debut of TV shows

May
5/3/48
CBS Evening News debuts as 15 min nightly newscast with Douglas Edward, aired nightly at 7:30pm.In 1950 was renamed Douglas Edwards with the News.In Sept '50 became the 1st news program to broadcast to East-West coasts.In 1956,became the 1st newscast to use videotape to time delay broadcast to the West Coast.Edwards anchored the newscast from 1948-1962.Walter Cronkite succeeded him in 1962.Its the longest running U.S.network news program
 

5/7/48
NBC"s Kraft Television Theatre,which was a dramatic anthology series,televised live every week.At the time it was one of TV's most prestigious shows,received huge ratings won numerous TV awards Kraft Food Company was one of its major supporters
Over the years,the show produced high quality plays doing either drama or comedy,variety of scripts used were from Shakespeare,Tennessee Williams,Agatha Christie,Rod Sterling.Many well known movie stars appeared on this show Jack Lemmon,Art Carney,Grace Kelly, James Dean,Joanne Woodward,Lee Remick.The show began to broadcast musicals in 1958
In April 1954,the show was the 1st to use color in broadcasts,permantly did so in July '58
The show ended Oct 1,1958
 
Sassycakes said:
One of my favorite shows was "The Man from U.N.C.L E." It was on from 1964 to 1968. I watched it every week with my oldest nephew who lived with us. He then moved to Georgia and started writing a book called "The Man from THUNDER." Of course we had different reasons for watching he enjoyed the plot of "The man from U.N.C.L.E and I loved,Robert Vaughn Davidand Mc Callum.

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5/11/91
NBC's drama'Sisters',the show focusing on 4 Reed sisters who live in Winnetka,Ill.Their dad,Tom who was a doctor,workaholic recently died.They come to help their mom,Beatrice{Elizabeth Hoffman} who was long suffering wife
The sisters Alex,{Swoosie Kurtz} a wealthy wife of plastic surgeon who has no idea her marriage is in trouble.Teddy{Sela Ward},a free spirit,recovering alcoholic who had been living in Calif.Georgie{Patricia Kalember} a part time real estate agent,Frankie{Julieanne Phillips} a high powered marking analyst,workaholic
I remember watching this show,thought it was good with talented group of women
 
5/22/16
AMC"s 'Preacher' which is based on comic book series.
Jesse Cutler{Dominic Cooper} plays ,a chain smoking,hard drinking preacher who during a crisis of faith is given a new superpower.He embarks on a quest to better understand his new'gift ,to find God
Others in the cast are Ruth Negga who plays his girlfriend'Tulip O'Hare', Joseph Gilgun'Cassidy' a vampire from Ireland who joins them
I watched this show a couple of times, a bit strange could never really get into it.
comedian Seth Rogen,Sam Catlin,Evan Goldberg were co exec producers
 
Aunt Marg said:
Perry Mason, first episode date, September 21, 1957.

One of my all-time favourite shows. Not only did I love Raymond Burr, for his acting and character in the show, my husband tells me that he had a big-time crush on Barbara Hale.
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AM. I learned a long time ago he was gay. Don't know if it is true or not.
 
June
6/1/83 NBC's comedy'Buffalo Bill'
This show was set in my hometown, Buffalo,NY. Dabney Coleman stars as 'Bill Bittinger' a,egotiscal TV talk show host at a small TV station,WBFL{doesn't exist}.He's arrogant,insensitive guy who blames everybody else when things go wrong.His long suffering staff puts up alot of his shenigans
The other cast members :
Joanna Cassidy'Jo Jo',Bill's producer/director of the show
Geena Davis'Wendy production assistant
Max Wright'Karl' station manager
John Feilder'Woody' stage manager
I enjoyed this show,thought it was funny.The main reason I watched fan of both Dabney Coleman,Joanna Cassidy
 
