Television Popularity Rises
The small-screened televisions forever changed how Americans saw the world. Before the 1950s, black and white television sets were only for the wealthy and only 7,000 TV sets existed in the United States. By the 1950, 4.4 million families were tuning in to the wonders of television.
Some Popular Types of Shows
Sitcoms: Ozzie & Harriet, The Danny Thomas Show, and I Love Lucy (This would be most familiar to modern viewers)
Drama: Dragnet, Studio One, Philco-Goodyear Playhouse and U.S. Steel Hour (live anthologies).
News: CBS, NBC, and The Today Show
Daytime: Instead of talk shows there were variety shows hosted by Arthur Godfrey and Bob Crosby. This type of TV was aimed towards the housewife and later on NBC launched HOME, which was an all-purpose information show for women. Daytime TV was also watched by children which featured westerns with stars such as Roy Rogers and Gene Autry, puppet shows, and Ding Dong School (which was a prototype for Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood).
Family Shows: Father Know Best, Our Miss Brooks, Make Room for Daddy, and Leave it to Beaver
Quiz shows: At the time, quiz shows were also becoming a huge TV phenomenon in the ‘50s. The reason they were becoming so popular because people were captivated by the idea of ordinary people becoming rich. A few of the popular quiz shows were You Bet Your Life, What’s My Line?, The $64,000 Question, and Twenty-One.
Drama: Dragnet, Studio One, Philco-Goodyear Playhouse and U.S. Steel Hour (live anthologies).
News: CBS, NBC, and The Today Show
Daytime: Instead of talk shows there were variety shows hosted by Arthur Godfrey and Bob Crosby. This type of TV was aimed towards the housewife and later on NBC launched HOME, which was an all-purpose information show for women. Daytime TV was also watched by children which featured westerns with stars such as Roy Rogers and Gene Autry, puppet shows, and Ding Dong School (which was a prototype for Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood).
Family Shows: Father Know Best, Our Miss Brooks, Make Room for Daddy, and Leave it to Beaver
Quiz shows: At the time, quiz shows were also becoming a huge TV phenomenon in the ‘50s. The reason they were becoming so popular because people were captivated by the idea of ordinary people becoming rich. A few of the popular quiz shows were You Bet Your Life, What’s My Line?, The $64,000 Question, and Twenty-One.
Films and Idol Actors
With new cinema innovations beginning in 1952, three large projectors pointed at a large screen that made viewers feel like they were in the middle of the action. Marilyn Monroe was a new movie start to hit the big screen in the ‘50s and her box-office hits included The Seven Year Itch (1955), Bus Stop (1956), and Some Like It Hot (1959). Elizabeth Taylor’s career had also continued to grow especially in her performance in A Place in the Sun; this role was her first step from a child star to a serious actress. James Dean was another rising star at the time. He filmed three major motion pictures in twelve months in 1954 and 1955. The first film he appeared in was East of Eden, then Rebel Without a Cause, and lastly Giant. Unfortunately James Dean would never know the impact of his films since he dies in a car crash before any of these films were released.
I Love Lucy
One of the most beloved shows of all time was I Love Lucy, and it was the biggest comedy hit of the 1950s. It first premiered on October 15, 1951 and featured Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz as Lucy and Ricky Ricardo with Vivian Vance and William Frawley as Ethel and Fred Mertz, the Ricardos’ friends and landlords. Less than a year after the show first premiered, the stars signed a new contract that totaled $8 million, at the time this was the largest amount any television performers were ever paid.
