TV Guide 2/6/60-- Globalism Begins

Richard Boone, star of Have Gun, Will Travel, appears on the cover of the February 6, 1960 issue of TV Guide but the words on the cover implore readers to "Name Your Favorite Stars and Shows." The cover also directs reader to page 5 of the pint-sized magazine-- for accessing the TV Guide Awards Nominating Ballot. Turn to page 5, and there are 7 categories--

1) Favorite half-hour series
2) Favorite one-hour-or-longer series
3) Best single dramatic program
4) Best single musical or variety program
5) Best news or information program
6) Most popular male personality
7) Most popular female personality

Readers are asked to cut along the dotted line and mail their choices to a TV Guide post office box in Philadelphia.

And so began the electronic age where the audience participates in a very active way in the creative process. Today things are easier; we can text our votes for winners on American Idol.

Read Marshall McLuhan, the media philosopher, to sate any curiosity about the notion of electronic media as participatory. And watch yourself studying the contents of your cellphone and pressing the buttons for confirmation of McLuhan's insights.

The magazine's first article, "Lions Can't Lose and They Hate Lucy," appears just after the nominations ballot and highlights the international flavor of television. Saudi Arabia had a major problem with I Love Lucy as the strong-willed Lucille Ball was perceived by the Saudis, perhaps correctly, as dominating husband Desi Arnaz. I Love Lucy was forbidden in Saudi Arabia.

The article mentions several other nations. The Japanese were comfortable with post-WW II shows like Air Power, Navy Log depicting the Japanese defeat in World War II but a Japanese sponsor didn't like nature shows showing a lion being shot, reason being the Japanese sponsor "Dr. Lion's Tooth Paste" preferred not to see the lion defeated in any form or fashion. Fulgencio Batista, the Cuban dictator rejected Gunsmoke for the Cuban audience, as the dictator feared the show's gun play might encourage a revolution. And American television companies rejected Spain's currency, the peseta, as payment for television product. They wanted dollars.  The more things change...

Richard Boone had praise for directors of series Westerns, including a guy named Gene Rodenberry, though cowboy shows were considered inferior to the high art dramatic shows of the time, including Playhouse 90. Here's Boone's comment:

"There's a kind of snobbery," says Boone, "in live TV that carries with it the implication of pure art. Why? I don't know. All I know is that as far as I'm concerned Have Gun is better produced, better written and better directed than-- that thing."

Seems to me, Boone won that argument. Live TV dramas leave something to be desired and have largely fallen by the wayside.

Jack Paar's show was going strong every evening at 11:00 PM airtime in Austin, Texas. Jack's guests that week included Phyllis Dyller, Charley Weaver, and "singer Florence Henderson of the Today  show." Steve Allen had a program on the schedule for Monday night, 9:00 PM, showing the Tonight Show host had already shifted from Steve Allen to Jack Paar.

And ABC's Friday night Boxing featured Emile Griffith in a welterweight bout against Gaspar Ortega from Tijuana, Mexico. "This is the TV debut of Griffith, 1958 National Golden Gloves champion." A little more than a year later Emile Griffith fought and killed Benny "Kid" Paret in a controversial match that led to the cancellation of the ABC's boxing program.

Boxing popularity on television has fallen off since those early days of the medium, mainly become a niche sport, and McLuhan explained that a hot war, like Vietnam, does not work well with a cool medium like television. We participate, interact intimately with the TV flow of electrons. Such intimacy makes war, and possibly a boxing match, too hot for handling by our central nervous system.

The Beverly Hillibillies... memory lane

Watched several episodes of the Beverly Hillbillies in preparation for a talk at my Toastmasters club. Wow-- quite enjoyable! Nicely written by producer Paul Henning. The actors are so solid, never going over the top even though they're doing farce. And you gotta check out how peaceful Southern California looks back in 1963. Have to admit I got a kick out of Ms. Hathaway, the nerdy assistant to the greedy banker Mr. Drysdale. Ms. Hathaway was played by Nancy Kulp. Just looked at her bio. She moved to Hollywood to work in a publicity department and got discovered by George Cukor! He told her to move in front of the cameras. Her nickname was Slim, appropriately enough. Her character was always pining after Jethro, played by Max Baer Jr.. who felt that getting typecast as Jethro ruined his career for future roles. Not sure Max would have achieved Al Pacino-style greatness. With the death of Donna Douglas, Max Baer is the last surviving cast member.

After her acting career wound down, Nancy Kulp ran for public office in Pennsylvania. Here's an interesting development. She got dissed by Buddy Ebsen, her fellow cast member, during the election. Here's what the Inter-web had to say:

"In 1984, she ran as a Democrat for Pennsylvania's Ninth Congressional District, but lost to Republican incumbent "Bud Shuster". She blamed her The Beverly Hillbillies (1962) co-star Buddy Ebsen for her defeat, because Ebsen taped a radio ad in support of Shuster, and deemed her "too liberal". She did not speak to Ebsen for several years afterward, but eventually made peace with him."

So old Jed, the mountaineer who "barely kept his family fed," managed to keep Ms. Hathaway from getting elected.  That made me pissed at the guy, but now I like Nancy Kulp even more. And as for Jethro.... well, you gotta love Jethro.

--> Y'all come back now, y'hear?.