1950's TV Shows Still Influence Today's Hits

The 1950's TV shows collecting dust in museum archives look pretty dull and artificially mannered now. Surprisingly, today's hits are direct descendants of some of these old programs. Sure, the sex and violence is kicked up 100 notches, but the premises are evergreen.

Those old shows from 1950's TV were very tame. Married couples slept in twin beds, the word pregnant was taboo and cowboys shot each other with nary a sign of splattered brain matter. Yes, some aspects of program standards were quite different when TV was in its infancy.

Other patterns endured over the years. The search for new talent and the voyeuristic urge to eavesdrop on stranger's personal troubles remain unchanged from 1950's TV to today.

Let's look at some of those 1950's TV shows and how they influence today's programs:

The Ted Mack Original Amateur Hour 1948 -1970

This is clearly the grandpa of American Idol. Dust it off; add a snarky judge and viola!

Hopeful amateur performers competed against each other to win the favor of the American public. Winners returned to defend their skills against a new crop of competitors and the viewers voted by phone or mail.

The show made the jump from radio where it had been popular for more than a decade. Gladys Knight got her start here.

Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts 1948 - 1958

Another immigrant from the land of radio, Talent Scouts differed a little from Ted Mack in that the contestants had slightly more professional experience, but still ranked as "undiscovered". According to the Museum of Broadcast Communications website article written by Douglas Gomery, this 1950's TV show "significantly assisted the careers of Pat Boone, Tony Bennett, Eddie Fisher, Connie Francis, and Patsy Cline."

Instead of waiting for a mail vote, winners were announced at the end of the show. An applause meter recorded the audience reaction. The American viewers didn't get to vote their opinions, so this 1950's TV show must be a more distant relative of American Idol. Maybe it's a great aunt.

Queen for a Day - 1956 - 1964

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition shares its DNA with this old 1950's TV show. Spying on and/or taking comfort from the misery of others is a theme with universal appeal. Helping them out of their sad situation is the pay-off.

The format of the show consisted of four women with gloomy stories taking turns at describing their plight to America. The trusty applause meter once again determined the winner. The "Queen" got treated to prizes, mainly stuff appropriate to fixing her problems.

Does this sound exploitative? Heaven forbid! Exploitation on TV???!!!

Dragnet -1951-1959

Of all 1950's TV shows, Dragnet was probably the most realistic. Sgt. Joe Friday, a no-nonsense Los Angeles cop narrated the show. A noir flavor distinguished the show from the pack of 1950's TV shows which refused to look at the world with realistic eyes.

Many of today's police procedurals are direct descendants of Dragnet. Horatio Caine of CSI:Miami is Joe's grandson.

The Millionaire 1955-1960

Each episode unfolded within the same framework. Quirky multi-millionaire, John Beresford Tipton would summon his lackey, Michael Anthony, into his office to make a delivery: an envelope with a cashier's check for a "tax-fee" one million dollars. Wait, the IRS was ok with this?

Anthony would take the life-changing surprise to that week's unsuspecting subject. As an audience, we never got to see Tipton's face; we never knew how he learned about the people he selected.

The plot followed the aftermath, showing the variety of triumphs and tragedies that sudden wealth caused.

To stretch a point, LOST has a tiny kernel of the Millionaire's heritage. The elusive and never seen Tipton was able to mysteriously know everything about his oblivious test rats. Benjamin Linus is a malevolent descendant.

If any 1950's TV show could make the leap, without radical reinvention, to today's TV, it would be The Millionaire. Fifty years later, one million dollars can still change a life.