# 1950 in television

The year 1950 in television involved some significant events. Below is a list of television-related events during 1950.

## Events

* February – European Broadcasting Union (EBU) inaugurated.
* February 15
** KENS began transmissions as KEYL. It was the second television station to sign on in the San Antonio market.
** WSTM-TV began transmissions as WSYR-TV. It was Syracuse's second television station, signing on a year and three months after WHEN-TV (now WTVH).
* February 21 – WOI-TV signs on the air as Iowa's second television station (following WOC-TV, now KWQC-TV), and the first in the Des Moines area.
* February 23 – First televised report of general election results in the United Kingdom.
* March 27 – WHAS-TV signs on the air. It was the second television station to sign on in the Louisville market and the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
* April 2 – WTKR began operations on channel 4 as WTAR-TV. It was Hampton Roads' first television station and the second television station in Virginia, after WTVR (channel 6) in Richmond.
* April 4 – The BBC Television (UK) aspect ratio changes from 5:4 to 4:3.
* May 1 – WLNS-TV began transmissions as WJIM-TV. It is Michigan's second-oldest television station outside Detroit.
* May – Desilu Productions formed by Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball in the United States.
* June 1 – WWMT signs on the air as WKZO-TV. It was West Michigan's second television station to debut after WLAV-TV (channel 7, now WOOD-TV channel 8 in Grand Rapids).
* June 17 – WAND (at this time called WTVP) goes on the air in Decatur, Illinois.
* July 1 – WHBF-TV signs on the air. It is the fifth-oldest surviving station in Illinois, and the oldest outside Chicago.
* July 26 – First television broadcast station in Mexico, XHTV, Mexico City on channel 4; Gonzalo Castellot Madrazo is the first announcer to appear.
* September 18 – First television network in South America launches, PRF-TV on channel 3 in São Paulo, Brazil.
* September 30
** First BBC television broadcast from an aircraft.
** WSMV-TV began transmissions as WSM-TV at 1:10 pm CT. It was Nashville's first television station and the second in Tennessee.
* October 10 – The U.S. Federal Communications Commission approves CBS's color television system, effective November 20.
* October 25 - Cuba signs on to television as Havana's Union Radio TV signs on for the first time, the first television station in the Caribbean.

## New shows

* January 4 – Abe Burrows' Almanac debuts on CBS (1950).
* January 11 - I Cover Times Square debuts on ABC (1950-1951).
* February 2 – What's My Line (1950) debuts on CBS (1950–1967).
* February 25 – Your Show of Shows premieres on NBC (1950–1954).
* March 23 – Beat the Clock premieres on CBS (1950–1961).
* June 17–October 12 – Hawkins Falls premieres on NBC (1951–1955).
* July 3 - The Hazel Scott Show on the DuMont Television Network (1950).
* July 3 - Menasha the Magnificent on NBC (1950).
* July 6 - Ford Star Revue premieres on NBC as the summer replacement for Kay Kyser's Kollege of Musical Knowledge.
* July 10 – Your Hit Parade premieres on NBC.
* July 11 – Andy Pandy premieres on the BBC (1950, 1970, 2002).
* September 5 – The Cisco Kid, starring Duncan Renaldo and Leo Carrillo, premieres (1950-1956).
* September 6 – Stars Over Hollywood premieres on NBC (1950-1951).
* September 7 – The game show Truth or Consequences debuts (1950–1988).
* September 10 – The Colgate Comedy Hour series debuts on NBC (1950-1955).
* September 18 – The Paul Winchell Show debuts on NBC with the title The Speidel Show.
* October 4 – Four Star Revue debuts on NBC (1950–1953).
* October 5 – The comedy quiz show You Bet Your Life, featuring Groucho Marx, premieres (1950–1961).
* October 12 – The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show debuts (1950–1958).
* October 28 – The Jack Benny Program, starring Jack Benny, premieres (1950–1965).

