The Cisco Kid: Medicine Man Show

The Cisco Kid: Medicine Man Show 

Originally broadcast in first-run syndication on Monday, October 8, 1951.

Plot: Cisco and Pancho uncover a plot to sell weapons to a tribe of Comanche Indians.

Analysis: Well, you knew we had to get an “Indians-on-the-warpath” storyline eventually, since that is a Western staple. What is kind of interesting about this one is we do not get to the Indians until the last five or ten minutes of the episode, so this is mainly an intrigue plot. Who knows what about what is going on and how will Cisco solve the puzzle?

Overall quality of the video is about what one would expect from Cisco Kid, some elements fairing better than others. I didn’t notice anything aside from occasional grain or a hair on the film, nothing to get too excited about anyway.

The Bottom Line: A bit of a different plot for Cisco, but nothing too different from what we have seen before. Have a look if so interested as this one is not too bad, but nothing award winning.

Medicine Man Show is one of twenty shows included in The Cisco Kid: Collection Two (http://www.amazon.com/Cisco-Kid-Collecti....86758713&sr=1-3). Prices vary, so do a little bit of research before putting down your cash for this one.

Next time... er, year, another Tale of Tomorrow. Have a Happy New Year everyone!

Tales of Tomorrow: The Dark Angel

Tales of Tomorrow: The Dark Angel

Originally broadcast on ABC on Friday, September 28, 1951 at 9:30 PM ET.

Plot: A husband suspects something strange is happening to his wife after a broken rib heals after just two days.

Analysis: Oh boy, this one is a tough one.

As always, I try to keep in mind context and 1950s sensibilities when watching these shows, but once in a while, I’m just left shaking my head. The problem here is not plot though, that’s actually interesting. It is in the execution where we leave the rails. I am sorry, but it’s hard to maintain a sense of true drama and suspense when a dramatic musical sting undercuts every other sentence. It unfortunately reduces the show from sci-fi intrigue to overdone soap opera theatrics. It gets so bad, you are just waiting for the sting to punctuate the dramatic moment. It is also interesting to see how they execute moments on live television, in this case, the actor needs to get out of a chair, put on a jacket and enter another scene when the cameras switch. This is accomplished by having the camera push in on another actor and a recording of the original actors’ voice delivering exposition while the change is made. You can pick it out by the change in pitch of the voice.

This episode also kind of makes me wonder about the rules on violence in television. We have seen guns used on Westerns a few times and people shot and killed. What is interesting here is that it is established that there is a murder early on, but when we come to the actual murder scene, the camera pushes in on the actors’ face, so we never see the gun in the hand or see shots fired or a body hit the ground. Something that makes you scratch your head a little bit.

Another warning on this episode is the kinescope is in really bad shape with it being very dark at times, so dark you cannot even make faces out in some of the early scenes. This is in addition to the usual scratches and dings that come with time, of course.

The Bottom Line: Bear all of the above in mind when watching this one. As I said, there is an interesting plot here, but there is so much else going on that is distracting from a poor image to the over the top music moments that just cut the legs out from under the thing. Check it out if so interested, but buyers beware on this one.

The Dark Angel is one of thirteen other episodes from Tales of Tomorrow: Collection Two of Season One (http://www.amazon.com/Tales-Tomorrow-Col....3581521 &sr=1-3). It can be found for reasonable prices if you shop around from various Internet locations if your local store does not have a copy in stock.

Next time, we ride again with The Cisco Kid.

Adventures of Kit Carson: Road to Monterey

The Adventures of Kit Carson: Road to Monterey

Originally broadcast in first-run syndication on Saturday, August 25, 1951.

Plot: Kit Carson and El Toro protect a California state senator from a plot to keep him from casting a key vote.

Analysis: Adventures of Kit Carson is based, somewhat loosely, on the life of Christopher “Kit” Carson. Carson’s life spanned much of the history of westward expansion in the United States from the Mexican-American War through the American Civil War and into the reservation period for the American Indians. It can be fairly said that, between dime novels and shows like this, the details of Carson’s life have probably become somewhat exaggerated over time. That being said, he was a real person who participated in real events, therefore he works as a touchstone for the period and a character that can be identified with.

As for the story, I am struck by the similarities to what we already have seen with Cisco Kid and Pancho with what we have seen of the relationship between Carson and El Toro. It is somewhat remarkable that we are already entering a period of imitations, given how little time television has been readily available for. Bound to happen sooner or later, I suppose.

That is all the good news on the show, but there is bad. Firstly, this is clearly a syndicated cut of the show, only running about 25 minutes with a few visible edits. In addition, the print is really dark at times, making it a bit difficult to see what is going on. Add to that some visible degradation of the print and this is, I am sorry to say, a noticeable drop in quality from what we are used to. However, given Adventures of Kit Carson is probably not at the front of the line for high quality restoration and a multi-DVD season release by a high profile company, this is as good as it gets, so I will be happy to take it.

The Bottom Line: Visual vaults and edits aside, the show is watchable, if not especially enthralling. Worth taking a look at if you are a fan of early 50s television and Westerns, but can be skipped if you do not fall into that category.

Road to Monterey is included on Adventures of Kit Carson (http://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Kit-Car....3430238&sr=1-17). It is relatively inexpensive and can be found for decent prices at a variety of locations if you are interested in sampling the show.

Next time, another Tale of Tomorrow.

Tales of Tomorrow: Blunder

Tales of Tomorrow: Blunder Originally broadcast on ABC on Friday, August 10, 1951 at 9:30 PM ET. Plot: A scientist is determined to proceed with a fission test despite warnings from his peers that he is making a mistake. Analysis: Like our last episode of Tales of Tomorrow, this show reflects a great fear of the early 50s, the fear of destruction by atomic weapons or by a simple mistake made by someone too stubborn to listen. Substitute a political leader for the scientist in the story who is determined to stop the other side, regardless of what might happen, and you have an idea of the paranoia and fear that existed at the time. All this despite pleas to remain calm, it could not POSSIBLY come to that. Could it? It is really not my place to soapbox on the pros and cons of nuclear power, given I am just a television critic and here for historical analysis, but the plot does raise the age old question of just because we can, does it mean we should? It is very difficult to put a genie back in a bottle once you have let it out, after all. It is, I suppose, just as topical a question now as it was in 1951. As for the show itself, it is quite good at building the feeling of suspense and fear about what might happen. I do not suppose it is a coincidence that there are ads for the World War II refugees in need of aid in Europe and for United States savings bonds during the broadcast either. Analysis: Technically, the show is fine with just a few visual and audio miscues, due to it being live television. Given it’s a kinescope, the quality of the image is not very sharp, but you can still make out fine detail and not be distracted by the performance. If you would like to watch Blunder, it is included with twelve other episodes in Tales of Tomorrow: Collection One (http://www.amazon.com/Tales-Tomorrow-Col....3424148 &sr=1-1). As before, this is only a portion of the first season of Tales of Tomorrow, but is relatively inexpensive if you would like to take a look. Next time, a trip out West with an American folk hero.

Tales of Tomorrow: Verdict from Space

And we're back!

First off, I want to thank everyone who send condolence messages on the loss of my family friend and surrogate uncle. They were much appreciated and welcome in a difficult time.

Second, want to thank my family for a very warm and memorable Christmas after such a loss. Want to especially thank my uncle for opening up his collection of materials and providing me with a lot of new research resources that should make these entries and the stories in them all the richer, so thank you for that.

Now then, to business!

Tales of Tomorrow: Verdict from Space

Originally broadcast on Friday, August 10, 1951 on ABC at 9:30 PM ET.

Plot: A man accused of murder has an unusual alibi – a machine from outer space is responsible.

Analysis: And so begins network television’s first science fiction series. Considering all the other shows, especially for younger audiences, that dealt with space travel and the like, I would not stick my neck out and call this the first sci-fi show on television, but it does appear to be the first network show in prime time and that is historic enough.

