WE: WOMEN'S ENTERTAINMENT (Network)
(General Entertainment Cable Network)
LAUNCHED:
Januaryl, 1997
SUBSCRIBERS (MAY 2007):
63.9 million (57% U.S.)
This women's network was originally launched as a movie channel called Romance Classics, a subsidiary of American Movie Classics, specializing in romantic movies, dramas and specials. Many of the films were lesser-known theatrical titles ohf the ‘80s, made for television, or imported—but then, love knows no boundaries, does it?
In 2000 the network was relaunched as WE: Women's Entertainment, a full-service women's network with movies still constituting a major part of the schedule. Supplementing them were such original series as Cool Women (documentary about women of achievement, hosted by Debbie Allen), Everyday Elegance (advice on entertaining, with Colin Cowie), Style World (a worldwide shopping binge with Daisy Fuentes), Journey Women Off the Map (outdoor adventures) and Great Romances of the 20th Century. Later entries included Winning Women (sports bios) with Alexandra Paul.
The network's signature original series during the mid-2000s was the alternately scary and funny Bridezillas (2004), depicting out-of-control brides-to-be in the frantic days leading up to their weddings. The network was also the U.S. home for the Australian soap opera McLeod's Daughters from 2004 to 2006.
W.E.B. (Drama )
FIRST TELECAST: September 13, 1978
LAST TELECAST: October 5, 1978
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Sep 1978 , NBC Wed 10:00-11:00
Sep 1978—Oct 1978 , NBC Thu 10:00-11:00
CAST:
| Ellen Cunningham | Pamela Bellwood |
| Jack Kiley | Alex Cord |
| Gus Dunlap | Richard Basehart |
| Dan Costello | Andrew Prine |
| Walter Matthews | Howard Witt |
| Harvey Pearlstein | Lee Wilkof |
| Christine | Tisch Raye |
| Kevin | Peter Coffield |
Television showed the ability to caricature even itself in this primetime soap opera set behind the scenes at a “major television network”—Trans Atlantic Broadcasting. Ellen Cunningham, an ambitious, talented fe-male executive who had clawed her way up in a man's world, was head of Special Events Programming. Surrounding her was an executive suite full of unsavory characters: Jack Kiley, the ruthless head of programming; Gus Dunlap, news chief and a drunken has-been; Dan Costello, fast-talking, inebriated sales chief; Walter Matthews, hard-driving head of operations; and Harvey Pearlstein, the research head obsessed with ratings. There was plenty of backbiting, maneuvering, and high-level treachery behind the smiling screen at T.A.B. This series was no doubt inspired by the movie Network , and was produced by Lin Bolen, who in real life had been one of the industry's first female programming chiefs (at NBC).
WIOU (Drama)
FIRST TELECAST: October 24, 1990
LAST TELECAST: March 20, 1991
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Oct 1990-Jan 1991 , CBS Wed 10:00-11:00
Mar 1991 , CBS Wed 10:00-11:00
CAST:
| Hank Zaret | John Shea |
| Kelby Robinson | Helen Shaver |
| Neal Frazier | Harris Yulin |
| Floyd Graham | Dick Van Patten |
| Liz McVay | Mariette Hartley |
| Taylor Young | Kate McNeil |
| Eddie Bock | Phil Morris |
| Willis Teitlebaum | Wallace Langham |
| Ann Hudson | Jayne Brook |
| Tony Pro | Joe Grifasi |
| Kevin Dougherìy | Robin Gammell |
| Marc Adamson | Eric Pierpoint |
| Rick Singer | Steven Eckholdt |
| Floor Director | Scott Harlan |
| Director | Robert Crow |
Hank Zaret was the new news director at TV station WNDY, sent by executives at the network which owned the station to bolster its sagging news ratings. Hank, who had gotten his start there years before, returned to a station in such financial trouble its staff had nicknamed it WIOU. The principal WNDY on-camera news personnel were anchor Neal Frazier, an overbearing womanizer with an inflated ego and a wandering eye; newly appointed coanchor Kelby Robinson, a dedicated journalist who had once been Hank's lover; weatherman Floyd Graham, a lovable veteran who was going blind from glaucoma; reporter Eddie Bock, an ambitious black newsman with minimal scruples when it came to furthering his career; and reporter Taylor Young, a recent arrival from Tampa with a mind-set almost identical to Eddie's. Others on the news staff were longtime executive producer Liz McVay, who felt she had been passed over when Hank had been hired; committed young field producer Ann Hudson, who was dating wealthy yuppie Rick Singer; news intern Willis Teitlebaum, who had a crush on Ann; and unprincipled cameraman Marc Adamson, who worked with Taylor to further both their careers. Tony Pro was WNDY's fast-talking public relations director and Kevin Dougherty its anxiety ridden general manager, fearful that if the ratings didn't get better, he'd be out of a job. Although no city was ever mentioned, with the call letters WNDY, this series could have been set in Chicago.
Despite lavish praise from critics, and a cast that gave WIOU a very real look, the ratings for the series were even lower than the news ratings for fictional WNDY. The series never found an audience and was canceled, with five of the eighteen episodes produced never having aired.
WKRP IN CINCINNATI (Situation Comedy)
FIRST TELECAST: September 18, 1978
LAST TELECAST: September 20, 1982
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Sep 1978—Nov 1978 , CBS Mon 8:00-8:30
Jan 1979—Dec 1979 , CBS Mon 9:30-10:00
Dec 1979-Jul 1980 , CBS Mon 8:00-8:30
Jul 1980-Aug 1980 , CBS Mon 8:30-9:00
Aug 1980-Sep 1980 , CBS Sat 8:00-8:30
Sep 1980—Oct 1980 , CBS Mon 9:30-10:00
Nov 1980-May 1981 , CBS Sat 8:00-8:30
Jun 1981-Sep 1981 , CBS Mon 8:00-8:30
Oct 1981-Jan 1982 , CBS Wed 8:30-9:00
Jan 1982—Feh 1982 , CBS Wed 8:00-8:30
Mar 1982-Apr 1982 , CBS Wed 9:00-9:30
Jun 1982-Sep 1982 , CBS Mon 8:30-9:00 (In first-run syndication from September 1991 to September 1993)
CAST:
| Andy Travis (1978-1982) | Gary Sandy |
| Arthur Carlson (“Big Guy”) | Gordon Jump |
| Jennifer Marlowe (1978-1982) | Loni Anderson |
| Les Nessman | Richard Sanders Gordon Sims (Venus Flytrap) (1978-1982) |
| Herb Tarlek | Frank Bonner |
| Bailey Quarters (1978-1982) | Jan Smithers |
| Johnny Caravella (Dr. Johnny Fever) | Howard Hesseman |
| Lillian “Mama” Carlson (pilot only) | Carol Bruce |
| *Lillian “Mama” Carlson (1979-1992) | Sylvia Sidney |
| Donovan Aderhold (1991 —1993) | Mykel T. Williamson |
| Dana Burns (1991-1992) | Kathleen Garrett |
| Jack Allen (1991-1992) | Michael Des Barres |
| Mona Loveland (1991-1993) | Tawny Kitaen |
| Claire Hartline (1991-1992) | Hope Alexander-Willis |
| Arthur Carlson, Jr. (1991-1992) | Lightfield Lewis |
| Ronnie Lee (1991) | Wendy Davis |
| Buddy Dornster (1991-1993) | John Chappell |
| Nancy Braithwaite (1992-1993) | Marla Jeanette Rubinoff |
| Razor Dee (1992-1993) | French Stewart |
*Occasional
The arrival of a new program director, Andy Travis, brought sudden and dramatic changes to WKRP, a Cincinnati radio station that had been losing money for years by playing sedate music. Andy's decision to turn WKRP into a “top 40” rock ‘n' roll station alienated its elderly audience, and also its few sponsors, such as the Shady Hill Rest Home and Barry's Fashions for the Short and Portly. It also created a trying situation for Arthur Carlson, the inept and bumbling general manager who held his job only because his mother owned the station. But Mother Carlson, who had dollar signs in her eyes, decided to give Andy's plan a try—as long as the station turned a profit.
The staff of WKRP was full of offbeat characters. Les Nessman was the naive, gullible, and pompous news director, more concerned with his farm reports than with national and international stories. Bailey Quarters was Andy's enthusiastic young assistant, who handled billing and traffic and was eventually given the added responsibilities of backup news reporter working with Les. The two WKRP disc jockeys seen regularly were morning man Dr. Johnny Fever, a jive-talking counterculture type who seemed constantly spaced out, and night man Venus Flytrap, a hip black who had worked with Andy at other stations.
Jennifer Marlowe, the sexy but efficient receptionist, actually had a lot to do with holding the station together—she knew far more about what was going on than did her boss, Mr. Carlson. Loni Anderson, who played Jennifer, quickly became the star of the show, and one of the major sex symbols of the late 1970s. The Farrah Fawcett-Majors posters of a few years earlier gave way to posters of the buxom Loni. She guested constantly on other programs, and soon landed the juicy role of Jayne Mansfield in a made-for-television movie about the life of that sex symbol of an earlier era. All the adulation went to her—or her agent's—head, and, like Farrah, she quickly demanded a huge increase in salary or she would leave the show. Unlike Farrah, she got it, and stayed.
The final regular was Herb Tarlek, WKRP's high-pressure advertising salesman who, though married, spent much of his time making passes at Jennifer. He proved to be more talk than action, however, as he was totally intimidated when she indicated she was willing to take him up on his offer in one touching episode. Station owner Mrs. Carlson was a constant threat to them all but, fortunately, only showed up occasionally, usually to complain about something they either were or weren't doing with the station.
Nine years after WKRP in Cincinnati left CBS, it returned to the air in first-run syndication with three returning characters from the network series— bumbling station manager Arthur Carlson, sleazy salesman Herb Tarlek, and nerdy news director Les Nessman. New to the station were Donovan Ader-hold, the recently hired black program director; Burns and Allen, the quarrelsome married couple who were known on the air as “the morning maniacs;” Mona Loveland, the sexy late-night disc jockey; Claire, WKRP's cynical traffic manager; Ronnie, the young receptionist; Buddy, the station's portly rumpled engineer; and Mr. Carlson's son, Arthur, Jr., an ambitious and rather arrogant apprentice salesman working with Herb. Nancy, a sexy but dopey receptionist, replaced Ronnie early in 1992, and a number of cast changes were made that fall. Gone were “the morning maniacs,” replaced by Razor Dee, a spaced-out younger version of Johnny Fever; Dee lived in a trailer he had conned Les into leaving in his backyard. Fever himself, who had shown up several times during the previous season, was back full-time on the graveyard shift, and Art Jr., who had been a pain for Herb, had given up selling to go to graduate school. Seen occasionally during the syndicated run, as well as during the original network run, was Herb's perky wife, Lucille, played by Edie McClurg.
WACKIEST SHIP IN THE ARMY, THE (War/Adventure)
FIRST TELECAST: September 19, 1965
LAST TELECAST: September 4, 1966
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Sep 1965-Sep 1966 , NBC Sun 10:00-11:00
CAST:
In the spring of 1942, only months after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, the government of New Zealand presented to the United States the Kiwi , a 70-year-old twin-masted schooner. Obsolete and badly in need of repairs, the ship was staffed with a token crew while the U.S. Navy tried to figure out what to do with it. The navy soon discovered that it possessed certain unique qualities that made it a useful espionage weapon. Its wooden hull did not show up on radar, its sailing power did not register on sonar, and its shallow draft allowed it to travel in waters not deep enough for larger ships. And so the Kiwi went to war. It was commanded by young Lt. Rip Riddle when at sea and by Maj. Simon Butcher of the army when in port, a situation which caused numerous problems because Rip and Simon had very different views on war strategy, women, protocol, and their respective roles on the ship. Complicating things even more was the fact that Maj. Butcher, although higher in rank than Lt. Riddle, had to report to the younger man whenever the Kiwi was at sea, while their roles were reversed whenever it made port. The adventures of the crew in the South Pacific during the early days of the war constituted the stories, which were based on the real-life exploits of the Echo , a leaky two-masted schooner which New Zealand's government gave to the U.S. in 1942. The story of the Echo had been made into a comedy-adventure movie in 1960.
WACKY WORLD OF JONATHAN WINTERS, THE (Comedy/Variety)
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Syndicated only
30 minutes
Produced: 1972-1974 (52 episodes)
Released: Fall 1972
REGULARS:
Jonathan Winters
Marian Mercer
Mary Gregory
Soul Sisters (1972-1973)
The Golddiggers (1973-1974)
Van Alexander Orchestra
Comedian Jonathan Winters, who had a number of network series (see Index), returned to TV in 1972 with this syndicated comedy variety show. The emphasis was on improvisational sketches, with Maudie Frickert and the other fanciful Winters characters appearing frequently. There was a regular supporting cast in the first season, and multiple guest appearances by John Davidson, Tony Orlando and Dawn, Charo, the Staple Singers, John Stewart, the Ding-a-Lings, and Lynn Anderson.
WAGON TRAIN (Western)
FIRST TELECAST: September 18, 1957
LAST TELECAST: September 5, 1965
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Sep 1957-Sep 1962 , NBC Wed 7:30-8:30
Sep 1962-Sep 1963 , ABC Wed 7:30-8:30
Sep 1963-Sep 1964 , ABC Mon 8:30-10:00
Sep 1964-Sep 1965 , ABC Sun 7:30-8:30
CAST:
| Major Seth Adams (1957-1961) | Ward Bond |
| Flint McCuIIough (1957-1962) | Robert Horton |
| Bill Hawks | Terry Wilson |
| Charlie Wooster | Frank McGrath |
| Duke Shannon (1961-1964) | Scott Miller |
| Christopher Hale (1961-1965) | John McIntire |
| Barnaby West (1963-1965) | Michael Burns |
| Cooper Smith (1963-1965) | Robert Fuller |
Wagon Train was one of the most popular “big” Western series during the heyday of TV Westerns, in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It was big in scope (the whole American West, it seemed), big in cast (many top-name guests), and big in format (60 minutes most seasons, 90 minutes in one). The setting was a California-bound wagon train in the post-Civil War days, starting out each season from “St. Joe” (St. Joseph, Missouri) and making its way west until reaching California in the spring. In between there were endless adventures on the vast, Indian-controlled Great Plains, the endless deserts, and the towering passes of the Rocky Mountains. But what made Wagon Train work were the characters who passed in and out of its episodes. The program was actually a series of character studies, each week revolving around a different member of the party or a different person encountered by the train along the way. Some were God-fearin' settlers, others young adventurers, others scoundrels. The regulars in the cast, who composed the “staff” of the wagon train, were seen in costarring or sometimes even secondary roles.
Wagon Train had only two wagonmasters in its eight years of crisscrossing the country. The first was fatherly Major Adams, replaced in the spring of 1961 by Chris Hale (actor Ward Bond had died the previous November in the middle of shooting the 1960-1961 season's episodes). Flint McCullough was the original frontier scout who rode out ahead to clear the way and make peace, if possible, with often unfriendly Indians. When Robert Horton left the series (supposedly he was “fed up” with Westerns), McCullough was replaced by Duke Shannon and young Cooper Smith. Bill Hawks went all the way as the assistant wagonmaster and lead wagon driver, as did grizzled old Charlie Wooster as the cook. Barnaby West joined the regular cast during the last couple of seasons as a 13-year-old orphan boy found trudging along the trail heading west on his own.
Those were the continuing cast members, but the regular infusion of guest stars and the focus on different personalities in each episode made Wagon Train seem more like a new Western film every week than an ordinary TV series. The series took a season to catch on, but in its second year it was in the top ten. After three years of placing a close second to Gun-smoke , it became the number-one program on television in the 1961-1962 season.
Reruns of the episodes featuring Ward Bond aired as part of the ABC weekday daytime lineup under the title Major Adams—Trailmaster from September 1963 to September 1965 and on Sunday afternoons from January 1963 to May 1964.
WAIT TILL YOUR FATHER GETS HOME (Cartoon)
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Syndicated only
30 minutes
Produced: 1972-1974 (48 episodes)
Released: Fall 1972
VOICES:
| Harry Boyle | Tom Bosley |
| Irma Boyle | Joan Gerber |
| Alice Boyle | Kristina Holland |
| Chet Boyle | David Hayward |
| Jamie Boyle | Jackie Haley |
| Ralph | Jack Burns |
This rather unsubtle animated comedy was an attempt to cash in on the enormous success of All in the Family. Harry Boyle was a conservative businessman-father who was continually exasperated by the excesses of his hippie son, Chet, and sexually liberated daughter, Alice. His allies were obedient youngest son, Jamie, and Neanderthal neighbor, Ralph, who gave his family close-order drill against the day of the Communist invasion. Wife Irma was neutral.
A good many celebrities appeared on the show, sometimes voicing cartoon representations of themselves. Among them were Don Knotts, Phyllis Diller, Don Adams, Rich Little, Jonathan Winters, and Monty Hall.
WAITING FOR THE BREAK (Variety)
FIRST TELECAST: March 18, 1950
LAST TELECAST: April 8, 1950
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Mar 1950-Apr 1950 , NBC Sat 7:30-8:00
HOST:
Hank Ladd Four-week variety series featuring the understudies and chorus people from current Broadway hits, performing scenes and songs from their shows.
WALKER, TEXAS RANGER (Western)
FIRST TELECAST: April 21, 1993
LAST TELECAST: July 28, 2001
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Apr 1993 , CBS Wed 9:00-11:00
Apr 1993-May 1993 , CBS Sat 10:00-11:00
Sep 1993-Jun 2000 , CBS Sat 10:00-11:00
Jun 2000-Aug 2001 , CBS Sat 9:00-10:00
Jul 2000-Sep 2000 , CBS Sat 10:00-11:00
Oct 2000—Feb 2001 , CBS Sat 9:00-10:00
Apr 2001-Jun 2001 , CBS Sat 8:00-9:00
Apr 2001-JuI2001 , CBS Sat 9:00-10:00
CAST:
| Cordell “Cord” Walker | Chuck Norris |
| James “Jimmy” Trivette | Clarence Gilyard |
| Asst. O.A. Alex Cahill | Sheree J. Wilson |
| C. D. Parker (pilot only) | Gailard Sartain |
| C. D. Parker (1993-1999) | Noble Willingham |
| Uncle Ray Firewalker (1993-1994) | Floyd Red Crow Westerman |
| Det. Carlos Sandoval (1998-1999) | Marco Sanchez |
| Trent Malloy (1998-1999) | Jimmy Wlcek |
| Francis Gage (1999-2001) | Judson Mills |
| Sydney Cooke (1999-2001) | Nia Peeples |
Cordell Walker was a contemporary Texas Ranger working out of the Dallas office who believed in dealing with criminals the old-fashioned way—by beating them up. Despite the rules that governed the way law-enforcement officers were supposed to act, Walker's approach closely resembled the “an eye for an eye” school of crime fighting. His partner was young Ranger Jimmy Trivette, who had grown up in the slums of Baltimore and used football as his ticket to a college education and a career with the Dallas Cowboys until he tore up a knee. Despite Jimmy's belief in computers and scientific criminology, working with Walker always seemed to leave him bruised and sore—when Walker was trying to get information or take people into custody it was more than likely there would be a fistfight or karate kicks. County Assistant D.A. Alex Cahill, his sometimes girlfriend, frowned on Walker's methods, even if they did get results. When not on duty Walker and the others hung out at C.D.'s, the saloon/restaurant owned by his buddy C. D. Parker, a former Ranger forced to retire after taking a bullet in the knee, who still provided help and advice on cases. Uncle Ray was the wise old Native American who had raised Walker.
