The 7th Emmys Evaluated (1955)

Best Actor and Best Actress winners Danny Thomas and Loretta Young, respectively, pose at the 7th Emmy Awards

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 7th Emmy Awards, held on March 7, 1955, was the biggest one yet for the relatively fledgling Television Academy. Hosted by Steve Allen on the West Coast, and supported by a simultaneous ceremony on the East Coast, the awards show recognizing the best in television of 1954 was broadcast via its home medium nationally for the first time (it had done so by radio the year before). And in fact, that broadcast (audio only of the television special) is the only full record of the first dozen or so of the Emmys ceremonies. It’s an interesting relic, showing the relatively laid-back and sometimes awkward proceedings of something with an ever-changing shape. To that point: the 7th Emmys introduced a host of new technical categories, such as Best Art Direction of a Filmed Show, bringing the number of categories up to 33. But in the interest of keeping things streamlined, and in accordance with the “major” categories actually presented during the Emmys broadcast of 1955, I’ve taken a look at just the 24 below. For future installments, that distinction of “major” will certainly be carried forward, even in the absence of direction-giving recordings of the Emmy Awards.

Full audio recording of the 7th Emmy Awards

I’d also like to give an evaluation of the ceremony itself. As mentioned, it was pretty casual and, therefore, at times a little awkward. The 96 minutes don’t exactly fly by, but Allen did a good job hosting and it was a treat to hear some of the presenters, like Jimmy Durante, waffle around and flub and make good little asides. However the 7th Emmy Awards can be experienced, if at all, STUDIO ONE was the big winner of the night with three wins from five nominations; it tied for the latter with I LOVE LUCY and THE JACKIE GLEASON SHOW. As for snubs: I feel like a broken record bringing up THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN for Best Children’s Program, since it’s not very good, but it would have made sense, in addition to FLASH GORDON. Perhaps most notable is the slipping of THE COLGATE COMEDY HOUR from consideration after a few years of Emmys success. But as I noted with the previous year, most anything worth watching from this still primitive era of television was recognized in some way during the 1955 ceremony.

Now, though, 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 ~.

Best Situation Comedy

• I LOVE LUCY
• THE GEORGE BURNS AND GRACIE ALLEN SHOW
• MAKE ROOM FOR DADDY*
• MISTER PEEPERS~
• OUR MISS BROOKS~
• PRIVATE SECRETARY~

I don’t know that I can give up on I LOVE LUCY, although it was starting to slip in The Television Academy’s consideration. Why in favor of MAKE ROOM FOR DADDY, however, I don’t know. I actually generally like Danny Thomas, but for some reason, the show rankles me; perhaps it is its even more aggressively heteronormative tone. It’s got some good gags, but nothing that stacks up to Lucille Ball’s antics. Indeed, MAKE ROOM FOR DADDY also doesn’t stack up to the brilliant metafiction of THE GEORGE BURNS AND GRACIE ALLEN SHOW. It’s positively postmodern! Missing, as from previous years, is OUR MISS BROOKS, as are MISTER PEEPERS and PRIVATE SECRETARY (for episodes from 1954). I think by this time, I LOVE LUCY was also compelling for its ability to weave interesting changes for its characters, something that was somewhat different for sitcoms of the era. And of course, it maintained its humor three years in.

Best Dramatic Program

• STUDIO ONE
• FOUR STAR PLAYHOUSE
• THE PHILCO TELEVISION PLAYHOUSE
• MEDIC
• THE UNITED STATES STEEL HOUR*~

Unfortunately, real winner THE UNITED STATES STEEL HOUR doesn’t appear to have any extant episodes from 1954. Fortunately, STUDIO ONE aired what was perhaps its most famous episode in 1954: “Twelve Angry Men,” which would of course be adapted for film most famously just three years later. It is a tense, dramatic photoplay that is certainly above most anything else the anthology shows produced from the year. FOUR STAR PLAYHOUSE churned out some pretty good stuff, notably with David Niven, while THE PHILCO TELEVISION PLAYHOUSE had just one weak drama that I could find. MEDIC was a new semi-anthology show hosted by Richard Boone, who often starred in episodes of what was then the most “serious” and “accurate” medical show of its time. Today, it feels pretty staid. STUDIO ONE, in my book, has been the most consistent of the anthology shows from the earliest days of the Emmys.

