The 8th Emmys Evaluated (1956)

Walt Disney with his Emmy wins at the 8th 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.

After the relative import of the previous ceremony, the 8th Emmy Awards played like a relatively trimmed down part two. It was broadcast nationally once again, the ceremony hosted by Art Linkletter and John Charles Daly from the Pan Pacific Auditorium on March 17, 1956, but I wasn’t able to track down a record of it like I was able to for the 7th Emmys. Nevertheless, with its model for what were considered “major” categories (that is, those presented on-air), I’ve tackled most of that same suite, omitting the continued presence of more “technical” categories to consider 24 for the celebration of the best in television of 1955.

In reality, two shows shared the honor of most wins for the night. THE PHIL SILVERS SHOW and PRODUCERS’ SHOWCASE took home four Emmys, which was a record number for the time. PRODUCERS’ SHOWCASE also broke records by receiving twelve nominations, the most any one show had received so far. The Emmys were still so fledgling that every ceremony marked a new milestone. Once again, no snubs were too outstanding, since TV quality of the era did in fact mean that most any deserving program showed up at the 8th Emmy Awards. But, again, no ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN for Best Children’s Show. That’s the only thing that stands out to me.

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 Comedy Series

• THE PHIL SILVERS SHOW*
• THE JACK BENNY PROGRAM
• CAESAR’S HOUR
• THE GEORGE GOBEL SHOW
• MAKE ROOM FOR DADDY
• THE BOB CUMMINGS SHOW

THE PHIL SILVERS SHOW, later known as SERGEANT BILKO or BILKO, debuted in 1955 as the vehicle of the titular comedian. The setting of an army camp was just a backdrop for Silvers’ sly con-man character, who he played to great effect, and the general scenarios played with some great misunderstandings and situation comedy. It’s a fresh show among its nominees, although it should be said, THE JACK BENNY PROGRAM and CAESAR’S HOUR were especially in good form still (CAESAR’S HOUR being a continuation of Sid Caesar’s YOUR SHOW OF SHOWS). The titular host of THE GEORGE GOBEL SHOW delivers a good, lowkey comedic persona, but his monologues shine the brightest amid his whole program. MAKE ROOM FOR DADDY is an uncomfortable sitcom for me; Danny Thomas delivers too aggressive a patriarch for the show to not feel even more dated than other shows from the era. But its performances and writing are cleverer and more compelling than the middling BOB CUMMINGS SHOW. Silvers sells the worth of his show almost entirely on his own back.

Best Dramatic Series

• PRODUCERS’ SHOWCASE*
• CLIMAX!
• THE UNITED STATES STEEL HOUR
• STUDIO ONE
• GOODYEAR TELEVISION PLAYHOUSE~

PRODUCERS’ SHOWCASE was nominated for a few episodes at the 8th Emmys, but it received special attention for its production of “Peter Pan.” Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to track down the full program; indeed, I was only able to view a couple clips of a few minutes each. However, the general production value (which, go figure, PRODUCERS’ SHOWCASE really traded on) was quite impressive. It was more entertaining than CLIMAX!, THE UNITED STATES STEEL HOUR, and STUDIO ONE, all anthology shows with surviving episodes that are weaker than they were in previous years. THE UNITED STATES STEEL HOUR had a big hit with its “No Time for Sergeants” adaptation, but I’ll get to more of that shortly. Perhaps it’s simply PRODUCERS’ SHOWCASE’s newness to the Emmys (and indeed it only premiered in ‘54), but it also offered the highest scale entertainment from this category.

Best Variety Series

• THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW*
• SHOWER OF STARS
• FORD STAR JUBILEE
• THE PERRY COMO SHOW
• THE DINAH SHORE SHOW~

THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW has been somewhat difficult to evaluate in previous years because of a relative scarcity of clips, but with 1955, its “variety” is truly on display. An interview with Marlon Brando on the set of GUYS AND DOLLS (1955) is somewhat awkward, but also quite interesting (another clip shows what Bo Diddley was banned from the show for, for choosing a different song than was demanded, a common occurrence on THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW). The array of documentation of 1955 entertainment has more staying power than SHOWER OF STARS, even with the benefit of a number of Jack Benny performances. FORD STAR JUBILEE had a critical success with its production of “The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial,” but like “Peter Pan,” not much of it is still around. Finally, THE PERRY COMO SHOW is a pleasant enough music program, pleasant enough that it was nominated in two series categories in fact, but I’m certainly more interested in the artifacts THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW churned out.

