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&  Television  Page
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Current Filmmakers XXth Century Directors Early Filmmakers Foreign Cinema Favorite Films (and Why) Film Genres Actors: Stars & Unknowns Movies: Great & Unsung Film Festivals & Orgns Reference & Technical Film Businesses Page

pioneers of radio & TV early TV programs old time TV commercials links important dates old time radio fiction books music on page two: videos & DVDs, A-Z non-fiction books

"When television is bad, nothing is worse. You will observe a vast wasteland." —  Newton N. Minow  (9 May 1961) "There is a great and perhaps decisive battle to be fought against ignorance, intolerance and indifference. This weapon of television could be useful. Stonewall Jackson, who knew something about the use of weapons, is reported to have said, 'When war comes, you must draw the sword and throw away the scabbard.' The trouble with television is that it is rusting in the scabbard during a battle for survival.” —  journalist Edward R. Murrow [1908-65] "Life doesn't imitate art, it imitates bad television." —  Woody Allen "(Television) won't be able to hold on to any market it captures after the first six months. People will soon get tired of staring at a plywood box every night." —  Darryl F. Zanuck, in 1946

Magic Lantern's Television & Radio Networks Page

Magic Lantern's History of Cinema Page
Books About Hollywood & Cinema History

Old Time Radio Page at Spirit of America Bookstore

Radio  &  Television  Pioneers

	"Pioneers of Primetime" [P.B.S. Nov 1995] 1-hour b&w/color documentary; extras on DVD include extended interviews with Steve Allen, Milton Berle, Buddy Ebsen, Donald O'Connor, Rose Marie & Red Skelton Produced & directed by Steve Boettcher; written by John Hoylman & Jack Jones P.B.S. Paramount widescreen b&w/color DVD [11/2005] for $16.99 full credits at IMDb • official P.B.S. program site
	"The Golden Age of TV Comedy" DVD Box Set [2006] featuring 25 half-hour shows, some with commercials included: "The Beaulah Show" (2 episodes); "The Burns & Allen Show" (3 episodes); "The Jack Benny Show" (3 episodes); "Duffy's Tavern" (2 episodes); "Jackson & Jill" (3 episodes); "Life With Elizabeth" with Betty White (4 episodes); "Love That Bob" (1 episode); "The People's Choice" (1 episode); "Topper" (1 episode); and "Trouble With Father" with Stu Erwin (5 episodes) Passport b&w DVD [4/2006] 5 disks - out of prodn/used
	"Pioneers of Television" [P.B.S. Jan 2008] 4-episode mini-series: Late Night, Sitcoms, Game Shows, Variety Directed by Steve Boettcher; written by Mike Trinklein P.B.S. Paramount widescreen b&w/color DVD [1/2008] for $22.49 full credits at IMDb • official P.B.S. program site
	"TV's Greatest Comedians: A Tribute To The Pioneers of Television Comedy" [2008] 90-minute program featuring 14 of America's most-loved comedians & comedy teams from the golden age of television comedy: Allen & Rossi, Steve Allen, Lucille Ball, Jack Benny, Milton Berle, Burns & Allen, Sid Caesar, Jackie Gleason, Bob Hope, Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis, Groucho Marx, Red Skelton, Danny Thomas, and Ed Wynn Directed by Tom Edinger; hosted by Gene Rayburn • not listed on IMDb Marshall Publg & Promotions color DVD [1/2008] for $12.95