In March 1998, Walker rescued his friend Carlos, a Dallas police detective, who was in trouble on an undercover drug assignment. Trent Malloy, a mutual friend and one of Walker's former students who now ran his own karate school, helped out. For the next year, until Carlos left the force and became Trent's partner in a detective agency (see Sons of Thunder) , they showed up regularly on Walker. In the May 1998 season finale Walker was about to ask Alex to marry him when she was shot by an ex-con who blamed her for his incarceration. She almost died but eventually recovered, and they got engaged that fall.
In the fall of 1999 two new Rangers who often worked undercover, Gage and Cooke, were added to Walker's team, and that December C D. made his last on-screen appearance. The following May Cordell and Alex finally got married. In the series finale it was revealed that a vindictive criminal on a vendetta to kill a dozen Rangers, culminating with Walker, had poisoned C. D. (who had died mysteriously from a heart attack the previous October). The criminal helped a number of his colleagues escape from a high-security prison, and they went on a rampage. They first shot and killed one Ranger from long range, then rigged Trivette's car to crash and burn—but he had been thrown from it as it rolled and survived. When Walker and Alex went to see Trivette in the hospital, she went into labor and gave birth to a daughter, Angela. In the final confrontation Walker killed the criminal by pulling the pin on a grenade he had tied to his belt.
Star Chuck Norris, a former karate champion and movie star, played Walker in the deadpan unemotional style he had used in most of his feature films. Nothing ever seemed to excite him, and the violence on the show had a cartoon quality about it. There was a surrealistic efficiency about Walker—he almost never broke a sweat, got hurt, or wasted a blow—using violence because it was necessary but never glorying in it.
WALKING TALL (Police Drama)
FIRST TELECAST: January 17, 1981
LAST TELECAST: June 6, 1981
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Jan 1981-Feb 1981 , NBC Sat 9:00-10:00
Mar 1981—Apr 1981 , NBC Tue 10:00-11:00
Apr 1981-Jun 1981 , NBC Sat 10:00-11:00
CAST:
| Sheriff Buford Pusser | Bo Svenson |
| Michael Pusser | Rad Daly |
| Dwana Pusser | Heather McAdams |
| Carl Pusser | Walter Barnes |
| Deputy Aaron Fairfax | Harold Sylvester |
| Deputy Grady Spooner | Jeff Lester |
| Deputy Joan Litton | Courtney Pledger |
Buford Pusser was a man with a deeply moral sense of right and wrong, which he enforced none too subtly with a large club. The sheriff of rural McNeal County, Tennessee, he was a big, two-fisted brawler who often used force to convince wrongdoers of the error of their ways. The local purveyors of gambling and prostitution hated Buford, who, carrying a four-foot-long club to mete out justice (his “pacifier”), was certainly an imposing sight. He had been beaten, threatened, and shot at—one assassination attempt had killed his wife, Pauline, by mistake, leaving Buford to raise his two young children with the help of his father, Carl.
There had been a real Buford Pusser, and his actual exploits were brought to theaters in 1973 in the film version of Walking Tall. Joe Don Baker played the role in the original film, and Bo Svenson took it over in the two sequels. Pusser was to have played himself in the second movie sequel, but died in an automobile crash before the film went into production. Although it could not be proven, the nature of the crash led some to suspect that the criminals had finally gotten rid of him.
WALT DISNEY (Anthology)
FIRST TELECAST: October 27, 1954
LAST TELECAST: September 9, 1990
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Oct 1954-Sep 1958 , ABC Wed 7:30-8:30
Sep 1958-Sep 1959 , ABC Fri 8:00-9:00
Sep 1959-Sep 1960 , ABC Fri 7:30-8:30
Sep 1960-Sep 1961 , ABC Sun 6:30-7:30
Sep 1961-Aug 1975 , NBC Sun 7:30-8:30
Sep 1975-Sep 1981 , NBC Sun 7:00-8:00
Sep 1981-Jan 1983 , CBS Sat 8:00-9:00
Jan 1983–Feb 1983 , CBS Tue 8:00-9:00
Jul 1983-Sep 1983 , CBS Sat 8:00-9:00
Feb 1986-Sep 1987 , ABC Sun 7:00-9:00
Sep 1987-Sep 1988 , ABC Sun 7:00-8:00
Oct 1988–Jul 1989 , NBC Sun 7:00-8:00
Jul 1989 , NBC Sun 8:00-9:00
Aug 1989-May 1990 , NBC Sun 7:00-8:00
May 1990-Jul 1990 , NBC Sun 7:00-9:00
Jul 1990-Aug 1990 , NBC Sun 8:00-9:00
Aug 1990-Sep 1990 , NBC Sun 7:00-8:00
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER/HOST:
Walt Disney (1954-1966)
Michael Eisner (1986-1990)
Walt Disney , under its various names, is one of the longest-running prime-time series in network history— thirty-four seasons (and we wouldn't take bets that it won't be back one day for more). It is also historic for another reason. When it premiered in 1954 it marked the first big plunge by a major Hollywood movie studio into television production. Disney changed the face of television in many ways. Previously the big studios, afraid of competition from the new medium, were television's sworn enemies, not only refusing to produce programming but denying TV the use of any of the latest or best theatrical films. Until Disney led the way, the lavish movie-style series so familiar today were an impossibility.
Luring Disney into television was a major coup for struggling ABC. Both CBS and NBC had negotiated with the moviemaker, but neither could agree to his seemingly exorbitant terms. Among other things, Mr. Disney wanted the network to help finance his proposed amusement park in Anaheim, California. Only ABC was willing to take a chance, paying a then-fabulous $500,000 plus $50,000 per program. ABC won big. Both the TV series and the park, Disneyland, were fabulous successes. The program Disneyland was, in fact, ABC's first major hit series.
Disneyland consisted of a mixture of cartoons, live-action adventures, documentaries, and nature stories, some made especially for TV and some former theatrical releases. A liberal number of repeat telecasts was included with each season's originals. At first Disneyland was divided into four rotating segments, listed at the beginning of each week's show by the cartoon character Tinkerbell (from Peter Pan). They were Frontierland, Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, and Ad-ventureland. The first telecast was a variety show, but what really got Disneyland off the ground was a three-part series of Frontierland adventures which began less than two months later—Davy Crockett. The exploits of the famed real-life frontiersman of the early 1800s took America by storm. The title role was played by Fess Parker (whom Disney had seen playing a bit part in the horror movie Them). Buddy Ebsen played his sidekick, George Russel. Davy Crockett lifted Fess Parker from obscurity to stardom overnight. Davy's trademark coonskin cap and other Crockett merchandise sold like wildfire to the nation's youth, and a recording of the theme song, “The Ballad of Davy Crockett,” was one of the biggest hits of the mid-1950s. (Fess Parker recorded the song, but ironically a minor-league singer named Bill Hayes beat him to it and had the big hit recording.)
The three original Crockett episodes were “Davy Crockett, Indian Fighter” (first aired December 15, 1954), “Davy Crockett Goes to Congress” (January 26, 1955), and “Davy Crockett at the Alamo” (February 23, 1955). Crockett was killed in the last episode, which created an embarrassing situation when the public began clamoring for more. Eventually a few more episodes were made, depicting incidents earlier in his life, but Crockett, for some reason, never did become a series in its own right.
Flushed with the spectacular success of Davy Crockett, Disney tried several more times to base multi-part stories on actual Western heroes. In 1957-1958 there was “The Saga of Andy Burnett” (Jerome Courtland as the young frontiersman), followed by “The Nine Lives of Elfego Baca” (starring Robert Loggia as a peace-loving but determined lawman in Tombstone, Arizona), “Texas John Slaughter” (Tom Tryon in the lead role), and “Swamp Fox” (Leslie Nielsen as Francis Marion, the Revolutionary War hero). Even Fess Parker got another shot at superstardom playing John Grayson in the film Westward Ho! The Wagons , which later turned up on the TV series. That time Parker made sure he got his recording of the theme song out before Bill Hayes did, but it didn't matter because neither the show nor the song was a hit.
There were many other presentations on Disney beyond the boundaries of Frontierland. Some were adaptations of classics such as Alice in Wonderland, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (narrated by Bing Crosby), Robin Hood, Treasure Island , and Babes in Toyland (with Annette Funicello, Tommy Sands, and Ray Bolger). The animated shows tended to feature well-known Disney characters such as Mickey Mouse (voice originally provided by Walt himself), Donald Duck, Pluto, and Goofy, sometimes in full-length stories, sometimes “narrating” documentaries on various subjects. When the series moved to NBC in 1961 a new character was added, Professor Ludwig Von Drake (voice by Paul Frees), who was supposed to be Donald's eccentric uncle and who cohosted many of the shows with Walt.
Documentaries within the series covered subjects ranging from space travel to how cartoons are made, and were always entertainingly presented. And of course there were plenty of plugs for the Disneyland park and, later, its Florida counterpart, Disney World, including reports on construction in progress, big opening galas, and, later, on-location variety shows. One of the latter, “Disneyland After Dark” in April 1962, marked the network TV debut of the Osmond Brothers, who were then performing at the park.
Every season of Disney brought all types of presentations, but the mix changed with the times. In the late 1950s and early 1960s there were many Westerns and other early-American adventures. Then the emphasis shifted more to nature stories, often about animals and their young human companions. Disney , in fact, produced quite a menagerie of nonhuman “stars,” to wit: “Sammy, the Way Out Seal,” “Greta, the Misfit Greyhound,” “Ida, the Offbeat Eagle,” “Joker, the Amiable Ocelot,” “Boomerang, Dog of Many Talents,” “Inky the Crow,” “The Horse in the Grey Flannel Suit,” “Salty, the Hijacked Harbor Seal,” “Ringo, the Refugee Raccoon,” “Stub, Best Cow Dog in the West,” “Deacon, the High Noon Dog,” “Twister, Bull from the Sky,” and “Lefty, the Ding-a-Ling Linx.” Not to mention “The Horse with the Flying Tail” and “The Hound That Thought He Was a Raccoon.” The most frequent narrator of these animal stories was cowboy star Rex Allen, although producer-writer Winston Hibler and others were also used.
For many years Walt Disney himself introduced the telecasts, and it was through television that the master showman became a national celebrity. He was such an institution that it was a distinct shock when Walt passed away suddenly on December 15, 1966. On the next Sunday's telecast the prefilmed introductions by Disney were deleted, and tributes by Chet Huntley and Dick Van Dyke were substituted. But the program itself went on as planned—appropriately, it was a tour led by Walt himself through his pride and joy, Disneyland.
In subsequent seasons there was no opening and closing host, simply voice-over narration by announcer Dick Wesson.
In later years, Disney suffered the same fate as many long-running series, gradually declining in audience because viewers apparently took it for granted, or considered it “old hat.” The fact that such programs might continue to provide first-rate entertainment meant little in the quest for “novelty.” Each year Disney's renewal became more doubtful until NBC finally announced its cancellation in 1981. The Disney magic refused to die, however. The series was picked up by CBS for two seasons (1981-1983), and then after a two-year hiatus returned to its original network, ABC. This latter version consisted of films (theatrical and made-for-TV), and revived the custom of specially filmed in-troductions by the head of the Disney studio—now a young executive named Michael D. Eisner.
After more than two years on ABC, Disney moved back to NBC in 1988, amid great fanfare that the venerable program would now become a “wheel” with four rotating elements, three of them revivals of past Disney hits as continuing series. One of these would be seen each week, while every fourth week viewers would get the usual potpourri of specials. The plan did not come to pass, however, as only two episodes were produced of each of the three revivals. Davy Crockett starred Tim Dunigan as the young frontiersman, with Gary Grubbs as his sidekick, Georgie Russel (Johnny Cash appeared as an older Davy looking back on his youthful days); The Absent-Minded Pro /essor had Harry Anderson as the wacky inventor of flubber; and The Parent Trap returned Hayley Mills to her famous role as mischievous identical twins, now grown, one of whom married a widower (Barry Bostwick), with teenage identical triplets of his own.
Disney attempted to launch another series-within-a-series the following year, Brand New Life , starring Barbara Eden and Don Murray as middle-aged newly-weds who combine their families from previous marriages with chaotic results (sort of an updated Brady Bunch). Only five episodes of that were produced, scheduled at irregular intervals under the Disney umbrella. The “wheel” having gone flat, Disney sputtered along with a mix of specials and movies until the end of the 1989-1990 season, after which the company concentrated on producing original series airing under their own names (see, for example, Disney Presents the 100 Lives of Blackjack Savage).
The Disney series was originally titled Disneyland , changed to Walt Disney Presents in 1958, to Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Cohrin 1961 (when many of the films previously seen in black-and-white on ABC were repeated in color on NBC), to The Wonderful World of Disney in 1969, and to Disney's Wonderful World in 1979. The 1981 CBS version was titled simply Walt Disney , the 1986 ABC revival, The Disney Sunday Movie , and the NBC 1988-1990 version, The Magical World of Disney.
In the fall of 1997, ABC (then owned by Disney) revived The Wonderful World of Disney as an umbrella title for the family-oriented theatrical films and made-for-TV movies it aired on Sunday nights from 7:00 to 9:00 P.M. The title was later used for Saturday night movies and occasional original productions, including a new five-part dramatization of Little House on the Prairie in March and April 2005 (for details see under that titlej. Disney CEO Michael Eisner hosted some of these productions until he was ousted from the company in September 2005.
WALTER AND EMILY (Situation Comedy)
FIRST TELECAST: November 16, 1991
LAST TELECAST: February 22, 1992
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Novl991—Feb 1992 , NBC Sat 8:30-9:00
CAST:
| Walter Collins | Brian Keith |
| Emily Collins | Cloris Leachman |
| Matt Collins | Christopher McDonald |
| Zach Collins (age 11) | Matthew Lawrence |
| Hartley | Edan Gross |
| *Stan | Sandy Baron |
| ^Albert | Shelley Berman |
*Occasional
Noisy multigenerational comedy in which gruff Walter and busybody Emily realized every grandparent's dream—to show the next generation how to raise their kids. Walter's divorced son, Matt, a sportswriter, was frequently on the road and had custody of towheaded Zach only on the condition that his grandparents would be around to help raise him. Walter and Emily squabbled incessantly but still managed to smother the kid with attention as long-suffering Matt looked on helplessly. Hartley was Zach's pal, with whom he sometimes got into trouble.
Sandy Baron and Shelley Berman appeared occasionally as Walter's buddies from his salesman days.
WALTER CRONKITE'S UNIVERSE , see Universe
WALTER WINCHELL FILE, THE (Crime Anthology)
FIRST TELECAST: October 2, 1957
LAST TELECAST: March 28, 1958
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Oct 1957—Dec 1957 , ABC Wed 9:30-10:00
Jan 1958-Mar 1958 , ABC Fri 10:00-10:30
HOST/NARRATOR:
Walter Winchell The crime dramas presented in this anthology were adapted from stories that Walter Winchell had uncovered while working the police beat in New York City. In addition to hosting the show, he functioned as the narrator, tying together the various elements that led to the drama that was actually shown on the air.
WALTER WINCHELL SHOW, THE (News/Commentary)
FIRST TELECAST: October 5, 1952
LAST TELECAST: November 6, 1960
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Oct 1952-Apr 1953 , ABC Sun 6:45-7:00
Apr 1953-JuI 1953 , ABC Sun 6:30-6:45
Sep 1953-Jan 1954 , ABC Mon 7:00-7:15
Sep 1953-Jun 1955 , ABC Sun 9:00-9:15
Oct 1960-Novl960 , ABC Sun 10:30-11:00
REPORTER:
Walter Winchell
Syndicated newspaper columnist Walter Winchell had a highly successful radio series in the 1930s and 1940s which gave him the opportunity to report the headlines he deemed important in his uniquely fast-paced and highly opinionated style. His crusades and grudges were legendary, but everything was delivered with a theatricality (Winchell had once been in vaudeville) that kept listeners entranced. After the war he went on an extended crusade against Communism, and eventually became a staunch supporter of Senator Joseph McCarthy.
In the fall of 1952 Winchell began simulcasting his famous Sunday night news show. The sight of the grizzled reporter was a surprise to many viewers. He always wore his hat while on the air, he was noticeably older (in his 50s) than many had imagined, and he personally ran the telegraph key that was used to punctuate the news and gossip of the world that he related (though the “code” he punched out was actually meaningless garble). Even his opening line, “Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. North and South America and all the ships at sea … let's go to press,” seemed some what dated on TV. The television version of his news show, although not the success that his radio program had been, remained on the air until Winchell resigned in a huff in 1955 after a disagreement with ABC executives. Five years later, it was brought back in a longer version. The revival was an immediate failure and lasted for only six weeks.
Winchell died in 1972.
WALTER WINCHELL SHOW, THE (Variety)
FIRST TELECAST: October 5, 1956
LAST TELECAST: December 28, 1956
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Oct 1956-Dec 1956 , NBC Fri 8:30-9:00
HOST:
Walter Winchell In the fall of 1956, NBC gave Walter Winchell the opportunity to show that he could be as successful as his fellow columnist Ed Sullivan as the host of a weekly live variety show. The program originated from New York for its first nine weeks and then moved to Hollywood. Despite the ability of Winchell to attract as guests show-business celebrities who owed him favors, and a reasonably well-paced production, the series never caught on and was canceled after 13 weeks.
WALTONS, THE (Drama)
FIRST TELECAST: September 14, 1972
LAST TELECAST: August 20, 1981
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Sep 1972-Aug 1981 , CBS Thu 8:00-9:00
CAST:
NARRATOR:
Earl Hamner, Jr.
