From Howdy Doody to Dragnet, the Golden Age of Television is being honored on a sheet of 20 commemorative postage stamps on Aug. 11 in Hollywood.
The stamp issue, "Early TV Memories," features black-and-white depictions of beloved television characters from the late ‘40s to the ‘60s. The stamps are framed in a curvature style as if one was looking at an old-fashioned TV set. The selvage features some of television's popular faces such as Milton Berle, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, and Alfred Hitchcock.
According to the Postal Service, the first day stamp ceremony will take place at the Television Academy of Arts and Sciences in North Hollywood around 10:30 p.m.
The spotlighted programs are:
- The Texaco Star Theater (1948-1956): The classic sketch comedy show starring the great Milton Berle.
- I Love Lucy (1951-1957): Based on a classic scene from one of the all-time great sitcoms, this stamp features Lucy (Lucille Ball) and Ethel (Vivian Vance) scarfing down chocolate on a conveyor belt.
- The Red Skelton Show (1951-1971): The long-running variety show that starred comedian Red Skelton.
- Howdy Doody (1947-1960): The earliest and most popular children’s television program featuring the beloved marionette.
- Dragnet (originally aired 1951-1959): The classic police drama whose star was the straight-faced, no-nonsense Los Angeles detective Joe Friday, famously played by Jack Webb.
- Lassie (1954-1974): America’s favorite television collie.
- Hopalong Cassidy (1952-1954): The Western drama starring William Boyd as cowboy Hopalong Cassidy.
- You Bet Your Life (1950-1961): The popular quiz show hosted by the legendary Groucho Marx.
- The Dinah Shore Show (1951-1956): The variety program hosted by singer Dinah Shore.
- The Ed Sullivan Show (1948-1971): The premiere variety television program hosted by Ed Sullivan. It was most notable for its guests, including the Beatles, who made their historic American TV appearance on the program in 1964.
- Kukla, Fran and Ollie (1947-1957): An all-improvised puppet show that was popular amongst children and adults, hosted by Fran Allison, who is in the stamp sandwiched between Kukla (a clown) and Ollie (a dragon).
- The Phil Silvers Show (1955-1959): The military sitcom featuring the beloved character Sergeant Bilko, portrayed by the aforementioned Phil Silvers.
- The Lone Ranger (1949-1957): The masked hero known for his signature phrase "Hi-yo Silver, away!" and his Native American companion Tonto. In the TV series, he was played by Clayton Moore.
- Perry Mason (1957-1966): The classic courtroom drama that starred Raymond Burr as the famous defense lawyer.
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955-1962): The anthology series hosted by the “Master of Suspense,” Alfred Hitchcock, who was previously honored on a U.S. commemorative stamp in 1998.
- Burns and Allen (1950-1958): First created as a radio program, The Burns and Allen Show featured the husband-and-wife comedy team of George Burns and Gracie Allen.
- The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952-1966): One of the popular amily sitcoms featuring the Nelsons: husband and wife Ozzie and Harriet with their sons David and Ricky.
- The Tonight Show (1954-present): The long-running late night NBC talk program. Its first-ever host was Steve Allen (featured on the stamp), who was later followed by Jack Paar, Johnny Carson, Jay Leno and recently Conan O’Brien. The show still continues to this day.
- The Twilight Zone (1959-1964): The classic anthology series by writer and host Rod Serling. It has spawned television series remakes and a movie.
- The Honeymooners (1955-1956): The legendary sitcom featuring bus driver Ralph Kramden (Jackie Gleason) and his friend Ed Norton (Art Carney).
For more information about this stamp issue, visit the Postal Service Web site.
Sources: Internet Movie Database, The Museum of Broadcast Communications, TV.com, USPS press release
The copyright of the article 'Early TV' On Postage Stamps in Collecting Stamps/Coins is owned by David Chiu. Permission to republish 'Early TV' On Postage Stamps in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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