"The Golden Age of Comedy" video series from TimeLife

	"The Golden Age of Comedy: Hail! Ceasar and Uncle Miltie" [undated] 85-minute compilation featuring Steve Allen, Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, Ezzard Charles, Howard Morris, and Carl Reiner • not listed on IMDb TimeLife b&w DVD [undated] out of prodn/used
	"The Golden Age of Comedy: Here's Johnny" [undated] ??-minute combination of "The Timex All-Star Comedy Show" with Mel Brooks, Johnny Carson, Buddy Hackett & Carl Reiner; and "The Wonderful World of Burlesque" TV special with Lucille Ball, Jerry Lewis & Danny Thomas TimeLife b&w DVD [undated] out of prodn/used
	"The Golden Age of Comedy: A Really Big Show" [undated] 75-minute combination of "The Colgate Comedy Hour with Abbott & Costello" with Vera Zorina; and "The Colgate Comedy Hour with Martin & Lewis" spoofing Ed Sullivan, with Jimmy Durante, Tony Curtis & Janet Leigh TimeLife b&w DVD [undated] out of prodn/used
	"The Golden Age of Comedy" [2005] 160-minute compilation featuring Abbott & Costello's "Who's On First" routine, Lucille Ball & Desi Arnaz, Jack Benny, Bob Hope, Harpo Marx, and Red Skelton TimeLife b&w DVD [undated] out of prodn/used
	"The Golden Age of Comedy" 4-disk DVD Set [2005] includes the Carson-Thomas, Caesar-Berle, Abbott & Costello-Lucy & Desi, and 'Really Big Show' disks {as above}, plus extras featuring Jackie Gleason, The 2000-Year-Old Man, and 'Legends of Stand-Up' TimeLife b&w DVD set [9/2005] 4 disks for $19.99
	"The Golden Age of Comedy: The Secret Word Is Jack" [undated] 80-minute combination of three "Jack Benny Show" episodes featuring Jack and his usual crew, plus guest stars Humphrey Bogart, Bob Hope & Groucho Marx TimeLife b&w DVD [undated] out of prodn/used TimeLife b&w VHS [undated] for $25.99
	"The Golden Age of Comedy: Clubhouse Comedy" [undated] 80-minute combination of "The Phil Silvers Special" with Polly Bergen; "The Ernie Kovacs Show" with Edie Adams; and a bonus segment featuring Soupy Sales TimeLife b&w DVD [undated] out of prodn/used
	"The Golden Age of Comedy: Bob Loves Lucy" [undated] 75-minute combination of "The Ed Wynn Show" [Dec 1949] with Buster Keaton; and "The Bob Hope Chevy Show" [Oct 1956] with Lucy & Desi TimeLife b&w DVD [undated] out of prodn/used
	"The Golden Age of Comedy: Who's On First" [undated] 80-minute combination of "The Colgate Hour with Abbott & Costello" [Jan 1951] with Lon Chaney Jr.; and "The Colgate Hour with Martin & Lewis" [Jan 1952] with Sheldon Leonard TimeLife b&w DVD [undated] out of prodn/used
	"The Golden Age of Comedy: Slowly I Turn . . ." [undated] 90-minute combination of "The Jack Benny Show" with Fred Allen; "The Camel Comedy Caravan" with Ed Wynn and The Three Stooges; and "The Colgate Comedy Hour with Abbott & Costello" with Errol Flynn TimeLife b&w DVD [undated] out of prodn/used
	"The Golden Age of Comedy: Say Goodnight, Gracie" [undated] 75-minute combination of three "Burns & Allen Show" episodes, with George Burns & Gracie Allen, and guest star Jack Benny TimeLife b&w DVD [undated] for $6.99
	"The Golden Age of Comedy: Somebody Up There Should Stay There" 80-minute combination of two "Red Skelton Show" episodes with Red Skelton, Peter Lorre and Harpo Marx; bonus segments feature Groucho Marx, Jimmy Durante & John Wayne TimeLife b&w DVD [undated] out of prodn/used

Magic Lantern's
Abbott & Costello Page

browse Bud Abbott on DVD
browse Lou Costello on DVD

Magic Lantern's
Steve Allen  [1921-2000] Page

Milton Berle  [1908-2002]
browse Milton Berle on DVD • IMDb listing • Wikipedia

"The Milton Berle Collection" [2004] from the 'Milton Berle Buick Show' [1953-55] Passport b&w DVD [2/2004] 5 disks for $26.99

  Stan Chambers
television reporter for KTLA-TV 5 in Los Angeles since 1947
KTLA homepage • IMDb listing • Wikipedia

Stan Chambers Journalism Awards [est. 1999]
A.P.T.R.A. annually presents the Stan Chambers Lifetime Achievement Award
2009 inductee of the A.P.T.R.A. Hall of Fame

“KTLA's News At Ten: 60 Years With Stan Chambers” [2008] by Stan Chambers, with Lynn Price Behler Publns 8¼x5½ pb [2/2008] for $1.66

Walter Cronkite  [1916-2009]
browse Walter Cronkite on DVD • IMDb listing • Wikipedia

"A Reporter's Life" [1996] by Walter Cronkite Ballantine Books 8¼x5½ pb [10/97] for $12.44 Knopf 9½x6½ hardcover [11/96] for $19.80

Philo T. Farnsworth  [1906-71]
The Inventor of Modern Television

Ernie Kovacs  [1919-62]
browse Ernie Kovacs on DVD • IMDb listing • Wikipedia

"The Ernie Kovacs Show" (TV Series 1952–1956) /tt0044262/
"The Ernie Kovacs Show" (TV 1957) /tt1218019/
"Operation Mad Ball" feature film [1957]
starring Jack Lemmon, Kathryn Grant, Ernie Kovacs, Mickey Rooney, Arthur O'Connell

"Zoomar: A Sophisticated Novel About Love and TV" [1957] by Ernie Kovacs A comic romp, (loosely) based on the life & career of television pioneer Pat Weaver Bantam mass pb [1959] out of print/scarce Doubleday hardcover [1957] out of print/scarce Doubleday hardcover [1957] out of print/used

"Bell, Book, and Candle" feature film [1958]
starring James Stewart, Kim Novak, Jack Lemmon, Ernie Kovacs & Hermione Gingold

"Silents Please" 4-episode TV series [1961] /tt0053536/
Hosted by Ernie Kovacs, researched by William K. Everson
"The Ernie Kovacs Special" [Dumont/ABC Nov 1961] /tt1218020/

"The Best of Ernie Kovacs" [1977 P.B.S. series] White Star b&w DVD [11/2000] 2 disks out of prodn/used Kultur Video b&w VHS [4/92] 5 tapes for $30.97

"Ernie Kovacs: Television's Original Genius" [1982 TV] /tt0083898/
"Ernie Kovacs: Between The Laughter" [1984 TV movie] starring Jeff Goldblum
"The Ernie Kovacs Phile" [Simon & Schuster 1987] by David Walley
"Kovacsland: A Biography of Ernie Kovacs" [HB&J 1990] by Diana Rico
"The Importance of Being Ernie" stage play [2004] by Sean Sanczel

