1949–50 United States Network Television Schedule

The 1949–50 network television schedule for the four major English language commercial broadcast networks in the United States. The schedule covers primetime hours from September 1949 through March 1950. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and series cancelled after the 1948–49 season. This was the first season in which all four networks offered at least some prime time programming all seven nights of the week.

The schedule below reflects the fall lineup as it all settled into place throughout October 1949, before any subsequent time changes were made and additional new series appeared in November.

New series are highlighted in bold.

Notable debuts during the season included '' The Plainclothesman'' with its unusual camera work, the popular '' The Lone Ranger'' (which is one of the few 1940s television series to be given a DVD release), '' The Ed Wynn Show'' (a short-lived series featuring popular performers as guests and the first variety show from the West Coast), and the unsuccessful series '' The Life of Riley'', one of the first sitcoms to be produced on film as opposed to live transmission.
Continuing from the prior season were the highly popular variety series '' Toast of the Town'', the critically well-received and popular anthology series '' Studio One'', the critically panned but popular ''Captain Video and His Video Rangers'' which was one of the earliest sci-fi TV series, the well received by critics and viewers anthology series '' Kraft Television Theater'', the popular ''Kukla, Fran and Ollie'', and the popular in some regions drama/comedy '' The Goldbergs'' (which is also one of the few 1940s television series to be given a DVD release).

Legend

Sunday

Monday

Notes: Beginning July 18, 1949, '' The Magic Cottage'' aired on DuMont Monday through Friday from 6:30 to 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

On NBC, '' The Black Robe'' aired at various times on Mondays from August through October 1949.

Tuesday

Notes: Beginning July 18, 1949, '' The Magic Cottage'' aired on DuMont Monday through Friday from 6:30 to 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

Wednesday

*''Manhattan Spotlight'' was replaced by '' Easy Aces'' from December 1949 to June 1950.
Notes: Beginning July 18, 1949, '' The Magic Cottage'' aired on DuMont Monday through Friday from 6:30 to 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

Thursday

Notes: Beginning July 18, 1949, '' The Magic Cottage'' aired on DuMont Monday through Friday from 6:30 to 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

On NBC, '' The Black Robe'' aired from 8:00 to 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time from January to March 1950. '' The Wayne King Show'' was seen only on NBC's Midwest Network.

Friday

Notes: Beginning July 18, 1949, '' The Magic Cottage'' aired on DuMont Monday through Friday from 6:30 to 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

Saturday

Notes: In the half-hour preceding prime time, ABC aired one of the first television westerns, '' The Marshal of Gunsight Pass'', with 22 live episodes between March 12 and September 30, 1950.

From January 28 to July 29, 1950, '' Dinner Date With Vincent Lopez'' aired Saturdays from 8 to 8:30pm ET on DuMont.

On NBC, '' The Black Robe'' aired from 10:00 to 10:30 p.m. on Saturday from November to December 1949 after airing at various times on Monday from August to October 1949. '' Your Show of Shows'' premiered at 9:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, February 25, 1950.

By network

ABC

Returning Series
*'' ABC Barn Dance''
*'' ABC Penthouse Players''
*''Actors Studio''
*'' Author Meets the Critics''
*'' Blind Date''
*'' Buzzy Wuzzy''
*'' Celebrity Time''
*'' Club Seven''
*'' Crusade in Europe''
*''Fun for the Money''
*'' Hollywood Screen Test''
*'' News and Views''
*''On Trial''
*'' Paul Whiteman's TV Teen Club''
*'' Photoplay Time''
*''Roller Derby''
*'' Stained Glass Windows''
*'' Think Fast''
*''Tomorrow's Boxing Champions''
*'' Versatile Varieties''
*'' The Voice of Firestone''
*''Wrestling from the Rainbo in Chicago''
*'' You Asked For It''

New Series
*''Auction-Aire''
*'' The Boris Karloff Mystery Playhouse''
*''Buck Rogers'' *
*'' Let There Be Stars''
*''Little Revue''
*'' The Lone Ranger''
*'' Majority Rules''
*'' Mama Rosa'' *
*''Mr. Black''
*'' Mysteries of Chinatown'' *
*'' Oboler Comedy Theater''
*'' Paul Whiteman's Goodyear Revue''
*'' Photocrime''
*'' The Ruggles''
*'' Starring Boris Karloff''
*'' Volume One'' *
*'' Your Show of Shows''
*'' Your Witness''
*'' Youth on the March''

