Channing (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Channing is an American
drama series
that aired on American Broadcasting Company
from September 18, 1963 to April 8, 1964. The series depicted life at fictitious Channing College, with Jason Evers
in the lead role of Professor Joseph Howe, and Henry Jones
as Fred Baker, the dean of the institution.
Channing, a production of Revue Studios, aired during the same time frame as the first season of NBC
's somewhat similar offering, Mr. Novak
.
and was writing a novel
in his spare time. In a 1964 episode entitled "The Trouble with Girls", Keir Dullea
and Mark Goddard
appear as roommate
s who clash over a girl, Lynn Walton, played by Joey Heatherton
. Dullea's character has a nervous breakdown
and leaves college.
Don Gordon played Mario Saccone, a 37-year-old soldier who returns from South Vietnam
and enters Channing College. This is more than a year before the large United States troop commitment to Southeast Asia
and the subsequent breakdown in campus order at many institutions. Gordon is interested in the younger wife of an older political science
professor named Jonathan Kobitz, played by Jacqueline Scott
and Wendell Corey
, respectively. Robert Lansing
appeared as an alcoholic professor wrapped in self-pity. Rip Torn
appeared as graduate student with multiple degrees who remains at Channing because of his social life.
Channing was broadcast at 10 p.m. Eastern on Wednesdays after Ben Casey. Its competition was The Eleventh Hour
on NBC and The Danny Kaye Show
, a variety show
on CBS.
) was the executive producer; Jack Laird (Ben Casey
and Kojak
), the producer, and Bob Rafelson (the film Five Easy Pieces
) , the associate producer.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
drama series
Dramatic programming
Dramatic programming in the UK, or television drama and television drama series in the US, is television program content that is scripted and fictional along the lines of √a traditional drama. This excludes, for example, sports television, television news, reality show and game shows, stand-up...
that aired on American Broadcasting Company
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
from September 18, 1963 to April 8, 1964. The series depicted life at fictitious Channing College, with Jason Evers
Jason Evers
Jason Evers was an American actor.Evers was born Herb Evers in New York City, New York. After quitting high school to join the United States Army, Evers was so inspired by stars like John Wayne that he decided to try acting...
in the lead role of Professor Joseph Howe, and Henry Jones
Henry Jones (actor)
Henry Burk Jones was an American actor of stage, film and television.Jones was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Helen and John Francis Xavier Jones. He was the grandson of Pennsylvania Representative Henry Burk...
as Fred Baker, the dean of the institution.
Channing, a production of Revue Studios, aired during the same time frame as the first season of NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's somewhat similar offering, Mr. Novak
Mr. Novak
Mr. Novak is an American dramatic series starring James Franciscus in the title role, which aired on NBC for two seasons, from 1963 to 1965.-Overview:...
.
Synopsis
According to the story line, Professor Howe had served in the Korean WarKorean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
and was writing a novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
in his spare time. In a 1964 episode entitled "The Trouble with Girls", Keir Dullea
Keir Dullea
Keir Dullea is an American actor best known for the character of astronaut David Bowman, whom he portrayed in the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey and in 1984's 2010: The Year We Make Contact...
and Mark Goddard
Mark Goddard
Mark Goddard is an American film actor who has starred in a number of television programs. He portrayed Major Don West, the space adversary of Dr. Zachary Smith in the cult 1960s CBS series, Lost in Space, and Detective Sgt...
appear as roommate
Roommate
A roommate is a person who shares a living facility such as an apartment or dormitory. Similar terms include suitemate, housemate, flatmate , or sharemate...
s who clash over a girl, Lynn Walton, played by Joey Heatherton
Joey Heatherton
Joey Heatherton is an American actress, dancer, and singer.-Early life:Christened Davenie Johanna Heatherton and nicknamed "Joey," she was raised in Rockville Centre, New York, a suburb of New York City. There she attended St. Agnes Cathedral School, a Catholic grade and high school...