Best Variety Series

• DISNEYLAND*
• THE JACKIE GLEASON SHOW
• YOUR SHOW OF SHOWS
• THE JACK BENNY PROGRAM
• THE GEORGE GOBEL SHOW
• THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW

Walt Disney entered Television Land in 1954 with a show that was essentially preparing the public for his new amusement park down in Southern California, which would open in 1955. For such an immediate purpose, DISNEYLAND, in some form or another (and now known as the Disney anthology show) lasted quite a long time, until the present in fact. From the jump, it really did offer the promise of a “variety” series, from giving behind-the-scenes looks of upcoming movies to abridging past classics for television to producing brand-new live action specials and miniseries. Even as an adult, I am kind of a sucker for Disney classicism, and so DISNEYLAND does stand above THE JACKIE GLEASON SHOW. For as an adult, I’ve found a strong appreciation for the old comedian, even as I understand the criticisms of his “Honeymooners” sketches. Ultimately, the butt of the joke is on Gleason’s Ralph Kramden, however, and the orchestration of each sketch is really quite exquisite. Speaking of exquisite: YOUR SHOW OF SHOWS, that legendary comedy incubator for an array of talented comedians and writers, was just about to transition into CAESAR’S HOUR in 1954, essentially moving on after Imogene Coca left for her own show. My deeper attachment to Disney and Gleason rendered YOUR SHOW OF SHOWS’ still quite clever comedy a rank below. I wasn’t quite able to ascertain why THE JACK BENNY PROGRAM was classified as a variety show, for at this time it more closely resembled a traditional sitcom, albeit through a meta lens a la THE GEORGE BURNS AND GRACIE ALLEN SHOW. As with Benny’s pseudo-rival, this set up provides a lot of fun. I’m a Benny fan. George Gobel was an up-and-comer with an understated delivery style, somewhat refreshing for the era but also something that can’t stand up to the legacy and full-on chops of his competitors here; his skills also flailed a bit when he had to interact with others and wasn’t just delivering a monologue, at least at this point in this career. Finally, THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW, as important as it is, just doesn’t give a holistic, entertaining experience like its peers here.

Best Audience, Guest Participation, or Panel Program

• YOU BET YOUR LIFE
• THIS IS YOUR LIFE*
• WHAT’S MY LINE?
• PEOPLE ARE FUNNY
• MASQUERADE PARTY~

As usual, Groucho Marx elevates the simple quiz show format into fine comedy, as he interacts with everyday citizens on YOU BET YOUR LIFE. It’s basically just “The Groucho Marx Show,” and it definitely has more of an (awkward) edge than the typically schmaltzy THIS IS YOUR LIFE. However, in its 1954 season, the show that ambushed (usually “washed up”) celebrities and gave them a recap of their own lives brought to the air a historic program. THIS IS YOUR LIFE profiled Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, who by this time, were essentially done with their film careers (and indeed careers in general). It’s about as awkward and even sad as any other THIS IS YOUR LIFE episode, but I have such sympathy in my heart for the legendary comedy duo that it elevated the show as a whole for this year. It’s a step above WHAT’S MY LINE?, the ever-popular show where a panel tries to guess the profession of some more everyday citizens (plus guest celebrity appearances!). PEOPLE ARE FUNNY sees Art Linkletter goading people on to different little pranks and such. It’s alright. MASQUERADE PARTY was essentially the celebrity part of WHAT’S MY LINE?, but the celebrities were in heavy disguise of some kind. No episodes from 1954 are around. I have to imagine Marx’s apparently effortless, hilarious banter would still take the cake.

