Classic TV & Movie Hits - The Loretta Young Show

The Loretta Young Show

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Picture Credit: The Museum of Broadcast Communications

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> Description

The Loretta Young Show, airing on NBC from 1953 to 1961, was the first and longest-running anthology drama series to feature a female star as host and actress. Film star Loretta Young played a variety of characters in well over half of the episodes, but her glamorous, fashion-show entrances as host became one of the most memorable features of this prime-time series.

Premiering under the title Letter to Loretta, the series was renamed The Loretta Young Show during the first season. Originally, the series was framed as the dramatization of viewers' letters. Each teleplay dramatized a different letter/story/message. Even after the letter device was dropped, Young still introduced and closed each story. At the beginning of each episode, she entered a living room set (supposedly her living room) through a door. Turning around to close the door and swirling her designer fashions as she walked up to the camera, Young was consciously putting on a mini-fashion show, and the spectacular entrance became Young's and the series's trademark. Glamour and fashion had been important elements of her film star image, and she considered them central to her television image and appeal. (As an indicatition of how strongly Young felt about this aspect of the series, she later won a suit against NBC for allowing her then-dated fashion openings to be seen in syndication.)

Show Description Credit: Museum of Broadcast Communications

> Airing History & Information

Last Airing

Sep 10, 1961

Premiere

September 20, 1953

Episodes

225

Network

NBC

Format/Time

Black & White / 30 Minutes

Country