The 3rd Emmys Evaluated (1951)

Welcome to “Emmys Evaluated,” a series that looks at the nominations and wins in the television industry’s foremost awards ceremony and performs some revisionist history to retroactively pick the winners from the categories and nominees the The Television Academy selected.

The 3rd Emmy Awards were the last given out to Los Angeles-produced or -aired programs exclusively; with the fourth ceremony, the Television Academy would acknowledge the best in TV from across the nation. Celebrating outstanding television from 1950, the 3rd Emmys show was held at the Ambassador Hotel in LA, and was covered on KLAC; footage of the event doesn’t exist any longer (or at least I couldn’t find it online). In a baffling turn of events, then-California governor and future Chief Justice of the United States Earl Warren (who reigned over the state from 1943–53 and over the judicial system from 1953–69) hosted the event. Must have been a riot.

Earl Warren

There were 13 competitive categories in play for the 3rd Emmys, in addition to a Station Achievement award for KTLA and a Technical Achievement for KNBH. Five of the categories, however, were full of “lost” nominees. So from eight categories, let’s see how often I aligned with the Television Academy of 1951. Historically, the “biggest” winner was THE ALAN YOUNG SHOW with two awards; it won Best Variety Show and its title star won Best Actor. As usual, awards shows let some bona fide classics, in hindsight, slip through the cracks. It was produced in New York, but WHAT’S MY LINE? debuted in 1950, as did comedy milestones THE GEORGE BURNS AND GRACIE ALLEN SHOW and THE JACK BENNY PROGRAM in Hollywood.

Anyways, I’ll mark with an * the actual winner, bold my pick at the top of the list, and rank in order of my enjoyment from there. I’ve denoted shows or episodes that I couldn’t really track down online (specifically for the year for which they were eligible for this ceremony) with a ~. Now let’s get started!

Best Dramatic Show

“There Was a Crooked Man”

• STUDIO ONE
• PULITZER PRIZE PLAYHOUSE*
• MAMA
• FIRESIDE THEATER~
• PHILCO TV PLAYHOUSE~

PULITZER PRIZE PLAYHOUSE and STUDIO ONE, well, as well as FIRESIDE THEATER and PHILCO TV PLAYHOUSE, were dramatic “teleplay of the week” anthology shows that dominated the airwaves of early television. The singular 1950 episodes I was able to find for STUDIO ONE and PULITZER PRIZE PLAYHOUSE, admittedly, are pretty neck-and-neck as underwhelming dramas. PULITZER PRIZE PLAYHOUSE was a relatively short-lived series sponsored by Schlitz and associated with, you guessed it, the Pulitzer Prize, making it an interesting historical curio. STUDIO ONE, on the other hand, was a much more influential and important institution, with episodes being adapted into feature length films and its guest stars to be more commanding than PULITZER PRIZE PLAYHOUSE’s, generally. Therefore, I export a little bit more value than the content itself, elevating STUDIO ONE above PULITZER PRIZE PLAYHOUSE as the favorite. MAMA, a continuation of MAMA’S BANK ACCOUNT and a 1944 stage play and 1948 film under the names I REMEMBER MAMA, is a dramedy a la THE GOLDBERGS. A strong matriarch encounters humorous situations and imparts life wisdom. It’s a bit light.

Best Children’s Show

“Troubled Waters”

• THE LONE RANGER
• THE CISCO KID
• TIME FOR BEANY*
• KUKLA, FRAN AND OLLIE
• JUMP JUMP~

TIME FOR BEANY, the puppet creation of LOONEY TUNES/MERRIE MELODIES Bob Clampett, is full of bizarro designs of yesteryear’s marionettes set against simple backdrops. It’s got more substance than competing puppet show KUKLA, FRAN AND OLLIE, but western series THE CISCO KID (impressively shot in color) and THE LONE RANGER just held my attention better. Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels of THE LONE RANGER are marginally better actors than Duncan Renaldo and Leo Carillo of THE CISCO KID. The plots of the former show are also a bit more interesting, making it my winner for a category that was never really intended for a 22-year-old man in 2019.

Best Games and Audience Participation Show

• YOU BET YOUR LIFE
• PANTOMIME QUIZ
• TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES*~
• KAY KYSER’S KOLLEGE OF MUSICAL KNOWLEDGE~
• LIFE WITH LINKLETTER~

TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES exists beyond its 1950 television debut, and famously introduced Bob Barker to TV audiences. But in lieu of its, KAY KYSER’S KOLLEGE OF MUSICAL KNOWLEDGE, or LIFE WITH LINKLETTER’s 1950 presence today, this category comes down to YOU BET YOUR LIFE and PANTOMIME QUIZ. The latter is an entertaining if somewhat slow-paced and casual charades competition between Hollywood stars of the day; it most importantly featured the inimitable Vincent Price as a regular. Its most boring lows, unfortunately, can’t compete with the genius of Groucho Marx on YOU BET YOUR LIFE. Nominally a quiz show, the program’s highlights are Marx’s brilliant interplay with the “civilian” participants. It was famously filmed and edited before broadcast because of Marx’s tendency to get a little too risque in his own, by today’s standards, subtle way. You get a feel of the brilliance of the format just by watching the outtakes from the first year of its run, which is how I’m judging it for this ceremony.

