s, but color will be in when they go into reruns and people
will think they're watching all-new shows, which means more money for
us from wider syndication. Warner didn't bite.

The mention of "The Donna Reed Show" never converting to color reminds
me that in January 1966 it and "Ozzie And Harriet" moved to Saturday nights
on ABC, and that Donna Reed was the only entertainment show in the entire
ABC Saturday-night lineup that was not in color (Lawrence Welk and "Hollywood
Palace" made the switch in the fall of '65); "ABC Scope" at 10:30 (ET) was also
in black-and-white, although I doubt if anyone noticed since not one ABC affiliate
in the top 50 markets carried it in pattern (no, not even the o&os).

 

[KeithE4]

Both "The Patty Duke Show" and "The Donna Reed Show" left ABC at the end of the 1965-1966 season. I had heard that costs over conversion to color may have played a part in both cancellations. It seems that ABC wasn't eager to kick in extra money.

ABC preferred to spend their money on educational fare like F Troop and Batman. ;D

They may have also run their courses, but that's a different discussion.

They did. The Patty Duke and Donna Reed shows were anachronisms by 1966.

 

[pittdave]

Well.. since Mr. Ed was a zebra and they HAD to shoot in B/W, it didn't matter

 

[Corky Marlowe]

They did. The Patty Duke and Donna Reed shows were anachronisms by 1966.

The way I heard the story on Patty Duke's show, it was United Artists, who produced the show, that didn't want to spend the $$ to go color. Otherwise, it would have stayed on another season.

 

[pqgeorge]

They did. The Patty Duke and Donna Reed shows were anachronisms by 1966.

The way I heard the story on Patty Duke's show, it was United Artists, who produced the show, that didn't want to spend the $$ to go color. Otherwise, it would have stayed on another season.

The ratings for "The Patty Duke Show" were still very good and the show was scheduled to go to color for the '66-'67 season. ABC wanted to run the show at least one more season. However, United Artists did not want to spend the extra $10,000 per episode to go color. So, the show left the network in '66.

 

[Tim L]

They did.  The Patty Duke and Donna Reed shows were anachronisms by 1966.

The way I heard the story on Patty Duke's show, it was United Artists, who produced the show, that didn't want to spend the $ to go color. Otherwise, it would have stayed on another season.

The ratings for "The Patty Duke Show" were still very good and the show was scheduled to go to color for the '66-'67 season.  ABC wanted to run the show at least one more season. However, United Artists did not want to spend the extra $10,000 per episode to go color.  So, the show left the network in '66. 

Not to say one has to do with the other, but while United Artists couldnt part with $300,000 to put Patty Duke In Color, they could spend at least that much to put WUAB-TV 43 in Cleveland on the air by September, 1968..You would think that the process of FCC approval probably started sometime in 1966..

 

[MCarney]

They did. The Patty Duke and Donna Reed shows were anachronisms by 1966.

The way I heard the story on Patty Duke's show, it was United Artists, who produced the show, that didn't want to spend the $ to go color. Otherwise, it would have stayed on another season.

The ratings for "The Patty Duke Show" were still very good and the show was scheduled to go to color for the '66-'67 season. ABC wanted to run the show at least one more season. However, United Artists did not want to spend the extra $10,000 per episode to go color. So, the show left the network in '66.

Not to say one has to do with the other, but while United Artists couldnt part with $300,000 to put Patty Duke In Color, they could spend at least that much to put WUAB-TV 43 in Cleveland on the air by September, 1968..You would think that the process of FCC approval probably started sometime in 1966..

I'm going to guess that UA wanted to cash in on syndication. Running one more season (either in B&W or color) would cost money (see above) and delay making money on the property. By that point Patty Duke had married the assistant director and probably would not have wanted to play a teenager for another year. There's a clip on YouTube of Patty doing a promo for the syndicated run in color.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goNj30HyVUs&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PLD1FF8AEAF9CEE187

 

[LKellerIII]

Just a note that Patty's "dad" - William Schallert - will be 90 in July, and still acts from time to time. He has 18 credits on IMDB since 2001.

Schallert also did hundreds of voice-overs for many years, though I haven't heard him lately.

 

[Stanislav]

Just a note that Patty's "dad" - William Schallert - will be 90 in July, and still acts from time to time. He has 18 credits on IMDB since 2001.

Schallert also did hundreds of voice-overs for many years, though I haven't heard him lately.

He's one of those ubiquitous actors with umpteen credits. If you watch the retro channels like ME-TV and Antenna TV, on any given day you stand a good chance of seeing him pop up in something.

 

[ixnay]

Just a note that Patty's "dad" [and "uncle" too, don't forget] - William Schallert - will be 90 in July, and still acts from time to time. He has 18 credits on IMDB since 2001.

Schallert also did hundreds of voice-overs for many years, though I haven't heard him lately.

I had no idea Schallert was still with us. IIRC him VO'ing a spot for 7-Eleven in 1981.

ixnay

 

[John-Summers]

Glad to hear William Schallert is still perpendicular. My wife can never recall his name but whenever we see him in something - which is often - she calls him "Patty Duke's father."

Another ubiquitus actor who's still with us is Frank Cady, aka Sam Drucker from Petticopat Junction and Green Acres, Doc from the Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet and dozens of other TV shows and movies. He's 96.