Magic Lantern Video & Book Store

History  of  Radio
&  Television  Page

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

on this page: Links Pioneers of Radio & TV Videos & DVDs Important Dates Old Time Radio Early TV Programs Non-Fiction Books 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]

History of Cinema Page
Books About Hollywood & Cinema History

Old Time Radio at Spirit of America Bookstore

Air America Radio Network Page at Working Minds

Radio  &  Television  Pioneers

"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 color DVD [1/2008] for $22.49 full credits from IMDb official P.B.S. program site

Abbott  &  Costello  [1890-1977]

see Abbott & Costello on the Movie Series & Comedy Teams Page

Milton  Berle  [1908-2002]
explore videos/DVDs • 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

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

Ernie Kovacs  [1919-62]
explore videos/DVDs • IMDb listing • Wikipedia

"The Best of Ernie Kovacs" [1977 P.B.S. series] White Star b&w DVD [11/2000] 2 disks for $44.99

Groucho  Marx  [1890-1977]

see The Marx Brothers on the Movie Series & Comedy Teams Page

Edward  R.  Murrow  [1908-65]
explore videos/DVDs • IMDb listing • Wikipedia

	"The Edward R. Murrow Collection" [2005] New Video Group b&w DVD [5/2005] 4 disks for $53.99 includes "This Reporter" [1990 TV special], "The Best of See It Now" [1951-58], "The McCarthy Years" [1991], and "Harvest of Shame" 1960], plus extras
	"Edward R. Murrow: The McCarthy Years" [1991] from the archives of C.B.S. News New Video Group b&w DVD [5/2005] for $21.99
	"Harvest of Shame" [CBS News special Nov 1960] TV journalist Edward R. Murrow describes the harsh living conditions, endless travel & low wages of migrant farm workers in America. Co-produced & directed by Fred W. Friendly; co-produced and hosted by Edward R. Murrow New Video Group b&w DVD [5/2005] for $21.99 full credits from IMDb

see also "Good Night, and, Good Luck" 2005 feature film below

Jack  Paar  [1918-2004]
explore videos/DVDs • 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] & 3 episodes of the prime-time "The Jack Paar Program" [1962-65]

Nikola Tesla  [1856-1943]
The Inventor of Radio

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

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). 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 transmission of the human voice as well as music over the radio, from Brant Rock, MA. (The potential audience was radio-telegraph operators aboard ship in the Atlantic Ocean.) 1911 March 24: Birthday of animator Joseph Barbera. 1919 Oct 17: Creation of the Radio Corporation of America. 1921 Oct 5: First radio broadcast of baseball's World Series. 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: Debut 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: Debut of the Columbia Phonograph Broadcasting System [later CBS] with a network of 16 radio stations. 1927 Sept 23: Invention of television 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, MI. 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. 1938 Oct 30: Orson Welles's notorious "War of the Worlds" radio hoax, aired over the C.B.S. Network. 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 for $8 million to businessman Edward J. Noble of its NBC Blue Network, 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 changes call letters to KTLA-TV 5, the first commercial TV west of Chicago. 1947 Oct 5: President Truman delivered the first televised White House address. 1948 Feb 16: First nightly television news broadcast, "The Camel Newsreel Theatre" on NBC-TV, showing Fox-MovieTone newsreels narrated by John Cameron Swayze. 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 transmission – President Truman addressed a peace conference in San Francisco, CA. 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 on-air expose by Edward R. Murrow, 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. 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). 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. 1996 Oct 17: Launch of the Fox News Channel. 2009 Feb 19: The end of analog television broadcasting in the U.S., the final switch-over to digital broadcast TV.