Life in the South during the Depression was the subject of The Waltons. John and Olivia Walton and their seven children all lived together on Walton's Mountain, in the Blue Ridge Mountains of rural Jefferson County, Virginia. The family's modest income came from the lumber mill run by John and Grandpa Zeb. It was a close-knit family, with everyone helping out most of the time, and moralistic homilies abounded. There was no sex, no violence—just a warm family drama. Everything was seen through the eyes of John Boy, the oldest son, who had wanted to be a novelist for as long as he could remember. After high school he had enrolled as an English major at the local college, and at the start of the 1976-1977 season he began publishing his own local paper, The Blue Ridge Chronicle. By the end of the season, when his novel had been accepted by a publisher, he decided to move to New York. That season had been full of changes, including the marriage of Mary Ellen, who was in nursing school, to young Dr. Curtis Willard in November, and leading to the birth of their baby in 1978.
At the start of the 1977-1978 season The Waltons moved out of the Depression and into World War II. Young Rev. Fordwick enlisted in the army (John Ritter, who played the role, had a starring role in ABC's Three's Company that season) and was replaced by young Rev. Buchanan. Grandma Walton was ill (actress Ellen Corby had suffered a stroke) and was not seen until the last episode of the season, when she finally came home to Walton's Mountain, even though she was still partially incapacitated. She was seen only occasionally thereafter. The reunion was tearful, but brief. In April 1978, shortly after the close of the regular season, actor Will Geer, who played Grandpa Walton, died at the age of 76.
The 1978-1979 season saw much suffering on Walton's Mountain. Mary Ellen's husband, Curt, was killed in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and Olivia found out she had tuberculosis and went to a sanitarium for treatment (Michael Learned's contract had expired and she asked to be written out of the show to pursue other roles). In the spring Ben eloped with a young girl named Cindy. Olivia returned from the sanitarium and went off to a domestic army hospital to serve as a nurse. With Olivia gone and Grandpa having passed away, Olivia's cousin Rose arrived to run the Walton household—adding her two grandchildren to the group. Jason, John Boy, Jim-Bob, and Ben were all in the military, and a shortage of both materials and help forced John Walton to close his lumber mill temporarily. As the war drew to a close Jason got engaged to WAC Toni Hazleton (played by Jon Walmsley's real-life wife, Lisa Harrison), and Mary Ellen, taking courses in premed, found a new love with Jonesy. Her romance was almost aborted when she found that Curt had not died at Pearl Harbor after all, but their marriage was over and she stayed with Jonesy. As the series ended, John sold Walton's Mill to son Ben and moved to Arizona to be with his wife while she recuperated from a relapse of her TB.
Although The Waltons stopped production as a series in the spring of 1981, three more episodes aired as made-for-TV movies on NBC in February, May, and November of 1982. Erin Walton married her brother Ben's partner in the lumber business in February, Mary Ellen married Jonesy in May, and the family got together for Thanksgiving in the November episode, which aired almost 11 years after the made-for-TV film “The Homecoming,” the original pilot for The Waltons.
Author Earl Hamner, Jr., was the creator and narrator of The Waltons , which was based on reminiscences of his own childhood (previously portrayed in a somewhat different fashion in the 1963 Henry Fonda movie Spencer's Mountain). It was the most wholesome of TV programs and, surprisingly, did extremely well in the ratings. When it premiered in 1972 its competition was The Flip Wilson Show on NBC, then one of the most popular shows on television. To the surprise of both critics and TV executives The Waltons not only survived, but it forced Flip Wilson off the air and itself became one of the most viewed programs on TV. It was never a big hit in large cities, but it struck a chord in middle and rural America that guar-anteed it a long and prosperous run.
WANDA AT LARGE (Situation Comedy)
FIRST TELECAST: March 26, 2003
LAST TELECAST: November 7, 2003
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Mar 2003-Apr 2003 , FOX Wed 9:30-10:00
Aug 2003—Nov 2003 , FOX Fri 8:30-9:00
CAST:
| Wanda Hawkins | Wanda Sykes |
| Keith | Dale Godboldo |
| Bradley Grimes | Phil Morris |
| Rita Dahlberg | Ann Magnuson |
| Roger | Jason Kravits |
| Jenny Hawkins | Tammy Lauren |
| Barris Hawkins (age 13) | Robert Bailey, Jr. |
| Holly Hawkins (17) | Jurnee Smollett |
| Max Keener | Mark McKinney |
Wanda was an unemployed stand-up comic in Washington, D.C., whose life changed radically when she met her friend Keith's boss, Roger. Keith was a segment producer for The Beltway Gang , a local political talk show on WHDC-TV, and Roger, after meeting her, decided that her outspoken in-your-face attitude would make her the perfect on-air correspondent to liven up his boring show. Wanda, who was very opinionated and got down and dirty on the air, clashed with the show's two anchors—stuffy Rita, who sometimes found her amusing, and uptight Bradley, who couldn't stand her—and the sparks flew. It was good for ratings but certainly strained relationships, and manipulative Roger kept stirring the pot to maintain the friction. Wanda lived across the hall from her widowed sister-in-law, Jenny, who was raising two teenage children, Barris and Holly, with Wanda's “help.” Each episode opened with Wanda doing an outrageous out-of-studio segment on a topic of the day, such as gun buyers or plastic surgery, followed by the bemused, befuddled or repulsed reactions of the other members of The Beltway Gang panel.
At the start of the fall season the station had a new general manager, Max, a recovering alcoholic.
WANTED (Documentary)
FIRST TELECAST: October 20, 1955
LAST TELECAST: January 5, 1956
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Oct 1955-Jan 1956 , CBS Thu 10:30-11:00
NARRATOR:
Walter McGraw
There were no actors in Wanted. All of the participants played themselves, be they policemen, informers, or witnesses, as this filmed documentary series reenacted the process by which wanted criminals were pursued by law-enforcement officers. Each week an actual case was followed from the criminal act and then through the process of detection. All of the cases, which were drawn from FBI files, were still active, and the criminals whose stories were shown were asked over the air to give themselves up. There were interviews with victims and members of the wanted party's family as well as the crime-and-detection aspects of the show. The narrator, Walter McGraw, also produced Wanted.
WANTED (Crime Drama)
BROADCAST HISTORY:
TNT
60 minutes
Original episodes: 2005 (13 episodes)
Premiered: July 31, 2005
CAST:
| Lt. Conrad “Connie” Rose | Gary Cole |
| ATF Field Agent Jimmy McGloin | Ryan Hurst |
| Detective Carla Merced | Rashida Jones |
| FBI Special Agent Tommy Rodriguez | Benjamín Benítez |
| Officer Rodney Gronbeck | Josey Scott |
| U.S. Marshal Eddie Drake | Lee Tergesen |
| Mariah Belichek | Karen Sillas |
| Capt. Manuel Valenza | Joaquim de Almeida |
A special team of operatives from multiple departments was put together to track down the 100 most wanted criminals in Los Angeles—the kind who could “only be reformed by a bullet”—in this extremely violent series. The macho, break-the-rules-and-blow-'em-up strike force was headed by jut-jawed tough guy Connie Rose and included bone-breaking (but very religious) ATF agent McGloin, Naval Intelligence hostage negotiator Merced, ladies' man Rodriguez, computer whiz Gronbeck and newcomer Drake (who joined after a team member took a bullet in the premiere). Operating out of a warehouse, and constantly hassled by the D.A.'s office (“You can't do that!”), they kicked down doors, beat up thugs, and went undercover to trap the perps. In one episode the team stormed a bomb-laden, booby-trapped warehouse in the dark; were they nuts? By the end, of course, another one of L.A.'s 100-worst was dead.
WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE (Western)
FIRST TELECAST: September 6, 1958
LAST TELECAST: March 29, 1961
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Sep 1958-Sep 1960 , CBS Sat 8:30-9:00
Sep 1960-Mar 1961 , CBS Wed 8:30-9:00
CAST:
| Josh Randall | Steve McQueen |
| Jason Nichols (1960) | Wright King |
Bounty hunters were very common in the Old West during the last half of the 19th century. They made a living from the rewards offered for capturing wanted criminals. Since it didn't matter whether or not the criminals were brought back alive, bounty hunters were not bound by the constraints that hampered lawmen, and did pretty much as they pleased. Such a man was Josh Randall. He felt little apparent emotion and was a man of few words. He was also adept at using his gun, not a normal pistol but an unusual cross between a handgun and a rifle. His “Mare's Leg” was a .30-.40 sawed-off carbine that could be handled almost like a pistol but had much more explosive impact when its cartridges hit a target. In the spring of 1960 Josh acquired a sidekick in young Jason Nichols. Apparently things didn't work out, for by the fall of that year Josh was once again riding alone.
The pilot for this program was aired in March 1958 as an episode of the series Trackdown.
WAR AT HOME, THE (Situation Comedy)
FIRST TELECAST: September 11, 2005
LAST TELECAST: BROADCAST HISTORY:
Sep 2005-Jun 2006 , FOX Sun 8:30-9:00
Jul 2006–Nov 2006 , FOX Sun 9:30-10:00
Dec 2006-Feb 2007 , FOX Thu 8:30-9:00
Mar 2007-Apr 2007 , FOX Sun 7:00-8:00
Apr 2007 , FOX Sun 7:00-7:30
Jun 2007– , FOX Sun 7:00-7:30
CAST:
| Dave Gold | Michael Rapaport |
| Vicky Gold | Anita Barone |
| Hillary Gold (age 16) | Kaylee DeFer |
| Larry Gold (15) | Kyle Sullivan |
| Mike Gold (13). | Dean Collins |
| Kenny | Rami Malek |
| *Brenda…… | Zoe Di Stefano |
| *Joe Miller | Tom McGowan |
*Occasional
The middle-class suburban sprawl of New York's Long Island was the setting for this loud “yell-com” that was a far cry from the wholesome family sitcoms of the 1950s and 1960s. Jewish Dave was a boorish, self-centered, insensitive insurance salesman married to Catholic Vicky, an outspoken, part-time interior decorator. Although they loved their kids, they resented the limitations parenthood put on their lifestyle and were worried that the kids would do all the wild things they had done when they were teenagers. Sexy Hillary, the eldest, was more interested in her social life than her studies, and constantly tested the limits of her parents' tolerance. Larry, her nerdy, innocent brother (oblivious to the fact that his best friend Kenny was gay), wasn't interested in being the macho guy his dad wanted and resented being picked on all the time. Mike, the youngest, was a smart-ass manipulator, often taking advantage of his older siblings and even, on occasion, their parents. Seen on a recurring basis were Joe, who worked with Dave, and Hillary's best friend Brenda. In January 2007, Kenny moved in with the Golds after Dave convinced him to tell his parents he was gay and they threw him out of their house (six weeks later they took him back). Hillary was accepted to Bennington College and got back together with her black boyfriend from the first season, Taye (Dreux Frederic), who took her to the senior prom.
On every episode there were occasions when someone in the family, most often Dave, but sometimes the kids, friends, neighbors or parents, would talk directly to the viewing audience, complaining or making personal observations.
WAR NEXT DOOR, THE (Situation Comedy)
BROADCAST HISTORY:
USA Network
30 minutes
Original episodes: 2000 (13 episodes)
Premiered: July 23, 2000
CAST:
| Kennedy Smith | Linden Ashby |
| Lili Smith | Susan Walters |
| Lucas Smith | Mark Rendall |
| Ellis Smith | Nicole Dicker |
| A Ian Kriegman | Damian Young |
| Barbara Bush | Tara Rosling |
Kennedy Smith was a mild-mannered dad who used to be a secret agent for the C.I.A. in this nutty sitcom. Despite the fact that he knew 29 ways to kill a man with a spoon, he had promised his loving wife, Lili, he would give up his violent occupation and settle down in the nice quiet suburbs. Unfortunately, his diabolical archenemy Kriegman, a dapper evil genius dressed all in black, refused to give up their “eternal dance of death” and moved in next door so that he could continue to torment him. Automatic gunfire and explosions rattled the neatly trimmed lawns, but Lili, a perfect Donna Reed-type mom, was oblivious, as were the Smith kids, Lucas and Ellis. Kriegman ruined a Smith family barbecue by blowing things up with his laser, and Kennedy retaliated by turning the laser back on Kriegman with a spoon, incinerating him. Despite the mayhem, everybody was back again next week to start over. Barbara was Kriegman's slinky, dominatrix partner, who had been trying to seduce Kennedy for years without success.
USA “spooned” the series after eight weeks, with five remaining episodes unaired.
WAR OF THE WORLDS (Science Fiction)
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Syndicated only
60 minutes Produced:1988-1990
Released: October 1988
CAST:
| Dr. Harrison Blackwood | Jared Martin |
| Dr. Suzanne McCullough | Lynda Mason Green |
| Norton Drake (1988-1989) | Philip Akin |
| Lt. Col. Paul Ironhorse (1988-1989) | Richard Chaves |
| Debi McCullough (agell) | Rachel Blanchard |
| “Mrs. Pennyworth (1988-1989) | Corinne Conley |
| John Kincaid (1989-1990) | Adrian Paul |
| Advocate #1 (1988-1989) | Richard Comar & David Calderisi |
| Advocate #2 (1988-1989) | Ilse von Glatz |
| Advocate #3 (1988-1989) | Michael Rudder |
| Malzor (1989-1990) | Denis Forest |
| Mana (1989-1990) | Catherine Disher |
| Ardix (1989-1990) | Julian Richings |
*Occasional
In this expensive sequel to the 1953 movie of the same name (from which footage was used), a small team of specialists attempted to thwart the efforts of a group of aliens from the planet Mortax, 40 light years from Earth, to take over our planet. The team, which worked out of a hidden pastoral military facility known as “The Cottage,” consisted of Harrison Blackwood, an astrophysicist; Norton Drake, a paraplegic black computer whiz with a voice-activated wheelchair named Gertrude; Suzanne McCullough, a divorced microbiol-ogist with a young daughter; and Paul Ironhorse, a by-the-book military man of Indian descent.
In the story line there had been an alien reconnaissance mission in 1938 (the year of the Orson Welles radio broadcast) and a first war in 1953 (the year of the theatrical movie). It was now 35 years later, and the aliens from the first war, who were not dead but had been kept in special storage tanks, had gotten loose and were attempting to mass their fellows for a new war. The aliens, and their hooded leaders, known only as “advocates,” were based in an abandoned underground nuclear test site in Nevada. The outside world was unaware of them because they could absorb human bodies and take on their appearance while they sought weapons and supplies. The giveaway was that their high radiation level caused the bodies to gradually deteriorate, giving them the appearance of leprosy. When killed, the bodies dissolved into a slimy mess.
When the series returned for its second season in the fall of 1989, there were a number of changes. It had been retitled War of the Worlds—The Second Invasion , opened with Earth suffering strange storms and political anarchy, and introduced new invaders—humanoid refugees from the recently destroyed world Morthrai. The aliens from the first season were “soldiers” for Morthrai who were executed in the season opener for their failure to take over Earth. Also killed off were Ironhorse and Norton and, for the rest of the season, Harrison, Suzanne, and another former soldier, John Kincaid, fought the new aliens from an underground hideaway in the ruins of what had once been a great city that was now overrun by people who did as they pleased because there was no legal system left.
The aliens, led by Malzor and Mana, along with their chief scientist, Ardix, wanted to “purify” the Earth to make it more suitable to their people. Along with their other technical wonders, they could create clones of humans to take the place of real people and do their bidding. The beings from Morthrai had one thing in common with their predecessors from Mortax; when they were killed, they didn't just die—they turned an iridescent green and dissolved. In the last original episode Malzor was revealed to his own people as evil and killed, leaving the few remaining aliens to seek peaceful coexistence with the people of Earth.
WARNER BROS. PRESENTS (Various)
FIRST TELECAST: September 13, 1955
LAST TELECAST: September 11, 1956
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Sep 1955-Sep 1956 , ABC Tue 7:30-8:30
HOST/NARRATOR:
Gig Young
When ABC first approached the giant Warner Bros. film company it was for the purpose of obtaining the rights to theatrical films for telecasting on the network. But Warner was interested in getting into TV production, and the result was Warner Bros. Presents , an umbrella title for three rotating series, each based on a successful movie: Kings Row, Cheyenne , and Casablanca. From this start Warner Bros. went on to produce dozens of hit programs, and it is today an important producer of TV series.
Warner's first effort was a mixed success, however. Viewers and critics alike objected to the 10-15 minute segment at the end of each week's presentation devoted to plugging current Warner Bros. movies, and this was eventually dropped. (Gig Young was host of this segment, as well as narrator for the entire series.) Kings Row proved unsuccessful and was canceled at mid-season, followed soon after by Casablanca. Only Cheyenne caught on, lasting for a total of eight years on the ABC schedule. The Warner Bros. Presents title was discontin-ued after the 1955-1956 season.
See separate element titles for details.
WARREN HULL SHOW, THE , see Ben Grauer Show, The
WASHDAY THEATRE , see Movies—Prior to 1961
WASHINGTON EXCLUSIVE (Discussion)
FIRST TELECAST: June 21, 1953
LAST TELECAST: November 1, 1953
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Jun 1953–Nov 1953 , DUM Sun 7:30-8:00
MODERATOR:
Frank McNaughton
Public-affairs discussion program in which six former senators discussed the civil and military affairs of the nation. Produced by Martha Rountree and Lawrence Spivak.
WASHINGTON REPORT (Discussion)
FIRST TELECAST: May 22, 1951
LAST TELECAST: August 31, 1951
BROADCAST HISTORY:
May 1951-Aug 1951 , DUM Tue/Fri 7:45-8:00
MODERATOR:
Tris Coffin
Newsman Tris Coffin and distinguished guests from government, business, and labor discussed current events in this series originating from Washington, D.C.
WASTELAND (Drama)
FIRST TELECAST: October 7, 1999
LAST TELECAST: October 28, 1999
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Oct 1999 , ABC Thu 9:00-10:00
CAST:
| Dawnie Parker | Marisa Coughlan |
| Tyler (Ty) Swindell | Brad Rowe |
| Samantha (Sam) Price | Rebecca Gayheart |
| Vandy | Eddie Mills |
| Jesse Presser | Sasha Alexander |
| Russell Baskin | Dan Montgomery |
| Vince Lewis | Jeffrey D. Sams |
| Phillip, the coffee boy | Adam Scott |
Seven gorgeous twenty-something friends in Manhattan fretted over the really important things in life, like who to date and who to sleep with, in this shallow and short-lived drama. At the center was Dawnie, a 26-year-old graduate student in anthropology who was writing a thesis on how her generation used their twenties as a second coming of age. A perky little chatterbox, she was still a virgin. Ty was the cute boyfriend she had broken up with six years earlier; he still pursued her, which she reacted to by regularly slapping him. Sam was a legal assistant with a rich daddy who had broken up with her singer-guitarist boyfriend Vandy, whom she regularly berated (no slaps, though). Jesse was a black-clad, chain-smoking publicist with an active but indiscriminate sex life and a tendency to dominate men (date to Jesse: “You suck the air dry!”). Russell was the closet gay friend, a hunky soap opera actor who feared being outed, and Vince was Sam's handsome, ambitious young boss in the D.A.'s office.
