TV Neighbors

Not long after the end of World War II, television began to come into its own as an important household entertainment and informational medium. In the 1950s, New York expanded as the major broadcast hub for a wide spectrum of programs: dramatic anthologies, soap operas, quiz shows, sporting events, variety shows, newscasts, and “spectaculars” of every sort. And to maintain these extensive weekly schedules, more and more actors, emcees, musicians, news journalists and sportscasters turned to the far-reaching and influential new medium. Westport and Weston, Connecticut contributed a fair number of on-camera pioneers to the new medium, having already had the well-deserved reputation as home to artists and entertainers. A number of writers and producers also chose Westport as the setting for their sitcoms. These video pioneers, Westport and Weston TV Neighbors, helped to establish the fledgling medium. This book grew out of an exhibit, Westport and Weston TV Neighbors, at the Westport, Connecticut, Historical Society. It inaugurated the Society’s new Betty and Ralph Sheffer Exhibition Hall in 2003.