What's on TV? Wednesday, August 21, 1968

It's always nice being back in the Twin Cities, at least when it comes to TV listings; I always know what I'm talking about. The great majority of my back issues are still from Minneapolis-St. Paul, but it's been some time since I've been able to acquire any; the ones that are out there are going for outrageous prices. I thought all those socialists back there were against making big profits!

Just kidding, folks. Mostly.

	KTCA, Channel 2 (NET)
	Evening
	06:00p	Real Revolution
	06:30p	Supervision Concepts
	07:00p	Black Voices (color)
	08:00p	Feeling for Justice
	08:30p	Jazz Casual (guest Woody Herman)
	09:00p	Urban Crisis
	10:00p	News in Perspective (color)

Nothing casual about the great Woody Herman on Jazz Casual. 

	WCCO, Channel 4 (CBS)
	Morning
	06:00a	Summer Semester (color)
	06:45a	Siegfried and His Flying Saucer (color)
	07:00a	Clancy & Carmen (color)
	07:30p	Clancy & Willie (color)
	08:00a	Captain Kangaroo (color)
	09:00a	Live Today (color)
	09:05a	Merv Griffin (guests John Forsythe, Anita Gillette, Slappy White, Joanne Worley) (color)
	10:00a	Andy Griffith
	10:30a	Dick Van Dyke
	11:00a	Love of Life (color)
	11:25a	CBS News (Joseph Benti) (color)
	11:30a	Search for Tomorrow (color)
	11:45a	The Guiding Light (color)
	Afternoon
	12:00p	News (Dean Montgomery) (color)
	12:20p	Something Special (color)
	12:30p	As the World Turns (color)
	01:00p	Love is a Many Splendored Thing (color)
	01:30p	House Party (guest Pat Paulson) (color)
	02:00p	To Tell the Truth (color)
	02:25p	CBS News (Douglas Edwards) (color)
	02:30p	The Edge of Night (color)
	03:00p	The Secret Storm (color)
	03:30p	The Beverly Hillbillies (color)
	04:00p	Mike Douglas (co-host George Segal, guests Buddy Rich, Bennett Cerf, Ruth Buzzi, Debbie Drake, Blanche Scarlett Phelps) (color)
	05:30p	CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite (color)
	Evening
	06:00p	News (Dave Moore) (color)
	06:15p	Weather (Bud Kraehling) (color)
	06:20p	Sports (Hal Scott) (color)
	06:30p	Lost in Space (color)
	07:30p	The Beverly Hillbillies (color)
	08:00p	Green Acres (color)
	08:30p	He & She (color)
	09:00p	Dom DeLuise (guests Rick Little, Enid Mosier, Earl Wilson Jr.) (color)
	10:00p	The Scene Tonight (color)
	10:45p	Reading Dynamics
	11:00p	Movie – “Apache Drums” (color)

How interesting that Art Linkletter's House Party is talking about Pat Paulsen and his quixotic presidential campaign. Merv, maybe, but Art? And do you notice that 15 minute infomercial for Reading Dynamics at 10:45, after The Scene Tonight. That's for the Evelyn Wood speed reading course, which was a big thing when I was growing up. It's still around today. I always wondered, though, whether or not that kind of speed reading would take away the pleasure of reading. Any of you had any experience with it?

	KSTP, Channel 5 (NBC)
	Morning
	06:45a	City and Country (color)
	07:00a	Today (guests Alan Alda, Elizabeth Wood, Gerard Cushing) (color)
	09:00a	Snap Judgment (guests Don Meredith, Joanne [Mrs. Johnny] Carson) (color)
	09:25p	NBC News (Nancy Dickerson) (color)
	09:30a	Concentration (color)
	10:00a	Personality (celebrities Cliff Robertson, Flip Wilson, Pat Carroll, Hugh O’Brien) (color)
	10:30a	The Hollywood Squares (celebrities Kaye Ballard, Bill Bixby, Nanette Fabray, Paul Lynde, Greg Morris, Vincent Price, Wally Cox, Rose Marie, Charley Weaver) (color)
	11:00a	Jeopardy (color)
	11:30a	Eye Guess (color)
	11:55a	NBC News (Edwin Newman) (color)
	Afternoon
	12:00p	News (Bill Beebe) (color)
	12:10p	Weather (Johnny Morris) (color)
	12:15p	Dialing For Dollars (color)
	12:30p	Let’s Make a Deal (color)
	01:00p	Days of Our Lives (color)
	01:30p	The Doctors (color)
	02:00p	Another World (color)
	02:30p	You Don’t Say! (guests James Franciscus, Susan Oliver) (color)
	03:00p	The Match Game (guests Bennett Cerf, Meredith MacRae) (color)
	03;25p	NBC News (Floyd Kalber) (color)
	03:30p	Dialing For Dollars (color)
	04:30p	Of Lands and Seas (color)
	05:00p	News (Bob Ryan) (color)
	05:30p	The Huntley-Brinkley Report (color)
	Evening
	06:00p	News (Bob Ryan) (color)
	06:15p	Weather (Johnny Morris) (color)
	06:20p	Sports (Al Tighe) (color)
	06:30p	The Virginian (color)
	08:00p	Kraft Music Hall (host Ed McMahon, guests Tim Hardin, Sly and the Family Stone, the Four Tops, Rita Gardner, Joan Rivers) (color)
	09:00p	Run For Your Life (color)
	10:00p	News (John MacDougall) (color)
	10:15p	Weather (Johnny Morris) (color)
	10:20p	Sports (Al Tighe) (color)
	10:30p	The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (guest host Jerry Lewis, guests Jose Ferrer, Roger Smith, George Kirby, Prof. Irwin Corey, Dr. Joyce Brothers) (color)
	12:00a	Henry Wolf  (color)

