The 1950s was a decade that produced some of the most groundbreaking and influential
television shows in televisions history.
It was considered to be the golden age of TV as watching television became a new form
of entertainment that previous generations weren't able to experience.
As broadcasts transitioned from radio to this new, exciting medium during the decade, many
viewers were tuning in to television for the first time.
By the end of the decade, almost every American household had their very own TV sets sitting
in their living rooms.
Comedies, especially sitcoms and variety shows, were some of the most-watched programs during
the 1950s.
Shows such as The Honeymooners, I Love Lucy, and Father Knows Best excelled in the rating
department and later in the decade Westerns became one of the most-watched and popular
genres of shows on the airwaves as viewers tuned in to watch series such as The Lone
Ranger, Rawhide, and Bonanza.
Join Facts Verse as we take an in-depth look at the most watched television shows of this
trailblazing decade.
You're probably pretty familiar with most of the series we're about to cover, so this
might feel a lot like a leisurely stroll down memory lane.
1950 – Texaco Star Theatre
This comedy-variety show was initially broadcast on the radio from 1938 to 1949.
In 1948, it made the jump to television and went on to air until 1956.
It was notable for being one of the first examples of successful television programming
and is often remembered for giving Milton Berle, the show's host, his nickname of Mr.
Television.
After Texaco ended its sponsorship with the program, it was rebranded as The Milton Berle
Show for its final three seasons.
When the series first aired on June 8, 1948, Texaco made sure that their employees were
featured prominently throughout each episode.
They would typically be depicted as grinning 'guardian angels' that would perform good
deeds in some shape or form.
Each week's airing would open up with a quartet of Texaco singers who would perform the show's
theme song.
Texaco Star Theater was widely credited with dialing up American TV set sales.
During the series run, it's been said that the number of TV sets in American homes increased
from just 500,000 to over 30 million.
1950 was also the year that marked the first time that the Nielsen rating system was used.
The variety show became known for its unpredictable live performances.
Berle's type of comedy was typified by slapstick and wild facial contortions.
Skits that were especially popular were the ones that featured Berle in women's clothing.
1951 – Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts
Long before programs like American Idol and America's Got Talent drew in millions of weekly
viewers, another show featuring a similar premise dominated the American airwaves.
Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts was a variety program where scouts would bring their "discoveries"
in front of live studio audiences to show off their talents.
Most of these discoveries, however, were actually struggling professionals hoping to land their
big breaks, so the quality of the talent featured was fairly decent.
At the end of each episode, the studio audience would choose the winner via an applause meter.
The series started out like many other shows of the era as a radio program but debuted
on television in 1948, adopting a very similar format to its previous incarnation.
Throughout its run, the show helped boost the careers of stars such as Patsy Cline,
Tony Bennet, Pat Boon, and Eddie Fisher – just to name a few.
The program ran until 1958, which by that time audiences had began to prefer Westerns
and sitcoms over variety shows.
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And don't go anywhere just yet, because were about to talk about a TV show that has been
called the greatest of all time.
1952-1954 – I Love Lucy
This CBS sitcom is perhaps one of the most influential television programs to ever air.
For six seasons consisting of 180 episodes, the show's stars Lucille Ball and her husband
Desi Arnaz, alongside supporting cast members Vivian Vance and William Frowley, provided
viewers with more laughs than they were capable of counting.
The series followed the life and exploits of Lucy Ricardo - played by Ball - a young,
bumbling, middle-class housewife who lived in New York City.
Lucy would come up with all of these ill-advised schemes and plots with her friends, Fred and
Ethel Mertz – played respectively by Frawley and Vance, but most of these ploys would be
foiled by her bandleader husband, Ricky Ricardo – portrayed by Arnaz.
I Love Lucy became the most-watched television show in America for the first four of its
six seasons.
Ever since the series ended in 1957, it has remained on the air in syndication in dozens
of languages across the globe.
It received many Emmy Awards and nominations and was the first series to feature an ensemble
cast.
Because of all of these factors, it's often considered to be one of the best and most
influential sitcoms in television history.
