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1957–58 United States network television schedule

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The following is the 1957–58 network television schedule for the four major English language commercial broadcast networks in the United States. The schedule covers primetime hours from September 1957 through March 1958. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and series cancelled after the 1956–57 season.

As in previous seasons, both CBS and ABC continued to add Westerns to their schedule, filling prime time with as many "oaters" (as they were derisively called) as possible. In addition to several returning Westerns which the network retained on its fall 1957 schedule, ABC's new western series included Sugarfoot and Broken Arrow on Tuesday nights, Tombstone Territory on Wednesdays, Colt .45 on Fridays, and Maverick on Sundays.

ABC, third in the network Nielsen ratings, placed its new Western Maverick in a difficult time slot: Sunday night against two hit series: The Steve Allen Show on NBC, and The Ed Sullivan Show on CBS. ABC aired Maverick one half-hour prior to the Allen and Sullivan programs; the strategy was designed to "hook the audience before it fell into its usual viewing habits".[1]

NBC, late to the Western format, also began plugging Westerns into its fall schedule. New NBC Western series debuting in the 1957–58 season included Wagon Train, The Restless Gun, and The Californians (though one NBC executive insisted The Californians is not a Western but a drama set in California in the 1850s).[1]

Another programming shift occurred at NBC: the network's flagship news program, The Huntley-Brinkley Report, moved to the 7:15 PM weekday timeslot, for the first time going head to head against both ABC's and CBS's news programs.[2] The face-off between the three networks' news programs would become the standard model for U.S. broadcast television; the three networks still air their network news programs against one another.

1958 saw a number of executive changes at the networks; these presidential shifts would affect the network television schedules. Oliver Treyz became the president of ABC on February 17, Louis G. Cowan became the president of CBS on March 12, and NBC programmer Robert Kintner became the president of NBC on July 11. Dr. Allen B. DuMont resigned as chairman of the board of the DuMont Broadcasting Corporation on May 13, and the name of the company was changed to Metropolitan Broadcasting Corporation. According to Castleman and Podrazik (1982) the final DuMont Network program, Monday Night Fights aired for the last time on August 4, 1958, carried on only five stations nationwide.[1] NBC's Kraft Television Theatre, which had debuted in 1947 and was the oldest program still left on television, was cancelled in spring 1958. It was the dawn of a new era in television; producer David Susskind, who had produced KTT at the end, would call 1958 "the year of the miserable drivel".[1]

New fall series are highlighted in bold. Series ending are highlighted in italics

Each of the 30 highest-rated shows is listed with its rank and rating as determined by Nielsen Media Research.[3]

  Yellow indicates the programs in the top 10 for the season.
  Cyan indicates the programs in the top 20 for the season.
  Magenta indicates the programs in the top 30 for the season.

Sunday

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Network 7:00 PM 7:30 PM 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM
ABC Fall You Asked For It Maverick Bowling Stars Open Hearing All-American Football Game of the Week Scotland Yard Local Programming
Winter Local Programming Adventure at Scott Island (formerly on CBS as Harbormaster)
Spring The Mike Wallace Interview
Summer Anyone Can Play
CBS Lassie (22/27.8) The Jack Benny Show (28/27.1) / Bachelor Father The Ed Sullivan Show (27/27.3) General Electric Theatre (7/31.5) Alfred Hitchcock Presents (12/30.3)
(Tied with Cheyenne) 		The $64,000 Challenge What's My Line?
NBC Fall The Original Amateur Hour Sally The Steve Allen Show (In COLOR) The Dinah Shore Chevy Show (In COLOR) The Loretta Young Show (30/26.6)
(Tied with Zorro and The Real McCoys) 		Local Programming
Winter My Friend Flicka (In COLOR) (repeats) No Warning! The Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gormé Show (In COLOR) The Chevy Show (In COLOR)
Summer Decision

Notes: On CBS, Air Power, narrated by Walter Cronkite, aired from 6:30 to 7:00 p.m. from May 4 to October 19, 1958. It consisted entirely of reruns of the series from the 1956–1957 season.

On NBC, the summer anthology series Decision consisted of a mix of unsold television pilots and reruns of episodes of The Ford Television Theatre, Schlitz Playhouse of Stars, and Screen Directors Playhouse.