"The Ernie Kovacs Collection" [2011]   includes episodes from his local & national morning shows; episodes from his NBC-TV prime-time show; 3 kinescopes of "Tonight!" 1956 & 1957; "Kovacs On Music"; five ABC-TV specials; the color version of his legendary silent show, "Eugene"; award-winning commercials for Dutch Masters Cigars; and a 44-page booklet Shout! Factory DVD set [4/2011] 6 disks for $50.99

"Ernie Kovacs & Early TV Comedy: Nothing in Moderation" [5/2011] by Andrew Horton
http://www.amazon.com/Ernie-Kovacs-Early-Comedy-Moderation/dp/0292728867/

Robert Q. Lewis  [1920-91]
IMDb listing [1939-86] • Wikipedia

Groucho Marx  [1890-1977]

Groucho Marx Section on Magic Lantern's Marx Brothers Page

browse Groucho Marx on DVD at Amazon

Magic Lantern's
Edward R. Murrow  [1908-65]  Page

Edward R. Murrow Quotations Page at Working Minds Philosophy website

Jack Paar  [1918-2004]
IMDb listing • Wikipedia

"The Jack Paar Collection" [2004] Shout Factory color DVD [3/2004] 3 disks for $26.99 includes the documentary "Smart Television: The Best of Jack Paar" [P.B.S. 2003] and 3 episodes of the prime-time "The Jack Paar Program" [1962-65]

Nikola Tesla  [1856-1943]
The Inventor of Radio

Early  Television  Programs

"The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin" TV series [1954-59]
"Amos 'n' Andy"
Bob Clampett's "Time For Beany"
"Captain Kangaroo"
"Engineer Bill"
"Howdy Doodie & Buffalo Bob"
"Kukla, Fran & Ollie"
Laurel & Hardy
"Little Rascals" {syndication of 'Our Gang' shorts}
"Perry Mason" tv series [1957-66]
"Sheriff John"
'The Three Stooges' {syndication from 1958}
"The Twilight Zone"
"Watching Mr. Wizard" [1951-65]
"Webster Webfoot"

at 'Readers of The Purple Sage' Western Bookstore
Elfego Baca [Disney TV series 1958-60]
Cisco Kid & Pancho Page
Hopalong Cassidy Page
"The Life & Legend of Wyatt Earp" [TV series 1955-61]
The Lone Ranger Page
"Zorro" [Disney TV series 1957-61]

	"1950s TV's Greatest Westerns" [2002] indep 5-hour DVD set [7/2002] 3 disks for $24.99 contains 12 TV episodes, 1949-1960: "The Adventures of Jim Bowie (1956 episode) starring Scott Forbes; "Annie Oakley" (1956 episode) starring Gail Davis; "Bat Masterson" (1958 episode) starring Gene Barry; "The Cisco Kid" (1951 color episode) starring Duncan Renaldo & Leo Carillo; "Death Valley Days" (1953 episode) hosted by Stanley Andrews; "Fury" (1956 episode) starring Peter Graves; "Judge Roy Bean" (1955 episode) starring Edgar Buchanan; "The Lone Ranger" (1949 episode) starring Clayton Moore & Jay Silverheels; "The Roy Rogers Show" (1955 episode) starring Roy Roger & Dale Evans; "Sergeant Preston of The Yukon" (1957 episode) starring Richard Simmons; "Sky King" (1958 episode) starring Kirby Grant; and "Tate" (1960 pilot) starring David McLean
	"1950s TV's Greatest Detectives" [2002] remastered b&w DVD [7/2002] 3 disks for $24.99 includes 12 TV episodes, 1951-1959: "Martin Kane, Private Eye" (1951) with William Gargan; "Dick Tracy" (1952) with Ralph Byrd; "Dragnet" (1952) with Jack Webb; "Man Against Crime" (1952) with Ralph Bellamy; "Mr. & Mrs. North" (1952) with Richard Denning & Barbara Britton; "Mystery Theatre Presents" (1952) with Tom Conway; "I Am The Law" (1953) with George Raft; "The Lone Wolf" (1954) with Louis Hayward; "Sherlock Holmes" (1954) with Ronald Howard; "Gangbusters" (1955) with Myron Healey; "Treasury Men In Action" (1955) with Charles Bronson; and "Peter Gunn" (1959) with Craig Stevens
	"Best of TV Detectives" 150-episode DVD Box Set [2007] Mill Creek Ent. b&w/color DVD [6/2007] 12 disks for $19.99 includes 150 episodes from: "The Adventures of Dr. Fu Manchu" [1956]; "The Adventures of Ellery Queen" [1950]; "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" [1955] hosted by Alfred Hitchcock; "Bulldog Drummond" [1957 pilot]; "Burke's Law" [1963] starring Gene Barry; "The Cases of Eddie Drake" [1952]; "Checkmate" [1960]; "Code 3" [1957] hosted by Richard Travis; "Colonel March of Scotland Yard" [1956] starring Boris Karloff; "The Court of Last Resort" [1957] created by Erle Stanley Gardner; "Decoy" [1957] starring Beverly Garland; "Dick Tracy" [1950] 6 episodes starring Ralph Byrd;"Dragnet" [1951-59] 25 episodes starring Jack Webb; "Federal Men" [1950] 5 epiosdes; "Follow That Man" [1949-54] 6 episodes starring Ralph Bellamy; "Front Page Detective"

