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Retro: New England - Sunday, October 21, 1956

Source - TV Guide, New England edition

2 – WGBH Boston (Educational)
no programming scheduled

4 – WBZ Boston (NBC)
08:25a News
08:30a Industry on Parade
08:45a Man to Man – religion
09:00a Catholic Church – documentary
09:30a Frontiers of Faith – religion; a special devotional program from Texas
10:00a The Christophers – religion
10:30a America Presents Amer. (special) – How the Soviet Union presents its picture to foreign lands through Communist committees
11:00a Dimensions – education
12:00p News, Weather
12:15p Popeye – cartoon
12:30p Talent Show – amateurs
01:00p Starring the Editors – panel
01:30p Football Review
02:00p Football – Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New York Giants at Yankee Stadium
04:00p Washington Square (debut) – Ray Bolger in a live 1-hour show with regulars Elaine Stritch, Jo Wilder, and Mata and Hari (channel 4 will pick up the show at the conclusion of football game if time permits)
05:00p First Meeting (special) – David Brinkley is host as two well-known personalities converse
05:30p Movie “Action in the North Atlantic” 1943
07:00p Jungle Jim “Power of Darkness”
07:30p Circus Boy “Corky and the Circus Doctor”
08:00p Steve Allen – the Harlem Globetrotters meet the Allen All-Stars (vocalists Frank Parker and Julius LaRosa, actor Peter Lawford and Steve Allen); vocalist Olga James sings “Old Devil Moon”
08:55p Political Talk – Democratic
09:00p Bob Hope (return) – guests: Diana Dors; James Cagney; Lucille Ball; Desi Arnaz; Vivian Vance; Bill Frawley; Don Larson of the New York Yankees, who pitched the only perfect game in World Series history
10:00p Loretta Young “Goodbye, Goodbye”
10:30p Liberace – music
11:00p Meet the Press
11:30p Movie “Death Tide” 1954

6 – WCSH Portland (NBC)
10:15a Man to Man – religion
10:30a Sacred Heart – religion
10:45a What’s Your Trouble?
11:00a This is the Life – religion
11:30a Movie – to be announced
01:30p Catholic Hour – religion; topic “In One Spirit”
02:00p Community in Focus
02:30p Industry on Parade
02:45p Window on State Street
03:00p NBC News – Chet Huntley
03:30p Zoo Parade “Animals Had the Idea First”
04:00p Washington Square (debut) – Ray Bolger in a live 1-hour show with regulars Elaine Stritch, Jo Wilder, and Mata and Hari
05:00p First Meeting (special) – David Brinkley is host as two well-known personalities converse
05:30p Ozzie and Harriet (return) “The Kappa Sig Party” (ABC – delayed from Wednesday @ 9p)
06:00p Sheriff of Cochise (debut) “Permanent Residence”
06:30p Roy Rogers “Head for Cover”
07:00p Cisco Kid
07:30p Circus Boy “Corky and the Circus Doctor”
08:00p Steve Allen – the Harlem Globetrotters meet the Allen All-Stars (vocalists Frank Parker and Julius LaRosa, actor Peter Lawford and Steve Allen); vocalist Olga James sings “Old Devil Moon”
08:55p Political Talk – Democratic
09:00p Bob Hope (return) – guests: Diana Dors; James Cagney; Lucille Ball; Desi Arnaz; Vivian Vance; Bill Frawley; Don Larson of the New York Yankees, who pitched the only perfect game in World Series history
10:00p Loretta Young “Goodbye, Goodbye”
10:30p Badge 714
11:00p News
11:10p Movie “The Senator Was Indiscreet”1948

