Friday, July 29, 2011

And now, Heere's Cleveland!! A Tonight Show History..


The Tonight Show has grown into an institution-A tradition in America over the last 57 years that some people watch out of habit..That tradition was'nt always so apparent in Cleveland and a few other markets, especially if Westinghouse owned the NBC affiliate in the early days of the Tonight Show..

To understand the history of the Tonight Show in Cleveland, it's necessary to go back to the early days of TV in the late 1940's...Broadcast days were generally from 4-11PM , eventually stretching from about 1-11 as each station got more established..There was not much news programming to speak of..maybe a couple of 5 minute bulletins at random times of the day..Often the last show of the day was a "Program Previews" which did just that..reminded viewers of program highlights the next day.

March 1949 WEWS-TV 5 ad from Tele-Vue Magazine..Linn Sheldon also hosted "Program Previews" in this era..


This would all change by May 29, 1950..NBC premeiered "Broadway Open House" with Jerry Lester and statuesque blonde Dagmar..Sponsored by Pfeiffer Beer in the Cleveland area on WNBK-Channel 4 and nationally by Anchor Hocking Glass..The show was a mixed success, running 11-Midnight until August 24, 1951..







Segment of Broadway Open House with Jerry Lester-appears to be from December 1950..

Steve Allen with wife Jayne Meadows on the cover on TV Guide-Lake Erie Edition August 21-27, 1954..He was already on with "Tonight" in New York

Clip from the Tonight Show National premiere-9/27/54


WNBK went back to movies and other features until September 27, 1954 when "Tonight with Steve Allen" premiered..The blending of the light Allen comedy touch with musical guests allowed the show to gain a foothold with the late night crowd..Besides, with WNBK being owned and operated by NBC, there was little question of whether Tonight would be carried in Cleveland..


1955:WNBK-TV 3 ad for "Tonight" over NBC-"A Service Of RCA"


The Allen Tonight Show lasted till January 25, 1957, when Steve decided to concentrate on the Sunday Night Steve Allen Show opposite Ed Sullivan..NBC went with something starting January 28, 1957 called "America After Dark" A News/Entertainment program headed by Jack Lescoulie and Al "Jazzbo" Collins with Newspaper Columnists hosting featured segments throughout the country..The show was universally panned by critics..



The Cleveland station, which by this time had become KYW-TV 3, decided to drop America After Dark in favor of "Theater 3" Movies beginning Monday, June 24, 1957 at 11:30 PM..First film being "Fugitives In The Night" (1938)

1957:Typical KYW-TV 3 weekly movie lineup



Meanwhile, other stations were dropping the America After Dark Show in Large Numbers..NBC finally decided to change things up once again by offering what was first called, "Tonight Starring Jack Paar", on Monday, July 29, 1957 (Though later the show would be known as The Jack Paar Show, or The Jack Paar Tonight Show, or simply the Tonight Show)..In Cleveland, Channel 3 had already decided to stay with movies, which were more profitable as a rule locally..Other Westinghouse NBC stations had dropped "Tonight" as well..




Finally, after weeks of negotiation, WEWS-TV 5 agreed to carry the Jack Paar Show in Cleveland, beginning Monday, October 28, 1957..Canton-born Paar had worked at WGAR Radio in the late 1930's, where he was the announcer during the CBS airing of "War Of The Worlds" on October 30, 1938..



1957:Introduction by original sidekick Franklin Pangborn on Paar's first show..Pangborn only lasted a short time before Hugh Downs became the announcer..




In the meantime, KYW-TV 3 had bought a slate of "new" MGM Movies to run opposite Paar on Channel 5 beginning Wednesday, November 6, 1957, The first of these being "Thirty Seconds over Tokyo" (1944)



1959 Ad featuring Movie Host Ronnie Barrett, also known as a radio dj and bandleader..Notice the "Well Above Par" reference..