Tales of Tomorrow is unique in another way in that it is not a transplant from radio, as we have seen in many other shows from the period. Like Westinghouse Studio One, Tales was done live, over the air, directly into people’s homes. If you think doing a science fiction show live would present some unique challenges, you would be correct, as we will see in later broadcasts.

As for this particular episode, it is pretty unremarkable. We are clearly a long way from later shows with surprising twists and deeper plot lines, but for an early television show from the 1950s, it is at least competent without expecting too much suspension of disbelief from the viewer. Assuming you can accept the concept of machines from aliens monitoring the Earth for the evolution of atomic power, yet another concept of the 1950s we will see discussed many times as we go along.

The Bottom Line: The episode is a kinescope, so it’s not as sharp as one would like and we do get an example of what happens when a show runs long when the show is yanked off the air before closing credits can be rolled, so if anyone significant was in the cast, I am not aware of them.

If you are interested in taking a look at the show, it is included with twelve other episodes in Tales of Tomorrow: Collection One (http://www.amazon.com/Tales-Tomorrow-Col....3424148 &sr=1-1). It is not too expensive a collection, but is only a portion of the first season of the series, just so the buyer is aware.

Next time, another Tales of Tomorrow.

Blog to resume Dec. 27, 2010

For everyone wondering, blog posts will resume on Dec. 27, 2010. I'm going to take the next few days off and spend some time with my family, see how everyone is coping with the loss and just spend the holiday together.

Be sure to do the same, would you all? Do not let the holiday go by without spending time with the people you care about and let them know it.

See you all in about three days.

Suspension due to a death in the family

Regret to inform my readers that there will be a suspension on blog posts for a few days due to a death in my family. Hope to be back before the Christmas holiday.

Thank you for your thoughts at this time.

A Special Comment: Are You Now or Have You Ever Been...

A Special Comment: Are You Now or Have You Ever Been…

Funny thing about this article is that I was planning on writing it once we reached the 1953 period so I could talk about the Murrow/McCarthy confrontation. But, while I was working on the article on the ratings, I came across a few stories that told me that to really discuss matters, it would be best to deal with the background and build up to where we were in 1953 starting now. One thing I want to say upfront – I want to try and keep any personal feelings on the issue, who was right and who was wrong, out of this to allow just the facts to stand on their own and encourage anyone reading it to draw their own conclusions. I also want to keep this as grounded as possible in television, since some of this did play out, seen and unseen, in living rooms during most of the early 1950s.

To make a long story very short, following World War II, the greatest threat the United States had to deal with was the rise of Communist governments in Russia, China and by the summer of 1950, the war in Korea. The concern was the fear that members of the Communist party would try to secretly infiltrate American institutions ranging from newspapers to movies to the government itself and ruin the United States from within. This idea of “subversion” is where television would feel the first pinch of the scare.

Just prior to the start of the 1950-1951 television season, a report entitled Red Channels: The Report of Communist Influence in Radio and Television was published by Counterattack, an anti-Communist newsletter. Running six pages in length, the reports laid the claim that any individual, radio or television show that spoke in favor of civil rights, nuclear arms control and any form of academic freedom was working in alliance with the Communist party. Long on rhetoric and short on specifics, the report named 151 people working in the entertainment industry just on the claim on the causes that they supported that they were actually Communists and a threat to the American way of life. A short list of the names included in the report and their relevance include:

- Lee J. Cobb. He originated the role of Willy Lohman in Death of a Salesman on Broadway and performed the role on television in 1966. Named by Red Channels, he was urged to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee to name other people who may have also had Communist leanings or face the blacklist, something that would bar him from ever being employed on Broadway, Hollywood or appearing on television again. He testified in 1953, naming a further 20 individuals.
- Paul Draper. A dancer who worked to expand awareness of tap dancing as an art form, he regularly appeared on Toast of the Town until Red Channels listed his name. Cut from the show and unable to find work, he spent the next three years in a virtual exile in Europe.
- Howard Duff. Best known for his radio work as Sam Spade, his career might have been ended completely by the Red Channels listing had not his marriage to actress Ida Lupino kept him in some jobs just out of respect to her.
- Clifford Durr. A member of the Federal Communications Commission overseeing radio and television. He ran afoul of the House Un-American Activities Committee by fighting for educational programming on the radio and disagreeing with the requirement to take a loyalty oath to work for the FCC.
- Will Greer. His television career would expand following this era, but prior to this, he was best known for Broadway and movie work. He was added to the list for his refusal to testify to the House Un-American Activities Committee.
- Ben Grauer. Best known at this point for his announcing of Arturo Toscanini conducting the NBC Symphony Orchestra in addition to his prolific work for NBC radio during World War II.
- Nat Hiken. Writer for Texaco Star Theater. His career would survive the blacklist and he’d be back writing for television in the late 50s and early 60s.
- Marsha Hunt. Probably known best on the blog for playing Janet in The Storm on Studio One in addition to guest appearances on Your Show of Shows. She actually had no ties to Communism, but got hit by Red Channels anyway for standing up to the House Un-American Activities Committee, keeping her from getting much work until late in the 1950s.
- Pert Kelton. She was the original Alice Kramden when The Honeymooners was a 10-minute sketch on Cavalcade of Stars. She ended up losing the role to Audrey Meadows as a result of being blacklisted.
- Phillip Loeb. This is one of the more famous blacklist cases for television in this era. Loeb had been with The Goldbergs since the show debuted on radio continuing on into television. When Red Channels listed his name, the sponsors of the show insisted Loeb be fired. The show’s owner and Loeb’s costar, Gertrude Berg, stood by Loeb, leaving The Goldbergs in a bit of a limbo state until Loeb resigned from the show. Loeb never recovered from the blacklist, committing suicide in 1955.
- Ella Logan. Best known on television for her guest singing performances on Texaco Star Theater, the Ed Wynn Show and the Colgate Comedy Hour among others until the blacklist made her effectively disappear from television until the 1960s.
- Burgess Meredith. Best known at this point in his television career for some guest appearances on Lights Out. He ended up on the list for his association for causes believed to be Communist fronts.
- Zero Mostel. A rather raucous comedian who had made a few television appearances, most notably on Toast of the Town prior to Red Channels publishing its list. His rather infamous testimony hearing and refusal to name anyone he may have associated with kept him unemployed until the 1960s.
- Jean Muir. Cast as the mother in The Aldrich Family, she was yanked from the cast following the shooting of the 1950-1951 season premiere after Red Channels published her name. She would not return to television until the 1960s.

And these are just a few of the television related named put on the list, each of them now stuck with a choice – go to Washington and testify or fight and be out of work for who knows how long. The really unfortunate part of the story is the names listed by Red Channels were not the first, nor would they the last over the next two years. The anti-Communist movement in American government would continue to have an impact over who or what was on television throughout the early part of the decade and, to be fair, some television scripts would be passing judgment on the period just ten years later. It is enough to say that heading into the 1951-1952 television season, an atmosphere of who knew what and who would get the call next was on everyone’s mind. I will continue to examine the story as we go along whenever something relevant to television comes up.

Next time, a look at early television science fiction.

1950-1951 Neilsen ratings, The Top 10

Sorry about no post yesterday, folks. Just had a lazy Sunday.

So, at long last, here are the top ten rated shows:

10. Mama on CBS, Fridays at 8 PM ET with a 39.7 percent of the viewing audience.

This is one of those television shows that have two stories to tell: the history of the show being a cultural phenomena and a case of a show lost and then found again. As to the phenomena part, Mama was based off of two movies done several years previous. The television series about an immigrant Norwegian family was so popular, it led to one of the movies, I Remember Mama, being reissued in theaters and a large audience base following the show for years. As to the lost and found part, all but the last season of the show was done live, meaning only 26 episodes of the show could logically survive and even those were, in time, lost. In 1985, when putting together a retrospective of the show, the Museum of Broadcasting, now the Pauley Center, was lucky enough to get a few kinescopes of the live shows donated to be a part of the retrospective. Then luck dealt them a bonus when tapes of all 26 episodes of the last season were located in a storage closet to add to the kinescopes.

