1.
The Ford Show
–
For other TV series sponsored by Ford Motor Company, see Ford Television Theatre, Ford Startime, Ford Festival, and Ford Star Jubilee. The Ford Show is an American variety program, starring singer and folk humorist Tennessee Ernie Ford, the show was actually named for sponsor Ford Motor Company. Beginning in September 1958, the show began to be telecast in color, Ford first gained attention as the host of Hometown Jamboree in Los Angeles. In 1954, he hosted a revival of Kay Kysers Kollege of Musical Knowledge. Its also one of the first places that showed Charles M. Schulzs Peanuts characters in animated form, despite the objection of studio bosses, Ford closed all but 18 of the 121 episodes of his program with a hymn or other spiritual song. It became one of the most popular segments of his show, once in 1959 Gisele MacKenzie became the only guest star to close the Ford program with a hymn. Ford often used the refrain, Bless your pea-pickin hearts. In the first season, the group called The Voices of Walter Schumann served as backup. After Schumanns death, the group was more contemporary, renamed The Top Twenty. On October 8,1958, Ford introduced the 1959 Ford vehicle models on the program, on January 7,1960, Ford had two big-name guests, Dean Martin and Jack Bailey, host of the Queen for a Day daytime series. In the skit Martin drops by as Ford and Bailey poke fun at Martins Rat Pack friends, gossip columnist Hedda Hopper was among the many guests on the program. On June 8,1961, South African golfer Gary Player, then twenty-five, on April 28,1960, Ford presented one of his only five programs without guest stars at Drury College, a Congregationalist institution in Springfield, Missouri. He sang his trademark Sixteen Tons and the hymn Take My Hand, in his series finale, Ford had no guests. On March 30,1961, Flynn had also appeared on The Ford Show in an episode set at sea aboard the U. S. S. Greer Garson and Reginald Gardiner were the first two guest stars, having appeared on The Ford Show premiere episode, two weeks later, Zsa Zsa Gabor made her only appearance. The next week, actor Adolphe Menjou made his visit to The Ford Show. Charles Laughton appeared several times in comedy skits with Ford, William Bendix, Jeannie Carson, Pat OBrien, and Sir Cedric Hardwicke were also guests of Fords. Kate Smith was the only guest to appear in two episodes, aired on January 15 and 22,1959
2.
Ford Star Jubilee
–
For other TV series sponsored by Ford Motor Company, see Ford Television Theatre, Ford Startime, Ford Festival, and The Ford Show. Ford Star Jubilee is an American anthology series aired once a month on Saturday nights on CBS at 9,00 P. M. E. S. T. from the fall of 1955 to the fall of 1956, the series was approximately 90 minutes long, broadcast in black-and-white and color, and was typically telecast live. Ford Star Jubilee was sponsored by the Ford Motor Company and this marked the first time that the film had ever been shown on television, and the only time that one of the films actual actors as well as one of the children of the films star hosted it. The broadcast was a critical and ratings smash, but the film was not shown on TV again until 1959, rather than 9,00 P. M. and this time as a Christmas season special in its own right, not as part of an anthology series. The 1959 telecast was hosted by comedian Red Skelton and his daughter Valentina and this broadcast attracted an even wider audience, because children were able to watch, and thus began the tradition of showing the film annually on television. Another rare instance of Ford Star Jubilee presenting a filmed, rather than live, program was their 1956 musical version of Maxwell Andersons High Tor, starring Bing Crosby and Julie Andrews. Music was by Arthur Schwartz, noted composer of scores as those for The Band Wagon. Crosby, according to sources, had insisted the production be filmed rather than presented live, although it was filmed in color, the musical version of High Tor has never been released on VHS or DVD. Ford Star Jubilee at the Internet Movie Database Ford Star Jubilee at TV. com List of episodes at CVTA
3.