Only three episodes were aired on ABC, but ten others turned up on Showtime's ShowNext cable network in 2001.
WATCH MR. WIZARD (Educational)
FIRST TELECAST: May 26, 1951
LAST TELECAST: February 19, 1955
BROADCAST HISTORY:
May 1951-Feb 1952 , NBC Sat 6:30-7:00
Mar 1952–Feb 1955 , NBC Sat 7:00-7:30
CAST:
| Mr | Wizard Don Herbert |
Watch Mr. Wizard was one of the longest-running educational children's programs in the history of commercial television. It originated from Chicago from its inception on March 3, 1951 (late on Saturday afternoons), through the conclusion of the 1954-1955 season. When it moved to New York at the start of the 1955-1956 season, it was part of the NBC Saturday morning lineup. It remained as part of that lineup until June 27, 1965, and was revived for another season from 1971-1972. New episodes, under the title Mr. Wizard's World , aired on the Nickleodeon cable channel from 1983 to 1992. Seventy-eight Mr. Wizard's World episodes were produced; the last originals premiered early in 1991.
Don Herbert was the star of the show for its entire run. As Mr. Wizard, he would show his young helper how to do interesting scientific experiments with simple things found around the house. In addition to the demonstrations, Mr. Wizard would explain the principles behind them. The original helper was Mr. Wizard's 11-year-old neighbor, a boy named Willy. By the start of the 1953-1954 season, a boy and a girl alternated as Mr. Wizard's assistant. There was considerable turnover in the children who acted as his assistants, but they were all ready with an excited “Gee, Mr. Wizard!” whenever he popped one of his scientific tricks.
WATCH OVER ME (Serial Drama)
FIRST TELECAST: December 6, 2006
LAST TELECAST: March 6, 2007
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Dec 2006-Jan 2007 , MNT Mon-Sat 9:00-10:00
Jan 2007-Mar 2007 , MNT Mon-Fri 9:00-10:00
CAST:
Close-cropped young scientist Michael Krieger was an evil and greedy man. Ostensibly running a Los Angeles medical research company, he was actually developing a deadly virus, Medusa, that he planned to sell to international bioterrorists. With the help of his stylish assistant Leandra, who was secretly in love with him, and his ruthless but often ineffectual hit man Andre, Michael ran his business and personal life with an iron fist. His only soft spots were for his daughter Caroline and his fiancée Julia, a beautiful grad student. Because of his concern for their safety, he hired Jack, a former Special Services operative and old friend from his high school days, to beef up security around his compound and serve as bodyguard to both Caroline and Julia. There was an immediate attraction between Jack and Julia, which grew progressively stronger as they learned more about Michael's evil schemes. She lived with Melanie and her gay brother Ryan, who had an affair with assassin Andre. Also seen was Natalie, whose son was accidentally killed in an auto accident Michael had set up to kill his wife. She was obsessed with proving Michael responsible (or killing him) and found an ally, and lover, in Jack's artist friend Eric.
Michael hired Julia's father Alfred to work on the development of Perseus, an engineered virus that would destroy other viruses and leave the host in perfect health. Alfred was enthusiastic because this would be the ultimate medicine for mankind, unaware that Michael wanted it as an antidote to Medusa, which was slowly killing him because he had previously been contaminated at a low level. Early on Jack's kid sister Caitlin, still living with their parents, lost both her boyfriend Pete, one of Jack's friends, and her accountant boss Steve, with whom she was having an affair. Both were killed by Andre, Pete after he had seen what was going on in one of Michael's labs and Steve for trying to blackmail Michael for $5 million over financial irregularities. Then Michael killed arms dealer Sasha, who had the hots for Jack, to eliminate her as a middleman in his dealings with her French buyer leCavalier. When Alfred realized what Michael was up to he worked with Jack to collect evidence to bring him down, along with Christine, a virologist working for Michael who fell in love with Alfred and agreed to help them.
As things heated up Alfred perfected Perseus but didn't tell Michael, whose condition was deteriorating, and gave the only sample to Jack. After finding ut an enraged Michael wanted to kill both Jack and Julia but, in an attempt to kill her he accidentally shot and killed Alfred instead. In a final confrontation Jack, who had injected himself with Perseus, swallowed a vial of Medusa to keep Michael from contaminating a reservoir, and almost died from the effects. Michael killed Christine for refusing to extract the Perseus from Jack's system (which would have been fatal to Jack) to save him and he finally succumbed to Medusa. At the end Caroline was living with Eric and Natalie, Andre and Leandra were sentenced to life in prison and Jack was back with Julia.
Watch Over Me was adapted from the Argentinian telenovela Resistire (I Will Resist). The Saturday episodes were recaps of episodes that had aired the previous Monday through Friday.
WATCH THE WORLD (Documentary)
FIRST TELECAST: July 2, 1950
LAST TELECAST: August 20, 1950
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Jul 1950-Aug 1950 , NBC Sun 7:30-8:00
COMMENTATOR:
Don Goddard
Current events and features especially designed for youngsters, produced by NBC News in cooperation with the National Education Association. Watch the World was seen on Sunday afternoons during most of its 14-month run (April 1950-June 1951), with John Cameron Swayze and his family hosting. During the program's summer prime-time run, newscaster Don Goddard took over, with the vacationing Swayzes (John, his wife, son, and daughter) continuing to appear in periodic filmed reports.
WATCHER, THE (Dramatic Anthology)
FIRST TELECAST: January 17, 1995
LAST TELECAST: April 11, 1995
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Jan 1995-Apr 1995 , UPN Tue 9:00-10:00
CAST:
| The Watcher | Sir Mix-A-Lot (neé Anthony Ray) |
| Lori Danforth | Bobbie Phillips |
Hefty rap artist Sir Mix-A-Lot was The Watcher, the mysterious commentator/host of this anthology series set in Las Vegas. From his suite atop the Desert Flower Casino overlooking the city, filled with scores of TV surveillance monitors he could switch among at will, The Watcher followed the activities of the myriad people who lived, worked, and visited the “city that never sleeps.” Not only did he watch what was going on, he anticipated what they were going to do and how their decisions would affect them, providing his observations in sometimes cryptic verse. Each episode followed the activities of a number of people— good and bad, rich and poor, celebrities and common folk. Most of the actors appearing were relatively unknown; Max Wright, Jamie Rose, Gilbert Gottfried, and Terri Austin were among the more familiar faces. The only regular other than The Watcher was pretty young limousine driver Lori Danforth.
WATCHING ELLIE (Situation Comedy)
FIRST TELECAST: February 26, 2002
LAST TELECAST: May 20, 2003
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Feb 2002-Apr 2002 , NBC Tue 8:30-9:00
Apr 2003-May 2003 , NBC Tue 9:30-10:00
| Eleanor “Ellie” Pdggs | Julia Louis-Dreyfus |
| Susan Riggs-Reyer | Lauren Bowles |
| Ingvar (2002) | Peter Stormare |
| Edgar Price | Steve Carell |
| Ben Raffield | Darren Boyd |
| O r Zimmerman | Don Lake |
Seinfeld alumna Julia Louis-Dreyfus starred as a jazz nightclub singer in this quirky comedy, which in some ways resembled her earlier show. The setting was Los Angeles, but the tone was New York cosmopolitan and the stories day-in-the-life vignettes, just like Seinfeld. Inhabiting Ellie's single world were Ben, her married British boyfriend and the guitarist in her band; obnoxious former boyfriend Edgar, who chased her relentlessly; Susan, her much-too-pretty married younger sister; Ingvar, the oddball neighbor who was infatuated with her; and Dr. Zimmerman, a nutty, balding middle-age veterinarian who also lived nearby. There was a lot of jazzy music and a certain amount of playful sexuality, as well as physical comedy. A gimmick in early episodes was a clock in the lower left-hand corner of the screen, starting at 22 minutes and counting down to the end of the story, which was told in real time. Sometimes it even cut off the last scene. When the series returned in the spring of 2003, it used a more traditional sitcom format (not real time) and dispensed with the clock.
Watching Ellie was created by Louis-Dreyfus' husband, actor Brad Hall, and co-starred her real-life sister as her sister Susan.
WATERFRONT (Adventure)
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Syndicated only
30 minutes
Produced: 1953—1956 (78 episodes)
Released: February 1954
CAST:
| Capt. John Herrick | Preston Foster |
| May (Mom) Herrick | Lois Moran |
| Jim Herrick | Harry Lauter |
| Carl Herrick | Douglas Dick |
| Tip Hubbard | Pinky Tomlin |
| Terry Van Buren | Kathleen Crowley |
| Sid | Allen Jenkins |
| Willie Slocum | Willie Best |
| Tom Bailey | Raymond Haddon |
| Wally | Sid Saylor |
| Capt. Winant | Miles Halpin |
| Joe Johnson | Louis Jean Heydt |
One of TV's earlier seagoing adventures was this syndicated series, focusing on tugboat captain Carl Herrick, his crew, and his family. Cap'n John ran the Cheryl Ann around San Pedro-Los Angeles harbor, encountering all sorts of smugglers, saboteurs, escaped convicts, and other seaborne criminals. Some episodes revolved around the doings of his family. The large cast included his wife, May, son Jim (a police detective), and the crew of the Cheryl Ann —son Carl, Tip, and Willie. Terry was Carl's fiancée, the daughter of a wealthy stockbroker.
Filmed on location in Los Angeles Harbor.
WAVERLY WONDERS, THE (Situation Comedy)
FIRST TELECAST: September 7, 1978
LAST TELECAST: October 6, 1978
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Sep 1978-Oct 1978 , NBC Fri 8:00-8:30
CAST:
| Joe Casey. | Joe Namath |
| John Tate | Charles Bloom |
| Tony Eaguzzi | Joshua Grenrock |
| Connie Rafkin | Kim Lankford |
| Alan Kerner | James Staley |
| Hasty Parks | Tierre Turner |
| Linda Harris | Gwynne Gilford |
| George Benton | Ben Piazza |
Former pro football quarterback Joe Namath took a flyer in TV comedy in this 1978 series. He starred as Joe Casey, a washed-up pro basketball player turned history teacher and coach at Waverly High, in Eastfield, Wisconsin. It was questionable who was more inept, Joe in the classroom (he knew nothing about history) or his team, the Waverly Wonders, on the court (they hadn't won a game in three years). Nice kids, though: Tate, so shy he wouldn't take a shot; Faguzzi, the fumbling “Italian Stallion;” Parks, the fast-talking con artist; and Connie, the cute tomboy who was the best player of the lot. Linda Harris was the attractive principal and George Benton the stodgy former coach, known affectionately as “old prune face.”
WAY OUT (Dramatic Anthology)
FIRST TELECAST: March 31, 1961
LAST TELECAST: July 14, 1961
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Mar 1961-JuI 1961 , CBS Fri 9:30-10:00
HOST:
Roald Dahl
The host for this dramatic anthology was well chosen. Roald Dahl was a writer of short, macabre stories about people in strange and unsettling situations. The dramas in this series all fell into that category. In many respects it was like another CBS anthology series that was being aired in the following half hour, The Twilight Zone. Way Out was noticeably less successful, however, and lasted for only three and a half months.
WAYANS BROS., THE (Situation Comedy)
FIRST TELECAST: January 11, 1995
LAST TELECAST: September 9, 1999
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Jan 1995-Jun 1995 , WB Wed, 8:00-8:30
Jun 1995—Feb 1997 , WB Wed 9:00-9:30
Jul 1996-Aug 1996 , WB Wed 9:30-10:00
Mar 1997-Aug 1997 , WB Wed 9:30-10:00
Jun 1997-Aug 1997 , WB Sun 9:30-10:00
Augl997-Sep 1998 , WB Wed 9:00-9:30
Jul 1998-Sep 1998 , WB Wed 8:00-8:30
Sep 1998-Sep 1999 , WB Thu 8:00-8:30
CAST:
*Occasional
Shawn and Marlon were two brothers living together in this physical comedy series. Shawn, a driver for the APS overnight delivery service, was the more serious brother, hoping to get promoted or find a new career that would give him enough money to marry his girlfriend, Lisa, a college student whose father was a successful physician. Marlon, his free-spirited kid brother, worked part-time in the kitchen of their father's small Manhattan diner, Pops' Place, located adjacent to the lobby of the Neidermeyer Building. Happy-go-lucky Marlon always seemed to be getting himself and his brother in some kind of trouble. Pops wanted to be proud of both of his sons, but Marlon's antics didn't make it easy. Benny was the short-order cook at Pops' Place and Lupe the waitress who also worked the register.
In Fall 1995, Shawn was laid off and bought the newsstand in the lobby of the Neidermeyer Building with money he borrowed from his dad. Marlon worked busing tables at the diner and helped out at the newsstand. Added to the cast was Monique, a sexy woman from a rich family whose financial reverses had forced her to take a job as a clerk in the hotel's card shop. She and Shawn sparred verbally while Marlon had the hots for her. Lou was the feisty but petite security guard at the Neidermeyer Building, replaced late in the year by hefty Dee. Two recurring characters were bumbling White Mike and T. C., a con man forever looking to make his big score.
During the 1997-1998 season Marlon tried to get work as an actor. In the season finale an electrical fire destroyed Shawn's newsstand, but that fall he rebuilt it. Marlon got a regular role on the NBC sitcom Everybody Loves Everybody and Shawn became his business manager—for fifty percent of what he earned.
Shawn and Marlon, two of the younger members of the talented Wayans clan—their older brother, Kee-nen, had been the creative force behind In Living Color on which they both had appeared—were the creators of this series.
WAYNE AND SHUSTER TAKE AN
AFFECTIONATE LOOK AT … (Documentary)
FIRST TELECAST: June 17, 1966
LAST TELECAST: July 29, 1966
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Jun 1966-Jul 1966 , CBS Fri 10:00-11:00
HOSTS:
Johnny Wayne
Frank Shuster Each week Canadian comedians Wayne and Shuster hosted a documentary that profiled top comedians of the 20th century. Film clips were used to provide background and examples of the work of the comedians being profiled, with Wayne and Shuster providing running commentary. The people whose careers were chronicled were Bob Hope and Bing Crosby, Jack Benny, W. C. Fields, the Marx Brothers, and George Burns. In addition to the profiles of comedians, one episode presented an affectionate look at one movie form native to America, the Western.
WAYNE BRADY SHOW, THE (Comedy/Variety)
FIRST TELECAST: August 8, 2001
LAST TELECAST: March 11, 2002
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Aug 2001-Sep 2001 , ABC Wed 8:30-9:00
Mar 2002 , ABC Mon 8:30-9:00
REGULARS:
Wayne Brady
Brooke Dillman
Jonathan Mangum
J. P. Manoux
Missi Pyle
Peter Michael Escovedo, orchestra leader
Wayne Brady, the upbeat black guy from Drew Carey's Whose Line Is It Anyway? , here fronted his own mostly improvisational comedy show, which included a lot of music. Using suggestions from the audience as well as his own ideas as starting points, he served up wild impressions of stars such as Little Richard, Michael Jackson, Louis Armstrong and Sammy Davis, Jr.; turned a singing newscast into a full-scale musical; sang doo-wop in the toilet stalls; and showed energetic dancers invading an office scene. Guest stars included Justin Timberlake and Brian McKnight, appearing in sketches as well as in musical performances.
WAYNE KING (Music)
FIRST TELECAST: September 29, 1949
LAST TELECAST: June 26, 1952
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Sep 1949-Jun 1952 , NBC Thu 10:30-11:00 (OS)
REGULARS:
Wayne King
Nancy Evans (1949-1951)
Harry Hall
Gloria Van (1951-1952)
Barbara Becker (1951-1952)
Bob Morton (1951-1952)
The Don Large Chorus
Live program from Chicago featuring the smooth, somewhat sedate music of Wayne King and His Orchestra. Typical, and best known, of his numbers was “The Waltz You Saved for Me.” Seen only on NBC's Midwest network.
WE GOT IT MADE (Situation Comedy)
FIRST TELECAST: September 8, 1983
LAST TELECAST: March 30, 1984
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Sep 1983–Dec 1983 , NBC Thu 9:00-9:30
Jan 1984-Mar 1984 , NBC Sat 9:00-9:30
(In first-run syndication for the 1987-1988 season)
CAST:
| Mickey McKenzie | Teri Copley |
| Jay Bostwick | Tom Villard |
| David Tucker (1983-1984) | Matt McCoy |
| David Tucker (1987-1988) | John Hillner |
| Claudia (1983-1984) | Stepfanie Kramer |
| Beth Sorenson (1983-1984) | Bonnie Urseth |
| Max Papavasilios, Sr. (1987-1988) | Lance Wilson-White on Karabatsos Max Papavasilios, Jr. (1987-1988) |
Frothy comedy in which two young New York City bachelors hired a sexy live-in maid to clean up their sloppy apartment. David was a button-down lawyer, disgusted by the mess created by goofy roommate Jay, a free-thinking importer and “idea man.” Along came Mickey, a bubbly and apparently air-headed blonde who just happened to be a crackerjack housekeeper. David and Jay's girlfriends (neurotic Claudia and ingenuous Beth, respectively) were naturally suspicious, but it was all quite innocent— of course.
Three years after leaving NBC, We Got It Made surfaced again with new episodes in first-run syndication. The relationship between Mickey and her bosses had not changed but David and Jay's regular girlfriends were gone. New to the cast were Max, a cop living in the apartment across the hall, and his awkward teenage son. Max, Jr., who had the hots for Mickey, often sought her advice about dealing with women.
WE TAKE YOUR WORD (Quiz Panel)
FIRST TELECAST: April 1, 1950
LAST TELECAST: June 1, 1951
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Apr 1950 , CBS Sat 9:00-9:30
Jun 1950-Jul 1950 , CBS Fri 8:00-8:30
Aug 1950 , CBS Sun 9:30-10:00
Aug 1950-Sep 1950 , CBS Mon 9:30-10:00
Oct 1950–Jan 1951 , CBS Tue 10:30-11:00
Mar 1951-Jun 1951 , CBS Fri 10:30-11:00
WORDMASTER:
John K. M. McCaffery John Daly
PANELISTS:
Abe Burrows
Lyman Bryson (1950)
The panelists on We Take Your Word sought to provide the definitions, derivations, and histories of words that were sent in by viewers. Any word used on the program won for its submitter a book prize and, if the panel bungled their attempt to define it, $50. The series began on radio in January 1950 and was tried on television that April. John K. M. McCaffery was the wordmaster (moderator) of the radio version and also of the experimental TV version in April. He was replaced by John Daly when the show returned to television in June. John Daly stayed with the show through January 1951, to be replaced by its original host for its last three months. Initially there were two regular panelists and one guest. When Lyman Bryson left the show at the end of August 1950, Abe Burrows became the sole regular, with two guest panelists each week.