Unfortunately, even with what has been located under one roof, we have yet to see a release of any of the material on DVD or any other format. A great shame for a series that was almost lost, but we now have the potential to introduce an entire new generation to.

9. Hopalong Cassidy on NBC, Sundays at 6 PM ET with a 39.9 percent of the viewing audience.

As far as television Westerns go, this is one of the big ones and also, really, the originator. I do not want to go into too much detail on the show, history or impact simply because it is one I want to cover in detail so badly. The only thing holding me back honestly is the price. Right now, given the large amount of Hoppy material collected in the Ultimate Collection by Infinity (10 movies plus all 52 episodes of the television series), it is just out of my price range right now. Be assured, this is one I WILL cover if I can ever get the money set aside for it and I promise to do the show justice.

8. Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts on CBS, Mondays at 8:30 PM ET with a 40.6 percent of the viewing audience.

This is the other half of Arthur Godfrey’s one-two punch of finding and promoting talent. This particular one played much like any other talent discovery shows with people working for Godfrey finding the talent, performing live and the audience either approving or disapproving based on their applause. I am aware of only one appearance on the show surviving, that of Patsy Cline, but if any others are out there and available, I am certainly interested.

7. The Lone Ranger on ABC, Thursdays at 7:30 PM ET with a 41.2 percent of the viewing audience.

I have to admit a bias on this one – I love The Lone Ranger. I remember quite fondly listening to rebroadcasts of the old radio shows when I was younger and it is another show that I am dying to do, but once again am limited by finances. Well, finances and some issues with the source material as only the first two seasons plus part of the 1956 and 1957 season collected completely with a scattering of episodes from other seasons all over the landscape. Needless to say, the material to do the show is available, with varying degrees of quality and content. It is a show, like with Hoppy, that I have a strong desire to do, but just currently lack the funds to afford the bigger releases currently. Spirit is willing, but the wallet is weak, sort of speak. If I get the money, like with Hoppy, I will make it happen and that is a sincere promise.

6. Gillette Cavalcade of Sports on NBC, Fridays at 10 PM ET with a 41.3 percent of the viewing audience.

If it’s Friday night and it’s sports, that can mean only one thing – boxing. And I don’t say that dismissively, as stated earlier, boxing was a monster in the early days of television before football broadcasts gained in prominence. Once again, sadly, very few matches appear to survive from this period. If anyone knows of any source material where any of this can be found, I would love to know about it so I can at least tip my hat to sports in this era before baseball and football come on strong in the late half of the decade.

5. Colgate Comedy Hour on NBC, Sundays at 8 PM ET with a 42.0 percent of the viewing audience.

If you were funny and popular in the early 50s, you were on Colgate, especially with the audience share commanded. It was just strictly a comedy show like going to a club, watching comedians take the stage and making you laugh for about an hour with a variety of acts and entertainers. Segments of the show, mostly with Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin, still exist, but I can’t find much evidence of complete shows. I will be working to unearth what I can and, if backtracking is needed, I will do so to cover what I may have missed on this one.

4. Your Show of Shows on NBC, Saturdays at 9 PM ET with a 42.6 percent of the viewing audience.

This is another comedy sketch show, more in the vein of Saturday Night Live of today, I suppose. Unfortunately, it is also a show where very little survives, aside from the Sid Ceasar collection of sketches and I am honestly not sure if there is any way to determine what sketches and how many aired on each broadcast. If people are really interested, I’ll be willing to take a run at the show, but I am honestly not sure if there is any way to be certain what goes where or to do the show justice with what remains.

3. Philco Television Playhouse on NBC, Sundays at 9 PM ET with a 45.3 percent of the viewing audience.

There was Westinghouse, there was Kraft and then there was Philco, an hour-long anthology series showcasing mostly dramas, but some comedies too. I have at least one episode from Philco, but I honestly do not know what else may be out there that survives. I will keep looking and if anything comes to light, I will cover it. But, for now, we just have the one to look forward to.

2. Fireside Theater on NBC, Tuesdays at 9 PM ET with a 52.6 percent of the viewing audience.

I feel sorry for any show up against this one with a percentage share that large. This was history in another way too as it was one of the few shows not done live, but on tape to be broadcast later. I am just not aware of any of those tapes surviving, although there is a small chance, given how short it was, that some episodes could be in anthology collections and I am just not aware of them. If anyone knows anything about surviving episodes, hit the comment line please.

And finally, the number one highest rated show of the 1950-1951 television season:

1. Texaco Star Theater on NBC, Tuesdays at 8 PM ET with a 61.6 percent of the viewing audience.

61.6 percent.

Think about the size of that number. It means that over half of all the television sets in the United States between the hours of 8 and 9 PM Eastern on a Tuesday night were tuned into one show consistently, half of between 8 and 11 million homes.

Probably also explains why the number for Fireside Theater is so large too, since it followed Texaco. Television shows scheduled after very popular ones are always going to get some bleed over, something we still see today.

But, I digress. It can be argued that the source of the show’s success can be attributed to host Milton Berle, the man credited with basically being televisions’s first “face.” The man just seemed to have a nation at his feet, just watching to see what stunt he was going to pull next and the nation kept coming back for more every single week.

But, like so much of early television, it is really a question mark what survives from this period. To be sure, Berle shows are out there, but I am not sure if any survive from the 1950-1951 season, when the show was at the peak of Mount Everest. It is, again, something I will look into and see what I can find, but I am more than a bit pessimistic about what I will find.

So, that is the landscape of television from September of 1950 through to at least May of 1951. Some sports, some comedy, a few Westerns, a lot of drama anthologies, but make no mistake, Milton Berle was the undisputed king of the castle at this point.

Tomorrow, a special comment on what may have been the most popular (and infamous) question asked between 1950 and 1951.