JM's detailed chronology of U.S. television history

Non-Fiction  Books

	"TV Wonderland: The Enchantment of Early Television" [2006] by Brad & Debra Schepp Collectors Press 6½x5½ pb [1/2006] for $11.66
	"The Forgotten Network: DuMont & The Birth of American Television" [2004] by David Weinstein Temple Univ Press pb [3/2006] for $19.95 Temple Univ Press 9x6¼ hardcover [5/2004] for $37.49
	"The Television History Book" [2004] by Michele Hilmes British Film Institute 9½x7¼ pb [3/2004] for $27.95 British Film Institute 10x7½ hardcover [3/2004] out of print/rare
	"Cold War, Cool Medium: Television, McCarthyism & American Culture" [2003] by Thomas Doherty Columbia Univ Press 8¾x5¾ pb [2/2005] for $23.00 Columbia Univ Press 9x6¼ hardcover [10/2003] for $71.00
	"The Encyclopedia of American Television: Broadcast Programming Post World War II to 2000" [2002] by Ronald W. Lackmann Checkmark Books pb [10/2002] for $21.95 Facts On File {4.2 pounds} hardcover [10/2002] for $75.00
	"The Age of Broadcasting: Television" [1997] Edited by Wim Coleman Tandem Library 7½x5¼ econoclad [3/97] for $15.25 Discovery Enterprises 7¾x5¼ pb [9/98] out of print/used
	"Encyclopedia of Television" [1997] Edited by Horace Newcomb Taylor & Francis {17 pounds!} 2nd edition hardcover 4-volume set [10/2004] for $620.00 online 1st edition at Museum of Broadcast Communications
	"Tube: The Invention of Television" [1996] by David E. Fisher & Marshall Jon Fisher Harvest Books 9x6 pb [11/97] out of print/used Counterpoint hardcover [9/96] out of print/many used
	"As Seen On TV: The Visual Culture of Everyday Life In The 1950s" [1994] by Karal Ann Marling Harvard Univ Press 9¼x6 pb [3/96] for $20.50 Harvard Univ Press 9½x6.4 hardcover [9/94] for $27.50
	"Please Stand By: A Prehistory of Television" [1994] by Michael Ritchie Overlook 9¼x7 pb [9/95] for $15.95 Overlook hardcover [9/94] out of print/many used
	"The Broadcast Century and Beyond: A Biography of American Broadcasting" [orig 1992] by Robert L Hilliard & Michael C. Keith Focal Press 4th edition 10¼x7¼ pb [10/2004] for $39.56
	"Unsilent Revolution: Television News & American Public Life, 1948-1991" [1992] by Robert J. Donovan Cambridge Univ Press pb [3/92] for $28.99 Cambridge Univ Press 9¼x6½ hardcover [3/92] out of print/used
	"The Great Television Race: A History of The American Television Industry, 1925-1941" [1982] by Joseph H. Udelson Univ AL Press 9¼x6 pb [11/90] for $18.95 Univ AL Press 9¼x6 pb [6/89] for $35.00
	"Total Television: Revised Edition" [orig 1980] by Alex McNeil Penguin {2.63 pound} 4th edition pb [9/96] for $20.70 Penguin 4th edition book & CD [10/97] out of prodn/used
	"The Complete Directory To Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows: 1946-Present" [1979] by Tim Brooks & Earle F. Marsh Ballantine 8th edition pb [10/2003] for $18.45
	"The New York Times Encyclopedia of Television" [orig 1977] by Les Brown Visible Ink Press 3rd edition 9x7¼ pb [2/92] out of print/used Gale Group 3rd edition 9¾x7¾ hardcover [2/92] out of print/used Random House hardcover [11/77] out of print/many used
	"Stay Tuned: A History of American Broadcasting" [1978] by Christopher H. Sterling & John M. Kittross L.E.A. 3rd edition hardcover [11/2001] for $64.35
	"Tube of Plenty: The Evolution of American Television" [1975] by Erik Barnouw Oxford Univ Press 8x5¼ pb [5/90] for $19.95 Oxford Univ Press hardcover 10/75] out of print/used
	"A History of Broadcasting In The United States" by Erik Barnouw Vol. 1: "A Tower In Babel, To 1933" Oxford Univ Press hardcover [12/66] for $60.00 Vol. 2: "The Golden Web, 1933-1953" Oxford Univ Press hardcover [12/68] for $60.00 Vol. 3: "The Image Empire, From 1953" Oxford Univ Press hardcover [11/70] for $60.00

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

Early  Television  Programs

Bob Clampett's "Time For Beany"
"Engineer Bill"
"Howdy Doodie & Buffalo Bob"
"Kukla, Fran & Ollie"
"Perry Mason" tv series [1957-66]
"Sheriff John"
"Watching Mr. Wizard" [1951-65]
"Webster Webfoot"

at 'Readers of The Purple Sage' Western Bookstore
Cisco Kid & Pancho Page
Hopalong Cassidy Page
The Lone Ranger Page

Historical  Fiction
About  Radio  &  TV

"Zoomar" by Ernie Kovacs

Videos  &  DVDs

"Broadcast  News"  [Gracie/Fox Dec 1987]

