''King Cole's Birthday Party'' (also known as ''Birthday Party'')
was an early American
children's television series which aired on the
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 program was broadcast from May 15, 1947, to June 23, 1949.
[
Little is known about the series. Each 30-minute episode featured the real birthday of a child. The series was sponsored by the Jay Day Dress Company of New York.][Bergmann, Ted and Ira Skutch (2002). ''The DuMont Television Network: What Happened?'' p. 23. Scarecrow Press, Lanham, Maryland. ]
The program was first broadcast locally over DuMont's WABD
WABD (97.5 FM) is an American radio station licensed to serve the community of Mobile, Alabama. The station, established in 1973 as WABB-FM, is owned and operated by Cumulus Media. Its studios are on Dauphin Street in Midtown Mobile, and it ...
in New York City. By early 1948, ''King Cole's Birthday Party'' was aired nationally on DuMont's chain of stations. Among the people to have hosted the program include Bill Slater and Ted Brown.[Brooks, Tim and Earle Marsh (1985). ''The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows 1946 to Present'' p. 98. Ballantine: New York. .]
George Schreck produced the show.[
The concept was revived from 1963-1966 as ''Birthday House'', which aired locally on WNBC in New York.]
Episode status
As with most DuMont programs, no episodes are known to survive.
See also
* List of programs broadcast by the DuMont Television Network
* List of surviving DuMont Television Network broadcasts
References
Bibliography
*David Weinstein, ''The Forgotten Network: DuMont and the Birth of American Television'' (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2004)
*Alex McNeil, ''Total Television'', Fourth edition (New York: Penguin Books, 1980)
*Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, ''The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows'', Third edition (New York: 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
*
DuMont historical website
1947 American television series debuts
1949 American television series endings
1940s American children's television series
Black-and-white American television shows
DuMont Television Network original programming
English-language television shows
Lost television shows
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