1950-1951 Neilsen ratings, #19-11

Picking up from where we left off yesterday, with number 19: 19. (Three way tie) Armstrong Circle Theater on NBC, Tuesday nights at 9:30 PM ET & Big Town on CBS, Thursday nights at 9:30 PM ET & Lights Out on NBC, Monday nights at 9 PM ET, all with a 35.6 percent of the viewing audience. Armstrong Circle Theater is an interesting show that would, from time to time, do dramas but favored comedies due to a strict “no violence” portrayal policy. I don’t have any episodes of the show, but I’m inclined to believe some episodes may survive. If anyone has any leads to where I may find some, please leave a note in the comments. Big Town was a radio importation, a reporter living in the city and telling the stories of the city through his eyes. I think some episodes are on some anthology releases from Mill Creek or Timeless Media Group, I just haven’t gotten around to picking them up yet. Stay tuned though, I hope to get to them someday. Lights Out is another importation from the radio, best know for the works of suspense writer Arch Oboler. Seven volumes of the show are on DVD from Alpha Video that I have yet to pick up, much to my regret. I would love to see if the quality of the show holds up versus the radio version, which I am more familiar with. It is another on my “to do” show list, but given it is seven separate volumes at about 10-12 dollars a pop, it is one I have not felt the urge to jump on. Let us just say that, if pushed by my audience to do Lights Out, I’d be more than happy to backtrack. 18. Arthur Godfrey and His Friends on CBS, Wednesday nights at 9 PM ET with a 35.9 percent of the viewing audience. This show actually coexists hand and hand with another Godfrey creation, Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts. Godfrey would take his “discoveries” from that show and present them on this program, all carefully groomed under his watchful eye. For as long as the show was on and for the notoriety it would eventually obtain (more on that another time), I’m just not aware of anything surviving, not on DVD at any rate. If anyone has any leads to anything, hit the comment line please. 17. You Bet Your Life on NBC, Thursday nights at 8 PM ET with a 36.0 percent of the viewing audience. Obviously, for his first season, Groucho was doing pretty well, cracking the top 20. Much like with Studio One, since we’re covering the show in detail, I’ll just let the number stand as a mark as to how well the show is doing. 16. The Aldrich Family on NBC, Sunday nights at 7:30 PM ET with a 36.1 percent of the viewing audience. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: an importation from radio, this time as a family situation comedy covering the misadventures of a family and their teenage son Henry. I’m not aware of surviving television episodes, but would not be surprised if some were included on a Mill Creek or Timeless Media anthology and I just don’t know about them yet. If they do, let me know and I’ll take a look and see if I can give the show some attention. 15. Toast of the Town on CBS, Sunday nights at 8 PM ET with a 36.5 percent of the viewing audience. This is a show that everyone has heard of, just not under this title. Toast of the Town was the original title for what would become The Ed Sullivan Show, running in this timeslot for nearly two decades. Of course, we’ll talk about Ed, the show and subjects relating to it as some of the “names” who were on the show come up in the reviews. I beg patience and indulgence. 14. Kraft Television Theater on NBC, Wednesday nights at 9 PM ET with a 37.0 percent of the viewing audience. Much like Westinghouse Studio One, this is an anthology series, featuring some impressive talent in a variety of stories. I have a few episodes, although none from the 1950-51 period and am working on running down others. I am honestly not sure how many kinescopes of the series survive, but it is a work in progress and rest assured, the show will be given its due. 13. Man Against Crime on CBS, Friday nights at 8:30 PM ET with a 37.4 percent of the viewing audience. One of television’s first, if not the first, detective dramas. Unfortunately, only filmed episodes from later seasons in the mid-1950s survive, so the show will be covered when we get to those later episodes. Unless we get lucky and someone discovers an older one in a vault somewhere, of course. 12. Martin Kane, Private Eye on NBC, Thursday nights at 10 PM ET with a 37.8 percent of the viewing audience. Another private eye drama, again the problem of only a few episodes surviving. I am aware of them being included on a Mill Creek anthology collection at least, but I do not believe they are from the 1950-1951 season. If I am wrong, someone please let me know in the comments and I will remedy this when I pick up the anthology. 11. Robert Montgomery Presents on NBC, alternating Monday nights at 9:30 PM ET with a 38.8 percent of the viewing audience. As with Westinghouse Studio One, this was an anthology drama program, mostly handling one hour summations of popular movies, somewhat akin to what Lux Radio Theatre was doing on the radio. I am honestly not certain on what may survive from this show, but I have a feeling kinescopes are out there and I’m just not aware of them. If anyone knows anything about surviving episodes, hit the comment line and I will look into it. As long as it is financially feasible, I’ll do anything to build up and increase the library, of course. Tomorrow, 1950-1951’s top ten.

1950-1951 Neilsen ratings

1950-1951 Nielsen ratings Analysis: No plot involved here, just a strict live-and-die by the numbers situation. Some context first – the Nielsen ratings system had been around a while, using a variety of methods from logs to sensors in televisions to determine who was watching what in how many households over a set period. While this had been applied to radio research, the 1950-1951 television season was the first time television programming was measured. Seeing as this article kind of got away from me as I was writing it, I’m breaking it into thirds so there is not an immense wall of text for everyone to read. We’ll cover places 30 through 21 today, 20 through 11 tomorrow and cap it with 10 through 1 on Sunday. Now, a few things to keep in mind before we start on the list of the top 30 ranked shows. First, the number of televisions in American homes was at 8 million in October of 1950 about a month into the counting process. By the time it concluded sometime in the late spring of 1951, that number was approaching 13 million. So the numbers we’ll be using are not millions of households, but a percentage of the total available viewership that is tuned into the show over that period of time. So, from number 30 to number 1, here is a snapshot of what the United States was watching in 1950 and 1951. 30. Lux Video Theatre on CBS, Monday nights at 8 PM ET with 31.5 percent of the viewing audience. Lux was a spinoff of the long running and very successful Lux Radio Theatre. Ironically, the radio version of the show was broadcast about a half hour after the television version signed off for the night, running a half hour longer than the television show. Unfortunately, I am currently unable to locate any copies of surviving broadcasts on DVD, so I am unable to discuss any of the shows. If any exist and I can be pointed toward them, I’d be very grateful. 29. Your Hit Parade on NBC, Saturday nights at 10:30 PM ET with 32.0 percent of the viewing audience. Your Hit Parade was another importation from radio. In the days before disc jockeys had their personal top ten, this half hour show told you what was popular and selling in record stores over the period. Just as natural was the move to television to continue to perform and broadcast popular music. Again, if any surviving episodes are on DVD, I am unaware of them and if someone has any leads to any, please let me know. 28. The Ken Murray Show on CBS, Saturday nights at 8 PM ET with 32.1 percent of the viewing audience. Ken Murray as a performer came over from radio as a performer, turning out the first hour-long program on the list. Unfortunately, not only do I not have access to any surviving episodes, I have very little information on the show, so, unfortunately, this small mark will have to suffice unless someone out there know more than I do. Given a tie for 26th place, there is no 27th place. 26. (Tied) Blue Ribbon Bouts on CBS, Wednesday nights at 10 PM ET & The Original Amateur Hour on NBC, Tuesday nights at 10 PM ET, each with 33.4 percent of the viewing audience. It goes without saying that boxing was running at a peak in this time period, coming off the period of Joe Louis as Heavyweight Champion, so seeing a boxing show in the top 30 is no surprise. The surprise is just how little from the period survives, but given it was an hour and there were new fights every week, I suppose it made little sense to hold on or record any of the fights. Still, if any are out there, I would love to cover and discuss them seeing as what a staple to television boxing was in the 1950s. The Original Amateur Hour is basically the television grandfather of all the shows like American Idol, America’s Got Talent and the like today. Like most of the shows of the period, the show got its launch on radio before jumping over to television, first on the DuMont Network and then to NBC. I’m aware of a single 2 disc DVD release of the show, but since it appears to be an overarching look at the show rather than a specific period, I have not picked it up yet. Based on recommendations, I may take a look to see what I can make of the show. Also, it is worth noting that a virtually complete archive of the show has been donated to the Library of Congress, but obtaining copies are prohibitively expensive, to say the least. 25. The Big Story on NBC, alternating Friday nights at 9:30 PM ET with 33.7 percent of the viewing audience. This fits in the ripped-from-the-headline style of a Law and Order of today, taking crime stories from the front page of newspapers and telling them first through the radio, then the television screen. I’m not aware of any surviving episodes on DVD, but if anyone has any leads, I’d be interested in taking a look and adding them to the archive. 24. Westinghouse Studio One on CBS, Monday nights at 10 PM ET with 33.8 percent of the viewing audience. Finally, a familiar face! As we’re all aware by now, this was a one-hour presentation of dramas and comedies live on a weekly basis. Given the quality of the programming, I’m a bit surprised it is ranked so low. Of course, we will see more of Studio One as we go along as what I have in the archive is just getting started. 23. Stop the Music on ABC, Thursday nights at 8 PM ET with 34.0 percent of the viewing audience. This is a quiz show importation from the days of radio that, for a brief moment, drove a radio staple like Edgar Bergen from the air for a year and, in the case of Fred Allen, ended his radio career. But, much like game show phenomenon like Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? or Deal or No Deal, it burned out very quickly. I’m not aware of any surviving episodes (there rarely are from game shows of the period), but if anyone knows anything, I’d love to take a look. 22. The Alan Young Show on CBS, Thursday nights at 9 PM ET with 34.4 percent of the viewing audience. Yet another importation from radio, but for whatever reason, rather than take the situation comedy approach he had on radio, Young ended up with a variety/sketch comedy show for television. As with many others, I am not aware of surviving television episodes on DVD, but if anyone knows of any, please let me know. Oh, and if Alan Young’s name sounds familiar, trust me, we will be seeing more of him as we go along. Due to a three-way tie for 19th place, there is no 21st or 22nd place ranking, so we’ll pick up tomorrow with 19 through 11. Also, just as an aside, I will not be doing any blog updates between next Friday and next Monday, taking the 24th through the 26th off. So right now, we'll do one last post on Thursday, the 23rd and be back on Monday, the 27th.

