In late 1974, he gained acclaim for his role as Executive Producer of “The Missiles Of October,” a made-for-television film focused on the Cuban Missile Crisis. It was a “Hallmark Hall of Fame” presentation on ABC, and it featured Martin Sheen as Robert F. Kennedy; William Devane as John F. Kennedy; and Ralph Bellamy as Adlai Stevenson.
The TV movie was one of many that made Irv Wilson an integral broadcast TV executive in the 1970s. Wilson died on Thursday (12/26) at the age of 93, following a short illness.
Wilson’s role as an Executive Producer of made-for-TV films would extend across the 1980s, and include the Diahann Carroll-helmed “Sister, Sister,” based on a Maya Angelou tale; and the Ellen Burstyn-led “Into Thin Air,” about a mother whose college-aged child vanishes.
Those productions came after serving as VP of the TV Movie department at NBC, from 1979-1980. He would also serve as NBC’s Senior VP of Daytime and Late-Night Programming.
— RBR+TVBR, in New York
With all due respect, “The Missiles of October” was NOT a “Hallmark Hall of Fame” presentation. Hallmark was exclusive to NBC; “Missiles” was on ABC and had four sponsors: Travelers Insurance, which bought nine of the 18 minutes of commercial time; Eastman Kodak, which bought four minutes; Ford Motor, which bought two minutes, and one other sponsor which bought the rest.
As our editor-in-chief was only 2 years old when this originally aired, we went on publicly available information online. It says: The Missiles of October was a 1974 made-for-television film that aired on ABC as a Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation.