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After the movie successes in 1967, why rattle the cage too much?
The cost of the Hollywood premieres was going up, but affiliate backlash got NBC to back down from adding more commercials, which stood at around 14 minutes per hour. Instead, the network continued to mine titles from Universal, which made up a majority of this seasons 26 new Tuesday movies — 19 from Universal (even including some horror flicks), 4 from Paramount, 1 from Fox, and 1 from United Artists.
NBC had some fun with its logo when presenting A Hard Day's Night, which was also part of the network's first double feature. Tuesday night titles also included Sandra Dee-Bobby Darin films, Elvis flicks, the McHale's Navy movies, and four original productions, including the first appearance of Lt. Columbo.
Rumors swirled that NBC was going to flip the latter Monday and Tuesday schedules — the movie to Monday and The Danny Thomas Hour and I Spy to Tuesday — but it never happened. The Monday schedule needed a big jolt, but it'd have to wait until next fall.
Programmer's Corner: Shuffled yet again, I Dream of Jeannie moved to Tuesdays to open the night and was followed by Jerry Lewis given a second chance at a variety show. While the show started strong, its latter half-hour sunk in the ratings as viewers jumped to veteran variety powerhouse Red Skelton. However, the movie was undisturbed by the strong competition from 9 to 9:30. NBC Tuesday Night at the Movies placed at #20 in the ratings, the best seasonal ranking the Tuesday movie will ever receive. CBS' post-Red Skelton sitcom Good Morning, World didn't offer much competition and the CBS News Hour still remained on the low side. On ABC, The Invaders didn't do well against Red Skelton and the movie, so it was moved to close the night in February, replacing The Hollywood Palace, which was shipped back to Saturday. Filling in its 8 p.m. slot was newcomer It Takes a Thief, which did quite well. Freshman drama N.Y.P.D. filled out the latter scheduling at 9:30 p.m.
NBC TUESDAY NIGHT AT THE MOVIES, 1967–68
Regular season
12 Sep 1967: Fun in Acapulco (1963, 2 hours)
A yacht owner's spoiled daughter gets Mike fired, but a boy helps him get a job as singer at Acapulco Hilton. Clashes abound when Mike runs into the rival lifeguard, who is the champion diver of Mexico. (Musical Comedy / Color, Paramount)
Director: Richard Thorpe; with Elvis Presley, Ursula Andress, Elsa Cárdenas, Paul Lukas
More: Wikipedia, Rotten Tomatoes, Letterboxd
Programming Note: This was also premiere night for I Dream of Jeannie and The Jerry Lewis Show.
24 Oct 1967: Double Feature (2): Cinderfella (1960, 1 hour 45 minutes)
19 Sep 1967: Send Me No Flowers (1964, 2 hours)
A hypochondriac believes he is dying and makes plans for his wife which she discovers and misunderstands. (Romantic Comedy/ Color, Universal)
Director: Norman Jewison; with Rock Hudson, Doris Day, Tony Randall
26 Sep 1967: The Errand Boy (1961, 2 hours)
A goofy paperhanger is hired to root out a financial inefficiency on a Hollywood studio lot, wreaking havoc as he goes. (Comedy / Black & White, Paramount)
Director: Jerry Lewis; with Jerry Lewis, Brian Donlevy, Howard McNear
3 Oct 1967: The Second Time Around (1961, 2 hours)
In 1911, a widow with two children leaves New York City for territorial Arizona and becomes a ranch hand and later gets herself elected sheriff. A gambler and a rancher become rivals for her affections. (Western Comedy / Color, 20th Century Fox)
Director: Vincent Sherman; with Debbie Reynolds, Steve Forrest, Andy Griffith
10 Oct 1967: Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962, 2 hours)
Ross Carpenter, a fishing guide/sailor, finds out his boss is retiring to Arizona, so he has to find a way to buy the Westwind, a boat that he and his father built. He is also caught between two women: insensitive club singer Robin and sweet Laurel. (Musical Comedy / Color, Paramount)
Director: Norman Taurog; with Elvis Presley, Stella Stevens, Laurel Goodwin
17 Oct 1967: That Funny Feeling (1965, 2 hours)
Young maid Joan Howell meets and begins dating wealthy businessman Tom Milford. Embarrassed about bringing him back to her tiny apartment that she shares with her roommate Audrey, Joan brings Tom over to a fancy apartment that she cleans on a daily basis not knowing that it's his place. (Romantic Comedy / Color, Universal)
Director: Richard Thorpe; with Sandra Dee, Bobby Darin, Donald O'Connor
24 Oct 1967: Double Feature (1): A Hard Day's Night (1964, 1 hour 45 minutes)
Over two "typical" days in the life of The Beatles, the boys struggle to keep themselves and Sir Paul McCartney's mischievous grandfather in check while preparing for a live television performance. (Music Comedy / Black & White, United Artists)
Director: Richard Lester; with John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr
Programming Note: Introduced by the NBC penguin, This was the first double feature movie presentation on NBC. This will be a common occurrence in the 1970s when the network packed various pilots together.
