Action in the Afternoon

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Action in the Afternoon was the only live-outdoor western ever to appear on network television in the USA. It aired for approximately one year, from Feb. 1953 to Feb 1954 on CBS-Tv at various times in the afternoon. There were other "live" westerns, but all except Action in the Afternoon integrated film inseerts into their program. Only a few video episodes of the "Action in the Afternoon" series remain. They can be viewed at the TV and Radio Museum in New York City, which is open Tuesday through Sunday.

Action in the Afternoon was a television show that originated out of the backlot of WCAU-TV, Channel 10 in Philadelphia. In 1952 WCAU moved from its original building at 1622 Chestnut Street in Philadelphia to a large plot of ground at the corner of City line Avenue and monument Road, making it possible to do an outdoor program. Action was broadcast live over the CBS-TV network. Whether the weather was clear or not, the show would go on.

It aired for a half hour at 3:30 pm or 4 pm depending on the month (See page 40 of "Show Magazine" for July 1953). Microphones were hidden in the outdoor scenes all over the place. Once a horse bit one.

Because the program was totally live, any number of unplanned ncidents occurred. On occasion, despite the best efforts of Musical Director Richard Lester, you could hear the sound of an airplane overhead. One time, the stagecoach rolled down the hill and smashed into a car parked in the WCAU parking lot. "Imagine calling your insurance agent and trying to explain that," said Bill Bode, one of the two alternating directors of the show. [1]

Everything was live. The outdoor shots. The indoor ones. Everything. If things moved along too fast, the time would be filled by Jack Valentine singing a couple of songs with the Tommy Ferguson Trio playing along.

You can see some still photographs of the show in the Dire ctors Guild of America DGA News for February/March 1995

For more information about Action in the Afternoon go to the website www.broadcastpioneers.com. For more information about the WCAU building, check the article entitled "New WCAU Studios" by John G. Leitch in RCA Broadcast Magazine Volume 71 for January/February 1953.

WCAU-TV originated other programs for the CBS-TV network, including Candy Carnival, the Big Top, In The Park and What in the World.