The 1968 Exhibit: TV and Movies
TELEVISION IN 1968
With the staggering numbers of channels and possibilities in today's television landscape, it's useful to remember that in 1968 there was no cable TV, almost no satellite-TV transmissions, and no home video recorders. There were just the three major networks, a few obscure UHF channels, and a scattering of educational-TV channels. But television was changing. Homes with color TV sets in their living rooms jumped from five million in 1966 to nearly 14 million in 1968, almost all of them made in the U.S.A. News programming took on special urgency in this turbulent year, perhaps signaled by the debut of 60 Minutes. Television coverage of Vietnam was vital to the rise and fall of public support for the war, the first 'living-room war.'
The year 1968 marked the last full season for The Monkees, Star Trek, The Andy Griffith Show, and the oft-censored Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.
Although the top-rated show of 1968 was a new one the crazily countercultural Laugh-In, the rest of the year's lineup is evidence of how predictable and 'safe' much of Sixties pop culture actually was, with shows like The Beverly Hillbillies, Bonanza, Family Affair, Gunsmoke, Here's Lucy, and Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
FILM IN 1968
The movie 'season' of 1967-68 marked one of the great turning points in Hollywood history, a moment when boundaries were stretched and old assumptions challenged. There were still westerns and big-budget musicals like Funny Girl and Oliver!, and some Golden Age stars, like John Wayne and Katharine Hepburn, were still big at the box-office. But in the theaters, violence was hitting the screen as never before, in movies like Bonnie and Clyde and Bullitt. The 'youth' movie was becoming smarter and edgier, as The Graduate and Petulia made clear. New frontiers were opening for the horror and science-fiction genres, with such diverse products as 2001: A Space Odyssey, the low-budget Night of the Living Dead, and the scary-hip Rosemary's Baby.
Writing about the five movies nominated for the Best Picture Oscar in 1968, historian Mark Harris writes:
The old and the new existed in uneasy proximity, eyeing each other across a red-carpeted aisle that was becoming easy to mistake for a battle line. A fight that began as a contest for a few small patches of Hollywood turf ended as the first shot in a revolution.
TELEVISION IN 1968
FACTS AND FIGURES
20 Highest Rated Shows
- Laugh-In
- Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
- Bonanza
- Mayberry R.F.D.
- Family Affair
- Gunsmoke
- Julia
- The Dean Martin Show
- Here’s Lucy
- The Beverly Hillbillies
- Mission: Impossible
- Bewitched
- The Red Skelton Hour
- My Three Sons
- The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour
- Ironside
- The Virginian
- The F.B.I.
- Green Acres
- Dragnet
EVENTS OF NOTE
- January 22: Debut of Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In.
- February: Television coverage of Tet Offensive credited with turning public opinion on Vietnam.
- February 14: He’s Your Dog, Charlie Brown airs.
February 19: National debut of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.- March: Cancellations of Lost in Space, The Lucy Show, Batman, and The Monkees.
- March 21: Children’s Television Workshop and its first program, Sesame Street, are announced in New York.
- April 10: 40st Annual Academy Awards broadcast, postponed from April 8 due to the funeral for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
- June 8: Wide World of Sports and other programs are pre:empted by coverage of Robert Kennedy’s funeral.
- July 12: Time magazine runs an issue on television advertising.
- July 15: One Life to Live debuts
- August 26-29: Televised coverage of the Democratic National Convention and anti-war protests in Chicago.
- August: First color coverage of national political conventions by all three networks.
- September: Debuts of The Archie Show, Julia, Adam-12, Land of the Giants, Here’s Lucy, The Doris Day Show, The Mod Squad, The Banana Splits Adventure Hour, The Adventures of Gulliver, The Batman/Superman Hour, 60 Minutes, Here Come the Brides, and Hawaii Five-O.
- Game shows migrate from daytime to primetime: The Dating Game, The Newlywed Game, and Hollywood Squares.
- November 17: The “Heidi Game”: TV coverage of a National Football League match:up between the Oakland Raiders and the New York Jets was abruptly ended with less than two minutes to play, so that NBC’s schedule showing of the children’s movie Heidi could begin on time.
- November 22: Star Trek co-stars William Shatner and Nichelle Nichols share the first interracial kiss on television.
- November 23: The Mouse on the Mayflower airs.
- December 3: Elvis Presley’s ’68 Comeback Special airs.
- December 9: TCB music special airs. TCB stood for “Taking Care of Business,” and brought together the superstar Motown groups Diana Ross and the Supremes and the Temptations.
- December 24: Apollo 8 astronauts broadcast to Earth that there is a Santa Claus and read from Genesis.
- December 25: Animated cartoon version of the popular Christmas song The Little Drummer Boy airs for the first time.
AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
20th Primetime Emmy Awards: Hosted by Frank Sinatra and Dick Van Dyke
- Outstanding Drama Series: Mission: Impossible
- Outstanding Comedy Series: Get Smart
- Outstanding Variety Series: Laugh-In
- Outstanding Lead Actor in Drama: Bill Cosby, I Spy
- Outstanding Lead Actress in Drama: Barbara Bain, Mission: Impossible
- Outstanding Lead Actor in Comedy: Don Adams, Get Smart
- Outstanding Lead Actress in Comedy: Lucille Ball, The Lucy Show
- Outstanding Supporting Actor in Drama: Milburn Stone, Gunsmoke
- Outstanding Supporting Actress in Drama: Barbara Anderson, Ironside
- Outstanding Supporting Actor in Comedy: Werner Klemperer, Hogan’s Heroes
- Outstanding Supporting Actress in Comedy: Marion Lorne, Bewitched
TOP PROGRAMS BY AGE GROUP
Children
- Flying Nun
- Second Hundred Years
- Family Affair
- The Monkees
- Gomer Pyle
- Bewitched
- Beverly Hillbillies
- Gentle Ben
- Off To See the Wizard
- Walt Disney
Teens
- Guns of Will Sonnett
- Second Hundred Years
- The Monkees
- Star Trek
- The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
- Flying Nun
- Saturday Movies
- I Spy
- Dragnet
- Family Affair
Young Adults
- Saturday Movies
- Friday Movies
- Thursday Movies
- Mission: Impossible
- Tuesday Movies
- Dean Martin
- I Spy
- Sunday Movies
- High Chaparral
Top Rated Soap Operas
- As The World Turns
- Search for Tomorrow
- Another World
- The Edge Of Night
- Love Of Life
- The Doctors
- Days Of Our Lives
- Love is A Many Splendored Thing
- The Guiding Light
- General Hospital
- Dark Shadows
- The Secret Storm
- One Life To Live
- Hidden Faces
FILM IN 1968
FACTS AND FIGURES
Top Grossing Movies of 1968 (U.S. release revenues only)
- Funny Girl: $26, 325,000
- 2001: A Space Odyssey: $25,522,000
- Bullitt: $20,000,000
- Romeo and Juliet: $19,000,000
- Rosemary’s Baby: $17,437,000
- Oliver!: $16,800,000
- Planet of the Apes: $15,000,000
- Yours, Mine, and Ours: $15,000,000
- The Thomas Crown Affair: $11,639,000
- The Lion in Winter: $10,006,000
Top Ten Box Office Stars 1968
- Sidney Poitier
- Paul Newman
- Julie Andrews
- John Wayne
- Clint Eastwood
- Dean Martin
- Steve McQueen
- Jack Lemmon
- Lee Marvin
- Elizabeth Taylor
Other Facts of Note
- Number of domestic films released in the U.S.: 454
- Average cost of a movie ticket: $1.31 ($8.50 in 2011 dollars)
- Total number of screens: 13,120
- Number of drive:in theaters: 3,372
- Total box office gross: $1.05 billion
- Tickets purchased per capita: 3.96
AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
40TH Annual Academy Awards, April 10, 1968: Hosted by Bob Hope (honoring 1967 films)
Best Picture: In the Heat of the Night
Other nominees:
Best Actor in a Leading Role: Rod Steiger in In the Heat of the Night
Other nominees:
- Paul Newman, Cool Hand Luke
- Dustin Hoffman, The Graduate
- Spencer Tracy, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner
- Warren Beatty, Bonnie and Clyde
Best Actress in a Leading Role: Katharine Hepburn in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner
Other nominees:
- Faye Dunaway, Bonnie and Clyde
- Anne Bancroft, The Graduate
- Edith Evans, The Whisperers
- Audrey Hepburn, Wait Until Dark
Best Actor in a Supporting Role: George Kennedy in Cool Hand Luke
Other nominees:
- George Kennedy, Cool Hand Luke
- Michael J. Polllard, Bonnie and Clyde
- John Cassavetes, The Dirty Dozen
- Cecil Kellaway, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner
Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Estelle Parsons in Bonnie and Clyde
Other nominees:
- Carol Channing, Thoroughly Modern Millie
- Katherine Ross, The Graduate
- Beah Richards, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner
- Mildred Natwick, Barefoot in the Park
Best Director: Mike Nichols for The Graduate
Other nominees:
- Norman Jewison, In the Heat of the Night
- Arthur Penn, Bonnie and Clyde
- Stanley Kramer, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner
- Richard Brooks, In Cold Blood
Best Original Song: “Talk to the Animals” from Dr. Dolittle
Other nominees
- “The Eyes of Love,” Banning
- “The Look of Love,” Casino Royale
- “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” Thoroughly Modern Millie
- “The Bare Necessities,” The Jungle Book
1968 Golden Globes (honoring 1967 films)
- Best Drama: In the Heat of the Night
- Best Actor in a Drama: Rod Steiger in In the Heat of the Night
- Best Actress in a Drama: Edith Evans in The Whisperers
- Best Musical or Comedy: The Graduate
- Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy: Richard Harris in Camelot
- Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy: Anne Bancroft in The Graduate
- Best Director: Mike Nichols for The Graduate
41st Annual Academy Awards, April 10, 1969 (honoring 1968 films): First Academy Awards show to be broadcast worldwide.