A gender-swapped retelling of Charles Perrault's classic, where Cinderfella is visited by a fairy godfather to help him escape from his wicked stepmother and stepbrothers. (Comedy / Color, Paramount)
Director: Frank Tashlin; with Jerry Lewis, Ed Wynn, Judith Anderson
Ratings Report: In the two-week span, the Tuesday movie is #8 (23.9), just ahead of Red Skelton (#9, 23.2).
31 Oct 1967: Stranger on the Run 📺 (1967, 2 hours)
TV Movie. Former inmate and drunkard Ben Chamberlain arrives in a railroad town looking for a woman, causing the railroad police deputies to manhunt for Ben. (Western / Color, Universal)
Director: Don Siegel; with Henry Fonda, Anne Baxter
More: Wikipedia, Letterboxd
7 Nov 1967: Bedtime Story (1964, 2 hours)
Benson is a Casanova, a life he's content with until he meets Jamison, a real operator who poses as an exiled prince. He not only gets women to share his bed but also to give him money to help him fund his supposed counter-revolution. (Comedy / Color, Universal)
Director: Ralph Levy; with Marlon Brando, David Niven, Shirley Jones
More: Wikipedia, Letterboxd
14 Nov 1967: Tammy and the Doctor (1963, 2 hours)
A Los Angeles doctor falls for a Mississippi girl working as a nurse's aide in his hospital. (Romantic Comedy / Color, Universal)
Director: Harry Keller; with Sandra Dee, Peter Fonda, Macdonald Carey
21 Nov 1967: The Outsider 📺 (1967, 2 hours)
TV Pilot. David Ross is a private investigator playing a game of follow the money. A simple case of embezzling turns bad quickly when bodies start dropping and the savvy P.I. is the primary suspect in an attractive woman’s death. (Crime / Color, Universal)
Director: Michael Ritchie; with Darren McGavin, Sean Garrison, Shirley Knight
More: Letterboxd
28 Nov 1967: McHale's Navy (1964, 2 hours)
Based on the in-production TV show, the crew of PT-73 get into trouble when they back the wrong horse in a race. Now they have to come up with a way to raise the money to pay off the winners. (War Comedy / Color, Universal)
Director: Edward Montagne; with Ernest Borgnine, Tim Conway, Joe Flynn
Programming Note: Jerry Lewis was preempted for First Annual All-Star Celebrity Softball Game.