## Television series

| Series | Debut | Ended |
| Picture Page (UK) | October 10, 1936 | 1939 |
| Picture Page (UK) | 1945 | 1952 |
| For The Children (UK) | April 26, 1937 | 1939 |
| For The Children (UK) | July 7, 1946 | 1950 |
| The Voice of Firestone Televues | 1943 | 1947 |
| The Voice of Firestone Televues | 1949 | 1963 |
| Kaleidoscope (UK) | November 2, 1946 | 1953 |
| Gillette Cavalcade of Sports | November 8, 1946 | June 24, 1960 |
| Muffin the Mule (UK) | 1946 | 1955 |
| You Are an Artist | 1946 | 1950 |
| Kraft Television Theater | May 7, 1947 | 1958 |
| Kukla, Fran and Ollie | October 13, 1947 | 1957 |
| Meet the Press | November 6, 1947 | — |
| Mary Kay and Johnny | November 18, 1947 | March 11, 1950 |
| Howdy Doody | December 27, 1947 | September 24, 1960 |
| Café Continental (UK) | 1947 | 1953 |
| Juvenile Jury | 1947 | 1954 |
| Small Fry Club | 1947 | 1951 |
| Television Newsreel (UK) | January 5, 1948 | 1954 |
| The Original Amateur Hour | January 18, 1948 | September 27, 1970 |
| Court of Current Issues | February 9, 1948 | June 26, 1951 |
| Author Meets the Critics | April 1948 | October 10, 1954 |
| Hollywood Screen Test | April 15, 1948 | 1953 |
| Texaco Star Theater | June 8, 1948 | 1953 |
| The Ed Sullivan Show | June 20, 1948 | June 6, 1971 |
| Candid Camera | August 10, 1948 | 2014 |
| CBS Evening News | August 15, 1948 | — |
| Foodini the Great | August 23, 1948 | June 23, 1951 |
| Actors Studio | September 1948 | June 1950 |
| Ford Theatre | October 17, 1948 | July 10, 1957 |
| The Morey Amsterdam Show | December 17, 1948 | October 12, 1950 |
| The Alan Dale Show | 1948 | 1951 |
| Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts | 1948 | January 1, 1958 |
| Break the Bank | 1948 | 1957 |
| Cartoon TeleTales | 1948 | 1950 |
| Celebrity Time | 1948 | September 1952 |
| Club Seven | 1948 | 1951 |
| The Philco Television Playhouse | 1948 | 1955 |
| Winner Take All | 1948 | 1952 |
| The Goldbergs | January 17, 1949 | 1956 |
| Ripley's Believe It or Not! | March 1, 1949 | October 5, 1950 |
| Think Fast | March 26, 1949 | October 8, 1950 |
| Captain Video | June 27, 1949 | April 1, 1955 |
| Mama | July 1, 1949 | March 17, 1957 |
| Martin Kane, Private Eye | August 7, 1949 | June 17, 1954 |
| The Little Revue | September 4, 1949 | April 21, 1950 |
| The Lone Ranger | September 15, 1949 | June 6, 1957 |
| Come Dancing (UK) | September 29, 1949 | 1995 |
| The Aldrich Family | October 2, 1949 | May 29, 1953 |
| The Life of Riley | October 4, 1949 | March 28, 1950 |
| The Life of Riley | January 2, 1953 | August 22, 1958 |
| The Ruggles | November 3, 1949 | June 19, 1952 |
| One Man's Family | November 4, 1949 | June 21, 1952 |
| One Man's Family | March 1, 1954 | April 1, 1955 |
| Arthur Godfrey and His Friends | 1949 | 1959 |
| What's My Line? | February 2, 1950 | 1975 |
| Your Show of Shows | February 25, 1950 | June 5, 1954 |
| Hawkins Falls | June 17, 1950 | July 1, 1955 |
| Your Hit Parade | July 10, 1950 | 1959 |
| Your Hit Parade | 1974 | 1974 |
| Andy Pandy (UK) | July 11, 1950 | 1970 |
| Andy Pandy (UK) | 2002 | 2005 |
| Truth or Consequences | September 7, 1950 | 1988 |
| The Colgate Comedy Hour | September 10, 1950 | December 25, 1955 |
| You Bet Your Life | October 5, 1950 | 1961 |
| The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show | October 12, 1950 | 1958 |
| The Jack Benny Program | October 28, 1950 | 1965 |
| The Adventures of Ellery Queen | 1950 | 1959 |
| The Adventures of Ellery Queen | 1975 | 1976 |
| The Cisco Kid | September 5, 1950 | March 22, 1956 |

