Of Many Things
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Of Many Things | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Panel discussion |
| Starring | Bergen Evans |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1/2 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 mins. |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | October 5, 1953 – January 11, 1954 |
Of Many Things is a half-hour panel discussion television series that aired on ABC from October 5, 1953, to January 11, 1954. It was hosted by Dr. Bergen Evans.[1] The title was also used for an Evans radio program and recordings of selected episodes of that show.
Using a set resembling Evans's study, episodes began with him meeting with someone who had a particular interest in the episode's topic. Then someone else came in and posed questions that might have been expected from viewers.[2]
Topics discussed on the program included:
- the art of practical joking[3] (with H. Allen Smith[4]
- the capture of a German submarine during World War II[3]
- popular music in America (with Mitch Miller)[3]
- economic recovery of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania[2]
- growth of cancer and how it can be controlled[2]
- "The Emancipation of Women Since 1900" (with Frances Perkins)[5]
- "The World's New Continent — Africa" (with Melville J. Herskovits)[6]
- "Art in Everyday Living"[7]
- "Old Cars"[8]
- "The Atomic Submarine" (with Walter Zinn)[9]
Production
Of Many Things originated from WBKB-TV in Chicago. Louis G. Cowan, Incorporated was the packager, with John Lewellen and Jay Sheridan as producers.[10] It was broadcast on Mondays from 8:30 to 9 p.m. Eastern Time.[3] The program had no advertisers, and Evans once described its budget as "one frayed thread out of a shoestring."[2] The staff dealt with a backlog of mail from viewers such that workers were two months behind in handling letters when the show ended.[2]