The CBS Friday Night Movie Tony Franciosa/Rio Conchos Double Cross of 1968

Just one of those wacky memories a fellow has of how movies were broadcast "back in the day":

The 1964 film "Rio Conchos" got its network debut in September of 1968 on the CBS Friday Night Movie. It was considered good enough to be one of the first movies broadcast by CBS in the 68/69 season.

CBS put an ad in TV Guide promoting Rio Conchos as its Friday Night Movie and used a big picture of ..Tony Franciosa...to advertise it.

Why Tony Franicosa? Why not higher-billed stars Richard Boone or Stuart Whitman.

Well...I tell ya.

That same Friday night, NBC premiered its new TV show "The Name of the Game." Which was based on a TV movie called "Fame is the Name of the Game" that starred...Tony Franciosa.

And on "Name of the Game," Franciosa shared "star duties" with two other guys: Gene Barry and Robert Stack(each actor alternated as the star each week, they didn't work together.)

And on that Friday night, Tony Franciosa was the star of "The Name of the Game."

And so, CBS counter-programmed Tony Franciosa on The Name of the Game with Tony Franciosa in Rio Conchos.

I wonder which Franciosa vehicle won?

A little more personal trivia.

I went to a school football game that night, with some young male friends. We were picked up and driven to the house of one of them. His mother was watching "Rio Conchos" on TV.

She said: "I'm watching this movie Rio Conchos. Its really exciting!"

One year later, CBS AGAIN ran Rio Conchos as a lead movie for the 1969-1970 season. (I guess it must have been a big ratings hit the year before.) Remembering what that mother had said, I watched it this time. And I loved it(though the violent scenes were "edited for TV.")

Thus began my decades-long affection for Rio Conchos. Courtesy of CBS.