Best Picture: Oliver!
Other nominees:
Best Actor in a Leading Role: Cliff Robertson in Charly
Other nominees:
- Alan Arkin, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter
- Alan Bates, The Fixer
- Ron Moody, Oliver!
- Peter O’Toole, The Lion in Winter
Best Actress in a Leading Role: Katharine Hepburn in The Lion in Winter and Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl
Other nominees:
- Patricia Neal, The Subject Was Roses
- Vanessa Redgrave, Isadora
- Joanne Woodward, Rachel, Rachel
Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Jack Albertson in The Subject Was Roses
Other nominees:
- Seymour Cassel, Faces
- Daniel Massey, Star!
- Jack Wild, Oliver!
- Gene Wilder, The Producers
Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Ruth Gordon in Rosemary’s Baby
Other nominees:
- Lynn Carlin, Faces
- Sondra Locke, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter
- Kay Medford, Funny Girl
- Estelle Parsons, Rachel, Rachel
Best Director: Carol Reed for Oliver!
Other nominees:
- Anthony Harvey, The Lion in Winter
- Stanley Kubrick, 2001: A Space Odyssey
- Gillo Pontecorvo, The Battle of Algiers
- Franco Zeffirelli, Romeo and Juliet
Best Original Song: “The Windmills of Your Mind” from The Thomas Crown Affair
Other nominees:
- “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,” Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
- “For Love of Ivy,” For Love of Ivy
- “Funny Girl,” Funny Girl
- “Star!” Star!
1969 Golden Globes (honoring 1968 films)
- Best Drama: The Lion in Winter
- Best Actor in a Drama: Peter O’Toole in The Lion in Winter
- Best Actress in a Drama: Joanna Woodward in Rachel, Rachel
- Best Musical or Comedy: Oliver!
- Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy: Ron Moody in Oliver!
- Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy: Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl
- Best Director: Paul Newman for Rachel, Rachel
American Film Institute List of 100 Best American Movies
1998 List
- #22: 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
- #27: Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
- #99: Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967)
Revised 2007 List
- #15: 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
- #17: The Graduate(1967)
- #42: Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
- #75: IIn the Heat of the Night (1967)
1968 films selected for Library of Congress Film Preservation Registry
('for culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant films')
- 2001: A Space Odyssey
- Bullitt
- David Holzman's Diary
- Night of the Living Dead
- OffOn
- Once Upon a Time in the West
- Planet of the Apes
- The Producers
- Why Man Creates
- Faces
TELEVISION IN 1968
With the staggering numbers of channels and possibilities in today's television landscape, it's useful to remember that in 1968 there was no cable TV, almost no satellite-TV transmissions, and no home video recorders. There were just the three major networks, a few obscure UHF channels, and a scattering of educational-TV channels. But television was changing. Homes with color TV sets in their living rooms jumped from five million in 1966 to nearly 14 million in 1968, almost all of them made in the U.S.A. News programming took on special urgency in this turbulent year, perhaps signaled by the debut of 60 Minutes. Television coverage of Vietnam was vital to the rise and fall of public support for the war, the first 'living-room war.'
The year 1968 marked the last full season for The Monkees, Star Trek, The Andy Griffith Show, and the oft-censored Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.
Although the top-rated show of 1968 was a new one the crazily countercultural Laugh-In, the rest of the year's lineup is evidence of how predictable and 'safe' much of Sixties pop culture actually was, with shows like The Beverly Hillbillies, Bonanza, Family Affair, Gunsmoke, Here's Lucy, and Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
FILM IN 1968
The movie 'season' of 1967-68 marked one of the great turning points in Hollywood history, a moment when boundaries were stretched and old assumptions challenged. There were still westerns and big-budget musicals like Funny Girl and Oliver!, and some Golden Age stars, like John Wayne and Katharine Hepburn, were still big at the box-office. But in the theaters, violence was hitting the screen as never before, in movies like Bonnie and Clyde and Bullitt. The 'youth' movie was becoming smarter and edgier, as The Graduate and Petulia made clear. New frontiers were opening for the horror and science-fiction genres, with such diverse products as 2001: A Space Odyssey, the low-budget Night of the Living Dead, and the scary-hip Rosemary's Baby.
Writing about the five movies nominated for the Best Picture Oscar in 1968, historian Mark Harris writes:
The old and the new existed in uneasy proximity, eyeing each other across a red-carpeted aisle that was becoming easy to mistake for a battle line. A fight that began as a contest for a few small patches of Hollywood turf ended as the first shot in a revolution.