Ford Festival - June 14, 1951

Ford Festival

Originally broadcast at 9:30 PM ET on Thursday, June 14, 1951 on ABC.

Plot: A look behind the scenes at the Walt Disney Studios on the production of Alice in Wonderland.

Analysis: This is a bit of an interesting animal as it appears to have originally been about a ten minute segment of the hour-long Ford Festival broadcast that later had a new beginning and ending slapped onto it so it could be shown either in theaters or distributors for Alice in Wonderland promotion. What is pretty obvious though, especially if you know anything about how animated movies are produced, is how much of this little segment is staged for the cameras. It doesn’t diminish the product, just something that sticks out as you are watching it.

Once again, this is little more that a bit of promotional fluff, trying to keep Alice in people’s minds as the release date of the movie creeps closer. It is what it is, not much more, unfortunately.

The Bottom Line: At just ten minutes, it’s hard to really see this as anything more than a long commercial for Alice. That is its purpose and it doesn’t pretend to be anything more or less, but given the hype, one would like a little more substance in what we’re seeing. Then again, this being 1951, the limitations of the television medium and the audience base need to be kept in mind also. It’s worth checking out for those interested in Disney or Alice, but anyone else can skip this and not worry about having missed anything substantial.

The Ford Festival segment is renamed Operation Wonderland and is available as an extra on the Alice in Wonderland: Masterpiece Edition (http://www.amazon.com/Alice-Wonderland-M.... 884274&sr=1-12) and the Alice in Wonderland: Un-Anniversary Edition (http://www.amazon.com/Alice-Wonderland-2....5 884274&sr=1-4). I imagine it will be included on the upcoming Alice blu-ray, but I will let you know if I see or hear differently.

Next time, the end of our first rated television “season”, a look at some of the numbers and where some of the shows we’ve been looking at fall in the scheme of things.

The Fred Waring Show: March 18, 1951

The Fred Waring Show

Originally broadcast: Sunday, March 18, 1951 at 9 PM ET on ABC.

Plot: Kathryn Beaumont and Sterling Holloway join Fred Waring to discuss and preview portions of the Alice in Wonderland movie and songs.

Analysis: First off, this is not the entire broadcast as the show was originally an hour in length and it appears only the last half hour of the broadcast covered Alice. Second, while Disney was trying to promote the movie and participated with the sets, providing footage, the score, Beaumont and Holloway, I’m not sure how much input they had on costumes or casting. Very few things in the world more disturbing than seeing the Queen of Hearts with a pencil mustache, I assure you. Needless to say, it’s a more expanded version of someone going on a late night show these days to promote an upcoming project. The problem here is the line between creativity and disturbing is very fine and this thing doesn’t even seem to notice that line. Disney would refine quality control on television in years to come. As for show quality, clearly the stuff on film made for Waring by Disney is in better shape than the rest of the broadcast with sharper contrast and sound, but the show overall is still watchable.

That bit of business done, let’s look at the personalities here, starting with Fred Waring. Waring got his start like a lot of teenagers – he joined a band and a rather successful one at that. Starting in 1918, the band picked up some good gigs and landed a recording contract. The success was so good, Waring chose to drop out of college and hit the road with the band. For a period of nine years, from 1923 into 1932, Waring’s band was one of the most popular in the country, so they were an easy pick up for radio. One consequence of this shift was a halt in making records because Waring didn’t want record sales to compete with the music being played on the radio.  Nevertheless, from 1932 well into the late 1940s, Waring and his music maintained popularity until television came knocking and Waring jumped, seeing another opportunity to expand his listening base. The Fred Waring Show would be broadcast from June 20, 1948 until May 30, 1954, but Waring would continue to be involved in music, both teaching and refining vocals until his death in 1984.

Ironically, for all his work in music, Waring may actually be best known these days for a blender. In the 1930s, an inventor by the name Frederick Jacob Osius came to Waring with an idea, but no money, for an electric blender. Waring was interested and agreed to fund further research and development of the device, something that lasted another six months and cost $25,000 of Waring’s money and the blender was still not working as advertised. Waring pushed Osius out and struck out on his own, introducing the world to the Miracle Mixer in 1937. Using his radio show and band tours to promote the blender to hotels, stores and restaurants. The thing took off and remains in use to this day as the Waring Blender, something that most people either have a cousin or something like it in their kitchens right now. By the way, as an off-hand, part of the reason why General Electric was a sponsor of Waring’s television show was because of the Waring Blender.

Moving on, Kathryn Beaumont was a child actress in her second movie when Walt Disney spotted her and personally decided on her for the role of Alice. She’d stay with Disney to later voice Wendy for Peter Pan before stepping back from the cameras in favor of being a teacher. To this day, she does occasional voice work, mostly for Disney related products.

Sterling Holloway is one of those actors who people probably connect more with a voice these days rather than a face. We’ll see (and hear) a lot from Holloway as we go along, so suffice to say for now that while having a movie and stage career stretching from 1926 into the mid 1960s, save for a brief stint in the United States Army during World War II, he is best known for his voice work, which is enormous, to say the least.

The Bottom Line: A half hour edit of an hour long television show, it’s an… interesting bit of promotional material with the focus seemingly on what may sell Alice best: music and humor. But in all honesty, unless you’re a Disney or early television fan, this may just seem a bit too strange at points for many people to have much patience with. Check it out if you want, but it’s not the end of the world if you happen to miss this one. 

Like the previous bit of Alice promo material, it is included as an extra on the Alice in Wonderland: Masterpiece Edition (http://www.amazon.com/Alice-Wonderland-Masterpiece-Kathryn-Beaumont/dp/B0000TG9E2/ref=sr_1_12?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1285884274&sr=1-12) and the Alice in Wonderland: Un-Anniversary Edition (http://www.amazon.com/Alice-Wonderland-2-Disc-Special-Un-Anniversary/dp/B00335EQ0E/ref=sr_1_4?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1285884274&sr=1-4). There is a blu-ray/DVD combo release for Alice set for February of 2011, where I believe this will be included among the extras but we’ll just have to wait and see. I’ll post something here once I know for certain.

Next time, more promotion for Alice.

You Bet Your Life: Ep. 50-22

You Bet Your Life: Ep. 50-22

Originally broadcast: Thursday, February 28, 1951 at 8 PM ET on NBC

Plot: An engaged couple, a postman and a stamp collector and a housewife and Louisiana State Senator Dudley LaBlanc compete for $3,000.

Analysis: First off, even though we’re in 1951 now, we still have the episode code 50- for the episodes since the season started taping in 1950. As for the episode itself, this one is a lot of fun, especially watching Groucho play off the engaged couple and Senator LaBlanc, who is quite the character himself. You get the feeling the show is starting to find its groove with Groucho and the contestants in the play by play, but the mechanics of the game itself still need to be fine tuned since it is more that likely the contestants will panic and end up betting all the money and losing it either too early or too late in the game. The show will later develop safeguards for that, as we will soon see.

The Bottom Line: This one is interesting, especially given we haven’t seen a politician using the television medium to promote his or herself yet to this point. That, of course, would change as television rolls along. That aside, it’s just an entertaining little quiz show and is always fun to test your brain power against the people actually playing the show. The original Desoto-Plymouth ads are included with the episode, but can only be watched independently of the show. Shame they were not included with the shows, but nice to have them at all.

This particular episode is included on Groucho Marx – You Bet Your Life: The Lost Episodes (http://www.amazon.com/You-Bet-Your-Life-Episodes/dp/B0000ALFZ0/ref=sr_1_2?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1285464137&sr=1-2), along with 18 other episodes of the show. Unfortunately, stock appears to have finally run out on the release, so the Amazon Marketplace or eBay may be your best bets in getting a copy at this point.

