1936 in television

The year 1936 in television involved some significant events. Below is a list of television-related events in 1936.

Events

• July 7 – At David Sarnoff's request for an experiment of RCA's electronic television technology, NBC's first attempt at actual programming is a 30-minute variety show featuring speeches, dance ensembles, monologues, vocal numbers, and film clips. It is shown to 225 of RCA's licensees on 22 centimeter screens, 343 lines per picture, 30 pictures per second.
• August – 72 hours of medium-definition (180-line) television broadcasts of the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin are seen by approximately 150,000 people in public viewing rooms in Berlin and Potsdam.
• November 2 – The first regular high-definition (then defined as at least 200 lines) television service from the BBC, based at Alexandra Palace in London, officially begins broadcasting (after test transmissions began in August). The service alternates on a weekly basis between Baird's 240-line mechanical system and the Marconi-EMI's 405-line all-electronic system. Programmes are broadcast daily, Monday to Saturday, at 15:00–16:00 and 21:00–22:00.
• November 6 – NBC in New York demonstrates electronic television to invited members of the press, with a 40-minute program of live acts and films, received on 30 centimeter television screens.
• First coaxial cables are laid between New York and Philadelphia by AT&T; they will transmit television and telephone signals.^[1]
• By this year there are approximately 2,000 television receivers worldwide.

Debuts

• October 8 – Picture Page (UK) is first broadcast as part of the BBC's test transmissions in the run-up to launch (1936–1939; 1946–1952)
• November 3 – Starlight (UK), a variety show, debuts on the BBC (1936–1939; 1946–1949)
• Theatre Parade (UK) premieres on the BBC (1936–1938)

Television shows

Births

• January 1 – Valora Norland, American actress
• January 25 – Diana Hyland, American actress (died 1977)
• January 28 – Alan Alda, actor, star of M*A*S*H
• February 11 – Burt Reynolds, US actor
• February 20 – Larry Hovis, actor (died 2003)
• February 20 – Marj Dusay, actress
• February 29 – Alex Rocco, actor
• March 5 – Dean Stockwell, actor
• April 14 – Kenneth Mars, actor
• May 12 – Tom Snyder, talk show host (died 2007)
• May 14 – Bobby Darin, singer (died 1973)
• May 27 – Louis Gossett, Jr., actor
• June 11 – Chad Everett, actor
• June 30 – Nancy Dussault, actress
• June 30 – Don Taylor, director (died 2003)
• July 24 – Ruth Buzzi, actress
• September 14 – Walter Koenig, actor, Ensign Chekhov on Star Trek
• September 24 – Jim Henson, puppeteer, creator of The Muppets (died 1990)
• October 31 – Michael Landon, actor, producer (died 1991)
• November 19 – Dick Cavett, talk show host
• December 8 – David Carradine, actor (died 2009)
• December 29 – Mary Tyler Moore, actress

References