1958 in television
Encyclopedia : 1 : 19 : 195 : 1958 in television
See also: 1957 in television, other events of 1958, 1959 in television and the list of 'years in television'.
Events
- January 14 - TWW, the ITV franchise for South Wales and West of England, goes on air.
- July 1 - The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation links television broadcasting across Canada.
- August 30 - Southern Television, the ITV franchise for South Central and South East England, goes on air.
- November 28 - During the live broadcast of the Armchair Theatre play Underground on the ITV network in the UK, actor Gareth Jones dies between two of his scenes while in make-up. Director William Kotcheff is forced to improvise with his cast to carry on the play to its conclusion, with producer Sydney Newman ordering him to "shoot it like a football match".
- Senator Estes Kefauver holds congressional hearings on the rising rates of juvenile crime and publishes an article in Reader's Digest called "Let's Get Rid of Tele-Violence."
- Ampex demonstrates their design for a color Video Tape Recorder.
- In the United Kingdom, the top-rated show of the year was the ITV game show Dotto, adapted from an American game show which in turn was based on children's Join the Dots puzzles.
- The original American version of "Dotto" was the first game show to be implicated in the Scandals, and was abruptly cancelled in August.
- Top-rated prime-time game show "Twenty One" was abruptly dropped by NBC in October after former contestant Herb Stempel charged that the show was rigged and that he had been ordered to lose a match to the popular Charles Van Doren.
- Fall – The Scandals involving rigged network quiz shows spread, resulting in the cancellation of the original big-money game show, CBS' "The 64,000 Question", and creating havoc within the US television industry.
Debuts
- September 22 - Peter Gunn premieres on NBC (1958-1961).
- October 2 - The Huckleberry Hound Show premieres, Hanna Barbera's second television series (1958-1962).
- October 10 - Grandstand (UK) debuts on BBC Television (1958-present).
- October 16 - Blue Peter (UK), the world's longest-running children's TV programme, debuts on BBC Television (1958-present).
- December 22 - Quatermass and the Pit (UK) premieres on BBC Television (1958-1959).
- The Donna Reed Show premieres on ABC (1958-1966).
- Don Messer's Jubilee premieres (1958-1969).
- The Friendly Giant premieres (1958-1985).
- Your Life in Their Hands (UK) premieres on BBC Television (1958-1964 and many revivals).
- An Evening With Fred Astaire on NBC; first show prerecorded on color videotape, wins nine Emmy Awards.
Television shows
- Gillette Cavalcade of Sports (1946-1960).
- Howdy Doody (1947-1960).
- Meet the Press (1947-present).
- Candid Camera (1948-present).
- The Ed Sullivan Show (1948-1971).
- Bozo the Clown (1949-present).
- Come Dancing (UK) (1949-1995).
- The Voice of Firestone (1949-1963).
- The Jack Benny Show (1950-1965).
- Truth or Consequences (1950-1988).
- What's My Line (1950-1967).
- Your Hit Parade (1950-1959).
- Dragnet (1951-1959).
- Love of Life (1951-1980).
- Search for Tomorrow (1951-1986).
- Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951-present).
- American Bandstand (1952-1989).
- The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952-1966).
- The Guiding Light (1952-present).
- The Honeymooners (1952-1970).
- The Today Show (1952-present).
- This Is Your Life (US) (1952-1961).
- Panorama (UK) (1953-present).
- The Good Old Days (UK) (1953-1983).
- Disneyland (1954-1958) ends on September 3, to resume on September 12 as Walt Disney Presents (1958-1961).
- Face the Nation (1954-present).
- The Brighter Day (1954-1962).
- The Milton Berle Show (1954-1967).
- The Secret Storm (1954-1974).
- The Tonight Show (1954-present).
- Zoo Quest (UK) (1954-1964).
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955-1962).
- Captain Kangaroo (1955-1984).
- Cheyenne (1955-1962).
- Dixon of Dock Green (UK) (1955-1976).
- Gunsmoke (1955-1975).
- Mickey Mouse Club (1955-1959).
- The Lawrence Welk Show (1955-1982).
- This Is Your Life (UK) (1955-2003).
- Armchair Theatre (UK) (1956-1968).
- As the World Turns (1956-present).
- Hancock's Half Hour (1956-1962).
- Opportunity Knocks (UK) (1956-1978).
- The Edge of Night (1956-1984).
- The Gale Storm Show, Oh! Susanna (1956-1960).
- The Price Is Right (1956-1965).
- The Steve Allen Show (1956-1960).
- What the Papers Say (UK) (1956-present).
- Leave It to Beaver (1957-1963).
- The Army Game (UK) (1957-1961).
- The Sky at Night (UK) (1957-present).
- General Motors Presents (Can) (1953-1956, 1958-1961)
Ending this year
- June - Climax! (1954-1958).
- Kraft Television Theater (1947-1958).
- The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show (1950-1958).
Births
- January 1 - Kim Taylforth, actress.
- January 2 - Maya Even, television presenter.
- January 3 - Kerry Armstrong, actress.
- January 30 - Brett Butler, actress, Grace Under Fire.
- April 29 - Eve Plumb, actress, The Brady Bunch.
- July 6 - Jennifer Saunders, actress.
- August 31 - Julie Brown, actress.
- September 10 - Dan Castellaneta, voice actor, The Simpsons.
- November 16 - Marg Helgenberger, actress.
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