# 1953 in television

The year 1953 in television involved some significant events. Below is a list of television-related events during 1953.

## Events

* January 19 – 68% of all U.S. television sets are tuned in to I Love Lucy to watch Lucy give birth to little Ricky.
* January 23 – TP1, a predecessor of TVP1, a member of Telewizja Polska, becomes the first television station in Poland when it officially begins a regular broadcasting service, from Warsaw.
* February 1
** Japanese television begins when JOAK-TV begins broadcasting from Tokyo.
** General Electric Theater airs for the first time on CBS.
* February 18 – Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz sign an $8,000,000 contract to continue the I Love Lucy television series through 1955.
* February 26 – Fulton J. Sheen, on his program Life Is Worth Living, reads Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, with the names of high-ranking Soviet officials replacing the main characters. At the end of the reading, Sheen intones that "Stalin must one day meet his judgment". Stalin dies one week later.
* March 17 – Patrick Troughton becomes television's first Robin Hood, playing the eponymous folk hero in the first of six half-hour episodes of Robin Hood, shown weekly until April 21 on the BBC Television Service.
* March 19 – The 25th Academy Awards is broadcast by NBC in the U.S. This becomes the first Academy Awards ceremony to be televised.
* March 25 – CBS concedes victory to RCA in the war over color television standards.
* April 3 – TV Guide is published for the first time in the United States, with 10 editions and a circulation of 1,562,000.
* May 1 – Czechoslovak Television becomes the first television station in the country when it officially begins a regular broadcasting service, from Prague; this station will separate into Czech Television and Slovenská televízia in January 1993.
* May 25 – KUHT in Houston becomes the first non-commercial educational TV station in the United States.
* June 2 – The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II is televised by the BBC from London. Sales of TV sets in the United Kingdom rise sharply in the weeks leading up to the event. It is also one of the earliest broadcasts to be deliberately recorded for posterity and still exists in its entirety. More than twenty million viewers around the world watch the coverage; to ensure Canadians could see it on the same day, British Royal Air Force Canberras fly film of the ceremony across the Atlantic Ocean to be broadcast by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the first non-stop flight between the United Kingdom and the Canadian mainland. In Goose Bay, Labrador, the film is transferred to a Royal Canadian Air Force CF-100 jet fighter for the further trip to Montreal. In all, three such voyages are made as the coronation proceeds.
* July 18
** The Quatermass Experiment, first of the famous Quatermass science-fiction serials by Nigel Kneale, begins its run on the BBC in the U.K.
** The Tonight Show begins as a local New York variety show, originally titled The Knickerbocker Beer Show.
* August 28 – Nippon Television, becomes the first regular broadcast service to start in Tokyo, Japan. The first program is Hato no kyujitsu.
* August 30 – NBC's Kukla, Fran, and Ollie is the first publicly announced experimental broadcast of a program in RCA compatible color.
* September 27 – RecordTV, a major free-to-air television network in Brazil, becomes the first official regular broadcasting service to start in São Paulo.
* October 18 – A live television adaptation of the Shakespeare play King Lear starring Orson Welles is aired on CBS as part of the Omnibus series.
* October 19 – American CBS presenter Arthur Godfrey dismisses singer Julius La Rosa live on air on the radio-only segment of his morning show.
* October 23 – Alto Broadcasting System of the Philippines makes the first television broadcast in Southeast Asia through DZAQ-TV. Alto Broadcasting System is the predecessor of what is now ABS-CBN Corporation.
* November 15 – Radio Caracas Television (RCTV) becomes the first television station in Venezuela when it officially begins a regular broadcast service.
* November 22 – RCA airs (with special permission from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the U.S.) the first commercial color program in compatible color, The Colgate Comedy Hour with Donald O'Connor.
* November 26 – NBC broadcasts its first national telecast of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
* December 2 – BBC broadcasts its 'Television Symbol' for the first time, the first animated television presentation symbol.
* December 12 – The DuMont Television Network televises its first ever National Basketball Association game with the Boston Celtics defeating the Baltimore Bullets 106–75. This marked the first year the NBA had a national television contract. This was the only year of NBA coverage on DuMont; the Saturday afternoon package moved to NBC for the 1954–55 season, mainly because NBC could clear the games on far more stations that DuMont could.
* December 17 – The FCC reverses its 1951 decision and approves the RCA/NTSC color system.
* December 24 – Dragnet becomes the first filmed drama to be televised in color each year as a network television program. However, only this one episode, entitled "The Big Little Jesus", is filmed in color during the 1950s; the show returns in the late 1960s in color.