As WEWS settled into being the Jack Paar station in Cleveland, 1960 brought color to the Tonight Show, which WEWS aired, as their only regular color program until the mid 1960's..
WEWS also carried Huntley-Brinkley from NBC June 29, 1959-July 1, 1960. 1962 "Tonight" Episode with Jerry Lewis..(In between Paar and Carson)..which was aired on WEWS-Channel 5..


Westinghouse decided to actually try to compete with "Tonight" in the early 1960's with "PM East PM West" With Mike Wallace and Joyce Davidson in New York and TV Writer Terence O'Flaherty in San Francisco..Premiering June 12, 1961, PD writer George Condon likened it somewhat to the failed "America After Dark"..An August 19, 1961 Plain Dealer Column by Condon stated that WJW-TV 8 gained viewers from KYW-3 that wanted to watch movies..


On February 5, 1962 The PM West portion was dropped and PM East took over the entire 90 minute show..



The PM East program was cancelled June 22, 1962 and replaced with..Steve Allen..The comedian was signed to Westinghouse to compete with NBC's Tonight Show.  His first show was Monday June 25, 1962..

May 22, 1962:"Promotion for new show on KYW-TV at the Sahara Motel. Disc Jockey Ronnie Barrett was picked as looking most like Allen. Allen's new nightly 90-minute show will begin June 25 on KYW and other stations in the Westinghouse chain"(Original Cleveland Press Caption)

Allen was relatively successful for over 2 years before being replaced by a young Regis Philbin Monday, October 26, 1964..Philbin only lasted about 4 months , his last show being March 5, 1965.


TV Guide ad for the Regis Philbin Show


KYW then went back to showing movies for awhile starting March 8, 1965..It was during the 1963-64 period that WJW-TV 8 owned Friday Nights for a time with Horror-Movie Host Ghoulardi..



March 8, 1965 KYW Movies which ran till May 7..




Merv Griffin had been all over TV since the 1950's, hosting music and game shows..He hosted a daytime talk show for NBC in 1962..He began his long career with Group W/Westinghouse on Monday, May 10, 1965 at 11:20 PM on KYW-TV..

Merv Griffin and Arthur Treacher in a 1965 show..

With all these changes, one other big change would ultimately settle things down..The NBC/Westinghouse swap back of Radio and TV properties, whicn took place at 5AM Saturday, June 19, 1965..Partly as a result of this, Merv Griffin's last night show for now NBC-Owned WKYC-TV would be Friday, September 10, 1965..Griffin immediately moved over to WEWS weekday afternoons at 3:30 Monday September 13, 1965.. WKYC-TV 3 went back to movies, beginning with "The Man In The Gray Flannel Suit on Sept, 13, 1965 (The Late Show)..


NBC and Scripps-Howard (WEWS Owner) began negotiatons for NBC to reacquire The Tonight Show, which had starred Johnny Carson since October 1, 1962.."Tonight" finally returned to WKYC February 28, 1966 where it has been ever since..

Ad announcing Johnny's "homecoming" to channel 3, though the show hadnt been on WKYC beforehand..February 28, 1966.

The Tonight Show has been on WKYC since 1966 through Johnny's retirement in 1992, Jay Leno's reign as host 1992-2009 and 2010-present, as well as the ill-fated Conan O' Brien Jay Leno at 10PM experiment in 2009-2010..





Grateful thanks to all that contibuted..While many of the photographs are from my own collection..Videos and some photos from Cleveland Press and Plain Dealer Archive, Ray Glasser, Ira Gallen, Wikipedia and other various sites..

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Cleveland Television:August 21-27, 1954


Bob Clampett and his "Time For Beany" puppets during the last days of the show..Daws Butler and Stan Freberg had just left..WXEL and later WEWS carried the 15 minute puppet show from 1949-53


Ad for CBS' late afternoon soaps from 4-4:30:Brighter Day and Secret Storm, aired on WXEL rather than WEWS..WXEL also had Portia Faces Life at 1 and The Seeking Heart at 1:15..By March 1, 1955 all CBS shows would be on channel 8..Notice the scene in the top picture..Hal Holbrook in an early tv role..