A love triangle – between a female news producer who falls for the new pretty-boy anchor and the plain-looking news reporter who loves her – parallels the network's move from substance toward style. Co-produced, written & directed by James L. Brooks; starring William Hurt, Albert Brooks, Holly Hunter, Robert Prosky, Lois Chiles, Joan Cusack, Peter Hackes, Christian Clemenson, Jack Nicholson, Robert Katims, Ed Wheeler & Stephen Mendillo; Oscar nomina- tions for Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actor (Hurt), Best Actress (HH), Best Supporting Actor (AB), Best Cinematography & Best Editing; noms for DGA & WGA Awards Fox widescreen color DVD [10/99] for $9.98 Fox color VHS [1/96] out of prodn/many used full credits from IMDb Oscar-nominated movie script by James L. Brooks Vintage pb [2/89] out of print/used

"Good  Night,  And,  Good  Luck"
[Warner Independent Oct 2005]

TV newsman Edward R. Murrow airs a story about a man discharged from the Navy without a trial. Murrow is accused of being a 'Communist sympathizer', and the C.B.S. news team goes on the offensive. "See It Now" airs a series of shows detailing the lies and un-Constitutional tactics of Senator Joe McCarthy, leading to McCarthy's censure by the U.S. Senate. Co-written & directed by & co-starring George Clooney; starring David Strathairn as Edward R. Murrow, Patricia Clarkson, Jeff Daniels, Robert Downey Jr., Frank Langella, with Joseph McCarthy via archive footage; Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Script, Best Actor {DS, of course), Best Cinematograpy & Best Art Direction Warner widescreen b&w DVD [3/2006] for $14.99 full credits from IMDb; official moviesite

"The  Man  In  The  Gray  Flannel  Suit"
[Fox April 1956]

A WWII veteran takes a temporary job at a New York tv network for the increase in pay, but is soon miserable. Adapted & directed by Nunnally Johnson, from the 1955 novel; music by Bernard Hermann; starring Gregory Peck, Jennifer Jones, Fredric March, Marisa Pavan, Lee J. Cobb, Ann Harding, Keenan Wynn, Gene Lockhart, Gigi Perreau & Portland Mason Fox widescreen color DVD [8/2005] for $10.99 Fox color VHS [10/97] for $18.98 Bernard Hermann soundtrack CD [9/99] for $17.98 full credits at IMDb

classic novel [1955] by Sloan Wilson [1920-2003] Four Walls Eight Windows 8¼x5½ pb [9/2002] for $11.58 Buccaneer Books hardcover [12/91] out of print/used "The Man In The Gray Flannel Suit II" [1984 sequel] Arbor House hardcover [3/84] out of print/used

"Modern Marvels: Television - Window To The World"
[History Channel undated]

A&E Home Video b&w/color DVD [4/2005] for $21.99 not listed at IMDb

"Network"  [M.G.M. Nov 1976]

An aging network news anchor is fired, and his on-air tirade – "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore!" – causes a sensation among his viewers, so he is rehired and given his own show. Directed by Sidney Lumet; written by Paddy Chayefsky; starring Peter Finch, Faye Dunaway, William Holden, Robert Duvall & Ned Beatty; won Oscars for Best Script, Best Actor [Finch], Best Actress [FD], Best Supporting Actress [BS], nominated for Best Picture, Best Direction, Best Actor [WH], Best Supporting Actor [NB], Best Cinematography, Best Editing; won BAFTA for Best Actor [Finch], nominated for 8 more; won W.G.A. Award for Best Original Script Warner widescreen color DVD [2/2006] 2 disks for $23.99 M.G.M. color VHS [5/96] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb novelization by Sam Hedrin Penguin movie tie-in mass pb [11/76] out of print/used

"Television: The First 50 Years"

Passport Video 100-min. b&w/color DVD [4/2003] for $12.99 not listed on IMDb

"The  TV  Set"  [ThinkFilm April 2007]

A comedy about the stressful process of getting a television series sold and aired. Written & directed by Jake Kasdan; starring David Duchovny, Sigourney Weaver, Ioan Gruffudd, Judy Greer, Fran Kranz, Lindsay Sloane, Justine Bateman & Lucy Davis Fox widescreen color DVD [DUE Sept 2007] for $19.99   full credits from IMDb

Powered by WebRing.

Book & tape sales in Association with  

Current Filmmakers  |   Latter XXth Century Directors  |   Early Filmmakers
Foreign Auteurs  |   Favorite Films (and Why)  |   The Movie Industry Page
Film Genres  |   Actors: Stars & Unknowns  |   Movies: Great & Unsung
Film Festivals & Orgns  |   Reference & Technical  |   Film Businesses Page

History of Cinema Page
Books About Hollywood & Cinema History

top of this page  ¸  back to Magic Lantern homepage