Best Mystery or Intrigue Series

• DRAGNET*
• FOREIGN INTRIGUE
• I LED 3 LIVES
• RACKET SQUAD~
• WATERFRONT~

This category is pretty lame. DRAGNET, the classic police procedural is pretty solid as always, including a pretty dark episode concerning a child molester. But it is a 1950s police procedural, so it can seem kind of hokey at times. It’s more respectable than both FOREIGN INTRIGUE and I LED 3 LIVES, the latter Red Scare propaganda and the former…well, kind of the same, but a little more generic with spies abroad in Europe. RACKET SQUAD was an anthology show that spotlighted different cons that were apparently in the papers, while WATERFRONT followed a tugboat captain. Ultimately, creator and star Jack Webb’s auteurist handling of DRAGNET probably did it some good in the conventional yet hit-or-miss years of early television.

Best Children’s Program

• LASSIE*
• ZOO PARADE
• ART LINKLETTER AND THE KIDS
• DING DONG SCHOOL
• KUKLA, FRAN AND OLLIE~
• TIME FOR BEANY~

As always, this category isn’t really meant for me, especially since children’s programming in the 1950s wasn’t quite as universally enjoyable as cartoons and the like can be today. The famous LASSIE is as cheesy as all the references would have you believe, but it’s the only narrative show surviving on this list, so it’s a bit more compelling. Animal spotlight show ZOO PARADE is interesting, if poorly paced, while ART LINKLETTER AND THE KIDS, a full program complement to “Kids Say the Darndest Things” on Linkletter’s full-fledged show, is also mildly amusing. It’s a little too simple for my tastes, and DING DONG SCHOOL is essentially for preschool children. Puppet programs KUKLA, FRAN AND OLLIE and TIME FOR BEANY are nowhere to be found for 1954. I gotta give it to the dog on this one.

Best Cultural, Religious, or Educational Program

• OMNIBUS*
• SEE IT NOW
• LIFE IS WORTH LIVING
• MEET THE PRESS~

OMNIBUS was a respectable program, dedicated to the cultivation of “the arts” on TV, which was already being criticized in the vein of “boob tube” discourse. In 1954, it aired a fascinating episode with Leonard Bernstein, in which he dissects Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony and reimagines it with pieces that the genius worked on, but never implemented into the masterpiece. OMNIBUS’ continued relevance is generally greater than that of SEE IT NOW, a news magazine show that took a deeper look into the goings-on of the day, but it’s closer in 1954 after host and journalism legend Edward R. Murrow took to a famous broadcast in which he repudiated many of the claims of Red Scare maestro and senator, Joseph McCarthy. Its narrative rings too close to home today. Have we learned nothing from (really quite recent) history? Both shows are much more admirable than LIFE IS WORTH LIVING, the bafflingly popular Catholic propaganda program hosted by the admittedly laid-back Auxiliary Bishop of New York, Fulton J. Sheen. But then I’m biased (I’m an atheist). Missing is the news program mainstay MEET THE PRESS, but OMNIBUS and SEE IT NOW certainly impressed for nonfiction television of the year.

Best Sports Program

• GILLETTE CAVALCADE OF SPORTS*~
• GREATEST MOMENTS IN SPORTS~
• FORREST HILLS TENNIS MATCHES~
• NCAA FOOTBALL GAMES~
• PABST BLUE RIBBON BOUTS~
• PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL~

None of this coverage from 1954 apparently exists today, but I don’t think I’d have much to say about them anyways.

Best Western or Adventure Series

• STORIES OF THE CENTURY*
• DEATH VALLEY DAYS
• THE ROY ROGERS SHOW
• ANNIE OAKLEY
• THE ADVENTURES OF WILD BILL HICKOK

As with the Best Mystery or Intrigue Series and Best Children’s Program categories, the nominees for Best Western or Adventure Series don’t hold up too well today. In this case, they are all “Western” series, and the reductionism the genre was subjected to for mass consumption television isn’t too compelling today. Anthology show STORIES OF THE CENTURY is, I suppose, the most historically “accurate” of the programs, even though that’s not the measure of good entertainment; it just makes it more interesting as it visits different stories And by accurate, I just mean it addresses somewhat real events. DEATH VALLEY DAYS follows various pioneers and THE ROY ROGERS SHOW stars the cowboy star in a bizarre Western/modern setting (there are cars and other anachronisms with no explanation!) to moderate success. Meanwhile, ANNIE OAKLEY just totally throws out any consideration of the real woman and THE ADVENTURES OF WILD BILL HICKOK is the cheesiest of all of these shows, which is saying a lot. Honestly, it’s kind of a tossup for the “best” of the whole category.