Best Cultural Show~

• CAMPUS CHORUS AND ORCHESTRA*
• DESIGNED FOR WOMEN
• VIENNA PHILHARMONIC
• SUNSET SERVICE
• THE WOMAN’S VOICE

I was unable to track down any of these programs; I have a feeling they were local specialty shows.

Best Educational Show

“Bee City”

• KIERAN’S KALEIDOSCOPE
• KFI-TV UNIVERSITY*~
• KNOW YOUR SCHOOLS~
• MAGAZINE OF THE WEEK~
• ZOO PARADE~

KIERAN’S KALEIDOSCOPE is the default winner of this category, but the nature program hosted by amateur naturalist John Kieran is actually quite visually interesting.

Best News Program~

• KTLA NEWSREEL*
• CLETE ROBERTS
• FORD NEWS AND WEATHER
• FLEETWOOD LAWTON

I would have probably been unsure how to judge this category even if I could have found any footage from the time.

Best Variety Show

• TEXACO STAR THEATER
• YOUR SHOW OF SHOWS
• THE ALAN YOUNG SHOW*
• FOUR STAR REVUE
• THE KEN MURRAY SHOW

I just can’t get over Mr. Television’s monologues. Milton Berle hosted TEXACO STAR THEATER with an unparalleled charm, self-deprecation, and humor that referenced show business and TV with accessible grace. In this way, and in its seemingly better booked acts in between Berle’s bits, TEXACO STAR THEATER beats out THE ALAN YOUNG SHOW, hosted by future Uncle Scrooge voice actor Alan Young. It’s a pretty entertaining variety show in its own right, but the legendary YOUR SHOW OF SHOWS, and its accessible 1950s sketches, features the comedic icons Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca. The show was and is revered for a reason.

Best Sports Program~

• LOS ANGELES RAM FOOTBALL*
• COLLEGE BASKETBALL GAMES
• COLLEGE FOOTBAL GAMES
• HOLLYWOOD BASEBALL
• LOS ANGELES BASEBALL

Please see my description for Best News Program above.

Best Public Service~

• CITY AT NIGHT*
• CLASSIFIED COLUMN
• IN OUR TIME
• COMMUNITY CHEST KICKOFF
• TELEFORUM
• MARSHALL PLAN

Ditto. Again.

Best Actor

• Sid Caesar
• Alan Young*
• Charles Ruggles
• Stan Freberg
• José Ferrer~

I wasn’t able to ascertain what part José Ferrer played in 1950 television, so unfortunately he was left out of consideration here, but Sid Caesar’s comic abilities were unmatched by the rest of this category (which is populated by mostly comic performances). Alan Young hosted and performed in his show’s sketches with commendable skill, though. Charles Ruggles as a kindly grandfather in a dramedy a la THE GOLDBERGS and MAMA, THE RUGGLES, is comfortable enough. And I don’t really know how much stock I put in Stan Freberg’s puppet portrayals for TIME FOR BEANY.

Best Actress

• Imogene Coca
• Gertrude Berg*
• Judith Anderson~
• Helen Hayes~
• Betty White~

As with José Ferrer above, I wasn’t able to figure out the TV presences of Judith Anderson, Helen Hayes, and Betty White for 1950. Imogene Coca, along with Sid Caesar, commanded comedy from this category, while Gertrude Berg, star and creator of THE GOLDBERGS, turns in her long-running, solid matriarch performance in 1950 as in years before.

Most Outstanding Personality

• Groucho Marx*
• Sid Caesar
• Dick Lane~
• Faye Emerson~

Interestingly singled out for acting as well as personality (otherwise, hosting), Sid Caesar, as great as he is, just couldn’t beat Groucho Marx’s apparently effortless, off-the-cuff banter on YOU BET YOUR LIFE. Dick Lane, sports announcer, and Faye Emerson, actor turned talk show host, are MIA for 1950.

Best Special Events~

• DEPARTURE OF MARINES TO KOREA*
• ARRIVAL OF CRUISER FROM KOREA
• COMMISSIONING OF HOSPITAL SHIP HAVEN
• ELECTION COVERAGE
• TOURNAMENT OF ROSES

While these events are indeed notable, coverage of them in 1950 from Los Angeles-based television is not forthcoming.

As opposed to my “perfect game” of aligning with the Television Academy for the 2nd Emmys, by my 2019 estimation only one winner of the eight rightfully took home an award. And of course it was Groucho. YOU BET YOUR LIFE and YOUR SHOW OF SHOWS were the tied “big” winners, with two awards each; Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca won acting awards for the latter, and YOU BET YOUR LIFE for best game show. Groucho, too, got the hosting award, as mentioned. The experience of researching the Emmys is improving year over year, but the television industry could still be a quite tepid producer of entertainment, at least by today’s standards.