Explore TV Series

Join Alan Watts in season one of On Eastern Wisdom & Modern Life. His inaugural season introduces and begins to break down our understanding of what is and what could be.

Travellers' Tales the show

Cosmopolitan Theatre is an American anthology series which aired on the DuMont Television Network Tuesdays at 9pm ET from October 2, 1951 to December 25, 1951. The series consisted of live presentations of stories written for Cosmopolitan magazine, and was one of many TV series airing "tele-plays" at the time.

Abe Burrows' Almanac is an American television series that aired on CBS in 1950. The live program, hosted by Abe Burrows, featured music, song and comedy performances by guests. The show was broadcast on Wednesday evenings at 9:00 PM. Milton DeLugg conducted the orchestra. While Burrows had a successful nightclub act and made regular appearances as a performer on CBS radio programs, this short-lived series is notable for being his only featured role in a television program.

Judge for Yourself, at first subtitled The Fred Allen Show, is a Mark Goodson and Bill Todman nontraditional court show/quiz show, with comedian Fred Allen as the emcee. It aired on NBC from August 18, 1953 to May 11, 1954. Dennis James was the series announcer but took over as host in January 1954. Each week three performers – singers, dancers, musicians, or comedians – were judged by two panels, one of professional entertainers and the other from the studio audience. If one of the amateur judges rated the acts 1, 2, or 3 in the same order as the celebrities, that individual would win a $1,000 prize. Two instrumental jazz groups that appeared on Judge for Yourself had considerable success thereafter, vibraphonist Terry Gibbs and the Marian McPartland Trio. The original intent of the series was to allow Allen to interact with guests, much as Groucho Marx did on his own NBC series, You Bet Your Life. The complicated format first employed, however, was revamped in the middle of the season. On the episode which aired on January 5, 1954, the professional judges were dropped, and the studio audience panel rated new songs to predict future hits, the comparable format of ABC's Jukebox Jury, which also aired in the 1953–1954 season.

Back That Fact is a short-lived American game show that aired on ABC from October 22 to November 26, 1953. This was the first TV game show for creator/producers Jack Barry and Dan Enright. Borscht Belt comedian and syndicated columnist Joey Adams was the emcee, with actress Hope Lange and actor Al Kelly as his assistants and Carl Caruso as the announcer. Back That Fact was broadcast from New York City.

Frances Farmer Presents is an American anthology series that aired on Indianapolis station WFBM-TV. The series premiered on October 13, 1958 and ended in September 1964.

Wide Wide World was a 90-minute documentary series telecast live on NBC on Sunday afternoons at 4pm Eastern. Conceived by network head Pat Weaver and hosted by Dave Garroway, Wide Wide World was introduced on the Producers' Showcase series on June 27, 1955. The premiere episode, featuring entertainment from the US, Canada and Mexico, was the first international North American telecast in the history of the medium. It returned in the fall as a regular Sunday series, telecast from October 16, 1955 to June 8, 1958. The program was sponsored by General Motors and Barry Wood was the executive producer. In March 1956, Time magazine reported that it was the highest-rated daytime show on television.

All Star Summer Revue aired on NBC from June 28 to August 30, 1952. The summer series had no regular hosts and very little relationship to the regular season show All Star Revue.

a comedy set in a remote motel/service station

Shower of Stars is an American variety television series broadcast live in the United States from 1954 to 1958 by CBS. The series was broadcast in color which was a departure from the usual programming broadcast by CBS.

Time Will Tell is an early American game show which aired on the now-defunct DuMont Television Network Fridays at 10:30pm ET from August 27 to October 15, 1954. The show's host, Ernie Kovacs, would go on to host many other shows on both DuMont, ABC, and NBC. Game play involved three contestants answering questions in 90-second rounds, timed with a large hourglass. The program, produced and distributed by the network, aired on most DuMont affiliates on Fridays at 10:30 pm Eastern Time, replacing Gamble on Love which was also hosted by Kovacs in the same time slot. After Time Will Tell ended, DuMont replaced the series with local programming. For DuMont, Kovacs also hosted the panel show One Minute Please and the late-night talk show The Ernie Kovacs Show.

