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TV Time Capsule
New For July 2026
Central Illinois' On-Line Broadcast Museum presents a Time Capsule from a TV Guide™ edition. This month, we open a Time Capsule from the August 20-26, 1956 edition. This edition includes the TV station listings for St. Louis and central Illinois stations, but excludes Peoria.
The Week of August 20-26, 1955 (Saturday-Friday)
This is one of the oldest TV Guide™ editions in my collection. I believe it’s from the original set of magazines I got from my maternal grandparents, who lived in southwest Taylorville, Illinois.
I tell this story often, but growing up, I spent many days at their house because both my very young parents were working outside the home. My grandparents also served as the home for my dad’s brother, who ended up being the household's breadwinner. My grandfather worked at one of the nearby Peabody coal mines in Hewittville, within a streetcar ride or a short walk of their home. He didn’t drive a vehicle. In fact, his stature made it easier for him to work the mines, as he was only about 5-foot-three or four, which helped give him the nickname of “Shorty.” When that mine was retired by Peabody, the nearest one was several miles away, and because he couldn’t drive there, he retired early, at around age 61.
So he and my grandmother ended up being at least partially supported by my uncle, who lived there too. He seemed to be somewhat of a “techie,” as many of his Christmas gifts to my Dad and me had an electronic theme. So, I expect that he was the reason my grandparents were probably among the first in town to have a TV set in their home. In fact, there were no local stations even on the air at the time my uncle and my Dad famously installed a single-mast VHF antenna pointing toward St. Louis to receive KSD-TV, Channel 5, in 1951! See the picture on this page of his antenna installation with the TV set from their household, a 1951 Zenith “Porthold,” which is now at the Vermilion County Museum.
It was just after the time of the publication of this edition of TV Guide™, my grandparents, being guided by my uncle had a 50+ foot tower and antenna array installed at the rear of the house with a VHF antenna pointing toward Champaign (for WCIA) and two UHF antenna’s pointing northeastward toward Decatur(for WTVP), and the other pointing northwestward toward Springfield(for WICS). There was also a rotor that would turn the VHF antenna to the southwest to receive the St. Louis stations available at the time. It was also around that time that the Zenith was replaced with an RCA console, all-channel (VHF/UHF) set.
(Above): My Dad installing a low band VHF antenna on my grandparents house in 1951 to receive KSD-TV.
(Right): This is a picture of a 1951 Zenith "Porthole" table model TV set, like the first TV set my grandparents had.
Channels listed in the August 20, 1955 edition of TV Guide for St. Louis and Central Illinois.
What was Life Like in 1955?
President of the U.S.: Dwight David Eisenhower (Republican) Major accomplishment: he proposed the Interstate Highway system based on the German Autobahn he saw during WWII. It was signed into law in June of 1956. It was the last major accomplishment of the Republican Party that benefited a large majority of the U.S. population.
Median Family Income: $4,400 per year Full-Time Worker Income: $3,900 per year
Working Women Median Income: $1,100
Television Boom: 35 million sets were in use by 1955, but only 40% of the homes in the US had a television
Median Home Price: $7,900 to $18,400 Ave. Home Size: 983 sq. feet
Mortgage payments: $50 to $70/month
Average Rent: typical home rents from $40 to $70/month
New Car Prices: $2,400 Used car prices: around $500 to $800
Average Family Size: 3.59 (a couple with 3 or 4 children) Post WWII Baby Boom was underway
Gasoline Prices: $0.25/gallon Price of Milk: $0.86/gallon
Price of postage stamp: 3 cents.
In 1955, it was the high point in the post-WWII boom, with rapid GNP growth, low inflation, and an expanding middle class
There was a surge in consumer credit used to purchase items in demand for modern conveniences and suburban housing, while manufacturing was at its peak.
