The year 1954 in television involved some significant events. Below is a list of television-related events in 1954.
A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries programs can also be referred to and can also be shown as a television film that is usually shown with only a few limited number of episodes too as well. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. As of 2021, the popularity of miniseries format has increased in both streaming services and broadcast television.
Armstrong Circle Theatre is an American anthology drama television series which ran from June 6, 1950, to June 25, 1957, on NBC, and from October 2, 1957, to August 28, 1963, on CBS. It alternated weekly with The U.S. Steel Hour. It finished in the Nielsen ratings at #19 for the 1950-1951 season and #24 for 1951-1952. The principal sponsor was Armstrong World Industries.
Reginald Rose was an American screenwriter. He wrote about controversial social and political issues. His realistic approach was particularly influential in the anthology programs of the 1950s.
Lux Video Theatre is an American television anthology series that was produced from 1950 until 1957. The series presented both comedy and drama in original teleplays, as well as abridged adaptations of films and plays.
Arnold Moss was an American character actor. His son was songwriter Jeff Moss.
An anthology series is a radio, television, video game or film series that spans different genres and presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a different cast in each episode, but several series in the past, such as Four Star Playhouse, employed a permanent troupe of character actors who would appear in a different drama each week. Some anthology series, such as Studio One, began on radio and then expanded to television.
The Philco Television Playhouse is an American television anthology series that was broadcast live on NBC from 1948 to 1955. Produced by Fred Coe, the series was sponsored by Philco. It was one of the most respected dramatic shows of the Golden Age of Television, winning a 1954 Peabody Award and receiving eight Emmy nominations between 1951 and 1956.
Ford Theatre, spelled Ford Theater for the original radio version and known, in full, as The Ford Television Theatre for the TV version, is a radio and television anthology series broadcast in the United States in the 1940s and 1950s. At various times the television series appeared on all three major television networks, while the radio version was broadcast on two separate networks and on two separate coasts. Ford Theatre was named for its sponsor, the Ford Motor Company, which had an earlier success with its concert music series, The Ford Sunday Evening Hour (1934–42).
Janet Blair was an American big-band singer who later became a popular film and television actress.
Raymond Forrest Lewis was an American actor of the theater, radio, motion pictures and television.
The Best of Broadway is a 60-minute live television anthology series that aired on CBS Television on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. Eastern Standard Time from September 15, 1954, to May 4, 1955, for a total of nine episodes. Each show was broadcast live in color from New York City, was an adaptation of a famous Broadway play, and included commercials for Westinghouse featuring Betty Furness. Using a "giant new studio," plays were presented in front of a studio audience, which contributed a Broadway-like element.
Myrna Fahey was an American actress known for her role as Maria Crespo in Walt Disney's Zorro and as Madeline Usher in The Fall of the House of Usher.
Medallion Theatre, aka Chrysler Medallion Theatre, is a 30-minute American anthology series that aired on CBS from July 11, 1953, to April 3, 1954. Henry Fonda, Claude Rains, and Janet Gaynor made their major television dramatic debuts on this series in various 1953 episodes. Others guest stars included Helen Hayes, Charlton Heston, Ronald Reagan, Jack Lemmon, Rod Steiger, and Roddy McDowell. Among its writers were Rod Serling and Robert Anderson. Directors included Ralph Nelson, Don Medford, Robert Stevens, and Seymour Robbie. The original producer was William Spier.
Somerset Maugham TV Theatre is an American anthology drama program. The series aired on CBS October 18, 1950 – March 28, 1951, and on NBC April 2, 1951 – December 10, 1951, airing 47 episodes.
Playwrights '56, a.k.a. The Playwright Hour, is a 60-minute live American dramatic anthology series produced by Fred Coe for Showtime Productions. Twenty episodes aired on NBC from October 4, 1955, to June 19, 1956. It shared a Thursday time slot with Armstrong Circle Theatre.
Star Stage is a half-hour American television anthology series that began on September 9, 1955, and ended on September 7, 1956.
The Eddie Cantor Comedy Theatre is a half-hour filmed American comedy series produced by Eddie Cantor and made at Ziv Television Programs, Inc. for first-run syndication. Cantor hosted and performed on each show. Thirty-nine episodes were produced and aired in 1955 before Cantor decided the show was too much for him to continue doing.
Natalie Norwick was an American actor who performed on stage and in television and films over a span of 54 years.
American Inventory was a thirty-minute weekly filmed educational series that first aired as a summer replacement Sunday nights during 1951 on NBC. It was funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation with NBC donating the broadcast time and facilities. The series incorporated panel discussions, lectures from experts, film of activities and events taking place out of the studio, and occasional in-studio dramatic scenes. It was an ambitious project, the first educational series produced and broadcast by a network.