Have a Heart was a game show broadcast on the now-defunct DuMont Television Network. The 30-minute show ran from May 3, 1955 to June 14, 1955, and was hosted by John Reed King. Have a Heart was one of the last shows broadcast on the DuMont network, along with It's Alec Templeton Time, What's the Story, and Boxing From St. Nicholas Arena.

Adventure Theater is a dramatic anthology series that aired on NBC in 1956. The series was produced in England for broadcast in the United States.

A half-hour Sunday music program.

Remmember This Date is an American game show that aired on NBC from November 14, 1950 to June 28, 1951. The program is most notable for being the first daytime game show.

Join Alan Watts in season one of On Eastern Wisdom & Modern Life. His inaugural season introduces and begins to break down our understanding of what is and what could be.

It's Alec Templeton Time was an early American television program broadcast on the now defunct DuMont Television Network. The series ran during the summer of 1955. It was a musical program hosted by blind satirist and musician Alec Templeton. The program, produced and distributed by DuMont, aired on Friday nights on most DuMont affiliates. It's Alec Templeton Time has the distinction of being one of the last programs to air on the dying DuMont Television Network, along with Have a Heart, What's the Story and Boxing From St. Nicholas Arena. The struggling network was already beginning to shut down network operations before It's Alec Templeton Time even aired its first episode, and Paramount Pictures would take control of DuMont during the summer; as a result, the series' run was brief, and did not last past the summer months.

Ozark Jubilee is the first U.S. network television program to feature country music's top stars, and featured performers located in Springfield, Missouri which has long emulated Nashville, Tennessee as a center of American country music. The weekly live stage show premiered on ABC-TV on January 22, 1955, was renamed Country Music Jubilee on July 6, 1957, and was finally named Jubilee USA on August 2, 1958. Originating "from the heart of the Ozarks," the Saturday night variety series helped popularize country music in America's cities and suburbs, drawing more than nine million viewers. The ABC Radio version was heard by millions more starting in August 1954. A typical program included a mix of vocal and instrumental performances, comedy routines, square dancing and an occasional novelty act. The host was Red Foley, the nation's top country music personality. Big names such as Patsy Cline, Eddy Arnold, Johnny Cash and Faron Young were interspersed with a regular cast, including a group of young talent the Jubilee brought to national fame: 11-year-old Brenda Lee, Porter Wagoner, Wanda Jackson, Sonny James, Jean Shepard and The Browns. Other featured cast members were Webb Pierce, Bobby Lord, Leroy Van Dyke, Norma Jean and Carl Smith.

Haggis Baggis is an American game show that aired on NBC from 1958 to 1959. Jack Linkletter hosted the primetime version while Fred Robbins and Dennis James did the daytime show. The announcer was Bill Wendell, with some editions announced by Jerry Damon. The series was produced by Rainbow Productions, otherwise known as Joe Cates Productions.

The Big Payoff was a daytime and primetime game show that premiered on NBC in 1951, and ended its network run on CBS in 1959. It had a brief syndication revival in 1962. NBC used The Big Payoff to replace the 15-minute show Miss Susan starring Susan Peters, which had gone off the air in December 1951. Contestants were selected from men who mailed in letters explaining why the women in their lives deserved prizes. The men were asked four questions in order to win prizes like a mink coat or a vacation. Late in the network run, the format changed to three competing couples. For the 1962 revival, there were only two couples. On Tuesdays, the format changed to the "Little Big Payoff" in which children sent in a letter in which they voiced the reason that they should appear. Four questions were asked, and prizes awarded for each correct answer. It was called the "Big Payoff" because when a contestant won they had the opportunity to answer one final question. Getting this question correct, the individual was awarded a "Mink Coat" and/or a trip to Europe. Bess Meyerson modeled the mink coat and escorted the contestants on stage. After all - this was live TV The theme song was "A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody" by Irving Berlin, and the sponsor was Revlon.

By what name was The Christmas Spirit (1956) officially released in Canada in English?

