''Doorway to Fame'' is an American

talent show A talent show is an event in which participants perform the arts of singing, dancing, lip-syncing, acting, martial arts, playing an instrument, poetry, comedy or other activities to showcase skills. Many talent shows are performances rather ...

broadcast on the now defunct

DuMont Television Network The DuMont Television Network (also known as the DuMont Network, DuMont Television, simply DuMont/Du Mont, or (incorrectly) Dumont ) was one of America's pioneer commercial television networks, rivaling NBC and CBS for the distinction of being ...

. The series ran from May 2,

1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country in ...

, to July 11,

1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2022. * January 2 – Luis ...

Overview

The series used early television scene-blending technology to project the performers into cleverly constructed miniature sets or backdrops.McNeil, Alex (1980). ''Total Television'' (4th ed.). New York: Penguin Books. . Although 20,000 performers appeared on the series, it is widely reported that, contrary to the show's name, very few of the contestants went on to become famous. The series was cancelled in 1949.

Broadcast history

The series was hosted by

Johnny Olson John Leonard Olson (May 22, 1910 – October 12, 1985) was an American radio personality and television announcer. Olson is perhaps best known for his work as an announcer for game shows, particularly the work he did for Mark Goodson-Bill Todman P ...

,The December 11, 1948, issue of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' reported that Danton Walker was the master of ceremonies. who would go on to host the DuMont daytime variety show '' Johnny Olson's Rumpus Room'' from 1949 to 1952, and many other television series and

game show A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or Let's Play, demonstrative and are typically directed b ...

s, including the Saturday morning children's show ''

Kids and Company ''Kids and Company'' is an American children's TV show that aired on the now-defunct DuMont Television Network on Saturday mornings from September 1, 1951 to May 2, 1953 and was hosted by Johnny Olson (billed as "Johnny Olsen" in the credits) and ...

'' on DuMont from September 1951 to June 1952, with co-host

Ham Fisher Hammond Edward "Ham" Fisher (September 24, 1900 (some sources indicate 1901) – December 27, 1955) was an American comic strip writer and cartoonist. He is best known for his long, popular run on '' Joe Palooka'', which was launched in 1930 and ...

. Regulars on the program included The Tophatters, described as "instrumentalists and novelty singers". On May 15, 1948, announcer Joe Bolton left ''Doorway to Fame'' to start on

WPIX-TV WPIX (channel 11) is a television station in New York City. Owned by Mission Broadcasting, it is operated under a local marketing agreement (LMA) by Nexstar Media Group, making it a ''de facto'' owned-and-operated station and flagship of The CW ...

as announcer and weatherman. The program, produced and distributed by DuMont, originally aired Friday nights at 7:30 pm EST on most DuMont affiliate stations. In October 1947, the schedule was changed to Monday nights at 7pm ET. In March 1949, the program moved to 8:30pm ET.Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (1964). ''The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows'' (3rd edition). New York: Ballantine.

Episode status

Two kinescopes of the series survive at the

UCLA Film and Television Archive The UCLA Film & Television Archive is a visual arts organization focused on the preservation, study, and appreciation of film and television, based at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Also a nonprofit exhibition venue, the archiv ...

. One of the surviving episodes featured up-and-coming traditional pop singer

Toni Arden Antoinette Ardizzone (February 15, 1924 – May 29, 2012), known professionally as Toni Arden, was an American traditional pop music singer. Family Arden was born in New York City. Her father, Phillip Ardizzone, was a singer with the Metropolit ...

and African-American "novelty dance act" Cook & Brown along with other performershttp://cinema.library.ucla.edu/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?v1=1&ti=1,1&Search%5FArg=Doorway%20to%20Fame&SL=None&Search%5FCode=GKEY%5E&CNT=50&PID=uKWYkfqjutGrGzYF4a8rh_AEuF3Ivj&SEQ=20120711221808&SID=1

Notes

References

Bibliography

*David Weinstein, ''The Forgotten Network: DuMont and the Birth of American Television'' (Philadelphia:

Temple University Press Temple University Press is a university press founded in 1969 that is part of Temple University (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). It is one of thirteen publishers to participate in the Knowledge Unlatched pilot, a global library consortium approach t ...

, 2004) *Alex McNeil, ''Total Television'', Fourth edition (New York:

Penguin Books Penguin Books is a British publishing, publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers The Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the following year.Ballantine Books Ballantine Books is a major book publisher located in the United States, founded in 1952 by Ian Ballantine with his wife, Betty Ballantine. It was acquired by Random House in 1973, which in turn was acquired by Bertelsmann in 1998 and remains ...

, 1964)

External links

*{{IMDb title, id=0129676, title=Doorway to Fame
DuMont historical website
1947 American television series debuts 1949 American television series endings 1940s American television series Black-and-white American television shows DuMont Television Network original programming English-language television shows Talent shows