Surviving episodes of television from the year 1948
by Thor-Delta | created - 08 Jul 2012 | updated - 30 Oct 2014 | PublicThis is an incomplete list of surviving episodes of television content from the year of 1948...there is also some additional surviving episodes from that year.
At the time, the only way to record live television was to directly film the TV monitor screen itself, using equipment designed for that purpose so there wouldn't be flicker...these are known as "kinescope recordings". This was how live TV was recorded before the invention of video tape in the mid-1950s.
Only complete intact episodes are listed.
As you may have noticed, none of these series survive as complete runs except perhaps for the Toscanini specials. The oldest series for which most of the episodes aired were kept come from 1949, and include "Admiral Broadway Revue" (NBC), "Let There be Stars" (ABC) and the second version of "The Morey Amsterdam Show" (DuMont).
I know I am being captain obvious, but some of these series also have surviving episodes from later years (many of the 1949 episodes of "The Morey Amsterdam Show" survive, for example)
Note: DuMont, one of the first commercial television networks, operated from 1946 to 1956. It several popular series including "Captain Video" (1949-1955), "Cavalcade of Stars" (1949-1952), "Down You Go", "Rocky King, Detective" (1950-1954), "The Plainclothesman" (1949-1954), "The Magic Cottage" (1949-1952), and "Life is Worth Living" (1952-1955, moved to ABC as DuMont shut down and continued to 1957).
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1. Eye Witness (1947–1948)
30 min | Documentary
A documentary series showing every conceivable angle on the workings of television--receiving sets, studios, mobile units, the (literally) everyday problems of broadcasting, even the history of television technology from 1873.
Star: Ben Grauer
1 episode, aired 26 February 1948 on NBC.
2. Kraft Theatre (1947–1958)
60 min | Drama
A well-received anthology series presenting live television dramas.
Stars: Ed Herlihy, Vaughn Taylor, Valerie Cossart, Dan Morgan
Votes: 221
6 episodes, aired 3 March, 17 March, 24 March, 31 March, 21 April, 5 May 5 1948 on NBC.
3. Toscanini: The Television Concerts, Vol. 1 - Music of Wagner (1948 TV Special)
55 min | Documentary, Music
Director: Kirk Browning | Stars: Arturo Toscanini, Martin Bookspan, Ben Grauer, David Sarnoff
Votes: 9
This special, aired 20 March 1948 on NBC, still survives as a kinescope recording.
4. The Swift Show (1948– )
30 min | Comedy, Music
Live music and light comedy featuring singer Lanny Ross. For the first 5 months, a quiz segment was included where contestants attempted to determine names, places and events from a series ... See full summary »
Stars: Lanny Ross, Milton Berle, Tommy Rall, Bob Smith
2 episodes, aired 13 May and 27 May 1948 on NBC, are known to survive as kinescope recordings.
At least 2 episodes, aired 25 August and 10 November 1948 on station WABD-TV, then an affiliate of the Du Mont network. A third, undated episode may also survive, but this is unconfirmed.
6. The Howdy Doody Show (1947–1960)
TV-G | 30 min | Family
The first nationally televised American children's TV program and a prototype for what followed. Buffalo Bob Smith hosts while the puppet, Howdy Doody, stars.
Stars: Bob Smith, Robert Keeshan, Bill LeCornec, Dayton Allen
Votes: 264
At least 2 episodes, including 12 September 1948, survive of this series from the year 1948.
7. The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre (1948–1950)
30 min | Drama
This was an anthology series which aired live. It often featured adaptations of one-act stage plays.
Stars: Guy Kibbee, Faye Emerson, John Conte, Vicki Cummings
Votes: 52
5 episodes, aired 27 September, 4 October, 18 October, 1 November, and 15 November 1948 on NBC.
8. The Great Foodini (1948–1951)
15 min | Family
A puppet show that regularly aired on CBS from 1948 to 1951. The main characters were the stage magician Foodini and his assistant Pinhead. The puppeteers Hope and Morey Bunin created this ... See full summary »
Stars: Doris Brown, Morey Bunin, Hope Bunin
Votes: 16
3 episodes, aired 19 October, 30 December, 31 December 1948 on CBS.
9. The Bigelow Show (1948–1949)
30 min | Music
Stars: Billy Rose, Peg Marshall and the Holidays, Paul Winchell, Joseph Dunninger
4 episodes, aired 21 October, 28 October, 4 November, 9 December 1948 on NBC.
10. Welcome Aboard (1948–1949)
30 min | Comedy, Music
Live variety show with a nautical theme featuring top-name singers and comedians.
Stars: Jerry Lewis, Dean Martin, Phil Silvers
3 episodes, aired 24 October, 31 October, 26 December 1948 on NBC, plus excerpts from two further episodes.
11. Toscanini: The Television Concerts, Vol. 2 - Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 (1948 TV Special)
66 min | Music
Directors: Doug Keith, Hal Keith | Stars: Martin Bookspan, Irwin Dillon, Jane Hobson, Anne McKnight
Votes: 12
This special, aired 3 April 1948 on NBC, still survives as a kinescope recording.
12. Toscanini: The Television Concerts, Vol. 3 - Brahms: Double Concerto, Hungarian Dance No. 1, Liebeslieder Waltzes (1948 TV Special)
55 min | Music
Star: Arturo Toscanini
This special, 13 November 1948, still survives as a kinescope recording.
1 episode, aired 7 December 1948 on CBS.
14. Studio One (1948–1958)
60 min | Drama
A pinnacle of the Golden Age of Television, "Studio One" presented a wide range of memorable dramas and received eighteen Emmy nominations and five wins during its prestigious nine-year run on CBS.
Stars: Betty Furness, Paul Branson, Charlton Heston, Mary Sinclair
Votes: 328
1 episode, aired 12 December 1948 on CBS.
15. Toscanini: The Television Concerts, Vol. 4 - Music of Mozart, Dvorak and Wagner (1948 TV Special)
55 min | Documentary, Music
Stars: Arturo Toscanini, Martin Bookspan
Votes: 8
16. The Ed Sullivan Show (1948–1971)
TV-G | 60 min | Music, Talk-Show
The classic prime time variety show most famous for its vaudeville acts and rock music performances.
Stars: Ed Sullivan, The Ray Bloch Orchestra, Ray Bloch, Johnny Wayne
Votes: 1,558
1 episode, aired 19 December 1948 on CBS, is confirmed to survive, but it is reported that additional episodes from 1948 are held by the Sullivan estate.
17. The Morey Amsterdam Show (1948–1950)
30 min | Comedy, Family, Music
The show had two venues. In December 1948 to March 1949, Morey Amsterdam was the emcee at a small fictional nightclub in New York City's Times Square. Charlie the Doorman (later Newton the ... See full summary »
Stars: Morey Amsterdam, Art Carney, Johnny Guarnieri, Don Russell
Votes: 41
2 episodes, including the episode aired 24 December 1948 on CBS.
2 episodes survive of DuMont Network series.
19. The Gay Nineties Revue (1948–1949)
30 min | Music
An American variety series that aired live with host singer/ songwriter Joseph E. Howard, who was reportedly age 71 at the time he hosted the show.
Stars: Joseph E. Howard, Lulu Bates, Genevieve Rowe, The Townsman's Quartet
1 episode survives of this ABC series.
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