It Could Be You was a television game show produced by Ralph Edwards Productions in the late 1950s in the United States, broadcast daily in the weekday daytime schedule for five years 1956-61, and weekly in the evening on-and-off over three years 1958-61. Bill Leyden was the host, and Wendell Niles was the announcer.

Portland Wrestling was the television program for Pacific Northwest Wrestling.

Life is Worth Living is an inspirational American television series which ran on the DuMont Television Network from February 12, 1952 to April 26, 1955, then on ABC until 1957.

Spunky and Tadpole was an animated television series produced by Beverly Hills Productions and syndicated beginning on September 6, 1958. The show's characters were a boy and a bear who hunted down bad guys in a string of made for TV installments, usually running ten installments shown in two weeks or two for one week. The show remained in production until 1961.

Musical Chairs was a short-lived NBC game show that ran from July 9 to September 17, 1955; The host was Bill Leyden and the series featured voice actor Mel Blanc, composer Johnny Mercer, and orchestra leader Bobby Troup as regular panelists. Troup's band, the Troup Group, provided the music for the series, often with the assistance of the Cheerleaders singing group or members of the panel itself. The show was a summer replacement series on NBC after a successful two-year run in Los Angeles.

Johnny Jupiter is the name of two early American television programs featuring a combination of live action and hand puppets. The first version aired on the DuMont Television Network from March to June 1953. The second version aired on ABC from September 1953 to May 1954.

A travelogue program broadcast by ABC television in the United States during the late 1950s, consisting of films taken by explorers and adventurers during their travels to remote parts of the world. The films were usually set up by an interview between a program host and the guest, who then narrated his film with the aid of helpful questions from the host.

Key to the Ages was the name of an American television series that was broadcast on the now-defunct DuMont Television Network between February and May 1955. Hosted by Dr. Theodore Low, the program aired from February 27 to May 22, 1955. This literary series originated from WAAM-TV in Baltimore, and may have also aired on ABC stations. The series should not be confused with the similarly titled Key to the Missing, a documentary series which aired on DuMont from 1948-1949. Key to the Ages lasted only a few months on the air; just a little over one month after the program debuted, in April 1955, the DuMont Television Network began shutting down network operations. This made Key to the Ages one of the last DuMont Network programs. Key aired until May 22, 1955; DuMont itself ceased network operations in August 1956.

A reporter returns in peace to battlefields where once he told to a listening world the story of war.

For over forty years, the great Johnny Carson entertained America. Beginning in his hometown of Norfolk, Nebraska, Carson rose through the ranks during TV's Golden Age, eventually hosting The Tonight Show for 30 years. This terrific DVD tribute pays homage to the beloved comedian as well as his brilliant contemporaries.

High school and college students have the opportunity to ask questions to major figures in the world of politics, business, and international affairs.

The Comeback Story is a half-hour drama reality show which aired on ABC from October 2, 1953 to February 5, 1954, in which celebrities explain how they overcame physical disabilities or other kinds of adverse fortunes in their lives.

Thunderbolt first appeared on TV as a puppet character on "Thunderbolt the Wondercolt," a 1952 kids' TV puppet show that was written, created, produced and the puppet manipulated by Bob Clampett. Like The Adventures of Bullwinkle and Rocky before it, this show was originally a puppet show (called "Time for Beany", 1950-1953), and became an animated cartoon. It is said that Albert Einstein never missed an episode of the puppet version of this show.

Dr. I.Q. is a radio and television quiz program. Remembered as radio's first major quiz show, it popularized the catch phrase "I have a lady in the balcony, Doctor."

Seven at Eleven is an American comedy/variety show that aired live on NBC Monday and Wednesday night from 11:00 pm to midnight Eastern time from May 28, 1951 to June 27, 1951 on the nights when Broadway Open House wasn't on.

A spectacular musical variety show hosted by the brilliant Alma Cogan who presents a number of talented stars including Cliff Richard and the Shadows, Billy Baxter and Wilbur Evans

An attempted revival of the 1949 series based on the work of Robert L. Ripley in collecting strange (but true) stories from around the world.