Home (1954 TV program): Difference between revisions

*Home*
Home
Genre	Women's interest; Talk; Magazine;
Created by	Sylvester L. Weaver, Jr.
Presented by	Arlene Francis
Narrated by	Hugh Downs
Composer	The Norman Paris Trio
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of episodes	893
Production
Producers	Richard Linkroum; Ted Rogers;
Production location	New York City
Running time	1 hour
Original release
Network	NBC
Release	March 1, 1954 –; August 9, 1957
Related
	The Arlene Francis Show (1957–1958); Today; Tonight; ;

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Home was an American daytime television program hosted by Arlene Francis. Intended for an audience of women, it debuted in 1954 as one of NBC's three major non-primetime shows. While the other two shows—Today and Tonight—are still being produced 60 years later, Home was cancelled in 1957.

Format

Each hour-long show is presented in a series of short segments which discuss topics in a depth typical of a magazine article. A segment may be either entertaining or informational. Topics typically relate to homemaking but may also include civic, cultural, and social issues and interviews with newsmakers.^[4] Twelve minutes of each broadcast are devoted to the promotion of consumer goods from the show's sponsors; these commercials often take place within the informational segments of the show itself.^[5]

Instead of imitating the look of an actual house as cooking shows did, Home's producers made it obvious that it was taking place in a modern television studio. The $200,000 revolving set had a kitchen, a workshop, and an area to demonstrate the effects of weather on the sponsors' products.^[6] A garden area contained soil samples from each of the 48 U.S. states; an additional sample to represent Washington, D.C., was provided by Vice President Richard Nixon.^[7]

On-air staff

Arlene Francis hosted the program as editor-in-chief with Hugh Downs serving as her announcer and assistant. Music was performed by the Norman Paris Trio and singer Johnny Johnston. The team of editors presenting segments on particular topics included Poppy Cannon (food), Rose Franzblau (family relations and child psychology), Eve Hunter (fashion and beauty), Sydney Smith (interior decorating), Estelle Parsons (special projects), Leona Baumgartner (health), and Will Peigelbeck (gardening and home repairs).^[8]^[9]

History

NBC executive Sylvester "Pat" Weaver began planning a concept called Shopping in late 1951, intending to attract an audience of upper middle class women. Its content and segmented format were inspired by the success of women's magazines, local cooking shows, and the NBC network's Today show. By aiming for a particular target demographic, the network hoped to attract sponsors from women's magazines who would not be interested in advertising on a show meant for the masses.^[10]^[11]

Three talk shows that Weaver created (Today, Home, and Tonight) were intended to complement each other and were referred to as the "T-H-T" package.^[12]^[13] These programs helped to establish the practice of selling advertising rights to several temporary sponsors. The usual practice at the time involved a single sponsor being responsible for an entire television series.^[14]

After spending $1 million promoting Home, NBC predicted that 10% of television-equipped U.S. households would watch the program. This rating fell to about 3 by the month after Home's March 1, 1954, premiere. The network responded to these low ratings by adding more entertaining segments.^[15]

Although the series was nominated for a 1956 Emmy Award for Best Contribution to Daytime Programming, it continued to have low ratings.^[16] That same year it was moved from 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., a timeslot with less competition. In that season Home had a rating of 2.5, whereas CBS's 10:00 and 10:30 programs were at 6.5 and 7.5, respectively.^[17] The 893rd and final episode of Home was broadcast on August 9, 1957.^[18] For the following six months Francis hosted a livelier and "less restrained" talk show called The Arlene Francis Show.^[19]^[20]^[21]

References

^ Aaronson, Charles S. 1956 International Television Almanac. New York: Quigley Publications. p. 564.
^ Aaronson, Charles S. 1957 International Television Almanac. New York: Quigley Publications. p. 589.
^ Timberg 2002, p. 40.
^ Cassidy 2005, p. 138.
^ Stole 1997, p. 145.
^ Cassidy 2005, pp. 149–150.
^ Stole 1997, pp. 149–150.
^ Terrace, Vincent (2009). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2007. Vol. 2. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Co. p. 693. ISBN 978-0-7864-3305-6.
^ Cassidy 2005, p. 137.
^ Stole 1997, pp. 140−142.
^ Cassidy 2005, p. 135.
^ Stole 1997, p. 135.
^ Cassidy 2005, p. 133.
^ Stole 1997, p. 145.
^ Stole 1997, pp. 148, 150–151.
^ "8th Primetime Emmys Nominees and Winners". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
^ Cassidy 2005, p. 154.
^ Timberg 2002, pp. 41–42.
^ Timberg 2002, p. 43.
^ Crosby, John (July 26, 1957). "The End of Home". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
^ Hyatt, Wesley (1997). The Encyclopedia of Daytime Television. Watson-Guptill Publications. p. 35. ISBN 978-0823083152. Retrieved 22 March 2020.

