General Electric Theater

Radio

An audition show on January 18, 1953, titled The Token, with Dana Andrews, preceded the radio series. The radio series, a summer replacement for The Bing Crosby Program, debuted on CBS on July 9, 1953, with Ronald Colman in an episode based on Random Harvest. Guest stars included Cary Grant, Irene Dunne, Van Johnson, Jane Wyman, William Holden, Alan Young, Dorothy McGuire, John Hodiak, Ann Blyth, James Mason, Joan Fontaine, and Judy Garland. The series continued until October 1, 1953. Jaime del Valle produced and directed the show. Ken Carpenter was the host and announcer. Wilbur Hatch supplied the music.

Television

The television version of the program, produced by MCA-TV/Revue, was broadcast every Sunday evening at 9:00 pm EST, beginning February 1, 1953, and ending June 3, 1962. Each of the estimated 209 television episodes was an adaptation of a novel, short story, play, film, or magazine fiction. An exception was the 1954 episode "Music for Christmas", which featured choral director Fred Waring and his group The Pennsylvanians performing Christmas music.

Jacques Tourneur directed four episodes: "The Martyr" (1955), "Into the Night" (1955), "Aftermath" (1960), and "Star Witness: The Lili Parrish Story" (1961). The April 24, 1960, episode "Adam's Apples" was the pilot for the situation comedy Ichabod and Me, which aired on CBS during the 1961–1962 television season. On September 26, 1954, Ronald Reagan debuted as the only host of the program. GE added a host to provide continuity in the anthology format.

The show's Nielsen ratings improved from #27 in the 1953–1954 season to #17 in 1954–1955, followed by #11 in 1955–1956, #3 in 1956–1957, #7 in 1957–1958, #26 in 1958–1959, #23 in 1959–1960, and #20 in 1960–1961. Reagan's contract with GE also entailed work as a motivational speaker for the company. Working with Earl B. Dunckel of GE's Public Relations department, he visited 135 GE research and manufacturing facilities and met over 250,000 people.

During that time, he would also speak at other forums such as Rotary clubs and Moose lodges, presenting views on economic progress that in form and content were often similar to what he said in introductions, segues, and closing comments on the show as a spokesman for GE. Reagan, who would later be known as "The Great Communicator" because of his oratorical ability, often credited these engagements as helping him develop his public-speaking abilities.

Reagan fired by General Electric

Don Herbert, a television personality well known as the host of Watch Mr. Wizard, appeared as the "General Electric Progress Reporter", adding a scientific touch to the institutional advertising pitch. The show was produced by Revue Studios, whose successor-in-interest, NBC Universal Television, was co-owned by GE. Following General Electric Theater's cancellation in 1962, the series was replaced in the same time slot by the short-lived GE-sponsored GE True, hosted by Jack Webb.