''Hollywood Wrestling'', also known as ''Wrestling From Hollywood'', was an American

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

series which originally aired locally in Los Angeles on

KTLA KTLA (channel 5) is a television station in Los Angeles, California, United States, serving as the West Coast flagship of The CW. It is the largest directly owned property of the network's majority owner, Nexstar Media Group, and is the seco ...

in the early 1950s, and by 1952 nationally (via

kinescope Kinescope , shortened to kine , also known as telerecording in Britain, is a recording of a television program on motion picture film, directly through a lens focused on the screen of a video monitor. The process was pioneered during the 1940 ...

) on the improvised

Paramount Television Network Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...

. It was produced by

Klaus Landsberg Klaus Landsberg (July 7, 1916 – September 16, 1956) was a pioneering German-American electrical engineer who made history with early telecasts, and after emigrating to the United States helped pave the way for today's television networks. He ...

. It was also the first professional wrestling television series to broadcast on national television.

History

Pioneer television station KTLA broadcast pro wrestling matches as early as 1947, when the station began airing televised wrestling from the

Grand Olympic Auditorium The Grand Olympic Auditorium is a former sports venue in southern Downtown Los Angeles, California. The venue was built in 1924 at 1801 South Grand Avenue, now just south of the Santa Monica Freeway. The grand opening of the Olympic Auditorium ...

. Originally, the bouts were sponsored by the

Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...

. By 1952, the matches were being syndicated nationally on the Paramount Television Network. The series was filmed (via

) and then delivered to stations in the network. ''Hollywood Wrestling'' was a popular series, and although it was not seen in all areas of the United States, it did air on the following stations: * WLEV-TV, Allentown, PA *

KFDA-TV KFDA-TV (channel 10) is a television station in Amarillo, Texas, United States, affiliated with CBS. It is owned by Gray Television alongside Borger-licensed Telemundo affiliate KEYU (channel 31). Both stations share studios on Broadway Drive ( ...

, Amarillo, TX *

WBAL-TV WBAL-TV (channel 11) is a television station in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is the flagship property of Hearst Television, which has owned the station since its inception, and is sister to the company's sole radio ...

, Baltimore, MD * WAAM-TV, Baltimore *

KGBT-TV KGBT-TV (channel 4) is a television station licensed to Harlingen, Texas, United States, serving the Lower Rio Grande Valley as a primary Antenna TV owned-and-operated station and a secondary MyNetworkTV affiliate. It is owned by Nexstar Media ...

, Brownsville, TX *

WWTV WWTV (channel 9) is a television station licensed to Cadillac, Michigan, United States, serving as the CBS affiliate for the northern Lower and eastern Upper peninsulas of Michigan. It is owned by locally based Heritage Broadcasting Group, whi ...

, Cadillac, MI *

KCRG-TV KCRG-TV (channel 9) is a television station licensed to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States, serving Eastern Iowa as an affiliate of ABC, MyNetworkTV, and The CW. Owned by Gray Television, the station has studios on Second Avenue Southeast in do ...

, Cedar Rapids, IA *

WBTV WBTV (channel 3) is a television station in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, affiliated with CBS and owned by Gray Television. The station's studios are located off Morehead Street, just west of Uptown Charlotte, and its transmitter i ...

, Charlotte, NC *

WJW-TV WJW (channel 8) is a television station in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, affiliated with the Fox network. Owned by Nexstar Media Group, WJW maintains studios on Dick Goddard Way (named for the station's late longtime weatherman—previously ...

, Cleveland *

WFAA WFAA (channel 8) is a television station licensed to Dallas, Texas, United States, serving the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex as an affiliate of ABC. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside Decatur-licensed Estrella TV affiliate KMPX (channel 29), ...

, Dallas * WOC-TV, Davenport, IA *

WHIO-TV WHIO-TV (channel 7) is a television station in Dayton, Ohio, United States, affiliated with CBS. It has been owned by Cox Media Group since its inception, making it one of two stations that have been built and signed on by Cox (alongside company ...

