America Alive!

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America Alive!
Genretalk show[1]
Created byWoody Fraser[2]
Directed byDon Roy King
Presented by
Starring
No. of seasons1
Production
Executive producerWoody Fraser
ProducerKen Greengrass
Running time60 minutes
Release
Original networkNBC
Original releaseJuly 24, 1978 (1978-07-24) –
January 4, 1979 (1979-01-04)

America Alive! is a daytime television talk show[1] that aired on NBC weekdays from July 24, 1978 to January 4, 1979. The hour-long show aired in the 12:00 p.m. Eastern time slot, and broadcast live in the Eastern and Central time zones.

The show, which generally broadcast from several locations live across the United States, starred Jack Linkletter, the son of legendary broadcaster Art Linkletter, as the main host,[3] broadcasting from New York City[1] in front of a studio audience. Caitlyn Jenner,[3] Pat Mitchell, and Janet Langhart joined him as co-hosts, generally in the role of roving reporters visiting different parts of the country.

Others in the cast of the show included David Sheehan as the show's critic,[4] Sheilah Graham for a "gossip check" segment,[4] and David Horowitz as a consumer reporter. The Masters and Johnson research team regularly appeared as authorities on the subject of sexuality,[4] and the comedy team of Dick Orkin and Bert Berdis also frequently appeared.

The show's concept was created by Woody Fraser.[2] It was broadcast live at noon in the Eastern U.S. (11:00 a.m. Central), and was shown two hours later on tape delay for the Mountain and Pacific time zones.

Several months into its production run, in November 1978, Linkletter discussed the high cost of producing the show because of the travel budget necessary for its roving reporters, and discussed the ratings, which were "bordering on dismal".[1] The show particularly had trouble against two popular CBS soap operas, The Young and the Restless and Search for Tomorrow. As for ABC, it ran The $20,000 Pyramid and Ryan's Hope against America Alive! All those shows were more successful than the NBC offering.

America Alive! had its final broadcast was on January 4, 1979.[5] The next day, an NBC News special featuring Betty Ford was shown in its slot, and the following Monday, January 8, the slot was taken by two game shows, The All New Jeopardy! and new entrant Password Plus.[5]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d "Jack Linkletter's 'sweet' job". The Bangor Daily News. 1978-11-04. p. 62. Retrieved 2020-10-24.
  2. ^ a b "New midday TV show to do out-of-ordinary". Leader-Telegram. 1978-07-21. p. 15. Retrieved 2020-10-24.
  3. ^ a b "'America Alive!' A Lively Show". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 1978-07-27. p. 13. Retrieved 2020-10-24.
  4. ^ a b c "Shows like 'America, Alive' should be encouraged". Public Opinion. 1978-08-11. p. 52. Retrieved 2020-10-24.
  5. ^ a b "'Nova' back with a tale of an ocean oil disaster". The Courier-Journal. 1979-01-04. p. 30. Retrieved 2020-10-24.

External links[]

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