Monday

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Network 7:00 PM 7:30 PM 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM
ABC Fall 7:00 Local / 7:15 John Daly and the News American Bandstand The Guy Mitchell Show Bold Journey The Voice of Firestone Lawrence Welk's Top Tunes and New Talent Local Programming
Winter O.S.S. Love That Jill Anybody Can Play This is Music
Spring American Odyssey Campaign Roundup
Summer Cowtown Rodeo Polka Go-Round
CBS 7:00 Local / 7:15 Douglas Edwards with the News* The Adventures of Robin Hood The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts The Danny Thomas Show (2/35.3) December Bride (9/30.7) Studio One in Hollywood
NBC Fall 7:00 Local / 7:15 The Huntley-Brinkley Report* The Price Is Right (In COLOR) The Restless Gun (8/31.4) Tales of Wells Fargo (3/35.2) Twenty-One (26/27.6) Turn of Fate (Alcoa Theatre)/Goodyear Theatre Suspicion
Summer Haggis Baggis (In COLOR)

Tuesday

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Network 7:00 PM 7:30 PM 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM
ABC Fall 7:00 Local / 7:15 John Daly and the News Cheyenne (12/30.3)
(Tied with Alfred Hitchcock Presents) / Sugarfoot (23/27.7)
(Tied with Wagon Train and Father Knows Best) 		The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp (6/32.6) Broken Arrow Telephone Time The West Point Story Local Programming
Summer Confession
CBS Fall 7:00 Local / 7:15 Douglas Edwards with the News Name That Tune The Phil Silvers Show The Eve Arden Show To Tell the Truth The Red Skelton Show (15/28.9) (In COLOR) The $64,000 Question (19/28.1)
(Tied with This Is Your Life) 		Assignment: Foreign Legion
Winter Local Programming
Follow-up Mr. Adams and Eve
Summer Bid 'N' Buy
NBC Fall 7:00 Local / 7:15 The Huntley-Brinkley Report The Nat King Cole Show The Eddie Fisher Show (In COLOR)/The George Gobel Show (In COLOR) Meet McGraw The Bob Cummings Show The Californians Local Programming
Summer The Investigator (In COLOR) Dotto
August Colgate Theatre

Confession, with host Jack Wyatt, began as a local program in the Dallas, Texas, market in early 1957. It premiered as a summer replacement on ABC on June 19, 1958, in advance of the 1958–59 television season.

Wednesday

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Network 7:00 PM 7:30 PM 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM
ABC Fall 7:00 Local / 7:15 John Daly and the News Disneyland Tombstone Territory The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet The Walter Winchell File 10:00 The Wednesday Night Fights /10:45 Famous Fights
Winter Date with the Angels
Follow-up The Betty White Show
CBS Fall 7:00 Local / 7:15 Douglas Edwards with the News I Love Lucy (repeats) The Big Record (In COLOR) The Millionaire (17/28.5) I've Got a Secret (5/33.4) Armstrong Circle Theatre/The United States Steel Hour
Spring Leave It to Beaver The Big Record (In COLOR)
NBC Fall 7:00 Local / 7:15 The Huntley-Brinkley Report Wagon Train (23/27.7)
(Tied with Sugarfoot and Father Knows Best) 		Father Knows Best (23/27.7)
(Tied with Sugarfoot and Wagon Train) 		Kraft Television Theatre (In COLOR) This Is Your Life (19/28.1)
(Tied with The $64,000 Question) 		Local Programming
Summer It Could Be You

Thursday

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Network 7:00 PM 7:30 PM 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM
ABC Fall 7:00 Local / 7:15 John Daly and the News Circus Boy Zorro (30/26.6)
(Tied with The Loretta Young Show and The Real McCoys) 		The Real McCoys (30/26.6)
(Tied with The Loretta Young Show and Zorro) 		The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom O.S.S. Navy Log Local Programming
Winter Navy Log Make Me Laugh
Summer The Andy Williams Show Confession
CBS Fall 7:00 Local / 7:15 Douglas Edwards with the News Sergeant Preston of the Yukon Harbormaster (Later moved to ABC) Climax!/Shower of Stars Playhouse 90
Winter Richard Diamond, Private Detective
NBC Fall 7:00 Local / 7:15 The Huntley-Brinkley Report Tic-Tac-Dough (In COLOR) You Bet Your Life (10/30.6) Dragnet The People’s Choice The Ford Show (14/29.7) The Lux Show Starring Rosemary Clooney (In COLOR) The Jane Wyman Show
Summer The Price Is Right (In COLOR) Music Bingo

From January 2 to June 26, 1958, Richard Diamond, Private Detective, starring David Janssen, aired for a second season on the CBS Thursday schedule at 8 p.m. Eastern. It returned to the air for a third season from February to September 1959.