Ad for Dragnet reruns "Badge 714" Fridays at 7PM-WNBK


Ad announcing WFMJ-TV's very recent move from channel 73 to channel 21, along with their subsequent power increase..


Ad for Live Hot Rod Races from Detroit on WXEL-8..I assume this was aired in connection with Storer's WJBK-TV 2 Detroit..Storer did acquire WXEL in 1954..


Notice of "Justice" a series apparently modeled after "Dragnet" that ran Thursdays at 8:30..Notice that the ad puts the show on 3 and "73", though WFMJ-TV has been on Channel 21 since August 7..

I thought we would take a look at August 21-27, 1954 in the pages of TV Guide, Lake Erie Edition..

In Lake Erie Dateline, the Cast of NBC's summer replacement series Midwestern Hayride(WNBK) was scheduled at the Lorain County Fair August 24..The Mello-Larks and The CrewCuts were also scheduled to appear during the fair..Toast On The Town(WEWS) will have an Ice Capades preview September 5, with the show scheduled to hit The Cleveland Arena October 1-17..

Other program highlights:

Walt "Kousin" Kay returns to WXEL-8 Saturday August 21 at 11AM

Toast Of The Town has its first Color Telecast on channels 5 and 27 Sunday August 22 at 8PM

Rex Humbard airs at 8PM Sunday on WAKR-49

Monday-Friday..Dinner Platter with Bob Dale 5:45-6:30 WEWS Channel 5

A couple of Crooners end vacations-Perry Como Mon/Wed/Fri 7:45 on Channels 5-27 and Eddie Fisher Wed/Fri 7:30 on Channels 3-21

Indians Baseball on WXEL-9. Sat/Sun at Baltimore Tue/Wed at Philadelphia A's and Thu/Fri at Washington-Jim Britt and Clay Dopp announcing

Tom Field News and Joe Finan Weather were weeknight features on WNBK-3

Schedules:


Cleveland


WNBK-3 NBC
WEWS-5 CBS
WXEL-8 DuMont/ABC

Akron
WAKR-49 ABC

Youngstown
WFMJ-21 NBC
WKBN-27 CBS/ABC/DuMont

Saturday, August 21, 1954

9AM
3 Movie-(Early Bird Theater)-Gaiety

9:15
8 First Reel

9:30
8 Comedy Carnival

9:55
5 News Bulletins

10AM
3 Cartoon Time
5 Movie-(Early Show)-The Reckoning
8 Sandlot Baseball
27-Movie-TBA

10:30
3 Fun Wagon-Glenn Rowell

11AM
5-27 Winky Dink And You
8 Merry Go Round-Walt "Kousin" Kay-Return

11:30
3 Movie-(Flim Flam Film)-The Drifter
5 Abbott And Costello
27 Panorama-Film

Noon
5-27 Big Top
8 Movie-Western

12:30
3 Mr. Wizard

1PM
3 Movie-(Feature Film)-Captain Fury
5 Lone Ranger
8 Movie-(On Stage)-Headline Crasher
21 Movie-(Movie Party)-South Sea Adventure
27 Movie-TBA

1:30
5 Johnny Jupiter-Kids

2PM
5 Movie-(Feature Film) Double Feature
Exile Express
Danger Ahead

21 Movie-(Movie Party)-Traffic In Crime

2:30
3 Movie-(Stagecoach Theater)-Pinto Canyon

3PM
8 Movie (Saturday Matinee)-After Midnight
21 Dairy Hop-Music
27 Movie-TBA

3:30
3 Movie-(Saturday Showtime)-Saps At Sea:Laurel and Hardy

3:45
5 Bandstand-Phil McLean

4PM
21 Movie-(Golden West)-A Missouri Outlaw

4:45
5 To Be Announced

5PM
3 Johnny Mack Brown
5 Ramar Of The Jungle
8 Main Event-Wrestling
21 Wrestling
27 Horse Race
49 Movie-(Bar 49 Theater)-Wild Horse Range