Best Audience Participation Series

• YOU BET YOUR LIFE
• THE $64,000 QUESTION*
• I’VE GOT A SECRET
• WHAT’S MY LINE?
• PEOPLE ARE FUNNY~

For the first time, Groucho Marx and YOU BET YOUR LIFE had some competition in this category. His banter show, fronting as a quiz show, was still trucking along fine, but the new phenomenon, THE $64,000 QUESTION, is actually presented with entertaining gravitas and contains displays of great trivia knowledge. Its eventual place in the quiz show scandals of the end of the decade also gives it some retroactive value. I’VE GOT A SECRET allows for more discussion between panel and celebrity guest than its sister series, WHAT’S MY LINE?, but both are just as fun as ever. I just couldn’t deny the Groucho charm.

Best Action or Adventure Series

• ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS
• DISNEYLAND*
• GUNSMOKE
• DRAGNET
• THE LINEUP

It’s interesting that ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS was nominated for this category and not Best Dramatic Series. Sure, there’s some action or adventure here and there, but the half-hour show was simply the best dramatic anthology TV had produced up to this point, and indeed until THE TWILIGHT ZONE (1959–1964). It helps that its namesake himself helped out by directing a few episodes here and there (more here in the earliest years of the show), and that effort was recognized at the 8th Emmys as well. DISNEYLAND, in spite of some of its more dated original productions, such as the nominated follow up to the popular Davy Crockett miniseries of the previous year, still stands as an impressive TV show from the era. The incredibly long-running GUNSMOKE, the longest running scripted primetime show until THE SIMPSONS (1989-present) beat it, started in 1955 with a relative grit for 1950s TV westerns. This trio of top shows are certainly more invigorating than DRAGNET, which was just about the same as it had always been, and THE LINEUP, a flaccid detective show set in San Francisco. ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS easily holds up the best here.

Best Children’s Series

• LASSIE*
• THE MICKEY MOUSE CLUB
• DING DONG SCHOOL~
• KUKLA, FRAN AND OLLIE~
• THE PINKY LEE SHOW~
• PUPPET PLAYHOUSE~

There are a lot of missing nominees for this category, and perhaps it’s for the best, because children’s programming for this era wasn’t exactly made with adults in mind as well. As it is, it’s kind of a toss-up for favorite between LASSIE and THE MICKEY MOUSE CLUB, the latter being the first incarnation of the “star-making” variety show starring children and teen performers. But LASSIE is more entertaining as a scripted show with cheesy cliches, rather than MICKEY MOUSE CLUB’s cheesy musical numbers.

Best Documentary Program

• PERSON TO PERSON
• SEE IT NOW
• MEET THE PRESS
• WIDE WIDE WORLD
• OMNIBUS*~

More than half of “Best Documentary Program” nominees are in fact more specialized journalistic shows. PERSON TO PERSON and SEE IT NOW were both hosted by legendary journalist and broadcaster Edward R. Murrow, but the former is more interesting today with its celebrity interview format (Marlon Brando popped up again, again promoting GUYS AND DOLLS, and more famously Marilyn Monroe did as well). The latter is still an important news magazine program that dove deep into controversial topics of the day, but some of its topics aren’t immediately relevant today (although the previous year’s rebuttal to McCarthyism was still impressive). MEET THE PRESS is much the same as it is today, and one 1955 episode with President Herbert Hoover was a neat historical artifact, considering his image was starting to be rehabilitated in the ’50s. Finally, WIDE WIDE WORLD is kind of just a “special interest” series that doesn’t specially interest me. It’s a shame that OMNIBUS is absent from 1955, because its focus on “fine arts” would be appreciated among the more temporary natures of its competitors.

Best Special Event or News Program

• 27TH ACADEMY AWARDS
• 7TH PRIMETIME EMMY AWARDS
• WORLD SERIES
• ROSE BOWL
• A-BOMB COVERAGE*~

There is A-bomb footage from 1955 out there, but I don’t think any of it is what The Television Academy was referring to in this case (coming specifically as it did from CBS). Of course, the 27TH ACADEMY AWARDS and the 7TH PRIMETIME EMMY AWARDS are most relevant to my interests. It’s funny that the Emmys nominated itself, and I almost didn’t consider it due my only being able to track down audio from the television broadcast. Nevertheless, the two are in direct opposition to my lack of interest in sports, so they take over the WORLD SERIES and the ROSE BOWL. Just as I like movies more than TV, I guess I like baseball more than college football.

Best Music Series

• YOUR HIT PARADE*
• THE PERRY COMO SHOW
• COKE TIME WITH EDDIE FISHER
• THE DINAH SHORE SHOW~
• THE VOICE OF FIRESTONE~

This category doesn’t exactly serve up the most exciting entertainment to a viewer today. Even though I appreciate music from the era, and even earlier, nothing that appeared on YOUR HIT PARADE, THE PERRY COMO SHOW, and COKE TIME WITH EDDIE FISHER really plucked my heartstrings. Perry Como and Eddie Fisher are good singers, however, although YOUR HIT PARADE’s format, in which it counts down and puts on performances of the top songs of the week, is the most fun.

Best Contribution to Daytime Programming

• THE BOB CROSBY SHOW
• MATINEE THEATRE*~
• THE GARRY MOORE SHOW~
• HOME~
• TODAY~

From what I can tell, MATINEE THEATRE just broadcast old movies to television, so it’s funny that it won an award at a TV ceremony. All I was able to track down, though, was THE BOB CROSBY SHOW, hosted by the brother of the much more famous Bing. Not too thrilling, but then, it wins by default in my book.

Best Single Program of the Year

• “Davy Crockett and the River Pirates” — DISNEYLAND
• “Peter Pan” — PRODUCERS’ SHOWCASE*
• “No Time for Sergeants” — THE UNITED STATES STEEL HOUR
• “The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial” — FORD STAR JUBILEE
• “The Sleeping Beauty” — PRODUCERS’ SHOWCASE
• “Peter Pan” — MAKE ROOM FOR DADDY
• “The American West” — WIDE WIDE WORLD~

This was kind of a difficult category for me. I guess I should start with “Davy Crockett and the River Pirates,” which I didn’t like. However, I must acknowledge its movie-like production and ambition, although it is so much more slapstick than its miniseries predecessor and less visually interesting besides. I have to put it above “Peter Pan,” though, which I of course only saw a few minutes of. And as much as I like Andy Griffith (I have watched the entirety of THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW [1960–68], after all), his TV debut with the comedic play “No Time for Sergeants” wasn’t incredibly funny to me. It’s a fuller experience, however, than the few minutes I caught of “The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial” and “The Sleeping Beauty” each, and an otherwise typical entry in MAKE ROOM FOR DADDY, coincidentally also called “Peter Pan.” There’s a lot about “Davy Crockett” that I object to, but in working with these nominees, its worth is the greatest.

Best Actor in a Continuing Performance

• Jackie Gleason — THE HONEYMOONERS
• Phil Silvers — THE PHIL SILVERS SHOW*
• Danny Thomas — MAKE ROOM FOR DADDY
• Robert Cummings — THE BOB CUMMINGS SHOW
• Robert Young — FATHER KNOWS BEST

THE JACKIE GLEASON SHOW went on hiatus for this year as its star dedicated one, and only one, full season of production to its most popular sketch, “The Honeymooners.” The result is the “Classic 39” episodes of the sitcom, one of the most influential of all time. Jackie Gleason as Ralph Kramden is one of the enduring performances of television, comedic or dramatic, and as impressed as I was with Phil Silvers as Sergeant Bilko (just a great smarmy, quick character), Gleason resides in a soft spot of my heart. My issues with the writing of the show aside, Danny Thomas is committed on MAKE ROOM FOR DADDY, and gives a more impressionable performance than the relative blandness of Robert Cummings and Robert Young on their respective shows.

Best Actress in a Continuing Performance

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

I LOVE LUCY was generally falling out of favor with The Television Academy, it would appear, but Lucille Ball once again deserved this award. While Gleason looms large as Ralph Kramden, she looms larger as Lucy Ricardo. Her zaniness is more refined than Gracie Allen’s ditzy version of herself on her and her husband’s show (although Allen is still quite funny), but both are certainly stronger than Eve Arden’s sarcastic teacher on OUR MISS BROOKS. The trio is a good collection of performances, I must admit, but Ball is an all-time fave.

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

• Art Carney — THE HONEYMOONERS*
• Carl Reiner — CAESAR’S HOUR
• William Frawley — I LOVE LUCY
• Ed Begley — “Patterns” (KRAFT TELEVISION THEATRE)
• Cyril Ritchard — “Peter Pan” (PRODUCERS’ SHOWCASE)

On an episode of I’VE GOT A SECRET with Art Carney as a guest panelist, Garry Moore refers to the actor as, and I’m paraphrasing, the best comedic actor on television right now. Moore is probably right, for the time which he is speaking, because Art Carney as Ed Norton is only slightly overshadowed by Gleason’s Ralph, and not necessarily entirely based on merit. Carney is fantastic, and more consistent than Carl Reiner’s various characters on CAESAR’S HOUR, well-written and -performed as they are. William Frawley’s cantankerous Fred Mertz is, as always, a great foil, and while Rod Serling’s “Patterns” was critically acclaimed, it didn’t stand to me as truly exceptional for some reason. Ed Begley was a good actor, but I wouldn’t celebrate him more than his fellow nominees, obviously, besides Cyril Ritchard, who I saw only very briefly in “Peter Pan.” This one is kind of a no-brainer.

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

• Audrey Meadows — THE HONEYMOONERS
• Nanette Fabray — CAESAR’S HOUR*
• Jean Hagen — MAKE ROOM FOR DADDY
• Ann B. Davis — “Schultzy’s Dream World” (THE BOB CUMMINGS SHOW)~
• Thelma Ritter — “The Catered Affair” (GOODYEAR TELEVISION PLAYHOUSE)~

It’s interesting that Audrey Meadows is classified as a supporting actress on THE HONEYMOONERS, but regardless of how you classify it, her performance as Alice Kramden deserves recognition with how well she plays against the comedic powerhouses that were Gleason and Carney. Nanette Fabray on CAESAR’S HOUR serves as the “replacement” for Imogene Coca, who left YOUR SHOW OF SHOWS to star in her own program, essentially spurring the transition to the new name and format. She is a good performer in her own right, but I feel I must use that word, replacement, because her interaction with Sid Caesar isn’t as strong. Still, she’s a funny lady, and she certainly has more to work with than Jean Hagen’s character on MAKE ROOM FOR DADDY, as the wife of Danny Thomas.

Best Actor in a Single Performance

• Everett Sloane — “Patterns” (KRAFT TELEVISION THEATRE)
• Lloyd Nolan — “The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial” (FORD STAR JUBILEE)*
• Barry Sullivan — “The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial” (FORD STAR JUBILEE)
• Ralph Bellamy — “The Fearful Decision” (THE UNITED STATES STEEL HOUR)~
• Jose Ferrer — “Cyrano de Bergerac” (PRODUCERS’ SHOWCASE)~

I can’t say this was too compelling a batch of nominees, at least with what can be found today, because as mentioned, “The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial” is barely out there. However, “Patterns” exists in full and good condition today, and while I generally like Everett Sloane in other things, and he plays a good, ruthless boss here, Ed Begley is indeed the standout performer from the teleplay. But then, I also thought the teleplay not terribly exciting.