## Programs ending during 1950

| Date | Show | Debut |
| March 11 | Mary Kay and Johnny | 1947 |
| March 29 | Abe Burrows' Almanac | 1950 |
| June 23 | Actors Studio | 1948 |
| Unknown | Cartoon Teletales | 1948 |
| Unknown | For The Children (UK) | 1946 |
| Unknown | You Are an Artist | 1946 |

## Births

| Date | Name | Notability |
| January 3 | Victoria Principal | Actress (Dallas) |
| January 7 | Erin Gray | Actress (Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Silver Spoons) |
| January 16 | Debbie Allen | Actress, dancer, choreographer (Fame) |
| January 23 | Richard Dean Anderson | Actor (MacGyver) |
| January 25 | John Terry | Actor (Las Vegas, Lost) |
| January 29 | Ann Jillian | Actress (It's a Living) |
| January 30 | Trinidad Silva | Actor (died 1988) |
| February 3 | Morgan Fairchild | Actress (Flamingo Road) |
| February 3 | Pamela Franklin | Actress |
| February 12 | Michael Ironside | Actor (ER, Walker, Texas Ranger, Smallville, Superman: The Animated Series) |
| February 14 | Frank Collison | Actor (Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman) |
| February 15 | Donna Hanover | American journalist |
| February 17 | Lynne Moody | Actress (That's My Mama, Knots Landing) |
| February 18 | Cybill Shepherd | Actress (Moonlighting, Cybill) |
| February 22 | Julius Erving | NBA basketball player |
| February 22 | Julie Walters | Actress |
| February 24 | Evelyn Guerrero | American actress |
| February 26 | Bill Ritter | American journalist |
| March 2 | Matthew Laurance | Actor (Saturday Night Live, Beverly Hills, 90210) |
| March 3 | Tim Kazurinsky | Actor (Saturday Night Live) |
| March 10 | Aloma Wright | Actress (Scrubs, Days of Our Lives) |
| March 12 | Jon Provost | Actor (Lassie) |
| March 13 | William H. Macy | Actor (Shameless, ER, The Lionhearts, Curious George) |
| March 13 | Charles Krauthammer | American political columnist (died 2018) |
| March 18 | Brad Dourif | Actor |
| March 18 | Jim Knobeloch | Actor (Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman) |
| March 20 | William Hurt | Actor (died 2022) |
| March 23 | Terry Sweeney | Actor, comedian (Saturday Night Live, Hype) |
| March 26 | Martin Short | Canadian-American actor, comedian (SCTV, Saturday Night Live) |
| March 26 | Tony Papenfuss | Actor (Newhart) |
| March 30 | Robbie Coltrane | Actor (died 2022) |
| March 31 | Ed Marinaro | Football player, actor (Hill Street Blues, Blue Mountain State) |
| April 4 | Christine Lahti | Actress (Chicago Hope) |
| April 12 | David Cassidy | Actor, singer (The Partridge Family) (died 2017) |
| April 12 | Tom Werner | Producer |
| April 13 | Ron Perlman | Actor (Beauty and the Beast, Sons of Anarchy, Teen Titans, Adventure Time) |
| April 13 | William Sadler | Actor (Roswell) |
| April 14 | Randolph Powell | Actor (Logan's Run, Dallas) |
| April 17 | L. Scott Caldwell | Actress (Lost) |
| April 28 | Jay Leno | Comedian, talk show host (The Tonight Show) |
| April 28 | Stuart Gillard | Writer |
| May 1 | Dann Florek | Actor (Law & Order, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) |
| May 7 | Tim Russert | American television journalist (died 2008) |
| May 9 | Marcheline Bertrand | American actress (died 2007) |
| May 12 | Bruce Boxleitner | Actor (Scarecrow and Mrs. King, Babylon 5) |
| May 12 | Gabriel Byrne | Actor |
| May 13 | Stevie Wonder | Singer and musician |
| May 15 | Nicholas Hammond | American-born Australian actor (The Amazing Spider-Man) |
| May 18 | Mark Mothersbaugh | American composer |
| May 28 | Denny Delk | American Voice Actor (Wicket W. Warrick, Ewoks (TV series)) |
| May 31 | Gregory Harrison | Actor (Trapper John, M.D.) |
| June 1 | John M. Jackson | Actor (JAG) |
| June 3 | Melissa Mathison | American film and television screenwriter (died 2015) |