Best Daytime Program

• THE BETTY WHITE SHOW
• ART LINKLETTER’S HOUSE PARTY*~
• THE BOB CROSBY SHOW~
• THE GARRY MOORE SHOW~
• THE ROBERT Q. LEWIS SHOW~

Only one nominee from this category survives among its relatively unremarkable peers, and while its host is a remarkable woman (who just celebrated her 99th birthday!), THE BETTY WHITE SHOW is also somewhat unremarkable. Apparently others thought so too, as it only ran for one season. But it’s interesting to see White so young, and the paradigm of daytime programming at the time. It could be like this on primetime too, but the show seemed so casual and slow-paced. I don’t know how much I would enjoy any of the other shows, but THE BETTY WHITE SHOW certainly wins by default.

Best Individual Program of the Year

• “Operation Undersea” (DISNEYLAND)*
• “Twelve Angry Men” (STUDIO ONE)
• “A Christmas Carol” (CHRYSLER SHOWER OF STARS)
• LIGHT’S DIAMOND JUBILEE
• “White Is the Color” (MEDIC)

The Television Academy of 1955 decided not only to highlight series as a whole, but also individual episodes or specials from the year. Thus, we have Best Individual Program of the Year, won in reality and by my estimation by DISNEYLAND’s “Operation Undersea.” It’s an hour-long making-of documentary for Disney’s upcoming 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA (1954), with insight into the company’s movie magic as well as some elements of their nature films. It’s maybe not conventionally better as the narrative “Twelve Angry Men,” which is deservedly famous and praised; but in a way, “Operation Undersea” stimulates the imagination a bit more after 67 years. CHRYSLER SHOWER OF STARS’ musical production of “A Christmas Carol” has some genuinely great music (go figure, it was provided by Bernard Herrmann), but it’s not necessarily an otherwise remarkable version of the story that I’ve seen a million times. The LIGHT’S DIAMOND JUBILEE was a special, commissioned by GE, that celebrated the 75th anniversary of Edison’s invention of the lightbulbs. It was hosted by George Gobel to decent effect, and was full of segments directed by an array of current or once top directors, such as King Vidor and William A. Wellman. Even though only a couple fragments are readily available, one, which envisions conveniences of the future, was shockingly spot on. It’s certainly more interesting than “White Is the Color,” an episode of the aforementioned MEDIC that follows a pregnant woman with leukemia. It’s certainly heavy stuff, but it’s also overplayed. “Operation Undersea” is certainly the briskest of the nominees here.

Best Actor Starring in a Regular Series

• Jackie Gleason — THE JACKIE GLEASON SHOW
• Danny Thomas — MAKE ROOM FOR DADDY*
• Robert Cummings — MY HERO
• Jack Webb — DRAGNET
• Richard Boone — MEDIC

It’s interesting to me that three of the five nominees for the Best Actor category were in comedic roles. Jackie Gleason is a favorite of mine, as mentioned multiple times, and his role as Ralph Kramden is as funny as it is ultimately pathetic. Despite my problems with MAKE ROOM FOR DADDY, it’s not technically because of Thomas’ performance, even though his character is always a harsh father figure who learns his lesson by the end and begins the next episode as if nothing ever happened. But hey, that’s television. Speaking of which, MY HERO also demonstrates the fickle nature of the medium. It only ran from 1952 to ’53, but was re-aired in 1954, presumably making it eligible for an Emmy this year. Robert Cummings does an alright job as a realtor in the short-lived sitcom, a livelier performance than Jack Webb’s Sergeant Joe Friday or Richard Boone’s grave doctor on MEDIC. None match Gleason’s indelible role as an alternatively forceful and whimpering fool.

