Bishop Fulton J. Sheen's Life Is Worth Living ran on DuMont, ABC and in syndication from the early 1950s through the late 1960s. Blessed with a sharp mind, a whimsical sense of humor and a gift of gab, Bishop Sheen brought his ecumenical message to millions of viewers each week; as Brooks and Marsh put it in their Complete Guide to Prime Time Programming, the word "homily" would be strong for the friendly, accessible talks from the good Bishop.
A half-hour of religious programming in prime time on a national broadcast network would be unthinkable today - that pretty much goes without saying. And while that is one measure of the change in television between then and now, it's actually another point that I'm thinking of: the idea of a "talking head" as entertainment programming.
There were no fancy graphics, no special effects, on Life is Worth Living; the closest thing being the invisible "angel" (actually a stagehand) responsible for erasing the blackboard Sheen used to illustrate his points. People watched and enjoyed that, week after week. As someone wrote not long ago about the Dick Cavett shows, it hearkens back to a day when conversation was actually considered entertainment - and by that I mean actual, you know, talking, rather than shouting, interrupting, declaiming, insulting, offending, and what have you. Of all the changes we've seen in television over the years, I think this is one of the most underrated and underappreciated.
What we have here is from Good Friday, 1964; It was presented without commercial interruption (as was the norm with religious programming back then, even on network television.*)
*Even series like Studio One, when broadcasting religious-themed episodes such as "Pontius Pilate" and "The Nativity", would show them without interruption, instead grouping the commercials before and after the presentation.
Back tomorrow with another TV Guide blast from the past. TV
Being atheist, I can only say that from the little bits and pieces that I've either read, heard or seen of Bishop Sheen over time, he comes across as a very nice and decent human being. There is an episode of What's My Line, from October 1956, where he is the mystery celebrity guest and it gets hilariously funny as the questioning goes along. Check it out on YouTube.
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