Bibliography

Cassidy, Marsha F. (2005). "Domesticity in Doubt: Arlene Francis and Home". What Women Watched: Daytime Television in the 1950s. Austin: University of Texas Press. pp. 131–156. ISBN 0-292-70626-X.
Stole, Inger L. (1997). "There Is No Place Like Home: NBC's Search for a Daytime Audience, 1954–1957". The Communication Review. 2 (2): 135–161. doi:10.1080/10714429709368554.
Timberg, Bernard M. (2002). "Arlene Francis and Home (1954–1957)". Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show. Austin: University of Texas Press. pp. 39–45. ISBN 9780292781764.

External links

First half of March 25, 1957, show, archive.org
Photos of the set: "Be It Ever So Humble: Costly Gadgets fill NBC 'Home'". Life. March 29, 1954. pp. 50–51.

[1] Aaronson, Charles S. 1956 International Television Almanac. New York: Quigley Publications. p. 564.

[2] Aaronson, Charles S. 1957 International Television Almanac. New York: Quigley Publications. p. 589.

[3] Timberg 2002, p. 40.

[4] Cassidy 2005, p. 138.

[5] Stole 1997, p. 145.

[6] Cassidy 2005, pp. 149–150.

[7] Stole 1997, pp. 149–150.

[8] Terrace, Vincent (2009). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2007. Vol. 2. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Co. p. 693. ISBN 978-0-7864-3305-6.

[9] Cassidy 2005, p. 137.

[10] Stole 1997, pp. 140−142.

[11] Cassidy 2005, p. 135.

[12] Stole 1997, p. 135.

[13] Cassidy 2005, p. 133.

[14] Stole 1997, p. 145.

[15] Stole 1997, pp. 148, 150–151.

[16] "8th Primetime Emmys Nominees and Winners". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved June 10, 2014.

[17] Cassidy 2005, p. 154.

[18] Timberg 2002, pp. 41–42.

[19] Timberg 2002, p. 43.

[20] Crosby, John (July 26, 1957). "The End of Home". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Retrieved June 11, 2014.

