U.S. Steel Hour to Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
We start with The U.S. Steel Hour and end with Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. If that does not span the spectrum of television entertainment from the classy to the kitschy, I don’t know what does. Here’s the real scary part: Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea ended up having more Emmy wins than The U.S. Steel Hour (!).
The U.S. Steel Hour
CBS Wednesdays 10-11 p.m.* (also ABC), Oct. 27, 1953-June 12, 1963
W: New Program, 1953; Dramatic Program, 1953, 1954
N: Dramatic Program, 1955, 1959; Director (Alex Segal), 1954, 1955; Program of the Year (“No Time for Sergeants”), 1955; Actor, Single Performance (Ralph Bellamy, “Fearful Decision”), 1955; Actress (Julie Harris, “A Wind from the South”), 1955; Art Direction, Live Series (Carl Kent), 1955; and the Theater Guild received a separate nomination for Best Producer of a Live Series. Single Performance, Actress (Helen Hayes, “One Red Rose for Christmas”).
A TV adaptation of radio’s The Theatre Guild of the Air (1945-53), The U.S. Steel Hour
The Unbroken Circle: A Tribute to Mother Maybelle Carter
Uncommon Valor
The Untouchables
ABC Thursdays 9:30-10:30 p.m.*, Oct. 15, 1959-Sept. 10, 1963
W: Actor, Drama Series (Robert Stack), 1960; Film Editing (Ben H. Ray, Robert L. Swanson), 1960
N: Program Achievement, Drama, 1960, 1961; Lead Actor, Series (Stack), 1961; Single Performing, Actress, Lead (Elizabeth Montgomery, “The Rusty Heller Story”), 1961
The most atypical by the sitcom-heavy Desilu Productions founded by Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, The Untouchables was a spinoff of an episode of The Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse. Stack, a supporting actor Oscar nominee for Written on the Wind (1956), found himself typecast as a humorless authority figure thanks to this series until his hilarious turn in the 1980 film comedy Airplane! showed he did have a sense of humor.
Montgomery: Many
Uptown – A Musical Comedy History of Harlem’s Apollo Theatre
V
NBC miniseries
Vain Glory – See Fireside Theatre
Van Dyke and Company
NBC p.m., Oct. 30, 1975
N: Writing, Comedy-Variety or Music Special (Dick Van Dyke, Allan Blye, Bob Einstein, James Stein, George Burditt, Robert Illes, Steve Martin, Jack Mendelsohn, Rich Mittleman)
A year after leaving the disappointing (and never Emmy nominated) New Dick Van Dyke Show (1971-74), the title star returned to the medium A great guest list (Mary Tyler Moore, Carl Reiner, Tina Turner)
Van Dyke and Company
NBC Thursdays 8-9 p.m.*, Sept. 20, 1976-Dec. 30, 1976
W: Variety or Music Series
N: Direction, Comedy-Variety or Music Series (John C. Moffitt, for John Denver show); Writing, Comedy-Variety or Music Series (Bob Einstein, Allan Blye, George Burditt, Garry Ferrier, Ken Finkelman, Mitch Markowitz, Tommy McLoughlin, Don Novello, Pat Proft, Leonard Ripps, Mickey Rose, Aubrey Tadman, Dick Van Dyke, Paul Wayne)
The shortest-lived TV series to win an Emmy for its genre was this unsuccessful spinoff from last year’s special, which included half of the latter’s Emmy-nominated writers. Despite a fairly strong supporting cast that included Chuck McCann and Andy Kaufman (offbeat Kaufman with clean-cut Van Dyke – the mind reels), the show never clicked due to a couple of time shifts and overall lack of consistency between sketches. It sunk near the bottom of the ratings and ended in midseason. Apparently enough votes split among the other competitors to allow it to win the series category, for I have yet to hear anyone bemoan about its worth, including people involved with the series.
Moffitt: The Richard Pryor Show.
