June 12, 1961 ABC Studios, New York City, NY

PM East / PM West

Monday, June 12, 1961

This 90-minute late night variety/talk show program was produced by WBC Productions (Westinghouse Broadcasting Company), the predecessor to Group W Productions, and was intended to be a direct competitor to NBC’s The Tonight Show. The program premiered on Monday night, June 12. The show consisted of two parts. The first one hour segment, PM East, originated in New York and was hosted by Mike Wallace (of 60 Minutes fame) and Joyce Davidson. The second half hour segment originated out of KPIX-TV in San Francisco (the local CBS affiliate which was owned by Westinghouse) and was hosted by local columnist Terrance O’Flaherty. On the debut program from New York, Wallace talks with Sam, who then performs “Summertime.” This brief appearance was a preview to the full hour program to be devoted to Sam and his music just two days later.