Pioneers of Television

Sitcoms have been a major form of entertainment since the very early days of U.S. television. Jackie Gleason surprised many when he decided to stop his variety show in favor of a 30 minute version of The Honeymooners (1955), which had its origin as one of his regular skits. Working with regulars Art Carney and Audrey Meadows, they created 39 episodes of pure joy. 'Lucille Ball' and Desi Arnaz made history with I Love Lucy (1951) not only by making people laugh but by writing in Lucy's real-life pregnancy. In Make Room for Daddy (1953), Danny Thomas presented a believable family and as a producer, introduced Andy Griffith to a broader TV audience in The Andy Griffith Show (1960). The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961) show, also with Mary Tyler Moore, made use of the stars inestimable talents.

In the early years of US television, a new form of entertainment was created: the late night talk show. Steve Allen was the first of his kind and he was noted for its wacky comedy and willingness to engage in crazy stunts. It was also a showcase for African-American performers such as Cab Calloway and Count Basie. He was succeeded in 1957 by Jack Paar, a skilled interviewer who got his start in radio and brought the art of conversation to the small screen. Johnny Carson followed as the next and undoubtedly most popular host of the show. He agreed somewhat reluctantly and became a TV staple for the next 30 years. His success led to many others trying their hand at the format, some successfully, including Merv Griffin, Joey Bishop and Dick Cavett.

Variety shows were the mainstay of early American TV with stars such as Milton Berle, Red Skelton and Sid Caesar dominating the airwaves. Ed Sullivan was a mainstay of television with his Sunday night show presenting everything from acrobats to stand-up comedians to scenes from Broadway plays. Arthur Godfrey at one point had two hit TV shows on the air and his folksy charm seemed to be just what America wanted at the time. His firing of popular singer Julius LaRosa on live TV changed the public's perception of him. Singers hosting their own variety show became popular with Pat Boone, and Andy Williams both hosting very popular shows. Perry Como was so popular that his show trounced The Honeymooners (1955)in the ratings and six years later did the same against The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961). Sid Caesar's _"Your Show of Shows" (1950)_ made sketch comedy a staple of the variety hour, something that carried on for several decades with show like _"The Carol Burnett Show" (1967)_. Variety shows didn't avoid controversial issues. _"The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" (1967) never hesitated to comment on the major issues of the day and was canceled due to political pressure. Variety shows also played a important role in providing opportunity to African-America artists with Pat Boone booking Harry Belafonte over his sponsors objections. When it was unable to find a sponsor for a show hosted by Nat 'King' Cole, NBC paid for it themselves. By the 1970's it all came together when comedian Flip Wilson hosted one of the most popular shows on American TV.

Game shows existed long before TV and were popular on radio. Producer Mark Goodson created a national sensation with Stop the Music which offered a huge prize to a randomly selected contestant. Ralph Edwards created Truth or Consequences and later on TV passed it on to Bob Barker to act as host. Early TV needed programming to fill the schedule and game shows were easy to produce. Edwards later created the popular This Is Your Life (1950) and Groucho Marx had You Bet Your Life (1950). It all came crashing down with the now infamous game show scandals where contestants were given the answers to questions to add to the drama. The first was Dotto (1958), then Twenty-One (1956) where its most successful contestant Charles Van Doren, had become nationally known. Password (1961) from Mark Goodson was the first post-scandal hit show followed by Let's Make a Deal (1963). Merv Griffin, a game show emcee early on, had been trying to develop his own concept for a show and a suggestion from his wife - that he provide the answer and have the contestants provide the question - lead to the creation of Jeopardy! (1964) which is still on the air today. His fond memories of playing hangman with his sister on long family car trips lead to the creation of the most popular game show ever, Wheel of Fortune (1983). Chuck Barris, described as one of the most unusual people in America, had the idea that the funniest people would be just ordinary folks and developed The Dating Game (1965) and the The Newlywed Game (1966).