Americans searched for new horizons, a new quest, a new media leader to show us the way, and a bright young man appeared out of nowhere, and offered to take us to the “New Frontier”. John F. Kennedy lagged well behind Richard Nixon in the polls and remained relatively unknown by summer of 1960, but America was mired in an age of Teen Idols and instant mass-media superstars. The first of four “Great Debates” between the two presidential candidates took place on September 26, 1960, with a record-breaking audience of 75,000,000 home viewers. Nixon wore a light gray suit which caused him to melt into the background. His face was unshaven and Dick appeared nervous and his body tense and out of synch with his words. Forced smiles, stiff posture and a tightly clenched fist made Nixon look like a guilty man hoping for an eleventh-hour pardon. Kennedy, on the other hand, displayed charm, wit, youthful optimism and charisma. Dick Clark would have spotted it immediately… JFK had “the look”. America would find out much more about its youthful President during the next three years, but initially, it was his dynamic image on the little screen that carried JFK to the White House. Never before had a historic, live event like this been possible, and never again would the presidential debates on TV have such an impact on the national election.
The country was ripe for change, and JFK led the way. As only the second President to be sworn in on television, Kennedy delivered a powerful inaugural address, in which he advised, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” With the energy and zest of youth, Kennedy brought complicated problems out into the open, and demanded answers with what many called “a cool head and a warm heart.” He was the first President to allow live television coverage of White House news conferences… a refreshing change from Eisenhower, who usually refused public comment on embarrassing problems like McCarthy, Gary Powers and discrimination. The public thought of Ike as a father figure for America, but by the end of his second term, the negative aspects of that title overwhelmed the positive. Like any good father in the Fifties, Ike only told us as much as he thought our immature minds could handle. But, we heard about the ugliness of Tailgunner Joe, U-2 planes and Cuba from other sources, and we wondered why Papa Ike hadn’t warned us. Kennedy acted more like a big brother… willing to include the public in an open discussion on any problem. And, like a good big brother, JFK stood up to bullies (i.e. Khrushchev and Castro) in our behalf.
Kennedy was the first non-WASP (Catholic) president, and the first born in the 20th Century. He projected new hope that America might finally deal with social problems concerning all citizens. JFK openly attacked racial discrimination, urban decay, and even the vehicle that he rode in on to the White House (television). Kennedy’s new chairman of the FCC, Newton Minow, delivered this message to the National Association of Broadcasters, accusing them as the creators of a “vast wasteland”.
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In its own diluted and slightly inadequate way, television tried to respond to the criticism. Several new realistic urban dramas dealing with contemporary situations premiered in 1961. Doctors, lawyers and other modern professionals replaced barbaric, frontier law-and-order types as our boob tube heroes. Interns, “Dr. Kildare” and “Ben Casey” appeared as young, bright, handsome and strong-willed… just like JFK. The networks reminded the audience, however, that the hardheadedness of youth needs the guiding hand of experience, in the likes of Senior Doctors, Gillespie and Zorba. The younger duo often lost patience, and occasionally patients, but could never be faulted for lack of effort.
The young attorneys on “The Defenders” were another hard working, dedicated, socially committed group. Even though they fought on the side of goodness and righteousness (like the new breed of TV doctors), they were human and sometimes failed… a refreshing change of pace from “Perry Mason”, who had not lost a single verdict during his four years in the courtroom on the same station.
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Not all of America had converted to Kennedy’s “optimism in the face of crisis” by the end of 1961. A large segment of the population continued to experience a nervous, restless urge to put on their walking shoes, and that feeling was reflected in the media. The pop charts overflowed with “moving” titles like “Runaway” (Del Shannon), “Running Scared” (Roy Orbison), “Traveling Man” (Rick Nelson), “Hit the Road, Jack” (Ray Charles), “Tossin’ and Turnin’” (Bobby Darin), and “Exodus” (movie theme).
Television couldn’t afford to lag behind. New shows offered us a chance to “Follow the Sun”, and to go on an “Expedition”. Wives and Mothers were conspicuously absent in Mayberry and the Douglas household in 1960, but in 1961, one woman returned with new plan in “Mrs. G. Goes to College.” (A “stop making kids, go back to school” hint from the networks?) Many people missed the old hardcore law and order shows, and TV reflected their concerns with “Car 54 Where Are You?” These cops arrived on the scene with the deadliest new weapon in TV’s arsenal… the laugh track.
Program schedulers demonstrated their usual insight, this time in recognition of the growing overpopulation problem (us Boomers): “Checkmate” followed “Father Knows Best” (Wed. CBS) and “Eyewitness to History” followed “Twilight Zone”, which in turn followed “Father of the Bride”. Why didn’t they simply title the entire evening: “Big Families Are Out, So Stop Making Babies”?