1950 in television

The year 1950 in television involved some significant events.

Below is a list of television-related events during 1950.

__TOC__

Events

February – European Broadcasting Union (EBU) inaugurated.
February 15
KENS began transmissions as KEYL. It was the second television station to sign on in the San Antonio market.
WSTM-TV began transmissions as WSYR-TV. It was Syracuse's second television station, signing on a year and three months after WHEN-TV (now WTVH).
February 21 – WOI-TV signs on the air as Iowa's second television station (following WOC-TV, now KWQC-TV), and the first in the Des Moines area.
February 23 – First televised report of general election results in the United Kingdom.
March 27 – WHAS-TV signs on the air. It was the second television station to sign on in the Louisville market and the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
April 2 – WTKR began operations on channel 4 as WTAR-TV. It was Hampton Roads' first television station and the second television station in Virginia, after WTVR (channel 6) in Richmond.
April 4 – The BBC Television (UK) aspect ratio changes from 5:4 to 4:3.
May 1 – WLNS-TV began transmissions as WJIM-TV. It is Michigan's second-oldest television station outside Detroit.
May – Desilu Productions formed by Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball in the United States.
June 1 – WWMT signs on the air as WKZO-TV. It was West Michigan's second television station to debut after WLAV-TV (channel 7, now WOOD-TV channel 8 in Grand Rapids).
June 17 – WAND (at this time called WTVP) goes on the air in Decatur, Illinois.
July 1 – WHBF-TV signs on the air. It is the fifth-oldest surviving station in Illinois, and the oldest outside Chicago.
July 26 – First television broadcast station in Mexico, XHTV, Mexico City on channel 4; Gonzalo Castellot Madrazo is the first announcer to appear.
September 18 – First television network in South America launches, PRF-TV on channel 3 in São Paulo, Brazil.
September 30
First BBC television broadcast from an aircraft.
WSMV-TV began transmissions as WSM-TV at 1:10 pm CT. It was Nashville's first television station and the second in Tennessee.
October 10 – The U.S. Federal Communications Commission approves CBS's color television system, effective November 20.
October 25 - Cuba signs on to television as Havana's Union Radio TV signs on for the first time, the first television station in the Caribbean.

New shows

January 4 – Abe Burrows' Almanac debuts on CBS (1950).
January 11 - I Cover Times Square debuts on ABC (1950-1951).
February 2 – What's My Line (1950) debuts on CBS (1950–1967).
February 25 – Your Show of Shows premieres on NBC (1950–1954).
March 23 – Beat the Clock premieres on CBS (1950–1961).
June 17–October 12 – Hawkins Falls premieres on NBC (1951–1955).
July 3 - The Hazel Scott Show on the DuMont Television Network (1950).
July 3 - Menasha the Magnificent on NBC (1950).
July 6 - Ford Star Revue premieres on NBC as the summer replacement for Kay Kyser's Kollege of Musical Knowledge.
July 10 – Your Hit Parade premieres on NBC.
July 11 – Andy Pandy premieres on the BBC (1950, 1970, 2002).
September 5 – The Cisco Kid, starring Duncan Renaldo and Leo Carrillo, premieres (1950-1956).
September 6 – Stars Over Hollywood premieres on NBC (1950-1951).
September 7 – The game show Truth or Consequences debuts (1950–1988).
September 10 – The Colgate Comedy Hour series debuts on NBC (1950-1955).
September 18 – The Paul Winchell Show debuts on NBC with the title The Speidel Show.
October 4 – Four Star Revue debuts on NBC (1950–1953).
October 5 – The comedy quiz show You Bet Your Life, featuring Groucho Marx, premieres (1950–1961).
October 12 – The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show debuts (1950–1958).
October 28 – The Jack Benny Program, starring Jack Benny, premieres (1950–1965).

