1950–51 United States network television schedule
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The following is the 1950–51 network television schedule for the four major English language commercial broadcast networks in the United States. The schedule covers primetime hours from September 1950 through March 1951. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and series cancelled after the 1949–50 season. This season became the first in which primetime was entirely covered by the networks. It was also the inaugural season of the Nielsen rating system. Late in the season, the coast-to-coast link was in service.
In September 1950 NBC added two live variety series, Four Star Revue and The Colgate Comedy Hour, to its fall schedule. These programs were a network effort to bring NBC's most popular radio stars to television; talent included Eddie Cantor, Jack Carson, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, Jimmy Durante, Danny Thomas, Ed Wynn, Bob Hope and Fred Allen. The two new star-studded series were scheduled directly against two of CBS's most popular programs: Four Star Revue went up against Arthur Godfrey and Friends on Wednesday nights, while The Colgate Comedy Hour was slated against Toast of the Town. NBC was confident that its strategy would pay off.[1]
CBS answered NBC's schedule with big radio stars and variety programs of its own, bringing in Frank Sinatra and (in occasional specials) Bing Crosby, Jack Benny, and Edgar Bergen. "Despite the big budget variety shows in its schedule, though, CBS felt that situation comedy was actually a more stable television form that would be easier to exploit in the long run."[1]
In many time slots, the underfunded DuMont Network did not bother to compete against NBC's or CBS's hit series, instead airing what some TV historians have called "time-filler". For example: "During its long run [The Johns Hopkins Science Review] was scheduled against such hit shows as Break the Bank [and] Dragnet, programs from which its network had little chance of luring away viewers."[2] During fall 1950, The Court of Current Issues and The Johns Hopkins Science Review'' aired at the same time as the most heavily viewed program on television, NBC's Texaco Star Theater. Given the competition, DuMont's Tuesday night public-affairs programming attracted virtually no audience. The network had some success with a crime drama that had debuted in January the previous season titled Inside Detective (later retitled Rocky King Detective), which became one of the longest-running series on the network. Another DuMont series to debut during the season, Star Time, while short-lived, is remembered for including a television version of the popular radio sketches The Bickersons, and for being an early example of a sponsored network series to feature an African-American as a regular (jazz pianist Teddy Wilson, a familiar member of the Benny Goodman Sextet).
New fall series are highlighted in bold.
Legend
[edit]- Light blue indicates local programming..
- Dark blue indicates news programming.
- Light green indicates sporting events.
- Light purple indicates movies.
- Red indicates irregularly-scheduled programs, including specials.
Each of the 30 highest-rated shows is listed with its rank and rating as determined by Nielsen Media Research.[3]
- Lime indicates the #1 most watched programs of the season.
- Yellow indicates the top-10 most watched programs of the season.
- Cyan indicates the top-20 most watched programs of the season.
- Magenta indicates the top-30 most watched programs of the season.
Sunday
[edit]| Network | 7:00 p.m. | 7:30 p.m. | 8:00 p.m. | 8:30 p.m. | 9:00 p.m. | 9:30 p.m. | 10:00 p.m. | 10:30 p.m. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Paul Whiteman's Goodyear Revue | Showtime U.S.A. | Hollywood Premiere Theatre | Sit or Miss | Soap Box Theater | The Marshall Plan in Action | Life Begins at Eighty | Youth on the March |
| CBS | The Gene Autry Show | This Is Show Business / The Jack Benny Program | Toast of the Town (15/36.5) | The Fred Waring Show | Celebrity Time | What's My Line? | ||
| DMN | Star Time | Rhythm Rodeo | Local Programming | The Arthur Murray Party | They Stand Accused | |||
| NBC | Leave It to the Girls | The Aldrich Family (16/36.1) | The Colgate Comedy Hour (5/42.0) | The Philco Television Playhouse (3/45.3) | Garroway at Large | Take a Chance | ||
Note: On CBS, beginning in January, The Jack Benny Program aired as occasional specials once every six to eight weeks.
Hopalong Cassidy (9/39.9) aired on NBC from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. The Bigelow Theatre aired on CBS from 6:00 to 6:30 p.m. from December 1950 to June 1951.