. Dullea's character has a nervous breakdown
Nervous breakdown
Mental breakdown is a non-medical term used to describe an acute, time-limited phase of a specific disorder that presents primarily with features of depression or anxiety.-Definition:...
and leaves college.
Don Gordon played Mario Saccone, a 37-year-old soldier who returns from South Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
and enters Channing College. This is more than a year before the large United States troop commitment to Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
and the subsequent breakdown in campus order at many institutions. Gordon is interested in the younger wife of an older political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
professor named Jonathan Kobitz, played by Jacqueline Scott
Jacqueline Scott
Jacqueline Scott is an American actress who has appeared in several films and television programs as well as guest starring in over one hundred television shows...
and Wendell Corey
Wendell Corey
Wendell Reid Corey was an American actor and politician.He was born in Dracut, Massachusetts, the son of Milton Rothwell Corey and Julia Etta McKenney . His father was a Congregationalist clergyman...
, respectively. Robert Lansing
Robert Lansing (actor)
Robert Lansing was an American stage, film and television actor.Born in San Diego, California as Robert Howell Brown, he reportedly took his acting surname from the state capital of Michigan. As a young actor in New York City, he was hired to join a stock company in Michigan, but was told he would...
appeared as an alcoholic professor wrapped in self-pity. Rip Torn
Rip Torn
Elmore Rual "Rip" Torn, Jr. , is an American actor of stage, screen and television.Torn received an Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actor for his role in the 1983 film Cross Creek. His work includes the role of Artie, the producer, on The Larry Sanders Show, for which he was nominated...
appeared as graduate student with multiple degrees who remains at Channing because of his social life.
Channing was broadcast at 10 p.m. Eastern on Wednesdays after Ben Casey. Its competition was The Eleventh Hour
The Eleventh Hour (branding)
The Eleventh Hour and The Sixth Hour were brand names given to the eleven P.M. and six P.M. local newscasts on NBC owned-and-operated television stations from the mid-1960's until about 1974, when the NewsCenter branding began to be used...
on NBC and The Danny Kaye Show
The Danny Kaye Show
The Danny Kaye Show is an American variety show hosted by Danny Kaye that aired on CBS from 1963 to 1967 on Wednesday nights. Directed by Robert Scheerer, the show premiered in black-and-white, but later switched to color broadcasts...
, a variety show
Variety show
A variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and sketch comedy, and normally introduced by a compère or host. Other types of acts include magic, animal and circus acts, acrobatics, juggling...
on CBS.
Cast
- Jason EversJason EversJason Evers was an American actor.Evers was born Herb Evers in New York City, New York. After quitting high school to join the United States Army, Evers was so inspired by stars like John Wayne that he decided to try acting...
.... Professor Joseph Howe - Henry JonesHenry Jones (actor)Henry Burk Jones was an American actor of stage, film and television.Jones was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Helen and John Francis Xavier Jones. He was the grandson of Pennsylvania Representative Henry Burk...
.... Dean Fred Baker - Leo G. CarrollLeo G. CarrollLeo Gratten Carroll was an English-born actor. He was best known for his roles in several Hitchcock films and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and Topper.-Early life:...
.... Professor John Miller - Yvonne CraigYvonne CraigYvonne Joyce Craig is an American actress best known for her role as Batgirl from the 1960s TV series Batman, and as the Orion Marta in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode “Whom Gods Destroy”.-Early life and career:...
.... Kathy O'Reardon - Keir DulleaKeir DulleaKeir Dullea is an American actor best known for the character of astronaut David Bowman, whom he portrayed in the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey and in 1984's 2010: The Year We Make Contact...
.... Larry Franklin - Joey HeathertonJoey HeathertonJoey Heatherton is an American actress, dancer, and singer.-Early life:Christened Davenie Johanna Heatherton and nicknamed "Joey," she was raised in Rockville Centre, New York, a suburb of New York City. There she attended St. Agnes Cathedral School, a Catholic grade and high school...
