This column originally appeared in April 2012.
Whether you viewed them nightly in your living room, or you have only read about them, the television shows of the mid-20th century have captured the interest of collectors across the country, making television memorabilia one of the fastest growing collectibles in today’s market.
Milton Berle, long recognized as the King of Television, headlined the first weekly television program, The Texaco Star Theater from 1948-1956. He was quickly joined by a cluster of variety shows that included Mid-West Hayride, The Steve Allen Show, and Ed Sullivan’s The Toast of the Town. Highly popular with all ages in the early days of TV were the Saturday Night Fights which featured televised wrestling matches.
With the hours of TV news available to us today, it interesting to note that newscasts during the early days were limited to only 15 minutes. Despite their brevity, they drew a large and loyal following. The top newsman of the day was Edward R. Murrow with his show See it Now, aptly named as to this point the news had only been available on the radio. Other pioneers in this field include Dan Rather and Walter Cronkite.
In 1949 Hopalong Cassidy came riding into our living rooms followed by Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. These early cowboy shows both monopolized Saturday morning programming and paved the way for some of the longest running shows on TV including The Lone Ranger, Wanted Dead or Alive, Bonanza, and Have Gun Will Travel.
Sitcoms made a smooth transition from radio to television. From 1951-1957, the couple to beat in the ratings war were Lucille Ball and her real-life husband Desi Arnaz. They were, in fact so popular that when their son Little Ricky was born on the show, they drew more viewers than the inauguration of President Eisenhower which aired the next morning!
In 1957 American viewers were introduced to game shows. Who Do You Trust and What’s My Line? drew huge followings of people who not only observed but played along. In the late 50s America followed the success of college professor turned game show contestant, Charles Van Doren. Record numbers of viewers tuned in to watch this man of humble means as he answered questions and acquired considerable winnings. Van Doren went from national hero to public disgrace when it was discovered that he had been given his answers in advance. Twenty One was cancelled, but Americans had caught the game show bug.
The years 1960-1970 saw the emergence of “political comedy.” Laugh-In, and the highly censored and eventually cancelled Smother’s Brothers, were both entertaining and thought provoking. Under the direction of Norman Lear, a series of shows including Maude, The Jeffersons, Good Times, and one of the highest rated shows of all time, All in the Family addressed controversial topics cloaked in comedy. The true political issues of the decade also found their way into our homes as we watched the McCarthy hearings, we witnessed the assassination of our President, and for the first time we saw a war fought nightly in our living rooms via coverage from Vietnam .
Collectors are mainly looking for memorabilia from 1949-1959, often referred to as “The Golden Age” of television. Items of interest include: posters, lunch boxes, shirts, posters, game boards, autographs and original scripts. Highest values are placed on these early pieces, but there is a growing interest in items from the 1960s and 1970s. Until next time . . . .Linda
Linda Kennett may be reached at 317-258-7835 or lkennett@indy.rr.com