[1951] starring Edmund Lowe; "Gang Busters" [1951]; "I'm The Law" [1953] starring George Raft; "The Lawless Years" [1959] 6 episodes; "Lock Up" [1959] 8 episodes starring Macdonald Carey; "Lone Wolf" [1955] starring Louis Hayward; "The Man Behind the Badge" [1953] 6 episodes; "Man With A Camera" [1958] starring Charles Bronson; "Mannix" [1967-75] starring Mike Connors; "Martin Kane, Private Eye" [1949] 6 episodes; "Miami Undercover" [1961]; "Michael Shayne" [1960] starring Richard Denning; "Mr. & Mrs. North" [1952] 16 episodes starring Richard Denning & Barbara Britton; "The Public Defender" [1954-56] starring Reed Hadley; "Racket Squad" [1951] 7 episodes starring Reed Hadley; "Richard Diamond, Private Detective" [1957-60] starring David Janssen; "The Shadow" [1954 pilot]; "Sheriff of Cochise" [1956-58] starring John Bromfield; and "U.S. Marshal" [1958-60] starring John Bromfield

"The Golden Age of Television" DVD Box Set [2009] Criterion Collection b&w DVD [11/2009] 3 disks for $37.99 contains 8 live teleplays: "Marty" (24 May 1953) written by Paddy Chayefsky, starring Rod Steiger; "Patterns" (15 Jan 1955) written by Rod Serling, starring Ed Begley; "No Time For Sergeants" (15 March 1955) starring Andy Griffith & Harry Clark; "A Wind From The South" (14 Sept 1955) written by James Costigan, starring Julie Harris; "Bang The Drum Slowly" (26 Sept 1956) starring Paul Newman & Albert Salmi; "Requiem For A Heavy-weight" (11 Oct 1956) written by Rod Serling, starring Anthony Quinn, Jackie Gleason & Mickey Rooney; double Emmy-winner "The Comedian" (17 Feb 1957) adapted by Rod Serling, starring Mickey Rooney & Mel Tormι; "Days of Wine and Roses" (2 Oct 1958) starring Cliff Robertson

Old Time TV Commercials

	"Classic Commercials"on DVD [2005] The first disk has 9 chapters: Cigarettes & Cigars, Cleaning Products, Cosmetics & Medications, Clothes & Accessories, Appliances, Automobiles, Toys, and Public Service Announcements; the second disk has 4 chapters: Food & Drugs, Celebrities, The Drugstore, and Horror & Sci-Fi – over 200 'spots', almost four hours in all! Madacy color/b&w DVD [5/2005] 2 disks - out of prodn/used
	"TV Commercials: The Ultimate Collection" on DVD [2008] 613 nostalgic TV 'spots', running almost ten hours: classic car, food & beverage, celebrity, cigarette, and toy commercials, plus more! St. Clair Vision color/b&w DVD [8/2008] 6 disks - out of prodn/used
	"1001 Classic Commercials" on DVD [2009] Mill Creek Ent. color/b&w DVD [7/2009] 3 disks for $4.49
	"Retro TV Commercials of The 50s and 60s" on DVD [2009] retro TV commercials for cereal, candy, cosmetics, automobiles & tires, appliances, soaps, toothpaste, cigarettes & tobacco, gas companies, coffee, snack foods, soda pop, watches, beerbanks, dog food, – all of American commerce, including Baggies, Chiquita Bananas, Gillette Foamy, RCA Radios, and political commercials from the presidential campaigns of Eisenhower, Nixon, Lyndon Johnson, and John Kennedy PR Studios DVD [2/2009] for $15.99 PR Studios DVD [1/2010] for $15.99
	"Commercials From The 50s, 60s, and 70s!" [2010] retro TV commercials for cereal, candy, cosmetics, floor wax, automobiles, appliances, soaps, toothpaste, cigarettes & tobacco, gas companies, insurance, soups, fast food, coffee, car rental, computers, snack foods, soda pop, banks, dog food, watches, beer, airlines – all of American commerce, including Arthur Murray, Aunt Jemima, Brylcreem, Coca Cola, Handi Wipes, Lady Sunbeam, Paper-Mate, Pepto Bismol, Polaroid, Tang, 3M Copiers, Texaco, Toastem Pop-ups, Vicks Vapo-Rub & Yuban Volume 1: PR Studios DVD [7/2010] for $14.49 Volume 2: PR Studios DVD [8/2010] for $15.99
	"Classic Cigarette Commercials" on DVD [2010] 116 minutes of people having so much fun smoking tobacco products! PR Studios DVD [2/2010] for $15.99
	"Classic Car Commercials and Ad Shorts" on DVD [2010] commercials & 'news' shorts for many brands, including Chevrolet, Corvair, Corvette, Dodge, the futuristic Firebird, General Motors' Frigidaire, Hertz, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Renault Dauphine, and Volkswagon Beetle PR Studios DVD [3/2010] for $15.99
	"Chevrolet, G.M., and The Golden Age of The American Car" TV ads on DVD [2010] 111 minutes of retro TV commercials and promo shorts, which seem to be all General Motors products PR Studios color/b&w DVD [10/2010] for $15.99

