CHANNING (1963) – Also known as The Young and the Bold this hour-long drama series was a college version of Mr. Novak, against which it went head-to-head. B-Movie titan Jason Evers starred as Professor Joseph Howe, a Korean War veteran now teaching at fictional Channing College. Henry Jones portrayed Fred Baker, his former professor and now Channing Dean.
Two episodes of the anthology series Alcoa Premiere served as pilots for the series. It was called ahead of its time, ran for 26 episodes and addressed Generation Gap issues involving instructors and their students. And the students were played by a Who’s Who of up-and-coming stars of the big and small screen.
PILOT ONE: OF THIS TIME, OF THIS PLACE (March 6th, 1962) – This episode of the Fred Astaire-hosted Alcoa Premiere introduced viewers to Jason Evers as Professor Howe and Henry Jones as Dean Baker. The story, based on a Lionel Trilling short story, depicted Howe standing beside a brilliant but mentally volatile student who rankles the staid academic community at Channing College. Also starred Burt Brinckerhoff, Dabbs Greer and Nancy Hadley as Howe’s wife Mary.
PILOT TWO: THE BEST YEARS (March 7th, 1963) – While listed as Channing’s second pilot episode it is really just a rerun of the previous year’s Of This Time, of This Place.
STANDOUT EPISODES:
MESSAGE FROM THE TIN ROOM – Channing College English Professor Joseph Howe champions the writing of condemned Death Row prisoner Lloyd Sullivan (THE John Cassavetes). Also starring John Hoyt and John Mitchum.
EXERCISE IN A SHARK TANK – Joseph Howe’s colleague, Professor Paul Stafford (Leslie Nielsen himself), is accused of making improper advances to a female student in a story that anticipated David Mamet’s Oleana. Noreen Corcoran and Shirley Ballard guest star.
AN OBELISK FOR BENNY – Peter Fonda and Michael Parks star as a serious & melancholy paraplegic student and a frivolous, non-stop partying student who learn to be more light-hearted and more mature, respectively, from each other.
NO WILD GAMES FOR SOPHIE – This time around, Professor Howe and Dean Baker become involved in the case of Greek student Sophie Kannakos (Barbara Harris), a student whose future is threatened by her gambling addiction. Also stars Michael Constantine.
DRAGON IN THE DEN – A Shatner-ific episode with William Shatner as a Channing alum who is running for State’s Attorney on an anti-corruption platform but learns his campaign manager is engineering dirty tricks. Denver Pyle and Maggie Pierce guest star.
THE POTATO BASH WORLD – Complications arise when student Lori Moore (Suzanne Pleshette) dumps her boyfriend and abandons her career plans to pursue her crush on Professor Howe. Also stars Ed Nelson.
COLLISION COURSE – The wife (Nancy Olson) of a faculty member (Forrest Tucker) romantically pursues a Channing College football star (Jim McMullan). Sharyn Hillyer and Steve Pendleton also star.
A PATRON SAINT FOR THE CARGO CULT – Religious issues dominate this episode about a Divinity Student whose very unconventional ideas and practices leave Howe and Baker puzzled. Stars George Segal, Greg Morris and Norma Crane.
A WINDOW ON THE WAR – A psychotic student enrolls in Channing College planning to kill a professor (Wendell Corey) whom he blames for his friend’s death in Vietnam. Very early treatment of that issue on a television series. Also stars Don Gordon, Russ Conway and Barbara Randolph.
A DOLL’S HOUSE WITH POM-POMS AND TROPHIES – Rip Torn of all people portrays a 28-year-old perpetual student who has a genius IQ but is content to never graduate and lets his wife support him & their child. Also starring Leslie Parrish, Tim Conway, Joe Flynn (yes), Susan Hart and Don Kennedy.
A HALL FULL OF STRANGERS – Howe and Baker again hover around the periphery of this story involving Professor Thielmann (George Voskovec) accusing a visiting German pianist of complicity with the Nazis during World War Two. Ironically, Bob Crane guest stars.
MEMORY OF A FIRING SQUAD – A student activist (Nico Minardos) tries to persuade a professor (Frank Silvera) to return to their home country and support the dictatorship. Also stars Elen Willard, THE Henry Darrow, Dick Bakalyan and, after Bob Crane last time, Ivan Dixon this time.
A RICH, FAMOUS, GLAMOROUS FOLK SINGER LIKE ME – Joan Hackett plays a flighty, callous folk singer who tries to convince her professor father (Lew Ayres) to abandon his new wife and their children to live an attachment-free life like she does. Stuart Margolin appears.
SWING FOR THE MOON – Dawn Wells and Fay Spain guest star in this episode which finds Professor Howe caught up in a family dispute between a father (Frank Gerstle) and son (Ralph Meeker!) when the son prefers to pursue a baseball career rather than run the family business.
ANOTHER KIND OF MUSIC – Deja Vu as a student (Michael Parks in a different role) would rather study music than give in to his father’s (Frank Puglia) pressure to become a lawyer. Jeff Corey appears.
A CLAIM TO IMMORTALITY – It’s a case of “Who snubs ya, baby?” as a Channing professor (Telly Savalas) turns down a chance to head the Institute of Foreign Affairs despite his father pressuring him to do so because he is hiding a secret from his past. Marion Ross and Leo G. Carroll guest star.
FREEDOM IS A LOVESOME THING, GOD WOT! – Not the usual story about a brilliant black student (THE Leon Bibb). The young man’s math professor (Agnes Moorehead) is trying to get him a fellowship, but his chances are being sabotaged by an embittered black professor (James Earl Jones). Also starring Jeff Cooper.
MY SON, THE ALL AMERICAN – Final episode of the series. Professor Howe’s anecdote about Mark Twain and Sholem Aleichem inadvertently prompts a star Channing College football player (JAMES CAAN) to abandon his athletic scholarship and pursue Judaic Studies instead. YVONNE CRAIG guest stars.
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