Next time, an episode of the Fred Waring Show with a look at the latest creation of the Walt Disney Studios.

The Cisco Kid: The Lynching Story

The Cisco Kid: The Lynching Story

Originally broadcast: Tuesday, December 12, 1950 on first-run syndication.

Plot: Cisco attempts to save a man from a gang of men out to lynch him for the death of a mining prospector.

Analysis: I know I’ve had some pretty high, possibly unreasonably high, standards applied to these Cisco Kid episodes. Today’s episode proved to me at least that it’s not that unreasonable as we finally had an episode at least on par with what we were seeing earlier in the year on Gene Autry. A plot that made sense where we knew pretty early on who was right and who was wrong, but how we got to the finish was the drama. I actually really enjoyed this one and it is, thus so far, the best episode of Cisco Kid I’ve seen so far.

We discussed Cisco in our last review, so it’s only fair, since he featured in some comedic moments in this one, to discuss the man behind Pancho, Leo Carrillo. The man could probably be best defined as almost Mr. California as his family had roots in the state going all the way back to the days when it was a Spanish colony, most notably with his great-grandfather serving as the Spanish governor of Alta California between 1837 and 1838. As an actor, he divided his time between Broadway and movies, making some 90 movies between 1928 and 1950. The truly remarkable thing about his work on Cisco Kid was his age – 70 – when he started work on the project, 24 years older than Renaldo playing Cisco.

The Bottom Line: Like I said, this is one of the better episodes of the series so far and the first one I honestly can recommend checking out if you are so interested. Pancho and the owner of the hotel have a few off-comedy moments, but otherwise, the episode is a decent half hour of entertainment.

You can find The Lynching Story included with 19 other episodes in The Cisco Kid: Collection 2 produced by MPI (http://www.amazon.com/Cisco-Kid-Collection-2/dp/B0001LJCX4/ref=sr_1_3?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1286758713&sr=1-3). With the holidays approaching, you may be lucky enough for find it for reasonable prices.

Next time, our long awaited first entry into 1951.

The Cisco Kid: The Will

The Cisco Kid: The Will

Originally Broadcast: Tuesday, October 31, 1950 on first-run syndication.

Plot: Cisco and Pancho attempt to help prove a man is innocent of a gold heist, a situation complicated when the man’s wife appears with some surprising news.

Analysis: This episode has a really complex plot that take a big left turn in the last ten minutes. It all makes sense in the end, but the construction on getting there is a bit odd. Ah well, it is, after all, the tradition of serial Westerns to try and surprise you in the final reel.

A few belated words, if I may, on our star, Duncan Renaldo. This was actually not his first run at playing Cisco, originating the role for eight Cisco Kid movies before carrying the role over to television. It’s easily his most famous role, but he had been a regular actor in Hollywood since the 1920s, mostly in ethnic character roles. What is probably most interesting about Renaldo is he almost didn’t make it to play Cisco or any other roles. The details are a little fuzzy since Renaldo’s origins are muddy, but apparently what happened is he entered the United States from Europe in the 1920s while working as a boiler stoker. While in port, the ship caught fire and Renaldo just ended up staying in the country, first as an artist before producing some movies before finally landing acting work in 1928 and he took off from there. All seemed fine until United States Immigration caught wind of his illegal status in the 1930s and arrested him with plans for deportation. All that really saved him was he wasn’t sure of his country of origin, so it wasn’t clear to where he could be deported. This stalled the deportation proceedings for at least a year, long enough for the president of Republic Pictures to come to his rescue and sign him to a picture contract to keep him in the country. He finally got a Presidential pardon from Franklin Roosevelt, allowing him to stay in the country permanently.

The Bottom Line: As far as the episode goes, it’s a little disjointed since it feels like the writers of the show changed their minds on the direction of the story in the middle of the episode. Doesn’t make it bad, mind you, just a bit odd. It gets a pass from me, not terrific, especially given the standards Gene Autry was setting, but an enjoyable enough half hour of entertainment.

The Will is included with 19 other episodes in The Cisco Kid: Collection 2 produced by MPI (http://www.amazon.com/Cisco-Kid-Collection-2/dp/B0001LJCX4/ref=sr_1_3?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1286758713&sr=1-3). Prices vary depending on websites and holiday specials.

One more Cisco Kid tomorrow, then ahead to 1951!

The Cisco Kid: Railroad Land Rush

After a long layoff for school and other catastrophes, I’m happy to bring my blog back to life. I sincerely hope that my audience is still out there and still interested in my give and take on television history. So, let’s pick up where we left off.

The Cisco Kid: Railroad Land Rush

Originally Broadcast: Saturday, October 28, 1950 on first-run syndication.

Plot: In typical Western tradition, a gang of confidence men seeks to defraud the town in bad real estate deals with the promise of a railroad and only Cisco and Pancho can save the day.

Analysis: Here’s the problem with early TV Westerns, especially in the days before Gunsmoke and better budgets – the plots simply are repeated with just names and settings changed. Doesn’t help when you start to wonder about how logic and physics work in this world, but on the other hand, television was meant as entertainment, not as an intellectual exercise at this point.

In any case, if you keep yourself from thinking too much about how some of the characters can possibly see each other from some of these angles, where the heroine disappears to in the middle of a fist fight and, best of all, how in the world a body can be thrown from a moving stagecoach and not only does no one notice, but we don’t even see it fall out. I was waiting for someone to notice a naked corpse in the stagecoach and start screaming. If you can turn your brain off to all of this, the episode is not too bad. Just be aware that it’s a recycled plot with all the strength of wet tissue paper.

The Bottom Line: As indicated before, the show is in color but was originally broadcast in black and white, so the color on your television will need to be turned down if you want to recreate the original appearance of the show. There’s a bit of an audio hiss in the beginning, but I stopped noticing it after the first five to eight minutes. As I said before, the quality of the opening and closing credits is really not so good, so I can only presume that, especially in the case of the opening, they were only shot once and then recycled with every airing, being the image was going to degrade with repeat viewings.

If you are interested in seeing Railroad Land Rush, it’s included with 19 other episodes of Cisco Kid in The Cisco Kid: Collection 2 produced by MPI (http://www.amazon.com/Cisco-Kid-Collection-2/dp/B0001LJCX4/ref=sr_1_3?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1286758713&sr=1-3). You may want to shop around for lower prices, especially during the holiday season.

Now that we are back, I’m going to try and update daily during the holiday season, including Christmas. I’ll keep you posted if I need to break again for classes or any other reason. As for now, I’ll see you tomorrow with another episode of The Cisco Kid.

The Cisco Kid: Medicine Flates

The Cisco Kid: Medicine Flats

Originally Broadcast: Tuesday, October 17, 1950 on first-run syndication.

Plot: The Cisco Kid and Pancho conspire with the town sheriff to uncover a group of thieves headquartered in the town hotel.

Analysis: The Cisco Kid is (say it with me now) a transplant, originally running on radio from1942 through to 1956. Two things make the television version of Cisco Kid unique however – first, this was one of the first Westerns broadcast on syndication, originally produced by Ziv Television, filling in programming holes on just about any station at any time outside of the prime time viewing hours. The second was Cisco Kid was originally shot and broadcast in color, but since color television was virtually nonexistent until the late 50s and not the standard until the early 1960s, very few people saw Cisco Kid in its original color form until much later.

As for the episode itself, well, the key plot doesn’t differ too much from Gene Autry, only in as much as Cisco Kid had more of the outlaw reputation where Autry was a “white hat” regardless of the circumstances. It does create for more dramatic and shaded gray situations for Cisco Kid though.

The Bottom Line: For starters, every episode of Cisco Kid we’re going to be discussing will be in color, so to approximate the original 1950s television experience, as with the One Hour in Wonderland broadcast, just turn down or turn off the color on your television. As for the show quality itself, well, it’s hit and miss, since MPI isn’t a big budget restoration company. The opening and closing credits are rather blurry and there’s an occasional audio muffle while watching the episode. That being said, it’s nothing more or less than you’d come to expect from a show that’s close to fifty years old, especially given that the show wasn’t exactly made for discriminating audiences.