## Programs/programmes
### Series on the air in 1953

* Adventures of Superman (1952–1958)
* American Bandstand (1952–1989)
* Author Meets the Critics (1947–1954)
* Bozo the Clown (1949–)
* Candid Camera (1948–)
* Cisco Kid (1950–1956)
* Come Dancing (UK) (1949–1995)
* Death Valley Days (1952–1975)
* Dragnet (1951–1959)
* Gillette Cavalcade of Sports (1946–1960)
* Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951–)
* Hawkins Falls (1950, 1951–1955)
* Hockey Night in Canada (1952–)
* Howdy Doody (1947–1960)
* I Love Lucy (1951–1960)
* Juvenile Jury (1947–1954)
* Kraft Television Theater (1947–1958)
* Kukla, Fran and Ollie (1947–1957)
* Life is Worth Living (1952–1957)
* Life with Elizabeth (1952–1955)
* Love of Life (1951–1980)
* Martin Kane, Private Eye (1949–1954)
* Meet the Press (1947–)
* Muffin the Mule (1946–1955)
* My Little Margie (1952–1955)
* Omnibus (1952–1961)
* Our Miss Brooks (1952-1956)
* Search for Tomorrow (1951–1986)
* Television Newsreel (UK) (1948–1954)
* The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952–1966)
* The Ed Sullivan Show (1948–1971)
* The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show (1950–1958)
* The Goldbergs (1949–1955)
* The Guiding Light (1952–)
* The Jack Benny Show (1950–1965)
* The Roy Rogers Show (1951–1957)
* The Texaco Star Theater (1948–1953); the show was renamed Buick-Berle Show this year (1953–1954)
* The Today Show (1952–)
* The Voice of Firestone (1949–1963)
* This Is Your Life (U.S.; 1952–1961)
* Truth or Consequences (1950–1988)
* What's My Line (1950–1967)
* Your Hit Parade (1950–1959)
* Your Show of Shows (1950–1954)

### Debuts

* February 10 – Romper Room (1953–1994)
* June 8 - Ladies' Choice on NBC (1953)
* June 20 – Bank on the Stars on CBS (1953), then NBC (1954)
* July 11 - Medallion Theatre on CBS (1953-1954)
* July 6 - Glamour Girl on NBC (1953-1954)
* July 14 -Anyone Can Win on CBS (1953)
* July 20 – The Good Old Days on BBC Television (1953–1983)
* August 18 - Judge for Yourself with Fred Allen on NBC (1953–1954)
* September 13 – Jukebox Jury on ABC (1953–1954)
* September 13 - The George Jessel Show on ABC.
* September 29 – Make Room For Daddy with Danny Thomas on ABC (1953-1957), then moved to CBS (1957–1964)
* October 2 – The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse, an anthology series, The Comeback Story, a reality show, and The Pride of the Family, a situation comedy, all on ABC
* October 5 – Of Many Things, panel discussion show with Dr. Bergen Evans on ABC (1953–1954)
* October 8 – Where's Raymond?, starring Ray Bolger on ABC (in season 2, it is known as The Ray Bolger Show) (1954–1955)
* October 11 - The Man Behind the Badge on CBS (1953-1954)
* November 11
** The current affairs series Panorama on BBC Television; now the longest-running program on British television
** The public affairs series Answers for Americans on ABC
* December 1 – CBC Theatre on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation [later known as General Motors Theatre (1954–1956) and General Motors Presents (1958–1961)]
* Place the Face, with principal host Bill Cullen, on CBS (1953–1954); then transferred to NBC (1954–1955)

### Ending this year

| Date | Show | Debut |
| March 26 | Biff Baker, U.S.A. | 1952 |
| April | The Amos 'n Andy Show | 1951 |
| April | The Ernie Kovacs Show | 1952 |
| May 3 | Victory at Sea | 1952 |
| June 26 | Kaleidoscope (UK) | 1946 |
| September 30 | A Date with Judy (prime time version) | 1952 |
| November 13 | Front Page Detective | 1951 |
| December 26 | Bonino | 1953 |
| Unknown | Café Continental (UK) | 1947 |
| Unknown | Leave It to Larry | 1952 |

