1951 in television
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The year 1951 in television involved some significant events. Below is a list of television-related events during 1951.
Events
- March 22 – RCA introduces an eight-pound (3.6 kg) monochrome television camera with a 53-pound (24 kg) backpack transmitter, both operated by batteries. It is the first portable television camera.
- May 28 – Then US Supreme Court upholds the Federal Communications Commission's approval of the CBS color television system.
- June 25 – CBS presents its first commercial color telecast featuring Arthur Godfrey, Ed Sullivan, and Faye Emerson.
- June – RCA demonstrates its new electronic color system.
- August 11 – The first baseball game is televised in color, a double-header between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Boston Braves.
- September 4 – The first live transcontinental television broadcast occurs in San Francisco, California from the Japanese Peace Treaty Conference.
- September 29
- The first live sporting event broadcast coast-to-coast, a college football game between Duke University and the University of Pittsburgh, is televised by NBC.
- CBS broadcasts the first American football game in color, between the University of California and the University of Pennsylvania, at Philadelphia.
- October 3 – The first live coast-to-coast network telecast of a World Series baseball game.
- October 12 – The Holme Moss transmitter is initiated in Northern England, making BBC Television available to the region for the first time.
- October 17 – Television broadcasts begin in Argentina from Primera Televisora Argentina on channel 7, Buenos Aires.
- October 20 – The CBS Eye logo makes its television debut.
- November 11 – Bing Crosby Enterprises demonstrates black-and-white video recording using a modified Ampex tape recorder.
- November 18 – Edward R. Murrow on See It Now presents a split screen view of the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City and the Bay Bridge in San Francisco. It has erroneously been referred to as the first live transcontinental telecast.
- December 24 – The first televised opera composed for television, Amahl and the Night Visitors by Gian Carlo Menotti, is broadcast by NBC.
- Ernie Kovacs' Time for Ernie and Ernie in Kovacsland television series premiere. Kovacs explores the boundaries of television technology with his use of camera tricks and special effects.
Programs/programmes
| Series | Debut | Ended |
|---|---|---|
| Picture Page (UK) | October 8, 1936 | 1939 |
| 1946 | 1952 | |
| The Voice of Firestone Televues | 1943 | 1947 |
| 1949 | 1963 | |
| Kaleidoscope (UK) | November 2, 1946 | 1953 |
| Gillette Cavalcade of Sports | November 8, 1946 | June 24, 1960 |
| Muffin the Mule (UK) | 1946 | 1955 |
| Kraft Television Theater | May 7, 1947 | 1958 |
| Kukla, Fran and Ollie | October 13, 1947 | 1957 |
| Meet the Press | November 6, 1947 | |
| Howdy Doody | December 27, 1947 | September 24, 1960 |
| Café Continental | 1947 | 1953 |
| Juvenile Jury | 1947 | 1954 |
| Small Fry Club | 1947 | 1951 |
| Television Newsreel (UK) | January 5, 1948 | 1954 |
| The Original Amateur Hour | January 18, 1948 | September 27, 1970 |
| Court of Current Issues | February 9, 1948 | June 26, 1951 |
| Author Meets the Critics | April 1948 | October 10, 1954 |
| Hollywood Screen Test | April 15, 1948 | 1953 |
| Texaco Star Theater | June 8, 1948 | 1953 |
| The Ed Sullivan Show | June 20, 1948 | June 6, 1971 |
| Candid Camera | August 10, 1948 | May 23, 2004 |
| CBS Evening News | August 15, 1948 | |
| Foodini the Great | August 23, 1948 | June 23, 1951 |
| Ford Theatre | October 17, 1948 | July 10, 1957 |
| The Alan Dale Show | 1948 | 1951 |
| Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts | 1948 | January 1, 1958 |
| Break the Bank | 1948 | 1957 |
| Celebrity Time | 1948 | September 1952 |
| Club Seven | 1948 | 1951 |
| The Philco Television Playhouse | 1948 | 1955 |
| Winner Take All | 1948 | 1952 |
| The Goldbergs | January 17, 1949 | 1956 |
| Captain Video | June 27, 1949 | April 1, 1955 |
| Mama | July 1, 1949 | March 17, 1957 |
