Today marks the 66th anniversary of Kraft Television Theatre. It was television’s very first regularly scheduled dramatic program. The series made its debut at 7:30PM Wednesday, May 7th, 1947. At the time, it aired only on WNBT-TV in New York City where only about 30,000 sets in use. No copies of the episode, titled “Double Door,” are known to exist. The earliest known footage from the series comes from the eighth episode, broadcast on June 25th, 1947.
In January 1948, Kraft Television Theatre shifted to 9PM on Wednesdays, where it would remain for the next decade. Aired continuously year-round, with no break during the summer, the series produced an estimated 585 episodes, the last of which aired on October 1st, 1958.