Preview: Davy Crockett Rides Again ‘-o See Page 8 LOCAL PROGRAM LISTINGS WEEK OF OCTOBER 15-21 TV" (0 LGUIDEj Richard Boone In ‘Medic’ CONTENTS as we see it WEEK OF OCTOBER 15-21 “It’s getting worse and worse,” said I Local Program Guide our friend. Opens Opposite Page 12 “What, television?” we asked. “No, television is getting better,” he GUIDiy America’s Television Magazine said. “That’s what makes things worse around our house. There are so many TELETYPES good shows on at the same time—how New York . 3 do you decide what to watch?” Hollywood.23 If ever there was an opening for a ARTICLES TV GUIDE sales talk, that was it. Richard Boone: 'Healer Of But we resisted the impulse and con¬ The Sick' . 4 sidered his problem. Take Tuesday In Person—Almost .18 night as an example. TV Saddens Kim Stanley .20 You begin by watching Warner Broth¬ CLOSE-UP ers Presents for’ an exciting film Nobody Loves Pinky Lee— drama, and it isn’t half over before Except The Kids .13 you’re wondering whether Berle (or SPECIAL FEATURE Martha Raye or Bob Hope) might not TV GUIDE Previews; be starting a good show, or whether Davy Crockett . 8 you really shouldn’t be tuning to PICTURE STORIES Navy Log, the fine new CBS series. Geisha Girls On TV .10 If you’re a Berle fancier, half-way Who's This Durante? .12 through his show you’re wondering REVIEWS what Wyatt Earp’s up to, and just It's Always Jan .16 how funny Phil Silvers is going to Tales Of The Texas Rangers ...17 be at the same time. And so it goes the rest of the evening—up to The COLUMNS $64,000 Question, when there seems Fine Tuning • By Ollie Crawford ..17 to be no doubt in anyone’s mind Confidentially . where to tune. By Earl Wilson .22 Cover Photo By Elmer Hollovray, NBC Vol. 3. No. 42 . Oct. 15. 1955 We don’t think there’s room for com¬ litue 1133 plaint about this Year of Plenty on TV. Networks are outdoing themselves Walter H. Annenbera, Editor —and if there are a number of good Merrill Panift, Managing Editor programs on at the same hour, we’d Alexander H. Joseph, Assoeiate Editor Harry Horris, Associate Editor rather miss a few than have the net¬ Oliver H. Crawford, Programming Editor works give up their competitive battle Michael J. O’Neill, Advertising Director for attention. The hotter the compe¬ Donald P. Kohi, Promotion Director tition, the better for the audience. Henry H. Oschay, Circulation Director Well, we finally yielded to that im¬ James T. Quirk, Publisher pulse and pointed out to our friend TV GUIDE is published weekly by Triangle Publications. Inc.. that with TV GUIDE’S program de¬ 400 N. Broad Street, Philadelphia 1. Pa. Rlttenhouse 6-1600. National Advertising Office. 400 N. Broad SL, Philadelphia tails at hand, he’d know pretty well, in 1, Pa. Entered as second class matter at the Post Office at Philadelphia. Pa. Subscription Rates: In the U.S. and advance, which shows he’d enjoy; and Canada. 1 year $S.00, 2 years $8.00, 3 years $11.00, single copy 15c; In Pan-American Countries 1 year $7.00, 2 years when something extra-special was in $12.00. 3 years $17.00; In other Foreign Countries 1 year $8.00, 2 years $14.00. 3 years $20.00. Copyrii^t 1955 by the offing, TV GUIDE would tell. Triangle Publications. Inc. No material in TV GUIDE, includ¬ We sold him, all right; but it seems ing program information, may be reprinted without per¬ mission of the copyright owner. he and his family still didn’t quite Address subscriptions and changes of address agree on shows. Poor fellow wound to Box 8019, Philadelphia t. Pa. up buying a second television set! Please allow four weeks for change of address. TV Teletype* i HOHmY^^OOd] Dan Jenkins reports: Rumors concerning demise of I Love Lucy, following NBC's sign¬ ing of Lucy's producer-headwriter, JESS OPPENHEIMER, effective next spring, have been firmly spiked by DESI ARNAZe "We have no such plans," he told TV GUIDE. "I hate to see JESS go, but his leaving won't Interfere in the slightest with whatever plans we make for the show. Personally, I would like to expand Lucy to a full hour every week, maybe even in color, using big-name guest stars—say, three weeks out of four—to help LUCY and me carry the load. But we'd still appear in every show. Of course, this is Just my own plan for the show and will have to be concurred in by both CBS and the sponsors. We are working on that right now. CBS, you see, has an option on Lucy for 1956-57, Sure, we'll miss JESS. But, who knows?" he added. "By next spring Desilu might buy NBC, and we'd all be back together again!" There's