KSTP makes a big deal in its advertising about its new 5:00 p.m. news, with anchorman Bob Ryan. And it was a big deal back then; I don't remember any other station with a 5:00 local news show, except for Channel 9, and they did it because they didn't have a 6:00 report. Nowadays everyone has a 5:00 report; some of them start the local news even earlier than that.

	KMSP, Channel 9 (ABC)
	Morning
	07:30p	Timmy and Lassie
	08:00a	Dennis the Menace
	08:30a	It’s Happening (guests Sam and Dave, Prof. Irwin Corey)
	08:55a	The Children’s Doctor
	09:00a	Romper Room (color)
	09:30a	Dick Cavett (guest Joan Baez) (color)
	11:00a	Bewitched
	11:30a	Treasure Isle (color)
	Afternoon
	12:00p	Dream House (color)
	12:30p	News (Jerry Smith)
	01:00p	The Newlywed Game (color)
	01:30p	The Dating Game (color)
	02:00p	General Hospital (color)
	02:30p	One Life to Live (color)
	03:00p	Dark Shadows (color)
	03:30p	Movie – “Shack Out on 101”
	05:00p	ABC Evening News with Frank Reynolds (color)
	05:30p	McHale’s Navy
	Evening
	06:00p	Truth or Consequences (color)
	06:30p	The Avengers (color)
	07:30p	Dream House (color)
	08:00p	Movie – “Bus Stop” (color)
	10:00p	News (Bill Fahan, Jim Steer) (color)
	10:25p	Sports (Tony Parker) (color)
	10:30p	Joey Bishop (guests Tommy Leonetti, Robin Wilson) (color)
	12:00a	77 Sunset Strip

I was never a big fan of Professor Irwin Corey in the first place; can you imagine watching him at 8:30 in the morning? Maybe you can.

	WTCN, Channel 11 (Ind.)
	Morning
	08:55a		News (Gil Amundson)
	09:00a		Cartoon Carnival (color)
	09:30a		Wild Cargo (color)
	10:00a		Adventure Calls (color)
	10:30a		Famous Playhouse
	11:00a		Treasure (color)
	11:30a		News (Gil Amundson, Warren Martin)
	Afternoon
	12:00p	Lunch With Casey
	01:00p	Movie – “The Wasp Woman”
	03:00p	Virginia Graham (guest Chris Calloway) (color)
	03:30p	Whirlybirds
	04:00p	Popeye and Pete
	04:30p	Casey and Roundhouse
	05:00p	The Flintstones (color)
	05:30p	The Rifleman
	Evening
	06:00p	The Twilight Zone
	06:30p	Burke’s Law
	07:30p	Perry Mason
	08:30p	Alfred Hitchcock Presents
	09:00p	Movie – “Our Man in Havana”
	11:15p	News (Stuart A. Lindman)
	11:30p	Weather (Rodger Kent)
	11:40p	Sports (Frank Beutel)
	11:45p	Sea Hunt

As the independent station in the Twin Cities, news wasn't a major priority at WTCN, and they didn't have a major news operation. Frank Beutel, who gives the 11:40 p.m. sports, was the play-by-play man for the University of Minnesota hockey and basketball teams, the North Stars hockey team, and the state high school hockey and basketball tournaments; he also hosted the baseball scoreboard show following Twins games. As such, he was a very familiar face on Twin Cities television. Gil Amundson, who hosts the sign-on news and the 11:30 a.m. news, always struck me as being the closest thing to a real newsman the station had. He was with WTCN for 30 years as an anchorman and reporter, and loved his work. When he died six years ago, his wife recounted in his obit, “Whenever someone griped about their job he would say, ‘You are in television, what could be more fun than that?’ ” How do you not like someone like that? TV