Pioneers of Primetime is a 2005 PBS documentary that revisits the early pioneers of television through exploring vaudeville, radio, and TV. PBS followed it up with the multi-season Pioneers of Television.

It’s been a long time since I watched the PBS documentary. I honestly forgot that it explored both vaudeville and radio before rewatching in April. But to be honest, I don’t think one can really understand the impact of TV’s early years without doing so. Radio comedies were pretty huge in their day. Honestly, it wasn’t until a number of years ago in which I learned that Ed Sullivan made the transition from radio to TV. I think Pioneers of Primetime gets it correct in this regard.

We were very lucky that a number of classic stars were still living when director Steven J. Boettcher started down the path to bring this documentary to the screen. At the time it aired, a number of interviews had never been seen before by wider audiences. That said, Pioneers of Primetime should have been a multi-part documentary. There’s so much story to tell, let alone highlights to show!

Milton Berle was one of the earliest pioneers of primetime. Berle credits his vaudeville training for his later success on TV. Berle mentions how his mother was in the audience for every one of his vaudeville shows. Texaco Star Theater debuted on NBC in 1948.

Sid Caesar and Your Show of Shows were among the pioneers of primetime. Caesar’s show was game-changing in so many ways. It isn’t just the many famous names in the writing room (the smartest writing room since Thomas Jefferson dined alone). Caesar and fellow cast members went live on the air for a 90-minute show without any cue cards or teleprompters. Imagine the cast of SNL performing live without cue cards!

Sitcoms came shortly thereafter. The Honeymooners and I Love Lucy still remain the gold standards for sitcoms. I Love Lucy was the first sitcom aired before a live studio audience. They were also the first TV show to later air in syndication. The Honeymooners is no different with airing for several years in syndication. The show didn’t depend on guest stars like other sitcoms. It featured a core ensemble of four actors.

Jack Benny was a radio star for many years. It wasn’t until he was 56 years old before he made his TV debut. He had been a master of comic timing for years before coming to TV. Benny was one of those performers who was successful no matter the medium. The Jack Benny Program aired 1932-1955 on radio and 1950-1965 on TV. Because of his success, he was one of many comedians featured in It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.

Vaudeville was a form of entertainment that predated television. It was a family affair for both the audience and entertainers. The Marx Brothers aren’t featured in the film but they’re a perfect example of using vaudeville to perfect their stage act. But as performers made their way to TV, they realized they come up with new material every week. They couldn’t just perform the same thing as they did while on tour. Movie theaters replaced vaudeville theaters as the 1920s gave way to the 1930s. Vaudeville was a dying art by this point.

Sammy Davis Jr. was the son of a vaudeville star. He joined his father’s act when he was a little boy. He later became a member of the Rat Pack and a part of an iconic moment on All in the Family. He wasn’t immune to racism and Pioneers of Primetime explores how entertainers dealt with it at the time. People could get along on the stage but that wasn’t the same case elsewhere.

If one didn’t go to the movies, they listened to the radio. Pioneers of Primetime explores how it became the new form of entertainment for the masses. Who better to showcase radio comedy than George Burns and Gracie Allen? They use a bit of them discussing the California property law. The 1930s was the Golden Age of Radio. You had Burns and Allen, Jack Benny, Fred Allen, Ed Wynn, Bob Hope, and Ed Sullivan. Benny hit it big after debuting on Ed Sullivan’s radio show in 1932. He would make over 900+ broadcasts in 23 years. Benny would later transition to TV.

Red Skelton was a performer that depended on visual gags. He transitioned to radio and had to change his performances based on the medium. Pioneers of Primetime points out how comedians helped provided laughs to Americans suffering during the Great Depression. It provided a connection that would last for so many years. Listeners would follow performers as they made their way to TV–this came in the late 1940s and early 1950s. He built a radio career on colorful characters and in 1951, he exploded on TV with a comic arsenal. What he did on TV was act out plenty of radio sketches.

Television became king almost 40 minutes into Pioneers of Primetime. Because Berle was a hit on NBC, CBS responded with the launch of The Ed Sullivan Show. As Rose Marie comments, Sullivan became vaudeville for TV. Bob Hope–a vaudeville performer who later became TV’s biggest act for hire–hosted The Comedy Hour. To say that Hope masterfully adapted to TV is not an understatement. After an 18-year run on radio, Burns and Allen moved to TV in 1950 for The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show. They were equally successful on the tube.

Ed Wynn hosted one of the first TV shows based in Los Angeles. The Ed Wynn Show won the first Emmy for Best Live TV Show in 1949. Unfortunately, Wynn’s show only lasted two years.

TV took its toll on performers, including Singin’ in the Rain‘s Donald O’Connor. He was one of the revolving hosts of The Colgate Comedy Hour. The show competed against Sullivan for five seasons. Your Show of Shows aired for four seasons while The Honeymooners aired for five seasons. Many of the performers profiled in Pioneers of Primetime were able to master vaudeville, radio, and television. It’s not an easy feat but their talent just happened to be at the right place at the right time.

Pioneers of Primetime is way too short of a documentary but it packs a lot of punch and highlights into its 60-minute runtime.

DIRECTOR: Steven J. Boettcher
SCREENWRITER: Jack Jones Jr.
NARRATOR: Harlan Saperstein
FEATURING: Steve Allen, Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, Sammy Davis Jr., Buddy Ebsen, Bob Hope, Rose Marie, Donald O’Connor, Red Skelton, Milt Larsen, Sharif Mansur, Bruce DuMont

PBS aired Pioneers of Primetime on November 9, 2005. Grade: 3.5/5

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