WE, THE PEOPLE (Interview)
FIRST TELECAST: June 1, 1948
LAST TELECAST: September 26, 1952
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Jun 1948-Oct 1949 , CBS Tue 9:00-9:30
Nov 1949-Jun 1951 , NBC Fri 8:30-9:00
Sep 1951-Sep 1952 , NBC Fri 8:30-9:00
HOST:
Dwight Weist (1948-1950)
Dan Seymour (1950-1952)
We, the People had been a feature on radio for 12 years when it moved to television in the summer of 1948. It was the first regularly scheduled series to be simulcast on both network radio and network television. Host Dwight Weist (replaced by Dan Seymour in April 1950) interviewed various guests about important events in their lives. Entertainers, politicians, and ordinary Americans appeared on the series to chat informally, often about experiences of deep personal suffering or triumph over adversity. Members of pub-lic-service organizations and individuals who had done some form of humanitarian work appeared frequently. The guests were introduced with the line, “We, the people … speak.” The radio-TV simulcasts continued until July 1950, after which date the radio and television versions were aired at different times.
WEAKEST LINK, THE (Quiz)
FIRST TELECAST: April 16, 2001
LAST TELECAST: October 1, 2004
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Apr 2001-May 2001 , NBC Mon 8:00-9:00
May 2001-Aug 2001 , NBC Mon 9:00-10:00
Jun 2001-Apr 2002 , PAX Fri 8:00-9:00
Jun 2001-Aug 2001 , NBC Sun 10:00-11:00
Aug 2001–Dec 2001 , NBC Mon 8:00-9:00
Sep 2001-Jul 2002 , NBC Sun 8:00-9:00
Apr 2002-May 2002 , PAX Fri 10:00-11:00
May 2002-Aug 2002 , PAX Fri 8:00-9:00
Sep 2002-Jun 2003 , PAX Tue 8:00-9:00
Jul 2003-Oct 2003 , PAX Mon-Fri 6:30-7:00
Oct 2003–Oct 2004 , PAX Mon-Fri 6:00-6:30
Oct 2003-Oct 2004 , PAX Mon-Fri 7:00-7:30
(New episodes in first-run syndication from January 2002 to September 2003)
EMCEE:
Anne Robinson
This imported British quiz show had a real edge but was played with such a wink and a nod that it became one of the hits of the early 2000s game-show craze. Eight contestants stood behind podiums in a semi-circle around the host on a dark, eerily lit stage, and tried to create a “chain” of correct answers to eight fast-paced questions. If they succeeded they could win $125,000 for the team; or if one of them said “bank” before a question all the money won thus far was put into the bank, and they started over on another chain. Where it got interesting was at the end of each round, when the team had to vote off one member as “the weakest link.” The audience was shown who had been the weakest player numerically, but the team could vote off anyone, often someone who merely hesitated when giving answers.
The icy host, Britisher Anne Robinson, appeared in a long black leather jacket with her hands clasped be-hind her back. She dismissed the contestant voted off with an abrupt and imperious, “You are the weakest link—g'bye.” She grilled the remaining contestants on the reasons for their votes (inviting backbiting), and the dismissed contestants got to give their side from backstage (more backbiting). The questions then resumed, a little faster, and with one fewer contestant each round, until at the end the last two played for the accumulated bank in a series of five alternating questions, with the winner taking home as much as $1 million—and the loser getting nothing.
Robinson also hosted the British version, where she was known for her snide demeanor, but apparently NBC felt American audiences might not get the joke and had her give a little wink at the end of each episode. Her trademark “You are the weakest link” became a catchphrase. Reruns of the NBC episodes appeared on both Pax and the Game Show Network, which also ran some previously unaired episodes. There was also a syndicated version in daytime, hosted by comedian George Gray, who also dressed in black but could not match Robinson's sangfroid. In January 2003 Pax replaced NBC episodes with reruns of the syndicated episodes.
WEATHER CHANNEL, THE (Network) (Cable Weather Network)
LAUNCHED:
May 2, 1982
SUBSCRIBERS (MAY 2007):
93.2 million (84% U.S.)
Nothing epitomizes the specialty services of cable quite like The Weather Channel. It does one thing, and one thing only, 24 hours a day, and does it so matter-of-factly that it has been the butt of sitcom jokes. More than one sitcom character has been seen transfixed, staring at the hypnotic, routinized presentation for hours on end. The nameless forecasters glide effortlessly back and forth before their national weather maps, never obscuring the East or West Coast for more than a moment, never attracting attention to themselves; local forecasts (“accurate and dependable …”) scroll by on the screen to the soporific sound of elevator music. How did the precable age live without this!
The channel is as well oiled off screen as on. Computers gather weather information from all over the country (and the world) and feed it to local cable systems, where it automatically triggers “your local forecast” on screen via high-tech equipment called the Star system. There are virtually no series as such, but the channel does have occasional specials about disasters it loves (The Year the Sky Fell, The Burning Season) and even sells videotapes of tornadoes to people who can't get enough of the real thing.
The Weather Channel was founded in 1982 by John Coleman, a Chicago TV weatherman. It first reached more than half of all U.S. television homes in September 1990.
WEB, THE (Dramatic Anthology)
FIRST TELECAST: July 11, 1950
LAST TELECAST: October 6, 1957
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Jul 1950-Aug 1950 , CBS Tue 9:30-10:00
Aug 1950-Jul 1952 , CBS Wed 9:30-10:00
Sep 1952-Sep 1954 , CBS Sun 10:00-10:30
Jul 1957-Oct 1957 , NBC Sun 10:00-10:30
HOST/NARRATOR:
Jonathan Blake (1950-1954) William Bryant (1957)
PRODUCERS:
Mark Goodson and Bill Todman (1950-1954)
Normal, everyday people who found themselves in situations beyond their control populated the dramas telecast in this live CBS anthology series. Its producers, ironically, were Mark Goodson and Bill Todman of game-show fame.
All of the plays were adaptations of stories written by members of the Mystery Writers of America. Walter C. Brown and Hugh Pentecost were frequent contributors and even an occasional Charlotte Armstrong story, like “All the Way Home,” turned up on The Web. Most of the actors and actresses appearing on the show were performers based in New York, where the show was produced. Included were Richard Kiley, James Daly, Eli Wallach, James Gregory, Patricia Wheel, Mary Sinclair, John Newland, and Phyllis Kirk.
Some future stars who were seen on The Web early in their careers were Grace Kelly in “Mirror of Delusion” in 1950, Jack Palance and Eva Marie Saint in “Last Chance” in 1953, and Paul Newman twice that summer, the second time in “One for the Road” on September 20, at the same time he was appearing on Broadway in the play Picnic. Newman's future wife, Joanne Woodward (they would marry in 1958), starred in “Welcome Home,” the final telecast of CBS' version of The Web , on September 26, 1954.
Hollywood veterans taking lead roles in episodes of The Web on CBS included John Carradine, Mildred Dunnock, Sidney Blackmer, Mildred Natwick, Henry Hull, and Chester Morris. On occasion the leads went to performers not noted for their dramatic acting ability, such as singer Jane Morgan in “Rehearsal for Death” and musical-comedy star John Raitt in “The Dark Shore.” The real stars on The Web were the stories, however, not the performers. The overall quality of the productions was attested to when The Web became the first television series to win the Edgar Allan Poe Award for excellence in the presentation of suspense stories during the 1951-1952 season.
In the summer of 1957, NBC revived the title The Web for a series of filmed dramas with essentially the same format as the live CBS series of the early 1950s. Again, the emphasis was on story rather than star, with Alexander Scourby, Beverly Garland, James Darren, and Rex Reason the most familiar performers appearing. The NBC edition was the summer replacement for The Loretta Young Show.
WEB JUNK 20 (Documentary)
BROADCAST HISTORY:
VH1
60 minutes
Original episodes: 2006-
Premiered: January 13, 2006
REGULARS:
Patrice O'Neal (2006), host
Jim Breuer, host
Rachel Perry, announcer
As soon as people began posting videos on the Internet someone had the bright idea to “put that on TV!” and this crude late-night show was one result. The word “junk” in the title was well advised. Many of the short clips, presented in countdown fashion, were of extremely poor video quality, not to mention questionable content. Video of animals masturbating and people farting seemed to be favorites, although others were clips of celebrities making fools of themselves: Tom Cruise jumping up and down on Oprah , Arnold Schwarzenegger acting up in Rio (in 1983), Kelsey Grammer falling off a stage, an interviewee throwing up on camera and President Bush doing various silly things (usually heavily edited). Big, happy black comic Patrice O'Neal was the original host, replaced in the fall of 2006 by stoned comic Jim Breuer. Produced by website www.ifilm.com.
WEBER SHOW, THE , see Cursed
WEBSTER (Situation Comedy)
FIRST TELECAST: September 16, 1983
LAST TELECAST: September 11, 1987
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Sep 1983—Mar 1985 , ABC Fri 8:30-9:00
Mar 1985-Mar 1987 , ABC Fri 8:00-8:30
Mar 1987-Apr 1987 , ABC Fri 8:30-9:00
May 1987 , ABC Fri 8:00-8:30
Jun 1987-Aug 1987 , ABC Sat 8:00-8:30
Aug 1987-Sep 1987 , ABC Fri 8:00-8:30 (In first-run syndication during the 1987-1988 season)
CAST:
| Webster Long | Emmanuel Lewis |
| George Papadapolis | Alex Karras |
| Katherine Calder-Young Papadapolis… Susan Clark | |
| Jerry Silver | Henry Polic II |
| Bill Parker (1984-1986) | Eugene Roche |
| Cassie Parker (1984-1986) | Cathryn Damon |
| Uncle Phillip Long (1984-1985) | Ben Vereen |
| *“Papa” Papadapolis (1985-1987). | Jack Kruschen |
| Piob Whitaker/Joiner (1985-1986) | Chad Allen |
| *Tommy (1987) | Gabe Witcher |
| *Roger (1986-1987) | Carl Steven |
| *Andy (1986-1987) | Danny McMurphy |
| *Benny (l987) | Nick DeMauro |
| Nicky Papadapolis (1987-1988) | Corin “Corky” Nemec |
*Occasional
THEME:
“Then Came You,” by Steve Nelson and Madeline Sunshine
Emmanuel Lewis was 40 inches tall, cute as a button, and the comic find of the 1983-84 season. He was 12 years old, but looked half that. A network executive spotted him in a Burger King commercial and signed him on the spot—then ordered his writers to think up a series for him fast, before the little fellow grew another inch.
The series they came up with may have been a bit farfetched, but it did showcase young Lewis' talents. George was a burly former pro-football player turned sportscaster on WBJX-TV, Katherine a fluttery socialite with a career as a consumer advocate (later she became a psychologist). They had met on a Greek cruise and—though total opposites—married on impulse. George was generally an impulsive guy. No sooner did they arrive back in Chicago than they discovered at their door the result of one of George's past impulses: a cute black seven-year-old named Webster. It seemed that George was Webster's godfather. He had promised the boy's parents, teammate and best friend Travis and his wife Gert, that if anything ever happened to them he would look after their child. Well, something did (they were killed in a car crash), there were no next of kin, and here was Webster.
Adjustments were made by all, particularly Katherine, who was totally inept as a housewife or mother. Webster was cute enough to melt even her Tiffany heart, however, when he told her why he always called her Ma'am—“cause it kinda sounds like ‘mom.' “(Awwwww , sighs the audience.) As for George, beneath that hulk beat the heart of a pussycat. Most of the stories in this syrupy series were of the “Webster can't sleep without this teddy bear” variety, but a few dealt with more serious subjects such as retarded children, and the day they had to explain to Webster that his parents were not just “away.”
Jerry was Katherine's sarcastic male secretary, Cassie and Bill owned the large Victorian house into which the Papadapolises moved in the fall of 1984 (they later bought it), and Phillip was Webster's uncle— who arrived planning to fight for custody of the little guy, much to everyone's discomfort. He later moved to Hollywood to start a movie career. A major change oc-cured in the fall of 1987 when George's brother and sister-in-law decided to relocate to Nigeria to work on a UN agricultural project, and their 14-year-old son Nicky moved in with George and his family. Nicky and Webster got along famously, and the older boy provided Webster with the “brother” he had never had.
ABC aired reruns of Webster on weekday mornings from December 1986 to July 1987.
WEDDING BELLS, THE (Comedy/Drama)
FIRST TELECAST: March 7, 2007
LAST TELECAST: April 6, 2007
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Mar 2007 , FOX Wed 9:00-10:00
Mar 2007-Apr 2007 , FOX Fri 9:00-10:00
CAST:
| Jane Bell | Teri Polo |
| Annie Bell | KaDee Strickland |
| Sammy Bell | Sarah Jones |
| David Conlon | Michael Landes |
| Russell Hawkins | Benjamin King |
| Ralph Snow | Chris Williams |
| Amanda Pontell. | Missi Pyle |
| Ernesto Mancini | Costas Mandylor |
| Debbie Quill | Sherri Shepherd |
| Cedric | Cleavant Derricks |
| Laurie Hill | Heather Tom |
| Lainie Hill | Nicholle Tom |
After their parents' divorce the three Bell sisters were left to run the family business, The Wedding Palace, an upscale catering facility on New York's Long Island. All three were wedding planners, with sensible Annie more or less in charge, and uptight Jane's stuffy but ineffectual husband Russell the COO. There was a sibling rivalry between Jane and Annie, exacerbated when, as part of couples therapy for their troubled marriage, Russell admitted he had fantasized about Annie. Free-spirited Sammy, the youngest sister, had a penchant for sleeping with best men and ushers, which also caused problems. Others on the staff were incredibly handsome photographer David, Annie's former boyfriend for whom she still had feelings; Ralph, the good-natured African-American wedding singer who longed for a real musical career and resented having to constantly sing “I Will Survive” for demanding brides; Debbie, the bustling assistant wedding planner who had an on-again off-again relationship with her ex-boyfriend Cedric, another wedding singer; and Ernesto, the sexy head chef with the hots for Jane whom she fired for overspending. Wealthy Amanda, a tyrannical Bridezilla from the first episode (her marriage was annulled), bought into The Wedding Palace and wanted to be an apprentice wedding planner.
WEDDINGS GONE WILD: ANYTHING FOR LOVE (Documentary)
FIRST TELECAST: June 14, 2004
LAST TELECAST: July 12, 2004
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Jun 2004-Jul 2004 , ABC Mon 10:00-11:00
Diane Sawyer
ABC News produced this five-part look at unusual weddings, from a quarter-million-dollar Arabian Nights-themed extravaganza to the black couple who held their ceremony at a North Carolina plantation where the groom's ancestors were once slaves. Also known as “Weddings Gone Wacky, Wonderful and Wild: Anything for Love.”
WEDNESDAY NIGHT FIGHTS, THE , see Boxing
WEDNESDAY 9:30 (8:30 CENTRAL) (Situation Comedy)
FIRST TELECAST: March 27, 2002
LAST TELECAST: June 12, 2002
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Mar 2002-Apr 2002 , ABC Wed 9:30-10:00
May 2002-Jun 2002 , ABC Wed 9:30-10:00
CAST:
| David Weiss | Ivan Sergei |
| Paul Weffler | Ed Begley, Jr. |
| Mike McClarren | James McCauley |
| Lindsay Urich | Melinda McGraw |
| Joanne Walker | Sherri Shepherd |
| Red Lansing | John Cleese |
The inner workings of the television industry were lampooned in this raucous comedy, which was as fleeting as the shows it mocked. David was a midwestern innocent, a young Minneapolis theatrical producer who had been lured to shameless, immoral Hollywood by the owner of the IBS network, Red Lansing, to help his network climb out of the ratings cellar by tapping into the “average American mind.” As soon as David arrived he collided with an office full of stereotypes. There was Paul, the indecisive network president, who constantly fretted about keeping his job; Mike, the senior VP of programming, who had converted to Judaism to gain an edge and pretended to be gay whenever it was to his advantage; Lindsay, the neurotic vice president of comedy, who resented David's incursion on her turf; and chubby black Joanne, a “quota babe” (and proud of it) who had gone from fired crouton maker to vice president of programming in five months.
David might have appeared clueless, but he caught on fast to the machinations of colleagues and stars. He groveled to get John Ritter on the network, fought off Red's attempts to televise a live execution to boost ratings, and romanced Lori Loughlin, who promptly slapped him with a sexual harassment suit. Meanwhile the network scheduling board was inadvertently rearranged into a winning lineup by a temperamental chimpanzee.
Pulled after two weeks, Wednesday 9:30 (8:30 Central) returned at the beginning of the summer with a new title, My Adventures in Television , but was no more successful.
WEEK IN RELIGION, THE (Religion)
FIRST TELECAST: March 16, 1952
LAST TELECAST: October 18, 1954
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Mar 1952–Sep 1952 , DUM Sun 6:00-7:00
Jul 1953-Sep 1953 , DUM Sun 6:00-7:00
Sep 1953–Oct 1954 , DUM Sun 6:00-6:30
This ecumenical religious program was originally one hour long and divided into three 20-minute segments: 20 minutes for the Protestants, 20 minutes for the Catholics, and 20 minutes for the Jews. A representative of each faith reported on the latest news and happenings in his denomination. There is no record of who, if anyone, got cut when the program was re-duced to a half hour.
WEEKEND (Newsmagazine)
FIRST TELECAST: October 20, 1974
LAST TELECAST: April 22, 1979
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Oct 1974–Jun 1978 , NBC Sat 11:30-1:00 A.M.
Dec 1978 , NBC Sat 10:00-11:00
Jan 1979-Apr 1979 , NBC Sun 10:00-11:00
REGULARS:
Lloyd Dobyns
Linda Ellerbee (1978-1979) Weekend was one of the more unusual news programs attempted in the 1970s. Hosted by sardonic Lloyd Dobyns, it was an odd mixture of serious and frivolous features, packaged in a most irreverent fashion. There were serious investigative stories on killer bees invading Central America, American women in Colombian prisons, and the competition to enter medical school, juxtaposed with topics like “Frisbees Are a Way of Life,” “Slots on the Rhine,” “The Pigeon Wars,” and “My Son-in-Law, the President” (in which people talked about their relatives running for president). Adding to the light flavor of the program was the extensive use of animation, in running cartoon features like “Feeble Fables” and “Mr. Hipp Goes to Town,” and in short sequences that commented, often sarcastically, on the main stories.