## Births

| Date | Name | Notability |
| January 5 | Pamela Sue Martin | Actress (The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, Dynasty) |
| January 8 | Damián Alcázar | Actor |
| January 8 | Tonita Castro | Actress (died 2016) |
| January 10 | Pat Benatar | Singer |
| January 20 | Colleen Zenk | Actress (As the World Turns) |
| January 29 | Paul Fusco | Puppeteer (ALF) |
| January 29 | Lynne McGranger | Australian actress (Home and Away) |
| February 8 | Mary Steenburgen | Actress (The Last Man on Earth) |
| February 11 | Philip Anglim | Actor |
| February 12 | Joanna Kerns | Actress (Growing Pains) |
| February 14 | Martha Raddatz | Reporter |
| February 15 | Lynn Whitfield | Actress (Without a Trace) |
| February 17 | Becky Ann Baker | Actress |
| February 19 | Bill Kirchenbauer | Actor (Just the Ten of Us) |
| February 21 | William Petersen | Actor (CSI: Crime Scene Investigation) |
| February 21 | Christine Ebersole | Actress (Steven Universe, The Cavanaughs, Royal Pains) |
| February 21 | Peter Van Sant | American television news reporter |
| March 4 | Kay Lenz | Actress (Reasonable Doubts) |
| March 6 | Jacklyn Zeman | Actress (General Hospital) (died 2023) |
| March 6 | Armen Keteyian | Armenian American television journalist |
| March 9 | Lauren Koslow | Actress (Days of Our Lives) |
| March 10 | Paul Haggis | Director |
| March 12 | Ron Jeremy | Pornographic actor |
| March 16 | Micheline Charest | Producer (died 2004) |
| March 24 | Louie Anderson | Actor (died 2022) |
| March 25 | Mary Gross | Actress (Saturday Night Live) |
| April 13 | Grant Geissman | American composer |
| April 16 | Jay O. Sanders | Actor |
| April 18 | Rick Moranis | Canadian actor and comedian |
| April 19 | Ruby Wax | American-born comedic actress, presenter (The Full Wax) |
| April 22 | Gary Adelson | Producer |
| April 23 | James Russo | Actor |
| April 24 | Eric Bogosian | Actor (Law & Order: Criminal Intent) |
| May 1 | David Gulpilil | Actor (died 2021) |
| May 3 | Jake Hooker | Musician (died 2014) |
| May 6 | Tony Blair | Politician |
| May 9 | Amy Hill | Actress |
| May 16 | Pierce Brosnan | Irish-born actor (Remington Steele, The Son) |
| May 16 | Peter Onorati | Actor |
| May 17 | Kathleen Sullivan | Journalist |
| May 20 | Michael Dinner | Screenwriter |
| May 29 | Danny Elfman | Singer and composer (Batman: The Animated Series, The Simpsons, Pee-wee's Playhouse) |
| May 30 | Colm Meaney | Actor (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) |
| June 1 | Diana Canova | Actress |
| June 11 | Peter Bergman | Actor (All My Children, The Young and the Restless) |
| June 13 | Tim Allen | Actor (Home Improvement, Last Man Standing) |
| June 16 | Valerie Mahaffey | Actress and producer (Northern Exposure) |
| June 21 | Michael Bowen | Actor (Lost, Breaking Bad) |
| June 22 | Cyndi Lauper | Singer and actress |
| June 26 | Robert Davi | Actor (Profiler) |
| July 4 | Jon Plowman | Producer |
| July 10 | Marco Rodríguez | Actor |
| July 11 | Mindy Sterling | Actress |
| July 11 | Patricia Reyes Spíndola | Actress |
| July 13 | Gil Birmingham | Actor |
| July 23 | Lydia Cornell | Actress (Too Close for Comfort) |
| July 29 | Tim Gunn | Actor |
| August 1 | Howard Kurtz | American journalist |
| August 2 | Butch Patrick | Actor (The Munsters) |
| August 4 | Tony Barnhart | Reporter |
| August 8 | Donny Most | Actor (Happy Days) |
| August 9 | Kathleen Matthews | Reporter |
| August 11 | Hulk Hogan | Wrestler (Hogan Knows Best) |
| August 13 | Jim Paratore | Producer (died 2012) |
| August 14 | James Horner | Composer (died 2015) |
| August 16 | Kathie Lee Gifford | Singer and talk show co-host (Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee) |
| August 16 | Vincent Curatola | Actor |
| August 20 | Peter Horton | Actor (thirtysomething) |
| August 20 | Ron Claiborne | American journalist |
| August 26 | Emiliano Díez | Cuban actor (George Lopez) |
| August 27 | Peter Stormare | Swedish actor (Prison Break) |
| August 30 | Robert Parish | NBA basketball player |
| August 31 | Marcia Clark | Lawyer, correspondent, and producer |
| September 1 | Jonathan LaPook | American physician |
| September 2 | Keith Allen | Welsh actor |
| September 4 | Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs | Actor (Welcome Back, Kotter) |
| September 6 | Katherine Cannon | Actress (Beverly Hills, 90210) |
| September 7 | Kristin Griffith | Actress |
| September 10 | Amy Irving | Actress |
| September 13 | Iyanla Vanzant | TV personality (Iyanla: Fix My Life) |
| September 14 | Robert Wisdom | Actor (The Wire, Prison Break) |
| September 14 | Kurt Fuller | Actor |
| September 16 | Lenny Clarke | Comedian and actor (Rescue Me) |
| September 16 | Christopher Rich | Actor (Murphy Brown, Reba) |
| September 27 | Robbie Shakespeare | Producer (died 2021) |
| September 29 | Drake Hogestyn | Actor (Days of Our Lives) |
| October 6 | Wendy Robie | Actress (Twin Peaks) |
| October 7 | Christopher Norris | Actress (Trapper John, M.D.) |
| October 9 | Tony Shalhoub | Actor (Adrian Monk on Monk) |
| October 11 | David Morse | Actor (St. Elsewhere) |
| October 12 | Les Dennis | English television presenter |
| October 14 | Greg Evigan | Actor (My Two Dads) |
| October 14 | Howard Schultz | Producer |
| October 15 | Larry Miller | Comedian |
| October 20 | Keith Hernandez | Sports broadcaster |
| October 26 | Lauren Tewes | Actress (The Love Boat) |
| October 27 | Robert Picardo | Actor (China Beach, Star Trek: Voyager) |
| October 28 | Desmond Child | Songwriter |
| October 30 | Charles Lewis | Journalist |
| October 31 | Michael J. Anderson | Actor (Twin Peaks) |
| October 31 | Lynda Goodfriend | Actress (Happy Days) |
| November 3 | Dennis Miller | Talk show host, commentator, comedian (Saturday Night Live) |
| November 3 | Kate Capshaw | Actress |
| November 5 | Joyce Maynard | American journalist |
| November 12 | Carl Ciarfalio | American actor |
| November 15 | James Widdoes | American actor |
| November 18 | Kevin Nealon | Actor and comedian (Saturday Night Live, Weeds, Glenn Martin, DDS) |
| November 18 | Kath Soucie | Actress (Tiny Toon Adventures, Captain Planet and the Planeteers, Rugrats, Earthworm Jim, Dexter's Laboratory, Hey Arnold!, Futurama) |
| November 19 | Robert Beltran | Actor (Commander Chakotay on Star Trek: Voyager) |
| November 19 | Tom Villard | Actor (died 1994) |
| November 26 | Jacki MacDonald | Australian television personality |
| November 27 | Curtis Armstrong | Actor (Dan Vs., Robot and Monster, The Emperor's New School) |
| November 28 | Pamela Hayden | Actress |
| December 1 | Antoine de Caunes | French Anglophone presenter (Eurotrash) |
| December 6 | Kin Shriner | Actor (General Hospital, Justice League Unlimited) |
| December 7 | Susie Coelho | TV personality |
| December 8 | Sam Kinison | Comedian and actor (Charlie Hoover) (died 1992) |
| December 8 | Kim Basinger | Actress |
| December 9 | John Malkovich | Actor |
| December 11 | Bess Armstrong | Actress |
| December 14 | Gail Matthius | Actress (Saturday Night Live) |
| December 17 | Barry Livingston | Actor (My Three Sons) |
| December 17 | Bill Pullman | Actor |
| December 22 | Bern Nadette Stanis | Actress (Good Times) |
| December 22 | Jay Brazeau | Actor |
| December 23 | John Callahan | Actor (died 2020) |
| December 29 | Charlayne Woodard | Actress |
| December 30 | Meredith Vieira | Journalist, talk show host, game show host (Who Wants to Be a Millionaire) |
| December 31 | James Remar | Actor (The Huntress) |