6/3/01 HBO's comedy/drama " 6 Feet Under',which was about the dysfunctional Fisher family who ran the Fisher&Sons funeral home in Los Angeles.
In the pilot episode,the patriarch,Nate Fisher Sr{Richard Jenkins} is killed in a traffic accident.He bequeaths the business to his 2 sons,'David'{Michael C.Hall},Nate Jr{Peter Krause} their sister,Claire{Lauren Ambrose} who drives the hearse, their depressed mother,Ruth[Francis Conroy}
Each episode opened with a death, the aftermath including the Fisher family's turmoil
This show was a critical hit for HBO with huge ratings,critics loved the writing&acting.Over the show's 4 yr run it won 9 Emmys,3 Golden Globe&Screen Actor Awards,Peabody Award
 
6/8/1948' NBC's "Texaco Star Theater 'which was comedy/variety show which originated on radio
This show from the early yrs of TV was on every Tues night from 8-9pm, comedian Milton Berle hosted the 1st show but didn't become the pernmanent host until Sept '48.
The premise was old fashion vaudeville comedy/variety hr which had dozen of guests each week,comedians/singers/dancers/,acrobats/ etc. Each show started with 4 Texaco servicemen singing Texaco's jingle'Oh,we're the men from Texaco,from Maine to Mexico'.Berle would come out dressed in an outlandish costume
cast regulars were:
Ruth Gilbert
Bobby Sherwood
Arnold Stang
Jack Collins
Milton Frome
Berle became a national institution aka'Mr Television'.It was said he sold more TV sets than any other ad campaign because everybody wanted to see what this crazy comedian would do every week He would end each show by singing his theme song "Near You' written by Kermit Goell,Francis Craig
 
6/11/02
Fox's 'American Idol' which is modeled on British talent show 'Pop Idol',created by Simon Fuller.Its a simple talent contest for aspiring young singers ages 16-24,the grand prize get a recording contract The judges dwindle down to 30 hopefuls,this is when the viewers get their first look.The next 3 weeks 10 semi finalists perform on Tues nights,viewers can call in toll free &vote for their favorite
The judges for the 1st 8 seasons were:
Paula Abdul,music producer Randy Jackson,Simon Cowell
The 2 finalists the 1st season were Carrie Underwood-winner,runner up Justin Guarini
The co-hosts 1st year were Ryan Seacrest,comedian Brian Dunkleman.Its been Ryan ever since
 
6/15/69
CBS' Hee Haw" was country music's version of NBC's 'Rowan&Martin's Laugh in"
There were nutty running gags,blackouts 'corny' one liners by regulars or guest stars delivered all in a cornfield.The animated donkey was used on a regular basis to react to the humor,provide the'hee haw' to the show's title
The cohosts were 2 of the biggest country music stars at the time,Buck Owens,Roy Clark,other country music stars appeared throughout the show's run
The network cancelled the show in 1971,though it was in the top 20 nationally,then went into 1st run syndication from 1971-1993
 
6/16/10 TV Land's 1st original scripted show'Hot In Cleveland'
This sitcom is about three long time friends in their 40's who all worked in entertainment business in Los AngelesThey are flying to Paris when the plane has to make emergency landing in Cleveland,Ohio decide to stay there
"Melanie''{Valerie Bertinelli} is a writer with a college age kids who is depressed over her divorce
"Joy'{Jane Leeves} is a never married beautican known as the'Eyebrow Queen of Beverly Hills'
'Victoria'{Wendie Malick} is a daytime soap opera actress who has been married 6 times
They lease a house from a sassy caretaker"Elka"{Betty White}
The critics liked the show, which was filmed live in front of a studio audience at CBS Studio City,Calif
Betty was a guest star in the pilot episode but her performance was well received,the producers decided to make her a regular
I watched this show a few times,thought it was funny,I'm a Betty White fan
 
6/19/52 CBS's quiz show I've Got A Secret' original version with Garry Moore as the host
The concept was simple,the panelists asks questions to the contestant, to figure out what their secret is something unusual,humerous,amazing or embarrassing.The secret was flashed on TV screen the audience,home viewers could see what it was
The original panelists were game show host,Bill Cullen,comedian Harry Morgan,TV hostess, Faye Emerson,actress Jayne Meadows.
The show was created by 2 comedy writers Allan Sherman,Howard Merrill
 
6/24/49 NBC's 1st Western 'Hopalong Cassidy"
There were movies based on the adventures of "Cassidy' ,the TV show were the edited versions of them starring William Boyd who also starred in the movies.He always dressed in black,plotlines were the same going after the bad guys on his faithful horse,'Topper' His side kick in TV show was Edgar Buchanan"Red Connors' movie version it was either actor Gabby Hayes or Andy Clyde
 
Glad to hear that Dexter is coming back. Thee actor who plays Dexter, Michael C. Hall, also starred in Six Feet Under.

