Primeval Television

If one can speak of the ages of TV, this compilation comes from the time when the medium was just taking baby steps. It begins with a government short called Tomorrow Television (1945) that promotes careers in TV production to GIs returning from the war, followed by programs dating from 1948 to 1954 that were chosen to illustrate various genres. Situation comedy is represented with the very first episode of The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet (1952) and an episode of The Beulah Show (1950), in which Ethel Waters plays a housekeeper and Dooley Wilson costars as her boyfriend, with Butterfly McQueen (Gone With the Wind) in a supporting role. Dramas include episodes of Playhouse 15 (1952) with Jack Klugman, Martin Kane, Private Eye (1952) with Lloyd Nolan, Public Prosecutor (1947), and a sci-fi spy show called Top Secret (1954). An episode of The Ed Wynn Show (1949) with Buster Keaton as guest star serves as a solid example of variety programming, while Learn to Draw (1950) showcases educational TV. Also featured are animated programs (old Felix the Cat shorts revived for the tube, the 1948 pilot Comic Strips of Television from Jay Ward) and live-action kids' shows such as Junior Aces (19502 and a pre-Bozo circus show called The Magic Clown (1949), which comes across like an infomercial for its candy-company sponsor. Rounding out the collection are newsreels and celebrity-centered pieces with Art Linkletter and Dinah Shore. Not exactly lost treasures, Primeval Television nevertheless contains intriguing artifacts that will be of interest to students of television's earliest years. Recommended. (F. Swietek)