NBC NETWORK – - 1965-66 Season Preview Ad Sales

I’ve discovered the name and origin of the “symphonic” piece used at the beginning: even though a different orchestral piece was used in the “GET SMART” pilot that finally aired, the one heard at :23 is the climax of “American In Hungary”, and sounds exactly like a 1958 recording [of European origin, no doubt] released on a “bargain label” called “Acorn” in 1959, credited to “John Johnson and His Orchestra” .

Yes, this WAS seen on NBC, ‘musicom’- Monday, September 6, 1965 at 7:30pm(et), a week before the new season began. A newspaper ad promoting this special on the TV page of the NEW YORK TIMES the evening it aired confirms it. In 1965, “WALT DISNEY’S WONDERFUL WORLD OF COLOR” was on the network’s Sunday night schedule (it got a VERY brief mention at the end).

Compared with the latest NBC “Fall Preview” (with the unfunny Joel McHale as “host”), this is more entertaining than the network’s entire 2009 fall schedule! And what does THAT tell you about network television these days?

There wouldn’t have been a “Living Color” bumper at the beginning (and a “Color Presentation” tag at the very end) if this had been seen by just the affiliates, ‘Zeb’. This was the first of NBC’s three consecutive fall preview specials that aired between 1965 and ‘67; beginning with the 1968-’69 season, “fall preview” specials were produced for affiliates’ gatherings only {including the 1969 edition, “NBC’S NEW ONES FOR ‘69-’70″, featuring Hugh Downs and Joe Garagiola}.

As I’ve mentioned before, ‘musicom’, this fall preview show WAS telecast on September 6, 1965 [7:30-7:56pm(et)], a week before “HULLABALOO”’s season premiere in that time period….but it was the ONLY time the “NBC Advertising Department” was credited with producing this kind of special!

The network decided to go “top heavy” with more situation comedies for the 1965-’66 season, ‘Foreman’. Most of NBC’s 1964-’65 schedule was a “bust”; of the new shows introduced that season, only “THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.”, “DANIEL BOONE”, “FLIPPER”, “HULLABALOO”, and “BRANDED” were renewed for the fall of ‘65….