What were TV shows of the 1950's like?
1 Answer
Television was in its infancy in the 1950s, and many shows were highly commercialized... and many were broadcast live.
Explanation:
TV was in its infancy in the 1950s and drew heavily from the experience of radio shows of the 1930s and 40s. The number of televisions in the 1950 in the US grew from 3 million to 55 million sets in the '50s, but most of the shows were heavily tied to commercial products and marketting campaigns.
One consequence was that early TV shows were banal and carefully avoided real controversy -- largely to avoid losing customers and the commercial sponsors who paid for productions. Many of the early shows also showed idealized families, but not always, and not necessarily by contemporary standards. Threats of physical punishment were not uncommon on "I Dream of Lucy" or the "Honeymooners".
Production was expensive and difficult, and often -- a consquence of old radio shows -- was often live and unrehearsed. Variety shows, talk shows, and some situation comedies were frequently broadcast live (often with many amusing results).
There are always exceptions to the rules: After some debate, Lucille Ball's real-life pregnancy was written into her show, and the famed TV host Ed Sullivan was soon 'big' enough to challenge some conventions by allowing Blacks and other minorities on his show -- and America approved.
