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 his 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 and the show is changed from a talk/variety show format to be more like Today.
• June – Lescoulie is a flop, so NBC hires Al "Jazzbo" Collins as emcee. 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 tree 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). It ran for 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, broadcasts had been delayed.
• Westinghouse introduces the first rectangular tube color TV. Due to issues with convergence (aligning the guns to get a single image), the sets were withdrawn from the market. The first successful rectangular color tubes arrive in the mid 1960's.

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 21 – Perry Mason premiers on CBS (1957–1966), The Polly Bergen Show premiers on NBC, alternating with Club Oasis, which debuted on September 28 (1957–1958)
• September 22- Maverick premieres on ABC. (1957–1961)
• Fall 1957 – Saber of London, a British detective series, moved from ABC to NBC for the remainder of its episodes broadcast through mid-1960. It had previously aired under different titles from 1951–1954 and 1955–1957, in the latter run under the name The Vise.
• October 4 – Leave It to Beaver premieres (1957–1963).
• October 10- Zorro premieres on ABC (1957–1959)
• October 23 – The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom premieres on ABC (1957–1960).
• November 17 – Scotland Yard premieres on ABC (1957–1958).
• November 26: WHDH-TV/5-Boston begins broadcasting. It soon becomes embroiled in controversy about its license. It finally loses its license in 1972.
• December 25 – Royal Christmas Message first televised with a message from Elizabeth II.
• The Army Game (UK) premieres on ITV (1957–1961).
• Divorce Court (US) (1957–1969, 1985–1992, 1999–present)
• 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)

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).
• I Love Lucy (1951–1960).
• 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 (1952–2009).
• 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 (1956–2010).
• The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford (1956–1961)
• 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) (1956–2008).

Ending this year

• February – Annie Oakley (1954–1957).
• February 26 – Noah's Ark (1956–1957)
• April 13 – The Adventures of Sir Lancelot (UK) (1956–1957).
• 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 7 – Katie Couric, television host.
• January 17 - Steve Harvey, comedian & game show host.
• February 16 – LeVar Burton, actor
• February 18 – Vanna White, game show presenter
• March 30 – Paul Reiser, actor & comedian.
• April 13 – Gary Kroeger, actor.
• May 3 – Jo Brand, English comedian.
• May 5 – Richard E. Grant, English actor.
• June 12 – Timothy Busfield, actor & director.
• July 21 – Jon Lovitz, actor & comedian.
• July 26 – Nana Visitor, actress.
• August 18 – Denis Leary, actor & comedian.
• August 24 – Stephen Fry, English actor & comedian.
• September 29 – Andrew Dice Clay, comedian.
• September 30 – Fran Drescher, actress & comedienne (The Nanny).
• October 5 – Bernie Mac, actor & comedian (died 2008).
• October 11 – Dawn French, Welch-born English actress & comedienne.
• October 29 – Dan Castellaneta, actor & comedian ("Homer Simpson").
• November 7 – Christopher Knight, actor, (The Brady Bunch).
• December 9 – Donny Osmond, singer, actor & game show host.
• December 21 – Ray Romano, stand-up comedian & actor.