1955–56 United States network television schedule

The 1955–56 United States network television schedule was for the period that began in September 1955 and ran through March 1956.

The $64,000 Question had debuted on CBS during summer 1955 and became the #1 program on U.S. television. The three networks "rushed to copy this latest hit format, quickly filling prime time with similar contests".[1] (It would not be until fall 1959 that it would be confirmed that several of these new quiz shows were rigged.)[1]

For years, ABC had "struggled to cobble together a TV schedule",[2] but following the network's major success with Disney-produced series Disneyland in 1954, other Hollywood film companies began embracing television. MGM assembled clips for MGM Parade on ABC; ABC also hired Warner Bros. for a Tuesday night program called Warner Brothers Presents. The hour-long umbrella series featured TV adaptations of three Warner Brothers movies: Cheyenne, Casablanca, and Kings Row. Of the three new series, only Cheyenne was a hit with viewers, and ABC began contracting with other Hollywood studios for Westerns.[1] Immediately following Warner Brothers Presents, ABC scheduled The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp. This Western was also produced in conjunction with a Hollywood studio: Desilu Productions.

CBS had its own Western hit with Gunsmoke, which also debuted in fall 1955. Over the next few years, "the rush to Westerns had become a virtual stampede so that, by the fall of 1959, viewers had their choice from a staggering twenty-eight different Western-based prime time series."[1] Around 1955, live drama anthologies, the staple of early television programming, were being phased out by the networks in favor of filmed fare: Westerns, police dramas, quiz shows, and adventure series.[1]

The struggling DuMont Television Network offered little during the 1955–56 television season. DuMont's final program line-up consisted of What's the Story on Wednesday nights at 9:30 and Boxing From St. Nicholas Arena on Monday nights at 9:00.[1] By October What's the Story was off the air. DuMont honored its few remaining network commitments until August 6, 1956, when it ceased operations as a major television network.[3] DuMont hoped to go into independent television production; the company's studio facilities and Electronicam system were used to produce CBS's The Honeymooners during the 1955–1956 season. DuMont's loss was ABC's gain, as some of DuMont's most popular programs, including Life Is Worth Living, Chance of a Lifetime, Life Begins at Eighty, and Down You Go, found their way onto ABC's 1955–1956 prime time schedule.

The crumbling and eventual death of the old DuMont Network meant the 1955–1956 television season would be the first year in which the three major remaining U.S. television networks would be the only full-time commercial participants in prime time, a situation that was to remain for the next 30 years until Fox began network operations in October 1986, although Fox would not enter prime time until Sunday, April 5, 1987.

New fall series are highlighted in bold.

Each of the 30 highest-rated shows is listed with its rank and rating as determined by Nielsen Media Research.[4]

     Yellow indicates the programs in the top 10 for the season.
     Cyan indicates the programs in the top 20 for the season.
     Magenta indicates the programs in the top 30 for the season.

Sunday

Network 7:00 PM 7:30 PM 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM
ABC You Asked For It Famous Film Festival Chance of a Lifetime The Original Amateur Hour Life Begins at Eighty Local
CBS Lassie The Jack Benny Program (5/37.2) / Private Secretary (12/32.4) The Ed Sullivan Show* (3/39.5) General Electric Theater (11/32.9) Alfred Hitchcock Presents Appointment with Adventure What's My Line?
NBC It's a Great Life Frontier Colgate Variety Hour** Goodyear Television Playhouse/The Alcoa Hour The Loretta Young Show Justice
DMN Local

* The Ed Sullivan Show was formerly Toast of the Town.
** formerly The Colgate Comedy Hour.

Monday

Network 7:00 PM 7:30 PM 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM
ABC 7:00 Kukla, Fran and Ollie / 7:15 John Daly and the News Topper (repeats) TV Reader's Digest The Voice of Firestone The Dotty Mack Show Medical Horizons The Big Picture Local
CBS 7:00 Local / 7:15 Douglas Edwards with the News The Adventures of Robin Hood (20/30.1) The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show (27T/28.4) Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts (16/31.1) I Love Lucy (2/46.1) December Bride (6/37.0) Studio One
NBC Local 7:30 The Tony Martin Show / 7:45 Camel News Caravan Caesar's Hour Medic Robert Montgomery Presents Local
DMN Local 9:00 Boxing From St. Nicholas Arena / 10:45 At Ringside

Note: On NBC, Producers' Showcase aired as a monthly series 8–9:30 p.m. No longer a network operation, DuMont continued airing its Boxing From St. Nicholas Arena on an occasional basis over individual stations until August 6, 1956. On CBS, in most areas, Douglas Edwards With the News aired at 6:45 p.m., while some cities (including New York) aired the 7:15 p.m. edition.