| June 5 | Daniel von Bargen | American character actor (died 2015) |
| June 8 | Kathy Baker | Actress (Picket Fences) |
| June 13 | Belinda Bauer | Australian actress |
| June 19 | Rosie Shuster | Canadian-born comedy writer and actress |
| June 26 | Michael Paul Chan | Actor |
| July 5 | Huey Lewis | Actor |
| July 10 | Nick Jameson | Actor (24, Lost) |
| July 11 | Bruce McGill | Actor |
| July 21 | Jordan Clarke | Actor (Guiding Light) |
| July 23 | Belinda Montgomery | Actress (Man from Atlantis, Miami Vice, Doogie Howser, M.D.) |
| August 3 | Jo Marie Payton | Actress (Perfect Strangers, Family Matters, The Proud Family) |
| August 3 | John Landis | Actor |
| August 11 | Steve Wozniak | American electronics engineer |
| August 12 | Jim Beaver | Actor (Supernatural) |
| August 13 | Jane Carr | Actress |
| September 1 | Phil McGraw | Television host (Dr. Phil) |
| September 2 | Harvey Levin | Television producer |
| September 5 | Kathy Cronkite | Actress |
| September 7 | Julie Kavner | Actress (Marge Simpson on The Simpsons) |
| September 9 | Joe Lisi | Actor (Third Watch) |
| September 11 | Amy Madigan | Actress |
| September 12 | Bruce Mahler | Actor (Seinfeld) |
| September 18 | Anna Deavere Smith | Actress |
| September 19 | Joan Lunden | American TV host |
| September 21 | Bill Murray | Actor, comedian (Saturday Night Live) |
| September 24 | Alan Colmes | Political commentator (Hannity & Colmes, Fox News Watch) (died 2017) |
| September 27 | Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa | Actor |
| September 30 | Vondie Curtis-Hall | Actor, director (Chicago Hope) |
| October 2 | Ian McNeice | Actor |
| October 3 | Pamela Hensley | Actress (Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Matt Houston) |
| October 4 | Alan Rosenberg | Actor (L.A. Law, Civil Wars) |
| October 5 | Jeff Conaway | Actor (Taxi) (died 2011) |
| October 9 | Gary Frank | Actor (Family) |
| October 17 | Howard Rollins | Actor (In the Heat of the Night) (died 1996) |
| October 20 | William Russ | Actor (Boy Meets World) |
| October 31 | John Candy | Canadian comedian and actor (SCTV) (died 1994) |
| October 31 | Jane Pauley | American television host |
| November 4 | Markie Post | Actress (The Fall Guy, Night Court, Hearts Afire) (died 2021) |
| November 8 | Mary Hart | American television personality |
| November 10 | Jack Scalia | Actor |
| November 13 | Jules Sylvester | Actor, animal trainer, television presenter (1000 Ways to Die, Black-ish) |
| November 16 | David Leisure | Actor (Empty Nest) |
| November 18 | Dennis Haskins | Actor (Saved by the Bell) |
| November 22 | Steven Van Zandt | Actor |
| November 23 | Chuck Schumer | Politician |
| November 24 | Stanley Livingston | Actor (My Three Sons) |
| November 28 | Ed Harris | Actor (Westworld) |
| December 6 | Thom Barry | Actor (Cold Case) |
| December 13 | Lindsey Ginter | Actor (Lost) |
| December 13 | Wendie Malick | Actress (Dream On, Just Shoot Me!, Hot in Cleveland, The Owl House) |
| December 21 | Jane How | Actress |

## Television debuts

* Richard Alexander – The Gene Autry Show
* Robert Armstrong – The Silver Theatre
* Madeleine Carroll – Robert Montgomery Presents
* Finlay Currie – Sunday Night Theatre
* Frank Darien – The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre
* Frances Dee – Fireside Theatre
* Stuart Erwin – The Stu Erwin Show
* Kay Francis – Prudential Family Playhouse
* Rex Harrison – The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre
* Nancy Kelly – The Silver Theatre
* June Lang – Fireside Theatre
* Robert Montgomery – Robert Montgomery Presents
* Franklin Pangborn – The Ken Murray Show
* Gene Raymond – Pulitzer Prize Playhouse
* Penny Singleton – Pulitzer Prize Playhouse