October 6th, 1964-March 2, 1965 (WPIX)

A ninety-minute pilot program for a future short-lived phone-in discussion program seen on local WPIX-TV Channel 11 in New York City.

Topics discussed are civil rights, (the disappearance of three civil rights workers, the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover,) politics-Barry Goldwater, etc.

Host: David Susskind. The producer of this PILOT program is Jean Kennedy. 

When Hot line became a regular short lived series (23 broadcasts), televised live, on New York local station WPIX (the show was never picked up for syndication) Joyce Davidson became producer of the show, her main function as she confirmed was screen viewer calls. She and  David Susskind were married in 1966.

Guests:  Dorothy Kilgallen, Gore Vidal, and the Rev. William Sloane Coffin, Jr. 

Pilot program.                                                                                                       

October 6th, 1964-March 2, 1965 (WPIX)

DEBUT of this ninety-minute short-lived ground breaking phone-in discussion program seen on local WPIX-TV Channel 11 in New York City form 11:15pm to 12:45pm.

Topics discussed are pornography and the Warren Commission Report, 

Guests include Jackie Robinson, Gore Vidal, and Dorothy Kilgallen. WINS RADIO disc jockey Murray Kaufman calls the show.

Host: David Susskind. The producer of the program is Joyce Davidson. She married Susskind in 1966.                                                                                                                                                       

October 6th, 1964-March 2, 1965 (WPIX)

A ninety-minute pilot program for a future short-lived phone-in discussion program seen on local WPIX-TV Channel 11 in New York City.

Panel discussion on current topics with guests Jack E. Leonard, Mel Brooks, and Dorothy Kilgallen.

Host: David Susskind.

Host: David Susskind. The producer of the program is Joyce Davidson. She married Susskind in 1966.                                                                                                                             

October 6th, 1964-March 2, 1965 (WPIX)

A ninety-minute pilot program for a future short-lived phone-in discussion program seen on local WPIX-TV Channel 11 in New York City.

Segment  includes three questions addressed by t he panel from those who phone in on  this live broadcast.
They include:
Why is the U.S.in Vietnam? Susskind, Kilgallen and Vidal each are opinionated, Traffic problems in New York City where one can't even get a cab, and appraisal of Gore Vidal's novel The Best Man which he says he wrote as a contribution to the 1960 presidential election describing on two types of characters, one intellectual and one an opportunist. 

Host: David Susskind.

Host: David Susskind. The producer of the program is Joyce Davidson. She married Susskind in 1966.                                                                                                                                                       

October 6th, 1964-March 2, 1965 (WPIX)

A ninety-minute pilot program for a future short-lived phone-in discussion program seen on local WPIX-TV Channel 11 in New York City.

Guest Malcolm X answers questions about his new movement vs. Elijah Muhammad. Other guests are Ossie Davis and John Henry Faulk. 

Host: David Susskind.

Numerous phone calls from the viewing public to the studio in this live TV broadcast asking questions of the panel related to current challenges faced by blacks and racism. .

Host: David Susskind. The producer of the program is Joyce Davidson. She married Susskind in 1966.   

       NOTE: Joyce Davidson, with whom David Susskind was in a relationship, began working as a co-producer of Hotline in June 1964. She had a hand in the on-air version of the show and among other duties screened viewer phone calls. She also made the first approach to some of the people who appeared as guests on Hotline, including Malcolm X, whom she invited for Hotline immediately after he gave a speech at The Town Hall. 
Nineteen days after appearing on this live program Malcolm X would be assassinated on February 21, 1965.                                                                                                                                                          

October 6th, 1964-March 2, 1965 (WPIX)

Joining the panel are Salvador Dali, Ossie Davis, and Dorothy Kilgallen.

Host: David Susskind. The producer of the program is Joyce Davidson. She married Susskind in 1966.                                                                                                                                          

October 6th, 1964-March 2, 1965 (WPIX)

Les Crane is the guest on this final broadcast of HOT LINE.
Phone call-ins include discussions on the FCC and TV Broadcasting. David Susskind signs off for the last time reflecting on this series which aired for only half a year. 

Final 9 minutes of this final live 23rd broadcast in the series. 

.The discussion turns to Television Ratings and their representative importance. Crane gives his point of view and relates to his two talk shows of the past. Dorothy Kilgallen and David give their point of views. Also addressing another audience member phone call the subject of why Jack Paar and Johnny Carson are considered stars even though they cannot sing, dance or act. 

David Susskind signs off for the last time reflecting on this series which aired for only half a year. He also recommends to his audience to tune in to his now one hour weekly show, REMARKABLE PEOPLE premiering on the same channel (WPIX) same time Tuesday at 10pm.

NOTE: REMARKABLE PEOPLE a show about unknown extraordinary people and their lives turned out to be not remarkable and the series was cancelled after only one broadcast.  

NOTE: The producer of  HOT LINE was Joyce Davidson. She married Susskind in 1966.  

NOTE: Dorothy Kilgallen's  controversial death at age 52 occurred only eight months after this broadcast aired.                                                                                                                                                                           

October 6th, 1964-March 2, 1965 (WPIX)

Les Crane is the guest on this final broadcast of HOT LINE.
Phone call-ins include discussions on the FCC and TV Broadcasting. David Susskind signs off for the last time reflecting on this series which aired for only half a year. 

This is the final live 23rd broadcast of this live television phone talk show in the series. 

Many topics are discussed by David Susskind, Dorothy Kilgallen and guest Les Crane who just got fired and broadcast his last late night  Les Crane Show  a week before,  has never appeared on a TV talk show where he was the guest and not the host. 

Phone callers ask the questions and topics include:
Shake up at CBS Television with the firing of James Aubrey, Les Crane's firing after only 15 weeks on the air, Dorothy Kilgallen' opinion on Lovelorn columns, Crane stating that he did not want to be a guest on this program and the reasons for such feelings, feuds between Les Crane and David Susskind in the past, reasons Crane changed from his temperamental personality on his phone in show when he went national with his Late Night ABC TV talk show, Crane states he was never censored by ABC related to booking guests...two guests he refused to have on his program was Grand Dragon of the KKK and George Lincoln Rockwell, discussion about the Beatles...Susskind despising them and Crane and Kilgallen loving them, the potential that if Les Crane remained with his local WABC late night live phone in talk show he would still be on the air and for years to come, why telephone shows seem to fail, TV's responsibility to the  public broadcasting shows like Hot Line and The Les Crane Show, the ratings game, and their representative importance. Crane gives his point of view and relates to his two talk shows of the past. Dorothy Kilgallen and David give their point of views. Also addressing another audience member phone call regarding the subject of why Jack Paar and Johnny Carson are considered stars even though they cannot sing, dance or act. 

David Susskind signs off for the last time reflecting on this series which aired for only half a year. He also recommends to his audience to tune in to his now one hour weekly show, REMARKABLE PEOPLE premiering on the same channel (WPIX) same time Tuesday at 10pm.

NOTE: REMARKABLE PEOPLE a show about unknown extraordinary people and their lives turned out to be not remarkable and the series was cancelled after only one broadcast.  

NOTE: On two occasions there is a gap in the audio portion of the broadcast indicating that WPIX censored commentary. These two short gaps are included.

NOTE: The co-producer of  HOTLINE was Joyce Davidson. She married Susskind in 1966. It was the first television show to use the recently invented ten-second broadcast delay when broadcasting live. This gave the control room time to delete material deemed unfit for broadcast, especially from a telephone call-ins. Two examples of deletion usage  are noted in this program.


NOTE: Dorothy Kilgallen's  controversial death at age 52 occurred only eight months after this broadcast aired.