Full Circle (1960-61 CBS) Discussion Thread

[Paul Raven]

As the previous thread is now archived, I thought I'd start a new one for anyone to contribute to. There were only 4 or so posts in that thread as it is an obscure show but the thread is active again for anyone who may be interested or wish to contribute. I'll transfer the previous posts also.

premiered

June 27, 1960

last telecast

March 10, 1961

setting

Crowder, Virginia

created by

???

network

CBS

production company

???

broadcast history

Mon-Fri

2pm - 2:30pm

(6/27/60-3/10/61)

 

This was the first brand new soap opera to premiere on CBS since the landmark premieres of As the World Turns and The Edge of Night 4 years earlier and, combined with The Clear Horizon which would premiere a few weeks later, part of an attempt by CBS to expand upon their successful soap opera line-up.

 

Full Circle could almost be considered a “star” vehicle because it primarily centered around lead character Lisa Crowder who was played by future film star Dyan Cannon. Cannon had earlier appeared (with much positive viewer response) in a guest appearance on the serialized anthology series For Better, For Worse which Circle then replaced on the CBS line-up. Scheduled after the power-house As the World Turns, its obvious that the CBS brass had hoped to lure viewers of ATWT to tune in to this series, but that didn’t happen. Circle folded in less than a year.

 

Another key character was drifter Gary Donovan who arrived in town at the start of the series and quickly became involved in the various troubles of the town’s residents. The primary trouble seemed to be the mystery about the unsolved murder of Lisa’s first husband. Meanwhile, Gary fell in love with Dr. Kit Aldrich. Lisa’s second husband Loyal Crowder (a descendant of the town’s – Crowder, Virginia – founder) was eventually arrested for the murder and Lisa eventually divorced him, had a few other brief romances (including one with Gary before he married Kit), and then married for a 3rd time before the series’ cancellation. It was replaced by the game show Face the Facts which couldn’t manage to hold on to ATWT’s audience, either, and was replaced after a few months with the game show that would become a staple on CBS after ATWT for most of the 1960s – Password.

CBS tried several shows at 2.00 to follow ATWT. For Better or Worse had preceded Full Circle in that timeslot and it lasted a year. Face the Facts was a shortlived gameshow that replaced Full Circle for about 6 months until Password finally gave CBS a hit in that timeslot.

 

The competition was Day in Court on ABC and Queen For A Day and then the Jan Murray Show on NBC.

 

The show was advertised with this tag line-

"Meet Gary Donovan,restless wanderer.His only companions are romance and adventure."

 

Gary arrived in Crowder,Virginia and met Lisa Linda Crowder,a young woman in an unhappy marriage to the older Loyal.a descendant of the town's founder.He also met Dr Kit Aldrich, who fell for him.Gary became interested in solving the mystery surrounding the death of Lisa's first husband.He worked at Loyal's mill with Virgil Denker.

 

A deputy arrested Loyal for the crime and though he didn't go to jail, Lisa divorced him and went after Gary, who was on the outs with Kit. She also romanced musician David Talton, who married Chris instead.Both the married Chris and David and the dating Kit and Gary had rocky on and off romances over the months.Beth Perce was busybody character.

 

In 61, David and Chris were expecting, Lisa had married again to a character named Tony and Loyal, who was still running the mill after the arrest, looked to be ready for a new romance.

Edited June 13, 2020 by Paul Raven

[danfling]

I am thinking that William Kendal Clarke was the writer.    Am I wrong, and who else were writers of this?

[jam6242]

Writer was Bill Barrett (at least at the start).

 

Please register in order to view this content

[DRW50]

Diane.

 

Dianne. 

 

Dyan...

 

Thank you for all these articles. I can't say they paint a very enthusiastic picture of the plot (when you get producer of Follow Your Heart and Three Steps to Heaven, you can't expect a lot...), but I hope some shows up down the line so we can see for ourselves. 

 

Interesting to see the version of the merits-of-soap-operas debate in 1960.

 

Cannon looks so different in that bottom photo.

[jam6242]

It doesn't sound interesting but I did find a short blurb that said CBS received a lot of complaint calls when it was canceled. 

[Paul Raven]

Not defending Full Circle but most reviews of soaps from that era are derogatory and negative...

 

Jam, you are amazing with the stuff you find. Another challenge - Hotel Cosmopolitan, a show that is not represented on line. As an anthology series there must have been a number of cast come and go, but the same names always come up. Would you be able to put your skills to work on that show?

 

[jam6242]

I’ll give it a try.

[jam6242]

Didn't have much luck with this one.

 

Please register in order to view this content

[dc11786]

I find the concept of "Full Circle" different, but not practical for television. It sounds like the plan was to have Gary wander from town to town with Crowder just being the first stop. I don't think that would have worked in the long run. It's something that was more geared towards the radio serials where one central character would be involved in things, but not necessarily be impacted directly by the action onscreen. 

 

I'd also like to see it, but mostly because there is so little information available. I suspect the show may have some episode teases in TV Guide. Wesley Hyatt, the source of a lot of the information from Paul Raven's post, used TV for several of the older shows. 

[Paul Raven]

The opening and closing are on YouTube

Please register in order to view this content

Publicity shot of John McNamara as Loyal Crowder

 

[soapfan770]

Wasn’t this the first soap produced out of CBS Television City? A couple weeks later The Clear Horizon premiered as well, the only soap I know of that has of a premiere date of my birthday (July 11). Don’t ask me how I remember that tidbit.

Edited June 17, 2020 by soapfan770

[danfling]

When did The Brighter Day change to a California produced serial?    I am thinking it was before Full Circle, but I may be mistaken.

 

 

Was Hotel Cosmopolitan produced in California or New York?  (And Ben Jarod, Attorney at Law was on NBC, but where was it produced?  I think that it was in California, but I am not 100% sure.)

[Paul Raven]

 

 

Edited August 7, 2020 by Paul Raven