Music by Victor Young Producer(s) David O. Selznick Presented by George Gobel | Country of origin United States Initial release 24 October 1954 (USA) | |
Written by Mark Twain
G. K. Chesterton
John Steinbeck
David O. Selznick
Ben Hecht
Irwin Shaw
Max Shulman Directed by King Vidor
William Wellman
Norman Taurog
Christian Nyby
Roy Rowland
Alan Handley
Bud Yorkin Starring Lauren Bacall
Robert Benchley (archive footage)
Joseph Cotten
Dorothy Dandridge
Kim Novak
David Niven
Debbie Reynolds
Judith Anderson
Helen Hayes
Brandon De Wilde
Eddie Fisher
Erin O'Brien-Moore
Walter Brennan
Dwight D. Eisenhower Directors King Vidor, William A. Wellman, Roy Rowland, Bud Yorkin, Norman Taurog, Christian Nyby, Alan Handley Networks American Broadcasting Company, DuMont Television Network Awards Primetime Emmy Award for Best Scoring Of A Dramatic Or Variety Program Cast George Gobel, Lauren Bacall, Helen Hayes, Debbie Reynolds, Walter Brennan Similar Chinatown Nights, Better Times, Dusk to Dawn, Conquering the Woman, The Other Half | ||
Light's Diamond Jubilee (1954) is a two-hour TV special aired on October 24, 1954, on all four U.S. television networks of the time, DuMont, CBS, NBC, and ABC. The special won a Primetime Emmy Award for Victor Young for Best Music for a Variety or Dramatic series.
The special was produced by David O. Selznick, had seven directors, and featured major stars of the day. The special was sponsored by General Electric in honor of the 75th anniversary of the invention of the incandescent light bulb by Thomas Edison. In 1929, a previous celebration of "light's golden jubilee" was produced by General Electric and created by PR pioneer Edward Bernays.
Robert Benchley's appearance was a segment from his MGM short film How to Raise a Baby (1938).
Episode status
A copy of the CBS Television version of the broadcast, showing a copyright notice of Selznick Releasing Organization Inc., is in the collection of the UCLA Film and Television Archive. General Electric may hold a copy in its archives. The Library of Congress has copies available for viewing by appointment.