Best Actress in a Single Performance

• Mary Martin — “Peter Pan” (PRODUCERS’ SHOWCASE)*
• Loretta Young — “Christmas Stopover” (THE LORETTA YOUNG SHOW)
• Julie Harris — “A Wind from the South” (THE UNITED STATES STEEL HOUR)~
• Eva Marie Saint — “Our Town” (PRODUCERS’ SHOWCASE)~
• Jessica Tandy — “The Fourposter” (PRODUCERS’ SHOWCASE)~

A minority of performances from this category survive, and Mary Martin’s as Peter Pan (women traditionally played the character) is only apparent in a very abridged form. But her spritely-ness, which had to be achieved while singing and swinging from wires and such, is admirable nevertheless. I like Loretta Young, but any given episode of her TV series is pretty overwhelming.

Best Director for a Film Series

• Alfred Hitchcock — “The Case of Mr. Pelham” (ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS)
• Nat Hiken — THE PHIL SILVERS SHOW*
• Bernard Girard — YOU ARE THERE
• Jack Webb — DRAGNET
• Sheldon Leonard — MAKE ROOM FOR DADDY
• Rod Amateau — THE BOB CUMMINGS SHOW

How a director for THE PHIL SILVERS SHOW beat out Hitch, I’ll never know. While I like THE PHIL SILVERS SHOW, and sure, part of its success could be attributed to its direction, the visual eye displayed in “The Case of Mr. Pelham” leads it to handily take the cake for this category. YOU ARE THERE is kind of a strange show, as it recreates historical events as though a modern reporting crew was there to document, and therefore the direction from Bernard Girard within this format is to be commended. Jack Webb works from the directing chair as well as starring in and producing DRAGNET, and so it benefits from a kind of auterist effect, but the show was certainly a procedural; that is, many of its episodes were similar in structure and tone. Sheldon Leonard and Rod Amateau direct their sitcoms effectively, I suppose. Hitchcock should have taken this award easily, and not just because of his laurels.

Best Director for a Live Series

• Clark Jones — “Peter Pan” (PRODUCERS’ SHOWCASE)
• Alex Segal — “No Time for Sergeants” (THE UNITED STATES STEEL HOUR)
• Franklin Schaffner — “The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial” (FORD STAR JUBILEE)*
• John Frankenheimer — “Portrait in Celluloid” (CLIMAX!)~
• Delbert Mann — “Our Town” (PRODUCERS’ SHOWCASE)~

As I’ve mentioned a number of times, I’ve seen little of PRODUCERS’ SHOWCASE’s “Peter Pan.” But its general production, coordinated live, is impressive, and so Clark Jones should have won the award in this case. I may have felt differently had I seen more of “The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial,” but right in between is Alex Segal’s treatment of “No Time for Sergeants.” I’ve written that I didn’t especially care for it, but I must admit I noticed the transitions made live and think they were pulled off effectively.

Best Producer for a Film Series

• Walt Disney — DISNEYLAND*
• Nat Hiken — THE PHIL SILVERS SHOW
• Frank LaTourette — MEDIC
• James D. Fonda — YOU ARE THERE
• Paul Henning — THE BOB CUMMINGS SHOW

This category is a little difficult to judge because the duties of a producer can vary. But I think it’s clear that Walt Disney’s handling of his entire empire, which of course included his first television foray, DISNEYLAND, was industry-defining, for good and bad. It made DISNEYLAND one of the most interesting shows on the air at the time. But THE PHIL SILVERS SHOW is one of the best debuts of the year, and so Hiken deserves some credit for that. Indeed, the rankings for this category just go in order of how much I like the show in general. For would that not be the role of the producer, to make everything as good as possible? By that token, the “realistic” MEDIC is groundbreaking for its time, while YOU ARE THERE is a curio and THE BOB CUMMINGS SHOW is a middling sitcom. I don’t see the producers as singlehandedly responsible for the quality of these shows, but I have to treat the shows as a whole in this case.