a good chance that VAN JOHNSON will do a CBS spectacular before the season is out (script is already written), and sign up as host and sometime star of an anthology film series . Superman (GEORGE REEVES) isn't that super—his studio's Insured him for $100,000 * * * • SIR CEDRIC HARDWICKE, FAY BAINTER, CLAIRE LUCE (the actress) and JOHN BARRYMOiffi, JR. signed to star in one or more Matinee Theater shows. NBC's daytime drama series, vriiich debuts Oct 31, already has more than $1,000,000 worth of sponsorship aboard. While Matinee is based in Hollywood, producer ALBERT McCLEERY will originate at least one show each month from Mew York. * * * Former movie star LAURA LA PLANTE makes her first camera appearance in 15 years for her TV bow in an up¬ coming episode of It's a Great Life . LEO DUROCHER will soon be handling West Coast sportscastlng chores for NBC and may do a weekly show of his own. * ♦ * DICK POWELL will bow out of Four Star Playhouse next year to do his own series, Willie PantF^ based on the gambler character he has already played twice on Four Star. One "Dante" episode in fact, was the series' debut show three years ago * * * * ROSALIND RUSSELL may reprise her "Wonderful Town" Broadway role on Producers' Showcase in November, pos¬ sibly with DAVID WAYNE . HUMPHREY BOGART is looking for a seven-foot actor to play the giant boxer in "The Harder They Fall." How about MICKEY ROONEY standing on GEORGE GOBEL's shoulders? * * * Judges have announced winners in TV GUIDE'S TIM contest. Thev are: GEORGE HURD, Buffalo, N.Y.; JAMES STAPLETON, Englewood, Colo : RON VOIGT, Edgerton, Wls.; JOE WILLIAMS, Houston, Tex.• and RAY BUTRYN, Toronto, Canada. *Trade-mark, Teletype Corp. Continued on ln$ide Back Cover Healer Of The Sick... Richard Boone Symbolizes Physicians Of The Nation In TV’s Stark 'Medic' In two-part drama, mother (Gloria She finds first night in Husband brings flowers McGhee) has urge to kill her child. mental hospital terrifying. and news about child. Two of the most authentically de¬ fully, “and that was simply and forth¬ tailed shows in TV, Dragnet and Med¬ rightly. This Moser is a beautiful ic, spring pretty much from the same writer. He knows how to make the source. With Jack Webb as its creator ‘dirty’ words sound like ‘hello’ or and star, Dragnet was written, in its ‘goodbye.’ ” radio and early TV days, by James The post-partum story, “And There Moser. In the summer of 1950, Moser Was Darkness . And There Was also wrote a single radio drama, “The Light,” was a far cry from the usual Doctor,” which turned out to be TV drama. The chief burden of its the forerunner of Medic. One of the telling lay in the face of actress Gloria show’s doctors was an unknown bit McGhee, who had to tread a wavering player named Richard Boone. Today borderline between sanity and insan¬ Boone plays Dr. Konrad Styner, host ity, while her offstage voice told the and frequent star of Medic, which story of “Frances Dunbar,” a mother was created and is written by Moser. of four children, whose own childhood If Dragnet is authentic. Medic is al¬ experiences with sex instruction had most appallingly so. Its recent two- turned her against her husband and parter on post-partum psychosis dealt later against her fourth baby. with a subject generally considered taboo by the broadcasting industry— Boone has gained a lasting respect the post-birth mental condition of a for Moser’s talent—and the medical woman bent on killing her own—or profession—through his association anyone else’s—baby. with Medic. “There was only one way to do this “I suppose,” he says, “that we ac¬ kind of show,” Boone says thought- tors seemed just as strange at first to the doctors associated with Medic as ◄ Dr. Styner (Richard Boone) beams at they did to us. I think they all wear happy ending to stark Medic story. a protective veneer, a continued of lighted matches. “There was that routine call to do a one-shot radio summer show, and four years later somebody remembers it and all of a sudden I’m the guy in Medic.” The latest of a long line of NBC shows thrown against CBS’ I Love Lucy on Monday nights. Medic seems to have made the grade against the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz powerhouse. Asked about Medic’s prospects for its second season, Boone raises his eyebrows and says matter-of-factly, “Poor Lucy.’ As a working actor, Boone is partic¬ ularly enthusiastic over Medic as a springboard for his working brethren, the unknown actors and actresses still looking for their break.