TV Guide Price per issue (each week): 15 cents
FIRST THINGS FIRST-
Here are just a few things that popped up in 1955
Crest Toothpaste
Aluminum Christmas Trees
Wireless TV remote Control (Zenith). It just turned the TV on/off
Tylenol
Zest soap
Illinois enacted the nation’s first seat belt law
Johnny Carson Show (CBS)
First McDonald’s opens in Des Plaines, IL
Disneyland Opened in Anaheim, California
Born in 1955:
Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Kevin Costner,
Whoopi Goldberg, and Bruce Willis
Most Often Watched Movie Classics of 1955
East of Eden-James Dean, Raymond Massey, Jim Backus, and Julie Harris
Mister Roberts-Henry Fonda, James Cagney, William Powell
Marty-Ernest Borgnine, Betsy Blair
Rebel Without A Cause-James Dean, Natalie Wood, Sal Mineo
Bad Day at Black Rock-Spencer Tracy, Robert Ryan, Anne Francis
The Man With the Golden Arm-Frank Sinatra, Kim Novak, Eleanor Parker
To Catch a Thief- Cary Grant, Grace Kelly
Blackboard Jungle- Glenn Ford, Anne Francis, Sidney Poitier, Jamie Farr, Vic Morrow
Picnic-William Holden, Kim Novak
Oklahoma!-Gordon MacRae, Gloria Grahame, Gene Nelson
Love Me or Leave Me- Doris Day, James Cagney
Bridges of Toko-Ri-William Holden, Grace Kelly, Fredric March
Top TV Shows from
the 1954-55 Season*
1 I Love Lucy (CBS)
2 Jackie Gleason Show (CBS)
3 Dragnet (NBC)
4 You Bet Your Life-Groucho Marx (NBC)
5 The Toast of the Town-Ed Sullivan (CBS)
6 Disneyland (ABC)
7 Jack Benny Show (CBS)
8 George Gobel Show (NBC)
9 Ford TV Theater (NBC)
10 December Bride (CBS)
Top Radio Shows from 1955
1 Amos and Andy (CBS)
2 Bing Crosby Show (CBS)
3 Dragnet (NBC)
4 Fibber McGee and Molly (NBC)
5 Gunsmoke (CBS)
Top Songs of 1955
1 Let Me Go, Lover-Joan Weber
2 Heart of Stone-Fontaine Sisters
3 Sincerely-McGuire Sisters
4 Ballad of Davey Crocket-Bill Hayes (”Days of Our Lives”)
5 Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White-Perez Prado
6 Dance With Me, Henry-Georgia Gibbs
7 Unchained Melody-Les Baxter
8 Rock Around the Clock-Bill Haley and the Comets
9 Learnin' the Blues-Frank Sinatra
10 The Yellow Rose of Texas-Mitch Miller
11 Ain't That a Shame-Pat Boone
12 Love is a Many Splendored Thing-Four Aces
13 Autumn Leaves-Roger Williams
14 Sixteen Tons-Tennessey Earnie Ford
The Top News Stories of 1955
The Warsaw Pact: On May 14, 1955, the Soviet Union and seven Eastern Bloc countries signed the Warsaw Pact, formally cementing the division of Europe during the Cold War.
The Vietnam War Takes Shape: President Dwight D. Eisenhower expanded U.S. military aid to South Vietnam in February, deepening America's involvement in the region.
Launch of WILL-TV: Public television arrived in Central Illinois when WILL-TV (Channel 12, PBS) out of Urbana-Champaign officially began broadcasting on August 1.
State Slogan Adoption: On May 17, 1955, the Illinois General Assembly officially adopted "Land of Lincoln" as the state's official slogan, which soon began appearing on license plates.
The Polio Vaccine: On April 12, 1955, the Salk Polio Vaccine was officially declared safe and effective, eradicating a devastating disease that had paralyzed thousands of children annually
Disneyland Opens: Walt Disney opened his iconic theme park in Anaheim, California, on July 18, 1955, changing the landscape of family entertainment. [1]
Walt Disney at Disneyland Grand Opening as broadcast by ABC on July 18, 1955. Watch the entire ABC Broadcast by going to the YouTube link here
Innovations in Food and Travel: While Ray Kroc opened his first franchise in Des Plaines, IL, that spring, the era's cultural shift affected central Illinois, where local drive-in eateries (like Mattoon's Gill's Drive-In) flourished. Additionally, on June 27, 1955, Illinois became the first state to enact legislation requiring automobile seat belts.