7 – WNAC Boston (ABC/CBS)
08:30a Christian Science – religion
08:45a This is the Life – religion
09:15a Catholic Mass – religion
10:00a Lamp Unto My Feet – religion; playlet “Mr. Perkins”
10:30a Look Up and Live – the effect of the United Nations on the lives of three teen-agers living in Middletown, U.S.A., is depicted
11:00a Big Picture – Army Film
11:30a Wild Bill Hickok “Jingles Becomes a Baby Sitter”
12:00p Cisco Kid “Gold Shipment”
12:30p You Are There “Hitler Invades Poland”
01:00p My Hero “Jailbreak”
01:30p Victory at Sea “Sealing the Breach”
02:00p Danny Thomas (ABC – delayed from Monday @ 8p)
02:30p Lawrence Welk (ABC – delayed from Saturday @ 9p)
03:00p Cheyenne (ABC – delayed from Tuesday @ 7:30p)
04:00p Dr. Christian
04:30p My Friend Flicka “Wind From Heaven” (CBS – delayed from Friday @ 7:30p)
05:00p Annie Oakley “Dilemma at Diableo”
05:30p I Search for Adventure “Eighteen Captains”
06:00p Sheriff of Cochise “Manhunt”
06:30p Rin Tin Tin “Return of the Chief” (ABC – delayed from Friday @ 7:30p)
07:00p Waterfront “The Rift”
07:30p Jack Benny – special guest: George Gobel
08:00p Ed Sullivan – Ed plays a filmed visit to the movie set of “Fire Down Below” where he talks to Rita Hayworth, Robert Mitchum and Jack Lemmon; guests in the studio are comedian Jack Paar; songstress Marion Marlowe and French comedian Salvador
09:00p G.E. Theater “The Invitation”
09:30p Alfred Hitchcock Presents “Kill With Kindness”
10:00p $64,000 Challenge – quiz
10:30p Man Behind the Badge “Case of the Second Chance”
11:00p The Falcon “The Big Break”
11:30p Movie “Born to the Saddle” 1953

8 – WNHC New Haven (ABC/CBS)
08:30a Oral Roberts – religion
09:00a Frank and Ernest – religion
09:15a To Be Announced
09:30a The Christophers – religion
10:00a Lamp Unto My Feet – religion; playlet “Mr. Perkins”
10:30a This is the Life – religion
11:00a Movie “Three Texas Steers” 1939
12:00p Movie – western (title not listed)
01:30p Looney Tunes – cartoons
02:00p Movie “Almost a Bride” 1949; Shirley Temple
03:30p Amateur Hour – Ted Mack
04:30p Medical Horizons
05:00p Lassie (CBS – delayed from Sunday @ 7p)
05:30p Frontier – western
06:00p Badge 714 (syndicated title for Dragnet)
06:30p You Are There “Salem Witch Trials”
07:00p You Asked for It – 1) Art Baker joins the Army’s Third Cavalry Regiment on the East-West German boarder in a 50-ton tank; 2) Omak, Wash., rodeo clowns ride their horses off a cliff
07:30p Jack Benny – special guest: George Gobel
08:00p Ed Sullivan – Ed plays a filmed visit to the movie set of “Fire Down Below” where he talks to Rita Hayworth, Robert Mitchum and Jack Lemmon; guests in the studio are comedian Jack Paar; songstress Marion Marlowe and French comedian Salvador
09:00p Omnibus “The Last Day of Manolete”
10:30p What’s My Line?
11:00p News
11:15p Movie “Riff Raff” 1948

