TV by the Decade :: December 22•28

Telsun Foundation Inc.

In a change from the usual, only two new series and one TV movie premiered this week in the top half of the past 70 years. Nothing new premiered during Christmas week, not even on cable, after 1974. And nothing premiered in 1954, but 1964 gave us a holiday TV movie, that aired just once, from the creator of a popular anthology series, while 1974 produced two new game shows that only lasted about six months. Check out the programs that premiered this week and tell us if you remember any of them.

1954

No new shows premiered this week in 1954.

1964

December 28 – Carol for Another Christmas (ABC, TV movie)

Carol for Another Christmas, a modern update of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, was written by The Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling. It was the first in a planned series of television specials developed to promote the United Nations and educate viewers about its mission (six were planned, but only four were produced). ABC aired the movie only once, and it was not seen again until TCM broadcast it in 2012. It was the only TV program directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, and it marked the first performance of Peter Sellers after suffering a series of near-fatal heart attacks while filming Kiss Me, Stupid. The film also featured Britt Ekland, who was married to Sellers at the time. Xerox funded the production and paid for air time so the program could run without commercial interruption. The cast waived their fees due to the importance of the project. Peter Sellers accepted the SAG minimum of $350 a week instead of his usual $750,000 fee. Composer Henry Mancini also waived his fee, and his music also appeared in his 1966 Christmas album. Peter Fonda was cast as Marley, son of lead character Daniel Grudge, but most of his scenes were cut, appearing only as a reflection and sitting mute at a table. His likeness is still seen in a large portrait of Marley hanging in Grudge’s study. Richard Harris, Godfrey Cambridge and Christopher Plummer were mentioned in the publicity material but none appear in the finished film. Critics felt the film was preachy and long-winded, while many in the audience felt the program was worthwhile because of its message. The movie earned two Emmy nominations for Outstanding Program Achievements in Entertainment, and Best Art Direction or Scenic Design. The movie has been available to stream on the TCM hub on MAX.

1974

Daphne-Don Lipp Productions

December 23 – The Big Showdown (ABC, One season, 140 episodes)
December 23 – Money Maze (ABC, One season, 135 episodes)

The Big Showdown was a daytime game show hosted by Jim Peck, in his national television debut. Unfortunately due to the practices of the time, the series was erased so the videotapes could be re-used. Audio exists of the opening to one episode and the complete series finale. The pilot does exist on videotape, as does an episode where Peck falls while making his entrance down the stairs.

Nick Clooney, George’s father, hosted the game show Money Maze. Winners from each episode carried over to the next, leaving if they won the $10,000 Dash prize, or after three days total. ABC scheduled the show against Tattletales on CBS and Somerset on NBC, which gave it a difficult time finding an audience. Clooney claimed that fewer than half of ABC’s affiliates carried the show. Also contributing to the show’s demise was the large maze which was so complex it took an entire day to set up and another to break down. The cost of rental fees for the large studio and overtime pay for the crew to set up and strike the set was more than the show’s prize budget, with crew taking home more money than the contestants. The show was to end on the same day as The Big Showdown, but ABC discontinued production before the final five episodes were to be produced, airing reruns for the final week featuring all $10,000 winners. The pilot and at least one episode exist in ABC’s archive, but the bulk of the tapes were erased for re-use (CBS was the one network that did not wipe its tapes). One episode recorded on a home VCR by Andy Warhol is held at the Paley Center for Media.