It was all very hip, and certainly compatible with Saturday Night Live , with which it alternated during most of its late-night run. (Weekend aired approximately once every four weeks.) But in 1978, entranced with visions of an irreverent hit show for prime time, NBC moved it to 10 P.M. To the larger (and older) prime-time audience such flippancy seemed out of place on a news program, and Weekend did poorly, finally being replaced by the more traditional Prime Time Sunday in 1979. Linda Ellerbee appeared as co-host during Weekend ‘s prime-time run.
WEEKEND VIBE (Magazine)
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Syndicated only
60 minutes
Produced: 2002–2005
Released: September 2002
REGULARS:
Bryce Wilson (2002-2004)
Mimi Valdez
Valerie Mitchell (2003-2005)
Daphnee Duplaix (2004-2005)
Bryce Wilson hosted this urban magazine show produced by Vibe magazine. Originating from New York, it was billed as “the voice and soul of urban culture.” Among the regular features were V Style (fashion), The Rant (commentary and/or complaints by a celebrity), V Props (awards and presentations), Video Mix (excerpts from popular music videos), Do the Right Thing (how celebrities gave back to the community) and Next (spotlight on emerging artists). Mimi Valdez, Vibe editor at large, presented a weekly summary of urban show-business news.
In the fall of 2003 Valerie Mitchell was added as the show's new correspondent covering the business aspects of urban music. The following February there was a business scandal involving Weekend Vibe itself. It was reported that because of financial woes the producers were not paying their bills or staff and host Bryce Wilson had quit because they owed him $15,000 in back salary. The show limped along and was brought back for a third season with Daphnee Duplaix taking over as host. New segments on fashion trends and black sports stars were added, but the continuing financial problems and declining ratings forced it off the air in 2005.
WEEKENDS AT THE D.L. (Talk)
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Comedy Central
30 minutes
Original episodes: 2005
Premiered: July 29, 2005
REGULARS:
D.L. Hughley, host
Dwayne P. Wiggins, bandleader
For those who wanted a little soul around the midnight hour hip black comic D.L. Hughley hosted this short-lived, but very funky, late-night talk show. Appearing in a living room-style set in front of a studio audience, D.L. would open with a short monologue riffing on race (“Buckwheat got a show!”), politics (liberal), crack, sports and general headlines. He would then segue into softball interviews with celebrity pals such as Chris Rock and Morgan Spur-lock, often lubricated with wine and cigars. Short sketches and musical guests were also sometimes part of the mix.
Weekends originally aired Friday through Sunday nights, but Sunday was dropped after less than a month. The last telecast was November 5, 2005.
WEEKLY WORLD NEWS (Satire)
BROADCAST HISTORY:
USA Network
30 minutes
Produced: 1995—1996 (13 episodes)
Premiered: January 6, 1996
REGULARS:
Edwin Newman
Randy Kagan
Few viewers who caught this short-lived Saturday night parody on TV newsmagazines will ever forget it. Based on the satirical newsstand tabloid, The Weekly World News , it featured stories unlikely to appear on 60 Minutes —the bleeding teenager who delivered a pizza despite a gunshot wound; the South Seas island tribe that worshiped Don King; the doctor who per-formed hernia surgery on himself; the day-care center run by Hell's Angels; and a comic who told killer jokes. If you believe any of this, you should be reading the tabloids. Former NBC newsman Edwin Newman, evidently a man with a sense of humor, delivered the deadpan introductions.
WEIRD SCIENCE (Situation Comedy)
BROADCAST HISTORY:
USA Network
30 minutes
Produced: 1994-1998 (88 episodes)
Premiered: March 5, 1994
CAST:
| Lisa | Vanessa Angel |
| Gary Wallace | John Mallory Asher |
| Wyatt Donnelly | Michael Manasseri |
| Chett Donnelly | Lee Tergesen |
| “Wayne Donnelly (1994) | Richard Fancy |
| *Wayne Donnelly (1994-1998) | Andrew Prine |
| “Marcia Donnelly | Melendy Britt |
| *A1 Wallace | Jeff Doucette |
| “Emily Wallace | Joyce Bulifant |
| “Principal Clive Scampi | Bruce Jarchow |
*Occasional
Lightweight sitcom in which two nerdy, dateless students at Farber High, fun-loving Gary and studious Wyatt, created the living babe of their dreams on Wyatt's home computer. Lisa was not quite what the boys expected, however. She was curvaceous all right, but also smart, and while she could grant their wishes for short intervals (if she wished), she mostly used her powers to help them learn little lessons in growing up. Chett was Wyatt's bossy but dense older brother (often the target of the boys' pranks), Wayne his ad exec dad, and Marcia his mother. Gary's blue-collar parents were Al and Emily. Weird Science was canceled abruptly by USA Network in October 1997. Six unaired episodes turned up in July 1998, on Saturday morning, on sister network the Sci-Fi Channel.
Based on the 1985 movie of the same name.
WELCOME ABOARD (Musical Variety)
FIRST TELECAST: October 3, 1948
LAST TELECAST: February 20, 1949
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Oct 1948-Feb 1949 , NBC Sun 7:30-8:00
REGULARS:
Russ Morgan and His Orchestra (Oct-Nov 1948)
Vincent Lopez and His Orchestra
(Nov 1948-Feb 1949)
THEME:
“Sailor's Hornpipe” Live musical variety program with a nautical theme, including the members of the orchestra dressed in sailor suits. Top-name singers and comedians appeared as guests, with Phil Silvers and Martin and Lewis featured on the first telecast. Toward the end of the run one of the guests would serve as the emcee, with bandleader Lopez assuming a background role. The series was originally known as Admiral Presents the Five Star Revue—Welcome Aboard , but became Welcome Aboard when Admiral dropped sponsorship in December.
WELCOME BACK, KOTTER (Situation Comedy)
FIRST TELECAST: September 9, 1975
LAST TELECAST: August 10, 1979
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Sep 1975-Jan 1976 , ABC Tue 8:30-9:00
Jan 1976-Aug 1978 , ABC Thu 8:00-8:30
Sep 1978—Oct 1978 , ABC Mon 8:00-8:30
Oct 1978-Jan 1979 , ABC Sat 8:00-8:30
Feb 1979—Mar 1979 , ABC Sat 8:30-9:00
May 1979-Aug 1979 , ABC Fri 8:30-9:00
| Gabe Kotter | Gabriel Kaplan |
| Julie Kotier | Marcia Strassman |
| Vinnie Barbarino | John Travolta |
| Juan Luis Pedro Phillipo de Huevos Epstein | Robert Hegyes |
| Freddie “Boom Boom” Washington | Lawrence-Hilton Jacobs |
| Arnold Horshack | Ron Palillo |
| Mr. Michael Woodman | John Sylvester White |
| Rosalie Totzie (1975-1976) | Debralee Scott |
| Vernajean (1975-1977) | Vernee Watson |
| Judy Borden (1975-1977) | Helaine Lembeck |
| Todd Ludlow (1975-1977) | Dennis Bowen |
| Maria (1975-1976) | Catarina Cellino |
| Angie Globagoski (l978) | Melonie Haller |
| Beau De Labarre (1978-1979). | Stephen Shortridge |
| Corvelli (1978-1979) | Charles Fleischer |
| Murray (1978-1979) | Bob Harcum |
| Mary Johnson (1978-1979) | Irene Arranga |
CREATED BY:
Gabriel Kaplan and Alan Sacks
THEME:
“Welcome Back,” composed and performed by
John Sebastian
Welcome Back, Kotier was one of the more realistic comedies of the 1970s. Gabriel Kaplan portrayed Kotter, a Brooklyn-born teacher who returned to the inner-city high school from which he had graduated 10 years earlier to teach the toughest cases—a remedial academics group. Gabe's “sweathogs” were the outcasts of the academic system, streetwise but unable or unwilling to make it in normal classes. They were the toughest, and also the funniest, kids in school. Gabe was just as hip as they were, and with fine disregard for rules and a sense of humor he set out to help them pick up a little bit of practical, if not academic, knowledge, during their years at James Buchanan High. The four original “sweathogs” were Epstein, the Jewish Puerto Rican; “Boom Boom,” the hip black; Horshack, the class yo-yo; and Barbarino, the cool, tough leader. John Travolta, playing Barbarino, became a major star through this series. He branched into popular music, where he had several hit records beginning in the summer of 1976 (although the big song hit to come out of this show was the theme, as recorded by its composer John Sebastian). Travolta also began a successful movie career, with such films as Carrie and Saturday Night Fever , while he was still starring on Kotter. By 1978 he was seen only occasionally on the series.
Dozens of other students passed through the series, most seen only briefly. Those with the most appearances are listed above. Other regulars were Gabe's wife, Julie, and Mr. Woodman, the assistant principal. Julie became pregnant at the end of the 1976-1977 season, and gave birth to twins Rachel and Robin in the fall of 1977, adding to the confusion and crowding in the Kotters' small apartment, and putting new strains on Gabe's limited income. In other developments, Angie turned up in early 1978 with the announcement that she was becoming the first female “sweathog” (she didn't last long), and a slick southerner, Beau De Labarre, joined the class the following fall. Also in the fall of 1978 Kotter was promoted to vice principal and Mr. Woodman to principal. The sweathogs got part-time jobs, with Vinnie becoming an orderly at a nearby hospital.
Welcome Back, Kotter was based on a real high school and the real experiences of Gabriel Kaplan. Kaplan had once attended the equivalent of James Buchanan High School, in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, New York, and had been a student in a remedial class there. He credits a Miss Shepard as the teacher who inspired him, and who led, indirectly, to Welcome Back, Kotter. Like Kotter, she cared about her “un-teachable” students.
WELCOME FRESHMEN (Situation Comedy)
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Nickelodeon
30 minutes
Produced: 1991—1993 (52 episodes)
Premiered: February 16, 1991
CAST:
| Alex Moore | Jocelyn Steiner |
| Walter Patterson | Rick Galloway |
| Kevin St. James | Chris Lobban |
| Merv (1991-1992) | David Phoden |
| Tara (1991-1992) | Jill Setter |
| Erin Kelly (1992-1993) | Arian Ash |
| Grant Kelly (1992-1993) | Brock Bradley |
| Manny Barrington (1992) | Nicholas Caruso |
| Mr. Elliott Lippman | Mike Speller |
| Miss Petruka | Janis Benson |
In the wake of the success of NBC's frothy high school sitcom Saved by the Bell , Nickelodeon launched this close copy set at Hawthorne High, Anytown, USA. The characters were equally generic: bumbling schemer Walter, spacey black student Kevin, dumb jock Grant, Grant's lovelorn girlfriend Alex, and earnest Erin (Grant's sister). Mr. Lippman was the bald, nasal vice principal, a total nutcase who was constantly bumbling into trouble, and Miss Petruka was his absentminded secretary. The series began as a sketch comedy and evolved into a situation comedy during the second 26 episodes, with stories revolving around pranks and puppy loves that invariably went astray.
WELCOME MAT , see Starlit Time
WELCOME TO NEW YORK (Situation Comedy)
FIRST TELECAST: October 11, 2000
LAST TELECAST: January 17, 2001
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Oct 2000-Jan 2001 , CBS Wed 8:30-9:00
CAST:
| Marsha Bickner | Christine Baranski |
| Jim Gaffigan | Himself |
| Adrian Spencer | Rocky Carroll |
| Amy Manning | Sara Gilbert |
| Vince Verbena | Anthony DeSando |
| Connie | Mary Birdsong |
| Stage Manager | Wendy Way |
Genial, easygoing Fort Wayne weatherman Jim Gaffigan had just gotten his big break. He had left Indiana to start a new job as the meteorologist on AM New York , a local morning TV news show on WNYD, Channel 6. It wasn't easy for trusting Jim to adjust to living and working in cutthroat New York. The pace, the prices, and the pressures at work were all new to him. Marsha, the show's manic producer and his new boss, was demanding, sarcastic and verbally abusive. Adrian, AM New York's male coanchor, was arrogant and condescending, and seemed to believe that everybody else was as self-absorbed as he. Others at the station were Amy, Marsha's unflappable assistant and Jim's assistant, Vince, who would do almost anything to make his new boss happy. Unfortunately, Vince was prone to promise things he couldn't deliver. Connie, the counter girl at the neighborhood deli, was Jim's confidante.
WELCOME TO PARADOX (Science Fiction Anthology)
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Sci-Fi Channel
60 minutes
Produced: 1998
Premiered: August 17, 1998
HOST:
| Paradox | Michael Philip |
A rather creepy anthology series which looked to the future and warned, “Be careful what you wish for.” The citizens of the future had built a domed city called Betaville, where technology served their every need. Society appeared to have realized its fondest dreams—no apparent crime, disease, hostility, or stress. But human frailties being what they are, the greedy, the criminal, and the emotionally distraught were constantly tempted to exploit the wondrous scientific advances for their own ends. Among the guest stars in these cautionary tales were Mayim Bialik, A Martinez, and Ice-T. The only regular was the host, called Paradox, who introduced each episode.
WE'LL GET BY (Situation Comedy)
FIRST TELECAST: March 14, 1975
LAST TELECAST: May 30, 1975
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Mar 1975-May 1975 , CBS Fri 8:30-9:00
CAST:
| George Platt | Paul Sorvino |
| Liz Platt | Mitzi Hoag |
| Muff Platt | Jerry Houser |
| Kenny Platt | Willie Aames |
| Andrea Platt | Devon Scott |
The Platt family was a normal middle-class group living in a modest home in the New Jersey suburbs just outside of New York City, where George Platt worked as a lawyer. He and his wife, Liz, had three teenage children. Life in the Platt household, with all its conflicts, was one of love and understanding. The program was created by Alan Alda.
WELLS FARGO , see Tales of Wells Fargo
WENDY AND ME (Situation Comedy)
FIRST TELECAST: September 14, 1964
LAST TELECAST: September 6, 1965
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Sep 1964-Sep 1965 , ABC Mon 9:00-9:30
CAST:
| George Burns | Himself |
| Wendy Conway | Connie Stevens |
| Jeff Conway | Ron Harper |
| Danny Adams | James Callahan |
| Mr. Bundy | J. Pat O'Malley |
| Willard Norton | Bartlett Robinson |
This comedy was roughly patterned after the old Burns and Allen Show of the 1950s, and was another attempt to find a suitable format for George Burns after the retirement of his wife, Gracie Allen. The setting was an apartment house in Southern California whose principal tenants were Wendy Conway, a slightly daft young bride, and her airline-pilot husband Jeff. Jeff's copilot and best friend was Danny, a girl-chasing bachelor who was inordinately proud of his “little black book” and “little red book.” Mr. Bundy was the building superintendent.
Into the picture came George Burns, as himself. He had bought the building so he would have a place to practice his vaudeville routine—just in case anyone should ask him to perform it again. George's singing was not exactly widely admired, so he had written into every lease a provision that no tenant could evict the landlord. George, with his familiar cigar in hand, spent most of his time serving as onscreen narrator of the series. He followed Wendy through her day, commenting on the action in asides to the audience. Then he would step into the action himself.
WENDY BARRIE SHOW, THE (Interview)
FIRST TELECAST: March 14, 1949
LAST TELECAST: September 27, 1950
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Mar 1949-Jun 1949 , DUM Mon/Wed/Fri 7:00-7:30
Jun 1949-Jul 1949 , DUM Wed 7:00-7:30
Sep 1949—Oct 1949 , ABC Mon 8:30-9:00
Nov 1949-Dec 1949 , ABC Wed 8:00-8:30
Dec 1949—Feb 1950 , ABC Thu 9:00-9:30
Feb 1950-Jun 1950 , NBC Tue/Thu 7:30-7:45
Jul 1950-Aug 1950 , NBC Mon/Wed/Fri 7:30-7:45
Aug 1950-Sep 1950 , NBC Wed 8:15-8:30
REGULARS:
Wendy Barrie
Dave Davis (1949)
Celebrity-interview and gossip show, hosted by onetime Hollywood starlet and early TV personality Wendy Barrie. Wendy's movie heyday was past by the time she went into the infant medium of television, but her vivacious charm was quite intact. Each night she welcomed viewers into a plush setting that was supposed to be her own Manhattan apartment, with outstretched arms, and such endearments as “sweet bunny,” “sweetie,” and “dearie” (her sign-off was always “be a good bunny”). All sorts of celebrities dropped in to chat with Wendy, and sometimes to perform, and there was show-business gossip as well as banter (Wendy had a marvelous sense of humor, even about herself). There was a definite air of glamour about it all.
Her first nighttime network series was produced in cooperation with Photoplay magazine and was called Inside Photoplay , then Photoplay Time (September 1949). Later it became The Wendy Barrie Show (December 1949) and finally Through Wendy's Window (August 1950). Miss Barrie was later seen on afternoon shows and on local television in New York.
WEREWOLF (Supernatural)
FIRST TELECAST: July 11, 1987
LAST TELECAST: August 21, 1988
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Jul 1987-Aug 1987 , FOX Sat 9:00-9:30
Aug 1987-Oct 1987 , FOX Sat 8:00-8:30
Oct 1987—Mar 1988 , FOX Sun 8:00-8:30
Apr 1988 , FOX Sat 9:00-10:00
May 1988-Aug 1988 , FOX Sun 10:30-11:00
CAST:
| Eric Cord | John J. York |
| Alamo Joe Rogan | Lance LeGault |
| *Janos Skorzeny (1987-1988) | Chuck Connors |
| Nicholas Remy (1988} | Brian Thompson |
*Occasional
Eric Cord was a graduate student in college whose life took a bizarre twist when his best friend Ted asked Eric to kill him with a pistol loaded with a silver bullet—because Ted was a werewolf! Eric thought his friend was off his rocker, but was forced to oblige when Ted turned into a werewolf and attacked him. Unfortunately Eric was bitten in the attack, and found that he was now afflicted with the deadly curse. The only way to rid himself of it was to find and kill “the source of the bloodline,” the mysterious Captain Janos Skorzeny. Eric embarked on a cross-country hunt for the swaggering Skorzeny while he, in turn, was being tracked by bounty hunter Alamo Joe. Although Eric was now prone to turn into a werewolf under the full moon, fortunately for the honest citizenry he only seemed to attack criminals, evil folk, and other werewolves.