Ford's Theatre
–
Fords Theatre is a theater in Washington, D. C. used for various stage performances beginning in the 1860s. It is also the site of the assassination of U. S. President Abraham Lincoln on April 14,1865, after being shot, the mortally wounded president was carried across the street to the Petersen House, where he died the next morning. The theater was used as a warehouse and office building. It was renovated and re-opened as a theater in 1968, during the 2000s, it was renovated again, opening on February 12,2009, in commemoration of the bicentennial of Lincolns birth. A related Center for Education and Leadership museum experience opened February 12,2012 next to Petersen House, Fords Theatre is located at 511 10th Street, NW. The site was originally a house of worship, constructed in 1833 as the meeting house of the First Baptist Church of Washington. In 1861, after the congregation moved to a built structure. Ford bought the church and renovated it into a theater. He first called it Fords Athenaeum, the famous actor John Wilkes Booth, desperate to aid the dying Confederacy, stepped into the box where the presidential party was sitting and shot Lincoln. Booth then jumped onto the stage, and cried out Sic semper tyrannis just before escaping through the back of the theater, between 1866 and 1887, the theater was taken over by the U. S. In 1887, the building became a clerks office for the War Department. On June 9,1893, the front part of the building collapsed, killing 22 clerks and this led some people to believe that the former church turned theater and storeroom was cursed. The building was repaired and used as a government warehouse until 1911, in 1928, the building was turned over from the War Department Office to the Office of Public Buildings and Parks of the National Capital. A Lincoln museum opened on the first floor of the building on February 12. In 1933, the building was transferred to the National Park Service, hildreth first suggested to Young the need for its restoration in 1945. Through extensive lobbying of Congress, a bill was passed in 1955 to prepare a study for the reconstruction of the building. In 1964 Congress approved funds for its restoration, which began that year and was completed in 1968, on January 21,1968, Vice President Hubert Humphrey and 500 others dedicated the restored theater. The theater reopened on January 30,1968, with a gala performance, the theater was again renovated during the 2000s
4.
Anthology series
–
An anthology series is a radio or television series that presents a different story and a different set of characters in each episode or season/series. Some anthology series, such as Studio One, began on radio, many popular old-time radio programs were anthology series. On some series, such as Inner Sanctum Mysteries, the constant was the host. One of the earliest such programs was The Collier Hour, broadcast on the NBC Blue Network from 1927 to 1932, as radios first major dramatic anthology, it adapted stories and serials from Colliers Weekly in a calculated move to increase subscriptions and compete with The Saturday Evening Post. Weird The Haunting Hour The Sealed Book Mystery in the Air The Weird Circle Quiet, the stars would own the studio and the program, as Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz had done successfully with Desilu studio. Powell had intended for the program to feature himself, Charles Boyer, Joel McCrea, when Russell and McCrea backed out, David Niven came on board as the third star. The fourth star was initially a guest star, CBS liked the idea, and Four Star Playhouse made its debut in fall of 1952. It ran on alternate weeks only during the first season, alternating with Amos n Andy and it was successful enough to be renewed and became a weekly program from the second season until the end of its run in 1956. Ida Lupino was brought on board as the de facto fourth star, though unlike Powell, Boyer, American television networks would sometimes run summer anthology series which consisted of unsold television pilots. Beginning in 1971, the long-run Masterpiece Theatre drama anthology series brought British productions to American television. k. a. Billy Roses Playbill Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre The Bold Ones Broadway Television Theatre Buick-Electra Playhouse Cameo Theatre Camera Three The Campbell Playhouse, Campbell Soundstage and Campbell Summer Soundstage Cavalcade of America CBS Playhouse CBS Summer Playhouse CBS Television Workshop CBS Workshop, a. k. a. CBS Repertoire Workshop Celanese Theatre Celebrity Playhouse Center Stage Cheer Television Theatre The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre a. k. a, Chevrolet on Broadway Chevron Hall of Stars Chevron Theatre Climax. Gruen Guild Theatre The Gulf Playhouse Hallmark Hall of Fame Hollywood Opening Night Hollywood Premiere Theatre, Hollywood Theatre Time International Playhouse John Waters Presents Movies That Will Corrupt You The Joseph Cotten Show, a. k. a. k. a. Max Liebman Presents Medallion Theatre, a. k. a, grimms Fairy Tale Classics Happily Ever After, Fairy Tales for Every Child The Harveytoons Show KaBlam. Late Night, Black and White Legends of Bikini Bottom Liquid Television The Looney Tunes Show Mickey Mouse Works Mickeys Mouse Tracks O Canada Off the Air Oh Yeah. Cartoons The Pink Panther Show The Popeye Show The Porky Pig Show Princes et princesses Random. M. k. a. Terribles House of Horrible The Eddie Cantor Comedy Theatre El Chapulín Colorado Ripping Yarns George Burns Comedy Week Good Heavens Human Remains Inside No. k. a. k. a. k. a. k. a, orson Welles Great Mysteries Out of the Fog Panic. Way of Life Family Theater Insight Lamp Unto My Feet Look Up, the Fisher Family Alcoa Presents, One Step Beyond Amazing Stories American Horror Story Are You Afraid of the Dark. L. k. a
5.
