The decade of the 1950s is also known as “The Golden Age of Television.”

Even though television broadcasting had been active since the 1930s, it was only in the 1950s that it actually caught people’s fancy. By 1950 the memories of the hardship of the World War had faded away, the economy was booming again and people had cash in their pockets. They were free to spend money on more than necessities.

Television started influencing the lives of everyone.  According to a survey, 3.1 million people had television sets in the 1950s. There were three major broadcasters of television: ABC, CBS, and NBC. People became fascinated by television and it became a status symbol. Those who did not own sets often visited those who did.

Two-thirds of TV owners in the 1950s lived in New York and suburbs. There were 102 television manufacturers in the ‘50s. People had a lot of options to choose from, including RCA, Philco, Zenith, Admiral, and other popular brands like General Electric, Motorola, Westinghouse and many more.

A TV was more than an electronic device.  It was a piece of furniture. The picture tube came in a wooden cupboard that matched the furniture of the house. Many were purchased because of their design and not for the quality of the picture, because in most cases the quality of picture was not all that great.

We had a TV at our house with an antenna on the roof. In order to get good reception it was necessary to have an antenna, which was known as bed springs on the top of a pole.  Bed springs in the 50s were wired coils held together with wire pieces; The antenna on top looked like the bedsprings from your bedroom.

My Dad had put one on our house and then he got fancy and put a motor on it so he could turn it in the direction of the best reception.

The reception on the first sets consisted of a test pattern, which was a round circle with spokes running through it. Television came on at 7 a.m. with the a picture of the American flag and the playing of the national anthem and it went off at midnight often with a prayer or a statement of ownership.

We would often have guests at our house who came to watch wrestling. No, we were not wrestling fans but that was the only show televised in the evening so neighbors who did not have a television would come over to watch TV. The other interesting thing we watched was snow. When the picture had interference or the reception was not good, snow would appear on the set and we watched a lot of that.

Later in the decade, programming became more interesting. The shows that I enjoyed as a teenager were “American Band Stand,” “Your Hit Parade,” “I Love Lucy,” “Father Knows Best” and “Our Miss Brooks.” Towards the end of the decade soap operas, crime dramas, and game shows became popular. Everyone had a favorite show.

Maybe you remember your favorite. Email me at joboepple@aol.com and tell me your favorite.

There is more to tell about television in the 1950s. To be continued next week.

 

Jo-Ann Boepple works at the Edwardsburg Area History Museum.