We've returned to North Texas for this week's listings. In this current run of mid-'50s Dallas TV Guides, I don't think we've taken a look at Sundays, or if we have it's been quite a while. As might be expected for the time, Sunday mornings are heavy on religious broadcasting, and programming also starts much later in the morning than it does during the week.
One of our observant readers pointed out recently that back in the day, television signals between Dallas and Fort Worth weren't always reliable, which is why you'll occasionally see the same program on two different stations in what is ostensibly the same market. It's why both WBAP in Fort Worth and WFAA in Dallas have joint NBC/ABC affiliation, although WFAA has always been primarily with ABC, and WBAP with NBC. It also reminds us that 40 miles was a much longer distance back then than it is today.
This is the first of three separate broadcasts of The Christophers in this issue. The Christophers, under founder Fr. James Keller, were known for a strong media presence, and their program is still produced today, although I'm not aware of any particular place where it's still shown. (Of course, I haven't paid much attention to local television lately, either.) If it airs in your area, let me know.
The "Million Dollar Movie" is a popular item in these parts; three different local channels have one. (Not including "Million Dollar Theater," which airs during the week on KWTX.) The usual modus operandi for the Million Dollar Movie, which began on WOR in New York in 1955, was to run the same movie in the same timeslot for an entire week. I see that this varies from station to station; KFJZ (which I've just learned to call WTVT), for example, airs one movie from Monday through Wednesday, and then introduces another one on Thursday and Friday. This kind of repeat programming predates HBO by, what, twenty years or so?
It's too bad we aren't doing "Sullivan vs. The Palace" in the '50s; Ed's lineup tonight would have blown The Hollywood Palace away. Or if it didn't, I'd like to see what Palace had to offer.
One of our observant readers pointed out recently that back in the day, television signals between Dallas and Fort Worth weren't always reliable, which is why you'll occasionally see the same program on two different stations in what is ostensibly the same market. It's why both WBAP in Fort Worth and WFAA in Dallas have joint NBC/ABC affiliation, although WFAA has always been primarily with ABC, and WBAP with NBC. It also reminds us that 40 miles was a much longer distance back then than it is today.
KRLD, Channel 4 (Dallas) (CBS) | ||
Morning | ||
08:30a | The Christophers | |
09:00a | Lamp Unto My Feet | |
09:30a | Loop Up and Live | |
10:00a | Faith for Today | |
10:30a | Camera Three | |
11:00a | Church Service | |
Afternoon | ||
12:00p | News (local) | |
12:15p | Western Frolics | |
01:00p | Wild Bill Hickok | |
01:30p | Gene Autry | |
02:00p | Face the Nation (guest Sen. William Knowland) | |
02:30p | Magic in Fashions | |
02:45p | Songs of Inspiration | |
03:00p | Front Row Center | |
04:00p | Omnibus | |
05:30p | You Are There | |
Evening | ||
06:00p | Lassie | |
06:30p | Private Secretary | |
07:00p | Ed Sullivan (guests James Cagney, Jack Lemmon, Gregory Peck, Susan Hayward, Burt Lancaster, Kim Novak, Fredric March, Walt Disney) | |
08:00p | G.E. Theater | |
08:30p | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | |
09:00p | Appointment With Adventure | |
09:30p | What’s My Line? | |
10:00p | CBS Sunday News (Walter Cronkite) | |
10:15p | Weather (local) | |
10:25p | Movietime – “Ghost Story” | |
11:45p | Search for Beauty |
WBAP, Channel 5 (Fort Worth) (NBC, ABC) | ||
Morning | ||
09:45a | Christian Science Program | |
10:00a | The Christophers | |
10:30a | Air Force Digest | |
10:45a | Man to Man | |
11:00a | Movie – To Be Announced | |
Afternoon | ||
12:00p | Industry on Parade | |
12:15p | Cartoon Capers | |
12:30p | Movie Marquee – “Father Takes the Air” | |
01:30p | Christian Questions | |
02:00p | Movie – “Mystery Man” | |
03:00p | Wide Wide World | |
04:30p | Captain Gallant | |
05:00p | Meet the Press | |
05:30p | Roy Rogers | |
Evening | ||
06:00p | You Asked For It | |
06:30p | Famous Film Festival – “Caesar and Cleopatra” part 1 | |
08:00p | Original Amateur Hour | |
09:00p | Loretta Young | |
09:30p | Justice | |
10:00p | News, Weather (local) | |
10:30p | Les Paul-Mary Ford | |
10:35p | Movie Marquee – “History is Made at Night” |
I find it interesting that Famous Film Festival is showing the movie version of Shaw's "Caesar and Cleopatra," considering Producers' Showcase is airing a new version of it the following night. However, whereas that version stars Claire Bloom and Sir Cedric Hardwicke, the movie version we're seeing here, from 1945, has Vivien Leigh and Claude Rains. I'm shocked, shocked to find these two versions running on consecutive days.
