1957 in television

The year 1957 in television involved some significant events. Below is a list of television-related events in 1957.

Events

• January 6 - Elvis Presley makes final appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.
• January 24 - Steve Allen makes his final appearance as host of NBC's The Tonight Show. He is replaced by Jack Lescoulie, with the show's format being changed to be more like Today than the talk/variety show format Tonight had under Allen.
• June - Lescoulie is a flop, so NBC hires Al "Jazzbo" Collins to serve as emcee. But Collins doesn't last long; NBC is already planning to replace him and go back to the original format.
• July 29 - Jack Paar becomes the permanent host for NBC's The Tonight Show. The format changes back to a talk/variety show.
• March 7 - Portugal creates its television service after several months of experimentation.
• March 31 - The first TV version of Cinderella, starring 21-year-old Julie Andrews, and with songs by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, airs in color on CBS.
• April 1 - British current affairs programme Panorama (BBC) broadcasts the famous Spaghetti trees hoax report.
• August 31 - Central Scotland's ITV franchise Scottish Television goes on air, the first 7-day-a-week ITV franchise to do so.
• September 7 - NBC introduces an animated version of its famous "living color" peacock logo.
• February 16 - In the UK, the "Toddlers' Truce" (an arrangement whereby there were no TV broadcasts between 6 PM and 7 PM, to allow parents to put their children to bed!) was abolished. It had been a major stumbling block to the success of ITV.
• Front Page Challenge, television's longest continuously running panel show starts airing on the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) for the next 38 years.
• Cyprus began a limited television service, serving only three hours a day, twice-weekly. By 1960, a full service was launched.
• CBC Television begins nationwide broadcasting of NHL games as Canada's microwave network is completed coast-to-coast. Prior to this, programmes have to be bicycled.

Debuts

• April 24 - The Sky at Night (UK) appears for the first time, presented by Patrick Moore (1957-present).
• May 1 - Junior Television Club (1957)
• May 7 - In Melbourne Tonight with Graham Kennedy begins on GTV-9
• September 22- Maverick premieres on ABC. (1957-1961)
• October 4 - Leave It to Beaver premieres (1957-1963).
• October 10- Zorro premieres on ABC (1957-1959)
• December 25 - Royal Christmas Message first televised with a message from Elizabeth II.
• The Army Game (UK) premieres on ITV (1957-1961).
• Front Page Challenge premieres (1957-1995).
• The Edsel Show, first full-length show to be recorded on videotape, first of many Bing Crosby specials
• Wagon Train premieres (1957-1965)
• Perry Mason (1957-1966)

Television shows

• Gillette Cavalcade of Sports (1946-1960).
• Howdy Doody (1947-1960).
• Kraft Television Theater (1947-1958).
• 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).
• The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show (1950-1958).
• The Jack Benny Show (1950-1965).
• Truth or Consequences (1950-1988).
• What's My Line (1950-1967).
• Your Hit Parade (1950-1959).
• Dragnet (1951-1959).
• Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951-present).
• Love of Life (1951-1980).
• Search for Tomorrow (1951-1986).
• American Bandstand (1952-1989).
• The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952-1966).
• Adventures of Superman (1952–1958)
• The Guiding Light (1952-present).
• The Today Show (1952-present).
• This Is Your Life (US) (1952-1961).
• Panorama (UK) (1953-present).
• The Good Old Days (UK) (1953-1983).
• Climax! (1954-1958).
• Disneyland (1954-1958).
• 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).
• Country Music Jubilee (1955-1960).
• Dixon of Dock Green (UK) (1955-1976).
• Gunsmoke (1955-1975).
• Mickey Mouse Club (1955-1959).
• 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 Gale Storm Show, Oh! Susanna (1956-1960).
• The Price Is Right (1956-1965).
• The Steve Allen Show (1956-1960).
• What the Papers Say (UK) (1956-present).

Ending this year

• February - Annie Oakley (1954-1957).
• April 13 - The Adventures of Sir Lancelot (UK) (1956-1957).
• May 6 - I Love Lucy (1951-1957).
• Kukla, Fran and Ollie (1947-1957).
• Life is Worth Living (1952–1957).
• The Roy Rogers Show (1951-1957).
• The Grove Family (UK) (1954-1957).
• The Three Stooges (1934-1957).

Births

• January 3 - Annie Lambert, British actress.
• January 7 - Katie Couric, television host.
• March 20 - Spike Lee, American director.
• April 13 - Gary Kroeger, American actor.
• May 3 - Jo Brand, English comedian.
• July 21 - Jon Lovitz, comedian and actor.
• August 9 - Melanie Griffith, American actress
• August 18 - Denis Leary, American actor & comedian.
• August 24 - Stephen Fry, English actor, presenter, comedian & writer
• September 30 - Fran Drescher, actress
• October 5 - Bernie Mac, comedian and actor. (d. 2008)
• October 11 - Dawn French, actress and comedienne
• October 29 - Dan Castellaneta, American voice actor, Homer Simpson on The Simpsons
• November 7 - Christopher Knight, actor, Peter Brady on The Brady Bunch
• December 9 - Donny Osmond, American singer,actor,and game show host
• December 21 - Ray Romano, stand-up Comedian
• December 30 - Matt Lauer, NBC newscaster.