One Day In Chicago's Television History
It's late August. Sunday afternoon 1950. What's on television? In these days, stations do not broadcast 24/7. While there may be test patterns filling the TV screens of hundreds of Chicago area homes for hours before, the first regular program does not appear on screen until 11:30 am when WBKB channel 4 begins with Show Kids, a children's amateur show hosted by Bill Bailey. WENR-TV signs on at noon with its first entry in an afternoon of family oriented programming Bible Stories as narrated by Kay Morrow. Viewers sticking with channel 7 will enjoy the adventures of The Lone Ranger and Hopalong Cassidy, Durwood Kirby on Sunday At The Bronx Zoo, all coming from the struggling ABC-TV network; Mary Hartline comes to you live from the Civic Opera House on Super Circus beginning at 4 pm; and what Sunday afternoon would be complete without a western film like that seen on Corrigan's Ranch at 5:30.
While channel 7 entertains the kids, two other Chicago stations are competing for the same audience with the same program...baseball. WBKB channel 4 and WGN-TV channel 9 both air a double header between the Cubs and the Phillies. Just as today, both stations warm up their audience with sports commentaries and interviews before the game begins. A housewife's first hint that her husband will be glued to the set is at 12:50 as channel 9 airs Batting Practice with Harry Creighton. Five minutes later channel 4 begins its sports filled afternoon with Manny Opper and Bleacher's Club. At 1:05 it's Harry Creighton again with channel 9's Lead Off Man. Yes Lead Off Man! At 1:10 WBKB counters with What's The Score? emceed by Linn Burton. By 1:30 the first game of the double header has begun with Jack Brickhouse and Vince Lloyd describing the play by play at channel 9 and Joe Wilson doing the honors over at channel 4.
But where's WNBQ channel 5? Well they don't show up until mid afternoon- at 3:30 with a focus on news. The NBC affiliate opens with Clifton Utley hosting Front Line Camera followed by Meet The Press with moderator Martha Roundtree and her guest Michael Quill. If you missed your helping of Hopalong Cassidy earlier at 2:00 on channel 7 you can catch another episode at 5 on channel 5.
Of course the truly video adventurous will want to turn their television dials to channel 2 with hopes of finding an alternative airing on Zenith's experimental station KS2XBS which was quickly gearing up for a historic event, Chicago's first pay television experiment, Phonevision early in 1951.
Sunday afternoon turns to Sunday evening The games are over and the dinner hour is spent with Gene Autry on WBKB and Zoo Parade with Marlin Perkins and Jim Hurlibut on WNBQ. Tuning into channel 7 will bring in Think Fast, a quiz show with David Broekman, Leon Janney, and George Hamilton Combs. Network programming fill the Sunday evening hours. Its domestic comedy on NBC with The Aldrich Family on channel 5 and Toast Of The Town, emceed by Ed Sullivan, already a Sunday night CBS staple for two years on WBKB. The fledging DuMont Network offers its viewers Billy Carson Stories with Buster Crabbe and Bob Atcher of the Meadow Gold Ranch on channel 9. WNBQ will air Battle Report - Washington at 7 pm discussing our country's first line of defense followed by Bill Stern's Sports, an interview program. If Shakespeare's your cup of tea, you won't touch that dial at 8:00 as NBC's Masterpiece Playhouse brings you live productions from New York. Tonight it's "Othello." For those not into The Bard, there's Take Another Look, a quiz show hosted by Sonny Mars and featuring music by Bill Otto and his orchestra airing on WBKB channel 4. Armchair gumshoes will want to wait ten minutes and catch Mysteries Of Chinatown, a crime drama from ABC-TV starring Marvin Miller as Dr. Yat Fu, amateur sleuth. WENR-TV channel 7 airs kinescopes of the Hollywood produced program.
Late night television during these early days starts around 9 pm with WNBQ's Garroway At Large, with Dave Garroway and his guests Bette Chapel, Connie Russell, Jack Haskell, Cliff Norton, the Songsmiths quartet and dancers Jimmy Russell and Vinio Aura. WBKB will fill the first half of the hour with Film Shorts followed by an airing of the film "Jungle Book" at 9:30. Channel 7's audience will enjoy Gloom Dodgers, a comedy variety show hosted by Peggy Dietrich and WGN-TV channel 9 will screen Stars Of Tomorrow emceed by Lee Bennett. Sunday evening in Chicago doesn't forget the kids. There's Soap Box Theatre on channel 7 at 8:40 and another episode of that masked man The Lone Ranger at 9:00. Those who want to conclude their evening with a movie can catch one after Garroway At Large on channel 5's Tele-Movie Time or switch to channel 9 and watch Jim Moran "The Courtesy Man" hosting Courtesy Theater. Tonight its "The Brass Monkey" starring Carol Landis. WNBQ wraps it's broadcast day with Tom Duggan and Today's Ball Game. WBKB concludes its day with Top Of The News with Roy Topper followed five minutes later with Treasure Hunt, another quiz show. At 11:10 night owls will tune to the Balaban & Katz operated station for Murder Before Midnight. WENR-TV winds to a close with Comedy Carnival, a half hour of silent films followed by Sportscapades, a filmed series of news highlights. The broadcast schedule for WGN-TV concludes with Today's Headlines, a news program from the Tribune owned station.
By midnight all that is left are the test patterns and perhaps a little "piped in" music (if the station's engineers feel so inclined). No infomercials. No sultry women inviting you to call 1-900... Not even a worn out rerun of Then Came Bronson. Although Chicago television is ten years old by now, it is still very much in its infancy. As the networks begin to fill in the evening hours with programming from New York and the west coast, local fare produced by the stations themselves can still be easily found. The "Chicago School Of Television" is still in session. But not for long.
FAST FORWARD TEN YEARS TO THE DATE, AUGUST 27, 1960 AND SEE HOW TV HAS CHANGED!
Source: TV Forecast magazine- Sunday, August 27, 1950
copyright 2002 Steve Jajkowski all right reserved.