[Daytime-21] Hyatt, Wesley (1997). The Encyclopedia of Daytime Television. Watson-Guptill Publications. p. 35. ISBN 978-0823083152. Retrieved 22 March 2020.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{Infobox television
-| show_name                = Home
+| image                = Home Show NBC.jpg
-| image                    = Home Show NBC.jpg
+| image_size           =
-| image_size               =
+| image_alt            =
-| image_alt                =
+| caption              =
+| genre                = {{unbulleted list | Women's interest | [[Talk show|Talk]] | [[News magazine|Magazine]]}}
-| caption                  =
-| show_name_2              =
+| creator              = [[Sylvester Weaver (executive)|Sylvester L. Weaver, Jr.]]
+| based_on             =
-| genre                    = {{unbulleted list | Women's interest | [[Talk show|Talk]] | [[News magazine|Magazine]]}}
-| format                   =
+| developer            =
-| creator                  = [[Sylvester Weaver (executive)|Sylvester L. Weaver, Jr.]]
+| writer               =
-| based_on                 =
+| director             =
-| developer                =
+| creative_director    =
-| writer                   =
+| presenter            = [[Arlene Francis]]
-| director                 =
+| starring             =
-| creative_director        =
+| judges               =
-| presenter                = [[Arlene Francis]]
+| voices               =
-| starring                 =
+| narrated             = [[Hugh Downs]]
+| theme_music_composer =
-| judges                   =
-| voices                   =
+| opentheme            =
-| narrated                 = [[Hugh Downs]]
+| endtheme             =
+| composer             = The Norman Paris Trio
-| theme_music_composer     =
-| opentheme                =
+| country              = United States
-| endtheme                 =
+| language             = English
-| composer                 = The Norman Paris Trio
+| num_seasons          = <!-- or num_series -->
-| country                  = United States
+| num_episodes         = 893
-| language                 = English
+| list_episodes        =
+| executive_producer   =
-| num_seasons              = <!-- or num_series -->
+| producer             = {{unbulleted list | Richard Linkroum<ref>{{Cite book|title = 1956 International Television Almanac|last = Aaronson|first = Charles S.|publisher = Quigley Publications|location = New York|page = 564}}</ref> | Ted Rogers<ref>{{Cite book|title = 1957 International Television Almanac|last = Aaronson|first = Charles S.|publisher = Quigley Publications|location = New York|page = 589}}</ref>}}
-| num_episodes             = 893
-| list_episodes            =
+| editor               =
+| location             = New York City<ref>Timberg 2002, p. 40.</ref>
-| executive_producer       =
+| cinematography       =
-| producer                 = {{unbulleted list | Richard Linkroum<ref>{{Cite book|title = 1956 International Television Almanac|last = Aaronson|first = Charles S.|publisher = Quigley Publications|year = |isbn = |location = New York|page = 564}}</ref> | Ted Rogers<ref>{{Cite book|title = 1957 International Television Almanac|last = Aaronson|first = Charles S.|publisher = Quigley Publications|year = |isbn = |location = New York|page = 589}}</ref>}}
-| editor                   =
+| camera               =
-| location                 = New York City<ref>Timberg 2002, p. 40.</ref>
+| runtime              = 1 hour
-| cinematography           =
+| company              =
-| camera                   =
+| channel              = [[NBC]]
-| runtime                  = 1 hour
+| first_aired          = {{Start date|1954|03|01}}
-| company                  =
+| last_aired           = {{End date|1957|08|09}}
-| distributor              =
+| related              = {{Plainlist|
+* ''[[The Arlene Francis Show]]'' (1957–1958)
-| channel                  = [[NBC]]
+* {{unbulleted list | ''[[Today (U.S. TV program)|Today]]'' | ''[[The Tonight Show|Tonight]]''}}
-| picture_format           =
+}}
-| audio_format             =
-| first_run                =
-| first_aired              = {{Start date|1954|03|01}}
-| last_aired               = {{End date|1957|08|09}}
-| preceded_by              =
-| followed_by              = ''[[The Arlene Francis Show]]'' (1957–1958)
-| related                  = {{unbulleted list | ''[[Today (U.S. TV program)|Today]]'' | ''[[The Tonight Show|Tonight]]''}}
-| website                  =
-| website_title            =
-| production_website       =
-| production_website_title =
 }}
 '''''Home''''' was an American [[daytime television]] program hosted by [[Arlene Francis]]. Intended for an audience of women, it debuted in 1954 as one of [[NBC]]'s three major non-primetime shows. While the other two shows—''[[Today (U.S. TV program)|Today]]'' and ''[[The Tonight Show|Tonight]]''—are still being produced 60 years later, Home was cancelled in 1957.
@@ Line 56: / Line 46: @@
 Each hour-long show is presented in a series of short segments which discuss topics in a depth typical of a magazine article. A segment may be either entertaining or informational. Topics typically relate to [[homemaking]] but may also include civic, cultural, and social issues and interviews with newsmakers.<ref>Cassidy 2005, p. 138.</ref> Twelve minutes of each broadcast are devoted to the promotion of consumer goods from the show's sponsors; these commercials often take place within the informational segments of the show itself.<ref>Stole 1997, p. 145.</ref>
-Instead of imitating the look of an actual house like on cooking shows, ''Home'''s producers made it obvious that it was taking place in a modern television studio. The $200,000 revolving set had a kitchen, a workshop, and an area to demonstrate the effects of weather on the sponsors' products.<ref>Cassidy 2005, pp. 149–150.</ref> A garden area contained soil samples from each of the 48 U.S. states; an additional sample to represent [[Washington, D.C.]], was provided by Vice President [[Richard Nixon]].<ref>Stole 1997, pp. 149–150.</ref>
+Instead of imitating the look of an actual house as cooking shows did, ''Home'''s producers made it obvious that it was taking place in a modern television studio. The $200,000 revolving set had a kitchen, a workshop, and an area to demonstrate the effects of weather on the sponsors' products.<ref>Cassidy 2005, pp. 149–150.</ref> A garden area contained soil samples from each of the 48 U.S. states; an additional sample to represent [[Washington, D.C.]], was provided by Vice President [[Richard Nixon]].<ref>Stole 1997, pp. 149–150.</ref>