Television series

{| class="wikitable"

! Series

! Debut

! Ended

|rowspan="2"|Picture Page (UK)

|October 10, 1936

|1939

|1945

|1952

|rowspan="2"|For The Children (UK)

|April 26, 1937

|1939

|July 7, 1946

|1950

|rowspan="2"|The Voice of Firestone Televues

|1943

|1947

|1949

|1963

|Kaleidoscope (UK)

|November 2, 1946

|1953

|Gillette Cavalcade of Sports

|November 8, 1946

|June 24, 1960

|Muffin the Mule (UK)

|1946

|1955

|You Are an Artist

|1946

|1950

|Kraft Television Theater

|May 7, 1947

|1958

|Kukla, Fran and Ollie

|October 13, 1947

|1957

|Meet the Press

|November 6, 1947

| style="text-align:center;" | —

|Mary Kay and Johnny

|November 18, 1947

|March 11, 1950

|Howdy Doody

|December 27, 1947

|September 24, 1960

|Café Continental (UK)

|1947

|1953

|Juvenile Jury

|1947

|1954

|Small Fry Club

|1947

|1951

|Television Newsreel (UK)

|January 5, 1948

|1954

|The Original Amateur Hour

|January 18, 1948

|September 27, 1970

|Court of Current Issues

|February 9, 1948

|June 26, 1951

|Author Meets the Critics

|April 1948

|October 10, 1954

|Hollywood Screen Test

|April 15, 1948

|1953

|Texaco Star Theater

|June 8, 1948

|1953

|The Ed Sullivan Show

|June 20, 1948

|June 6, 1971

|Candid Camera

|August 10, 1948

|2014

|CBS Evening News

|August 15, 1948

| style="text-align:center;" | —

|Foodini the Great

|August 23, 1948

|June 23, 1951

|Actors Studio

|September 1948

|June 1950

|Ford Theatre

|October 17, 1948

|July 10, 1957

|The Morey Amsterdam Show

|December 17, 1948

|October 12, 1950

|The Alan Dale Show

|1948

|1951

|Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts

|1948

|January 1, 1958

|Break the Bank

|1948

|1957

|Cartoon TeleTales

|1948

|1950

|Celebrity Time

|1948

|September 1952

|Club Seven

|1948

|1951

|The Philco Television Playhouse

|1948

|1955

|Winner Take All

|1948

|1952

|The Goldbergs

|January 17, 1949

|1956

|Ripley's Believe It or Not!

|March 1, 1949

|October 5, 1950

|Think Fast

|March 26, 1949

|October 8, 1950

|Captain Video

|June 27, 1949

|April 1, 1955

|Mama

|July 1, 1949

|March 17, 1957

|Martin Kane, Private Eye

|August 7, 1949

|June 17, 1954

|The Little Revue

|September 4, 1949

|April 21, 1950

|The Lone Ranger

|September 15, 1949

|June 6, 1957

|Come Dancing (UK)

|September 29, 1949

|1995

|The Aldrich Family

|October 2, 1949

|May 29, 1953

|rowspan="2"|The Life of Riley

|October 4, 1949

|March 28, 1950

|January 2, 1953

|August 22, 1958

|The Ruggles

|November 3, 1949

|June 19, 1952

|rowspan="2"|One Man's Family

|November 4, 1949

|June 21, 1952

|March 1, 1954

|April 1, 1955

|Arthur Godfrey and His Friends

|1949

|1959

|What's My Line?

|February 2, 1950

|1975

|Your Show of Shows

|February 25, 1950

|June 5, 1954

|Hawkins Falls

|June 17, 1950

|July 1, 1955

|rowspan="2"|Your Hit Parade

|July 10, 1950

|1959

|1974

|rowspan="2"|Andy Pandy (UK)

|July 11, 1950

|1970

|2002

|2005

|Truth or Consequences

|September 7, 1950

|1988

|The Colgate Comedy Hour

|September 10, 1950

|December 25, 1955

|You Bet Your Life

|October 5, 1950

|1961

|The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show

|October 12, 1950

|1958

|The Jack Benny Program

|October 28, 1950

|1965

|rowspan="2"|The Adventures of Ellery Queen

|1950

|1959

|1975

|1976

|The Cisco Kid

|September 5, 1950

|March 22, 1956

Programs ending during 1950

{| class="wikitable"

! Date || Show || Debut

| March 11

| Mary Kay and Johnny

| 1947

| March 29|| Abe Burrows' Almanac || 1950

| June 23

| Actors Studio

| rowspan="2"| 1948

| rowspan="3"| Unknown

| Cartoon Teletales

| For The Children (UK)

| rowspan="2"| 1946

| You Are an Artist

Births

{| class="wikitable"

|- "