Best Actress Starring in a Regular Series

• Lucille Ball — I LOVE LUCY
• Gracie Allen — THE GEORGE BURNS AND GRACIE ALLEN SHOW
• Loretta Young — THE LORETTA YOUNG SHOW*
• Eve Arden — OUR MISS BROOKS~
• Ann Sothern — PRIVATE SECRETARY~

Only one of the nominees for Best Actress was in (typically) dramatic roles: Loretta Young, for various appearances in the anthology show bearing her name. Young was a great actress, greater away from her own show for the most part, but of course tops out over the MIA Eve Arden and Ann Sothern. Gracie Allen is such a perfect complement to George Burns’ more meta straight man on the couple’s show, but Lucille Ball is once again the clear winner against her peers. Lucy Ricardo is an iconic TV character, surely entertaining even nearly 70 years later.

Best Supporting Actor in a Regular Series

• Art Carney — THE JACKIE GLEASON SHOW*
• William Frawley — I LOVE LUCY
• Ben Alexander — DRAGNET
• Don DeFore — THE ADVENTURES OF OZZIE & HARRIET
• Gale Gordon — OUR MISS BROOKS~

Art Carney as Ed Norton in “The Honeymooners” is even funnier than Jackie Gleason as Ralph Kramden. His affected delivery is so dopey and endearing. It’s somehow a more overt caricature than William Frawley’s cantankerous Fred Mertz, who is also endearing in his own way. Ben Alexander is serviceable as Joe Friday’s sidekick, while Don DeFore somehow rankles me, for no apparent reason! In any event, Carney and Frawley are leagues ahead, and Carney himself an everlasting talent.

Best Supporting Actress in a Regular Series

• Audrey Meadows — THE JACKIE GLEASON SHOW*
• Vivian Vance — I LOVE LUCY
• Bea Benaderet — THE GEORGE BURNS AND GRACIE ALLEN SHOW
• Jean Hagen — MAKE ROOM FOR DADDY
• Marion Lorne — MISTER PEEPERS~

I’ve written before that Audrey Meadows was able to provide the perfect foil to Jackie Gleason and Ralph Kramden in the form of Alice Kramden. She gives such an amazing deadpan performance. Alice is essentially the “straight man” against Ralph, and like the best straight men, she goes above and beyond the role of serving as a wall for the other part of the team to bounce off of. Vivian Vance provides similar sarcasm for Lucy Ricardo, albeit in a less acerbic and directly combative way; after all, Ethel often figures into Lucy’s schemes. Although I wasn’t aware of her before watching more of THE GEORGE BURNS AND GRACIE ALLEN SHOW, I’ve also come to appreciate Bea Benaderet’s support on the program, serving as, again, a straight role to Gracie Allen’s zaniness. Finally, Jean Hagen stands as the conventional straight character in MAKE ROOM FOR DADDY, in that she serves as an exposition device and a more gentle barrier to Danny Thomas’ forcefulness, while Marion Lorne’s role on MISTER PEEPERS from the 1954 season is not still around.

Best Actor in a Single Performance

• Robert Cummings — “Twelve Angry Men” (STUDIO ONE)*
• David Niven — “The Answer” (FOUR STAR PLAYHOUSE)
• Fredric March — “A Christmas Carol” (CHRYSLER SHOWER OF STARS)
• Frank Lovejoy — “Double Indemnity” (LUX VIDEO THEATRE)~
• Fredric March — “The Royal Family” (THE BEST OF BROADWAY)~
• Thomas Mitchell — “The Good of His Soul” (THE FORD TELEVISION THEATRE)~

As it did in distinguishing an outstanding individual program, The Television Academy also recognized the performances of actors in such self-contained appearances. It did good in awarding such recognition to Robert Cummings as the holdout juror in “Twelve Angry Men,” a far cry from his other nominated performance on MY HERO. It’s strong and empathetic, not unlike David Niven’s role as an intellectual bum in FOUR STARY PLAYHOUSE’s “The Answer.” The pair of them are more impressive than Fredric March’s Scrooge, which is not on its face a bad performance, but one that fits into the tradition of “A Christmas Carol” that, again, has been seen so many times. While “Double Indemnity” and “The Royal Family” (which March was also nominated for, making him and Cummings the first actors in Emmys history to be nominated in the same year for separate roles) are apparently totally missing, “The Good of His Soul” can be found on YouTube…with absolutely terrible audio. I felt it would do Thomas Mitchell a disservice to try to evaluate him from that record.

