1956 in television

From open-encyclopedia.com - the free encyclopedia.

See also: 1955 in television, other events of 1956, 1957 in television and the list of 'years in television'.

Events

• January 28 - Elvis Presley makes his national television debut on The Dorsey Brothers Stage Show.
• April 2 - As the World Turns and The Edge of Night premiere on CBS as the first half-hour American soap operas. Previously, all soaps had been just fifteen minutes in length.
• April 3 - Elvis Presley appears on The Milton Berle Show.
• April - WNBQ Chicago becomes the first TV station to broadcast all its local programming in color.
• April - Ampex demonstrates a videotape recorder at the NAB Convention in Chicago, Illinois. The three networks place orders for the recorders.
• May 6 - Elvis Presley appears on The Milton Berle Show
• July 1 - Elvis Presley appears on The Steve Allen Show.
• August 8 - Final telecast of the DuMont Network.
• September 4 - Television broadcasting begins in Sweden.
• September 9 - Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show for the first time.
• September 16 - TCN-9 Sydney becomes the first Australian TV station to begin regular transmission.
• October 1 - Ernie Kovacs becomes the host for NBC's The Tonight Show on Mondays and Tuesdays.
• October 29 - First use of videotape in network television programming; CBS uses its Ampex VTR to record the evening news, anchored by Douglas Edwards. The tape is then fed to West Coast stations three hours later.
• October 29 - Chet Huntley and David Brinkley take over anchor duties of the NBC evening newscast, which is renamed The Huntley-Brinkley Report.
• November 3 - The 1939 MGM film The Wizard of Oz is shown on television for the first time in the US, on CBS (the viewing audience was estimated at 45 million people).
• November - The first use of videotape on a network television entertainment program; Jonathan Winters, uses videotape and superimposing techniques to be able to play two characters in the same skit for his NBC television show.
• Television broadcasting begins in Australia.
• Television broadcasting begins in Germany.
• Television broadcasting begins in Spain.
• Television broadcasting begins in Uruguay.
• Black-and-white portable TV sets hit the market.

Debuts

• April 2 - As the World Turns (1956-present)
• April 2 - The Edge of Night (1956-1984)
• July 6 - Hancock's Half Hour on BBC Television (1956-1962)
• The hugely popular anthology drama series Armchair Theatre, produced by ABC Television for the ITV network, begins its long run in the UK (1956-1968)
• Jungle Jim (1956-1957), starring Johnny Weissmuller
• Opportunity Knocks on ITV (UK) (1956-1978)
• The Gale Storm Show, Oh! Susanna (1956-1960), starring Gale Storm and Zazu Pitts
• The Price is Right game show premieres (1956-1965)
• The Steve Allen Show premieres (1956-1960)
• What the Papers Say on ITV (UK) (1956-present)

Popular Television Shows

• Gillette Cavalcade of Sports (1946-1960)
• Howdy Doody (1947-1960)
• Kraft Television Theater (1947-1958)
• Meet the Press (1947-present)
• Candid Camera (1948-present)
• The Ed Sullivan Show (1948-1971)
• The Voice of Firestone (1949-1963)
• The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show (1950-1958)
• The Jack Benny Show (1950-1965)
• Truth or Consequences (1950-1988)
• What's My Line (1950-1967)
• Your Hit Parade (1950-1959)
• Dragnet (1951-1959)
• I Love Lucy (1951-1957)
• Love of Life (1951-1980)
• Search for Tomorrow (1951-1986)
• The Roy Rogers Show (1951-1957)
• American Bandstand (1952-1989)
• The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952-1966)
• The Guiding Light (1952-present)
• The Honeymooners (1952-1970)
• The Today Show (1952-present)
• This Is Your Life (US) (1952-1961)
• Panorama (UK) (1953-present)
• The Good Old Days (UK) (1953-1983)
• Disneyland (1954-1958)
• Face the Nation (1954-present)
• The Brighter Day (1954-1962)
• The Grove Family (UK) (1954-1957)
• The Secret Storm (1954-1974)
• The Milton Berle Show (1954-1967)
• Zoo Quest (UK) (1954-1964)
• The Tonight Show (1954-present)
• Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955-1962)
• Captain Kangaroo (1955-1984)
• Dixon of Dock Green (UK) (1955-1976)
• Gunsmoke (1955-1975)
• Mickey Mouse Club (1955-1959)
• The Lawrence Welk Show (1955-1982)
• This Is Your Life (UK) (1955-2003)

Ending this year

• Cisco Kid (1950-1956)
• The Honeymooners (1955-1956)

Births

• January 7 - David Caruso, actor
• December 25 - Susan King, UK television presenter

Deaths

• December 7 - Huntley Gordon, pioneer Hollywood actor