5 Dec 1967: If a Man Answers (1962, 2 hours)
Rich socialite Chantal marries Eugene, a photographer, and everything seems blissful until her envious friend attempts to break them up. In desperation, she turns to her mother, but the advice may do more harm than good. (Romantic Comedy / Color, Universal)
Director: Henry Levin; with Sandra Dee, Bobby Darin, Micheline Presle
12 Dec 1967: Fluffy (1965, 2 hours)
A comedy about a nutty professor and his pet lion who becomes famous. (Comedy / Color, Universal)
Director: Earl Bellamy; with Tony Randall, Shirley Jones, Edward Andrews
More: Wikipedia, Letterboxd
Ratings Report: For the two-week ratings chart, the Tuesday movie ranked #10 (25.2), ahead of the Saturday movie (#20). It wasn't too far off from Red Skelton (#5, 27.5)
19 Dec 1967: The Kiss of the Vampire (as Kiss of Evil) (1963, 2 hours)
When car trouble strands a honeymooning couple in a small Southern European village, an aristocratic family in the area reaches out to help them with sinister consequences. (Horror / Color, Universal)
Director: Don Sharp; with Clifford Evans, Edward de Souza, Noel Willman
Programming Note: Because President Johnson was set to address the nation at 10 p.m., the movie was pushed back to 8 and Jerry Lewis was bumped.
26 Dec 1967: Wild and Wonderful (1964, 2 hours; Original Air Date: 15 Nov 1966)
2 Jan 1968: The Evil of Frankenstein (1964, 2 hours)
Upon returning to his home village to continue his experimental research, the destitute Dr. Frankenstein revives his old creature, but a hypnotist wants the monster to control for himself. (Horror / Color, Universal)
Director: Freddie Francis; with Peter Cushing, Peter Woodthorpe, Duncan Lamont
9 Jan 1968: That Touch of Mink (1962, 2 hours)
A rich businessman and a young woman are attracted to each other, but he only wants an affair while she wants to save herself for marriage. (Romantic Comedy / Color, Universal)
Director: Delbert Mann; with Cary Grant, Doris Day, Gig Young, Audrey Meadows
Programming Note: I Dream of Jeannie was preempted for the special In Concert With Herman's Hermits.
16 Jan 1968: The Truth About Spring (1965, 2 hours)
During the 1960s, a Caribbean sailor and his tomboy daughter search for buried treasure but run into unsavory characters and a cute lawyer who's after romance. (Adventure / Color, Universal)
Director: Richard Thorpe; with Hayley Mills, John Mills, James MacArthur
Programming Note: Jerry Lewis was preempted for a repeat of the animated/live-action special Jack and the Beanstalk.
23 Jan 1968: The Lively Set (1964, 2 hours)
A college student drops out to build a race car and falls for his buddy's sister. (Action Drama / Color, Universal)
Director: Jack Arnold; with James Darren, Pamela Tiffin, Doug McClure
More: Wikipedia, Letterboxd
30 Jan 1968: The Phantom of the Opera (1962, 2 hours)
An acid-scarred composer has his dwarf helper bring an opera singer to his London sewer hide-out. (Horror / Color, Universal)
Director: Terence Fisher; with Herbert Lom, Heather Sears, Edward de Souza
6 Feb 1968: McHale's Navy Joins the Air Force (1965, 2 hours)
The crew of PT-73 are in trouble again when Ensign Parker is mistaken for a pilot and gets shanghied into the Air Force. (War Comedy / Color, Universal)
Director: Edward Montagne; with Joe Flynn, Tim Conway, Bob Hastings
13 Feb 1968: Pressure Point (1962, 2 hours)
A black prison psychiatrist is assigned the distasteful task of helping a paranoid American Nazi charged with sedition. (Drama / Black & White, United Artists)
Director: Hubert Cornfield; with Sidney Poitier, Bobby Darin, Peter Falk
20 Feb 1968: Prescription: Murder 📺 (1968, 2 hours)
TV Pilot. A psychiatrist uses a patient he is having an affair with to help him kill his wife, but his perfect alibi may come apart at the hands of a seemingly befuddled LAPD lieutenant. (Crime / Color, Universal)
Director: Richard Irving; with Peter Falk, Gene Barry, Katherine Justice
More: Rotten Tomatoes, Letterboxd
27 Feb 1968: The High Bright Son (retitled McGuire, Go Home!) (1965, 2 hours)
During Cyprus' war of independence against Britain, Juno Kozani (Susan Strasberg), an American archeology student visiting Cyprus, is caught between the two warring sides. (Adventure / Color, Universal)
Director: Ralph Thomas; with Dirk Bogarde, George Chakiris, Susan Strasberg
5 Mar 1968: Shadow Over Elveron 📺 (1968, 2 hours)
TV Movie. A corrupt sheriff knows the secrets of everyone in town and uses that information to go unchallenged. But after the arrest of an innocent teenager, the new doctor cannot keep quiet and tries to get the community to stand up for what is right. (Crime / Color, Universal)
Director: James Goldstone; with James Franciscus, Shirley Knight, Leslie Nielsen
More: Wikipedia, Letterboxd
Programming Note: Jerry Lewis was preempted for the Burgess Meredith-narrated documentary special Dear Mr. Gable.