8 – WMTW Poland Springs (ABC/CBS)
12:00p Take a Trip – Pud, Ginger and Sonny Fox take a trip to Cambridge, Mass., to visit the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
12:30p Wild Bill Hickok “Jingles Becomes a Baby Sitter”
01:00p Oral Roberts – religion
01:30p Faiths of Other Lands
02:00p Football – Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New York Giants at Yankee Stadium
04:45p Film Short
05:00p Face the Nation – guest: Secretary of State John Foster Dulles
05:30p Bandwagon ’56 – the story of woman suffrage
06:00p Telephone Time – John Nesbitt narrates “She Sette Her Little Foote”
06:30p You Are There “Salem Witch Trials”
07:00p You Asked for It – 1) Art Baker joins the Army’s Third Cavalry Regiment on the East-West German boarder in a 50-ton tank; 2) Omak, Wash., rodeo clowns ride their horses off a cliff
07:30p Jack Benny – special guest: George Gobel
08:00p Ed Sullivan – Ed plays a filmed visit to the movie set of “Fire Down Below” where he talks to Rita Hayworth, Robert Mitchum and Jack Lemmon; guests in the studio are comedian Jack Paar; songstress Marion Marlowe and French comedian Salvador
09:00p Masquerade Party – panel (ABC – delayed from Saturday @ 10p)
09:30p Alfred Hitchcock Presents “Kill With Kindness”
10:00p Cavalcade Theater
10:30p What’s My Line?
11:00p News

9 – WMUR Manchester (ABC/CBS)
01:00p Movie “The Bridge of San Luis Rey” 1944
02:00p Football – Cleveland Browns vs. Washington Redskins from Griffith Stadium, Washington, D.C.
05:00p Christian Science – religion
05:30p Medical Horizons
06:00p Oral Roberts – religion
06:30p Movie – to be announced
07:30p Amateur Hour – Cleveland, Ohio, is saluted
08:30p Polka Time (ABC – delayed from Tuesday @ 10p)
09:00p Omnibus “The Last Day of Manolete”
10:30p Telephone Time “She Sette Her Little Foote”
11:00p News
11:15p Movie “Meet Simon Cherry”

10 – WJAR Providence (ABC/NBC)
08:45a Christian Science – religion
09:00a Catholic Hour – religion; topic “The development of Catholic education in America”
09:30p This is the Life – religion
10:00a Man to Man – religion
10:15a Sacred Heart – religion
10:30a News, Weather
10:40a Sunday Funnies – kids
11:00a Movie “Pagliacci” 1950
12:00p Zoo Parade “Strange Relatives”
12:30p Omnibus “Androcles and the Lion” starring Bert Lahr
02:00p Dateline Europe – adventure
02:30p Movie “Africa Screams” 1949; Abbot and Costello
04:00p Washington Square (debut) – Ray Bolger in a live 1-hour show with regulars Elaine Stritch, Jo Wilder, and Mata and Hari
05:00p Overseas Adventure
05:30p You Asked for It – 1) Inside the West coast football scandal; 2) Elizabeth and Collins, Hungarian knife-throwing act (ABC – delayed from Monday @ 7p)
06:00p Meet the Press
06:30p Disneyland “The Goofy Cavalcade of Sports” (ABC – delayed from Wednesday @ 7:30p)
07:30p Circus Boy “Corky and the Circus Doctor”
08:00p Steve Allen – the Harlem Globetrotters meet the Allen All-Stars (vocalists Frank Parker and Julius LaRosa, actor Peter Lawford and Steve Allen); vocalist Olga James sings “Old Devil Moon”
08:55p Political Talk – Democratic
09:00p Bob Hope (return) – guests: Diana Dors; James Cagney; Lucille Ball; Desi Arnaz; Vivian Vance; Bill Frawley; Don Larson of the New York Yankees, who pitched the only perfect game in World Series history
10:00p Loretta Young “Goodbye, Goodbye”
10:30p Badge 714
11:00p Movie “Portrait of Jennie” 1949