.... Lynn Walton - Leslie NielsenLeslie NielsenLeslie William Nielsen, OC was a Canadian and naturalized American actor and comedian. Nielsen appeared in more than one hundred films and 1,500 television programs over the span of his career, portraying more than 220 characters...
.... Professor Paul Stafford - Suzanne PleshetteSuzanne PleshetteSuzanne Pleshette was an American actress, on stage, screen and television.After beginning her career in theatre, she began appearing in films in the early 1960s, such as Rome Adventure and Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds...
.... Laurie Moore - Marion RossMarion RossMarion Ross is an American actress best known for her role as Marion Cunningham on the television series Happy Days from 1974 to 1984.-Early life:...
.... Assistant Dean Ryker - Dawn WellsDawn WellsDawn Elberta Wells is an American actress known for playing Mary Ann Summers on the sitcom Gilligan's Island during its run from 1964 until 1967.- Early life :...
.... Nancy Kyle
Notable guest stars
- Joyce BulifantJoyce BulifantJoyce Bulifant is an American television actress, notable for her sunny "little girl"-like Southern lilt of a voice. She was a frequent panelist on the television game show Match Game, more often than not giving bizarre answers that seldom matched the contestants.-Life and career:Bulifant was born...
- James Caan
- John CassavetesJohn CassavetesJohn Nicholas Cassavetes was an American actor, screenwriter and filmmaker. He acted in many Hollywood films, notably Rosemary's Baby and The Dirty Dozen...
- Michael ConstantineMichael ConstantineMichael Constantine is a Greek American actor.He is probably now best known for his portrayal of Gus Portokalos, the Windex bottle-toting Greek father of Toula Portokalos , in the 2002 surprise hit film My Big Fat Greek Wedding.Prior to that, he was well-known for his extensive TV work, especially...
- Ellen CorbyEllen CorbyEllen Corby was an American actress. She is most widely remembered for the role of "Grandma Esther Walton" on the CBS television series The Waltons, for which she won three Emmy Awards...
- Noreen CorcoranNoreen CorcoranNoreen M. Corcoran is a former actress and dancer best known for her costarring role as the teenager Kelly Gregg, the niece of wealthy attorney Bentley Gregg, played by John Forsythe, in the television sitcom Bachelor Father, the only series to have been carried at one time by all three major...
- Tim ConwayTim ConwayThomas Daniel "Tim" Conway is an American comedian and actor, primarily known for his roles in sitcoms, films and television. Conway is best known for his role as the inept second-in-command officer, Ensign Charles Parker, to Lt...
- Bob CraneBob CraneRobert Edward "Bob" Crane was an American actor and disc jockey, best known for his performance as Colonel Robert E...
- Pete DuelPete DuelPete Duel was an American actor, best known for his role in the television series Alias Smith and Jones.-Early life:Peter Ellstrom Deuel was born in Rochester, New York, and grew up in nearby Penfield....
- Peter FondaPeter FondaPeter Henry Fonda is an American actor. He is the son of Henry Fonda, brother of Jane Fonda, and father of Bridget and Justin Fonda...
- Joan HackettJoan HackettJoan Ann Hackett was an American actress who appeared on stage, in films, and on television.- Early life :She was born in New York City of Irish and Italian extraction...
- Barbara HarrisBarbara Harris (actress)Barbara Harris is an American actress who was a Broadway stage star and later became a film actress. She appeared in such films as A Thousand Clowns, Plaza Suite, Nashville, Family Plot, Freaky Friday, Peggy Sue Got Married, and Grosse Pointe Blank...
- Mariette HartleyMariette HartleyMary Loretta "Mariette" Hartley is an American character actress.-Personal life:Hartley was born in Weston, Connecticut, the daughter of Mary Ickes “Polly” , a manager and saleswoman, and Paul Hembree Hartley, an account executive. Her maternal grandfather was psychologist John B...