Television  &  Radio  Links

Museum of Broadcast Communications [est. 1987] in Chicago, IL
"TV History: The First 75 Years" website
Early Television Museum/Foundation in Hilliard, OH
F.C.C. History of Television pages
ArtLinksList.com - arts directory / TV
Television Station Index
Radio Locator station listings website
50 Years of Western Australia TV
National Media Museum [est. 1983] in Bradford, West Yorkshire, U.K.
Associated Press Television-Radio Association
A.P.T.R.A. Hall of Fame [est. 2009]

Important  Dates  in  the  History of  Radio  &  Television 1877 June 4: Patent application for the variable resistence carbon microphone filed by Emile Berliner. 1893 Feb: Genius inventor Nikola Tesla lectured on the principles of 'wireless telegraphy' [broadcast radio] at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, PA. 1896: Genius inventor Nikola Tesla built his first working radio transmitter & receiver devices (five years before Marconi). 1900 Aug 25: Russian scientist Constantin Perskyi coined the term 'television' in a paper read in Paris, France, to describe still photographs transmitted over wires. 1900 Dec 23: Reginald A. Fessenden of Canada broadcast the first known transmission of the human voice over the radio, for a distance of about one mile. 1901 Dec 12: First transmission of a radio signal across the Atlantic, sent from Poldhu, Cornwall, U.K. and received by Guglielmo Marconi at St. John's, Newfoundland. 1902 Dec 17: First eastward transmission of a radio signal across the Atlantic, sent from Marconi's transmitter station at Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada. 1906 Dec 24: Canadian physicist Reginald A. Fessenden made the first trans- mission of pre-recorded music over the radio, from Brant Rock, MA – the potential audience was radio-telegraph operators aboard ship in the Atlantic Ocean – and is considered the first 'disk jockey'. 1907 Oct 17: Guglielmo Marconi began limited commercial wireless telegraph service between Nova Scotia and Ireland. 1911 March 24: Birthday of animator Joseph Barbera. 1919 Oct 17: Creation of the Radio Corporation of America. 1921 Jan 2: First U.S. radio broadcast of religious services, of the regular Sunday services of Calvary Episcopal Church on K.D.K.A. in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 1921 Oct 5: First broadcast of baseball's World Series on radio. 1922 June 14: Warren G. Harding became the first U.S. President heard on radio, as Baltimore station WEAR aired his speech dedicating the Francis Scott Key Memorial at Fort McHenry. 1923 Dec 6: The first radio broadcast of a presidential address, of President Coolidge speaking to a joint session of Congress. 1924 Feb 8: First coast-to-coast radio broadcast. 1924 Feb 12: The first radio speech broadcast by a U.S. presidant, by President Coolidge. 1924 Feb 22: President Coolidge delivered the first radio speech broadcast from the White House. 1926 Sept 9: The National Broadcasting Company was founded by Radio Corporation of America. 1926 Nov 15: Launch of the National Broadcasting Company, with a network of 24 radio stations. 1926 Dec 25: Prof. Kenjiro Takayanagi of Japan displayed a rough image transmitted electronically on a cathode ray tube. 1927 April 7: First successful public transmission of a long-distance television image, that of Commerce Secretary Herbert Hoover. 1927 Sept 18: Launch of the Columbia Phonograph Broadcasting System [later CBS] with a network of 16 radio stations. 1927 Sept 23: Invention of electronic scanning devices for television broadcast and receiving by Philo T. Farnsworth. 1928 Dec 23: National Broadcasting Company set up a permanent coast-to-coast radio network. 1932 Dec 25: The British Broadcasting Company inaugurated the Empire Service {forerunner of B.B.C. World Service). King George V gave the first royal broadcast to the Empire, written by the author Rudyard Kipling. 1933 Jan 30: First broadcast of the "Lone Ranger" radio program, over station WXYZ in Detroit, Michigan; the radio series ended 3 September 1954. 1934 June 19: The Federal Communications Commission was created, replacing the Federal Radio Commission. 1934 Aug 25: First public demonstration of electronic scanning television by Philo T. Farnsworth at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, PA. 1935 Dec 19: First public demonstration of F.M. radio, by American inventor Edwin Howard Armstrong. 1936 Nov 2: The British Broadcasting Corp. began 'high definition' television service from Alexandra Palace in London. They also broadcast the first television news that same year. 1938 Oct 30: Orson Welles's notorious "War of the Worlds" radio hoax, aired over the C.B.S. Network. 1939: R.C.A. began selling the first commercial television receivers. 1939 July 18: First broadcast from a commercial FM radio station, in Alpine N.J. 1939 Aug 16: First major league baseball games shown on television, over experimental station W2XBS – a double header between the Cincinnati Reds and the Brooklyn Dodgers. 1941 July 1: First ever TV ad, for Bulova Watches, on W.N.B.T. New York City. 1943: The U.S. Supreme Court found that Nikola Tesla was the inventor of wireless radio, based on the 1893 publication of his lecture at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, PA. 1943 Oct 14: Radio Corporation of America completed sale of its NBC Blue Network for $8 million to businessman Edward J. Noble; soon renamed the American Broadcasting Company. 