''The Laytons'' is an American
sitcom
A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...
that was 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 ...
, from August to October 1948. The series starred
Amanda Randolph
Amanda E. Randolph (September 2, 1896 – August 24, 1967) was an American actress, singer and musician. She was the first African-American performer to star in a regularly scheduled network television show, appearing in DuMont's ''The Laytons' ...
, who became the first
African-American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
performer in a regular role on a U.S. network TV series.
It co-starred Vera Tatum and Broadway actress Elizabeth Brew.
Internet Movie Database
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Overview
According to '''' by Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, "little is known about the content of this early series". The 30-minute program, produced and distributed by DuMont, aired on Wednesdays at 8pm (ET) on DuMont's affiliate stations. The program had been seen locally on DuMont's New York flagship station WABD, beginning in May/June 1948.Donald Bogle
Donald Bogle is an American film historian and author of six books concerning black history in film and on television. He is an instructor at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts and at the University of Pennsylvania.
Early years
Bogle g ...
, the series made such a small impression that few remember ''The Laytons''. However, the program paved the way for later TV shows starring or featuring black actors.[Bogle, Donald (2001). ''Primetime Blues: African Americans on Network Television''. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, p. 14. ] The final episode of the program aired on October 13, 1948.
Episode status
As with most DuMont series, no recorded episodes of ''The Laytons'' are known to still exist.
See also
*List of programs broadcast by the DuMont Television Network
This is a list of programs broadcast by the DuMont Television Network, which operated in the United States from 1942 to 1956. All regularly scheduled programs which were aired on the DuMont network are listed below, regardless of whether they orig ...
*List of surviving DuMont Television Network broadcasts
The DuMont Television Network was launched in 1946 and ceased broadcasting in 1956. Allen DuMont, who created the network, preserved most of what it produced in kinescope format. By 1958, however, much of the library had been destroyed to recove ...
* 1948-49 United States network television schedule
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
*
DuMont historical website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Laytons
1948 American television series debuts
1948 American television series endings
1940s American sitcoms
American black sitcoms
Black-and-white American television shows
DuMont Television Network original programming
Lost television shows