Front Row Center

*Front Row Center*
Front Row Center
Genre	Variety
Directed by	Milt Douglas; Fletcher Markle
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Producer	Fletcher Markle
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	30 minutes; (March 1949–June 1949); 60 minutes; (June 1949–April 1950)
Original release
Network	DuMont Television Network
Release	March 25, 1949 –; April 2, 1950

Front Row Center is the title of two American television programs with different formats that were broadcast on different networks.

DuMont version

Front Row Center, an American variety show, aired on the DuMont Television Network from March 25, 1949, to April 2, 1950,^[1] The program was a renamed version of Hotel Broadway, with Whelan Drug Company continuing as sponsor, but with a new slot on DuMont's schedule.^[2] It initially was on from 9 to 9:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Fridays. In June 1949 it moved to 8-9 p.m. ET on Fridays, and in October 1949 it moved to 7-8 p.m. ET on Sundays.^[3]

Originally 30 minutes, the sustaining program expanded to 60 minutes on June 10, 1949, and DuMont personnel began seeking entertainers in an effort to make the program "television's standout talent quest show."^[4] That quest included holding auditions at DuMont's Adelphi Playhouse in New York City.^[4]

The premiere episode featured Marilyn Maxwell in her TV debut.^[3]

Personnel

Frank Fontaine was the host. Regulars on the program were Marian Bruce, Joan Fields, Cass Franklin, Phil Leeds, Hal Lohman, Monica Moore, Bibi Osterwald, and Danny Shore.^[5]

Bill Harmon was the program's producer and director,^[4] and Stanton B. Fisher also directed. Sam Spear and his 14-piece orchestra provided music.^[2]

CBS version

Front Row Center was a dramatic anthology series on CBS that originally ran from June 1, 1955, to September 21, 1955, and returned from January 8, 1956 until April 22, 1956.^[1] In 1955 the program was broadcast every Wednesday from 10 to 11 p.m. ET through June, after which it alternated in that time slot with The United States Steel Hour. Episodes in 1956 were broadcast on Sunday afternoons.^[3]

Fletcher Markle was the director.^[1] Episodes were live adaptations of Broadway plays or literary works.^[3] They included the following:

June 1, 1955 - "Dinner at Eight" - Mary Astor, Everett Sloane, Pat O'Brien, Mary Beth Hughes^[1]
June 15, 1955 - "Ah, Wilderness!" - Leon Ames, Lillian Hellman^[1]
September 7, 1955 - "Tender is the Night" - Mercedes McCambridge,^[6] James Daly
January 8, 1956 - "Finley's Fan Club" -Diana Lynn, Eddie Bracken^[7]
April 15, 1956 - "The Human Touch" - Lisa Kirk^[1]

Critical response

Jack Gould wrote in The New York Times that the presentation of "Dinner at Eight" "was hurt by editing and uneven casting; it was warmed-over fare, lacking real substance."^[8] He described Soane's acting as "a good performance."^[8]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 307. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
^ ^a ^b "DuMont". Ross Reports. April 8, 1949. p. 4. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (1999). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present (7th ed.). New York: The Ballentine Publishing Group. p. 372. ISBN 0-345-42923-0.
^ ^a ^b ^c Stretch, Bud (June 10, 1949). "Air Waves". Courier-Post. New Jersey, Camden. p. 20. Retrieved February 20, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 370. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
^ Rascoe, Burton (7 September 1955). "TV First Nighter". Buffalo Evening News. p. 48.
^ "Shows on the Mark". Motion Picture Daily. January 3, 1956. p. 16. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
^ ^a ^b Gould, Jack (June 5, 1955). "Family of Arts Stimulated by Recent Developments in Television World". The New York Times. p. X 13. Retrieved November 6, 2023.

Bibliography

David Weinstein, The Forgotten Network: DuMont and the Birth of American Television (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2004) ISBN 1-59213-245-6

External links

Front Row Center at IMDb
DuMont historical website Archived 2022-02-14 at the Wayback Machine

This article about a television show originating in the United States is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[tt-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 307. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.

[:0-2] "DuMont". Ross Reports. April 8, 1949. p. 4. Retrieved April 16, 2024.

[brooks-3] Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (1999). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present (7th ed.). New York: The Ballentine Publishing Group. p. 372. ISBN 0-345-42923-0.

[cp-4] Stretch, Bud (June 10, 1949). "Air Waves". Courier-Post. New Jersey, Camden. p. 20. Retrieved February 20, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[etvs-5] Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 370. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.

[6] Rascoe, Burton (7 September 1955). "TV First Nighter". Buffalo Evening News. p. 48.

[7] "Shows on the Mark". Motion Picture Daily. January 3, 1956. p. 16. Retrieved January 3, 2024.

[nyt-8] Gould, Jack (June 5, 1955). "Family of Arts Stimulated by Recent Developments in Television World". The New York Times. p. X 13. Retrieved November 6, 2023.

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