Paul Harvey
Jan 1 Chicago broadcaster Paul Harvey begins his national radio program "Paul Harvey News and Comment" from WENR-AM for the ABC network
- Jan 23 3rd Emmy Awards: Alan Young Show, Alan Young and Gertrude Berg win
"Peter Pan"
Jan 27 Leonard Bernstein's musical "Peter Pan", starring Jean Arthur and Boris Karloff, closes at Imperial Theater, NYC, after 320 performances
"The Victor Borge Show"
Feb 3 "The Victor Borge Show" debuts on NBC-TV
- Feb 6 Radio commentator Paul Harvey arrested for trying to sneak into Argonne National Laboratory, a nuclear test site located 20 miles (32 km) west of Chicago, Illinois
- Feb 10 "John and Marsha" by Stan Freberg, a parody of daytime soap operas which had only two voices repeating each other's names, peaks at #21 in the USA
- Feb 22 4th British Film and Television Awards (BAFTAs): "All About Eve" Best Film
8th Golden Globes
Feb 28 8th Golden Globes: "Sunset Boulevard", Jose Ferrer, & Gloria Swanson win
I'm a Fool to Want You
Mar 27 Frank Sinatra records "I'm a Fool to Want You"
Academy Awards
Mar 29 23rd Academy Awards: "All About Eve", Judy Holliday and José Ferrer win
The King and I
Mar 29 Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical "The King and I", based on the novel "Anna and the King of Siam", opens at St James Theater, NYC; runs for 1,246 performances, winning 5 Tony Awards; Star Yul Brynner would lead the cast of the 1956 film version, and play the role over 4,200 times
A Place in the Sun
Apr 5 "A Place in the Sun", film adaptation of Theodore Dreiser's "An American Tragedy", directed by George Stevens, starring Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor and Shelley Winters premieres at the Cannes Film Festival in France
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Apr 19 Arthur Schwartz and Dorothy Fields' musical "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" adapted from Betty Smith's novel, and starring Shirley Booth, opens at Alvin Theater, NYC; runs for 267 performances
- Apr 20 4th Cannes Film Festival: "Miss Julie" directed by Alf Sjoberg and "Miracle in Milan" directed by Vittorio De Sica jointly awarded the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film
Out of This World
May 5 Cole Porter's musical "Out of This World" an adaptation of Titus Plautus's mythological comedy Amphitryon, starring George Gaynes, closes at New Century Theater, NYC, after 157 performances
- May 14 "The Ernie Kovacs Show", a television variety program debuts on NBC-TV
Theater Premiere
May 23 Peter Ustinov's play "Love of Four Colonels" premieres in London
Radio Premiere
May 28 Radio programme "Crazy People" (later titled The Goon Show) premieres on the BBC, created by Spike Milligan
1st Color TV Broadcast
Jun 25 First color TV broadcast, Arthur Godfrey hosts a musical variety special titled "Premiere" from CBS NYC to a network of 5 East Coast cities
- Jun 28 "Amos 'n' Andy" premieres on CBS TV
- Jun 30 "Victor Borge Show" last airs on NBC-TV
- Jul 2 "Bob & Ray show" premieres on NBC radio
- Jul 14 1st color telecast of a sporting event (CBS-horse race)
Alice In Wonderland
Jul 28 Walt Disney releases animated musical film "Alice In Wonderland", featuring Kathryn Beaumont, J. Pat O'Malley, Ed Wynn, and Sterling Holloway and songs by Sammy Fain and Bob Hilliard
- Aug 11 First televised baseball game in colour on WCBS in New York City; Boston Braves beat Brooklyn Dodgers, 8-1
A Place in the Sun
Aug 14 "A Place in the Sun", film adptation of Theodore Dreiser's "An American Tragedy", directed by George Stevens, starring Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor and Shelley Winters premieres in Los Angeles, California; wins 6 Academy Awards, including Best Director, 1952
Venice Film Festival
Aug 20 12th Venice Film Festival: "Rashomon" directed by Akira Kurosawa wins the Golden Lion
An American In Paris
Aug 26 Film "An American In Paris" with music by George Gershwin, directed by Vincente Minnelli, starring Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron premieres in London (Academy Awards Best Picture, 1952)
- Sep 3 TV soap opera "Search for Tomorrow" debuts on CBS
- Sep 4 1st transcontinental TV broadcast, by US President Harry Truman
- Sep 4 NBC extends to become a 61 station coast-to-coast network
- Sep 9 1st broadcast of soap opera "Love of Life" on CBS-TV
- Sep 10 "Rashomon" by Akira Kurosawa wins the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival
A Streetcar Named Desire
Sep 18 "A Streetcar Named Desire", film directed by Elia Kazan based on Tennessee Williams' 1947 play of the same name, starring Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh, premieres at the Warner Theater, NYC
- Sep 18 "The Day the Earth Stood Still", science fiction film directed by Robert Wise, and starring Michael Rennie, opens
- Sep 19 1st broadcast of "Search for Tomorrow" on CBS-TV
- Sep 29 CBS broadcasts 1st football game in color, University of California against the University of Pennsylvania, at Philadelphia
- Oct 2 1st Netherland TV broadcast (Toverspiegel)
- Oct 3 CBS-TV airs the first coast-to-coast telecast of a prize fight; Australian light-heavyweight Dave Sands outpoints American Carl 'Bobo' Olson in 10 rounds at Chicago Stadium
The Honeymooners
Oct 5 Jackie Gleason debuts the character of bus-driver Ralph Kramden on 1st "The Honeymooners" skit (Cavalcade of Stars)
I Love Lucy
Oct 15 "I Love Lucy", starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, debuts on CBS
Music History
Nov 1 Johnny Mercer's musical "Top Banana", starring Phil Silvers, opens at Winter Garden Theater, NYC; runs for 356 performances, winning a Tony Award
- Nov 18 Former Cubs 1st baseman & future TV star of Rifleman Chuck Connors is 1st player to oppose the major league draft
The Pied Piper
Dec 4 Aaron Copland's and Jerome Robbins' ballet "The Pied Piper" premieres in New York City
- Dec 8 Arthur Schwartz and Dorothy Fields' musical "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" adapted from Betty Smith's novel, and starring Shirley Booth, closes at Alvin Theater, NYC, after 267 performances
- Dec 16 NBC premiere of "Dragnet" in black and white
- Dec 23 National Football League Championship, LA Memorial Coliseum: Los Angeles Rams beat Cleveland Browns, 24-17; first coast-to-coast televised NFL title game
- Dec 24 1st opera commissioned for television - "Amahl and the Night Visitors" by Gian Carlo Menotti premieres on NBC with the NBC Opera Theater
"The African Queen"
Dec 26 "The African Queen", directed by John Huston and based on the 1935 novel of the same name, starring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn, is released in LA, California (Academy Awards Best Actor 1952)
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