Pioneers of Primetime: Vaudeville Headliners, Radio Superstars, Television Legends

The 1940s witnessed the birth of television, and with it a generation of entertainers weaned on the comedy stylings of the vaudeville tradition. While many of the earliest television outings were nothing more than updated versions of vaudeville and radio shows, the 1950s ushered in a golden age that helped the medium come into its own with entirely new genres like sitcoms and talk shows. The PBS documentary PIONEERS OF PRIMETIME offers a historical look at these early days of television with rare clips and footage from groundbreaking programs like THE MILTON BERLE SHOW, THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW, THE JACK BENNY SHOW, THE RED SKELTON SHOW, I LOVE LUCY, and THE HONEYMOONERS, as well as candid interviews with the stars that created them, including Bob Hope, Sid Caesar, Steve Allen, Morey Amsterdam, Rose Marie, Donald O'Connor, Sammy Davis Jr., and Buddy Ebsen.