Monday
[edit]| Network | 7:00 p.m. | 7:30 p.m. | 8:00 p.m. | 8:30 p.m. | 9:00 p.m. | 9:30 p.m. | 10:00 p.m. | 10:30 p.m. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Club Seven | Hollywood Screen Test | Treasury Men in Action | Dick Tracy | The College Bowl | On Trial | Feature Film | ||
| CBS | Fall | The Stork Club | CBS Television News (7:30)
The Perry Como Show (7:45) |
Lux Video Theatre (30/31.5) (Tied with The Speidel Show) |
Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts (8/40.6) | The Horace Heidt Show | The Goldbergs | Studio One (24/33.8) | |
| June | Who's Whose | ||||||||
| Follow-up | It's News to Me | ||||||||
| DMN | Captain Video and His Video Rangers | Manhattan Spotlight (7:30)
The Susan Raye Show (7:45) |
Visit With the Armed Forces | The Al Morgan Show | Wrestling From Columbia Park Arena | ||||
| NBC | Fall | Kukla, Fran and Ollie | Mohawk Showroom (7:30)
Camel News Caravan (7:45) |
The Speidel Show (30/31.5) (Tied with Lux Video Theatre) |
The Voice of Firestone | Lights Out (19/35.6) (Tied with Armstrong Circle Theatre and Big Town) |
Robert Montgomery Presents (11/38.8) /Musical Comedy Time | Who Said That? | |
| Summer | Tag the Gag | ||||||||
Tuesday
[edit]| Network | 7:00 p.m. | 7:30 p.m. | 8:00 p.m. | 8:30 p.m. | 9:00 p.m. | 9:30 p.m. | 10:00 p.m. | 10:30 p.m. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Club Seven | The Beulah Show | The Game of the Week | Buck Rogers in the 25th Century | The Billy Rose Show | Can You Top This? | Life Begins at Eighty | Roller Derby |
| CBS | The Stork Club | 7:30 CBS Television News / 7:45 The Faye Emerson Show | Sure as Fate/Prudential Family Playhouse | The Vaughn Monroe Show | Suspense | Danger | We Take Your Word | |
| DMN | Captain Video and His Video Rangers | 7:30 Manhattan Spotlight / 7:45 The Joan Edwards Show | Court of Current Issues | The Johns Hopkins Science Review | Cavalcade of Bands | Star Time | ||
| NBC | Kukla, Fran and Ollie | 7:30 The Little Show / 7:45 Camel News Caravan | Texaco Star Theater (1/61.6) | Fireside Theatre (2/52.6) | Armstrong Circle Theatre (19/35.6) (Tied with Lights Out and Big Town) |
The Original Amateur Hour (26/33.4) (Tied with Pabst Blue Ribbon Bouts) | ||
Wednesday
[edit]| Network | 7:00 p.m. | 7:30 p.m. | 8:00 p.m. | 8:30 p.m. | 9:00 p.m. | 9:30 p.m. | 10:00 p.m. | 10:30 p.m. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Club Seven | Chance of a Lifetime | First Nighter | Don McNeill's TV Club | Wrestling From the Rainbo in Chicago | |||
| CBS | The Stork Club | 7:30 CBS Television News / 7:45 The Perry Como Show | Arthur Godfrey and His Friends (18/35.9) | Teller of Tales | The Web | Pabst Blue Ribbon Bouts (26/33.4) (Tied with The Original Amateur Hour) | ||
| DMN | Captain Video and His Video Rangers | 7:30 The Most Important People / 7:45 Local Programming | Local Programming | Famous Jury Trials | The Plainclothesman | Broadway to Hollywood – Headline Clues | Local Programming | |
| NBC | Kukla, Fran and Ollie | 7:30 The Mohawk Showroom / 7:45 Camel News Caravan | Four Star Revue | Kraft Television Theatre (14/37.0) | Break the Bank | Stars Over Hollywood | ||
Thursday
[edit]| Network | 7:00 p.m. | 7:30 p.m. | 8:00 p.m. | 8:30 p.m. | 9:00 p.m. | 9:30 p.m. | 10:00 p.m. | 10:30 p.m. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Club Seven | The Lone Ranger (7/41.2) | Stop the Music (23/34.0) | Holiday Hotel | Blind Date | I Cover Times Square | Roller Derby | |
| CBS | The Stork Club | 7:30 CBS Television News / 7:45 The Faye Emerson Show | The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show/Starlight Theatre | The Show Goes On | The Alan Young Show (22/34.4) | Big Town (19/35.6) (Tied with Armstrong Circle Theatre and Lights Out) |
Truth or Consequences | The Nash Airflyte Theater |
| DMN | Captain Video and His Video Rangers | 7:30 Manhattan Spotlight / 7:45 The Joan Edwards Show | Local Programming | The Adventures of Ellery Queen | Local Programming | |||
| NBC | Kukla, Fran and Ollie | 7:30 The Little Show / 7:45 Camel News Caravan | You Bet Your Life (17/36.0) | Hawkins Falls | Kay Kyser's Kollege of Musical Knowledge | Martin Kane, Private Eye (12/37.8) | The Wayne King Show | |
- Wayne King was seen only on NBC's Midwest Network.
