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In late 1968, TV producer George Schlatter, riding high on his hit Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In, pitched a new conceptual television show packed full of short clips, rapid movements, and controversial topics.
The show was picked up by ABC for a run of 13 episodes, with additional episodes purchased after advertisers saw the first episode, for a total of 17 shows. Three episodes were shot in their entirety before the initial airing.
The half-hour first episode premiered on February 5th, 1969 at 8:30 PM on the east coast, where it took the place of the primetime soap opera Peyton Place. Tim Conway was recruited as the first celebrity guest and the writers included Albert Brooks.
The show seemed poised for success. But 10 minutes into the broadcast, between the first and second commercial breaks, a programmer at WEWS in Cleveland stated that the remainder of the program would “not be seen this evening….or ever.”
The rest of the Cleveland time slot was filled with a pitch-black screen. A local organist on a retainer was then called upon and filled the remaining airtime with sprightly organ music.
Cleveland’s action sparked an avalanche, and as word traveled of that cancellation, other programmers reacted and pulled Turn-On. The show never aired even once on the West coast.
ABC then officially canceled the show, buying out Schlatter’s contract with a clause that he not rerun Turn-On.
George Schlatter
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
But the first two episodes of Turn-On recently appeared online, so the now 94-year-old Schlatter decided to revisit the show with the idea of an “official release” via YouTube.
The release will include a newly shot on-camera introduction from Schlatter, where he shares his story and provides context for the two known episodes. Both episodes will be released at 4 PM PT/7PM ET on Monday, Oct. 9.
In addition to releasing the first two original episodes, Schlatter is working on an updated version that will incorporate the best pieces from the first two episodes and introduce never-seen content from the third episode.
This updated version will also find a home on the George Schlatter Productions and Clown Jewels YouTube pages at a later date.
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