1946 Oct 30: R.C.A. publicly demonstrated an all-electronic system of color TV, on a 15x20-inch screen. 1947 Jan 22: Station W6XYZ in Los Angeles, CA changed call letters to KTLA-TV 5, the first commercial TV west of Chicago. 1947 Oct 5: President Harry S. Truman delivered the first televised White House address. 1948: The United States leaped from fewer than 200,000 TV sets to 975,000 TV sets by the end of the year. 1948 Feb 16: First nightly television news broadcast, "The Camel Newsreel Theatre" on NBC-TV, showing Fox-MovieTone newsreels narrated by John Cameron Swayze. 1948 June 8: Debut of "Texaco Star Theater" on NBC-TV starring Milton Berle. 1949 Jan 31: Debut of the first network daytime 'soap opera' television program "These Are My Children" from the N.B.C. afffiliate station in Chicago, which lasted only four weeks. 1949 Sept 15: First broadcast of the "Lone Ranger" television program, over the A.B.C. network; the last new episode of the TV series aired 6 June 1957. 1951 June 25: First commercial color television broadcast - CBS transmitted a one-hour special program from New York City to four other cities. 1951 Sept 4: First live, coast-to-coast television broadcast as President Truman addressed the nation from the Japanese peace treaty conference in San Francisco, CA. 1952 Jan 14: Premiere of NBC's "Today Show" with Dave Garroway as 'communicator' (host). 1952 Sept 6: Canadian television broadcasting began in Montreal, PQ. 1953 March 19: Academy Awards ceremony televised for the first time. 1953 Dec 17: First national broadcasts of R.C.A./N.T.S.C. color television, on C.B.S. at 6:15 pm and on N.B.C. at 6:30 pm. 1954 Jan 1: N.B.C. broadcast the Pasadena Rose Parade in color on 21 stations. 1954 April 6: Four weeks after Edward R. Murrow's on-air exposι, Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy delivered a filmed response on "See It Now" (CBS News) charging that Murrow had in the past "engaged in propoganda for Communist causes". 1954 Sept 27: Debut of NBC's 'Tonight!' show, hosted by Steve Allen. 1954 Nov 25: First coast-to-coast live broadcast of a comedy/drama – and it was in color! A 1-hour live episode of Lux Video Theatre, "A Medal For Benny", adapted by S.H. Barnett from the 1945 movie co-written by John Steinbeck & Jack Wagner; directed by Buzz Kulik; starring Rick Jason, Anne Bancroft & J. Carrol Naish 1955: First nationally-televised Emmy Awards Show, hosted by Steve Allen. 1956: Indoor TV antennas, called 'rabbit ears', went on the market. Fall 1956: First wireless remote control for televison sets introduced - the "Zenith Space Command". 1956 Oct 29: "The Huntley-Brinkley Report" news program premiered as NBC's nightly tv news broadcast, replacing "The Camel News Caravan" (which began in Feb 1948). 1959: With only three national TV networks in the U.S., there were 48 primetime Western series on the air. 1960 Oct 1: Debut of the "Flintstones" prime-time TV cartoon series from Hanna-Barbera. 1961 May 9: Television programming condemned as a 'vast wasteland' by F.C.C. Commissioner Newton N. Minow in a speech at the National Association of Broadcasters. 1962 April 24: Massachusetts Institute of Technology achieved the first satellite relay of a television signal, between Camp Parks, CA and Westford, MA. 1970 Sept 21: "NFL Monday Night Football" debuted on ABC-TV. 1971 Sept: Implementation of the F.C.C.'s Prime Time Access Rule that restricted the amount of network programming that local television stations owned by or affiliated with a network could air during 'prime time'; the policy was repealed in 1996. 1974: Two-thirds of U.S. homes had color TV sets. 1976 Dec: Media mogul Ted Turner originated the 'superstation' cable channel concept by transmitting by satelite from WTCG-TV in Atlanta, Georgia; Turner Broadcasting later sold to Time Warner. 1980 June 1: Debut of C.N.N. {Cable News Network}. 1991 Dec: Ted Turner named Time Magazine's Person of The Year (first such for a media figure). 1996 Oct 10: Time Warner purchased and merged with Turner Broadcasting. 1996 Oct 17: Launch of the Fox News Channel. 2000 Jan: A.O.L. {America Online} purchased and merged with Time Warner (announced January 10, filed Fabruary 11); company name was changed to AOL Time Warner 2003: Drastic changes in internet business created gigantic loss in A.O.L.'s value; power shift at AOL Time Warner included dropping AOL from company name. 2009 June 12: The end of analog television broadcasting in the U.S., the final switch-over to digital broadcast TV. 2009 Dec 2: Cable giant Comcast announced its offer for 51% ownership of NBC-Universal broadcast TV network. NBC Universal is valued at $30 billion; Comcast offered parent General Electric $6.5 billion in cash and $7.25 billion in assets to offset $9.1 billion in debt to third party lenders. 2010 Jan 22: Progressive radio network Air America [est. March 2004] ceased operations and filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy, due to incompetent management. 2010 Oct: Public television station K.C.E.T. in Los Angeles, California announced its intention to pull out of the P.B.S. affiliate ranks at year’s end after 40 years as a flagship West Coast outlet & producer for the network. JM's detailed chronology of U.S. television history