! Date || Name || Notability

|January 3

|Victoria Principal

|Actress (Dallas)

|January 7

|Erin Gray

|Actress (Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Silver Spoons)

|January 16

|Debbie Allen

|Actress, dancer, choreographer (Fame)

|January 23

|Richard Dean Anderson

|Actor (MacGyver)

|January 25

|John Terry

|Actor (Las Vegas, Lost)

|January 29

|Ann Jillian

|Actress (It's a Living)

|January 30

|Trinidad Silva

|Actor (died 1988)

|rowspan="2"|February 3

|Morgan Fairchild

|Actress (Flamingo Road)

|Pamela Franklin

|Actress

|February 12

|Michael Ironside

|Actor (ER, Walker, Texas Ranger, Smallville, Superman: The Animated Series)

|February 14

|Frank Collison

|Actor (Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman)

|February 15

|Donna Hanover

|American journalist

|February 17

|Lynne Moody

|Actress (That's My Mama, Knots Landing)

|February 18

|Cybill Shepherd

|Actress (Moonlighting, Cybill)

|rowspan="2"|February 22

|Julius Erving

|NBA basketball player

|Julie Walters

|Actress

|February 24

|Evelyn Guerrero

|American actress

|February 26

|Bill Ritter

|American journalist

|March 2

|Matthew Laurance

|Actor (Saturday Night Live, Beverly Hills, 90210)

|March 3

|Tim Kazurinsky

|Actor (Saturday Night Live)

|March 10

|Aloma Wright

|Actress (Scrubs, Days of Our Lives)

|March 12

|Jon Provost

|Actor (Lassie)

|rowspan="2"|March 13

|William H. Macy

|Actor (Shameless, ER, The Lionhearts, Curious George)

|Charles Krauthammer

|American political columnist (died 2018)

|rowspan="2"|March 18

|Brad Dourif

|Actor

|Jim Knobeloch

|Actor (Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman)

|March 20

|William Hurt

|Actor (died 2022)

|March 23

|Terry Sweeney

|Actor, comedian (Saturday Night Live, Hype)

|rowspan="2"|March 26

|Martin Short

|Canadian-American actor, comedian (SCTV, Saturday Night Live)

|Tony Papenfuss

|Actor (Newhart)

|March 30

|Robbie Coltrane

|Actor (died 2022)

|March 31

|Ed Marinaro

|Football player, actor (Hill Street Blues, Blue Mountain State)

|April 4

|Christine Lahti

|Actress (Chicago Hope)

|rowspan="2"|April 12

|David Cassidy

|Actor, singer (The Partridge Family) (died 2017)

|Tom Werner

|Producer

|rowspan="2"|April 13

|Ron Perlman

|Actor (Beauty and the Beast, Sons of Anarchy, Teen Titans, Adventure Time)

|William Sadler

|Actor (Roswell)

|April 14

|Randolph Powell

|Actor (Logan's Run, Dallas)

|April 17

|L. Scott Caldwell

|Actress (Lost)

|rowspan="2"|April 28

|Jay Leno

|Comedian, talk show host (The Tonight Show)

|Stuart Gillard

|Writer

|May 1

|Dann Florek

|Actor (Law & Order, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit)

|May 7

|Tim Russert

|American television journalist (died 2008)

|May 9

|Marcheline Bertrand

|American actress (died 2007)

|rowspan="2"|May 12

|Bruce Boxleitner

|Actor (Scarecrow and Mrs. King, Babylon 5)

|Gabriel Byrne

|Actor

|May 13

|Stevie Wonder

|Singer and musician

|May 15

|Nicholas Hammond

|American-born Australian actor (The Amazing Spider-Man)

|May 18

|Mark Mothersbaugh

|American composer

|May 28

|Denny Delk

|American Voice Actor (Wicket W. Warrick, Ewoks (TV series))

|May 31

|Gregory Harrison

|Actor (Trapper John, M.D.)