Not returning from 1948–49:
*''ABC Feature Film''
*'' ABC Television Players''
*'' America's Town Meeting''
*''Critic at Large''
*'' Fashions on Parade''
*'' The Gay Nineties Revue''
*'' Kiernan's Corner''
*''Movieland Quiz''
*'' Quizzing the News''
*'' The Southernaires Quartet''
*''Sports with Joe Hasel''
*'' Stand By for Crime''
*'' Tales of the Red Caboose''
*'' Teenage Book Club''
*''That Reminds Me''
*''Three About Town''
*''Wrestling from Washington, D.C.''

CBS

Returning Series
*''54th Street Revue''
*''Actors Studio'' (moved from ABC)
*'' Arthur Godfrey and His Friends''
*''Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts''
*''The Bigelow Show''
*'' CBS Television News''
*'' Earl Wrightson at Home''
*'' The Fred Waring Show''
*'' Ford Theatre''
*'' The Goldbergs''
*''In the First Person''
*''International Boxing Club Bouts''
*'' Lamp Unto My Feet''
*'' Lucky Pup''
*'' Mama''
*''Our Miss Brooks''
*'' People's Platform''
*''Premiere Playhouse''
*'' The Roar of the Rails''
*'' Ruthie on the Telephone''
*'' The Sonny Kendis Show''
*'' Studio One''
*''Suspense''
*'' The Ted Steele Show'' (moved from DuMont)
*''This is Show Business''
*'' Toast of the Town''
*''To the Queen's Taste''
*'' Tonight on Broadway''
*''The Week in Review''
*''Your Sports Special''

New Series
*'' Abe Burrows' Almanac'' *
*'' The Alan Young Show''
*'' Big Top'' *
*''The Bigelow Show''
*''Capitol Cloak Room''
*'' Detective's Wife'' *
*'' The Ed Wynn Show''
*'' Escape'' *
*'' The Front Page''
*'' The Garry Moore Show'' *
*'' Inside U.S.A. with Chevrolet''
*'' Joey Faye's Frolics'' *
*'' The Ken Murray Show'' *
*'' Man Against Crime''
*''The Paul Arnold Show''
*'' Romance''
*'' The Show Goes On'' *
*'' The Silver Theatre''
*'' Stage 13'' *
*'' The Stage Door'' *
*'' Starlight Theatre'' *
*'' Television Theatre'' *
*'' The Trap'' *
*'' Uptown Jubilee''
*'' The Web'' *
*''The Week in Sports''

Not returning from 1948–49:
*'' Adventures in Jazz''
*''Capital Billy's Mississippi Music Hall''
*''Kobbs' Korner''
*''Face the Music''
*'' People's Platform''
*'' Places Please''
*''Sportman's Quiz''
*''Tournament of Champions''
*'' Wesley''
*'' What's It Worth''

DuMont

Returning series
*'' And Everything Nice''
*'' Bowling Headliners'' (moved from ABC)
*'' Broadway to Hollywood''
*''Captain Video and His Video Rangers''
*'' Cavalcade of Stars''
*'' Court of Current Issues''
*'' Cross Question''
*''Feature Theater''
*'' Front Row Center''
*'' Johnny Olson's Rumpus Room''
*'' The Magic Cottage''
*'' Manhattan Spotlight''
*'' The Morey Amsterdam Show'' (moved from CBS)
*'' Newsweek Views the News''
*'' Spin the Picture''
*'' The Vincent Lopez Show''

New series
*'' Adventure Playhouse'' *
*'' The Al Morgan Show''
*'' Amanda''
*'' Amateur Boxing Fight Club''
*'' And Everything Nice''
*'' Cavalcade of Bands'' *
*'' Chicagoland Mystery Players''
*'' Cinema Varieties''
*'' Country Style'' *
*'' Dinner Date with Vincent Lopez'' *
*'' Easy Aces''
*'' The Family Genius''
*'' Famous Jury Trials''
*'' Fishing and Hunting Club''
*'' Georgetown University Forum'' *
*'' Hands of Mystery''
*'' The Hazel Scott Show'' *
*''Mystery Theater''
*'' The O'Neills''
*'' Okay, Mother''
*'' The Plainclothesman''
*'' Rocky King Detective'' *
*'' Starlit Time'' *
*'' Visit with the Armed Forces'' *
*'' Windy City Jamboree'' *
*'' Wrestling From Marigold''