Fiction  About  Radio  &  TV
{ in chronological order }

	"The Great Man" A Novel" [1955] by Al Morgan When a popular radio commentator dies in a car accident, his successor is ordered to produce an hour-long tribute, but he can't find anyone who knew the guy with good things to say about him. Pocket/Cardinal mass pb [1957] out of print/scarce Dutton 7¾x5¼ hardcover [1955] out of print/used "The Great Man" feature film [Universal Dec 1956] Co-written & directed by & starring Josι Ferrer; based on the novel by Albert E. Morgan; also starring Dean Jagger, Keenan Wynn, Julie London, Joanne Gilbert, Ed Wynn, Jim Backus, Lyle Talbot, Henny Backus & Johnny Grant • VHS/DVD/Blu-ray not available • full credits at IMDb
	"The God of Channel 1" [1956] by Frederik Pohl (writing as Donald Stacy) "The diamond-hard novel of a man who became TV's biggest personality"; the Danny Dahl character is perhaps modeled after C.B.S.'s daily host Arthur Godfrey [1903-83] Ballantine mass pb [1956] out of print/scarce Ballantine mass pb [1956] for out of print/scarce
	"Zoomar: A Sophisticated Novel About Love and TV" [1957] by Ernie Kovacs A comic romp, (loosely) based on the life & career of television pioneer Pat Weaver Bantam mass pb [1959] out of print/scarce Doubleday hardcover [1957] out of print/scarce Doubleday hardcover [1957] out of print/used
	"The 21-Inch Screen" [1958] by Edwin Fadiman, Jr. "On television, Rex Lundy was the idol of millions, off-camera he was a cheating husband, an indifferent father, and a ruthless lover." Signet/NAL mass pb [1959] out of print/used Signet/NAL mass pb [1959] out of print/used Doubleday hardcover [1958] out of print/used

"Anchor Woman" [1974] by Al Morgan
Stein & Day mixed editions [1974] out of print/used

New York TV exec Matt Cobb mystery series [1978-96] by William L. DeAndrea [1952-96] "Killed In The Ratings" [HBJ 1978] hardcover out of print/many used • pb out of print/used "Killed In The Act" [Doubleday 1981] hardcover out of print/used • pb out of print/used "Killed With A Passion" [Doubleday 1983] hardcover out of print/used "Killed On The Ice" [Doubleday 1984] hardcover out of print/used • pb out of print/used "Killed In Paradise" [Mysterious Press 1988] hardcover out of print/used • pb out of print/used "Killed On The Rocks" [Mysterious Press 1990] hardcover out of print/many used • pb out of print/many used "Killed In Fringe Time" [S&S 1995] hardcover out of print/used "Killed In the Fog" [S&S 1996] hardcover out of print/used

	"The Evening News: A Novel" [1990] by Arthur Hailey, author of "Hotel" [1965] & "Airport" [1968] A Maoist terrorist group in South America kidnaps the wife, son & father-in-law of CBA-TV's American news anchor Crawford Sloane. Doubleday 9x6 pb [7/2001] for $23.00 Doubleday 9½x6½ hardcover [3/90] out of print/hundreds used
	"WLT: A Radio Romance" [1991 bestseller] by Garrison Keillor Two brothers set up radio station WLT ('With Lettuce and Tomato') in Minneapolis in 1926 to draw crowds to their wilting sandwich restaurant. The station is a success, and they are soon hiring local talent whose on-air personalities are not exactly the same as in real life: winsome child star Little Becky is a chain-smoking practical joker, the sports announcer is blind, and the always-cheerful songstress is confined to her wheelchair by polio and fat. The novel's hero is young straight man Francis White, who comes of age at the station and, as the station's success fades, goes on to greater things in television. Penguin 7½x5 pb [11/92] for $10.20 Viking 8½x5¼ hardcover [11/91] out of print/many, many used Highbridge ABR auduio CD [10/2006] for $20.48
	"The Network" [2009] by Bill Siderski He was supposed to go down with the ship while they walked away with the money. But he had other ideas, big ideas, bold ideas, ideas that blurred the line between reporting the news and being the news. Now the ratings are high, and everybody is happy ... until the body count starts to rise. CreateSpace 8x5 pb [5/2009] for $14.00

Old  Time  Radio

Old Time Radio Page at Spirit of America Bookstore

Old Radio Programs Dept.
on Old Time Radio Page at Spirit of America Bookstore

Nikola Tesla  [1856-1943] - The Inventor of Radio

browse Old Time Radio books & audio & CDs at Amazon
radio drama shows {some modern} on audio CD at Amazon

	"Listening In: Radio and The American Imagination - From Amos 'n' Andy & Edward R. Murrow To Wolfman Jack & Howard Stern" [1999] by Susan J. Douglas Univ MN Press 9x6 pb [2/2004] for $13.57 Crown 9½x6¾ hardcover [4/99] out of print/used
	"Radio In The Movies: A History and Filmography, 1926-2010"   [2011] by Laurence Etling McFarland & Co. pb [5/2011] for $45.00