12 – WPRO Providence (CBS)
08:45a Farm Facts
09:00a Faith for Today – religion
09:30a The Christophers – religion
09:45a What’s Your Trouble?
10:00a Lamp Unto My Feet – religion; playlet “Mr. Perkins”
10:30a Look Up and Live – the effect of the United Nations on the lives of three teen-agers living in Middletown, U.S.A., is depicted
11:00a Time Out – religion
11:30a Camera Three – James Macandrew tours the United Nations building in New York City
12:30p Wild Bill Hickok “Jingles Becomes a Baby Sitter”
01:00p Stump the Preachers – quiz
01:30p The Great Gildersleve “Gildy’s Juvenile Delinquent”
02:00p Football – Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New York Giants at Yankee Stadium
04:45p CBS News – Eric Sevareid
05:00p Face the Nation – guest: Secretary of State John Foster Dulles
05:30p Bandwagon ’56 – the story of woman suffrage
06:00p Telephone Time – John Nesbitt narrates “She Sette Her Little Foote”
06:30p You Are There “Salem Witch Trials”
07:00p Lassie “Fish Story”
07:30p Jack Benny – special guest: George Gobel
08:00p Ed Sullivan – Ed plays a filmed visit to the movie set of “Fire Down Below” where he talks to Rita Hayworth, Robert Mitchum and Jack Lemmon; guests in the studio are comedian Jack Paar; songstress Marion Marlowe and French comedian Salvador
09:00p G.E. Theater “The Invitation”
09:30p Alfred Hitchcock Presents “Kill With Kindness”
10:00p $64,000 Challenge – quiz
10:30p What’s My Line?
11:00p News
11:15p Waterfront “The Seal”

13 – WGAN Portland (ABC/CBS)
12:00p Take a Trip – Pud, Ginger and Sonny Fox take a trip to Cambridge, Mass., to visit the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
12:30p Faith for Today – religion
01:00p The Christophers – religion
01:30p Christian Science – religion
01:45p Film Short
02:00p Football – Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New York Giants at Yankee Stadium
04:45p CBS News – Eric Sevareid
05:00p Wyatt Earp (ABC – delayed from Tuesday @ 8:30p)
05:30p Dr. Christian
06:00p Telephone Time – John Nesbitt narrates “She Sette Her Little Foote”
06:30p You Are There “Salem Witch Trials”
07:00p Lassie “Fish Story”
07:30p Jack Benny – special guest: George Gobel
08:00p Ed Sullivan – Ed plays a filmed visit to the movie set of “Fire Down Below” where he talks to Rita Hayworth, Robert Mitchum and Jack Lemmon; guests in the studio are comedian Jack Paar; songstress Marion Marlowe and French comedian Salvador
09:00p G.E. Theater “The Invitation”
09:30p Alfred Hitchcock Presents “Kill With Kindness”
10:00p $64,000 Challenge – quiz
10:30p What’s My Line?
11:00p News
11:15p Movie “Sabotage Squad” 1942

18 – WHCT Hartford (CBS)
09:00a The Christophers – religion
09:30a Right of Faith – religion
10:00a Lamp Unto My Feet – religion; playlet “Mr. Perkins”
10:30a Look Up and Live – the effect of the United Nations on the lives of three teen-agers living in Middletown, U.S.A., is depicted
11:00a Eye on New York – Bill Leonard reports on “The Wassaic Story”
11:30a Camera Three – James Macandrew tours the United Nations building in New York City
12:00p Take a Trip – Pud, Ginger and Sonny Fox take a trip to Cambridge, Mass., to visit the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
12:30p News
12:45p Film Short
01:00p Heckle and Jeckle (color)
01:30p Cartoons – kids
02:00p Football – Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New York Giants at Yankee Stadium
04:45p CBS News – Eric Sevareid
05:00p Face the Nation – guest: Secretary of State John Foster Dulles
05:30p Bandwagon ’56 – the story of woman suffrage
06:00p Telephone Time – John Nesbitt narrates “She Sette Her Little Foote”
06:30p Movie Double Feature “Let’s Fall in Love” 1934 and “The Amazing Mr. Williams” 1939
09:00p G.E. Theater “The Invitation”
09:30p Premier Theater
10:00p $64,000 Challenge – quiz
10:30p Highway Patrol
11:00p News
11:15p Movie “The Return of Monte Cristo” 1945