 == On-air staff ==
@@ Line 68: / Line 58: @@
 After spending $1 million promoting ''Home'', NBC predicted that 10% of television-equipped U.S. households would watch the program. This [[audience measurement|rating]] fell to about 3 by the month after ''Home'''s March 1, 1954, premiere. The network responded to these low ratings by adding more entertaining segments.<ref>Stole 1997, pp. 148, 150–151.</ref>
-Although the series was nominated for a 1956 [[Emmy Award]] for Best Contribution to Daytime Programming, it continued to have low ratings.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/1956/daytime-program-or-achievement|title = 8th Primetime Emmys Nominees and Winners|date = |accessdate = June 10, 2014|website = |publisher = Academy of Television Arts & Sciences|last = |first = }}</ref> That same year it was moved from 11:00&nbsp;a.m. to 10:00&nbsp;a.m., a timeslot with less competition. In that season ''Home'' had a rating of 2.5, whereas [[CBS]]'s 10:00 and 10:30 programs were at 6.5 and 7.5, respectively.<ref>Cassidy 2005, p. 154.</ref> The 893rd and final episode of ''Home'' was broadcast on August 9, 1957.<ref>Timberg 2002, pp. 41–42.</ref> For the following six months Francis hosted a livelier and "less restrained" talk show called ''The Arlene Francis Show''.<ref>Timberg 2002, p. 43.</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url = http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=NzkgAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-2QEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7296%2C4498010|title = The End of Home|last = Crosby|first = John|date = July 26, 1957|work = Sarasota Herald-Tribune|accessdate = June 11, 2014}}</ref>
+Although the series was nominated for a 1956 [[Emmy Award]] for Best Contribution to Daytime Programming, it continued to have low ratings.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/1956/daytime-program-or-achievement|title = 8th Primetime Emmys Nominees and Winners|access-date = June 10, 2014|publisher = Academy of Television Arts & Sciences}}</ref> That same year it was moved from 11:00&nbsp;a.m. to 10:00&nbsp;a.m., a timeslot with less competition. In that season ''Home'' had a rating of 2.5, whereas [[CBS]]'s 10:00 and 10:30 programs were at 6.5 and 7.5, respectively.<ref>Cassidy 2005, p. 154.</ref> The 893rd and final episode of ''Home'' was broadcast on August 9, 1957.<ref>Timberg 2002, pp. 41–42.</ref> For the following six months Francis hosted a livelier and "less restrained" talk show called ''The Arlene Francis Show''.<ref>Timberg 2002, p. 43.</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=NzkgAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-2QEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7296%2C4498010|title = The End of Home|last = Crosby|first = John|date = July 26, 1957|work = Sarasota Herald-Tribune|access-date = June 11, 2014}}</ref><ref name=Daytime>{{cite book |last1=Hyatt |first1=Wesley |title=The Encyclopedia of Daytime Television |date=1997 |publisher=Watson-Guptill Publications |isbn=978-0823083152 |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofda00hyat|url-access=limited |access-date=22 March 2020|page=[https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofda00hyat/page/35 35]}}</ref>
 == References ==
 {{Reflist|30em}}
 ;Bibliography
-* {{Cite book|title = What Women Watched: Daytime Television in the 1950s|last = Cassidy|first = Marsha F.|publisher = University of Texas Press|year = 2005|isbn = 0-292-70626-X|location = Austin|pages = 131–156|chapter = Domesticity in Doubt: Arlene Francis and ''Home''}}
+* {{Cite book|title = What Women Watched: Daytime Television in the 1950s|url = https://archive.org/details/whatwomenwatched00cass|url-access = limited|last = Cassidy|first = Marsha F.|publisher = University of Texas Press|year = 2005|isbn = 0-292-70626-X|location = Austin|pages = [https://archive.org/details/whatwomenwatched00cass/page/n143 131]–156|chapter = Domesticity in Doubt: Arlene Francis and ''Home''}}
-* {{cite journal |last = Stole|first = Inger L.|year = 1997|title = There Is No Place Like ''Home'': NBC's Search for a Daytime Audience, 1954–1957|journal = The Communication Review|volume = 2|issue = 2|pages = 135–161}}
+* {{cite journal |last = Stole|first = Inger L.|year = 1997|title = There Is No Place Like ''Home'': NBC's Search for a Daytime Audience, 1954–1957|journal = The Communication Review|volume = 2|issue = 2|pages = 135–161| doi=10.1080/10714429709368554 }}
-* {{Cite book|title = Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show|last = Timberg|first = Bernard M.|publisher = University of Texas Press|year = 2002|isbn = 9780292781764|location = Austin|pages = 39–45|chapter = Arlene Francis and ''Home'' (1954–1957)|chapterurl = http://books.google.com/books?id=9f4wu3uygR4C&pg=PA39}}
+* {{Cite book|title = Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show|last = Timberg|first = Bernard M.|publisher = University of Texas Press|year = 2002|isbn = 9780292781764|location = Austin|pages = 39–45|chapter = Arlene Francis and ''Home'' (1954–1957)|chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=9f4wu3uygR4C&pg=PA39}}
 == External links ==
 * [https://archive.org/details/Home32557 First half of March 25, 1957, show], archive.org
-* Photos of the set: {{cite journal |date = March 29, 1954 |title = Be It Ever So Humble: Costly Gadgets fill NBC 'Home' |journal=Life |pages = 50–51 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=Y0gEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA50}}
+* Photos of the set: {{cite magazine |date = March 29, 1954 |title = Be It Ever So Humble: Costly Gadgets fill NBC 'Home' |magazine=Life |pages = 50–51 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y0gEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA50}}
 [[Category:1954 American television series debuts]]
-[[Category:1950s American television series]]
 [[Category:1957 American television series endings]]
-[[Category:American television talk shows]]
+[[Category:1950s American television talk shows]]
-[[Category:Live television programs]]
+[[Category:American live television series]]
-[[Category:English-language television programming]]
+[[Category:American English-language television shows]]
-[[Category:NBC network shows]]
+[[Category:NBC original programming]]