Tonight on Broadway is a weekly television show that ran from 1948 to 1949 on the CBS Television network. It premiered locally in New York City on April 6, 1948, and became a network show on April 20, 1948.[1]

Format

The show initially aired excerpts from Broadway shows live from the theaters in which they were playing,[2] giving viewers a behind-the-scenes perspective[3] via interviews with the shows' stars.[1] When it returned in October 1949, the interviews had been eliminated, with the entire program allocated to scenes from the spotlighted Broadway production.[4]

Schedule and hosts

Tonight on Broadway was broadcast from 7 to 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesdays[1] from April 6, 1948, until May 23, 1948, with Martin Gosch as the first host.[5] John Mason Brown replaced him in that role on April 27, 1948.[6] It returned on October 2, 1949,[5] with Brown as host, running from 7 to 7:30 p.m. E. T. on Sundays[1] until December 18, 1949.[5]

Episodes and theaters

Partial List of Plays Featured on Tonight on Broadway
DatePlay
April 20, 1948High Button Shoes[3]
November 27, 1949Yes, M'Lord[7]
December 2, 1949Lend an Ear[8]

Other shows that were featured included Texas and Li'l Darlin'. Other venues from which featured shows originated included the Mark Hellinger and Shubert theaters.[9]

Production

Gosch was the producer,[10] and Roland Gillette was one of the directors.[11] Maxine Keith was the program coordinator.[12] American Tobacco Company sponsored the first session,[3] and Esso Standard Oil Company sponsored the 1949 version.[4]

Critical response

Jack Gould's review in The New York Times called the network debut of Tonight on Broadway "a decided disappointment for a premiere which had been heralded as a 'milestone' in television.'"[10] The review summed up the episode as essentially an advertising vehicle for Mr. Roberts (the featured play) and said, "certainly television merits a better fate than being used merely as an animated billboard."[10] Gould wrote that televised scenes from the play demonstrated TV's potential to enable viewers to see live theater in their homes, and he noted the contrasts between theater and television with regard to "the absolute assurance and sense of presence" of the actors and the quality of the sets.[10] He called some of the questions in the interview segments "silly" and suggested that Gosch should relinquish the host's role in order to concentrate more on his role as producer.[10]

Kelly Kessler wrote in the book Broadway in the Box: Television's Lasting Love Affair with the Musical, "Regardless of its[9] longevity or apparent spotty quality, Tonight on Broadway brought viewers one step closer to Broadway."

A review in the New York Daily News said that the premiere episode "provided fine fodder for video fans" and commended Ben Sylvester for his work on the script.[13] It said that the uneven nature of the production was "a minor defect, easily remedied".[13] Overall, the review described the program as "a high-powered booster" for the theater, presenting enough of a sample of the play to make the audience want more.[13]

John Crosby' review indicated that the show failed to achieve its goal of creating more demand for tickets to Broadway shows, primarily because of the differences between stage and TV. He pointed out that one number from Lend an Ear "wasn't exactly sensational on a 10-inch television screen."[14] Additionally, he wrote, the actors were "playing to the 10th row rather than to a spot 10 feet away from their noses, which is where the television audience sits."[14] Overall, he doubted that watching this production would encourage people to buy tickets to see the complete show in the theater.[14]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (June 24, 2009). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present. Random House Publishing Group. p. 1404. ISBN 978-0-307-48320-1. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  2. ↑ MacArthur, Harry (October 2, 1949). "News of Video and Radio". Evening Star. District of Columbia, Washington. p. C-8. Retrieved August 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. 1 2 3 "'Tonight' Show Folds on CBS" (PDF). Billboard. April 24, 1948. p. 14. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  4. 1 2 "Radio-Video: CBS to Present Broadway Scenes in a Half-hour Series Starting Oct. 2". The New York Times. August 4, 1949. p. 42. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 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. 850. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
  6. ↑ "The News of Radio: Presidential Candidates Receive an Offer of Free Time on CBS Television Outlet". The New York Times. April 26, 1948. p. 40. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  7. ↑ MacArthur, Harry (November 27, 1949). "News of Video and Radio". The Sunday Star. District of Columbia, Washington. p. C-8. Retrieved August 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Features on the Air Today". The Sunday Star. District of Columbia, Washington. October 2, 1949. p. C-8. Retrieved August 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. 1 2 Kessler, Kelly (April 1, 2020). Broadway in the Box: Television's Lasting Love Affair with the Musical. Oxford University Press. p. 23. ISBN 978-0-19-067403-8. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 Gould, Jack (April 11, 1948). "A Good Try Gone Awry: Video Series Proves a Disappointment". The New York Times. p. X 9. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  11. ↑ "The News of Radio: CBS to Carry 'Hollywood Salutes Red Cross' on Saturday From 11:15 to Midnight". The New York Times. June 10, 1948. p. 50.
  12. ↑ "Short Scfannings". Billboard. September 10, 1949. p. 12. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  13. 1 2 3 "Televiewing". Daily News. New York, New York City. April 11, 1948. p. 28. Retrieved August 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. 1 2 3 Crosby, John (October 7, 1949). "TV and the Stage Just Don't Mix". The Miami Herald. p. 24-C. Retrieved August 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.


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