Best Producer for a Live Series

• Fred Coe — PRODUCERS’ SHOWCASE*
• Hal Kanter — THE GEORGE GOBEL SHOW
• Martin Manulis — CLIMAX!
• The Theatre Guild — THE UNITED STATES STEEL HOUR
• Barry Wood — WIDE WIDE WORLD
• Herbert Brodkin — ALCOA-GOODYEAR PLAYHOUSE~

As I explained for the Best Producers for a Film Series, these shows are just ranked by their general quality. I don’t know that there are any producing “skills” to single out these people (and entity) for.

Best Comedy Writing

• Bob Carroll, Jr., Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh Davis, Robert Schiller, Robert Weiskopf — I LOVE LUCY
• Arnold Auerbach, Barry Blitzer, Vincent Bogert, Nat Hiken, Coleman Jacoby, Harvey Orkin, Arnold Rosen, Terry Ryan, Tony Webster — THE PHIL SILVERS SHOW*
• George Balzer, Hal Goldman, Al Gordon, Sam Perrin — THE JACK BENNY PROGRAM
• Mel Brooks, Selma Diamond, Larry Gelbart, Sheldon Keller, Mel Tolkin — CAESAR’S HOUR
• Everett Greenbaum, Hal Kanter, Howard Leeds, Harry Winkler — THE GEORGE GOBEL SHOW

I LOVE LUCY was still the funniest show on the air at the time, and of course the writing is largely to credit for that. THE PHIL SILVERS SHOW was a welcome addition to the scene, however, even as show biz veteran Jack Benny was still able to augment his inherently funny personality with a great crew of writers. CAESAR’S HOUR is kind of an inconsistency here, because while I think the writing impressive (I mean, Mel Brooks was there!), I think a large part of its success lies more strongly in its performances. Finally, THE GEORGE GOBEL SHOW, as mentioned, lags when its not focused entirely on its star.

Best Original Teleplay Writing

• Rod Serling — “Patterns” (KRAFT TELEVISION THEATRE)*
• Robert Alan Aurther — “A Man Is Ten Feet Tall” (THE PHILCO TELEVISION PLAYHOUSE)~
• Paddy Chayefsky — “A Catered Affair” (ALCOA-GOODYEAR PLAYHOUSE)~
• David Davidson — “Thunder over Washington” (ALCOA-GOODYEAR PLAYHOUSE)~
• Cyril Hume, Richard Maibaum — “Fearful Decision” (THE UNITED STATES STEEL HOUR)~

Well, I kind of badmouthed “Patterns” earlier, although I love Rod Serling. I understand its skewering of the contemporary business world, which it certainly deserved, and deserves. It just wasn’t rendered into something I found particularly compelling, but I suppose it wins this award, in my estimation, by default. I would have liked to see that Paddy Chayefsky episode, though.

Best Television Adaptation

• John Monks — “Miracle on 34th Street” (THE 20TH CENTURY FOX HOUR)
• Paul Gregory, Franklin Schaffner — “The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial” (FORD STAR JUBILEE)*
• David Dortort — “The Ox-Bow Incident” (THE 20TH CENTURY FOX HOUR)~
• Rod Serling — “The Champion” (CLIMAX!)~
• David Shaw — “Our Town” (PRODUCERS’ SHOWCASE)~

Although I wasn’t able to catch “The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial” in full, “Miracle on 34th Street” may have beat it out anyways. THE 20TH CENTURY FOX HOUR mixed original productions with adaptations of the movie studio’s previous hits, and this TV version of the beloved Christmas movie, while feeling a little bit rushed, is a bit of breezy pleasantry amid a lot of heavy installments in dramatic anthology shows.

I don’t know that the 1950s was The Golden Age of Television, as it’s referred to, but by the middle of the decade, the relatively new medium was making a better case for itself. I aligned with The Television Academy of 1956 11 of 24 times, a 46 percent “agreement rate.” By my estimation, PRODUCERS’ SHOWCASE was the big winner with four awards, but in this retroactive continuity, it wasn’t tied with THE PHIL SILVERS SHOW (it won just one award). I guess I can chalk it up to the spirit of “Peter Pan,” regardless of how fragmented it is.