Vanished, Parts I and II
NBC Monday and Tuesday 9-11 p.m., March 8 and 9, 1971
W: Cinematography, Special or TV-Movie (Lionel Lindon)
N: Single Program, Drama or Comedy (David Victor, EP, David J. O’Connell, P); Actor, Single Performance (Richard Widmark); Supporting Actor, Drama (Robert Young); Writing, Drama, Adaptation (Dean Riesner); Art Direction or Scenic Design (John J. Lloyd, art director, Ruby R. Levitt, set director); Film Editing, Special or TV-Movie (Robert Watts); Film Sound Mixing (Ronald K. Pierce, James Z. Flaster); Achievement in Creative Technical Crafts (Albert J. Whitlock, special photographic effects)
The Academy fell over itself with nine nominations to this first TV-movie to run more than two hours. Sporting more than 50 speaking parts and including NBC newsmen Chet Huntley and Martin Agronsky playing themselves, this suspense saga based on a novel by Fletcher Knebel concerned how President Paul Roudebush (Widmark), Sen. Earl Gannon (Young) and others reacted when Roudebush’s senior advisor is declared missing. Widmark, a supporting actor Oscar nominee for his memorably murderous role in Kiss of Death (1947) who rarely did TV prior to this part, became slightly more involved in assorted productions thereafter before retiring in 199?. Young competed against James Brolin, his co-star in Marcus Welby, M.D., because the regular and guest supporting actor dramatic roles all fell under one category in 1971 – both lost to David Burns for “The Price” on Hallmark Hall of Fame. Lindon shared his win with Bob Collins for Timex Presents Peggy Fleming at Sun Valley. Three nominees did better with the Oscars – Levitt had four set decoration nominations from Pillow Talk (1959) to Chinatown (1974), Pierce won for sound for Earthquake (1974), and Whitlock won special achievement Oscars for his effects in Earthquake and The Hindenburg (1975).
Lindon: Run for Your Life, Ritual of Evil. Victor: Several. O’Connell: Five others. Young: Father Knows Best, Marcus Welby, M.D. Riesner: Rich Man Poor Man. Lloyd: Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Checkmate, General Electric Theatre, It Happened One Christmas. Watts: Centennial, Cheyenne, Columbo, Maverick, Mission: Impossible.
Vega$
ABC Wednesdays 10-11 p.m.*, Sept. 20, 1978-Sept. 16, 1981
N: Graphic Design and Title Sequence (Phill Norman, “Centerfold”), 1979
A by-rote flashy late 1970s ABC series from Aaron Spelling Productions, where Dan Tanna (Robert Urich) brawled his way to defeat nefarious types in Sin City amid glamorous showgirls, tinkling game machines and the assistance of two hoary dedicated aides, his secretary Beatrice Travis (Phyllis Davis) and ex-con Bobby “Binzo” Borso (Bart Braverman). Tony Curtis played Philip Roth’s, Dan’s easygoing, fun-loving boss – in other words, he played himself. Easy to watch, and easy to forget. Sole nominee Norman earned his first series nomination here following four miniseries and TV-movies.
Norman: The Moneychangers, New, Original Wonder Woman; QB VII; Washington: Behind Closed Doors,
The Verdict is Yours
CBS Weekdays 3:30-4 p.m.*, Sept. 2, 1957-Sept. 28, 1962
N: Daytime Program, 1962
The granddaddy of all daytime courtroom series, The Verdict is Yours adapted the former nighttime series They Stand Accused (1949-54) to present actors playing plaintiffs and defendants alongside actual lawyers arguing their cases before real judges, set in the fictional town of Overlook. Wearing a headset and offering commentary was Jim McKay (1957-60), who left the show when production moved from New York to Los Angeles, then Bill Stout (1960-62) and Jack Whitaker (1962). The performers and attorneys sometimes went overboard in pleading their side, which made for entertaining viewing albeit exaggerated storytelling. Perhaps if it employed a regular judge and/or attorneys, the show could have captured a devoted following. Instead, not long after its nomination, CBS unwisely moved it from the afternoon to late mornings opposite NBC’s The Price is Right, which led to lower ratings and cancellation. This should not be confused with two ABC imitators, Day in Court (1958-65) and Morning Court (1960-61).