5:30
3 Horse Racing
5 Contest Carnival
27 Hopalong Cassidy

6PM
3 Cisco Kid
5 Polka Time
8 To Be Announced
21 News Summary

6:15
21 Industry On Parade

6:30
3 Annie Oakley
5 The Big Picture
21 Movie-(Roundup Time)-Desert Patrol
27 News This Week

6:45
8 News/Sports
27 Sports-Don Gardner
49 Wahington Reports-Sen. Thomas Burke

6:55
27 Weather Report

7PM
3 Files of Jeffrey Jones
5 Beat The Clock
8 Big Picture
27 Panorama
49 Wings Over The World

7:30
3-21 Youth Wants to Know-Stephen McCormick
5 Mr. District Attorney
8-49 Dotty Mack-ABC
27 Beat The Clock-Bob Kennedy subs for Bud Collyer

8PM
3-21 Bank On The Stars-Jimmy Nelson/Puppet Danny O'Day-Last Show-Replaced by "Mickey Rooney"
5-27 Stage Show
8 Baseball-Indians At Baltimore Orioles
49 Enterprise USA

8:30
3-21 Amateur Hour
49 Great Sports Thrill-ABC

9PM
3-21 Saturday Revue-Eddie Albert
5-27 Two For The Money
49 Boxing-Asbury Park-ABC

9:30
5 Jack Paar Show
27 Playhouse-Colby

9:45
49 Fight Talk-Bob Cooke

10PM
5-27 That's My Boy-Comedy
49 Movie-(Feature Film)-Wanted By The Police

10:30
3-21 Private Secretary
5 Theater-Drama
8 Movie-(Saturday Night Show)-Meet John Doe
27 Two In Love-CBS

11PM
3 News-Tom Field
5 Movie (Playhouse) Young Lovers
21 Movie (Skyline Theater) I Cheated The Law
27 Wrestling-Chicago-DuMont

11:05
3 Movie (Theater) Sing Along With Me
27 Sports Showcase

11:20
27 Wrestling-DuMont

Midnight
21-27 News

12:30
3-5 News

Sunday, August 22, 1954

8:30
3 TV Sunday School

9AM
3 Funny Funnies-Glenn Rowell

9:30
3 Golf Lesson

9:45
3 News Of The Week

9:55
5 News Bulletins

10AM
3 Dog Training
5 What Catholics Believe

10:15
3 Fashions, News and Sports

10:30
3 Hoot Gibson
5 Exploring God's World

10:45
3 Lets Go Places
8 The Christophers

11AM
3 The Catholic Hour
5 To Be Announced
8 Talent Parade-Joe Berg

11:30
3 To Be Announced
27 Movie-Western

Noon
3 Anywhere USA
5 Gene Carroll
8 Faith For Today

12:30
3 Norman Vincent Peale
8 Cheerful House
27 Contest Carnival

12:45
3 Industry On Parade

1PM
3 Movie (One O Clock Playhouse) Topper
5 Polka Parade-Vadnal
8 Film Fill
27 This Is The Life

1:30
5 Movie (Sunday Matinee) Double Feature
Candles At Nine
Alaska Patrol

21 The Catholic Hour
27 Polka Party

1:45
8 Baseball Previews

2PM
8 Indians Baseball at Baltimore
21 Movie (Front Row Center) That Uncertain Feeling
27 Chesterton Hour

2:30
27 Movie-TBA

3PM
3 Techni-Science
21 To Be Announced

3:30
3 To Be Announced
21 Movie (Wooley West) Flaming Lead

4PM
3 The American Forum

4:30
3-21 Zoo Parade
5 Fun With Charades

4:50
8 Ohio Story-Gentle Johnny Appleseed

5PM
3-21 Out On The Farm
5-27 What In The World
8 Scores And Squaws
49 Movie (Feature Film) Motor Patrol

5:15
8 Super Circus-ABC

5:30
3-21 Youth takes A Stand

6PM
3 Meet The Press
5-27 Now And Then
8 This Is The Life
21 That We May See
49 Abbott And Costello

6:15
21 To Be Announced

6:30
3-21 Roy Rogers
5-27 Man Of The Week
8 Big Picture
49 Royal Playhouse

7PM
3-21 Musical College-Tennessee Ernie Ford
5 Range Rider
8-49 You Asked For It
27 Ramar Of The Jungle

7:30
3-21 Mr. Peepers
5 Your Playtime-Anthology Reruns
8-49 Pepsi Cola Playhouse-Colby
27 Edward Arnold Show

8PM
3-21 Colgate Comedy Hour
5-27 Toast Of The Town-Color
8 Flight No.7
49 Humbard Family

8:30
8 To Be Announced

9PM
3-21 Philco TV Playhouse
5 GE True Theater
8 Bob Considine
27 March Of Time
49 Movie-TBA

9:15
8 Jane Pickens

9:30
5-27 Man Behind The Badge
8 Two In Love-CBS

10PM
3-21 Dollar A Second
5 Foreign Intrigue
8-49 Break The Bank-Bill Cullen subs for Bert Parks
27-The Web-CBS

10:30
3-21 The Hunter
5-27 What's My Line?
8 Movie (Theater) Heritage Of The Plains
49 This Is the Life

11PM
3 Movie (Feature Film) I Shot Billy The Kid
5 News Bulletins
21 Movie (Skyline Theater) Mr. Peek-A-Boo
27 Movie (Playhouse 27) Over The Moon
49 News, Sports, Weather

11:15
5 The Web

11:45
5 News Bulletins

Midnight
21 News Bulletins

12:30
3-27 News Bulletins


Episode of Captain Video from DuMont, shown on channels 8 and 27 weeknights at 7..

Friday, August 27, 1954

7AM
3-21 Today-Garroway
5-27 Morning Show-Jack Paar (Ch. 5-Paige Palmer 8:25, 8:55)

8:55
8 Preview Corner

9AM
3 Movie (Early Bird Theater)Calaboose
5 Movie (Early Show) Danger Ahead
8-27 Breakfast Club-ABC Don McNeill
21 Movie (Morning Matinee) Motor Patrol

10AM
3-21 Ding Dong Schiil-Frances Horwich
5 Garry Moore
8 Alice Weston
27 Movie Miniature

10:15
27 Garry Moore

10:30
3-21 A Time To Live
8 Movie (Maggie Wulff Show)Behind Stone Walls

10:45
3-21 Three Steps To Heaven

11AM
3-21 Home-Arlene Francis
27 The Good Look

11:30
5-27 Strike It Rich-Warren Hull

Noon
3-21 Bob Smith Show
5 Valiant Lady
8 Drama At Noon
27 News Bulletins

12:15
5-27 Love Of Life

12:30
3 One O Clock Preview
5-27 Search For Tomorrow
8 Rena And Bob (Ledyard)
21 Hal's A Poppin-Hal Fryar Not long after this, Hal would move to Indianapolis, where he became long time Kiddie host, "Harlow Hickenlooper" on Channel 6 in that city..
http://www.harlowhickenlooper.com/

12:45
5-27 Guiding Light

1PM
3 Movie (One O Clock Playhouse)The Wall Of Death
5 Woman's Window
8-27 Portia Faces Life-CBS
21 News

1:15
8 Seeking Heart-CBS
21 Hal's A Poppin Continues
27 Home Cooking-Resch

1:30
5 Welcome Travelers
8 Movie (Midday Moivie) Little Pal

1:45
27 Curious Camera

2PM
5-27 Robert Q. Lewis
21 Movie (Sittin Easy) Tough Assignment

2:15
3 Maggi Byrne

2:30
5 Linkletter's House Party
21 Kitchen Corner-Marjorie Mariner
27 Outdoors

2:45
3 Maggi's Kitchen
8 All For You-Alice Weston

3PM
3-21 One Man's Family (Moves to 3:30 next week)
5-27 Big Payoff
8 Paul Dixon-DuMont