## Television debuts

* Anouk Aimée – Douglas Fairbanks Presents
* Claude Akins – You Are There
* John Drew Barrymore – Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
* James Best – Fireside Theatre
* Walter Brennan – Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
* Carol Channing – Omnibus
* James Coburn – Four Star Playhouse
* Chuck Connors – Your Jeweler's Showcase
* Robert Cornthwaite – Cavalcade of America
* Joan Crawford – The Revlon Mirror Theater
* Charles Durning – You Are There
* Mel Ferrer – Omnibus
* Janet Gaynor – Medallion Theatre
* Clifton James – Rocky King Detective
* Eartha Kitt – You Are There
* Martin Landau – The Goldbergs
* Ida Lupino – Four Star Playhouse
* Barton MacLane – Your Jeweler's Showcase
* Ray Milland – Meet Mr. McNutley
* Jeanne Moreau – La joie de vivre
* Leonard Nimoy – Four Star Playhouse
* Anthony Perkins – The Big Story
* Christopher Plummer – Studio One
* Eleanor Powell – The Faith of Our Children
* George Raft – I'm the Law
* Marion Ross – Cavalcade of America
* William Shatner – Space Command
* Harry Shearer – Omnibus
* Michael Trubshawe – The Passing Show
* Robert Wagner – Juke Box Jury