The Arrest of Rosa Parks: On December 1, 1955, she was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama, for refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger.
Death of Albert Einstein: The world lost one of its greatest scientific minds when physicist Albert Einstein died on April 18, 1955, at the age of 76.
Death of James Dean: Hollywood's newest star, James Dean, was tragically killed in a car crash in California on September 30, 1955, solidifying his legendary status. He was from Fairmount, Indiana, which celebrates his life with a museum with many artifacts from his life.
The James Dean Bural site in Fairmount, Indiana (from the Doug Quick Collection)
Sources: Google, Bloomington Pantagraph, Doug Quick Collection
November 5, 1955
In the movie “Back to the Future,” the date November 5, 1955, was important to Doc because it was the day he invented time travel. So were there other reasons that the year 1955 was used in the movie?
The movie was released in 1985, and there is a line that is important as Marty questions: “1955? Holy shit! You know what this means? I’ve gone back 30 years?” According to Bob Gale, who wrote the script, November 5th was used because it was his dad’s birthday, plus they needed a date that would fit the school dance and the “jacket” weather featured in the scenes.
To put the “30-year” difference in that film in perspective, if it were produced today and we went back 30 years, it would be 1996. Now, it doesn’t seem so long ago!
Click on each set of pages below to see a full-size view. This page is best viewed on a full-screen device, such as a laptop, tablet, or desktop computer.
Some browsers will not show videos, so click on "Watch video on YouTube"
-Check out the"Channel Chatter" on the first page.....(enlarge the image first) You'll see a story about "Kim's Korner" on Channel 17 (WTVP) at 4 pm expanding to one hour. Kim Wilson would eventually move to WICS.
-Notice the Channels Listed and KWK-TV, both CBS and ABC. It would be purchased by CBS later and become KMOX-TV. The address in St. Louis is listed as 1215 Cole. It was also the home of the Globe Democrat when it was built in the 1940s, and of KDNL (Channel 30) until a few years ago.
-KSD-TV is located at 1111 Olive, is recognized as a National Register of Historic Places, and was the home to KSD-TV until the station moved to North Tucker Street in 1959. The Olive Street location is now a data center.
-KTVI, Channel 36, is at 5915 Berthold, which was originally the home to KSTM, Channel 36. See the History of KSTM on this site. It served as KTVI's home after its move to Channel 2 on April 15, 1957, and remained in use until February 2009, when KTVI moved to Maryland Heights. The building was demolished in 2013. See the History of St. Louis Stations on this site.
-Notice the dual network affiliations of most stations at the time.
-This edition does not list the Peoria, Bloomington, and Danville stations, which WERE on the air at the time. They were probably listed in the Chicago/Northern Illinois edition.
-The listings show that several of the stations didn't sign on until later in the day. WCIA was the first in central Illinois to sign on that day with "The Pinky Lee Show," which came from NBC. WCIA was airing shows from both CBS and NBC. Channel 20, WICS, didn't sign on until 1 pm before the afternoon CBS baseball game. Note that both WCIA and WICS aired the same baseball game feed, possibly from WGN-TV in Chicago. I couldn't find any proof that it came from a network feed. By the way, the White Sox won 8-7 with an attendance of 16,803. (Isn't the internet wonderful!!)
-I made an attempt to show the actual shows that aired on the night indicated on the pages of this TV Guide edition. As you can imagine, though, it was a difficult task, as many of these shows are either lost to the ages, were produced live without any recording on kinescope, or are under tight copyright control. I was successful in finding a couple of the show's actual recordings, and they are included below; others are episodes in the series listed in the schedule, for which I have tried to find the closest actual air date to this schedule's date. As for locally produced programming, the local TV stations probably didn't have the kinescope capability to record live shows from their studios, or if a station did, those recordings have been lost to history.
