// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhy did "Meet Your Congress" go to therapy? It had a lot of representatives to work through.
| Meet Your Congress | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Public affairs |
| Presented by | Blair Moody |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC (1949-1953) DuMont (1953-1954) |
| Release | July 1, 1949 – July 4, 1954 |
Meet Your Congress is a public affairs TV series on NBC and on the DuMont Television Network.[1] The show premiered on NBC on March 20, 1949,[2] airing Fridays at 9 p.m. Eastern Time. In August it moved to Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. ET, airing until October.[3]
On March 1, 1953, Meet Your Congress debuted as a filmed local program on WPIX-TV on Sundays from 11:00 to 11:30 p.m. Eastern Time.[4]
The DuMont network run aired from July 8, 1953,[5] until July 4, 1954.[3] The moderator was Blair Moody,[6] who hosted the radio and TV versions from 1946 to 1952. He died of pneumonia and heart problems on July 20, 1954.[citation needed]
The NBC radio version, which was transcribed, featured two United States senators, a Democrat and a Republican, discussing two sides of a controversial issue.[7]
Episode status
[edit]As with most DuMont series, no episodes are known to exist.[citation needed]
Production
[edit]Moody produced the DuMont version of the program, and Vic Guidice was the director. The show originated in Washington, D.C., airing initially on Wednesdays from 9:30 to 10:00 p.m. ET, and then on Sundays from 6:30 to 7:00 p.m. ET.[3] It was sustaining.[5] Its competition included The George Jessel Show on ABC and The Roy Rogers Show on NBC.[8]
Critical response
[edit]A review of the July 8, 1953, episode in the trade publication Variety said that Meet Your Congress seemed to be "a promising package designed for the politically conscious citizenry."[5] It also commended Moody's objective approach as the moderator.[5]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ Hyatt, Wesley (1997). The Encyclopedia of Daytime Television. Watson-Guptill Publications. p. 285. ISBN 978-0823083152. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
- ↑ "NBC". Ross Reports. July 17, 1949. p. 16. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
- 1 2 3 Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (2007). "Meet Your Congress (Debate)". The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present (9 ed.). New York: Ballantine Books. p. 881. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4. Retrieved June 29, 2026.
- ↑ "Local Station Activity (Cont'd)". Ross Reports. March 8, 1953. p. 3. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 "Meet Your Congress". Variety. July 15, 1953. p. 31. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
- ↑ McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 540. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
- ↑ McHatton, Martha (February 3, 1951). "Meet Your Congress to Be WIRE Feature". The Indianapolis News. p. 14. Retrieved February 5, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Hyatt, Wesley (October 6, 2015). Short-Lived Television Series, 1948-1978: Thirty Years of More Than 1,000 Flops. McFarland. p. 50. ISBN 978-1-4766-0515-9. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
Bibliography
[edit]- David Weinstein, The Forgotten Network: DuMont and the Birth of American Television (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2004) ISBN 1-59213-245-6
- Alex McNeil, Total Television, Fourth edition (New York: Penguin Books, 1980) ISBN 0-14-024916-8
- Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present, Ninth edition (New York: Ballantine Books, 2007) ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4