Friday

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Network 7:00 PM 7:30 PM 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM
ABC Fall 7:00 Local / 7:15 John Daly and the News The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin The Adventures of Jim Bowie The Patrice Munsel Show The Frank Sinatra Show Date with the Angels Colt .45 Local Programming
Winter The Walter Winchell File
CBS Fall 7:00 Local / 7:15 Douglas Edwards with the News Leave It to Beaver Trackdown Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre (21/27.9) Mr. Adams and Eve Schlitz Playhouse (formerly Schlitz Playhouse of Stars) The Lineup (18/28.4) Person to Person
Winter The Phil Silvers Show
Spring Dick and the Duchess (repeats)
Summer The Boing Boing Show
NBC Fall 7:00 Local / 7:15 The Huntley-Brinkley Report Saber of London The Court of Last Resort The Life of Riley M Squad The Thin Man 10:00 Gillette Cavalcade of Sports / 10:45 Red Barber's Corner
Spring Jefferson Drum
Summer The Big Game
  • Saber of London, with Donald Gray in the lead role, entered its seventh season with a new name, its fourth, and a new network, NBC. It had run on ABC from 1951 to 1954 and 1955 to 1957 under three previous titles: Mystery Theater, Inspector Mark Saber—Homicide Detective, and The Vise. Saber of London was later replaced in the 7:30 Friday time slot on NBC on April 25, 1958, by the western series, Jefferson Drum, starring Jeff Richards.

Saturday

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Network 7:30 PM 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM
ABC Fall Keep It in the Family Country Music Jubilee Lawrence Welk's Dodge Dancing Party The Mike Wallace Interview Local Programming
Winter The Dick Clark Show Midwestern Hayride
March The Dick Clark Saturday Night Beech-Nut Show
Summer The Billy Graham Crusade
CBS Fall Perry Mason Dick and the Duchess The Gale Storm Show (16/28.8) Have Gun – Will Travel (4/33.7) Gunsmoke (1/43.1) Local Programming
Spring Top Dollar
NBC Fall People Are Funny (29/27.0) The Perry Como Show (11/30.5) (In COLOR) The Polly Bergen Show/Club Oasis The Gisele MacKenzie Show What's It For? Your Hit Parade (In COLOR)
Winter Turning Point The Original Amateur Hour The Joseph Cotten Show
Summer The Bob Crosby Show (In COLOR) Opening Night/Club Oasis with Spike Jones

Notes: On NBC, Club Oasis, which had a different host for each episode, became Club Oasis with Spike Jones during the summer of 1958 when Spike Jones became the permanent host. Opening Night consisted of reruns of episodes of the ABC series Ford Theatre from the 1956–1957 season. The Polly Bergen Show and Club Oasis alternated in the time slot, each show airing every other week. During the summer of 1958, Opening Night and Club Oasis with Spike Jones alternated in the time slot, each show airing every other week. Turning Point was a dramatic anthology series consisting of two unsold pilots and reruns of episodes from other series. The Joseph Cotten Show consisted of reruns of the 1956–1957 series On Trial.

By network

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ABC

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CBS

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Dumont

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Not returning from 1956–57:

NBC

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NTA

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New series

Note: The * indicates that the program was introduced in midseason.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Castleman, Harry; Walter J. Podrazik (1982). Watching TV: Four Decades of American Television. New York: McGraw-Hill. pp. 109–115. ISBN 0-07-010269-4.
  2. ^ Castleman, H. and Podrazik, W. (1984) The TV Schedule Book: Four Decades of Network Programming from Sign-on to Sign-off. McGraw-Hill. pg 79-82. ISBN 0-07-010277-5
  3. ^ Highest-rated series is based on the annual top-rated programs list compiled by Nielsen Media Research and reported in: Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows (9th ed.). New York: Ballantine. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4.

Further reading

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  • McNeil, Alex. Total Television. Fourth edition. New York: Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-024916-8.
  • Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (1964). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows (3rd ed.). New York: Ballantine. ISBN 0-345-31864-1.
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