Television: What Next from Planet Lyndon?

At the 1964 Democratic National Convention, the networks achieved the impossible. In their frenetic scramble to make the trivial significant and the significant momentous, they succeeded in making the convention seem even duller than dull reality. It was no wonder that, on the climactic night of the nominations, nearly half of all New York City viewers were glued to independent stations offering such attractions as a rerun of an Untouchables episode, a rerun of a Marilyn Monroe documentary, and a rerun of a movie space opera called The Brain from Planet Arous.

Admittedly, the speeches and commentary from Atlantic City...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!