You Did What__ Mad Plans and Great Historical Disasters - Bill Fawcett [88]
A two-hour dramatization of Johanna Spyri’s Heidi was one such project. Directed by Delbert Mann with TV casting coups of Michael Redgrave, Maximilian Schell, and Walter Slezak (as well as the always popular Jean Simmons and angelic newcomer Jennifer Edwards), and a screenplay by Earl Hamner Jr. (who would later father the family-friendly TV series The Waltons), Heidi was the type of prestigious family entertainment that NBC wanted to be reflective of its programming. It was promoted heavily in all of the traditional outlets with cover placement for their advertisments in magazines and TV program guides, as well as supported by an extensive outreach program to schools in hopes that students might be encouraged or better yet assigned to watch the program in relation to class work.
All of the early promotion and marketing support came off without a hitch and the buzz on the program was extremely positive, so by the time the airdate of November 17, 1968, rolled around, nothing was left to do but broadcast the much-anticipated film at its designated time slot of 7:00 P.M. EST. This job fell to NBC executive Dick Cline in the New York office.
Dick had his orders and was ready and waiting to make Heidi the network success they all wanted.
Unfortunately, there was a situation developing. There was an AFL game slotted prior to 7:00 and a confluence of events began to make it extremely likely that the conclusion of the live broadcast of the game might run beyond 7:00.
Now bear in mind that in 1968 football on TV had not yet achieved its dominance in terms of viewership and the multimillion-dollar broadcast contracts that would arrive with Roone Arledge’s maximizing of the game’s TV potential. Also the AFL was considered the weak sister to the NFL, and, moreover, the entire operation was considered no better than second string to prime-time programming, let alone the airing of a “Special.”
Cline knew what he had to do. The policy was simple: unless otherwise directed, broadcast of the game was to be terminated at 6:59 so that the normal schedule (led off by the heavily promoted Heidi) could commence promptly at 7:00.
The game was the New York Jets versus the Oakland Raiders. Both teams had 7–2 records and led their divisions, and both the sports division and the fans were as excited about this televised AFL matchup as they had ever been about an AFL game. Both teams made good on the promise of the situation by playing with great heart and vigor, delivering a satisfying but close game all the way through, so that by the time 6:59 P.M. rolled around with fifty seconds left to play, football fans were on the edge of their seats as the Jets led Oakland by a score of 32 to 29.
Behind the scenes things were a little tense. NBC president Julian Goodman changed his mind and decided to delay the start of Heidi by a few minutes so that the telecast of the entire game could be completed. Unfortunately, many viewers were also interested in whether the game or Heidi would have preference at 7:00 and decided to call the station. This basically blew out the NBC switchboard, so that no call could get through, including Goodman’s, and, as a result, at the designated time, Cline did his duty, switched the switch, and Heidi aired.
True football fans, what there were of them, might be disappointed, but with only fifty seconds to go the game was pretty much over anyway.
No harm done…right?
Wrong.
To quote the great philosopher Yogi Berra, “it ain’t over till it’s over,” and no better example of this maxim exists than in the outcome of this now-infamous Jets–Raiders game. Not only did Oakland manage to get a touchdown and take the lead, they also returned a fumbled kickoff for a touchdown, securing the Raiders a 43–32 victory over the Jets in less than a minute of play in what has been historically labeled as “the greatest football finish that was never seen.”
Football fans roared in righteous indignation, cursing the little Swiss girl who