Hollywood Screen Test
GenreTalent show
Presented byBert Lytell
Neil Hamilton
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons5
Production
ProducersLester Lewis
Juliette Lewis
Running time30 minutes
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseApril 15, 1948 (1948-04-15) –
May 1, 1953 (1953-05-01)

Hollywood Screen Test is an American talent show that aired on ABC from 1948 to 1953. This program holds the distinction as the first regularly broadcast television series by the American Broadcasting Company.

Format

Debuting on April 15, 1948, and hosted first by Bert Lytell and then Neil Hamilton, Hollywood Screen Test sought to give exposure to many up-and-coming actors who were looking for their big break. The relatively unknown actors would be picked to guest star on the show, then they would have half-hour scenes of dialogue with established stage and screen actors.[1]

Actors who appeared on Hollywood Screen Test included Grace Kelly, Jack Klugman, Pernell Roberts, Jack Lemmon,[1] Michael Strong, Tommy Rettig, Susan Cabot, and Ralph Clanton.[2]

Martha Wayne and Robert Quarry were assistants on the program. Ted Campbell was the announcer.[3] Lester H. Lewis created the program.[4] He and his wife, Juliette Lewis were the producers.[2] Directors were Frederic Carr and Alton Alexander.[5]

In 1951, participants on the program were selected via regional talent searches, such as a June 5, 1951, session in Detroit in which Jessica Landau, a Universal-International representative, chose a winner from 10 contestants.[6] That was one of 11 searches over six weeks in a cooperative effort between Universal and the program.[7]

Schedule

This program was the first network series telecast on ABC, which began regular broadcasting in April 1948.[1]

Broadcast Schedule for Hollywood Screen Test
MonthsDay of WeekTime Slot
April - May 1948Thursday8 - 8:30
May - June 1948Sunday6:30-7
August - September 1948Sunday7:30 - 8
October 1948 - May 1949Sunday8 - 8:30
May 1949 - September 1950Saturday7:30 - 8
September 1950 - May 1953Monday7:30 - 8

Notes: All times Eastern. Source: The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present[1]

Reception and lawsuit

Jack Gould, in a review of the February 2, 1953, episode in The New York Times, praised the show as "a program that in its own quiet way often does more real experimentation in drama than many of its more publicized counterparts." He complimented the presentation of "With Malice Toward None" as "creative TV, with a point of view and imagination and made for an absorbing thirty minutes".[8]

In January 1949, Screen Test, Incorporated, sued ABC and the show's producers for $500,000, charging that their idea had been stolen. The plaintiffs had a Screen Test radio program and said that existence of Hollywood Screen Test had cost them an opportunity to sell their show. A Supreme Court justice in New York City refused to issue a permanent injunction against Hollywood Screen Test when he put the case on the court's docket.[4]

Episodes

Six episodes are in the collection of the UCLA Film and Television Archive.[9]

Partial List of Episodes of Hollywood Screen Test
DateTitleActor(s)
September 8, 1952"First Page Story"Ilka Chase, William Darrid, Joseph Hardy[10]
September 15, 1952"Hot Tamales"Veronica Lake, Bart Burns, Gilbert Mack[11]
October 20, 1952"First Edition"Donald Cook, Richard Purdy, Deidre Owens[12]
October 27, 1952"Vote for Doodle"Eddie Bracken, Barney Hughes, Billie Lou Watt[13]
November 3, 1952"Grand Exit"Fay Bainter, Ward Costello, Peggy Nelson[14]
November 11, 1952"Jonathon Trimble"Albert Dekker, Dorothy Jolliffe, Chris Barberry[15]
November 24, 1952"Dedication"Sidney Blackmer, Anne Diamond, Ivan Cury[16]
February 2, 1953"With Malice Toward None"John Beal, Hal Holbrook, Constance Clausen, Blair Davies, Marie Stroud[8]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (2009). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present. Random House Publishing Group. p. 624. ISBN 978-0-307-48320-1. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  2. 1 2 Oliver, Wayne (April 30, 1950). "Video Follows Predictions By Revealing Movie Talent". The Cincinnati Enquirer. p. 58. Retrieved March 21, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 469. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
  4. 1 2 "Injunction Plea Refused in TV 'Copy Cat' Suit". Daily News. New York, New York City. January 11, 1949. p. 40. Retrieved March 21, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "This Week -- Network Debuts, Highlights, Changes". Ross Reports on Television including The Television Index. August 24, 1952. p. 1. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Screen Test Winner to Be Selected". Detroit Free Press. June 4, 1951. p. 23. Retrieved March 21, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "By Way of Personal Mention . . " (PDF). Billboard. May 12, 1951. p. 7. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  8. 1 2 Gould, Jack (February 4, 1953). "Radio and Television". The New York Times. p. 37. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  9. ↑ "UCLA Film and Television Archive entry". Archived from the original on 2012-07-09. Retrieved 2012-02-21.
  10. ↑ "Hollywood Screen Test". Ross Reports on Television including The Television Index. September 7, 1952. p. 8. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  11. ↑ "Hollywood Screen Test". Ross Reports on Television including The Television Index. September 14, 1952. p. 8. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  12. ↑ "Hollywood Screen Test". Ross Reports on Television including The Television Index. October 19, 1952. p. 8. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  13. ↑ "Hollywood Screen Test". Ross Reports on Television including The Television Index. October 26, 1952. p. 7. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  14. ↑ "Hollywood Screen Test". Ross Reports on Television including The Television Index. November 2, 1952. p. 7. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  15. ↑ "Hollywood Screen Test". Ross Reports on Television including The Television Index. November 9, 1952. p. 8. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  16. ↑ "Hollywood Screen Test". Ross Reports on Television including The Television Index. November 23, 1952. p. 9. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
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