"CBS: On the Air" (1978) TV mini-series

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Directors:

Clark Jones
Sid Smith

Writers:

Norman Corwin (writer)
Hildy Parks (writer)

Release Date:

26 March 1978 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary

Plot:

7-part series celebrating the first 50 years of CBS broadcasting.

Plot Keywords:

Broadcasting | Peanuts | TV Mini-Series | Acronym In Title | Television History

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Primetime Emmys.

Cast

Alan Alda	...	Co-host - part III
Eve Arden	...	Co-host - part VI
James Arness	...	Himself
Bea Arthur	...	Co-host - part II
Edward Asner
Lauren Bacall
Lucille Ball	...	Herself - Co-host: part II
Ken Berry
Carol Burnett	...	Co-host - part VII
George Burns	...	Himself
Art Carney	...	Co-host - part VII
Mike Connors	...	Himself
William Conrad	...	Himself
Bert Convy	...	Co-host - part VI
Ellen Corby
Kami Cotler
Richard Crenna	...	Co-host - part VI
Walter Cronkite	...	Himself - Host
Buddy Ebsen	...	Co-host - part IV
Bonnie Franklin	...	Co-host - part VI
Will Geer
Arthur Godfrey	...	Co-host - part II
Andy Griffith
Valerie Harper
Sherman Hemsley	...	Co-host - part VII
Alfred Hitchcock	...	Himself
Danny Kaye	...	Co-host - part IV
Robert Keeshan
Linda Lavin	...	Co-host - part VI
Michael Learned
Art Linkletter	...	Co-host - part VII
Mary Beth McDonough
Garry Moore
Mary Tyler Moore	...	Host
Jim Nabors	...	Co-host - part VI
Carroll O'Connor	...	Co-host - part VII
Tony Randall	...	Co-host - part VII
Esther Rolle
Isabel Sanford	...	Co-host - part VII
Telly Savalas	...	Co-host - part I
Phil Silvers
Jean Stapleton	...	Co-host - part I
Danny Thomas
Richard Thomas	...	Co-host - part V
Cicely Tyson	...	Co-host - part IV
Dick Van Dyke	...	Co-host - part IV
Ralph Waite

Runtime:

450 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

CBS Entertainment Production

Superb Anniversary Special

Talk about something I wish were on DVD! I treasure my audio copies. This was a February 1978 special celebrating the CBS network's 50th anniversary. Instead of cramming it all into four hours as NBC had done in 1976, CBS spread it out over a week: two hours on Sunday, two and a half hours on Saturday, and an hour on each of the weeknights. Each night celebrated series that were famous on that night (LASSIE and ED SULLIVAN, etc. on Sunday, I LOVE LUCY and MAUDE, etc. on Monday, etc.) and then they would have other features about news, sports, special events, etc. They even talked about the radio era, especially on Sunday's outing. The parade of stars at the beginning is very nostalgic, because many of those people are gone now. How about it, CBS? I'd settle for a plain vanilla version just to see it all again; this one doesn't need extras--it IS an extra!