- Peter HelmPeter HelmPeter J. Helm is an actor originally from Toronto, Canada, who appeared on American television from 1960-1971.-Early years:...
- Rafer JohnsonRafer JohnsonRafer Lewis Johnson is an American former decathlete and film actor.-Biography:Johnson was born in Hillsboro, Texas, but the family moved to Kingsburg, California, when he was nine. For a while, they were the only black family in the town. A versatile athlete, he played on Kingsburg High School's...
- James Earl JonesJames Earl JonesJames Earl Jones is an American actor. He is well-known for his distinctive bass voice and for his portrayal of characters of substance, gravitas and leadership...
- Peggy McCayPeggy McCayPeggy McCay is a long-time American actress with a career lasting over sixty years in film and television...
- Ralph MeekerRalph MeekerRalph Meeker was an American stage and film actor best-known for starring in the 1953 Broadway production of Picnic, and in the 1955 film noir cult classic Kiss Me Deadly.-Career:...
- Agnes MooreheadAgnes MooreheadAgnes Robertson Moorehead was an American actress. Although she began with the Mercury Theatre, appeared in more than seventy films beginning with Citizen Kane and on dozens of television shows during a career that spanned more than thirty years, Moorehead is most widely known to modern audiences...
- Greg MorrisGreg MorrisFrancis Gregory Alan "Greg" Morris was an American television and movie actor.Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Morris began his acting career in the 1960s making guest appearances on many TV shows such as The Twilight Zone and Ben Casey...
- Leela NaiduLeela NaiduLeela Naidu was an Indian actress who starred in a small number of Hindi and English films, including Yeh Raaste Hain Pyaar Ke , based on the real-life Nanavati case, and The Householder, Merchant Ivory Productions' first film...
- Ed NelsonEd NelsonEdwin Stafford Nelson is an American actor.Nelson has appeared in numerous television shows, more than fifty motion pictures, and hundreds of stage productions. Until 2005, he was teaching acting and screenwriting in his native New Orleans at two local universities there...
- Leslie NielsenLeslie NielsenLeslie William Nielsen, OC was a Canadian and naturalized American actor and comedian. Nielsen appeared in more than one hundred films and 1,500 television programs over the span of his career, portraying more than 220 characters...
- Michael ParksMichael ParksMichael Parks is an American actor and singer. He has appeared in almost fifty films and has made frequent TV appearances, but is probably best known for his work in recent years with Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, and Kevin Smith as well as the 1969 television series Then Came...
(two episodes as Dante Donati) - Suzanne PleshetteSuzanne PleshetteSuzanne Pleshette was an American actress, on stage, screen and television.After beginning her career in theatre, she began appearing in films in the early 1960s, such as Rome Adventure and Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds...
- Michael J. PollardMichael J. Pollard- Early life :Born Michael John Pollack, Jr. in Passaic, New Jersey, he is the son of Sonia and Michael John Pollack. He attended the Montclair Academy and the Actors Studio.- Career :...
- Denver PyleDenver PyleDenver Dell Pyle was an American film and television actor. He is best remembered for playing Uncle Jesse in The Dukes of Hazzard .-Early life:...
- Chris RobinsonChris Robinson (actor)Chris Robinson is an actor who played Rick Webber #2 on General Hospital...
- Telly SavalasTelly SavalasAristotelis "Telly" Savalas was an American film and television actor and singer, whose career spanned four decades. Best known for playing the title role in the 1970s crime drama Kojak, Savalas was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Birdman of Alcatraz...
- George SegalGeorge SegalGeorge Segal is an American film, stage and television actor.-Early life:George Segal, Jr. was born in 1934 Great Neck, Long Island, New York, the son of Fannie Blanche and George Segal, Sr. He was educated at George School, a private Quaker preparatory boarding school near Newtown, Bucks County,...
- William ShatnerWilliam ShatnerWilliam Alan Shatner is a Canadian actor, musician, recording artist, and author. He gained worldwide fame and became a cultural icon for his portrayal of James T...
- Tom SimcoxTom SimcoxThomas William Simcox, known as Tom Simcox is a former actor who resides in the unincorporated community of Leona Valley west of Palmdale in Los Angeles County, California....
- Forrest TuckerForrest TuckerForrest Tucker was an American actor in both movies and television from the 1940s to the 1980s. Tucker, who stood 190 cm tall and weighed 93 kg , appeared in nearly 100 action films in the 1940s and 1950s.-Early life:Forrest Meredith Tucker was born in Plainfield, Indiana, a son of...
Episodes
| Episode # | Episode title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1-1 | "Message From a Tin Room" | September 18, 1963 |
| 1-2 | "Exercise In a Shark Tank" | September 25, 1963 |
| 1-3 | "An Obelisk For Benny" | October 2, 1963 |
| 1-4 | "No Wild Games For Sophie" | October 9, 1963 |
| 1-5 | "Dragon In the Den" | October 23, 1963 |
| 1-6 | "Potato Bash World" | October 30, 1963 |
| 1-7 | "Collision Course" | November 6, 1963 |
| 1-8 | "A Patron Saint For the Cargo Cult" | November 13, 1963 |
| 1-9 | "Beyond His Reach" | November 27, 1963 |
| 1-10 | "A Doll's House With Pompoms and Trophies" | December 4, 1963 |
| 1-11 | "A Window On the War" | December 11, 1963 |
| 1-12 | "The Last Testament of Buddy Crown" | December 18, 1963 |
| 1-13 | "A Hall Full of Strangers" | December 25, 1963 |
| 1-14 | "Memory of a Firing Squad" | January 1, 1964 |
| 1-15 | "A Rich, Famous, Glamorous Folk Singer Like Me" | January 8, 1964 |
| 1-16 | "Swing for the Moon" | January 15, 1964 |
| 1-17 | "Another Kind of Music" | January 22, 1964 |
| 1-18 | "Ou Sont Les Neiges...?" | February 12, 1964 |
| 1-19 | "The Face in the Sun" | February 19, 1964 |
| 1-20 | "A Claim to Immortality" | February 26, 1964 |
| 1-21 | "Freedom Is a Lovesome Thing God Wot" | March 4, 1964 |
| 1-22 | "The Trouble with Girls" | March 11, 1964 |
| 1-23 | "Wave Goodbye to Our Fair-haired Boy" | March 18, 1964 |
| 1-24 | "A Bang and a Whimper" | March 25, 1964 |
| 1-25 | "Christmas Day Is Breaking Wan" | April 1, 1964 |
| 1-26 | "My Son The All American" | April 8, 1964 |
Production notes
Stanley Rubin (Bracken's WorldBracken's World
Bracken's World is an American drama series broadcast on NBC from September 19, 1969 to December 25, 1970. The series was created and produced by Dorothy Kingsley.-Synopsis:...
) was the executive producer; Jack Laird (Ben Casey
Ben Casey
Ben Casey is an American medical drama series which ran on ABC from 1961 to 1966. The show was known for its opening titles, which consisted of a hand drawing the symbols "♂, ♀, *, †, ∞" on a chalkboard, as cast member Sam Jaffe intoned, "Man, woman, birth, death, infinity." Neurosurgeon Joseph...
and Kojak
Kojak
Kojak is an American television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, bald New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theo Kojak. It aired from October 24, 1973, to March 18, 1978, on CBS. It took the time slot of the popular Cannon series, which was moved one hour earlier...
), the producer, and Bob Rafelson (the film Five Easy Pieces
Five Easy Pieces
Five Easy Pieces is a 1970 American drama film written by Carole Eastman and Bob Rafelson, and directed by Rafelson. The film stars Jack Nicholson, Karen Black, and Susan Anspach. The cast also includes Billy 'Green' Bush, Fannie Flagg, Ralph Waite, Sally Struthers, Lois Smith, Toni Basil, and...
) , the associate producer.