1949 in television
The year 1949 in television involved some significant events.
Below is a list of television-related events during 1949.
Events
- January 3 – Colgate Theatre premieres on NBC.
- January 11 – A two-hour special on all American networks celebrates the linking of the eastern and midwestern networks via coaxial cable.
- January 21 – Your Show Time becomes the first filmed dramatic series on American network television.
- January 31 – The first Emmy Awards are presented and broadcast on television from Los Angeles.
- May – The first telethon, benefitting the Damon Runyon Cancer Fund, is hosted by Milton Berle and lasts for 24 hours.
- August 25 – RCA announces the development of a compatible color TV system.
- December 17 – The Sutton Coldfield television transmitter is opened in the English Midlands, making it the first part of the UK outside London to receive BBC Television.
- December 29 – KC2XAK of Bridgeport, Connecticut becomes the first Ultra high frequency (UHF) television station to operate a daily schedule.
- First television broadcasts begin in Cuba.
- For the first time, the Sears & Roebuck catalog includes televisions.
Debuts
- January 17 – The Goldbergs, a situation comedy, debuts on CBS (1949–55).
- May 5 – Series Stop the Music debuts on American Broadcasting Company for a five-year run over seven years.
- June 27 – Captain Video and His Video Rangers, apparently the first science fiction series televised, debuts.
- July 15 – This Is Show Business, panel discussion program, premieres on CBS (1949–54; 1956).
- September 29 – Come Dancing, a ballroom dancing competition, is first broadcast by the BBC (1949–95).
- Martin Kane, Private Eye premieres on NBC, becoming the first detective series televised (1949–54).
- The Voice of Firestone premieres (1949–63).
- Bozo the Clown premieres (1949–present).
- The Lone Ranger premieres (1949–57).
Television shows
| Series |
Debut |
Ended |
| Picture Page (UK) |
October 8, 1936 |
1939 |
| 1946 |
1952 |
| Starlight (UK) |
November 3, 1936 |
1939 |
| 1946 |
1949 |
| For The Children (UK) |
April 24, 1937 |
1939 |
| July 7, 1946 |
1950 |
| The Voice of Firestone Televues |
1943 |
1947 |
| 1949 |
1963 |
| Missus Goes A Shopping |
August 1, 1944 |
1949 |
| Kaleidoscope (UK) |
November 2, 1946 |
1953 |
| Gillette Cavalcade of Sports |
November 8, 1946 |
June 24, 1960 |
| Muffin the Mule (UK) |
1946 |
1955 |
| Television Screen Magazine |
1946 |
1949 |
| You Are an Artist |
1946 |
1950 |
| Doorway to Fame |
May 2, 1947 |
July 4, 1949 |
| Kraft Television Theater |
May 7, 1947 |
1958 |
| Kukla, Fran and Ollie |
October 13, 1947 |
1957 |
| Meet the Press |
November 6, 1947 |
— |
| Mary Kay and Johnny |
November 18, 1947 |
March 11, 1950 |
| Howdy Doody |
December 27, 1947 |
September 24, 1960 |
| Americana |
1947 |
1949 |
| Birthday Party |
1947 |
1949 |
| Café Continental (UK) |
1947 |
1953 |
| Charade Quiz |
1947 |
1949 |
| Juvenile Jury |
1947 |
1954 |
| Musical Merry-Go-Round |
1947 |
1949 |
| Small Fry Club |
1947 |
1951 |
| Television Newsreel (UK) |
January 5, 1948 |
1954 |
| The Original Amateur Hour |
January 18, 1948 |
September 27, 1970 |
| Court of Current Issues |
February 9, 1948 |
June 26, 1951 |
| Stop Me If You've Heard This One |
March 4, 1948 |
April 22, 1949 |
| Author Meets the Critics |
April 1948 |
October 10, 1954 |
| Hollywood Screen Test |
April 15, 1948 |
1953 |
| Texaco Star Theater |
June 8, 1948 |
1953 |
| The Ed Sullivan Show |
June 20, 1948 |
June 6, 1971 |
| Candid Camera |
August 10, 1948 |