The Victor Borge Show
CBS 60 minutes, June 14, 1956 or Dec. 11, 1956
N: Program of the Year
Victory at Entebbe
ABC p.m., Dec. 13, 1976
N: Writing, Special, Drama or Comedy – Original Teleplay (Ernest Kinoy)
Although it reached the air first, this effort earned nowhere near as many Emmy accolades as did a later TV-movie on this event the same season, Raid on Entebbe. In fact, Kinoy competed in the writing category opposite Barry Beckerman for Raid on Entebbe (the winner was Lane Slate for Tail Gunner Joe).
Kinoy:
Villa Allegre
PBS
Visions
PBS
Vladimir Horowitz: A Television Concert at Carnegie Hall
CBS p.m., 1968 (?)
N: Variety or Musical Program (Roger Englander, P; Vladmir Horowitz, pianist)
The Voice of Firestone
NBC Mondays 8:30-9 p.m.* (also ABC), Sept. 5, 1949-June 16, 1963
N: Music Series, 1955
Featuring an orchestra led by conductor Howard Barlow, The Voice of Firestone began on radio in 1928 and spotlighted top performers of classical music and opera. With its static camerawork, unexceptional sets (some sang just in front of a curtain) and formal attire, this was one stuffy show to watch, particularly if you had no fondness for the music presented. I doubt even if it was repeated anywhere today it would draw much of an audience. Forced off NBC in 1954 because it drove down ratings Monday nights, it moved to ABC until it canned it for the same reason in 1959. The network revived it in 1962 to impress members of Congress upset over ABC’s violent programming (see Bus Stop for more info on that), but it remained a bomb and went off after a year.
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
ABC Sundays 7-8 p.m.*, Sept. 14, 1964-Sept. 15, 1968
W: Special Photographic Effects (L.B. Abbott), 1965, (Abbott, Howard Lydecker), 1966; Cinematography (Winton C. Hoch), 1966; Film and Sound Editing (Don Hall Jr., Dick Legrand, Daniel Mandell, John Mills, sound editors), 1967
N: Film Editing (James Baiotto, Robert Belcher, Richard Wormell), 1966; Art Direction and Allied Arts (William J. Creber, art direction, Norman Rockett, set direction, Robert Tait, mechanical effects), 1966, (Tait), 1967; Sound Editing (Hall, Robert Cornett, Donald Higgins, Elwell Jackson), 1966; Cinematography (Abbott), 1967
Adm. Harriman Nelson (Richard Basehart) and Cmdr. (later Capt.) Lee Crane (David Hedison) navigated the Seaview atomic submarine a decade or so in the future in this sometimes thrilling but more often goofy sci-fi entry. Based on the 1961 film of the same name created and produced by Irwin Allen (who did the same here), the pilot (filmed in color but aired in black and white like all 1964-65 episodes) emphasized espionage as much as fantastic events, but the series eventually eschewed credibility and assumed a “monster of the week” format, with the crew meeting a werewolf, “rock men,” leprechauns and a time traveler, among other distractions. Poor Robert Dowdell (as Lt. Cdr. Chip Morton) at least once each show had to stare terrified at the odd goings-on as the rest of the crew responded. More mature viewers tuned out, and by 1968 Lassie and Gentle Ben on CBS stomped it in the ratings. The Emmys showered this with far too many nods – most of its nominees received their only Emmy mention here, and the fact that the more respectable Star Trek received fewer honors is a black mark for the Academy. Yet it is still obvious to see how L.B. Abbott’s impressive underwater visuals wowed the industry. He, the series’ other Emmy winners plus nominees Creber and Rockett all merited Oscar contention at various times. By the way, Basehart notched an Emmy nomination while on this series for narrating the syndicated religious special Let My People Go in 1965.
Abbott: Lost In Space, The Return of Captain Nemo, The Time Tunnel. Hoch: The Time Tunnel. Hall Jr: Legrand: Cornett: Higgins: