Rural purge--overexaggerated myth?

[DToTheJ]

If you want a network with a real quandary for the "family hour" today, it's NBC. If they have any ultra-violent shows or shows with graphic content, they can't show it at the "safe" hour of 10 PM, thanks to Jay Leno.

As I can remember ABC in 1977 aired a TV movie starring Linda Purl and David Soul about teen hookers called "Little Ladies of the Night". Like "Born Innocent" this movie had its graphic scene where Vic Tayback from Alice ( I believe ) performs oral sex on a young girl. Of course one doesn't actually see the oral sex but one does see Vic kissing the girl's back and neck and then her lower back and of course the close up of her face..crying.

I'm going to refrain from making a reference to "grits"...

 

[Corky Marlowe]

As I can remember ABC in 1977 aired a TV movie starring Linda Purl and David Soul about teen hookers called "Little Ladies of the Night".
I just remember the SNL parody "Little Old Ladies Of The Night"..."Turning tricks...With johns...For pimps!"

 

[wbhist]

I haven't seen anyone mention The Ed Sullivan Show in this thread. It, too, was killed off that year. Was it cost-related? Demographics-related (which would put it in the "rural purge" category)? Is there a back story to this?

It was a turning point year for CBS...Imagine, "Ed Sullivan" and "beverly Hillbillies" living side-by-side with the likes of All In The Family...

Mainly demographics (audiences skewing older) . . . also, the fact that Sullivan's ratings had long declined from their 1960's peak when he had The Beatles.

Incidentally, the June 6, 1971 telecast that marked the end of The Ed Sullivan Show was a repeat of a show that originally aired Feb. 7, 1971, featuring Gladys Knight & The Pips (performing "If I Were Your Woman"), Robert Klein, and Caterina Valente.

 

[bpatrick]

Although Ed had dropped to 43rd in the ratings,
there was sentiment among CBS executives to
give him two more years to make 25. However,
the final decision was that if CBS was going to
purge its schedule of shows appealing to older
viewers, it was going to go all the way, and thus
the cancellation in 1971.

Oddly, "Gunsmoke" and "Here's Lucy" survived
the purge, and a year later there was a new
rural-appeal program on the CBS schedule:
"The Waltons."

 

[radiorob2.0]

Although Ed had dropped to 43rd in the ratings,
there was sentiment among CBS executives to
give him two more years to make 25. However,
the final decision was that if CBS was going to
purge its schedule of shows appealing to older
viewers, it was going to go all the way, and thus
the cancellation in 1971.

Oddly, "Gunsmoke" and "Here's Lucy" survived
the purge, and a year later there was a new
rural-appeal program on the CBS schedule:
"The Waltons."

"Gunsmoke" was untouchable since it was Mrs. Paley's favorite show. If you remember, "Gunsmoke" was to be canceled a few years earlier. However, Mrs. Paley protested and the program was kept. The sacrificial lamb, "Gilligan's Island".

 

[Mike Stroud]

Although Ed had dropped to 43rd in the ratings,
there was sentiment among CBS executives to
give him two more years to make 25. However,
the final decision was that if CBS was going to
purge its schedule of shows appealing to older
viewers, it was going to go all the way, and thus
the cancellation in 1971.

Oddly, "Gunsmoke" and "Here's Lucy" survived
the purge, and a year later there was a new
rural-appeal program on the CBS schedule:
"The Waltons."

"Gunsmoke" was untouchable since it was Mrs. Paley's favorite show. If you remember, "Gunsmoke" was to be canceled a few years earlier. However, Mrs. Paley protested and the program was kept. The sacrificial lamb, "Gilligan's Island".

Gilligan, of course, was one of the most critically panned shows of its day. Probably no one in network brass took that program seriously. If it wasn't for those damn "Middle Americans" ...

 

[mleach]

Another show that may fit here is "The Jim Nabors Hour" ( 1969-1971 ). Even though many people believe the show was cancelled due to that CBS rural purge, others claim that the "real" reason for the show to be defunct was that Nabors was givien a choice to either fire his co-star Frank Sutton or the show will be cancelled, Sutton & Nabors being friends even before Gomer Pyle...Nabors refused.

Then there are others who claim the rumor about Jim Nabors and Rock Hudson getting married with Rock taking Jim's last name to become "Rock Pyle" killed the show and was the cause of the cancellation even though the whole thing was a joke it still didn't stop the tabolids of the day like the infamous TV-Radio Mirror who took it as "real news". I think TV-Radio Mirror was first to actually publish that rumor in 1971..hardly a surprise.

 

[bpatrick]

Jim Nabors' show did well its first season (1969-70) but
took a hit in the second at the hands of Flip Wilson, the
highest-rated new show of the 1970-71 season (sorry,
"All In The Family" was not), finishing second behind
"Marcus Welby, M.D." Although Nabors was still in the
top 30, both he and his lead-in, "Family Affair," made the
"rural purge" list.

 

[BRNout]

Then there are others who claim the rumor about Jim Nabors and Rock Hudson getting married with Rock taking Jim's last name to become "Rock Pyle" killed the show and was the cause of the cancellation even though the whole thing was a joke it still didn't stop the tabolids of the day like the infamous TV-Radio Mirror who took it as "real news". I think TV-Radio Mirror was first to actually publish that rumor in 1971..hardly a surprise.

Ironic that such an "urban legend," which seemed so outlandish at that time, would be perfectly legal (in some states) and 'normal' in today's Hollywood. Just shows you how times change..... :-\

 

[Corky Marlowe]

others claim that the "real" reason for the show to be defunct was that Nabors was givien a choice to either fire his co-star Frank Sutton or the show will be cancelled, Sutton & Nabors being friends even before Gomer Pyle...Nabors refused.

So why was Nabors pressured to fire Sutton?

 

[mleach]

others claim that the "real" reason for the show to be defunct was that Nabors was givien a choice to either fire his co-star Frank Sutton or the show will be cancelled, Sutton & Nabors being friends even before Gomer Pyle...Nabors refused.

So why was Nabors pressured to fire Sutton?

From what I read on Newspaperarchive.com CBS didn't think he was right to be Nabors sidekick for a variety show....in other words funny for Gomer Pyle but not for the The Jim Nabors Show.

 

[mleach]

Then there are others who claim the rumor about Jim Nabors and Rock Hudson getting married with Rock taking Jim's last name to become "Rock Pyle" killed the show and was the cause of the cancellation even though the whole thing was a joke it still didn't stop the tabolids of the day like the infamous TV-Radio Mirror who took it as "real news". I think TV-Radio Mirror was first to actually publish that rumor in 1971..hardly a surprise.

Ironic that such an "urban legend," which seemed so outlandish at that time, would be perfectly legal (in some states) and 'normal' in today's Hollywood. Just shows you how times change..... :-\

Yeah times have changed. Back in 1971 many people still got married and had kids even if they didn't want too because they felt it was "the right thing to do". Many businesses at the time refused to hire single people ( exampe: the classic sitcom "Occasional Wife" ) or even a divorce would be grounds to get fired not too mentioned some newspaper ads back then went as far as being blunt "..only married people need to apply" plus I believe there was a movement back in those days that if succesful only married folks would get tax refunds from both the federal and state levels. Single folks? Well you need to get married to get that money. Heck many people back then couldn't even handle Burt & Ernie from Sesame Street.

So the idea of two guys getting married in 1971..well that was way too much for many.

 

[bpatrick]

I think a lot of people were surprised to learn that
Rock Hudson was gay, even when he died. I guess
it's because he didn't fit the stereotype. :

 

[firepoint525]

Yeah times have changed. Back in 1971 many people still got married and had kids even if they didn't want too because they felt it was "the right thing to do". Many businesses at the time refused to hire single people ( exampe: the classic sitcom "Occasional Wife" ) or even a divorce would be grounds to get fired not too mentioned some newspaper ads back then went as far as being blunt "..only married people need to apply" plus I believe there was a movement back in those days that if succesful only married folks would get tax refunds from both the federal and state levels. Single folks? Well you need to get married to get that money.

