Front Row Center
GenreVariety
Directed byMilt Douglas
Fletcher Markle
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducerFletcher Markle
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time30 minutes
(March 1949–June 1949)
60 minutes
(June 1949–April 1950)
Original release
NetworkDuMont Television Network
ReleaseMarch 25, 1949 (1949-03-25) –
April 2, 1950 (1950-04-02)

Front Row Center is the title of two American television programs with different formats that were broadcast on different networks.

DuMont version

Front Row Center, an American variety show, aired on the DuMont Television Network from March 25, 1949, to April 2, 1950,[1] It initially was on from 9 to 9:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Fridays. In June 1949 it moved to 8-9 p.m. ET on Fridays, and in October 1949 it moved to 7-8 p.m. ET on Sundays.[2]

Originally 30 minutes, the sustaining program expanded to 60 minutes on June 10, 1949, and DuMont personnel began seeking entertainers in an effort to make the program "television's standout talent quest show."[3] That quest included holding auditions at DuMont's Adelphi Playhouse in New York City.[3]

This was one of several DuMont network programs to start as a local show on one of its affiliates. The premiere episode featured Marilyn Maxwell in her TV debut.[2] On April 9, 1950, DuMont replaced this show with Starlit Time in the same time slot.

Personnel

Frank Fontaine was the host. Regulars on the program were Marian Bruce, Joan Fields, Cass Franklin, Phil Leeds, Hal Lohman, Monica Moore, Bibi Osterwald, and Danny Shore.[4]

Bill Harmon was the program's producer and director.[3]

Episode status

Only one episode of the series survives, which is held at the UCLA Film and Television Archive.

CBS version

Front Row Center was a dramatic anthology series on CBS that originally ran from June 1, 1955, to September 21, 1955, and returned from January 8, 1956 until April 22, 1956.[1] In 1955 the program was broadcast every Wednesday from 10 to 11 p.m. ET through June, after which it alternated in that time slot with The United States Steel Hour. Episodes in 1956 were broadcast on Sunday afternoons.[2]

Fletcher Markle was the director.[1] Episodes were live adaptations of Broadway plays.[2] They included the following:

Critical response

Jack Gould wrote in The New York Times that the presentation of "Dinner at Eight" "was hurt by editing and uneven casting; it was warmed-over fare, lacking real substance."[6] He described Soane's acting as "a good performance."[6]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 307. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (1999). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present (7th ed.). New York: The Ballentine Publishing Group. p. 372. ISBN 0-345-42923-0.
  3. 1 2 3 Stretch, Bud (June 10, 1949). "Air Waves". Courier-Post. New Jersey, Camden. p. 20. Retrieved February 20, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 370. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
  5. ↑ "Shows on the Mark". Motion Picture Daily. January 3, 1956. p. 16. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  6. 1 2 Gould, Jack (June 5, 1955). "Family of Arts Stimulated by Recent Developments in Television World". The New York Times. p. X 13. Retrieved November 6, 2023.

Bibliography

  • David Weinstein, The Forgotten Network: DuMont and the Birth of American Television (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2004) ISBN 1-59213-245-6


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