When the Emmys came of age: Lucky 7th ceremony was first to be broadcast nationally
The Emmy Awards grew up on March 7, 1955. For the first time, the ceremony was broadcast nationally on NBC. Steve Allen, the star of “The Tonight Show,” was the host of the 7th annual awards honoring the best of 1954 programming which was telecast from the Moulin Rouge nightclub on Sunset Boulevard.
One of the seminal live dramas of the 1950’s, Reginald Rose’s searing “12 Angry Men,” which aired on CBS “Studio One,” earned the most Emmys that evening winning with three. The taut drama about a jury of a dozen men decided the fate of a young man accused of murder starred Robert Cummings, Franchot Tone, Edward Arnold and Walter Abel. For years, only an incomplete kinescope of the show, which was adapted into the Oscar-nominated 1957 film, existed.
Finally, a complete copy of the show was discovered in 2003. Rose told me in a 1997 L.A. Times interview that he came up with the idea for the drama after serving on a jury in 1954. “It was so formal back them,” he related. “I was so impressed. I had never been in a courtroom before. There was a terrible battle in the jury room over the verdict. We argued and screamed for 8 hours. It was 12 white men, which was what most juries were then. I said to myself, ‘What a wonderful situation for a one-hour television play that takes place in real time.’ I invented the case, and I invented the characters.”
Rose, director Franklin Schaffner, who would later earn an Oscar for 1970’s “Patton,” and Cummings all won Emmys. Cummings was also nominated for best actor in a regular series for a NBC comedy “My Hero,” in which he played a character called Bob Beanblossom. Yes, Beanblossom. The series ended in 1953, but was shown in repeats in syndication in 1954. And this time, the TV academy took notice of his performance. Cummings lost that Emmy to Danny Thomas for his ABC comedy series “Make Room for Daddy.” The sitcom also took home the Emmy for best situation comedy beating out CBS’ “The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show,” CBS’ “I Love Lucy,” NBC’s “Mr. Peepers,” CBS’ “Our Miss Brooks” and CBS’ Private Secretary.”
Loretta Young won the Emmy for best actress in a regular series for NBC’s anthology series “The Loretta Young Show.’ For the second year in a row, Art Carney and Audrey Meadows earned Emmys for their supporting performances as Ed Norton and Alice Kramden on CBS “The Jackie Gleason Show.”
Judith Anderson won best actress in a single performance for NBC’’s ‘Hallmark Hall of Fame’s “Macbeth.” Six years later, she won again for playing Lady Macbeth in another filmed adaptation.
ABC’s “U.S. Steel Hour” took home best dramatic program for the second year in a row, as did CBS’ “Omnibus” for best cultural, religious or educational program and NBC’s “Dragnet’ for best mystery or intrigue series.
Best variety series went to ABC’s “Disneyland.” The series hosted by Walt Disney also received the Emmy for best individual program of the year for “Operation Underseas,” which was a behind-the-scenes look at Disney’s blockbuster “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.”
Best children’s program went to CBS’ good girl “Lassie.” The Tiffany network’s ’ “House Party,” hosed by Art Linkletter, won for best daytime show.
Comedian George Gobel was the winner of the most outstanding new personality Emmy while his NBC series “The George Gobel Show” won for best written comedy material. Perry Como earned his first of five Emmys as best male singer while Dinah Shore received her first of six Emmys for female singer.
When the dust settled, CBS won the most Emmys with six, NBC followed with seven and ABC picked up six.
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