90 Minutes

Columbo

Hec Ramsey

Name of the Game

MacMillan and Wife

Pretty sure there were others but these are the ones that I can come up with at this moment.

Only five 90 minute series (fictional series with regular characters, specifically) aired during the 1960s. They were:

1. The Virginian, 1962-1971

2. Arrest And Trial, 1963-1964

3. Season 7 of Wagon Train, 1963-1964

4. Cimarron Strip, 1967-1968

5. The Name Of The Game, 1968-1971


Of these, Cimarron Strip was the only one which was centered around one lead character and actor in almost every episode. That must have been a huge burden on Stuart Whitman. I don't think any other 90 minute series since has used one star on a weekly basis. The Virginian alternated its episodes between James Drury, Doug McClure, Lee J. Cobb (or the later owners of Shiloh Ranch), and other actors in main roles through its years (Clu Gulager, Randy Boone, Sara Lane, Don Quine, etc.). The Name Of The Game alternated between Gene Barry, Robert Stack, and Tony Franciosa, though Susan Saint James assisted all three of them. Wagon Train in its one 90 minute season alternated between John McIntire, Denny Miller, Robert Fuller, and Terry Wilson, plus its stories were more centered around the guest stars anyway. Arrest And Trial split its time between its two stars, the first 45 minutes mainly featuring Ben Gazzara, the last 45 featuring Chuck Connors. But Whitman starred in almost every episode Of Cimarron Strip, save one which centered on Percy Herbert.

...commercials.

Generally speaking, the actual time of the episodes should be about 5/6ths of the original time slot. Thus a half-hour show should run about 25 minutes, an hour show about 50 mintutes, and a 90 minute show about 75 minutes (1 hour 15 minutes). Now if they run at too much less than this it probably indicates that the show was edited, and parts removed, before being put on DVD. The Timeless package of Branded is an example of this.