Music

	"TV Land Presents: Favorite TV Theme Songs" [2002]   Rhino / W.E.A. music CD [8/2002] 40 tracks for $11.79 40 TV show themes by original artists on two disks, including "The Addams Family", "All In The Family" sung by Jean Stapleton & Carol O'Connor, "The Andy Griffith Show", "Barney Miller", "Batman", "The Beverly Hillbillies", "Bonanza", "The Brady Bunch", "Charlie's Angels", "Diff'rent Strokes", "Dragnet", "Dukes of Hazzard", "Dynasty", "Gilligan's Island", "Golden Girls", "Good Times", "Green Acres", "Happy Days", "Hawaii 5-0", "Hill Street Blues", "I Dream of Jeannie", "I Love Lucy", "The Jeffersons", "Laverne and Shirley", "The Love Boat", "Magnum, P.I.", "Mannix", "Maude", "The Monkees", "The Munsters", "The Partridge Family", "The Rockford Files", "Star Trek", "Taxi", "The Twilight Zone", "Welcome Back Kotter", and others
	"100 Greatest TV Themes: The Ultimate Television Themes Collection" [2002] Silva America music CD [8/2002] 4 disks for $29.07 100 TV show themes (a few by original artists) on four disks, including "The Addams Family", "Batman", "Beverly Hills 90210", "Bewitched", "Bonanza", "Burke's Law", "Cheers", "Dallas", "Doctor Kildare", "Doctor Who", "The Fugitive", "Hawaii 5-0", "High Chaparal", "Johnny Staccato", "Kojak", "Lonesome Dove", "Lost In Space", "Magnum, P.I.", "The Man From Uncle", "M.A.S.H.", "Miami Vice", "Mike Hammer", "Mission: Impossible", "Monthy Python's Flying Circus", "The Munsters", "Murder She Wrote", "Northern Exposure", "The Outer Limits", "Perry Mason", "Peter Gunn", "Star Trek", "Streets of San Francisco", "Taxi", "The Twillight Zone", "Twin Peaks", "The Virginian", "Wagon Train", "The Waltons", "Wild Wild West", "The X-Files", and many more
	"TV Guide 50 All-Time Favorite TV Themes: A Year-By-Year Celebration of The Greatest Television Themes, 1953-2002" [2002] Tee Vee Tunes Records audio CD [10/2002] for $13.41 50 TV show themes (many are remakes), including "The Addams Family", "Alfred Hitchcock Presents", "The Andy Griffith Show", "Batman", "Bewitched", "The Brady Bunch", "Dragnet", "The Flintstones", "Friends", "Gilligans Island", "Hawaii 5-0", "The Honeymooners", "I Love Lucy", "M.A.S.H.", "Mary Tyler Moore", "Mission Impossible", "The Monkees", "Six Feet Under", many more – plus a fact-filled booklet featuring 50 original full-color TV Guide Magazine covers
	"All-Time Top 100 TV Themes" [2005] T.V.T. audio CD [8/2005] 2 disks for $18.99 includes themes from current/recent shows all the way back to the "Leave It To Beaver", "Gilligan's Island", "Dragnet", "The Twilight Zone" & "I Love Lucy" era
	"100 Greatest TV Themes: Volume 2" [2007] Silva America music CD [11/2007] 4 disks for $30.96 100 remakes of TV show themes reviewed as 'lackluster', including "24" Suite, "Alfred Hitchcock Presents", "Band of Brothers", "Charlie Brown", "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation", "Dukes of Hazard", "Friends", "Kojak", "Lost", "The O.C.", "Space: 1999", "V, The Series", "West Wing", "Young and The Restless", and many more
	"100 Greatest TV Themes" [2010] Silva America music CD [11/2010] 4 disks for $29.07 100 TV show themes (a few by original artists) on four disks, including "24" Suite, "The Addams Family", "The Andy Griffith Show", "Band of Brothers", "Batman", "Bewitched", "Buffy The Vampire Slayer", "Charlie Brown", "Charlie's Angels", "Cheers", "The Cosby Show", "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation", "CSI: Miami", "CSI: New York", "Dallas", "Desperate Housewives", "Dukes of Hazard", "E.R.", "The Flintstones", "Friends", "Get Smart", "Happy Days", "Hawaii 5-0", "High Chaparal", "Hill Street Blues", "I Dream of Jeannie", "Kojak", "L.A. Law", "Law and Order", "Lost", "Kojak", "Love Boat", "M.A.S.H.", "Magnum, P.I.", "The Man From U.N.C.L.E.", "Melrose Place", "Miami Vice", "Mission: Impossible", "Mork and Mindy", "The Munsters", "The Muppet Show" (2), "Murder, She Wrote", "Northern Exposure", "N.Y.P.D. Blue", "The O.C.", "The Pacific", "Perry Mason", "Peter Gunn", "Quantum Leap", "Rawhide", "The Rockford Files", "Sex and The City", "The Simpsons", "Six Feet Under", "Star Trek", "Taxi", "The Twilight Zone", "West Wing", "The Wire", "The X-Files", and many more

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