Best Actress in a Single Performance

• Judith Anderson — “Macbeth” (HALLMARK HALL OF FAME)*
• Beverly Garland — “White Is the Color” (MEDIC)
• Ethel Barrymore — “The Thirteenth Chair” (CLIMAX!)~
• Ruth Hussey — “Craig’s Wife” (LUX VIDEO THEATRE)~
• Dorothy McGuire — “The Gioconda Smile” (CLIMAX!)~
• Eva Marie Saint — “Middle of the Night” (THE PHILCO TELEVISION PLAYHOUSE)~
• Claire Trevor — “Ladies in Retirement” (LUX VIDEO THEATRE)~

I don’t know if I should chalk it up to more than mere coincidence, but I do find it strange that, on the whole, leading performances from actresses have been more difficult to find as I’ve traversed through Emmys history so far. Indeed, only two of the seven nominees can be represented here. Beverly Garland gives a sympathetic performance as the aforementioned pregnant woman with leukemia in “White Is the Color,” but the celebrated stage actress Judith Anderson turns her classical training on for television in HALLMARK HALL OF FAME’s production of “Macbeth.” I can’t profess to be a Shakespeare buff, but I always appreciate the tradition of the Bard’s masterpieces.

Best Direction

• Franklin J. Schaffner — “Twelve Angry Men” (STUDIO ONE)*
• Roy Kellino — FOUR STAR PLAYHOUSE
• Robert Florey — THE LORETTA YOUNG SHOW
• Clark Jones — YOUR HIT PARADE
• Ted Post — WATERFRONT~
• Alex Segal — THE UNITED STATES STEEL HOUR~

Of the new “technical” categories, the directing and writing ones have stuck around as “major” recognitions in the modern “Primetime” era. Franklin Schaffner’s direction of “Twelve Angry Men” is the obvious winner here, as the program is a more mobile and well-acted example from the early days of dramatic anthologies. While it doesn’t specify Roy Kellino’s contribution to FOUR STAR PLAYHOUSE, as he directed multiple episodes in 1954 (as did his fellow nominees for their shows), he did direct the David Niven-starring “The Answer,” and that’s a good little teleplay. Robert Florey, who took to television after a relatively overlooked career in film, turns in decent work for THE LORETTA YOUNG SHOW, but nothing apparently extraordinary. YOUR HIT PARADE was a musical program that staged performances of the top songs on the charts, and Clark Jones directed a couple, but they’re not really remarkable in hindsight. Schaffner would go on to direct PLANET OF THE APES (1968) as well, so he gets some bonus points (not really, but seeing his early television work is interesting).

Best Written Comedy Material

• I LOVE LUCY — Jess Oppenheimer, Bob Carroll Jr., and Madelyn Pugh Davis
• THE JACK BENNY PROGRAM — George Balzer, Milt Josefsberg, Sam Perrin, and John Tackaberry
• THE JACKIE GLEASON SHOW — Jackie Gleason
• THE GEORGE GOBEL SHOW — James B. Allardice, Jack Douglas, Hal Kanter, and Harry Winkler*
• MAKE ROOM FOR DADDY — Danny Thomas
• MISTER PEEPERS — James Fritzell, Everett Greenbaum~

As ever, credits for comedy writing go to a whole host of funny guys, and at this time, it really was almost all guys. One notable exception is Madelyn Pugh’s contribution to I LOVE LUCY, which was not only the best performed and shot comedy on television, but also the best written. Where did they come up that stuff!? Right behind it, though, was THE JACK BENNY PROGRAM, which did such a good job in producing great metafictional plots. And while THE JACKIE GLEASON SHOW was, on the whole, better, its strength wasn’t exactly coming from its writing, equally to its performances. THE GEORGE GOBEL SHOW was the actual winner, and it’s somewhat understandable; Gobel’s monologues were pretty clever, but there’s something about the whole production that doesn’t ring as exciting as the previously mentioned programs. Finally, MAKE ROOM FOR DADDY just continuously reinforces the conventional masculinity of the era in its scripts, and that’s the most glaring flaw with the show. The less said about the missing MISTER PEEPERS (which wasn’t missing in previous years), the better.

