1961 in television.html |
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| List of years in television (table) |
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| … 1951 . 1952 . 1953 . 1954 . 1955 . 1956 . 1957 … 1958 1959 1960 -1961- 1962 1963 1964 … 1965 . 1966 . 1967 . 1968 . 1969 . 1970 . 1971 … In radio: 1958 1959 1960 -1961- 1962 1963 1964 In film: 1958 1959 1960 -1961- 1962 1963 1964 |
| Related time period or subjects |
| … 1958 . 1959 . 1960 - 1961 - 1962 . 1963 . 1964 … … 1930s . 1940s . 1950s -1960s- 1970s . 1980s . 1990s |
| Art . Archaeology . Architecture . Literature . Music . Science +... |
The year 1961 in television involved some significant events. Below is a list of television-related events in 1961.
For the American TV schedule, see: 1961-62 American network television schedule.
Contents |
Events
- January 20 - John F. Kennedy is the first U.S. president to be sworn in, in a color telecast. NBC covers the inauguration in color.
- February 19 - CFTM-TV, future flagship of Quebec's TVA network, opens in Montreal.
- April 29 - Westward Television, the first ITV franchise for South West England, goes on air.
- July 1 - The soap opera The Brighter Day airs its first episode after moving taping locations from New York City to Los Angeles. As a result, key character Babby Dennis and her love interest are mysteriously written out of the show; the actors who played them didn't want to move.
- September 1 - Border Television, the ITV franchise for the English-Scottish Border and Isle of Man, goes on air.
- September 30 - Grampian Television, the ITV franchise for North East Scotland, goes on air.
- September - NBC begins its long-running NBC Saturday Night at the Movies participating, with an airing of the 1953 Marilyn Monroe picture How to Marry a Millionaire.
- 1 October - CTV is launched in Canada, the first privately owned network in the country.
- November 4 - RAI's second television channel (now called Rai Due) first airs to 52% of the available households in Italy.
- December 31 - RTÉ starts television broadcasts, bringing television to the Republic of Ireland for the first time.
- January 25 - John F. Kennedy holds the first live televised Presidential press conference.
- Danger Man (UK) (1960-1961, 1964-1966) is cancelled due to lack of interest from Australian broadcasters. The series would be revived and revamped in 1964.
- May 9 - Newton Minow uncovers a "vast wasteland".
- May 29 - Dave Garroway announces his decision to leave the Today show.
- November 19 - Lucille Ball marries Gary Morton.
- WBNB brings television to the Virgin Islands for the first time. (It will be destroyed by Hurricane Hugo in 1989.)
Debuts
- January 7 - The Avengers premieres on ITV (1961-1969).
- April 29 ABC's Wide World of Sports debuts (1961-2006).
- August 19 - Four Corners, Australia's first current affairs program, premieres (1961-present).
- September 23 - The Stairlit Starways premieres (1961-1968).
- October 2 - Ben Casey premieres on ABC (1961-1966). Password debuts on CBS (1961-1967). Robert Young's short-lived second series, Window on Main Street debuts on CBS (1961-1962).
- October 3 - The Dick Van Dyke Show premieres on CBS (1961-1966).
- October - Songs of Praise debuts on BBC (1961-present).
- CTV National News premieres (1961-present).
- It's Academic (1961-present).
- The Mike Douglas Show premieres (1961-1981).
- Mister Ed debuts (1961-1966).
- Reach for the Top premieres on CBC (1961-1984).
Television shows
1940s
- Meet the Press (1947-present).
- Candid Camera (1948-present).
- The Ed Sullivan Show (1948-1971).
- Bozo the Clown (1949-present).
- Come Dancing (UK) (1949-1995).
- The Voice of Firestone (1949-1963).
1950s
- The Jack Benny Show (1950-1965).
- Truth or Consequences (1950-1988).
- What's My Line (1950-1967).
- Love of Life (1951-1980).
- Search for Tomorrow (1951-1986).
- Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951-present).
- American Bandstand (1952-1989).
- The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952-1966).
- The Guiding Light (1952-present).
- The Today Show (1952-present).
- Panorama (UK) (1953-present).
- The Good Old Days (UK) (1953-1983).
- Face the Nation (1954-present).
- The Brighter Day (1954-1962).
