The Martha Wright Show is a 15-minute musical variety program starring singer and actress Martha Wright which aired at 9:15 pm EST on ABC television from April 18 to December 5, 1954. The program was also known as The Packard Showroom for its sponsor, Packard automobiles.
Joining Wright, a native of Seattle, Washington State, in her short-lived program were pianists Norman Paris, who wrote the theme song for the CBS game show I've Got a Secret, and trumpet player Bobby Hackett and his band. The Martha Wright Show replaced The Jane Pickens Show, which returned in July 1954, as Wright resumed her program in that time slot in September for a final three-month run. Jane Pickens Langley, a native of Macon, Georgia, was another vocalist of that era.
Wright's series followed The Walter Winchell Show and aired opposite Ronald W. Reagan's General Electric Theater on CBS and the pair of NBC's alternating anthology series, Goodyear Television Playhouse and The Philco Television Playhouse.
Of Many Things is a half-hour panel discussion television series which aired on ABC from October 5, 1953, to January 11, 1954. It was hosted by Dr. Bergen Evans.
Topics on the program ranged from practical jokes to popular music, with Mitch Miller as a guest. Another episode focues on the German submarine U-505, captured by the United States Navy in 1944 during World War II. The program aired at 8:30 p.m. EST on Mondays following Sky King on ABC. It aired opposite Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts on CBS and The Voice of Firestone on NBC.
So You Want to Lead a Band is a half-hour variety show hosted by Sammy Kaye which aired on ABC from August 5, 1954 to January 27, 1955.
Members of the studio audience are invited to conduct the band. Then through its applause the audience chooses the winning amateur conductor. The winner receives a prize. Vocalists on the program included Barbara Benson and Jeffrey Clay.
The series aired on Thursdays at 9 p.m. Eastern after Treasury Men in Action and before Kraft Television Theater. Its competition on NBC was Dragnet.
The Mail Story, subtitled Handle with Care, is a half-hour dramatic television anthology series which aired on ABC for thirteen weeks from October 7 to December 30, 1954.
In the premiere episode then Postmaster General Arthur Summerfield, who served in the administration of U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, introduced the program to American audiences. The program was partly documentary in offering explanations of the services available from the Post Office Department, now known as the U.S. Postal Service. It also had original dramas about individuals or groups who tried to misuse the mail and hence faced apprehension for their crimes. Such segments ranged in date from the 1850s with stagecoach robberies to contemporary times with sophisticated mail fraud cases.
The three-month series aired at 8 p.m. on Thursdays opposite Meet Mr. McNutley, renamed The Ray Milland Show on CBS, and You Bet Your Life with Groucho Marx on NBC.
The Neighbors is an American game show. It aired on ABC from December 29, 1975 to April 9, 1976. It included five female neighbors as contestants, who were asked gossip questions about each other. Regis Philbin co-hosted the show with Jane Nelson, and Joe Seiter was the announcer. It was produced by Bill Carruthers, who almost a decade later, would produce the popular hit game show Press Your Luck for CBS.
Medical Horizons is a public affairs television series, focusing on advancements in medical technology, which aired on ABC from September 12, 1955 to March 5, 1956. The program, broadcast live, sometimes offered surgical scenes as well as information about new medical equipment.
The series was hosted for the first four episodes by Quincy Howe. He was replaced by Don Goddard, later a temporary ABC News anchorman. Medical Horizons ran on Monday evenings from 9:30 to 10 p.m. Eastern. It aired opposite the CBS situation comedy December Bride, starring Spring Byington, and the NBC anthology series Robert Montgomery Presents. After the 26-week prime time run, Medical Horizons switched to Sunday afternoons from September 1956 to June 9, 1957.
Encounter is a five-week anthology television series aired from Toronto, Canada, and carried by both CBC Television and ABC from October 5 to November 2, 1958.
The one-hour dramas were either romance, adventure, or mystery stories. Patrick Macnee and Barry Morse were among those who appeared on Encounter..
In the United States, Encounter followed the western series Colt .45. The program faced competition on CBS from The Alfred Hitchcock Show and The $64,000 Question. NBC at the time aired part of The Dinah Shore Chevy Show.
It is not known what program succeeded Encounter in the 9:30 Eastern time slot beginning on Sunday, November 9, 1958. The following season The Alaskans, an adventure program set in Alaska and starring Roger Moore, Dorothy Provine, and Jeff York, aired on ABC in that time period.
Encounter is not the shortest-running series on an American television network. In the fall of 1966, The Tammy Grimes Show, a situation comedy starring Tammy Grimes, ran only four episodes on ABC before it was cancel
Barbara Walters' 10 Most Fascinating People is a televised compilation of ten public figures who are prominent names in the fields of entertainment, sports, politics and popular culture. Hosted by Barbara Walters, the list has been broadcast annually on the second Thursday of December on ABC since 1993. Though produced by ABC News, the specials are not presented under the 20/20 banner, the network's flagship newsmagazine.
Confession is a short-lived ABC crime/police reality show which aired from June 19, 1958, to January 13, 1959, with interviewer Jack Wyatt questioning criminals from assorted backgrounds. The program was carried by videotape from WFAA-TV, the network affiliate in Dallas, Texas, the first station to report the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy.
The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald is a two-part television film shown on ABC-TV in September 1977. The film starred Ben Gazzara, Lorne Greene and John Pleshette in the title role. It is an example of alternate history. The hypothesis is what might have happened if Lee Harvey Oswald had not been killed by Jack Ruby and had stood trial for the murder of President John F. Kennedy.
Good Behavior was a drama/comedy television series pilot that was never picked up by the ABC network. It was based on the New Zealand series Outrageous Fortune. It was being produced by ABC and written and developed by Rob Thomas. The series was set to be broadcast in 2009.
Good Behavior revolved around a family of criminals who decide to go straight after the father is jailed. The lead role in the pilot was portrayed by Catherine O'Hara, with Mae Whitman playing her daughter. Other cast members include DJ Qualls, Gary Cole, Jeffrey Tambor, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Treat Williams, Steve Harris and Marilu Henner. A new adaptation titled Scoundrels was picked up by the network in early 2010. Eight episodes aired between June and August 2010.
Petals is an Australian children's animated television programme produced and created by Mark Barnard and aired on the ABC. It ran from 1998 to 1999 consisting a total of two seasons and 55 episodes and was aimed at pre-school children aged 2–6. After it ended in 1999, the series was still continued to be repeated on the ABC and ABC1 until 2004.
He's the Mayor is an American television sitcom that first aired on ABC on January 10, 1986 on Friday Night at 9:30pm. It starred Kevin Hooks as a 25-year-old man who is elected mayor of his hometown.
Have Faith was a short-lived ABC television sitcom that ran for 7 episodes in 1989. The show was about a Catholic parish in a less-than-desirable Chicago neighborhood. In spite of good ratings, ABC decided against commissioning a full season.
From operating rooms to end-of-life meetings, the documentary series explores the culture of doctors and nurses and the conversations that happen outside the patient's earshot.
Expedition! is an American travel documentary television series that was broadcast in the United States on ABC Tuesday nights in the 1960-61 television season and Monday nights in the 1961-62 television season.
Take a Good Look is an American television game show created by and starring Ernie Kovacs, which aired from 1959-61 on ABC's Thursday-night block at 10:30 PM Eastern.
Season 1 consisted of 39 episodes, from October 22, 1959 to July 21, 1960. Season 2 was far shorter, airing just 14 episodes between October 27, 1960 and February 9, 1961. 20 episodes were repackaged for syndication in September 1978.