Eric finally found and killed Skorzeny, but another complication arose; it turned out the source of the bloodline was actually Nicholas Remy, a remarkably well-preserved, powerful, and diabolical 2,000-year-old werewolf. Eric's quest to rid himself of his curse continued. Viewers never found out if he succeeded, however, since the series was canceled soon after Remy's arrival.
Werewolf was a very atmospheric series with vivid, even terrifying, special effects. The Fox network promoted the show heavily during the fall of 1987, and straight-faced announcements were aired giving viewers a toll-free number to call if they had sighted a werewolf. More than 400,000 calls were received. Later announcements featured Dr. Stephen Kaplan, an instructor of parapsychology, providing information about werewolves.
WESLEY (Situation Comedy)
FIRST TELECAST: May 8, 1949
LAST TELECAST: August 30, 1949
BROADCAST HISTORY:
May 1949-Jul 1949 , CBS Sun 7:30-8:00
Jul 1949-Aug 1949 , CBS Tue 9:30-10:00
Aug 1949 , CBS Tue 8:00-8:30
CAST:
| Wesley Eggleston (May-Jul) | Donald Devlin |
| Wesley Eggleston (Jul-Aug) | Johnny Stewart |
| Mr. Eggleston | Frank Thomas |
| Mrs. Eggleston | Mona Thomas |
| Grandpa | Joe Sweeney |
| Elizabeth Eggleston | Joy Reese |
| Alvin | Billie Nevard |
Wesley was a 12-year-old boy who was making, but ever so slowly, the transition from childhood to adulthood. He liked to play with his good buddy, Alvin, with whom he had an almost brotherly relationship, fight with his teenage sister, Elizabeth, and find ways of getting around his parents. This live situation comedy told of his adventures in a small rural community. The relationship between Wesley and his parents was, despite the problems inherent in all parent-child relationships, a warm and loving one.
WEST 57TH (Newsmagazine)
FIRST TELECAST: August 13, 1985
LAST TELECAST: September 9, 1989
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Aug 1985-Sep 1985 , CBS Tue 10:00-11:00
Apr 1986-Jun 1986 , CBS Wed 8:00-9:00
Jun 1986-Jul 1986 , CBS Wed 10:00-11:00
Apr 1987 , CBS Mon 10:00-11:00
May 1987-Jun 1987 , CBS Tue 8:00-9:00
Jun 1987-Sep 1989 , CBS Sat 10:00-11:00
CORRESPONDENTS:
John Ferrugia
Bob Sirott (1985-1988)
Meredith Vieira
Jane Wallace (1985-1988)
Steve Kroft (1987-1989)
Selina Scott (1987-1989)
Karen Burnes (1988-1989)
Stephen Schiff (1988-1989)
West 57th premiered as a summer magazine series that was a fast-paced “yuppie” version of 60 Minutes. The four original correspondents were all under 40, and the stories they covered were oriented to a younger audience. There were multiple pieces on the drug problem—steroids for athletes, the use and abuse of legal “designer” drugs, and the problems with “Angel Dust;” a story on the growing popularity of cosmetic surgery; a feature about the increasing incidence of arson among teens; and coverage of the competition between American and Japanese companies searching for a cure for cancer. On the lighter side were profiles of actors Chuck Norris and John and Angelica Huston, singers Billy Joel and John Cougar Mellencamp, and comic Martin Short, as well as a story on the never-ending labors of an exterminator trying to control the pest population in the Pentagon.
After two years as a summer show, West 57th returned to the CBS schedule, in April 1987, on a full-time basis. That fall Steve Kroft joined the correspondents, as did Britisher Selina Scott, whose forte was European-based pieces on the music industry. When Jane Wallace left the show at the end of the year she was replaced by Karen Burnes.
WEST POINT STORY, THE (Military Anthology)
FIRST TELECAST: October 5, 1956
LAST TELECAST: July 1, 1958
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Oct 1956-Sep 1957 , CBS Fri 8:00-8:30
Oct 1957-Jul 1958 , ABC Tue 10:00-10:30
HOST:
Donald May (as Cadet Charles C Thompson) (1956) Produced with the cooperation of the Department of Defense, the Department of the Army, and the United States Military Academy, this series dramatized actual events and persons from the files of West Point. The names and dates of the people and situations involved were changed, but the events were real. The dramas showed cadets as real people, with the problems, joys, and tragedies that are part of every person's life. Not all of the episodes were based on contemporary life at the military academy; some looked at the academy at different periods in its history and the men who were a part of that history. Donald May was the host, in character, when The West Point Story premiered, but was phased out before the end of 1956.
WEST WING, THE (Political Drama)
FIRST TELECAST: September 22, 1999
LAST TELECAST: May 14, 2006
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Sep 1999-May 2003 , NBC Wed 9:00-10:00
Jul 2003-May 2004 , NBC Wed 9:00-10:00
Oct 2004–Apr 2005 , NBC Wed 9:00-10:00
Sep 2005-May 2006 , NBC Sun 8:00-9:00
CAST:
| President Josiah “Jed” Bartlet | Martin Sheen |
| Abigail “Abbey” Bartlet | Stockard Channing |
| *Zoey Bartlet | Elizabeth Moss |
| Chief of Staff Leo McGarry | John Spencer |
| Dep. Chief of Staff Josh Lyman. | Bradley Whitford |
| Press Secretary Claudia Jean “CJ.” Cregg | Allison Janney |
| Communications Dir. Toby Ziegler | Richard Schiff |
| Dep. Communications Dir. Sam Seaborn (1999-2003) | Robe Lowe |
| Madeline “Mandy” Hampton (1999-2000) | Moriya kelly |
| **Danny Concannon | Timothy Busfield |
| Donna Moss | Janel Moloney |
| Charlie Young | Dulé Hill |
| Delores Landingham (1999-2001) | Kathryn Joosten |
| Margaret Hooper | NiCole Robinson |
| Carol Fitzpatrick | Melissa Fitzgerald |
| **Bonnie (1999–2003) | Devika Parikh |
| *Vice President John Hoynes | Tim Matheson |
| Ginger (1999-2003) | Kim Webster |
| *Katie Witt (1999-2005) | Kris Murphy |
| *Larry (1999-2006) | William Duffy |
| *Ed (1999-2006) | Peter James Smith |
| *Nancy (1999-2006) | Renée Estevez |
| *Steve (1999-2006) | Charles Noland |
| Mark O'Donnell (2000-2006)… | Timothy Davis-Reed |
| *Deborah Fiderer (2002-2006) | Lily Tomlin |
| Will Bailey (2002-2006) | Joshua Malina |
| *Vice President Bob Russell (2003-2006) | Gary Cole |
| Kate Harper (2004-2006) | Mary McCormack |
| Congressman Matthew Santos (2004-2006) | Jimmy Smith |
| Helen Santos (2005–2006). | Teri Polo |
| Annabeth Schott (2004-2006)… | Kristin Chenoweth |
| Senator Arnold Vinick (2004–2006). | Alan Alda |
| Ronna (2004-2006) | Karis Campbell |
| Louise Thornton (2005-2006). | Janeane Garofalo |
| Bram (2005-2006) | Matthew Del Negro |
| Otto (2005-2006) | Ramon De Ocampo |
*Occasional
**Regular 1999-2000, occasional thereafter
The majesty and drama of the White House was the setting for this series, which mixed personal stories with political intrigue. Josiah Bartlet was a liberal New Hampshire Democrat who brought to the presidency a JFK-like intensity and single-mindness of purpose. His intense and loyal staff included Chief of Staff Leo, an experienced operator who was the president's closest ally and at the center of almost every crisis; Leo's opinionated deputy Josh, a skilled strategist who sometimes blurted out the truth at inopportune moments; Josh's sarcastic assistant Donna; Press Secretary C. J., a tall, wired woman who deftly handled the resulting uproars; rumpled Communications Director Toby, whose cynical sense of humor got him through many dicey political situations, and Toby's deputy Sam, a smooth political operator and ladies' man. Abigail was the first lady, a doctor who was dedicated to her husband but not afraid to put him in his place; Zoey was their daughter. Others seen frequently in the bustling White House corridors included political consultant Mandy (Josh's ex-girlfriend), reporter Danny, Bartlet's devoted secretary Delores, C. J.'s secretary Carol, communications aide Bonnie and unsupportive Vice President Hoynes.
Major stories included an assassination attempt in 2000, which proved to have been aimed not at Bartlet but at his young black personal aide, Charlie; the revelation in 2001 that Bartlet had multiple sclerosis, which he hid until after his renomination and which led to a congressional investigation and charges of a cover-up; and his reelection campaign in 2001-2002 against conservative Gov. Robert Ritchie (James Brolin), which Bartlet won by a landslide.
Though by nature a political animal, Bartlet was not afraid to show his beliefs, as in the premiere when he got into an argument with a contentious group representing the religious right and pointedly showed them the door. The producers denied that this was a slap at Rev. Jerry Falwell and the Moral Majority, but the show's liberal leanings were so apparent that wags dubbed it “The Left Wing.” The political content became a little less prominent after the departure of series creator Aaron Sorkin in 2003, with the show becoming more of a straight drama.
The 2002-2003 season was marked by the arrival of speech writer Will (replacing Sam, who left to run for office), the resignation of Vice President Hoynes in a scandal involving press leaks, and a long-running battle with terrorists based in the Mideastern country Qumar, which culminated with the assassination of terrorist leader Abdul Shareef and the kidnapping of presidential daughter Zoey. Bartlet temporarily relinquished the presidency to deal with the kidnapping and was replaced by Republican Speaker of the House Glenallen Walken (John Goodman), leading to much hand-wringing over whether he would push through the hated conservative agenda during his short time in office. He didn't and Zoey was quickly rescued the following fall, restoring order in the liberal universe.
The 2003-2004 season saw the installation of Colorado congressman “Bingo Bob” Russell as the new vice president, the arrival of Deputy National Security Adviser Kate and an attack on staffers on a mission in the Mideast. The 2004-2005 season was dominated by the run-up to the next presidential election, with statesmanlike Sen. Arnold Vinick and teeth-achingly-noble Rep. Matthew Santos emerging as the Republican and Democratic nominees, respectively. Santos chose Josh as his campaign manager and Leo as his vice presidential running mate. C.J. took over as Bartlet's chief of staff.
The election campaign took place during the final season, to dwindling audiences. During the turmoil of the campaign Toby leaked some classified data (for noble purposes, of course) and was forced from office. In an effort to hype ratings the show staged a live “debate” between Vinick and Santos in November 2005. Ironically a real-life Zogby poll taken shortly thereafter indicated that viewers overwhelmingly favored Vinick, whose prospects of winning were unlikely given the show's liberal leanings. Indeed the handsome Santos swept to victory at the end of the season, then graciously named Vinick as his secretary of state. A cloud over his victory was the sudden death of running mate Leo (actor John Spencer had died in December 2005). As his final act in office Bartlet reluctantly pardoned Toby, thereby closing the door on the Bartlet administration—and on The West Wing.
WESTERN HOUR, THE , syndicated title for
Rifleman, The and Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater (packaged as an hour show)
WESTERN STAR THEATRE , see Death Valley Days
WESTERNER, THE (Western)
FIRST TELECAST: September 30, 1960
LAST TELECAST: December 30, 1960
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Sep 1960–Dec 1960 , NBC Fri 8:30-9:00
CAST:
| Dave Blassingame | Brian Keith |
| Burgundy Smith | John Dehner |
Dave Blassingame was one of many adventurers wandering the TV version of the Old West. He was accompanied by a large mongrel named Brown (played by the same dog that had been featured in the Walt Disney movie Old Yeller). Though not a particularly friendly or outgoing type, Dave found settlers to defend, villains to fight, and causes to champion throughout the portion of the Southwest along the Mexican border. His avowed aim was to settle down on a ranch of his own and breed quarter horses, but his concern for the exploited pioneers he met constantly kept him postponing that move. One person Dave kept running into as he traveled was Burgundy Smith, an enterprising con man, who was constantly trying to fleece the citizenry.
WESTERNERS, THE , syndicated title for Black Saddle, Johnny Ringo, Law of the Plainsman, The , and Westerner, The (packaged as a single series)
WESTINGHOUSE DESILU PLAYHOUSE (Dramatic Anthology)
FIRST TELECAST: October 13, 1958
LAST TELECAST: June 10, 1960
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Oct 1958-Sep 1959 , CBS Mon 10:00-11:00
Oct 1959-Jun 1960 , CBS Fri 9:00-10:00
HOST:
Desi Arnaz
COMMERCIAL SPOKESPERSON:
Betty Furness
When Studio One's live weekly anthology series went off the air after almost a full decade, sponsor Westing-house Electric kept the time period with this series of filmed dramas. Betty Furness, who had been the spokesperson for Studio One , continued to show off refrigerators and ranges throughout the two years that Desilu Playhouse was on. The premiere telecast featured young Pier Angeli in “Bernadette,” but the material ranged from light to serious. During the first season, host Desi Arnaz, whose production company was making the series, made no appearances as a performer, but two of his I Love Lucy gang did. Lucille Ball starred with William Lundigan and Aldo Ray in “K.O. Kitty,” and William Frawley worked with Dan Duryea in “Comeback.” William Bendix and Martin Balsam were featured in “The Time Element,” a science-fiction story written by Rod Serling (and possibly the genesis of his later series The Twilight Zone). The most memorable program was a two-part story aired on April 20 and 27, 1959. Walter Winchell was the narrator, Robert Stack the star, and Keenan Wynn, Neville Brand, and Barbara Nichols featured players in “The Untouchables,” which was destined to become a very successful and highly controversial series on ABC that fall.
Desi himself starred in two plays aired during the second season, “So Tender So Profane” and “Thunder in the Night,” and another “Untouchables”-type story, “Meeting at Apalachin” starring Luther Adler, Cameron Mitchell, and Jack Warden and narrated by Bob Considine, was tried. Airing roughly once every five weeks within the series were a number of Westinghouse Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Shows in which the two stars re-created their roles from I Love Lucy along with Vivian Vance, William Frawley, and Richard Keith.
WESTINGHOUSE PLAYHOUSE (Situation Comedy)
FIRST TELECAST: January 6, 1961
LAST TELECAST: July 7, 1961
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Jan 1961-Apr 1961 , NBC Fri 8:30-9:00
May 1961-Jul 1961 , NBC Fri 9:30-10:00
CAST:
| Nan McGovern | Nanette Fabray |
| Dan McGovern | Wendell Corey |
| Buddy | Bobby Diamond |
| Nancy | Jacklyn O'Donnell |
| Mrs. Harper | Doris Kemper |
The full title of this comedy was Westinghouse Playhouse Starring Nanette Fabray and Wendell Corey. It was created by Miss Fabray's husband, writer-director Ranald MacDougall, and was based somewhat on her own life. Nan McGovern was a successful Broadway star who fell madly in love with Dan McGovern (whose wife had died six years previously) and married him after a very short courtship. On their way back to his hometown of Hollywood, Dan admitted to Nan that he had not told his children about her. When they arrived at his home in Beverly Hills Nan found herself confronted with two rude and indifferent stepchildren and a less-than-enthusiastic housekeeper. Her efforts to cope with the situation and become close to her new family provided the material for the episodes in this series.
WESTINGHOUSE PREVIEW THEATRE (Comedy Anthology)
FIRST TELECAST: July 14, 1961
LAST TELECAST: September 22, 1961
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Jul 1961-Sep 1961 , NBC Fri 9:30-10:00
This summer series consisted of ten unsold pilots for potential situation comedy series, starring assorted TV and film personalities, and one musical program, “The Benny Goodman Show,” which aired on September 15.
WESTINGHOUSE SUMMER THEATRE , see Studio One
WESTSIDE MEDICAL (Medical Drama)
FIRST TELECAST: March 15, 1977
LAST TELECAST: August 25, 1977
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Mar 1977-Apr 1977 , ABC Thu 10:00-11:00
Jun 1977-Aug 1977 , ABC Thu 10:00-11:00
CAST:
| Dr. Sam Lanagan | James Sloyan |
| Dr. Janet Cottrell | Linda Carlson |
| Dr. Philip Parker | Ernest Thompson |
| Carrie | Alice Nunn |
TECHNICAL CONSULTANT:
Walter D. Dishell, M.D.
Set in Southern California, this short-lived medical drama centered around three dedicated young doctors who opened their own clinic to provide total, personalized care to their patients. Carrie was the receptionist. Westside Medical returned at the end of June to run for another two months with both original and repeat episodes.
WE'VE GOT EACH OTHER (Situation Comedy)
FIRST TELECAST: October 1, 1977
LAST TELECAST: January 14, 1978
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Oct 1977-Jan 1978 , CBS Sat 8:30-9:00
CAST:
| Stuart Hibbard | Oliver Clark |
| Judy Hibbard | Beverly Archer |
| Damon Jerome | Tom Poston |
| Dee Dee Baldwin | Joan Van Ark |
| Donna | Ren Woods |
| Ken Bedford | Martin Kove |
The trials of a married couple whose marital roles were somewhat reversed formed the crux of this comedy. Stuart worked at home, as a copywriter for the “Herman Gutman Mail Order Catalogue” (full of improbable and useless gadgets), and did most of the cleaning and cooking. Judy commuted every day to downtown Los Angeles, where she was the assistant to professional photographer Damon Jerome, a hy-pertense, absentminded man who was great with a camera but terrible at the practical aspects of his business. Both Stuart and Judy had primary sources of aggravation, his being next-door neighbor Ken Redford and hers being model Dee Dee Baldwin, who was sarcastic, demanding, and incredibly self-centered. Donna, the office secretary, tried to maintain an uneasy truce between Judy and Dee Dee, but it was almost impossible.
WHAMMY! THE ALL NEW PRESS YOUR LUCK (Quiz)
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Game Show Network
30 minutes
Original episodes: 2002-2003
Premiered: April 15, 2002
EMCEE:
Todd Newton
This fast, noisy game show was a new version of the daytime classic Press Your Luck , named after the dreaded “whammy” position on its board. Three contestants began with $1,000 each. Lights started rotating on a big neon board and a contestant yelled “stop!” to win whatever was in the box that the light landed on (cash or prize); but if it landed on a “whammy,” signified by a little grinning devil character, the contestant lost all winnings up to that point. Whammy boxes multiplied as the game progressed. In round two the contestants answered questions to win additional spins, and then in round three they used those spins to win further money. Now, however, there were “double whammies”—which, if hit, resulted in the contestant getting spritzed with water, doused in popcorn or suffering some other indignity. Four whammies (total) and a contestant was out of the game. In the final round contestants could give their remaining spins to opponents, hoping they would get caught by a whammy. Winnings were usually in the $5,000-10,000 range.