— |
| CBS Evening News |
August 15, 1948 |
— |
| Foodini the Great |
August 23, 1948 |
June 23, 1951 |
| Actors Studio |
September 1948 |
June 1950 |
| Champagne and Orchids |
September 6, 1948 |
January 10, 1949 |
| Stained Glass Windows |
September 26, 1948 |
October 16, 1949 |
| Ford Theatre |
October 17, 1948 |
July 10, 1957 |
| The Growing Paynes |
October 20, 1948 |
August 3, 1949 |
| The Adventures of Oky Doky |
November 4, 1948 |
May 26, 1949 |
| The Morey Amsterdam Show |
December 17, 1948 |
October 12, 1950 |
| The Alan Dale Show |
1948 |
1951 |
| Amanda |
1948 |
1949 |
| Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts |
1948 |
January 1, 1958 |
| The Bigelow Show |
1948 |
1949 |
| Break the Bank |
1948 |
1957 |
| Cartoon Teletales |
1948 |
1950 |
| Celebrity Time |
1948 |
September 1952 |
| Child's World |
1948 |
1949 |
| Club Seven |
1948 |
1951 |
| The Philco Television Playhouse |
1948 |
1955 |
| Winner Take All |
1948 |
1952 |
| The Goldbergs |
January 17, 1949 |
1956 |
| These Are My Children |
January 31, 1949 |
February 25, 1949 |
| A Woman to Remember |
February 21, 1949 |
July 15, 1949 |
| Ripley's Believe It or Not! |
March 1, 1949 |
October 5, 1950 |
| Think Fast |
March 26, 1949 |
October 8, 1950 |
| Captain Video |
June 27, 1949 |
April 1, 1955 |
| Mama |
July 1, 1949 |
March 17, 1957 |
| Martin Kane, Private Eye |
August 7, 1949 |
June 17, 1954 |
| The Family Genius |
September 1949 |
September 1949 |
| The Little Revue |
September 4, 1949 |
April 21, 1950 |
| The Lone Ranger |
September 15, 1949 |
June 6, 1957 |
| Come Dancing (UK) |
September 29, 1949 |
1995 |
| The Aldrich Family |
October 2, 1949 |
May 29, 1953 |
| The Life of Riley |
October 4, 1949 |
March 28, 1950 |
| January 2, 1953 |
August 22, 1958 |
| Let There Be Stars |
October 6, 1949 |
November 27, 1949 |
| The Ruggles |
November 3, 1949 |
June 19, 1952 |
| One Man's Family |
November 4, 1949 |
June 21, 1952 |
| March 1, 1954 |
April 1, 1955 |
| The Admiral Broadway Revue |
1949 |
1949 |
| Arthur Godfrey and His Friends |
1949 |
1959 |
| Easy Aces |
1949 |
1949 |
| Follow That Man |
1949 |
1956 |
Programs ending during 1949
Changes of Network Affiliation
Births
| Date | Name | Notability |
| January 16 |
Caroline Munro |
English actress and model |
| January 17 |
Andy Kaufman |
actor and comedian (died 1984) |
| January 24 |
John Belushi |
actor and comedian Saturday Night Live (died 1982) |
| February 2 |
Brent Spiner |
actor |
| February 8 |
Brooke Adams |
actress |
| February 9 |
Judith Light |
| February 28 |
Ilene Graff |
actress and singer |
| March 2 |
Gates McFadden |
actress and choreographer |
| March 16 |
Erik Estrada |
actor, CHiPs |
| Victor Garber |
Canadian actor and singer |
| March 17 |
Patrick Duffy |
actor, Dallas |
| March 26 |
Vicki Lawrence |
actress, comedian, The Carol Burnett Show, Mama's Family, etc. |
| April 14 |
John Shea |
actor |
| April 20 |
Veronica Cartwright |
English-born actress |
| April 23 |
Joyce DeWitt |
actress, Three's Company |
| June 15 |
Jim Varney |
actor and comedian (died 2000) |
| July 3 |
Jan Smithers |
actress, WKRP in Cincinnati |
| August 23 |
Rick Springfield |
Australian singer-songwriter and actor |
| Shelley Long |
actress, Cheers |
| September 16 |
Ed Begley, Jr. |
actor |
| October 14 |
Katy Manning |
English actress |
| November 6 |
Nigel Havers |
English actor |
| December 2 |
Ron Raines |
US actor |
| December 4 |
Pamela Stephenson |
New Zealand actress and comedian |
| December 15 |
Don Johnson |
actor, Miami Vice |