Aired at 11 am on WCIA, KWK-TV, and KHQA
From YouTube: "CBS in response to the popular ABC production SUPER CIRCUS. Largest cast and crew to produce this TV kids' show. When it was first aired on July 1, 1950, the show was filmed at the New Jersey Convention Hall, which Raymond Lowery had turned into a ritzy circus environment, but in 1954, the show was moved to the North Philadelphia Armory. former vaudeville performer Jack Sterling played the top-hat-and-tails clad host/ringmaster, and you'll undoubtedly get a hoot when you see who plays their top clown -- Ed McMahon of TONIGHT SHOW fame. One-time Mr. America Dan Luri played Circus Dan the Muscle Man and Gene Crane was the staff announcer. All the Sealtest commercials are intact on this Halloween night show that aired in 1954."
(YouTube)
--At the extreme top of the listings on the page A-4 is "KWK-TV" Channel 4's Weather hosted by Carl McIntire. He was one of the people behind the short-term effort of KACY-TV, Channel 14 in Festus, Missouri, just a couple of years before. See the History of KACY-TV. The station failed, but Mr. McIntire remained a player in St. Louis television and radio for several years.
Aired at 7 pm on WGEM-TV and WICS (NBC)
"The Soldiers" was an 11-episode NBC sitcom that aired in the summer of 1955 on Saturday evenings at 7 pm. This aired only on WGEM-TV and WICS. KSD-TV aired the syndicated show "T-Men in Action."
The video here is the pilot episode of the series, which aired on June 25, 1955. It was staged by Jackie Coogan ("The Addams Family" as Uncle Fester).
(YouTube)
Aired at 8 pm on WCIA, KWK-TV and KHQA (CBS)
"Two for the Money" was hosted by Hoosier Herb Shkriner, who hosted the show for most of its run from 1952 through 1957. It aired on NBC initially before moving to CBS in 1953. It was an entertainment show, with a game show popping up every once in a while. One contestant was Mary Mattingly, a school teacher from Peoria, Illinois.
(YouTube)
-Note that "The Lucy Show" was the syndicated name of "I Love Lucy," not the one that was produced in the early 1960s, over five years later.
-"Disneyland" was an ABC show that was shown on KWK-TV, a primary CBS affiliate.
-The Sunday 10 pm news on WICS was only 5 minutes long. WTVP had no Sunday night 10 pm newscast. WCIA aired a 20-minute late-Sunday newscast at 10:30 pm.
This ABC Sunday afternoon TV series, "Super Circus," aired from 1949 through 1956. It originated from Chicago.
(YouTube)
Aired at 4 pm on WTVP (ABC)
-There was just one show broadcast in color on the schedule, but only KSD-TV was equipped to colorcast. There were probably fewer than a hundred color sets in the St. Louis area that could watch the show in color at the time.
-Notice Al Pigg as the host for "High Noon" on WICS. Al started at WTVP in the mid-50s, moved to WICS, then returned to WTVP in Decatur. He was a popular personality at both stations, serving as farm director and host of many outside events, such as county fairs, and he even hosted an afternoon kids' show on WTVP. I don't have any pictures of Al Pigg at WICS, but there are some at the History of WTVP page on this site.
-WICS had a gap in programming from 12:15 pm to 3:30 pm. A test pattern could have filled it. It wasn't uncommon for stations to go to a test pattern if there was no programming available for the daytime schedule.
-WTVP didn't sign on until 3 pm. Both WCIA and WICS signed on at 7 am.
-AT 5:45 pm, WTVP offered a Little League Baseball program hosted by news anchor Earl Hickerson.
-WICS aired "Pegwill Ranch" at 5 pm. See pictures from this local kids' show sponsored by Pegwill Weiners at the History of WICS.
"Love of Life" was one of several daytime dramas broadcast each weekday on CBS. This show aired at 11:15 after "Valiant Lady and before "Search for Tomorrow." It was produced live on CBS. This is a kinescope recording.