22 – WWLP Springfield (ABC/NBC)
10:30a Faith for Today – religion
11:00a Movie “The Gentleman from Texas” 1946
12:00p The Christophers – religion
12:30p Father Rice – religion
01:00p Polkatoons – music
02:00p Movie “Daisy Kenyon” 1947; Joan Crawford
04:00p Washington Square (debut) – Ray Bolger in a live 1-hour show with regulars Elaine Stritch, Jo Wilder, and Mata and Hari
05:00p Zoo Parade – animals
05:30p Range Rider “The Baron of Broken Bow”
06:00p Susie “Crazy Mixed up Kid”
06:30p Roy Rogers “Head for Cover”
07:00p Tales of the 77th Bengal Lancers (debut) “The Regiment”
07:30p Circus Boy “Corky and the Circus Doctor”
08:00p Steve Allen – the Harlem Globetrotters meet the Allen All-Stars (vocalists Frank Parker and Julius LaRosa, actor Peter Lawford and Steve Allen); vocalist Olga James sings “Old Devil Moon”
08:55p Political Talk – Democratic
09:00p Bob Hope (return) – guests: Diana Dors; James Cagney; Lucille Ball; Desi Arnaz; Vivian Vance; Bill Frawley; Don Larson of the New York Yankees, who pitched the only perfect game in World Series history
10:00p Danny Thomas (ABC – delayed from Monday @ 8p)
10:30p The Vise “Sing Softly Sisters” (ABC – delayed from Friday @ 9:30p)
11:00p Movie “Romance and Rhythm” 1940

30 – WKNB Hartford (NBC)
10:00a Christian Science – religion
10:15a Industry on Parade
10:30a Big Picture – Army film
11:00a Church in the Home
11:30a This is the Life – religion
12:00p Movie “Texas Terrors” 1940
01:00p The Way – religion
01:30p Catholic Hour – religion; topic “In One Spirit”
02:00p Wings to Austria
02:30p Film Short – travel
03:00p NBC News – Chet Huntley
03:30p Zoo Parade “Animals Had the Idea First”
04:00p Washington Square (debut) – Ray Bolger in a live 1-hour show with regulars Elaine Stritch, Jo Wilder, and Mata and Hari
05:00p First Meeting (special) – David Brinkley is host as two well-known personalities converse
05:30p Capt. Gallant “Rodeo”
06:00p Meet the Press
06:30p Roy Rogers “Head for Cover”
07:00p Tales of the 77th Bengal Lancers (debut) “The Regiment”
07:30p Circus Boy “Corky and the Circus Doctor”
08:00p Steve Allen – the Harlem Globetrotters meet the Allen All-Stars (vocalists Frank Parker and Julius LaRosa, actor Peter Lawford and Steve Allen); vocalist Olga James sings “Old Devil Moon”
08:55p Political Talk – Democratic
09:00p Bob Hope (return) – guests: Diana Dors; James Cagney; Lucille Ball; Desi Arnaz; Vivian Vance; Bill Frawley; Don Larson of the New York Yankees, who pitched the only perfect game in World Series history
10:00p Loretta Young “Goodbye, Goodbye”
10:30p Bowling – Chicago; Andy Varipapa meets Buddy Bomar
11:00p Movie “The Intruder”