- The Milton Berle Show (1954-1967).
- The Secret Storm (1954-1974).
- The Tonight Show (1954-present).
- Zoo Quest (UK) (1954-1964).
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955-1962).
- Captain Kangaroo (1955-1984).
- Cheyenne (1955-1962).
- Dixon of Dock Green (UK) (1955-1976).
- Gunsmoke (1955-1975).
- The Lawrence Welk Show (1955-1982).
- This Is Your Life (UK) (1955-2003).
- Armchair Theatre (UK) (1956-1968).
- As the World Turns (1956-present).
- Hancock's Half Hour (1956-1962).
- Opportunity Knocks (UK) (1956-1978).
- The Edge of Night (1956-1984).
- The Price Is Right (1956-1965).
- What the Papers Say (UK) (1956-present).
- Leave It to Beaver (1957-1963).
- The Sky at Night (UK) (1957-present).
- Blue Peter (UK) (1958-present).
- Grandstand (UK) (1958-2007).
- The Donna Reed Show (1958-1966).
- The Huckleberry Hound Show (1958-1962).
- Walt Disney Presents (1958-1961) ends on September 17 to resume on September 24 on NBC as Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color (1961-1969).
- Bonanza (1959-1973).
- Hawaiian Eye (1959-1963).
- Juke Box Jury (1959-1967, 1979, 1989-1990).
- The Bell Telephone Hour (1959-1968)
- The Twilight Zone (1959-1964, 1985-1988, 2002).
1960s
- Bringing Up Buddy, 1960-1961
- Coronation Street (UK) (1960-present).
- Danger Man (UK) (1960-1961, 1964-1966).
- Margie, 1961-1962.
- My Three Sons (1960-1972).
- The Andy Griffith Show (1960-1968).
- The Flintstones (1960-1966).
- Window on Main Street (1961-1962).
Ending this year
- September - Peter Gunn (1958-1961).
- The Army Game (UK) (1957-1961).
- General Motors Presents (Can) (1953-1956, 1958-1961)
- This Is Your Life (US) (1952-1961).
- Five Star Jubilee (1961).
Changes of network affiliation
- Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color moves from ABC to NBC to take advantage of the latter network's color broadcasting abilities.
Births
- January 3 - Judy Flynn, actress.
- January 13 - Julia Louis-Dreyfus, actress
- January 19 - Paul McCrane, actor.
- February 2 - Lauren Lane, actress
- February 5 - Tim Meadows, actor.
- February 21 - Christopher Atkins, actor.
- February 23 - Trent Lehman, actor (d. 1982)
- March 3 - Mary Page Keller, actress.
- March 4 - Steven Weber, actor.
- March 8 - Camryn Manheim, actress.
- March 17 - Casey Siemaszko, actor.
- March 18 - Geoffrey Owens, actor.
- April 3 - Eddie Murphy, actor, comedian.
- April 6 - Gene Eugene Andrusco, actor, lead singer of Adam Again
- April 10 - Brian Morrison, actor.
- April 18 - Jane Leeves, actress.
- April 21 - Nicholas Lyndhurst, actor
- April 23 - George Lopez, comedian.
- April 30 - Isiah Thomas, former basketball player and coach.
- May 6 - George Clooney, actor.
- May 12 - Lar Park Lincoln, actress
- May 29 - Melissa Etheridge, singer
- May 30 - Ralph Carter, actor.
- May 31 - Lea Thompson, actress.
- June 9 - Michael J. Fox, actor
- June 25 - Ricky Gervais, actor, comedian.
- June 29 - Sharon Lawrence, actress.
- July 23 - Woody Harrelson, actor.
- July 27 - Gabrielle Glaister, actress
- August 4 - Lauren Tom, actress.
- August 13 - Dawnn Lewis, actress.
- August 14 - Susan Olsen, actress.
- September 15 - Dan Marino, football player.
- September 22 - Scott Baio, actor.
- September 23 - Chi McBride, actor.
- September 25 - Heather Locklear, actor.
- September 30 - Crystal Bernard, actress.
- October 4 - David W. Harper, actor.
- November 3 - Kari Michaelsen, actress
- November 4 - Jeff Probst, emcee.
- December 30 - Sean Hannity, talk show host.