(YouTube)
Aired at 11:15 am on WCIA, KWK-TV, and KHQA (CBS)
The actual installment of "The King and Mrs. Candle" is not available on YouTube, so I substituted another one just about a year later called "The Lord Don't Play Favorites." This one stars Robert Stack, Dick Hames, Buster Keaton, Louis Armstrong, and Kay Starr. This is a black-and-white kinescope of a live color broadcast. It only aired on KSD-TV
(YouTube)
Aired at 7 pm in COLOR on KSD-TV (NBC)
-Primetime on NBC included two 90-minute productions, including "The Producer's Showcase" (example show above), followed by Robert Montgomery Presents. Both were broadcast on KSD-TV, but evidently, the sponsors of the show weren't interested in purchasing the commercial time on WICS or WGEM-TV. It looks strange today, but it was common in the day, as sponsors of shows controlled the placement of many shows, especially special productions such as these. WICS and WGEM-TV had to fill their schedules with purchased syndicated programming.
-Notice at 9 pm on WTVP, Channel 17, "Taylorville Barn Dance" aired, with probably some local country-western talent performing live from the WTVP(now WAND) studios. I would assume there are no known recordings, either audio or video, of this locally produced program. As for who was featured on the show, I have a theory, but it has yet to be confirmed.
Aired at 8 pm on WCIA, KWK-TV, and KHQA (CBS)
"The Whiting Girls" starred Margaret and Barbara Whiting a sitcom that includes Mabel Albertson as their mother.
To see more with Margaret Whiting, visit the History of WCIA and watch the video with Ed Mason on the section that spotlights "The Hop." She was a guest on the local dance program and was interviewed by the host, Ed Mason.
(YouTube)
-Locally produced kids' shows (I call them kids panel shows) were beginning to proliferate the afternoon TV schedules. WCIA had Cartoon Time with Sheriff Sid. WTVP had Prairietown, and Kiddie Pops. WICS had "Storytime " with Miss Penny, Howdy-Doody (NBC), Pinky Lee Show (NBC), and Pegwill Ranch.
-WCIA was already airing its local news in the not-so-traditional times of 6:30 pm. Perhaps as a move to not compete directly with the local stations in Springfield and Decatur, which were broadcasting local news at 6 pm. WCIA had the only TV signal (VHF) that broadcast over the largest area of central Illinois, while the other UHF stations in Springfield (WICS) didn't reach Decatur with their transmitter/tower in Southern View south of Springfield, and the signal of Decatur's WTVP was weak in Springfield without an outdoor tall tower/receiving antenna. WCIA was able to cover Decatur with a city-grade signal, while Springfield received a passable signal from WCIA with an outdoor antenna.
Aired at 8 pm on WCIA and KWK-TV (CBS)
This series, "Meet Millie" aired on CBS from 1952 through 1956 and starred Elena Verdugo ("Marcus Welby MD"), Florence Halop, Ross Ford, and Marvin Kaplan ("Top Cat"). It took place in Texas; it was one of the first TV series that was produced live at CBS Television City.
(YouTube)
Aired at 4:30 pm on KSD-TV, WGEM-TV and WICS (NBC)
From YouTube: "Howdy Doody was an American children's television program (with circus and Western frontier themes) that was created and produced by E. Roger Muir and telecast on the NBC network in the United States from December 27, 1947, until September 24, 1960. It was a pioneer in children's television programming and set the pattern for many similar shows. One of the first television series produced at NBC in Rockefeller Center, in Studio 3A."
(YouTube)
Aired at 8:30 pm on WTVP
"It's a Great Life" aired on NBC from 1954 to 1956, and even though it was on NBC, it aired on this schedule on WTVP, likely as a syndicated program. It starred William Bishop, Michael O'Shea, and Francis Bavier ("The Andy Griffith Show"). Records show it being in syndication as "The Bachelors," but not according to the TV Guide schedule here. Sorry for the rough start to this video (film sprockets were torn; it gets better quickly). This is the only complete video of the series available.
(YouTube)
This video isn't the one that was shown at 10 pm from WCIA, Channel 3, but it is a short segment from a President Eisenhower press conference from 1955.
(YouTube)
Aired at 10 pm on WCIA
-The only NBC programming airing that evening on WICS was "The Groucho Marx Show." At the time, the station was threatened by the possibility of a VHF station in Springfield that would surely have taken NBC away from WICS. The owners of WICS didn't want to make the expensive move to improve the facility to reach a larger audience across central Illinois, so that lack of household coverage reduced the station's value to network advertisers. The station's affiliation agreement was approved month by month as the network waited for the FCC's decision on a construction permit for what was planned to be called WMAY-TV, Channel 2. Read more about it at the History of WICS.