In 2012, in a survey conducted by People Magazine in conjunction with ABC News, it was voted
the Best Television Show of All Time.
1955 – The $64,000 Question
Originally broadcast between 1955 and 1958 on CBS, The $64,000 Question was a game show
where contestants would answer general knowledge questions to earn money that doubled as each
question became more challenging.
The last question would present contestants with a chance to win the show's top prize
of $64,000 – although you might have already gathered that judging by the programs title.
The series, much like many other game and quiz shows from the era was troubled with
scandals.
For one thing, it was sponsored by Revlon, and the company's CEO, Charles Revson, often
interfered with its production.
Whenever he personally disliked a contestant, he would have them booted from the show regardless
of the audience's reaction or their ability to answer the questions.
Joe Cates, one of the show's producers further revealed that the IBM sorting machine that
was used to present the lower dollar questions in an attempt to give the illusion that these
questions were selected at random was in fact just a ploy.
In reality, all of the cards and their questions were identical.
Another scandal that called into question the show's legitimacy involved a contestant
that ended up failing a civil service exam in 1960 when he was applying for a position
with the US Census Bureau.
This inevitably led to the program producers acknowledging that he had been given the questions
before going on the show, although they denied supplying him with the answers.
At the end of the day, however, the contestant was exonerated of any wrongdoing.
Regardless, the public lost a tremendous amount of faith in the program, and it became a 'well-known
fact' that the game show was rigged.
1956 – I Love Lucy (Yet Again)
Although I Love Lucy briefly lost its top-dog status in the ratings the year prior, it once
again became the most popular show on television with American audiences in 1956.
A year later, however, it would be canceled despite the fact that it was still doing quite
well in viewership.
In 1957, a modified version of the series premiered called The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz
Show and went on to run for three years between 1957 and 1960.
1956 – 1959 – Gunsmoke
By the mid to late 50s, sitcoms began to fall out of vogue with audiences, and Westerns
soared in popularity.
One such Western, Gunsmoke, got its start as a radio series which ran between 1952 and
1961.
In 1955 it was adapted into a television series that would prove to be one of the most popular
and longest-running series of all time.
Not only did it sit at the top of the Nielsen ratings for the remainder of the 50s, but
it would also air for 20 seasons consisting of 635 episodes.
The series was set in and around the town of Dodge City, Kansas during the 1870s.
This was the era in which the American West was being established by settlers.
The series' main character was Marshal Matt Dillon, played by James Arness.
Dillon was tasked with upholding the law in the wild west town where people would often
display very little respect for authority.
He dealt with a multitude of different problems pertaining to frontier life on a daily basis,
from gunfights to cattle rustling to saloon brawls and land feuds.
These difficult situations often called for him to display outstanding braveness while
maintaining sound judgment.
Fortunately, Marshal Dillon was well versed in both of these qualities.
What made the show so popular was how it expertly showed off the best that the burgeoning television
industry had to offer.
Its cast, writers, producers, directors, and various other crew members were some of the
most talented people in show business at the time – and really there hasn't been another
dramatic series since Gunsmoke that has even come close to accomplishing what it did during
its prolific 20-year run.
The 1950s started out pretty safe when it came to television offerings.
Variety shows were at the time a pretty safe bet considering how they often drew in large
audiences and featured famous names that viewers were already familiar with, but as the decade
progressed, studios and the major networks started taking more calculated risks – pushing
the boundaries and experimenting with new genres and subject material.
Sitcoms eventually became the defining genre during the mid-50s but by the end of the decade,
audiences couldn't seem to get enough of more dramatic Western offerings.
This trend would only continue into the 1960s, although sitcoms would once again become popular
in the mid to late 60s.
If you're curious about what shows dominated the airwaves in that decade, check out this
video covering the most-watched television shows of that era.
Anyway, you've heard us ramble on for the last few minutes.
Now it's your turn to let your voice be heard.
What was your favorite television series of the 1950s?
And can you think of any programs from that decade that didn't quite get the viewership
and credit that you feel they deserved?
Let us know in the comments down below.
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