| Martin Kane, Private Eye | August 7, 1949 | June 17, 1954 |
| The Lone Ranger | September 15, 1949 | June 6, 1957 |
| Come Dancing (UK) | September 29, 1949 | 1995 |
| The Aldrich Family | October 2, 1949 | May 29, 1953 |
| January 2, 1953 | August 22, 1958 | |
| The Ruggles | November 3, 1949 | June 19, 1952 |
| One Man's Family | November 4, 1949 | June 21, 1952 |
| March 1, 1954 | April 1, 1955 | |
| Arthur Godfrey and His Friends | 1949 | 1959 |
Debuts
- January 3 – Dragnet, crime drama, on NBC (1951–1959)
- March 3 – Watch Mr. Wizard on NBC (1951–1965)[1]
- June 16 – Faye Emerson's Wonderful Town, variety show, with Faye Emerson and Skitch Henderson, on CBS
- July 6 – Front Page Detective debuts on Dumont.[2]
- July 16 – A British version of the What's My Line?, game show, on BBC (Like its American counterpart, it became one of the top-rated programs for the rest of the decade and make a celebrity of its host, Eamonn Andrews)
- September 3 – The first long-running soap opera, Search for Tomorrow, on the CBS (1951–1986)
- September 24 – Love of Life on CBS (1951–1980)
- October 15 – Situation comedy I Love Lucy, starring Lucille Ball with her real-life husband, Desi Arnaz, on CBS (1951–1957); produced on film in front of a studio audience, using three film cameras, instead of being broadcast live, and making Ball the world's first major female television star
- Television version of Amos & Andy (1951–1953)
- The Roy Rogers Show (1951–1957), on NBC, starring Roy Rogers and Dale Evans
- Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951–present)
Ending during 1951
| Date | Show | Debut |
|---|---|---|
| January 16 | The Alan Dale Show | 1948 |
| July 18 | Four Star Revue[3] | Unknown |
| August 29 | Stars Over Hollywood[2] | 1950 |
| Unknown | Club Seven | 1948 |
Births
| Date | Name | Notability |
|---|---|---|
| January 7 | Helen Worth | British actress (Coronation Street) |
| January 12 | Kirstie Alley | Actress (Cheers) |
| Rush Limbaugh | Radio talk show host & commentator | |
| January 15 | Charo | Actress, singer, guitarist |
| January 26 | Walt Willey | Actor |
| February 15 | Jane Seymour | Actress (Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman) |
| February 16 | William Katt | Actor (The Greatest American Hero) |
| February 23 | Patricia Richardson | Actress (Home Improvement) |
| March 8 | Deborah Harmon | Actress |
| March 17 | Kurt Russell | Actor |
| March 19 | Fred Berry | Actor (What's Happening!!) (d. 2003) |
| April 13 | Peter Davison | Actor (Doctor Who) |
| April 21 | Tony Danza | Actor (Who's the Boss?) |
| June 13 | Richard Thomas | Actor (The Waltons) |
| June 27 | Julia Duffy | Actress (Newhart) |
| July 12 | Cheryl Ladd | Actress (Charlie's Angels) |
| July 17 | Lucie Arnaz | Actress (Here's Lucy), daughter of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz |
| July 21 | Robin Williams | Actor (Mork & Mindy) (d. 2014) |
| July 23 | Edie McClurg | Actress (The Hogan Family) |
| July 24 | Lynda Carter | Actress (Wonder Woman) |
| August 6 | Catherine Hicks | Actress (Annie Camden on 7th Heaven) |
| August 14 | Carl Lumbly | Actor (Cagney and Lacey) |
| September 2 | Mark Harmon | Actor (NCIS) |
| September 5 | Michael Keaton | Actor |
| September 7 | Julie Kavner | Actress (Marge on The Simpsons) |
| September 12 | Joe Pantoliano | Actor |
| October 18 | Pam Dawber | Actress (Mork & Mindy) |
| October 30 | Harry Hamlin | Actor (L.A. Law) |
| November 6 | Nigel Havers | English actor (Don't Wait Up) |
| November 9 | Lou Ferrigno | Actor (The Incredible Hulk) |
| December 1 | Treat Williams | Actor (Everwood) |
| December 4 | Patricia Wettig | Actress (Brothers & Sisters) |
| December 5 | Morgan Brittany | Actress (Dallas) |
References
- ^ Watch Mr. Wizard at Encyclopedia of Television
- ^ a b Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (1979). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows: 1946-Present. Ballantine Books. ISBN 0-345-25525-9.
- ^ McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television. Penguin Books USA, Inc. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.