If you are interested in seeing Medicine Flats, it’s included with 19 other episodes of Cisco Kid in The Cisco Kid: Collection 2 produced by MPI (http://www.amazon.com/Cisco-Kid-Collection-2/dp/B0001LJCX4/ref=sr_1_3?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1286758713&sr=1-3). You may want to shop around for lower prices, but between 15 and 19 dollars is pretty standard pricing.

Next time, more from The Cisco Kid.

A Special Comment: Raiders of the Lost Network

A Special Comment: Raiders of the Lost Network

In this age of over 500 channels and nothing to watch, it is fun to look back on the good ol’ days of the 1950s when you could tune into one of the four classic channels and enjoy…

Wait a second… four?

That’s right, folks, before ABC, CBS and NBC even tried to get on television, there was the famous “lost” network, the DuMont Network. DuMont actually was the trendsetter, being the first “official” network on television. So, why have most people never even heard of this? Therein lies the tale of how you could go from a television pioneer to out of business in under ten years.

The story starts in 1938 when DuMont Laboratories got into the television making business. In fact, DuMont actually created the first all-electric televison for the average consumer, a model every television since would follow. From making televisions, it only made sense to actually try and create something to put on television, since you’re creating a whole raison d’être for your product in the first place. Keep in mind this was a period where television was still very experimental, kind of a novelty item while radio was still the entertainment king. Anyway, Paramount Pictures was intrigued by what DuMont was up to and agreed to front DuMont the cash to further their experiments, which in turn lead to the launch of the network, ahead of all others, in 1946.

DuMont ran into problems though right from the start as it had one shortcoming that no other network had – DuMont didn’t have a radio network, base of programming or audience to draw from. Quite literally, they would have to cut their teeth and their path at the same time. On top of that, the bosses at DuMont didn’t like the idea of sponsored programming, a virtual necessity in the early days of television given sponsorship was basically the only lifeline a lot of network shows had, to say nothing of the fact that sponsors already were the main power behind shows on radio, much as they would be for television. So, DuMont basically had to survive on the power of their imagination and not much else. On the plus side of the equation, it lead to original programming, something unique given the other three networks were, as we’ve seen, basically porting all their core show ideas over from radio. This creative sandbox, if you will, would lead to such programming as The Honeymooners, originally a sketch segment on Cavalcade of Stars, and Captain Video, an early sci-fi kiddies show.

The problem DuMont kept facing is what a lot of early pioneers face: money, specifically lack thereof. Add to that a technicality that kept DuMont from growing: the Paramount deal technically made DuMont part of Paramount and therefore under FCC restrictions prohibiting growth beyond a certain size. If DuMont stuck with Paramount, they couldn’t grow and couldn’t have access to more money and markets. If they left, they’d take a huge financial hit since it was, after all, a struggling network with very little support or backing behind it. Indeed, very few stations, even if they carried DuMont programming, carried every single program. This was an era when an affiliate could opt to carry just one or two shows without prescribing to the entire block. Innovative as it was, DuMont just lacked the support needed to survive, especially with powerhouses NBC and CBS in the race and ABC a rising threat.

In the end, time and money ran out on DuMont. Struggling on into the 50s and starving for cash to keep going, DuMont sold one of its flagship stations to Westinghouse for some much needed cash. The tradeoff was with one of its tent pole stations now gone, DuMont was in a weakened negotiating position for getting broadcasts outside of its core base of operations. It struggled on rather bravely into 1955, hemorrhaging money and a shrinking audience share, until Paramount made what was probably at that point a mercy kill, taking control of DuMont Laboratories and shutting down the network.

The ultimate tragedy of the DuMont Network is what happened next: DuMont made kinescopes of most, if not all their shows, primarily so the shows could be seen in other affiliated in other markets. When DuMont went under, that library of tape remained intact until the 1970s when the library was deemed “useless” and, without ceremony or warning, the entire tape archive was dumped in the Upper New York Bay, a loss of roughly 10 years of early television programming. That’s the bad news for classic television fans.

Here’s the good news: at least three large sources of DuMont programming still exist. The first belong to the Jackie Gleason estate, consisting mainly of the early Honeymooners skits. They have been released on DVD by MPI as “Lost” episodes of the Honeymooners, but sales of the DVDs were stopped about four years ago. Currently, the DVDs are out of print and very expensive to track down, but they are out there.

The second library belongs to the Archbishop Fulton Sheen Foundation since his show Life Is Worth Living got its start on DuMont before flipping over to ABC to finish its run. It’s unclear exactly how much is intact since the Sheen Foundation hasn’t released much, to say nothing of the fact that dating what material has been released is, to say the least, challenging. Since it’s impossible for me to date and simply because I would prefer to stay away from religious programming to avoid any potential issues, I’m currently not going to look into Life Is Worth Living, but I am willing to be persuaded if convincing arguments can be made.

The third and final source of DuMont material is the Capitol Wrestling Corporation library. DuMont was the first network to really show professional wrestling on the network, most of it coming from Capitol since it was the local wrestling “territory” near where DuMont was based. The Capitol library the passed into its successor, the World Wide Wrestling Federation which eventually become today’s World Wrestling Entertainment or WWE. That’s the good news – WWE has the tapes. Of course, here’s the bad news – there’s really no market for them, according to the WWE. In the time since DVD has been launched as a standard from the WWE, they’ve released a grand total of two matches from the period and only one came from the Capitol library and it’s not even dated beyond a year.

Other shows, such as Captain Video, do also have a small number of episodes surviving, but those three sources are basically the bulk of all that survives from the DuMont Network. It is, sad to say, not only an inglorious end to a television pioneer, but, as we’ll see, a fate that was all too common for a lot of classic television libraries that were lost simply because they were deemed “useless.” Pardon the bitterness, but it’s hard for a history geek like myself to accept such a sad state of affairs by people who live in the now without remembering the past. Who are we as a people if we forget where we were? Do we not then lose sight of where we have yet to go? Consider that as an epitaph for the DuMont Network and its programming.

Next time, a back track into 1950 and our first syndicated Western.

Special Comment: Syndicated, Inc.

A Special Comment: Syndicated, Inc.

First off, credit to ‘Weird Al’ for the idea for an article title.

Now, to be serious, we’re all familiar in one form or another of syndication, be it repeats of favorite television shows on other channels or “stripped” shows like the courtroom shows or game shows that are on in the afternoons these days. But what I want to focus on for this article is something that has almost virtually gone extinct in today’s cable and dish era and that’s original programming on first-run syndication.

Syndication, like so many other concepts, got its start on radio – the idea being since radio signals for certain stations were limited, why not just make a record of a single broadcast and send it out to any radio station that wanted to run it? The first radio show to really try this was Amos ‘n’ Andy before NBC picked up the show, but the art form was really perfected by shows like The Lone Ranger, Sgt. Preston and The Green Hornet, all radio shows that started small off station WXYZ in Detroit before building their audience through syndication.

The format was a natural transition for television for a few reasons: first, even big networks like NBC, CBS and ABC had a hard time filling every single hour of programming they had available during their on-air hours, so syndicated programming was a cheap, easy answer to fill the slots. Second, not every station fell under the umbrella of the big networks or the DuMont network, so syndication was the answer for these independent or non-affiliated stations to establish a presence without going broke right out of the chute. Finally, for the producers of the syndicated programming, this was a logical step since the handwriting was on the wall that their original source of revenue – the movie serial – was slowly dying off, partially thanks to television. Plus, serials were already divided into “chapters” or episodes anyway, so they were ready made for fast return on little investment, so going over to television was about the only way any amount of money could be salvaged.