-Note that "TV Theater" was seen on all three central Illinois stations at the same time, WCIA, WICS, and WTVP. It was done occasionally, as you might know, not all three stations were seen across central Illinois in most locations. It was also seen on NBC stations KSD-TV and WGEM-TV. That probably isn't the show's real name, as TV Guide didn't include sponsors' names in show titles. It was most likely "Ford TV Theater," sponsored by the Ford Motor Company and included on the NBC schedule. Even though it was the same NBC show on all three stations, not all had a link to NBC. It was probably a kinescope recording sent to other stations for playback at the same time as the version sent across the network lines to the NBC stations. I know of an arrangement mentioned in a newspaper article published in Danville: WDAN-TV in Danville was set to broadcast a special program from NBC via kinescope, as the sponsor purchased it to reach other markets without an NBC station. TV was complicated back then!
This is the ACTUAL "Lone Ranger" episode that was described as airing on WICS, Channel 20, at 6:30 pm.
(YouTube)
Aired at 6:30 pm on WICS
This was the ACTUAL show from August 26, 1955, and included in the schedule above. From YouTube: "hosted by former screen star, Warren Hull, per Wikipedia, "....is a Controversial game show that aired on American radio and television from June 29, 1947, to December 27, 1957 on CBS and NBC. People in need of money (such as for medical treatment or a destitute family) appeared and told their tale of woe, then tried to win money by answering four relatively easy questions."
(YouTube)
Aired at 10:30 am on WCIA, KWK-TV, and KHQA (CBS)
Aired at 7:30 pm on WTVP (ABC)
From YouTube: "Rare complete episode with commercials of Treasury Men in Action. In this episode, the T-men from U.S. Customs track down stolen watches from a colorful cast of crooks. Walter Greaza is your host, the Chief, who introduces the episode. The cast includes Stanley Clemens, Tom McKee, and Paul Dubov. This television show has all the commercials for the 1955 Chevrolet as aired on May 12, 1955."
(YouTube)
Above is a feature story from that edition of TV Guide™ about the new popular game show "The $64,000 Question." Later, the show was exposed during what's known as the quiz show scandals. Also implicated in the manipulation of the show were the producers of "Twenty-One" and "Dotto."
Behind the scenes, producers chose contestants based on factors like how they looked on screen, gave them answers to trivia questions, and even scripted some contests. Suspicions began to surface as former winning contestants suddenly started losing, failing to answer easy questions. The New York grand jury investigation, and later Congress, got involved in its own investigation, with hearings that included the high-profile contestant Charles Van Doren, who admitted to the fraud.
This resulted in the cancellation of many popular quiz shows on the network, even some that weren't implicated in wrongdoing. Since then, producers have faced strict guidelines and regulations for TV game shows. Later, it was made a federal crime to rig a TV quiz show with the intent to deceive the audience.
That was the subject matter in the 1994 motion picture, "Quiz Show." It was nominated for several Oscars that year, including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor, Best Director (Robert Redford), and Best Screenplay. The movie stars John Turturro, Rob Morrow, and Ralph Fiennes. Watch the movie trailer here on YouTube.
The 1954-1955 Prime Time Schedule
This is the official network TV schedule from ABC, CBS, and NBC records. The actual local TV schedules could be quite different.
Prime-Time Schedule from "Total Television" by Alex McNeil
The use of TV Guide™ is based on information given to me some years ago by TV Guide™, which states that issues such as this one are considered public domain and not subject to copyright.
TV Guide™ is a trademark owned by the print magazine's operating company, TV Guide™ Magazine LLC, which NTVB Media owns
For more historical details on Central Illinois TV stations, visit the pages for each station's history on this website.
That was me in 1955, during happy times with my race car (posing for Olin Mills), then playing in the backyard at our home on First Street in Taylorville.
.....with a closepin, before getting my finger pinched in it, and then during the pinch.