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Retro: "Nawthun Al-bammer," Friday, February 23, 1968 (evening)

And now, the second part of the Northern Alabama February 23, 1968 listings:


TV Guide, Northern Alabama edition--cover, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., William Reynolds ("The FBI")

NOTE: Channels in parentheses were originally designated by black bullets; those in brackets by white.

Birmingham, Alabama:
[6] WBRC (ABC; now FOX affiliate on digital 50; PSIP 6)
[10] WBIQ (NET)--translator of Alabama Educational (Public) Television (now PBS affiliate on digital 10; PSIP same)
[13] WAPI ("cherry-picked" both CBS and NBC; now WVTM, sole NBC affiliate, on digital 13; PSIP same)
[42] WBMG (took WAPI rejects; now WIAT, sole CBS affiliate, on digital 30; PSIP 42)

Cheaha State Park, Alabama:
[7] WCIQ (NET)--translator of Alabama Educational (Public) Television (now PBS affiliate on digital 7; PSIP same)

Florence, Alabama:
(15) WOWL (NBC primary, CBS secondary; now WHDF, CW affiliate serving entire Huntsville-Decatur-Florence market, on digital 14; PSIP 15)

Tuscaloosa, Alabama:
[33] WCFT (same network programming as WBMG above; now ABC affiliate on digital 33; PSIP same)

Decatur, Alabama:
(23) WMSL (NBC; now WAFF, NBC affiliate located in Huntsville, on digital 48; PSIP same)

Huntsville, Alabama:
(19) WHNT (CBS; now digital 19; PSIP same)
(25) WHIQ (NET)--translator of Alabama Educational (Public) Television (now PBS affiliate on digital 24; PSIP 25)
(31) WAAY (NBC; now ABC affiliate on digital 32; PSIP 31)

Nashville, Tennessee:
(4) WSM (NBC; now WSMV on digital 10; PSIP 4)
(5) WLAC (CBS; now WTVF on digital 25; PSIP 5)
(8) WSIX (ABC; now WKRN on digital 27; PSIP 2)

Columbus, Mississippi:
[4] WCBI (CBS primary, ABC secondary; now sole CBS affiliate on digital 35; PSIP 4)


EVENING
6:00
[4] WCBI News (b&w)
(4) WSM News (color)
(5) WLAC News (color)
[6] Cheyenne--rerun of 1955-63 western noted as the first hour-long prime-time show that ran over a year
[7] [10] (25) Down to the Sea--probably NET action/adventure program
(8) Wagon Train (color episode; probably one of the experimental 1961-62 episodes on NBC and not from the 1963-64 ABC season, whose episodes lasted 75 minutes in length--unless this was trimmed)
[13] WAPI News (color)
(15) (23) (31) Huntley-Brinkley Report
(19) WHNT News (b&w)
[33] WCFT News (b&w)
[42] WBMG News (b&w; anchor was future WBRC institution Bill Bolen, who began his career on WBMG's radio sister, WSGN, and came along when the TV station was launched, like kiddie show host Neal Miller, a DJ on that station)

6:30
[4] (5) (19) [33] [42] Wild Wild West--a fanatic organizes a militia to kill President Ulysses S. Grant and overthrow the government of California in this episode
(4) [13] (15) (23) (31) Tarzan--Ron Ely and Manuel Padilla, Jr. in this color version of the legendary vine-swinger
[7] [10] (25) Playing the Guitar--not the same as the more popular "Folk Guitar with Laura Weber," which ran at same time on NET

7:00
[6] That Girl (ABC tape delay, probably from previous week)
[7] [10] (25) I Hear Music--local production featuring the band (and possibly choir) of the African-American Miles College in Birmingham

7:30
[4] (5) [13] (19) Gomer Pyle, USMC--Gomer's hijinks this week: rescuing a horse facing slaughter and trying not to let Sergeant Carter know about it
(4) Stoneman Family
[6] Perry Mason--This week, the world's most famous trial lawyer defends a man accused of killing his stepson
[7] [10] (25) A.C.O.I.A.--no knowledge of what acronym stood for, but program described as "annual forum .. presented by expert speakers who will discuss international affairs" (thus almost certainly NET in origin)
(8) Operation: Entertainment--to diversify his portfolio, Chuck Barris dabbled in variety shows with this entry, held at various military bases both stateside and abroad; country star Jimmy Dean hosted this episode, recorded at Lackland AFB near San Antonio
(15) (23) (31) Star Trek--can find no evidence that WSM or WAPI tape-delayed it; by contrast, Huntsville, with its large number of aerospace professionals, was one of its most popular markets, probably (episode was the one where Andromedans try to hijack the Enterprise while outwitting Kirk and the crew)
[33] Lake Brothers--local country music show
[42] Hunting and Fishing--local

8:00
[4] (19) [33] [42] Movie--"The Great Escape," 1963 (part two; first part aired previous evening)
(4) Grand Ole Opry--filmed performances from the 1950s and early 1960s
(5) Movie--"Lolita," English; 1961
[13] Mission: Impossible (CBS tape delay from previous week)

