- Jan 4 "Blondie" situation comedy premieres on NBC TV (later on CBS)
Elvis's Final Ed Sullivan Show
Jan 6 Elvis Presley makes his 7th & final appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show"
Commissioner's Bing Crosby Decision
Jan 10 Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick rules Bing Crosby can keep token stock in Detroit Tigers, even though he owns part of Pittsburgh Pirates
"All that Fall"
Jan 13 "All that Fall", first radio play by Samuel Beckett, aired on BBC Third Programme
- Jan 21 KSAT TV channel 12 in San Antonio, TX (ABC) begins broadcasting
- Feb 11 KUMV TV channel 8 in Williston, ND (NBC) begins broadcasting
The Seventh Seal
Feb 16 Swedish film classic "The Seventh Seal" directed by Ingmar Bergman, starring Max von Sydow and Bengt Ekerot is released
- Feb 16 The "Toddlers' Truce", a controversial television close down between 6 and 7 pm, abolished in the United Kingdom
Music History
Feb 23 Jerry Bock, Larry Holofcener, and George David Weiss's musical "Mr Wonderful", with Sammy Davis Jr. and his father Sammy Davis Sr., closes at Broadway Theater, NYC, after 383 performances
- Feb 27 Premiere of only prime-time network TV show beginning with an "X": "Xavier Cugat Show" on NBC (until X-Files)
Golden Globes
Feb 28 14th Golden Globes: The King and I, Kirk Douglas, & Ingrid Bergman win
Emmy Awards
Mar 16 9th Emmy Awards: Phil Silvers Show, Robert Young & Loretta Young win
- Mar 18 WTWV (now WTVA) TV channel 9 in Tupelo-Columbus, MS (NBC) begins
Academy Awards
Mar 27 29th Academy Awards: "Around World in 80 Days", Ingrid Bergman, Yul Brynner win
Cinderella
Mar 31 Rodgers & Hammerstein's live television musical "Cinderella", starring Julie Andrews, with Kaye Ballard and Alice Ghostley, premieres on CBS-TV
- Apr 1 WYES-TV channel 12 in New Orleans, Louisiana (PBS) begins broadcasting
12 Angry Men
Apr 10 "12 Angry Men", directed by Sidney Lumet, starring Henry Fonda and Lee J. Cobb, is released
Radio Premiere
May 1 Larry King's 1st radio broadcast, on station WAHR (1490-AM) in Miami Beach, Florida
The Curse of Frankenstein
May 2 Hammer Film Productions releases its 1st color horror title - "The Curse of Frankenstein" starring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee
- May 6 Last broadcast of "I Love Lucy" on CBS-TV
Copacabana Incident
May 16 NY Yankee players including Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, and Hank Bauer are involved in a brawl at the Copacabana nightclub while watching Sammy Davis Jr. perform, leads to Billy Martin trade
10th Cannes Film Festival
May 17 10th Cannes Film Festival: "Friendly Persuasion" directed by William Wyler wins the Palme d'Or
- Jun 21 7th Berlin International Film Festival: "12 Angry Men" wins Golden Bear
Television Finale
Jun 25 "Jonathan Winters Show" last airs on NBC-TV
TV Show Appearance
Jul 28 Rock and roll piano player-singer Jerry Lee Lewis makes his 1st TV appearance with a raucous rendition of "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" on the "Steve Allen Show"
- Jul 29 Jack Paar's "The Tonight show" premieres on NBC
- Aug 5 "American Bandstand" premieres on network TV (ABC)
- Sep 1 WAVY TV channel 10 in Portsmouth-Norfolk, VA (NBC) begins broadcasting
- Sep 1 WHC (now WPXI) TV channel 11 in Pittsburgh, PA (NBC) 1st broadcast
- Sep 1 WTLV TV channel 12 in Jacksonville, FL (ABC/NBC) begins broadcasting
- Sep 3 KTCA TV channel 2 in St Paul-Minneapolis, MN (PBS) begins broadcasting
- Sep 7 WWL TV channel 4 in New Orleans, LA (CBS) begins broadcasting
Bachelor Father
Sep 15 US TV series "Bachelor Father" with John Forsythe premieres
- Sep 17 KETV TV channel 7 in Omaha, NB (ABC) begins broadcasting
Film & TV History
Sep 17 Two male attorneys "stand in" as actress Sophia Loren & producer Carlo Ponti wed by proxy in Juarez, Mexico
- Sep 18 US Western TV drama "Wagon Train" premieres
Perry Mason
Sep 21 "Perry Mason" TV series based on the character by author Erle Stanley Gardner, starring Raymond Burr premieres on CBS-TV
Maverick
Sep 22 Western comedy series "Maverick" premieres on ABC television starring James Garner