, Dayton * KBTV, Denver * KFEL-TV, Denver * WEAU-TV, Eau Claire, WI *

WDAY-TV WDAY-TV (channel 6) is a television station in Fargo, North Dakota, United States, affiliated with ABC. It serves as the flagship television property of locally based Forum Communications Company, which also owns WDAY radio (970 AM) and ''The F ...

, Fargo, ND *

WOOD-TV WOOD-TV (channel 8) is a television station licensed to Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States, serving as the NBC affiliate for West Michigan. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group alongside Battle Creek–licensed ABC affiliate WOTV (channel 41) an ...

, Grand Rapids, MI *

KPRC-TV KPRC-TV (channel 2) is a television station in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by Graham Media Group. Its studios are located on Southwest Freeway (Interstate 69 in Texas, I-69/U.S. Route 59 in Texas#Inters ...

, Houston * KID-TV, Idaho Falls, ID * WFBM-TV, Indianapolis * WJTV, Jackson, MS *

WGAL WGAL (channel 8) is a television station licensed to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, United States, serving the Susquehanna Valley region as an affiliate of NBC. Owned by Hearst Television, the station maintains studios on Columbia Avenue ( PA 462) in ...

, Lancaster, PA *

KSWO-TV KSWO-TV (channel 7) is a television station licensed to Lawton, Oklahoma, United States, serving the western Texoma area as an affiliate of ABC and Telemundo. It is owned by Gray Television, which maintains a shared services agreement (SSA) wit ...

, Lawton, OK *

WLVA-TV WSET-TV (channel 13) is a television station licensed to Lynchburg, Virginia, United States, serving as the ABC affiliate for the Roanoke–Lynchburg market. The station is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, and has studios on Langhorne Ro ...

, Lynchburg, VA * KEYD-TV, Minneapolis *

KNOE-TV KNOE-TV (channel 8) is a television station licensed to Monroe, Louisiana, United States, serving the Monroe, Louisiana– El Dorado, Arkansas market as an affiliate of CBS and ABC. It is owned by Gray Television alongside low-power dual CW ...

, Monroe, LA *

KPTV KPTV (channel 12) is a television station in Portland, Oregon, United States. affiliated with the Fox network. It is owned by Gray Television alongside Vancouver, Washington–licensed MyNetworkTV affiliate KPDX (channel 49). Both stations s ...

, Portland, OR *

KZTV KZTV (channel 10) is a television station in Corpus Christi, Texas, United States, affiliated with CBS. It is owned by SagamoreHill Broadcasting, which maintains a shared services agreement (SSA) with the E. W. Scripps Company, owner of dual NB ...

, Reno * KEMO, St. Louis *

KSTP-TV KSTP-TV (channel 5) is a television station licensed to Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States, serving the Twin Cities area as an affiliate of ABC. It is the flagship television property of locally based Hubbard Broadcasting, which has owned the ...

, St. Paul * KEYL, San Antonio *

KGO-TV KGO-TV (channel 7) is a television station licensed to San Francisco, California, United States, serving as the San Francisco Bay Area's ABC network outlet. Owned and operated by the network's ABC Owned Television Stations division, KGO-TV maint ...

, San Francisco * KTVW, Seattle *

KELO-TV KELO-TV (channel 11) is a television station in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States, affiliated with CBS and MyNetworkTV. The station is owned by Nexstar Media Group, and maintains studios on Phillips Avenue in downtown Sioux Falls; its tran ...

, Sioux Falls, SD *

KMO-TV KCPQ (channel 13) is a television station licensed to Tacoma, Washington, United States, broadcasting the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox network to the Seattle area. It is owned-and-operated station, owned and operated by the network's Fox Telev ...

, Tacoma * WEAT-TV, West Palm Beach, FL *

WSBA-TV WPMT, virtual channel 43 ( UHF digital channel 36), is a Fox- affiliated television station licensed to York, Pennsylvania, United States, and serving the Susquehanna Valley region (Harrisburg– Lancaster–Lebanon–York). The station is own ...

, York, PA

References

External links

List of DuMont and Paramount Television wrestling shows at UCLA Film and Television Archive on Internet Archive blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hollywood Wrestling American professional wrestling television series 1952 American television series debuts 1955 American television series endings First-run syndicated television programs in the United States Black-and-white American television shows Television series by CBS Studios