|June 1

|John M. Jackson

|Actor (JAG)

|June 3

|Melissa Mathison

|American film and television screenwriter (died 2015)

|June 5

|Daniel von Bargen

|American character actor (died 2015)

|June 8

|Kathy Baker

|Actress (Picket Fences)

|June 13

|Belinda Bauer

|Australian actress

|June 19

|Rosie Shuster

|Canadian-born comedy writer and actress

|June 20

|Les Gold

|American pawnbroker

|June 26

|Michael Paul Chan

|Actor

|July 5

|Huey Lewis

|Actor

|July 10

|Nick Jameson

|Actor (24, Lost)

|July 11

|Bruce McGill

|Actor

|July 21

|Jordan Clarke

|Actor (Guiding Light)

|July 23

|Belinda Montgomery

|Actress (Man from Atlantis, Miami Vice, Doogie Howser, M.D.)

|rowspan="2"|August 3

|Jo Marie Payton

|Actress (Perfect Strangers, Family Matters, The Proud Family)

|John Landis

|Actor

|August 11

|Steve Wozniak

|American electronics engineer

|August 12

|Jim Beaver

|Actor (Supernatural)

|August 13

|Jane Carr

|Actress

|September 1

|Phil McGraw

|Television host (Dr. Phil)

|September 2

|Harvey Levin

|Television producer

|September 5

|Kathy Cronkite

|Actress

|September 7

|Julie Kavner

|Actress (Marge Simpson on The Simpsons)

|September 9

|Joe Lisi

|Actor (Third Watch)

|September 11

|Amy Madigan

|Actress

|September 12

|Bruce Mahler

|Actor (Seinfeld)

|September 18

|Anna Deavere Smith

|Actress

|September 19

|Joan Lunden

|American TV host

|September 21

|Bill Murray

|Actor, comedian (Saturday Night Live)

|September 24

|Alan Colmes

|Political commentator (Hannity & Colmes, Fox News Watch) (died 2017)

|September 27

|Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa

|Actor

|September 30

|Vondie Curtis-Hall

|Actor, director (Chicago Hope)

|October 2

|Ian McNeice

|Actor

|October 3

|Pamela Hensley

|Actress (Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Matt Houston)

|October 4

|Alan Rosenberg

|Actor (L.A. Law, Civil Wars)

|October 5

|Jeff Conaway

|Actor (Taxi) (died 2011)

|October 9

|Gary Frank

|Actor (Family)

|October 17

|Howard Rollins

|Actor (In the Heat of the Night) (died 1996)

|October 20

|William Russ

|Actor (Boy Meets World)

|rowspan="2"|October 31

|John Candy

|Canadian comedian and actor (SCTV) (died 1994)

|Jane Pauley

|American television host

|November 4

|Markie Post

|Actress (The Fall Guy, Night Court, Hearts Afire) (died 2021)

|November 8

|Mary Hart

|American television personality

|November 10

|Jack Scalia

|Actor

|November 13

|Jules Sylvester

|Actor, animal trainer, television presenter (1000 Ways to Die, Black-ish)

|November 16

|David Leisure

|Actor (Empty Nest)

|November 18

|Dennis Haskins

|Actor (Saved by the Bell)

|November 22

|Steven Van Zandt

|Actor

|November 23

|Chuck Schumer

|Politician

|November 24

|Stanley Livingston

|Actor (My Three Sons)

|November 28

|Ed Harris

|Actor (Westworld)

|December 6

|Thom Barry

|Actor (Cold Case)

|rowspan="2"|December 13

|Lindsey Ginter

|Actor (Lost)

|Wendie Malick

|Actress (Dream On, Just Shoot Me!, Hot in Cleveland, The Owl House)

|December 21

|Jane How

|Actress

Television debuts

Richard Alexander – The Gene Autry Show
Robert Armstrong – The Silver Theatre
Madeleine Carroll – Robert Montgomery Presents
Finlay Currie – Sunday Night Theatre
Frank Darien – The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre
Frances Dee – Fireside Theatre
Stuart Erwin – The Stu Erwin Show
Kay Francis – Prudential Family Playhouse
Rex Harrison – The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre
Nancy Kelly – The Silver Theatre
June Lang – Fireside Theatre
Robert Montgomery – Robert Montgomery Presents
Franklin Pangborn – The Ken Murray Show
Gene Raymond – Pulitzer Prize Playhouse
Penny Singleton – Pulitzer Prize Playhouse

Events

New shows

Television series

Programs ending during 1950

Births

Television debuts

References