Leonard Bernstein was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was the first American-born conductor to receive international acclaim. Bernstein was "one of the most prodigiously talented and successful musicians in American history" according to music critic Donal Henahan. Bernstein's honors and accolades include seven Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, and 16 Grammy Awards as well as an Academy Award nomination. He received the Kennedy Center Honor in 1981.
The NBC Symphony Orchestra was a radio orchestra conceived by David Sarnoff, the president of the Radio Corporation of America, the parent corporation of the National Broadcasting Company especially for the conductor Arturo Toscanini. The NBC Symphony Orchestra performed weekly radio broadcast concerts with Toscanini and other conductors and several of its players served in the house orchestra for the NBC Radio Network. NBC encouraged the public’s perception of the Orchestra as a full-time organization exclusively at Toscanini’s beck and call, but Fortune disclosed in 1938 that these instrumentalists played other radio—and, later, television—broadcasts: “the Toscanini concerts have been allocated only fifteen of the thirty hours a week each man works, including rehearsals.”
The year 1958 in television involved some significant events. Below is a list of television-related events during 1958.
The year 1956 in television involved some significant events. Below is a list of television-related events during 1956.
The year 1954 in television involved some significant events. Below is a list of television-related events in 1954.
The year 1953 in television involved some significant events. Below is a list of television-related events during 1953.
The year 1951 in television involved some significant events. Below is a list of television-related events during 1951.
Hans Georg Conried Jr. was an American actor and comedian. He was known for providing the voices of George Darling and Captain Hook in Walt Disney's Peter Pan (1953), Snidely Whiplash in Jay Ward's Dudley Do-Right cartoons, Professor Waldo P. Wigglesworth in Ward's Hoppity Hooper cartoons, was host of Ward's live-action "Fractured Flickers" show and Professor Kropotkin on the radio and film versions of My Friend Irma. He also appeared as Uncle Tonoose on Danny Thomas' sitcom Make Room for Daddy, twice on I Love Lucy, and as the Mad Hatter along with Daws Butler, Dolores Starr, Stanley Adams, Francis Condie Baxter and Cheryl Callaway in The Alphabet Conspiracy (1959).
John Charles Patrick Croghan Daly was an American journalist, host, radio and television personality, ABC News executive, TV anchor, and game show host, best known for his work on the CBS panel game show What's My Line?
Kukla, Fran and Ollie was an early American television show using puppets. It was created for children, but was soon watched by more adults than children. It did not have a script and was entirely ad-libbed. It was broadcast from Chicago between October 13, 1947, and August 30, 1957. Comedienne Fran Allison starred, interacting with puppets, Kukla and Ollie whose puppeteer was the show's creator, Burr Tillstrom. After the original run, the team appeared in other productions over several decades.
Sir Humphrey McGuire Burton is an English classical music television presenter, broadcaster, director, producer, impresario, lecturer and biographer of musicians. Burton was knighted in the 2020 New Year Honours for services to classical music, the arts and the media.
Brian James Large is a television director and author. He is among the world's foremost TV directors specializing in opera and classical music.
Kirk Browning was an American television director and producer who had hundreds of productions to his credit, including 185 broadcasts of Live from Lincoln Center.
The Joy of Music is Leonard Bernstein's first book, originally published as a hardcover in 1959 by Simon & Schuster. The first UK edition was published in 1960 by Weidenfeld & Nicolson. It was translated into German (1961), Danish (1969), Slovenian (1977), Hebrew, Chinese (1987). The first edition was reprinted seven times and published in several further editions, including as a paperback and ebook.
Robert Saudek was an American TV producer and executive, son of flutist and conductor Victor Saudek (1879–1966).
The 1953 Sylvania Television Awards were presented on December 1, 1953, at Hotel Pierre in New York City. The Sylvania Awards were established by Sylvania Electric Products. The awards were selected by a committee of 16 judges led by Deems Taylor.
The 1958 Sylvania Television Awards were presented on January 22, 1959, at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. The Sylvania Awards were established by Sylvania Electric Products.
Chester Watson was an American bass-baritone singer who had an active performance career in operas and concerts from the late 1940s into the 1970s. He was particularly active as a performer in opera on American television with the NBC Opera Theatre. He also made appearances with several American opera companies, including the New York City Opera, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and the Opera Society of Washington. He is best known for creating roles in the world premieres of several American operas, including the First Police Agent in Gian Carlo Menotti's The Consul (1950), Father Julien in Norman Dello Joio's The Trial at Rouen (1956), Palivec in Robert Kurka's The Good Soldier Schweik (1958), and Leonard Swett in Thomas Pasatieri's The Trial of Mary Lincoln (1972). He notably starred opposite Maria Callas as Goffredo in the American Opera Society's lauded 1959 production of Vincenzo Bellini's Il pirata, which was recorded for EMI Classics. On the concert stage he appeared frequently with the National Symphony Orchestra during the 1950s, and also made guest appearances as a soloist with other American symphonies like the New York Philharmonic.
Mary Virginia Ahern was an American radio and television producer. She was a key figure producing the award-winning American program Omnibus. She was a producer, an editor and a script writer during what has been described as the "golden age" of television. She became the first curator of the Paley Center for Media dedicated to the history of broadcasting. She helped the Library of Congress to identify television content worthy of historic preservation.
Roger Leslie Englander was an American director and producer. He was nominated six times for Primetime Emmy Awards, winning in the category Outstanding Program Achievements in Entertainment in 1965.
