''The Alan Burke Show'' is a syndicated talk show that aired from (spring) 1966 to 1970.

Format

Former news editor

Alan Burke Alan S. Burke (September 15, 1922 – August 25, 1992) was an American conservative television and radio talk show host who was on the air primarily in New York City from 1966 to 1969 on WNEW-TV. Life He was born in Richmond, Virginia, in 1922 ...

hosted the program filmed at WNEW Channel 5 in New York City. The program consisted of very pointed, sometimes caustic, exchanges between the host, the guests and the studio audience. The topics were considered controversial at the time, including abortion and sex change operations. Rather than the celebrities and public figures that appeared on most talk shows, Burke usually hosted counterculture guests who represented the fringes of social, political and religious subjects, including witchcraft, UFOs and life after death. A television listing for 1967 announced that his guests were "The Lady Birds, five young ladies who perform as the world's first and only topless band." Other guests included a nun turned go-go dancer and a transvestite. More mainstream celebrities appearing on the show included

Allen Ginsberg Irwin Allen Ginsberg (; June 3, 1926 – April 5, 1997) was an American poet and writer. As a student at Columbia University in the 1940s, he began friendships with William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac, forming the core of the Beat Gener ...

Norman Mailer Nachem Malech Mailer (January 31, 1923 – November 10, 2007), known by his pen name Norman Kingsley Mailer, was an American novelist, journalist, essayist, playwright, activist, filmmaker and actor. In a career spanning over six decades, Mailer ...

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...

and

F. Lee Bailey Francis Lee Bailey Jr. (June 10, 1933 – June 3, 2021) was an American criminal defense attorney. Bailey's name first came to nationwide attention for his involvement in the second murder trial of Sam Sheppard, a surgeon accused of murdering ...

Broadcast history

The show initially ran for two hours (1966–1969), but was cut to one hour for its last year of broadcast (1969–1970). Some sources note that a daily 30-minute version of the program was syndicated in larger cities under the title ''Dear Alan''.Terrace, Vincent (2009). ''Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2007'' (Volume 1). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. .

References

External links

* 1966 American television series debuts American television talk shows {{US-nonfiction-tv-prog-stub