For the purposes of where we are and where we’re going in television, it’s enough to know that first-run syndication is where we’ll get a lot of Westerns before the Western television boom of the late 50s, plus a variety of other programming, mostly crime-drama and mysteries. That’s the good news, in as much as it means a wider breadth and variety of programming. The bad news is it makes it very difficult to determine when what show aired, since it varied from station to station and place-to-place. So, if someone has more information on a syndicated show that I’m going to be talking about than I have, please share. This is, after all, going on the best information or guesses that I have. Doesn’t make me right, just going by what I know. So, more often than not, if I know a date of broadcast, I’ll just run with that and discuss it before primetime programming since I suspect most syndicated programming was on in the mornings and afternoons, especially with the big primetime blocks that the main networks were putting together. But, like I said, if anyone else knows something I don’t, don’t be afraid to share.

Next time, the story of the lost network.

1950 in television: A Year in Review

Well, the first year of the 1950s is in the books and television is slowly gaining traction, despite some challenges. On the plus side, over six million television sets were sold in 1950, which is good, given the average cost of a television in 1950 was $499 for a 12 inch console model by Philco. Small wonder then that only 9% of US households even had a television. An additional challenge was the continued perception, especially by Hollywood and radio, that television was a “fad” trend, good for advertising and little else. It didn’t help television’s case that, with the exception of one network, almost nothing being produced on television was original: as we’ve seen, Gene Autry was really imported from the Western serials in movie theaters while Westinghouse Studio One and You Bet Your Life came over from radio. As good as the programming may have been, aside from the picture, it wasn’t any different than what was on the radio.

I mentioned a single exception and I’ll actually be doing a special comment on it in the next day or so and that’s the fourth network, the DuMont network. I won’t spoil what I want to address there here, but suffice to say, they were forced to come up with unique, original programming every day of every week with varying degrees of success. For good or ill, it was the first steps toward making television unique from radio and serials. The other contributing factor to change in television, which will get another special comment, is the rise in first-run syndication television: cheap, unique programming that was basically made to make money and plug holes in the lineup, but you couldn’t find it anywhere else but on the television. Combine the two and you have a spark and a starting point for television to grow from.

Looking ahead, 1951 would be revolutionary, especially in the realm of the situation comedy with the arrival of one of television’s most popular and influential shows. In roads would also be made in the realm of science fiction on television and, as you might guess, the Western would continue to gain in popularity. In addition, television would start to develop a “season” format, much like radio had before, running approximately from mid- or late August until May or June. Plus, the famed Nielsen ratings system arrived on television in 1950, which would begin to measure what America was watching. In light of those changes, instead of just doing an annual recap like I’ve been doing, I’ll be doing bi-annual recaps – one in the end of the television season (roughly) where I’ll cover the numbers, what survives and what doesn’t and the annual recap of the year in television and the world at large.

Next time, a special comment on the rise of first-run syndication on television.

One Hour in Wonderland

One Hour in Wonderland

Originally Broadcast: Monday, December 25, 1950 at 5 PM ET on ABC

Plot: Edgar Bergen, Charlie McCarthy, Mortimer Snerd and the viewers at home are invited to a Christmas party at Walt Disney’s house to meet Alice and her friends from Wonderland.

Analysis: First off, before I get rolling, it is said you should always credit your sources, so I have to tip my hat to Bill Cotter’s book The Wonderful World of Disney Television, the source of just about every scrap of information I have on anything produced by Disney for television. I have to say that more television shows could have a book like this, since it covers everything (and I do mean EVERYTHING) Disney did for television between 1950 and the book’s publication in 1997. Secondly, in the interests of full disclosure, once upon a time, in a former life, I worked for the Walt Disney Company for three years. So, if I tend to gush a bit about Disney, well… can you blame me? It is, after all, Disney.

But, we also have to call a spade a spade: this has little to do with Christmas and more for promotion of Disney’s upcoming products, especially Alice in Wonderland. But, I’m sure that’s just a coincidence, right? Anyway, what we have here is the framing story of the Christmas party hosted by Walt with segments from various Disney movies and shorts shown throughout. Of special note is a segment from Song of the South, one of the rare times Disney has let anything from Song of the South see the light of day on DVD at all.

Guest Edgar Bergen is another piece of radio slowly migrating to television. He got his start on the vaudeville stage as a ventriloquist working with a homemade dummy named Charlie McCarthy. Much like with Charleton Heston with Wuthering Heights, he had a right time, right place moment when spotted at a party and recommended for the Rainbow Room in New York City. Producers caught him performing there, recommended him for a guest shot on radio which in turn lead to his own show, running from 1937 all the way until 1956. Bergen and Disney had worked together before in the movie Fun and Fancy Free in 1947 and since his radio show was still popular and Bergen well liked, it was only natural that he should serve as the guest star of the special, along with Charlie and Mortimer Snerd.

This thing is just loaded with cameos, both personal and objective. Kathryn Beaumont, who voiced Alice for Alice in Wonderland, would work for Disney multiple times over the years, most notably voicing Wendy for Peter Pan. Same with Bobby Driscoll, who worked for Disney before in So Dear to My Heart and Treasure Island. He would go on to voice Peter Pan in the movie of the same name. He’ll show up a few more times on various television shows as we go along, so I’ll talk more about him later. Also of note is a very quick cameo given by Diane and Sharon Disney, Walt’s daughters, in a very funny moment in the special. But, possibly the strangest cameo of them all is the train we see Walt sitting on at the opening of the special: that’s a train Walt would call the Lilly Belle, his own personal train he would run outside his home in Los Angeles and would serve as the inspiration for the Disney railroads that circle Disney theme parks all over the world, most notably at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. In fact, one of the trains at Disneyland, the C.K. Holiday, is a virtual match for the Lilly Belle. Anyone curious in seeing the original Lilly Belle, last I heard, it was in a glass case in the Main Street Station in Anaheim, California.

And I suppose that brings us to the man himself, Walt Disney. In the broadest of broad overviews, he got his start working with Ub Iwerks in Kansas City, Missouri turning out shorts called Laugh-o-Grams before experimenting with a mix of a live action actor interacting with animation that would eventually become the Alice comedy shorts. Walt actually went broke producing the first Alice short, but after moving to Los Angeles, he was able to screen it to interested parties and scored a contract to produce more. This led in turn to working on another creation: Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, a character Walt would eventually lose control over in fights over pay. Walt swore up and down that it would never happen again and went from broke, almost literally, on another animated character, this time a mouse named Mickey. Long story short, Mickey was a monster success that led to other characters, other formats of cartoons and eventually animated features starting with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1938.

To bring us back to television and the special, this was Walt taking a chance on another form of media trying to promote interest in upcoming projects, plus he was able to make some money off of sponsor Coca-Cola at the time, while Coke and ABC got Walt on television for Christmas which equals publicity. Nice to see how these things work out, isn’t it?

Bottom Line: Well, yes, it IS a promotion piece, but it is also the start of Disney’s involvement in television, which would lead to bigger things in the not-too-distant future. It is, as best I can tell, intact complete with original Coca-Cola commercials, but I’ve only seen it on the original release of Alice in Wonderland on DVD. In any case, the special is included as an extra on the Alice in Wonderland: Masterpiece Edition (http://www.amazon.com/Alice-Wonderland-Masterpiece-Kathryn-Beaumont/dp/B0000TG9E2/ref=sr_1_12?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1285884274&sr=1-12) and the Alice in Wonderland: Un-Anniversary Edition (http://www.amazon.com/Alice-Wonderland-2-Disc-Special-Un-Anniversary/dp/B00335EQ0E/ref=sr_1_4?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1285884274&sr=1-4). Alice is scheduled for a Blu-Ray release in 2011, so I will include a special note if One Hour in Wonderland is included in that release. Also of note: the animated sequences of the special are in color while the rest of the show is in black and white. Since color television was a rarity at the time, I would suggest turning the color down on your television before starting the special to get an idea how it may have looked when originally broadcast in 1950.

Next time, a look back at the year 1950 in television.