KCEN, Channel 6 (Temple) (NBC) | ||
Morning | ||
11:55a | Program Previews | |
Afternoon | ||
12:00p | American Forum | |
12:30p | Frontiers of Faith | |
01:00p | What’s New in Homes | |
01:30p | Video Workshop | |
02:30p | Zoo Parade | |
03:00p | Wide Wide World | |
04:30p | This Is the Life | |
05:00p | Meet the Press | |
05:30p | Spotlight on Texas | |
05:45p | Two on the Aisle | |
Evening | ||
06:00p | It’s a Great Life | |
06:30p | News, Weather (local) | |
06:45p | News Review | |
07:00p | Colgate Comedy Hour (hostess Gail Storm, guests Jonathan Winters, Pat Sheehan, Stan Freberg, Bert Lahr) | |
08:00p | Star Playhouse | |
08:30p | The Great Gildersleeve | |
09:00p | Loretta Young | |
09:30p | Justice | |
10:00p | News, Weather (local) | |
10:15p | Late Date Theater – “Dressed to Kill” |
At 2:30pm it's Zoo Parade, which was Marlin Perkins' forerunner to Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom, which he starred in with Jim Fowler. At this point it's been on the air for six years, airing from the famed Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. Marlin's colleague for this program is Jim Hurlbut, which tells me you apparently have to be named Jim to get an on-air job with Marlin.
WFAA, Channel 8 (Dallas) (NBC, ABC) | ||
Morning | ||
09:15a | This is America | |
09:30a | This Is the Life | |
10:00a | Kaleidoscope | |
10:15a | Man to Man | |
10:30a | Frontiers of Faith | |
11:00a | Church Service | |
Afternoon | ||
12:00p | American Forum | |
12:30p | Week’s Business Review | |
12:45p | News | |
01:00p | Million Dollar Movie – “The Miracle of the Bells” | |
02:15p | Spotlight on Texas | |
02:30p | Zoo Parade | |
03:00p | Dr. Hudson’s Secret Journal | |
03:30p | Hans Christian Andersen | |
04:00p | Super Circus | |
05:00p | Judge Roy Bean | |
05:30p | Soldiers of Fortune | |
Evening | ||
06:00p | It’s a Great Life | |
06:30p | Frontier | |
07:00p | Colgate Comedy Hour (hostess Gail Storm, guests Jonathan Winters, Pat Sheehan, Stan Freberg, Bert Lahr) | |
08:00p | The Alcoa Hour | |
09:00p | Science Fiction Theater | |
09:30p | Headline | |
10:00p | The Great Gildersleeve | |
10:30p | Patti Page | |
10:45p | Channel 8 Theater – “Three Faces West” |
KWTX, Channel 10 (Waco) (CBS, ABC) | ||
Morning | ||
10:30a | Tips on Ten | |
10:35a | The Pastor | |
10:50a | Church Service | |
11:30a | Film Featurette | |
Afternoon | ||
12:00p | The Christophers | |
12:30p | Oral Roberts | |
01:00p | Chaplain of the Air | |
01:15p | Living | |
01:45p | Matinee 10 Theater – Bachelor’s Daughters” | |
03:15p | Industry on Parade | |
03:30p | Herring’s Hideaway | |
04:00p | Omnibus | |
05:30p | You Are There | |
Evening | ||
06:00p | Amos ‘n’ Andy | |
06:30p | Private Secretary | |
07:00p | Ed Sullivan (guests James Cagney, Jack Lemmon, Gregory Peck, Susan Hayward, Burt Lancaster, Kim Novak, Fredric March, Walt Disney) | |
08:00p | G.E. Theater | |
08:30p | Patty Page | |
08:45p | Statesmen Quartet | |
09:00p | Science Fiction Theater | |
09:30p | What’s My Line? | |
10:00p | News, Weather, Sports (local) | |
10:25p | Sports | |
10:30p | Million Dollar Movie – “The Mask of Diijon” |
KFJZ, Channel 11 (Fort Worth) (Ind.) | ||
Morning | ||
11:00a | Church Service | |
Afternoon | ||
12:00p | This Is Your Music | |
12:30p | Curtain Call | |
01:00p | TCU Telerama | |
01:30p | Sunday Matinee– “Spring in Park Lane” | |
03:15p | Sports (local) | |
03:30p | News Review, Weather (local) | |
04:00p | Roy Rogers Theater – “Garden City Kid” | |
05:00p | Range Rider | |
05:30p | Ramar of the Jungle | |
Evening | ||
06:00p | My Hero | |
06:30p | Million Dollar Movie – “Don’t Trust Your Husband” | |
08:00p | Mayor of the Town | |
08:30p | Amos ‘n’ Andy | |
09:00p | Confidential File | |
09:30p | The Falcon | |
10:00p | News, Weather (local) | |
10:20p | Hollywood | |
10:35p | Starlight Theater – “Captain Sirocco” |
Then as now, Channel 11 is the independent channel in DFW. I suspect that before too many years are up, we won't be seeing Amos 'n' Andy in prime time anymore; when it aired in Minneapolis-St. Paul in the early '60s, it was almost always on late night. Just another example of how television's mores have changed over the years.