8:30
(4) (15) (23) (31) Hollywood Squares--short-lived prime-time version
[6] (8) Guns of Will Sonnett--two-season western featuring Walter Brennan and a young Dack Rambo; noted as the first show packaged by Aaron Spelling

9:00
(4) (23) (31) Tomorrow's World--NBC special documentary hosted by Frank McGee about world population and hunger problems
[6] Judd for the Defense--Carl Betz played a trial lawyer who took things up a step from Perry Mason: hot cultural and political issues were often referred to in the plots, as well as unconventional approaches like trials not concluding at the end of an episode (this show was much more liked by critics than by the public, according to Wikipedia)
[7] [10] (25) Movie (NET Playhouse)--"The Lady with the Dog," Russian; 1960
(8) Bill Anderson
[13] Movie--"Top Secret Affair," 1957
(15) Greatest Show on Earth--rerun of short-lived Desilu show about, of all things, a circus manager, played by Jack Palance

9:30
(8) Buck Owens Ranch Show--unlike other syndie country music shows, this one was produced in Oklahoma City (NBC affil WKY) and not Nashville, as Owens was California-based

10:00
[4] WCBI News (b&w)
(4) WSM News (color)
(5) WLAC News (color)
[6] Movie--"Cleo from 5 to 7," French-Italian; 1961
(8) WSIX News (color)
(15) WOWL News (b&w)
(19) WHNT News (b&w)
(23) WMSL News (b&w)
(31) Wells Fargo--rerun of 1957-62 western with Dale Robertson (no local late news on WAAY)
[33] WCFT News (b&w)
[42] WBMG News (b&w)

10:15
[4] FBI--Richard Kiley, guest star (ABC tape delay from previous week)

10:20
(15) Outlook Interviews--apparently local public affairs

10:30
(4) (15) (23) (31) [33] [42] Tonight Show--Carson out in La-La land, with the likes of Jerry Lewis and Nancy Wilson (the jazz singer, not the rock star from Heart) holding court at 3000 West Alameda (back to 30 Rock next week, though, according to the listing)
(5) Movie--"Something of Value," 1957 (look for Rock Hudson and Sidney Poitier
(8) Joey Bishop--Don Rickles and Susan Hayward come to visit the Rat Packer's late-night yak session
(19) Mike Douglas--Paul Lynde and Cab Calloway drop in to get some of Philadelphia's "Brotherly Love" (90-minute version)

11:00
[13] WAPI News (color)

11:30
[13] Movie--"Reap the Wild Wind," 1942 (Duke Wayne flick)

11:45
[6] WBRC News (color)

11:55
[6] Alfred Hitchcock--"A young wife is endangered when a psychotic criminal seeks refuge in her isolated farmhouse"

12:30 a.m.
[6] Joey Bishop (ABC tape delay; same as WSIX at 10:30 p.m.)
 
6:00 PM

(8) Wagon Train (color episode; probably one of the experimental 1961-62 episodes on NBC and not the 1963-64 season ABC season, whose episodes lasted 75 minutes in length--unless this was trimmed)

I didn't know that Wagon Train had a color episode during the 1961-1962 season on NBC that was 90 minutes long. I always thought that that season was in B & W.

This is probably one of the 1963-1964 episodes that aired on ABC. Surprisingly the 90 minute version of Wagon Train was probably seen more in syndicated reruns than the Ward Bond episodes or the episodes that aired after Ward Bond died in 1960. One of the reasons that ABC decided to do Wagon Train for 90 minutes in color for that 1963-1964 season was due to the success of The Virginian on NBC and they thought ABC could have more success with Wagon Train being 90 minutes. As it was, Wagon Train was on a huge decline after being moved from NBC to ABC in 1962-1963 where the last NBC season of Wagon Train in 1961-1962 finished #1. The first ABC season the next season dropped to #25 for the season. The decline continued with the 90 minute version which didn't match The Virginian's ratings and for the last season of the show in 1964-1965 not only did they go back to 60 minutes but went back to B & W as well.
 
The year ABC aired "Wagon Train" in color for 90 minutes, 1963-64,
it was on Mondays 8:30-10 PM (ET), where it had to face the formidable
trio of Lucy, Danny Thomas, and Andy Griffith on CBS (Danny voluntarily
gave up his show at the end of that season). "Wagon Train"'s last season,
1964-65, saw it cut back to an hour in black and white and airing Sundays
7:30-8:30 PM (ET), against Disney on NBC and "My Favorite Martian" and
the first half of "The Ed Sullivan Show" on CBS.

90-minute shows were something of a fad after "The Virginian" caught on;
besides the expanded "Wagon Train" ABC offered "Arrest And Trial" that same
year (1963-64) and CBS had "Cimarron Strip" (1967-68); none of the made it.
Later came the more successful "Name Of The Game" (NBC, 1968-71), actually
three rotating series with Robert Stack, Gene Barry, and Tony Franciosa; the
real success of 90-minute shows came after "The Virginian" and that was the
"NBC Mystery Movie" rotation in the '70s.
 
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