I love Six Feet Under. And it had the most brilliant final episode I've ever seen.
 
6/27/66 ABC's "Dark Shadows' which was a Gothic soap opera airing weekdays about the lives of the wealthy Collins family in Collinsport,Maine.The show featured ghosts/werewolves zombies.It really became popular when the 200 yr old vampire'Barnabas Collins"{Jonathan Frid} showed up .The small company of actors played numerous characters during the show's 5 yr run
Other cast members were:
Joan Bennett'Elizabeth Collins Stoddard"
Louis Edmonds'Roger Collins',Elizabeth's brother
Alexandra Isles'Victoria Winters'
Nancy Barrett'"Carolyn' Elizabeth's daughter
I watched this soap& enjoyed it.At the time I had a crush on Jonathan Frid
 
Growing up my favorite show to watch was Bandstand. My sister and I would dance to it every day after school. I loved Dick Clark. It first was filmed where we lived in Philly.
Bandstand began as a local program on WFIL-TV (now WPVI), Channel 6 in Philadelphia on October 7, 1952. Then it was hosted by Bob Horn and was called Bob Horn’s Bandstand. On July 9 of 1956, the show got a new host, a clean-cut 26 year old named Dick Clark. When ABC picked the show up, it was renamed American Bandstand, airing its first national show on August 5, 1957. The show was moved to Los Angeles in 1964. From 1963 to 1987 Bandstand was on only once a week, on Saturday. Briefly, it was part of the USA Network with new host David Hirsh but went off the air in 1989.
 
July
7/2/55 "The Lawrence Welk Show' debuts on ABC was a summer replacement on Saturday nights. The critics disliked it,thought it wouldn't last long
It was a good old fashioned music show,older viewers just loved it,much of the appeal was the close knit family of performers.Some of the regulars from the show:
The Lennon Sisters
accordionist/assistant conductor,Myron Floren
dancers Bobby Burgess&Barbara Boylan
Dick Dale,saxaphone,vocals
Larry Hooper piano/bass vocals
The original'Champagne Lady',Alice Lon was fired in July'55 because she showed 'too much knee'.Her replacement was soprano,Norma Zimmer
The show ended its run in 1971,still shown today in syndication around the country
 
7/3/52
NBC's sitcom'Mr Peepers' which aired live every week
The show was set in a small mid western town, was about the shy,junior high school science teacher,"Robinson Peepers"{Wally Cox} who tried to do everything right,but backfired on him.His best friend was history teacher,"Harvey Weskit"{Tony Randall}.Others in the cast were Marion Lorne as English teacher'Mrs Gurney',Patricia Benoit played school nurse'Nancy Remington"
The show ended in June '55
 
Sassycakes said:
Growing up my favorite show to watch was Bandstand. My sister and I would dance to it every day after school. I loved Dick Clark. It first was filmed where we lived in Philly.
Bandstand began as a local program on WFIL-TV (now WPVI), Channel 6 in Philadelphia on October 7, 1952. Then it was hosted by Bob Horn and was called Bob Horn’s Bandstand. On July 9 of 1956, the show got a new host, a clean-cut 26 year old named Dick Clark. When ABC picked the show up, it was renamed American Bandstand, airing its first national show on August 5, 1957. The show was moved to Los Angeles in 1964. From 1963 to 1987 Bandstand was on only once a week, on Saturday. Briefly, it was part of the USA Network with new host David Hirsh but went off the air in 1989.
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My sis and I did the same every day after school!
 


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