Not returning from 1948–49:
*'' Admiral Broadway Revue''
*'' The Adventures of Oky Doky''
*'' The Alan Dale Show''
*'' Boxing From Jamaica Arena''
*'' Café de Paris''
*'' Camera Headlines''
*'' Champagne and Orchids''
*'' Charade Quiz''
*''Doorway to Fame''
*'' The Growing Paynes''
*'' Hotel Broadway''
*'' I.N.S. Telenews''
*'' The Jack Eigen Show''
*'' Key to the Missing''
*'' King Cole's Birthday Party''
*'' The Laytons''
*'' Operation Success''
*'' The School House''
*'' Spin the Picture''
*'' The Stan Shaw Show''
*'' Teen Time Tunes''
*'' Window on the World''
*''Wrestling From Columbia Park Arena''

NBC

Returning Series
*'' The Black Robe''
*'' Break the Bank''
*'' Candid Camera'' (moved from ABC)
*'' Camel News Caravan''
*'' The Chesterfield Supper Club''
*'' Chevrolet Tele-Theater''
*'' The Clock''
*'' Colgate Theatre''
*'' Duffy's Tavern''
*''Fireball-Fun-For-All''
*'' Fireside Theatre''
*'' Garroway at Large''
*'' Gillette Cavalcade of Sports''
*''Greatest Fights of the Century''
*''Hollywood Premiere''
*'' Hopalong Cassidy''
*'' Kraft Television Theatre''
*''Kukla, Fran and Ollie''
*'' Leave It to the Girls''
*'' Leon Pearson and the News''
*'' Mary Kay and Johnny''
*''Meet the Press''
*'' Meet Your Congress''
*''Mixed Doubles''
*''Mohawk Showroom''
*''The Nature of Things''
*'' The Original Amateur Hour'' (moved from DuMont)
*''The Philco Television Playhouse''
*'' Quiz Kids''
*''Texaco Star Theater''
*'' The Wayne King Show''
*'' We, the People''
*'' Who Said That?''

New Series
*'' The Armed Forces Hour''
*''Armstrong Circle Theatre'' *
*'' The Big Story''
*'' Bonny Maid Versatile Varieties''
*'' Cameo Theatre'' *
*'' The Crisis''
*'' The Halls of Ivy'' *
*'' Hawkins Falls, Population 6200''
*'' Leave It to the Girls''
*'' The Life of Riley''
*'' The Marshal of Gunsight Pass''
*'' Martin Kane, Private Eye''
*''Mary Kay and Johnny''
*'' Masterpiece Playhouse'' *
*''Screen Directors Playhouse''
*'' Theatre of the Mind'' *
*'' The Voice of Firestone''
*'' Your Show of Shows'' *

Not returning from 1948–49:
*'' Admiral Broadway Revue''
*'' America Song''
*'' Americana''
*''The Bigelow Show''
*''Girl About Town''
*''Girl of the Week''
*'' The Gulf Road Show Starring Bob Smith''
*'' The Hartmans''
*'' Mary Margaret McBride''
*''Musical Merry-Go-Round''
*''Musical Miniatures''
*'' NBC Presents''
*'' Picture This''
*''Princess Sagaphi''
*'' Saturday Night Jamboree''
*'' Stop Me If You've Heard This One''
*'' The Swift Show''
*'' The Ted Steele Show''
*'' Television Screen Magazine''
*'' Theatre of the Mind''
*'' Village Barn''
*'' Admiral Presents the Five Star Revue — Welcome Aboard''
*'' You Are an Artist''
*'' Your Show Time''

Note: The * indicates that the program was introduced in midseason.

References

* Bergmann, Ted; Skutch, Ira (2002). ''The DuMont Television Network: What Happened?''. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. .
* Castleman, H. & Podrazik, W. (1982). ''Watching TV: Four Decades of American Television''. New York: McGraw-Hill. 314 pp.
* McNeil, Alex. ''Total Television''. Fourth edition. New York: Penguin Books. .
* Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (1964). ''The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows'' (3rd ed.). New York: Ballantine. .

{{DEFAULTSORT:1949-50 United States network television schedule
United States primetime network television schedules
1949 in American television
1950 in American television