 |
| Life Begins at Eighty | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Panel show |
| Presented by | Jack Barry |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Running time | 25 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC (1950-52) DuMont (1952-55) ABC (1955-56) |
| Release | January 13, 1950 – February 25, 1956 |
Life Begins at Eighty is an American panel discussion television series which aired from January 1950 to February 1956.
The show first aired on NBC on January 13, 1950, then on DuMont from March 21, 1952, to July 24, 1955, and finally on ABC. The last show was aired on ABC on February 25, 1956. In its ABC run, Life Begins at Eighty was aired opposite two anthology series, Appointment with Adventure on CBS and The Loretta Young Show on NBC. Prior to its television run, the show began on radio in 1948.
The show was hosted by Jack Barry, and consisted of viewers at home writing questions for the octogenarian panel to answer. There were usually four panelists; the two permanent spots on the panel were given to Broadway actress Georgiana Carhart, and Fred Stein, cousin of writer and poet Gertrude Stein.
Life Begins at Eighty was a spin-off of the popular panel discussion series Juvenile Jury , in which young children answered questions from the viewers at home. The panels were combined in Wisdom of the Ages , which ran on DuMont from December 1952 to June 1953.
The series was parodied in a Sesame Street game show sketch starring Guy Smiley titled, Happiness Begins at 40.
One episode is in the collection of the Paley Center for Media, and two episodes are held in the J. Fred MacDonald collection at the Library of Congress.
The DuMont Television Network was one of America's pioneer commercial television networks, rivaling NBC and CBS for the distinction of being first overall in the United States. It was owned by Allen B. DuMont Laboratories, a television equipment and television set manufacturer, and began operation on April 13, 1940.
The year 1958 in television involved some significant events. Below is a list of television-related events during 1958.
The year 1955 in television involved some significant events. Below is a list of television-related events during 1955.
The year 1953 in television involved some significant events. Below is a list of television-related events during 1953.
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Fishing and Hunting Club is a DuMont Television Network program that was aired on Fridays at 9 pm ET from September 30, 1949, to March 31, 1950. On January 20, 1950, the name of the show changed to Sports for All.
The Johns Hopkins Science Review is a US television series about science that was produced at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland from 1948-1955. Starting in 1950, the series aired on the DuMont Television Network until the network's demise in 1955. The series' creator was Lynn Poole, who wrote or co-wrote most of its episodes and acted as the on-camera host.
Wisdom of the Ages is a panel show aired on the DuMont Television Network from December 16, 1952, to June 30, 1953. The show combined the ideas of Juvenile Jury and Life Begins at Eighty, with a combined panel of youth and the elderly. Wisdom of the Ages aired Tuesdays at 9:30pm ET, and replaced Quick on the Draw which ended December 9, 1952.
Wrestling from Marigold is an American sports program broadcast from the Marigold Arena in Chicago which aired on the DuMont Television Network from Saturday, September 17, 1949, until March 1955. The show lasted for either 90 or 120 minutes, usually on Saturdays at 9pm ET, and continued to be broadcast on WGN-TV as a non-network show until 1957.
Twenty Questions, based on the guessing game Twenty questions, started as a radio quiz show in 1946. The television series ran on NBC in 1949, on ABC from 1950 to 1951 and on the DuMont Television Network from 1951 to 1954.