Summer repeats
(Movies aired entirely in their allotted timeslot unless otherwise noted.)
(Movies aired entirely in their allotted timeslot unless otherwise noted.)
12 Mar 1968: Invitation to a Gunfighter (1964)
19 Mar 1968: The Second Time Around (1961)
26 Mar 1968: Stranger on the Run (1967)
2 Apr 1968: Tammy and the Doctor (1963)
Programming Note: Jerry Lewis was preempted for Petula Clark variety special Petula, with special guest Harry Belafonte. There was controversy.
9 Apr 1968: Bedtime Story (1964)
16 Apr 1968: The Lion (1962)
23 Apr 1968: That Funny Feeling (1965)
Programming Note: A rerun of Jerry Lewis was preempted for the variety special Where the Girls Are.
30 Apr 1968: The Truth About Spring (1965)
7 May 1968: McHale's Navy (1964)
Programming Note: A rerun of Jerry Lewis was preempted for a news special on the Indiana primary election.
14 May 1968: Incident at Phantom Hill (1966)
Programming Note: A rerun of Jerry Lewis was preempted for the nature special The World of Animals: Big Cats, Little Cats. The World of Animals was a series of three specials for NBC.
21 May 1968: Pressure Point (1962)
28 May 1968: Strange Bedfellows (1965)
4 Jun 1968: Bus Riley's Back in Town (1965)
11 Jun 1968: Marnie (1964)
Programming Note: Jerry Lewis is replaced with the new talent search competition series Showcase '68, host by Lloyd Thaxton and only runs 30 minutes. The movie slot is expanded to begin at 8:30.
18 Jun 1968: The Pink Panther (1964)
25 Jun 1968: Lancelot and Guinevere (retitled Sword of Lancelot) (1963)
2 Jul 1968: Captain Newman, M.D. (1963)
9 Jul 1968: 1968 MLB All-Star Game
In Houston, the National League defeated the American League 1-0. This was the first night-time All-Star game since 1944. This also preempted Showcase '68.
16 Jul 1968: Man's Favorite Sport? (1964)
23 Jul 1968: Mister Moses (1965)
30 Jul 1968: Freud (1962)
6 Aug 1968: 1968 Republican National Convention
Night 2 of the Republican National Convention in Florida with coverage throughout primetime.
13 Aug 1968: Saratoga Trunk (1945)
20 Aug 1968: No Man Is an Island (1962)
27 Aug 1968: 1968 Democratic National Convention
Night 2 of highly confrontational Democratic National Convention in Chicago with coverage throughout primetime.
3 Sep 1968: If a Man Answers (1962)
Programming Note: The night opened with a 30-minute paid political advertisement for George Wallace followed by the final episode of Showcase '68, which ran for one hour.
10 Sep 1968: Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man (1962)
Programming Note: The night opened with the busted sitcom pilot Guess What I Did Today starring Fred Gwynne.
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NBC's NIGHT AT THE MOVIES
Sources: IMDb and Letterboxd for movie information; Cedar Rapids Gazette, The Daily Banner, and San Bernardino Sun for listing and programming information; Broadcasting for various other notes; if you see bad links or incorrect information, let me know in the comments.
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