The first Golden Age of Television is an era of television in the United States marked by its large number of live productions. The period is generally recognized as beginning in 1947 with the first episode of the drama anthology Kraft Television Theater and ending in 1960 with the final episode of Playhouse 90. The Golden Age was followed by the network era, wherein television audiences and programming had shifted to less critically acclaimed fare, almost all of it taped or filmed.
The Night America Trembled was Studio One's September 9, 1957, top-rated television recreation of Orson Welles's radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds on October 30, 1938. Alexander Scourby is seen in the foreground. Warren Beatty (not pictured), in one of his earliest roles, appeared in the bit part of a card-playing college student.
Desi Arnaz, Lucille Ball, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley, from the I Love Lucy episode "Face to Face"
The Bell Telephone Hour, also known as The Telephone Hour, was a concert series broadcast on NBC Radio Network from April 29, 1940 to June 30, 1958. Sponsored by Bell Telephone as the name implies, it showcased the best in classical and Broadway music, reaching eight to nine million listeners each week. It continued on television from 1959 to 1968. Throughout the program's run on both radio and television, the studio orchestra on the program was conducted by Donald Voorhees.
Donald Voorhees conducting The Bell Telephone Hour on NBC Radio Network
Lena Horne performing in 1964
