Doorway to Fame
| Doorway to Fame | |
|---|---|
| Starring | Johnny Olson (host) Ned Harvey Orchestra Joe Bolton |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | DuMont |
| Release | May 2, 1947 – July 4, 1949 |
Doorway to Fame is an early American television program broadcast on the now defunct DuMont Television Network.
Broadcast history
The series ran from May 1947 to July 1949. It was a talent show hosted by Johnny Olson, who would go on to host the DuMont daytime variety show Johnny Olson's Rumpus Room from 1949 to 1952, and many other television series and game shows. Announcer Joe Bolton left the show to start on WPIX on May 15, 1948 as announcer and weatherman.
The program, produced and distributed by DuMont, originally aired Friday nights at 7:30 pm EST on most DuMont affiliate stations. In October 1947, the schedule was changed to Monday nights at 7:00 pm. In March 1949, the program moved to 8:30 pm.[1]
The innovative program used early television scene-blending technology to project the performers into cleverly-constructed miniature sets or backdrops.[2] Although 20,000 performers appeared on the series, it is widely reported that none of the contestants went on to become famous. The series was cancelled in 1949.[1]
Episode status
Two kinescopes of the series survive at the UCLA Film and Television Archive.
See also
- List of programs broadcast by the DuMont Television Network
- List of surviving DuMont Television Network broadcasts
- 1947-48 United States network television schedule
- 1948-49 United States network television schedule
References
Bibliography
- David Weinstein, The Forgotten Network: DuMont and the Birth of American Television (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2004) ISBN 1-59213-245-6
- Alex McNeil, Total Television, Fourth edition (New York: Penguin Books, 1980) ISBN 0-14-024916-8
- Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows, Third edition (New York: Ballantine Books, 1964) ISBN 0-345-31864-1