Wisdom of the Ages

For the Elvis Presley song, see Wisdom of the Ages (song). For the comic book, see Highland Laddie (comic book) § Wisdom of the Ages.

Wisdom of the Ages
Publicity shot
Genre	Panel show
Presented by	Jack Barry
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Running time	23-25 minutes
Original release
Network	DuMont
Release	December 16, 1952 (1952-12-16) – June 30, 1953 (1953-06-30)

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 panel ranging from youth to the elderly. Wisdom of the Ages aired Tuesdays at 9:30pm ET, and replaced Quick on the Draw which ended December 9, 1952. ^{[1] [2]}

The show was hosted by Jack Barry, and was a production of Barry & Enright Productions. Viewers submitted often-amusing questions or problems to be discussed by five panelists from different age groups – under 20 (Ronnie Mulluzzo, age 8), 20-40 (Marcia Van Dyke, age 28), 40-60 (Leo Cherne, age 40), 60-80 (Mrs. H. V. Kaltenborn, age 64), and over 80 years old (Thomas Clark, age 82). ^[1] Marcia Van Dyke was Jack Barry's wife. ^[3]

The panelists gave their opinion on such topics as spanking children and wives who worked outside of the home. ^[3] The eight-year-old and 82-year-old panelists were most often in agreement with each other. ^[1]

Episode status

An episode from June 16, 1953, survives at the UCLA Film and Television Archive. ^[4]

See also

• List of programs broadcast by the DuMont Television Network
• List of surviving DuMont Television Network broadcasts
• 1952-53 United States network television schedule

References

1. Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (2007). "Wisdom of the Ages". The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows – 1946–present (9 ed.). Ballantine Books. p. 1529. ISBN   978-0345497734 . Retrieved August 17, 2025.
2. Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (2007). "Quick on the Draw". The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows – 1946–present (9 ed.). Ballantine Books. p. 1125. ISBN   978-0345497734 . Retrieved August 17, 2025.
3. Devane, James, Five Are Included On Panel Program In Wisdom of Ages, The Cincinnati Enquirer, January 8, 1953, page 18
4. UCLA Library

Bibliography

• David Weinstein, The Forgotten Network: DuMont and the Birth of American Television (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2004) ISBN   1-59213-245-6
• Alex McNeil, Total Television, Fourth edition (New York: Penguin Books, 1980) ISBN   0-14-024916-8
• Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows, Ninth edition (New York: Ballantine Books, 2007) ISBN   978-0345497734

External links

• Wisdom of the Ages at IMDB
• DuMont historical website