NBC
–
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcast television network that is the flagship property of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. The network is part of the Big Three television networks, founded in 1926 by the Radio Corporation of America, NBC is the oldest major broadcast network in the United States. Following the acquisition by GE, Bob Wright served as executive officer of NBC, remaining in that position until his retirement in 2007. In 2003, French media company Vivendi merged its entertainment assets with GE, Comcast purchased a controlling interest in the company in 2011, and acquired General Electrics remaining stake in 2013. Following the Comcast merger, Zucker left NBC Universal and was replaced as CEO by Comcast executive Steve Burke, during a period of early broadcast business consolidation, radio manufacturer Radio Corporation of America acquired New York City radio station WEAF from American Telephone & Telegraph. Westinghouse, a shareholder in RCA, had an outlet in Newark, New Jersey pioneer station WJZ. This station was transferred from Westinghouse to RCA in 1923, WEAF acted as a laboratory for AT&Ts manufacturing and supply outlet Western Electric, whose products included transmitters and antennas. The Bell System, AT&Ts telephone utility, was developing technologies to transmit voice- and music-grade audio over short and long distances, the 1922 creation of WEAF offered a research-and-development center for those activities. WEAF maintained a schedule of radio programs, including some of the first commercially sponsored programs. In an early example of chain or networking broadcasting, the station linked with Outlet Company-owned WJAR in Providence, Rhode Island, AT&T refused outside companies access to its high-quality phone lines. The early effort fared poorly, since the telegraph lines were susceptible to atmospheric. In 1925, AT&T decided that WEAF and its network were incompatible with the companys primary goal of providing a telephone service. AT&T offered to sell the station to RCA in a deal that included the right to lease AT&Ts phone lines for network transmission, the divisions ownership was split among RCA, its founding corporate parent General Electric and Westinghouse. NBC officially started broadcasting on November 15,1926, WEAF and WJZ, the flagships of the two earlier networks, were operated side-by-side for about a year as part of the new NBC. On April 5,1927, NBC expanded to the West Coast with the launch of the NBC Orange Network and this was followed by the debut of the NBC Gold Network, also known as the Pacific Gold Network, on October 18,1931. The Orange Network carried Red Network programming, and the Gold Network carried programming from the Blue Network, initially, the Orange Network recreated Eastern Red Network programming for West Coast stations at KPO in San Francisco. The Orange Network name was removed from use in 1936, at the same time, the Gold Network became part of the Blue Network. In the 1930s, NBC also developed a network for shortwave radio stations, in 1927, NBC moved its operations to 711 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, occupying the upper floors of a building designed by architect Floyd Brown
6.
CBS
–
CBS is an American commercial broadcast television network that is a flagship property of CBS Corporation. The company is headquartered at the CBS Building in New York City with major facilities and operations in New York City. CBS is sometimes referred to as the Eye Network, in reference to the iconic logo. It has also called the Tiffany Network, alluding to the perceived high quality of CBS programming during the tenure of William S. Paley. It can also refer to some of CBSs first demonstrations of color television, the network has its origins in United Independent Broadcasters Inc. a collection of 16 radio stations that was purchased by Paley in 1928 and renamed the Columbia Broadcasting System. Under Paleys guidance, CBS would first become one of the largest radio networks in the United States, in 1974, CBS dropped its former full name and became known simply as CBS, Inc. In 2000, CBS came under the control of Viacom, which was formed as a spin-off of CBS in 1971, CBS Corporation is controlled by Sumner Redstone through National Amusements, which also controls the current Viacom. The television network has more than 240 owned-and-operated and affiliated stations throughout the United States. The origins of CBS date back to January 27,1927, Columbia Phonographic went on the air on September 18,1927, with a presentation by the Howard Barlow Orchestra from flagship station WOR in Newark, New Jersey, and fifteen affiliates. Operational costs were steep, particularly the payments to AT&T for use of its land lines, in early 1928 Judson sold the network to brothers Isaac and Leon Levy, owners of the networks Philadelphia affiliate WCAU, and their partner Jerome Louchenheim. With the record out of the picture, Paley quickly streamlined the corporate name to Columbia Broadcasting System. He believed in the power of advertising since his familys La Palina cigars had doubled their sales after young William convinced his elders to advertise on radio. By September 1928, Paley bought out the Louchenheim share of CBS, during Louchenheims brief regime, Columbia paid $410,000 to A. H. Grebes Atlantic Broadcasting Company for a small Brooklyn station, WABC, which would become the networks flagship station. WABC was quickly upgraded, and the relocated to 860 kHz. The physical plant was relocated also – to Steinway Hall on West 57th Street in Manhattan, by the turn of 1929, the network could boast to sponsors of having 47 affiliates. Paley moved right away to put his network on a financial footing. In the fall of 1928, he entered talks with Adolph Zukor of Paramount Pictures. The deal came to fruition in September 1929, Paramount acquired 49% of CBS in return for a block of its stock worth $3.8 million at the time