3:15
3-21 Golden Windows

3:30
3-21 First Love (Moves To 4:15 next week)
5 Bob Crosby
8-27 Paul Dixon-DuMont

3:45
3-21 Miss Marlowe

4PM
3-21 Hawkins Falls
5 Mixing Bowl
8 Brighter Day-CBS
27 Pays To Remember

4:15
3-21 Bride and Groom-Last Show of Thw Series
8-27 Secret Storm-CBS

4:30
3-21 Betty White
5 On Your Account
8 King Jack
27 Grizzly Pete

5PM
3 Pinky Lee
5 Uncle Jake-Gene Carroll
8-Desert Deputy-Movie
21 Susie Sidesaddle
27 Barker Bill-CBS
49 Hinky Dinks-Kids

5:15
27 Grizzly Pete continues

5:25
5 News

5:30
3-21 Howdy Doody
5 Twenty Fingers
49 Summer Matinee-Music

5:45
5 Professor Pet

5:50
5 Dinner Platter-Bob Dale

6PM
3 Suppertime Comics
21-49 News Summary

6:15
8 Sports-Bob Neal
21 Sports-Eddie Lane
49 Humbard Family

6:25
21 Weather

6:30
3 Sports-Tom Manning
5 Dorothy Fuldheim
8 Weather-Dr. Annear
21 Pounding Hooves
27 News Today
49 Sports-Bob Wuylie

6:45
3 Today's News
5 Sports Page-Jack Graney, Paul Wilcox
8 Joe Portaro
27 Sports-Don Gardner
49 Ranch 49-Woodell

6:55
5-27 Weather

7PM
3 Badge 714
5 The Big Playback
8-27 Captain Video-DuMont
21 What's Your Trouble?
49 News-Jack Fitzgibbons

7:10
49 Scores-Bob Wylie

7:15
5 Green Thumbs
8 News-Bob Lang, Jimmy Dudley
21 Telerama
27 News-Features
49 ABC News-John Daly

7:30
3-21 Eddie Fisher
5-27 Douglas Edwards CBS News
8 Stu Erwin-ABC
49 Chef Lorenzo

7:45
3-21 Camel News Caravan-John Cameron Swayze
5-27 Perry Como

8PM
3-21 The Duke
5 Pantomime Quiz
8 Baseball-Indians at Washington Senators
27 Dangerous Assignment
49 Teen Who Club

8:30
3-21 Life Of Riley
5-27 Topper
49 Greatest Sport Thrills

9PM
3-21 Best In Mystery
5-27 Schlitz Playhouse Of Stars
49 Paul Hartman Show

9:30
3-21 Soundstage
5-27 Our Miss Brooks
49 In Our Time

10PM
3-21 Sports Highlights
5-27 Star Theater
49 Movie (Feature Film) Convicts At Large

10:30
3-21 Moments In Sports
5 I Led Three Lives
27 It's News To Me

10:45
3 To Be Announced
21 Paul Killiam

11PM
3 News-Tom Field
5 Movie (Feature Film) 40,000 Horsemen
8-27 News-Warren Guthrie
21 News

11:05
3 Weather-Joe Finan

11:10
3-21 Sports
27 News-Sid Davis

11:15
3 Custom Inn-Glenn Rowell
8 Sports-John Fitzgerald
21 Barn Dance
27 Movie (Playhouse 27) The Pretender

11:20
8 Movie (Night Owl Theater) The Man Who Walked Alone

11:30
3 Movie (Hollywood Theater) Topper

Midnight
21 Late News

12:30
5-27 News Bulletins

12:45
3 News Bulletins