55 – WHYN Springfield (CBS)
11:00a Eye on New York – Bill Leonard reports on “The Wassaic Story”
11:30a Camera Three – James Macandrew tours the United Nations building in New York City
12:00p Take a Trip – Pud, Ginger and Sonny Fox take a trip to Cambridge, Mass., to visit the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
12:30p Wild Bill Hickok “Jingles Becomes a Baby Sitter”
01:00p Big Idea – interviews
01:30p Sacred Heart – religion
01:45p Man to Man – religion02:00p Football – Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New York Giants at Yankee Stadium
04:45p CBS News – Eric Sevareid
05:00p Face the Nation – guest: Secretary of State John Foster Dulles
05:30p Bandwagon ’56 – the story of woman suffrage
06:00p Telephone Time – John Nesbitt narrates “She Sette Her Little Foote”
06:30p You Are There “Salem Witch Trials”
07:00p Waterfront “Trouble Ship”
07:25p Political Talk
07:30p Jack Benny – special guest: George Gobel
08:00p Paragon Playhouse “The Last Moment”
08:30p Visitor “The Tale of Two Christmases”
09:00p G.E. Theater “The Invitation”
09:30p Alfred Hitchcock Presents “Kill With Kindness”
10:00p Stage 7 “Three Strikes and Out”
10:30p Oh! Susanna (CBS – delayed from Saturday @ 9p)
11:00p News
11:15p Movie “Good Sam” 1948; Gary Cooper
 
I was surprised to see that WHCT, which was owned by CBS at the time, preempted most of CBS prime time programming. This was a little less than a year before WTIC came on, and from what I understand WNHC didn't get into the eastern part of Connecticut very well (please correct me if I'm wrong about that). Why would anyone want to go out and buy a UHF set or converter if the programming wasn't there?
 
Channel 3 signed on in September of 1957, but didn't become a CBS affiliate until almost 1960. As for WNHC/WTNH, I don't think they were ever at the full 316,000 watts for a VHF-high band station, even before the 2009 shutoff.
 
During the late 1950's, CBS had a Sunday-night newscast at 11 P.M. Eastern (which I believe, once tape had been invented, was re-fed at 11:15 ET) anchored by a young Walter Cronkite.

I would think that WMTW-8, WPRO-12, WGAN-13, WHCT-18, and WHYN-55 all carried the CBS newscast.

This meant that the only local newscasts that day would have been one at Noon on WBZ-4, a fifteen-minute newscast at 11 on WNHC-8, and maybe an 11 P.M. local newscast on WMUR-9 (However, since WMUR carried a handful of CBS programs, it's possible WMUR carried the CBS newscast at 11 P.M. instead)

Note that WBZ-4 carried the NFL game between the New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers, but the other stations carrying it were CBS affiliates.

Since DuMont went kaput earlier that year (they had carried games of a number of NFL teams through 1955), I would think that CBS held the rights to the Giants in 1956. Chances are that the regular-season NFL games broadcast by WBZ in 1956 were the only CBS programs the station would carry until January of 1995.

CBS may have "shot itself in the foot" by letting many of it's most popular programs (like Jack Benny, Ed Sullivan, "I Love Lucy", etc.) air on a VHF station during the period when it owned a UHF in Hartford.

But even if they had kept network programming for it's own U in Hartford, those southwest of Hartford would have been able (with an outside antenna) to see those shows on network flagship WCBS-2 New York; while those in Hartford and points east and northeast (again with an outdoor antenna) could get CBS programs on either WNAC-7 Boston and/or WPRO-12 Providence.
 
KML-224 commented: said:
Channel 3 (in Hartford) signed on in September of 1957, but didn't become a CBS affiliate until almost 1960.

According to various back issues of TV Guide's New England edition, the then-WTIC-TV gained CBS affiliation in the Fall of 1958, almost a year after going on the air.
 
MCarney said:
09:00p Bob Hope (return) – guests: Diana Dors; James Cagney; Lucille Ball; Desi Arnaz; Vivian Vance; Bill Frawley; Don Larson of the New York Yankees, who pitched the only perfect game in World Series history

Footage from episode has been runing around for years on various "Lucy" compilations.
 
Strange to see an October Sunday schedule that's not wall-to-wall football.
 
FreddyE1977 said:
Strange to see an October Sunday schedule that's not wall-to-wall football.

There were only 12 NFL teams (6 games per week) in 1956, and the AFL was 4 years in the future. This was the first year CBS started televising football; Dumont had been doing some Saturday night games nationally, and some teams regionally, through the 1955 season.
 
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