The Ultimate 1956 in television - American History Information Guide and Reference

Contents

Events

January 28 - Elvis Presley makes his national television debut on The Dorsey Brothers Stage Show .
April 2 - As the World Turns and The Edge of Night premiere on CBS as the first half-hour American soap operas. Previously, all soaps had been just fifteen minutes in length.
April 3 - Elvis Presley appears on The Milton Berle Show.
April - WNBQ Chicago becomes the first TV station to broadcast all its local programming in color.
April - Ampex demonstrates a videotape recorder at the NAB Convention in Chicago, Illinois. The three networks place orders for the recorders.
May 6 - Elvis Presley appears on The Milton Berle Show
July 1 - Elvis Presley appears on The Steve Allen Show .
August 8 - Final telecast of the DuMont Network.
September - NBC introduces a still version of its peacock color logo.
September 4 - Television broadcasting begins in Sweden.
September 9 - Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show for the first time.
September 16 - TCN-9 Sydney becomes the first Australian TV station to begin regular transmission.
October 1 - Ernie Kovacs becomes the host for NBC's The Tonight Show on Mondays and Tuesdays.
October 29 - First use of videotape in network television programming; CBS uses its Ampex VTR to record the evening news, anchored by Douglas Edwards . The tape is then fed to West Coast stations three hours later.
October 29 - Chet Huntley and David Brinkley take over anchor duties of the NBC evening newscast, which is renamed The Huntley-Brinkley Report.
November 3 - The 1939 MGM film The Wizard of Oz is shown on television for the first time in the US, on CBS (the viewing audience was estimated at 45 million people).
November - The first use of videotape on a network television entertainment program; Jonathan Winters, uses videotape and superimposing techniques to be able to play two characters in the same skit for his NBC television show.
Television broadcasting begins in Australia.
Color television broadcasting begins in Germany.
Television broadcasting begins in Spain.
Television broadcasting begins in Uruguay.
Black-and-white portable TV sets hit the market.

Debuts

April 2 - As the World Turns (1956-present).
April 2 - The Edge of Night (1956-1984).
July 6 - Hancock's Half Hour on BBC Television (1956-1962).
The hugely popular anthology drama series Armchair Theatre, produced by ABC Television for the ITV network, begins its long run in the UK (1956-1968).
Jungle Jim (1956-1957), starring Johnny Weissmuller.
Opportunity Knocks on ITV (UK) (1956-1978).
The Gale Storm Show, Oh! Susanna (1956-1960), starring Gale Storm and Zazu Pitts.
The Price is Right game show premieres (1956-1965).
The Steve Allen Show premieres (1956-1960).
What the Papers Say on ITV (UK) (1956-present).