Stanley Conrad wonders: > Does anyone know whether a list of the films most frequently broadcast on TV > has been compiled, somewhere, by someone? > > I presume individual broadcast networks could come up with lists of their > own most-frequents, but is there a way to get a more global picture? > > I suspect the question needs some kind of limits (e.g. geographic) so I > presume we're really interested in American film, broadcast by U.S. > television stations/networks. > > We're totally stumped here as to how we might proceed to track this info > down ... I'm not sure how to track it down either, but a few thoughts might help to set some limits: Network (ABC, CBS, NBC) broadcasts of "Movies of the Week" in place of regular series programming only began in the mid-1960s, aside from the occasional serialized Disney film on the various versions of the "World of Disney," and such special events as the annual showing of THE WIZARD OF OZ. Aside from a few pre-cable "super-stations" like WOR, WGN and WTBS, I suspect that most programming of the most film showings will turn out to be local, up until the 1970s or later. Of course, with the proliferation of cable and satellite channels (including subscription channels like HBO and pay-per-view), the question becomes a very different one! Local stations might broadcast the same film several times a week. One NY station had an afternoon "Million Dollar Movie" that showed the same film at least once each day, Monday-Friday. I suspect similar multiple broadcasts occured in other large markets. Local stations, especially independents, might have two or three or more films broadcast in a day. Even network affiliates might have more morning, afternoon, and late-night film shows in the era before network programming took up most of the day and night. For a long time, the most frequently broadcast films were likely to be older movies whose copyright had lapsed (which accounts for the sudden proliferation and new popularity of IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE by the late 1960s). Horror and SF films, B Westerns (including such serial heroes as Hopalong Cassady, Roy Rogers and Gene Autrey), Tarzan movies, etc. often had their own special niches, such as the "Monster Chiller Horror Theater" parody by Second City TV, in many individual markets. And if you want to count short films, then Popeye cartoons and the Three Stooges may be in front of everything else! Don Larsson ----------------------------------------------------------- Donald F. Larsson, English Department, AH 230 Minnesota State University Mankato, MN 56001 ---- To sign off Screen-L, e-mail [log in to unmask] and put SIGNOFF Screen-L in the message. Problems? Contact [log in to unmask]