The women's movement of the '70s may have had a lot to do with changing that. Until then, it was always assumed that married men had wives and kids at home to support. With the women's movement, more women went to work outside the home, making that argument irrelevant. It has certainly helped me out, being single, because I can't get by on less money just because I am single. If I were "singled" out for being single, I would charge "discrimination."

 

[Braves2005]

Can anyone know why Family Affair was cancelled after placing #5 in 1969-1970 after moving it from Monday night to Wednesday night and placing #5 in the two previous seasons before that when it was on Monday night and then falling from the Top 30 in the 1970-1971 season? I read somewhere that they were planning on moving the show from CBS to ABC for the 1971-1972 season but ABC didn't want it because they had The Brady Bunch, The Partridge Family, Nanny And The Professor and Courtship Of Eddie's Father and couldn't handle another family show.

 

[LKellerIII]

Then there are others who claim the rumor about Jim Nabors and Rock Hudson getting married with Rock taking Jim's last name to become "Rock Pyle" killed the show and was the cause of the cancellation even though the whole thing was a joke it still didn't stop the tabolids of the day like the infamous TV-Radio Mirror who took it as "real news". I think TV-Radio Mirror was first to actually publish that rumor in 1971..hardly a surprise.

Ironic that such an "urban legend," which seemed so outlandish at that time, would be perfectly legal (in some states) and 'normal' in today's Hollywood. Just shows you how times change..... :-\

How's this for irony - I remember when the Rock Hudson/Jim Nabors rumor started circulating. In my youth and naivete, I didn't believe it for a moment. The reason - Rock Hudson gay? Not possible.

Like I said, I was young...

 

[Kurt Toy]

A couple of corrections: Virginian-Shiloh was on Wednesdays, and Family Affair aired on Thursdays from 1969-71.

 

[BRNout]

How's this for irony - I remember when the Rock Hudson/Jim Nabors rumor started circulating. In my youth and naivete, I didn't believe it for a moment. The reason - Rock Hudson gay? Not possible.

Like I said, I was young...

Count me among the shocked when it was announced that Rock Hudson had AIDS - as many gay men did back then. I honestly had no idea.....

 

[mleach]

Can anyone know why Family Affair was cancelled after placing #5 in 1969-1970 after moving it from Monday night to Wednesday night and placing #5 in the two previous seasons before that when it was on Monday night and then falling from the Top 30 in the 1970-1971 season? I read somewhere that they were planning on moving the show from CBS to ABC for the 1971-1972 season but ABC didn't want it because they had The Brady Bunch, The Partridge Family, Nanny And The Professor and Courtship Of Eddie's Father and couldn't handle another family show.

Again going back to TV-Radio Mirror ( my aunt who died in 1989 left behind BOXES and BOXES of back issues )...I remember reading in one issue where the main reasons why Family Affair was cancelled was because Brian Keith no longer wanted to do it the series ( take this one with a grain of salt ) and Johnny Whitaker "Jody" had signed contracts both with Disney as well as Sid & Marty Krofft to do work for them and would had to leave Family Affair. The latter may had some merit as Whitaker did do the Disney flick "Snowball Express" and Krofft's "Sigmund & The Sea Monsters" both shortly after the end of Family Affair.

 

[Markxxx]

I agree the cancelled shows weren't high rated, but perhaps they were winning their slots.

For instance, both the Odd Couple and Mr Belvedere were never highly rated shows overall but both shows did very well in whatever time slot they were put in. Usually winning the slot. So basically you could say they were the highest rated of the shows they ran against, because those shows were weaker.

Another thing is rural shows were cancelled while shows with similar ratings were not. Doris Day was said to have lived on another year because she changed the format from rural to a city location (basically copying the Mary Tyler Moore Show).