Friday
[edit]| Network | 7:00 p.m. | 7:30 p.m. | 8:00 p.m. | 8:30 p.m. | 9:00 p.m. | 9:30 p.m. | 10:00 p.m. | 10:30 p.m. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Club Seven | Life with Linkletter | Twenty Questions | Pro Football Highlights | Pulitzer Prize Playhouse | Penthouse Party | Studs' Place | ||
| CBS | The Stork Club | 7:30 CBS Television News / 7:45 The Perry Como Show | Mama (10/39.7) | Man Against Crime (13/37.4) | Ford Theatre/Magnavox Theatre | Star of the Family | Beat the Clock | ||
| DMN | Captain Video and His Video Rangers | 7:30 The Most Important People / 7:45 The Susan Raye Show | Local Programming | Hold That Camera | Hands of Murder | Rocky King, Inside Detective | Cavalcade of Stars | ||
| NBC | Fall | Kukla, Fran and Ollie | 7:30 The Mohawk Showroom / 7:45 Camel News Caravan | Quiz Kids | We, the People | Bonny Maid Versatile Varieties | The Big Story (25/33.7) / The Clock | 10:00 Gillette Cavalcade of Sports (6/41.3) / 10:45 Greatest Fights of the Century | |
| Spring | The Big Story (25/33.7) | ||||||||
Saturday
[edit]| Network | 7:00 p.m. | 7:30 p.m. | 8:00 p.m. | 8:30 p.m. | 9:00 p.m. | 9:30 p.m. | 10:00 p.m. | 10:30 p.m. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Sandy Dreams | Life with the Erwins | Paul Whiteman's TV Teen Club | Roller Derby | |||||
| CBS | Fall | 6:30 Big Top | 7:30 The Week in Review / 7:45 The Faye Emerson Show | The Ken Murray Show (28/32.1) | The Frank Sinatra Show | Sing It Again | Local Programming | ||
| January | Local Programming | ||||||||
| Summer | Faye Emerson's Wonderful Town | ||||||||
| DMN | Captain Video and His Video Rangers | Local Programming | Country Style | Saturday Night at the Garden | |||||
| NBC | Fall | The Hank McCune Show | One Man's Family | The Jack Carter Show | Your Show of Shows (4/42.6) | Your Hit Parade (29/32.0) | |||
| Summer | Saturday Roundup | ||||||||
Notes: On CBS, Big Top aired from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time from September 1950 to January 6, 1951, after which it moved to Saturdays from noon to 1:00 p.m., where it ran for another seven years. Faye Emerson's Wonderful Town began on June 16, 1951, and concluded its 42-episode run at 9 p.m. on April 12, 1952.
By network
[edit]Note: The * indicates that the program was introduced in midseason.
References
[edit]- ^ a b Castleman, Harry; Walter J. Podrazik (1982). Watching TV: Four Decades of American Television. New York: McGraw-Hill. pp. 53–62. ISBN 0-07-010269-4.
- ^ Heldenfels, R. D. (1994) Television's Greatest Year: 1954. New York: Continuum, pg 177–178. ISBN 0-8264-0675-0
- ^ Highest-rated series is based on the annual top-rated programs list compiled by Nielsen Media Research and reported in: Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows (9th ed.). New York: Ballantine. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4.
- McNeil, Alex. Total Television. Fourth edition. New York: Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-024916-8.
- Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (1964). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows (3rd ed.). New York: Ballantine. ISBN 0-345-31864-1.