On Saturday mornings many of the weekday breakfast and shows aired. But the time was also shared by kid and teen programs and service shows on cooking, gardening and household tips. The mosy popular shows were "The Billie Burke Show," a sitcom featuring the high-voiced stage and film actress who was Flo Ziegfeld's widow, and "Let's Pretend," an award-winning children's program.
Here are some highlights and representative shows from the schedule:
9:00 AM
Home Is What You Make It on WEAF
9:15 AM
The Garden Gate on WABC--Gardening
GI's Interviewed on WNEW
9:30 AM
Carolina Calling on WABC--Country music
9:45 AM
Calling All Girls on WNEW-- Show tied in to the girl's magazine and Gimbel's department store.
10:00 AM
The Eileen Barton Show on WEAF-- Short-lived music show aimed at teenagers featuring a vocalist who had been a regular with Frank Sinatra on his radio show and Paramount live shows. The high point of her career came in 1950 with the hit record "If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked a Cake."
Give and Take on WABC-- A game show where contestants chose an item from a table of gifts and then had to answer a question to keep it. A "second guesser" chosen from the audience could win a prize by correctly answering a question that an earlier contestant had missed. It had premiered in 1945.
10:30 AM
Archie Andrews on WEAF-- The adventures of Archie, Jughead, Betty and Veronica. The red-headed high school student first appeared in comic books in 1941 and jumped to radio in 1943. In 1946 he also starred in a newspaper comic strip.
Rainbow House on WOR.--A children's show hosted by Bob Emry who was sort of an early version of Mr. Rogers. Beverly Sills was among the child performers who were on the show at one time or another.
Teen Town on WJZ.--The series was set in a town run by teenagers. Dick York, known later for "Bewitched," played the town's mayor.
Mary Lee Taylor on WABC.--A long-running cooking show that debuted in 1933 and ran until 1954.
New York Times Youth Forum on WQXR-- What Should Be Done About Better Housing? Dorothy Gordon, moderator.
11:00 AM
Teentimers on WEAF- Singer Johnny Desmond starred.
Tell Me Doctor on WJZ
11:05 AM
Lets Pretend on WABC. See daytime ratings leaders for more on this long-running, award-winning children's program.
11:15 AM
Bible Message on WJZ
11:25 AM
Gloom Dodgers on WHN
11:30 AM
Smilin' Ed McConnell on WEAF. This was the children's show sponsored by Buster Brown shoes that featured Froggy the Gremlin, Midnight the Cat and Squeaky the Mouse. The radio version premiered in 1944 and McConnell originally hosted the TV version as well. Andy Devine took over the TV version in 1954 and it is as "Andy's Gang" that it is fondly remembered by those of us who grew up in the '50s. The two versions of the show had the same basic format. It began with an adventure story, then Froggy the Gremlin often got a guest speaker in verbal knots with his mischievous interruptions. Midnight, who mostly said only "nice," and Squeaky, who did not speak at all, played musical instruments. Sometimes McConnell sang along. The son of a minister, he also did religious programming. Buster Brown, who had been a popular cartoon character, by 1946 was known largely as a trademark, the boy who lived in a shoe with his dog.
Land of the Lost on WOR. The adventures of two kids in an underwater world where lost objects were kept. It aired from 1943 to 1948 and inspired a 1945 book, comic books and a series of movie shorts.
Betty Moore on WJZ. Sponsored by Benjamon Moore Paints the show aired in the spring and fall, featuring homemaking tips from a fictional character.
Billie Burke Show on WABC. See Daytime Ratings Leaders.