- Sep 23 WTIC TV channel 61 in Hartford, CT (CBS/FOX) begins broadcasting
- Sep 25 18th Venice Film Festival: Influential Indian film "Aparajito" directed by Satyajit Ray is first film to win the Golden Lion and the Critics Award
- Sep 28 "Dollar A Second" last airs on NBC-TV
- Sep 28 "Gisele MacKenzie Show" debuts on NBC-TV
- Sep 29 "DuPont Show of the Month" debuts on CBS-TV
- Sep 29 "The Paul Winchell Show" debuts on ABC-TV
- Sep 30 WKYT TV channel 27 in Lexington, KY (CBS) begins broadcasting
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Oct 2 "The Bridge on the River Kwai", directed by David Lean and starring William Holden and Alec Guinness, is released (Academy Awards Best Picture 1958)
Jailhouse Rock Premieres
Oct 17 Musical film "Jailhouse Rock" starring Elvis Presley premieres in Memphis, Tennessee
The Frank Sinatra Show
Oct 18 "The Frank Sinatra Show" television variety/drama anthology series debuts on ABC; the singer-actor is given almost complete control of the program
- Oct 22 KJAC TV channel 4 in Port Arthur-Beaumont, TX (NBC) 1st broadcast
- Oct 27 WOWL TV channel 15 in Florence, AL (NBC/CBS) begins broadcasting
- Oct 27 WPTA TV channel 21 in Fort Wayne, IN (ABC) begins broadcasting
- Oct 28 WMVS TV channel 10 in Milwaukee, WI (PBS) begins broadcasting
- Oct 30 WLWI (now WTHR) TV channel 13 in Indianapolis, IN (ABC) 1st broadcast
- Oct 30 WYTV TV channel 33 in Youngstown, OH (ABC) begins broadcasting
- Nov 1 KVII TV channel 7 in Amarillo, Texas (ABC) begins broadcasting
- Nov 1 KXGN TV channel 5 in Glendive, Montana (CBS/NBC/ABC) begins broadcasting
- Nov 1 WICZ TV channel 40 in Binghamton, New York (NBC) begins broadcasting
- Nov 7 WEEQ (now WWTO) TV channel 35 in La Salle, IL (IND) 1st broadcast
- Nov 14 Dick Hutton beats Lou Thesz in Toronto, to become NWA wrestling champion
All Eyes on Birthplace of British Rock 'n' Roll
Nov 16 BBC’s 1st pop music show, the "Six-Five Special", is broadcast from the tiny 2i’s Coffee Bar in London
- Nov 17 WBOY TV channel 12 in Clarksburg, West Virginia (NBC/ABC) begins broadcasting
Rope Dancers
Nov 20 Morton Wishengrad's dramatic play "Rope Dancers", starring Art Carney, Siobhán McKenna, and Theodore Bikel, premieres at Cort Theatre, NYC; runs for 189 performances
- Nov 26 WCVB TV channel 5 in Boston, MA (ABC) begins broadcasting
Look Homeward, Angel
Nov 28 "Look Homeward, Angel" play based on the book by Thomas Wolfe adapted by Ketti Frings and starring Anthony Perkins premieres in NYC
Happy Hunting
Nov 30 Harold Karr and Matt Dubey's musical "Happy Hunting", starring Ethel Merman and Fernando Lamas, closes at Majestic Theater, NYC, after 413 performances
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
Dec 1 Seminal rock band Buddy Holly & The Crickets make their "Ed Sullivan Show" debut, performing "That'll Be The Day" and "Peggy Sue"; singer Sam Cooke also performs after getting bumped due to time constraints on November 3rd - he sings "You Send Me" and “(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons” [1] [2]
The Sound of Jazz
Dec 8 CBS broadcasts "The Sound of Jazz", live from NYC: an all-star program featuring swing era and contemporary jazz artists, including Count Basie, Red Allen, Ben Webster;, Thelonious Monk, and Gerry Mulligan; highlight is the final collaboration of Billie Holiday and Lester Young on "Fine and Mellow"
Peyton Place
Dec 13 "Peyton Place" film based on the novel by Grace Metalious, directed by Mark Robson and starring Lana Turner and Hope Lange is released
The Nat King Cole Show
Dec 17 Last episode of "The Nat King Cole Show" airs on NBC, cancelled due to lack of national sponsorship
Ringo's First Drum Set
Dec 25 Liverpudlian teenager Richard Starkey (later better known as Ringo Starr) receives his first drum set aged 17
"Wild Strawberries"
Dec 26 Swedish film "Wild Strawberries" is released, written and directed by legendary filmmaker Ingmar Bergman, considered one of his best
- Dec 28 CBS states it won't broadcast baseball where minor league games are on
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