Tuesday

Network 7:00 PM 7:30 PM 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM
ABC 7:00 Kukla, Fran and Ollie / 7:15 John Daly and the News Warner Brothers Presents / Kings Row / Cheyenne / Casablanca The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp Make Room for Daddy Du Pont Cavalcade Theater Talent Varieties Local
CBS 7:00 Local / 7:15 Douglas Edwards with the News Name That Tune Navy Log You'll Never Get Rich (30/28.1) Meet Millie The Red Skelton Show (14/32.3) The $64,000 Question (1/47.5) My Favorite Husband
NBC Fall Local 7:30 The Dinah Shore Show / 7:45 Plymouth News Caravan The Milton Berle Show / The Martha Raye Show / The Chevy Show (29/28.2) Jane Wyman's Fireside Theater (24/29.0) Armstrong Circle Theatre / Pontiac Presents Playwrights '56 (alternating) Big Town
Summer The Kaiser Aluminum Hour
DMN Local

Note: The Martha Raye Show and The Chevy Show appeared monthly. As of November 1, You'll Never Get Rich officially became The Phil Silvers Show, swapping time periods with Navy Log.

Wednesday

Network 7:00 PM 7:30 PM 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM
ABC 7:00 Kukla, Fran and Ollie / 7:15 John Daly and the News Disneyland (4/37.4) MGM Parade Masquerade Party Break the Bank The Wednesday Night Fights*
CBS 7:00 Local / 7:15 Douglas Edwards with the News Brave Eagle Arthur Godfrey and His Friends The Millionaire (9/33.8) I've Got a Secret (10/33.5) The United States Steel Hour/The 20th Century Fox Hour
NBC Local 7:30 Coke Time with Eddie Fisher / 7:45 Camel News Caravan Screen Director's Playhouse Father Knows Best Kraft Television Theater This Is Your Life (26/28.8) Midwestern Hayride
DMN Local What's the Story Local

Note: On DuMont, What's the Story aired only in September.
* formerly Pabst Blue Ribbon Bouts on CBS.

Thursday

Network 7:00 PM 7:30 PM 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM
ABC 7:00 Kukla, Fran and Ollie / 7:15 John Daly and the News The Lone Ranger Life is Worth Living Stop the Music Star Tonight Down You Go Outside U.S.A. Local
CBS 7:00 Local / 7:15 Douglas Edwards with the News Sergeant Preston of the Yukon The Bob Cummings Show Climax! (22/29.6) / Shower of Stars (once a month) Four Star Playhouse The Johnny Carson Show Wanted
NBC Local 7:30 The Dinah Shore Show / 7:45 Plymouth News Caravan You Bet Your Life (7/35.4) The People’s Choice Dragnet (8/35.0) Ford Theatre (12/32.4) Lux Video Theatre (25/28.9)
DMN Local

Friday

Network 7:00 PM 7:30 PM 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM
ABC 7:00 Kukla, Fran and Ollie / 7:15 John Daly and the News The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet Crossroads Dollar a Second The Vise Ethel and Albert Local
CBS 7:00 Local / 7:15 Douglas Edwards with the News The Adventures of Champion Mama Our Miss Brooks Crusader Schlitz Playhouse of Stars The Lineup (17/30.8) Person to Person
NBC Local 7:30 Coke Time with Eddie Fisher / 7:45 Camel News Caravan Truth or Consequences The Life of Riley (21/29.9) The Big Story Star Stage 10:00 Gillette Cavalcade of Sports / 10:45 Red Barber's Corner
DMN Local

Saturday

Network 7:00 PM 7:30 PM 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM
ABC Local Ozark Jubilee (Grand Ole Opry 8-9:00 every fourth week) Lawrence Welk's Dodge Dancing Party Tomorrow's Careers Local
CBS Fall The Gene Autry Show Beat the Clock Stage Show The Honeymooners (19/30.2) Two for the Money It's Always Jan Gunsmoke Damon Runyon Theater
Summer High Finance
NBC Fall Local The Big Surprise The Perry Como Show (18/30.3) People Are Funny (27T/28.4) Texaco Star Theater: The Jimmy Durante Show The George Gobel Show (15/31.9) Your Hit Parade (23/29.1)
Summer The Julius LaRosa Show (13 weeks) Encore Theatre
DMN Local

Notes:

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Castleman, H. and Podrazik, W. (1984). The TV Schedule Book: Four Decades of Network Programming from Sign-on to Sign-off. McGraw-Hill. pg 79–85. ISBN 0-07-010277-5
  2. Miller, Roger K. (2005-09-16). "TV of 50 Years Ago is Stiff Competition for Today's Shows". Deseret News. Salt Lake City (UT). Retrieved 2009-09-17.
  3. Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows (9th ed.). New York: Ballantine. pp. 517–518, 1576–1577. ISBN 0-345-31864-1.
  4. Highest-rated series is based on the annual top-rated programs list compiled by Nielsen Media Research and reported in: Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows (9th ed.). New York: Ballantine. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/22/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.