Movies and Television

Television

By the end of the 1950s Americans owned an estimated 50 million TV sets. Educators were concerned about the impact of TV on their students and worried that students might skip their homework to watch shows. The amount of violence and sex depicted in some programs was also worrisome to many. Almost overnight the lifestyles of millions of Americans changed as people stayed up later to watch television programs. Some people stayed inside their homes more, leaving their houses infrequently. Families even began eating in front of the television set with the invention of the TV dinner in 1954.

Popular Television Shows and Stars in the Fifties

What's My Line? John Daly hosted this show for its 17-year run. A celebrity panel tried to guess the occupation of various guests.

The Ed Sullivan Show One of the biggest names in television was Ed Sullivan. In his weekly variety show Sullivan showcased all types of entertainers from acrobats to comics to opera singers. Many performers, including Elivs Presley and the Beatles, were introduced to the nation on this program.

Milton Berle Known as "Mr. Television," Milton Berle was another big name on TV. For five years his comedy show was rated number one among all the networks.

I Love Lucy Husband and wife comedy team Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball starred in this zany comedy. Probably the most poppular television show of the decade, the program attracted 50 milliion viewers weekly.

Westerns The western was a popular format in the fifties. Four of the top series were Gunsmoke, Wagon Train, Have Gun Will Travel, and Wyatt Earp. Among the younger crowd, Hopalong Cassidy and Roy Rogers were both well-received westerns.

Dragnet Jack Webb starred in this police drama. Its star and style would later be parodied in many TV shows and movies.

American Bandstand This Philadelphia-based teen dance program featured celebrity guests and teenagers dancing the latest steps to the popular tunes of the day. It was first broadcast nationally in 1958, with a new host--the forever-young Dick Clark.

Children's Programming Some shows were developed especially for the young audience, including Captain Kangaroo which lasted until the late 1980s, Lassie about a boy and his faithful dog, Kukla, Fran and Ollie featuring Fran and her two silly puppet friends, Howdy Doody starring Buffalo Bob and a host of characters, and The Mickey Mouse Club, whose most popular mouseketeer, Annette Funicello, became a star actress and singer.

Fifties Families The typical fifties family was portrayed in a number of long-running series, including The Ozzie and Harriet Show which featured the real-life Nelson family. Father Knows Best and Leave It to Beaver also portrayed strong family units with stay-at home moms, well-mannered children, and benevolent fathers.

Movies

The 1950’s featured great variety and change in the American movie industry. Some was without doubt due to the emergence of television as a main competitor for viewers. One change was in the number of theaters. From 1948 to 1958 indoor theaters decreased in number from 17,000 to 12,000. This was definitely not positive for the motion picture industry; however, during this same period the number of outdoor drive-in theaters increased from fewer than 1,000 in 1948 to close to 5,000 in 1958. So, as with wide screen, the motion picture industry was once again standing out with something different from television.

 

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