Best Written Dramatic Material

• “Twelve Angry Men” (STUDIO ONE) — Reginald Rose*
• “The Answer” (FOUR STAR PLAYHOUSE) — Leonard Freeman
• “White Is the Color” (MEDIC) — James Moser
• “An Error in Chemistry” (CLIMAX!) — David Dortort
• THE PHILCO TELEVISION PLAYHOUSE — Paddy Chayefsky~

I’ve already written at some length about most of the nominees here, but the four surviving ones scale in regards to writing about as equally to overall production. The exception, which recognized screenwriting great Paddy Chayefsky’s numerous contributions to THE PHILCO TELEVISION PLAYHOUSE, is unfortunately missing. After MARTY, I would have loved to see more of Chayefsky’s early work.

Best News Reporter or Commentator

• John Charles Daly*
• John Cameron Swayze
• Douglas Edwards~
• Clete Roberts~
• Eric Sevareid~

John Cameron Swayze anchored the CAMEL NEWS CARAVAN, a 15-minute program that simply recounted the news of the day. I actually couldn’t find news reporting or commentating from John Charles Daly from 1954, but considering his hosting duties on WHAT’S MY LINE?, I had to acknowledge his more charismatic moments.

Most Outstanding New Personality

• Walt Disney
• George Gobel*
• Fess Parker
• Michael O’Shea
• Richard Boone
• Preston Foster~
• Tennessee Ernie Ford~

It’s interesting to see who was considered a “new personality” by The Television Academy, since many of these people weren’t exactly new to show business; they were all just relatively new to TV. Walt Disney’s conquering of the industry is understandable when you see his folksy delivery on DISNEYLAND, regardless of what I personally find detestable about the man. Although I’ve given a somewhat lukewarm reception to his own show, George Gobel was indeed a funny man, with a unique and understated delivery to his comedy. Fess Parker found great success as Davy Crockett in Disney’s ahistorical miniseries about the historical figure, and his performance, while a bit stiff, is solid. Michael O’Shea was a comedic character actor, and he actually gave solid performances for the obscure sitcom IT’S A GREAT LIFE, while Richard Boone, for all his other accomplishments, just didn’t do anything remarkable for me on MEDIC. Preston Foster was on the missing WATERFRONT, while Tennessee Ernie Ford was a singer and, coincidentally, the performer of “The Ballad of Davy Crockett.” I guess I have to give it to that terrible titan, Walt Disney.

Best Male Singer

• Perry Como*
• Eddie Fisher
• Frankie Laine
• Tony Martin
• Gordon MacRae~

It’s interesting that The Television Academy made special accommodations for singers on television, but it makes sense considering the vast amount of musical/variety shows. Indeed, all of these nominees had their own shows. While I’ve felt some hesitance in liking Perry Como for some reason, I must admit he delivers good easy listening music. Eddie Fisher and Frankie Laine are at equal levels, really, while Tony Martin is slightly behind him in the world of pop music of the 1950s.

Best Female Singer

• Gisele MacKenzie
• Jane Froman
• Jo Stafford
• Peggy King
• Dinah Shore*~

I had never heard of Gisele MacKenzie, but when I found her TV appearance from 1954, I was struck by her beautiful voice! Jane Froman benefitted from great instrumentation in a clip from her own show, while Jo Stafford and Peggy King cannot be described as anything but solid singers of their day. Unfortunately, the most famous of the nominees, and the winner, had her own show that is not extant, from 1954 at least. I like Dinah Shore alright, though!

The 7th Emmys was about as equal to the previous year’s awards show, with a lot of the shows appearing again, but it was also a little bit more exciting with an expanded set of categories and an extant record of the event. I aligned with The Television Academy of 1955 15 out of 24 times, a 63 percent match. STUDIO ONE was the big winner by my estimation as well, although with four wins instead of reality’s three. “Twelve Angry Men” was kinda good!