The original Press Your Luck ran in CBS daytime 1983-1986, emceed by Peter Tomarken. It is perhaps best remembered for one 1984 contestant, Paul Michael Larson, who figured out the board patterns at home, went on the show and won $110,000 in cash and prizes—the biggest total ever won by a game-show player in one sitting. CBS subsequently repro-grammed its computers to prevent anyone else from “beating” the game this way.
WHAT A COUNTRY (Situation Comedy)
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Syndicated only
30 minutes
Produced: 1986-1987(26 episodes)
Released: September 1986
CAST:
| Nikolai Bostapovich | Yakov Smirnoff |
| Taylor Brown | Garrett M. Brown |
| Principal Joan Courtney | Gail Strickland |
| Ali Nadeem | Vijay Amritraj |
| Laslo Gabov | George Murdock |
| Pioberì Muboto | Harry Waters, Jr. |
| Maria Conchita Lopez | Ada Maris |
| Victor Ortega | Julian Reyes |
| Yung Hi | Leila Hee Olsen |
| Principal F. Jerry “Bud” McPherson (1987) | Don knotts |
Real-life Russian immigrant Yakov Smirnoff starred in this series about resident aliens hoping to become American citizens. The series was set in Los Angeles where young Taylor Brown taught a night school course to help immigrants pass the American citizenship test. The members of his class were Nikolai, an effervescent Russian cab driver; Laslo, a grumpy, retired Hungarian physician; Ali, a Pakistani who took everything quite literally; Robert, the pretentious son of a deposed African king; Maria, the sexy housekeeper for a wealthy Beverly Hills family; Victor, a young Hispanic lady-killer in love with Maria; and Yung Hi, an incredibly shy and sensitive Chinese girl. Joan Courtney was the rather pushy principal of the school (replaced by Bud McPherson early in 1987). Stories revolved around their problems with American language and customs, as well as the ways in which they related to each other.
What a Country was adapted from the British series
Mind Your Language.
WHAT A DUMMY (Situation Comedy)
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Syndicated only
30 minutes
Produced: 1990-1991 (24 episodes)
Released: September 1990
CAST:
| Tucker Brannigan (age 16) | Stephen Dorff |
| Cory Brannigan (11) | Joshua Rudoy |
| Ed Brannigan | David Doty |
| Polly Brannigan | Annabel Armour |
| Maggie Brannigan (6) | Janna Michaels |
| Buzz (voice only) | Loren Freeman |
| Mrs. Treva Travalony | Kaye Ballard |
Ed Brannigan's life took a bizarre turn when his great uncle Jackie died and left him a trunk full of props from his days as a ventriloquist. Locked in the trunk for 50 years had been Jackie's dummy, Buzz, and boy, was he achin' to get out! Buzz, it seems, could think and talk. And talk. And talk.
Having a bright, cynical ventriloquist's dummy with a mind of his own around the house was a mixed blessing. Buzz was forever giving everyone advice. The Brannigans couldn't tell anyone they had a “live” dummy living with them, yet Buzz was constantly making sarcastic comments when other people were around. The other members of the household were Ed's wife Polly and their three children—Tucker the carefree, girl-crazy teenager, Cory, the wise-beyond-his-years intellectual, and cute-as-a-button Maggie. Their next door neighbor in beautiful Secaucus, New Jersey, was pushy Mrs. Travalony. Maybe they could put herin the trunk.
WHAT ABOUT BRIAN (Drama)
FIRST TELECAST: April 16, 2006
LAST TELECAST: March 26, 2007
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Apr 2006 , ABC Sun 10:00-11:00
Apr 2006-May 2006 , ABC Mon 10:00-11:00
Oct 2006-Mar 2007 , ABC Mon 10:00-11:00
CAST:
| Brian Davis | Barry Watson |
| Adam Hillman …. | Matthew Davis |
| Dr. Marjorie Seaver | Sarah Lancaster |
| Dave Greco …. | Rick Gomez |
| Deena Greco | Amanda Detmer |
| Geneva Greco…… | Payton Spencer |
| Larissa Greco | Mikaila Baumel |
| Carrie Greco… | Ava & Olivia White |
| Nicole “Nikki” Varzi | Rosanna Arquette |
| Angelo Varzi (2006) … | Raoul Bova |
| Jimmy | Jason Winston George |
| Ivy……. | Amanda Foreman |
| Bridget Keller | Krista Allen |
| Heather/Summer | Rachelle Lefevre |
| Natasha Drew (2007) | Tiffani Thiessen |
Seven Los Angeles friends, three couples and single guy Brian, talked endlessly about their feelings on this angst-filled romantic serial. Brian was the odd man out, 32, not yet hooked up and with embarrassing feelings for his best friend Adam's fiancée Marjorie. Adam was a handsome, cocky lawyer while Marjorie was a pediatrician. Brian's bohemian friend and business partner Dave, with whom he ran a small video game company called Zap Monkey, was in a long loveless marriage with Deena; despite their three small girls Dave and Deena were thinking of calling it quits. The third couple was Dave's newlywed sister Nikki, a record company executive, and her oily actor-husband Angelo, who were trying to start their own family.
In the 2006-2007 season Adam was left at the altar, whereupon he impetuously married a stripper from his bachelor party named Heather. Predictably it didn't last once Marjorie returned to town and the Brian-Adam-Marjorie triangle resumed. Nicole finally became pregnant, only to have Angelo killed in an auto accident. Zap Monkey folded, after which Brian became a building manager and Dave wound up working for manipulative Natasha. Dave and Deena separated and Deena pursued a cupcake business, though by the end of the season it looked like they might get back together.
WHAT ABOUT JOAN? (Situation Comedy)
FIRST TELECAST: March 27, 2001
LAST TELECAST: October 9, 2001
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Mar 2001-May 2001 , ABC Tue 9:30-10:00
Oct 2001 , ABC Tue 8:30-9:00
CAST:
| Joan Gallagher | Joan Cusack |
| Jake Evans | Kyle Chandler |
| Betsy Morgan | Jessica Hecht |
| Mark Ludlow | Wallace Langham |
| Dr. Ruby Stern | Donna Murphy |
| Alice Adams | Kellie Shanygne Williams |
| Steinie | Jeff Garlin |
Joan was a high school English teacher whose personal life was a bit of a shambles until handsome young investment banker Jake—whom she had been dating for just six weeks—suddenly proposed. This sent her into a series of anxiety attacks, and off to seek advice from her motley group of friends: Betsy, the insecure music teacher who was having an off-again, on-again affair with fellow teacher Mark; Ruby, a psychiatrist with troubles of her own, and student teacher Alice, perhaps the most sensible of the lot. Joan and Jake decided to “go slow,” but Betsy and Mark abruptly married in May. Joining the cast during the short fall run was Jake's pal Steinie, who managed a bar. Filmed in Chicago, where the show was presumably set.
WHAT DO YOU HAVE IN COMMON?
(Quiz/Audience Participation)
FIRST TELECAST: July 1, 1954
LAST TELECAST: September 23, 1954
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Jul 1954-Sep 1954 , CBS Thu 9:00-9:30
EMCEE:
Ralph Story
Contestants on What Do You Have in Common? were brought to the stage in groups of three and informed by emcee Ralph Story that they had something in common that they must try to figure out by cross-examining each other. The first to figure out their common bond (which had been flashed on the TV screen to the viewers at home) won $500. Three groups of three participated on each show and the group that had taken the least time to figure out what they had in common won the opportunity to try for an extra $1,000 by guessing the similarity in the lives of three pictured celebrities.
WHAT DO YOU THINK? (Discussion)
FIRST TELECAST: January 17, 1949
LAST TELECAST: February 14, 1949
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Jan 1949-Feb 1949 , ABC Mon 8:30-9:00 Book-discussion program produced by the Great Books Foundation Forum. From Chicago.
WHAT HAPPENED (Quiz/Panel)
FIRST TELECAST: August 7, 1952
LAST TELECAST: August 21, 1952
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Aug 1952 , NBC Thu 8:30-9:00
MODERATOR:
Ben Grauer
PANELISTS:
Lisa Ferraday
Roger Price
Maureen Stapleton
Frank Gallop
Six weeks after I've Got a Secret premiered on CBS this very similar show turned up on the NBC schedule. Contestants on What Happened were all people who had had something happen to them that had been reported in a newspaper. The panelists, by asking questions to which the contestant answered yes or no, attempted to guess “what happened” to the contestant that was newsworthy. I've Got a Secret lasted 15 years in its original prime-time run. This shabby imi-tation lasted only three weeks.
WHAT HAPPENED? (Documentary)
FIRST TELECAST: September 25, 1992
LAST TELECAST: October 16, 1992
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Sep 1992–Oct 1992 , NBC Fri 8:30-9:00
HOST:
Ken Howard
This reality series used scientific techniques such as computer simulations and analysis of film footage to probe various man-made accidents and disasters and speculate in each case what really happened. The tone was sensational and the cases usually high-profile: why Ricky Nelson's plane crashed in flames, why a gun turret blew up on the U.S.S. Iowa killing 47, why James Dean's car crashed, why a hotel elevator plunged 22 floors to the ground, and much more. The show even reexamined such well-worn cases as the JFK assassination and the Three Mile Island nuclear disaster. A consulting firm called Failure Analysis Associates carried out the high-tech reconstructions.
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT YOU (Situation Comedy)
FIRST TELECAST: September 20, 2002
LAST TELECAST: September 15, 2006
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Sep 2002-Jun 2003 , WB Fri 8:00-8:30
Jun 2003-Aug 2003 , WB Fri 8:30-9:00
Aug 2003-Nov 2003 , WB Thu 9:00-9:30
Nov 2003-Jun 2004 , WB Fri 8:30-9:00
Jun 2004-Mar 2006 , WB Fri 8:00-8:30
Mar 2005-Apr 2005 , WB Fri 8:30-9:00
May 2005-Jul 2005 , WB Fri 8:30-9:00
Oct 2005-Nov 2005 , WB Fri 8:30-9:00
May 2006-Sep 2006 , WB Fri 8:00-8:30
CAST:
| Holly Tyler | Amanda Bynes |
| Valerie Tyler | Jennie Garth |
| Gary Thorpe | Wesley Jonathan |
| Jeff (2002-2003) | Simon Rex |
| Lauren (2003–2006) | Leslie Grossman |
| Henry Gibson (2003-2004) | Michael McMillian |
| Peter (2003) | Stephen Dunham |
| Vince (2003-2006) | Nick Zano |
| Tina Haven (2003–2006) | Allison Munn |
| Rick Allen (2004-2005) | Edward Kerr |
| Ben Sheffield (2004-2005) | David de Lautour |
| Vic Maladeo (2005-2006) | Dan Cortese |
THEME:
“What I Like About You,” performed by Lillix
This slapstick sitcom centered on two sisters with very different personalities living together in an apartment on Manhattan's Upper West Side. Sixteen-year-old Holly had moved in with her 28-year-old sister Valerie when their father took a job in Japan. Impulsive Holly was full of energy and enthusiasm, and loved being in the Big Apple. Val, a public relations executive with the firm of Harper & Diggs, was uptight and regimented, and needed her kid sister's help to loosen up. Despite Holly's penchant for getting herself—and often Val—into awkward or embarrassing situations, things always seemed to work out. Jeff, Val's commitment-phobic boyfriend, managed a local restaurant owned by his father, and Holly's friend Gary, who had a barely concealed crush on Val, worked at a local copy shop. There was a lot of physical comedy; simply getting off an elevator with luggage escalated into a major comedy bit.
In February Val and Jeff broke up when he told her he never wanted to get married and she went into a funk. When his father decided to close the restaurant, Holly helped Jeff get a job managing the restaurant where she hung out.
When the second season began Jeff was gone, Val was adjusting to a new boss and Holly's relationship with her schoolmate, Henry, was blooming. Initially Val was enamored of her new boss, Peter, but when he gave her new client to one of his buddies, she quit and started her own PR agency, Valco, reluctantly taking overbearing Lauren with her as her assistant. Holly, who wanted to help, befriended Tina, the wild daughter of one of Val's new clients. To save money, Val and Holly moved into a big loft in Greenwich Village that was both their home and the office for Val's PR firm. Holly's relationship with Henry had deteriorated because she was showing interest in Vince, an older guy who worked as a bike messenger, and he broke up with her. Eventually they tried to stay friends and he helped her write an essay that won her a summer internship in Paris before starting college at NYU. Val, who had not been dating, started spending time with Rick, a former beau who was now engaged, and realized she still had feelings for him. In the season finale Holly left for Paris without deciding whether she loved Henry or Vince and Val was pleasantly surprised when Rick left his fiancée to be with her.
That fall when Holly returned from Paris with her new boyfriend in tow—British musician Ben—Henry left for Princeton and Vince coped with the knowledge he had lost her. Gary had moved in with Vince and Val had spent the summer with Rick, who proposed to her. While they were making wedding plans he moved into the loft and Holly and Ben convinced Gary and Vince to let them share their apartment. In late October Holly dropped out of NYU to become Ben's manager but later took a job working as an assistant for an executive with a small record label— although she continued to get gigs for him. On her wedding day, realizing Rick couldn't get his ex out of his system, Val couldn't go through with the marriage.
When she found out Lauren had run their business into the ground while she had been preoccupied with the wedding plans, Val decided to make a clean break and start something new. She bought a small neighborhood bakery, renamed it Sugar Babies and hired Lauren and Gary to work for her. In February, aware that Holly still had unresolved feelings for Vince, Ben broke up with her—although he kept her as his manager. At the end of the season Val, upset over Rick's impending wedding, went to Atlantic City with her new boyfriend, Todd (Luke Perry), got drunk and came back married to her ex-boss, Vic, who was now a fireman. Meanwhile, Vince, believing Holly was back together with Henry, was driving to Florida with his new girlfriend, unaware Holly was hiding in the backseat of the car.
The last season began with Val coping with her unexpected marriage and Holly and Vince returning to New York after she told him she loved him. Gary moved in with Tina after subletting his apartment to a couple of foreigners for $3,000 per month and Vince joined them after his return. Although she initially wanted to have the marriage annulled, Vic eventually won Val over and they decided to give the relationship a chance and start dating. After discovering the guy who had married them in Atlantic City was an impersonator, Val and Vic decided to get married legally. In the series finale Val had her dream wedding; Vince, who had been selling real estate, decided not to take a job offer in Chicago because he loved Holly; and Gary was showing romantic interest in Tina.
WHAT IN THE WORLD (Quiz)
FIRST TELECAST: February 7, 1953
LAST TELECAST: September 5, 1953
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Feb 1953-Sep 1953 , CBS Sat 6:30-7:00
MODERATOR:
Dr. Froelich Rainey
PANELISTS:
Dr. Carleton Coon
Dr. Schuyler Cammann
The moderator of this live museum quiz was Dr. Froelich Rainey, director of the University of Pennsylvania Museum. Each week the two regular panelists, both professors in the anthropology department of the University of Pennsylvania, along with a third guest panelist, were shown works of art from the museum and asked to identify them. The identifications included background on the origins and original uses of the pieces, as well as possible explanations of the circumstances surrounding their discovery. This Peabody Award-winning series, broadcast live from Philadelphia, had actually premiered in April 1951 and continued until March 1955. For most of its run, however, it aired as a Saturday or Sunday afternoon program.
WHAT REALLY HAPPENED TO THE CLASS
OF ‘65? (Dramatic Anthology)
FIRST TELECAST: December 8, 1977
LAST TELECAST: July 27, 1978
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Dec 1977-Mar 1978 , NBC Thu 10:00-11:00
May 1978-Jul 1978 , NBC Thu 10:00-11:00
CAST:
| Sam Ashley | Tony Bill |
A different graduate of Bret Harte High School, class of ‘65, was the subject of this dramatic anthology each week. Their post-high school stories were told from the perspective of a decade later: the class hustler, who had become a Vietnam War amputee; the class dreamers, who had become involved in a get-rich-quick scheme; “everybody's girl,” who could never escape from her reputation for promiscuity.
A different cast appeared each week, with the only continuing role being that of Sam Ashley, who was a graduate of the class himself and who had returned to teach at the school. He served solely as narrator. Others appearing in individual telecasts included Leslie Nielsen, Jane Curtin, Larry Hagman, Linda Purl, and Meredith Baxter-Birney.
The series was based on the book of the same name.
WHAT SHOULD YOU DO? (Information)
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Lifetime
60 minutes
Original episodes: 2003-2005 (40 episodes)
Premiered: April 14, 2003
REGULARS:
Candice DeLong
Dr. Winnie King
Charles Ingram
This helpful program showed viewers what to do in dangerous, but realistic, situations, by means of action-packed re-creations and expert advice. Examples included a child in a classroom who was accidently impaled with a pencil through the heart (the teacher kept pressure on the wound and did not remove the pencil); a woman kidnapped at gunpoint and forced into the trunk of her car (using her wits, she got out); and a couple caught in an avalanche (using a swimming motion, they stayed on the surface and grabbed onto passing trees and rocks).
The regular experts were former FBI agent Candice DeLong, emergency room physician Dr. Winnie King and emergency medical technician/rescue expert Charles Ingram. Sometimes their advice was a little challenging (if a gunman threatening you is distracted, you can try running away using a zigzag pattern and you “probably” won't get hit), but mostly it was good common sense. Now, do you know how to get out of your trunk?
WHAT WOULD YOU DO? (Humor/Audience Participation)
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Nickelodeon
30 minutes
Produced: 1991–1993 (90 episodes)
Premiered: August 31, 1991
HOST:
Marc Summers One of those messy Nickelodeon game shows in which volunteers from the studio audience were asked if they would attempt stunts like kissing a chimp, picking up a cockroach, or sliding headfirst down the “pie slide” into a huge vat of whipped cream. In other segments, audience members voted on whether they thought people outside the studio would do bizarre things if asked and then saw via hidden cameras what actually happened when they did them.
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO ROBOT JONES?
(Cartoon)
BROADCAST HISTORY:
Cartoon Network
30 minutes
Original episodes: 2002-2003
Premiered: July 19, 2002
VOICES:
| Robot Jones (2003) | Bobby Block |
| Mom Unit, Shannon Westaberg | Grey DeLisle |
| Robot Dad | Maurice LaMarche |
| Timothy “Socks” Manin | Kyle Sullivan |
| Cubey | Myles Jeffrey |
| Lenny Yogman | Josh Peck |
| Denny Yogman | Austin Stout |
| Principal Madman | Jeff Bennett |
| Mr. Rucoat | Dee Bradley Baker |
| Tim Raines, Little Kevin | Jonathan Osser |
| Mr. McMcmc | Rip Taylor |