| Jukebox Jury | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Variety show/Quiz program |
| Starring | Peter Potter |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| Production | |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ABC |
| Picture format | Black-and-white |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original run | September 13, 1953 – March 28, 1954; Syndicated (1959) |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | The Orchid Award (9:15 p.m. EST, Sundays) |
| Followed by | Billy Graham's Hour of Decision (10:30 p.m. Sundays) |
Jukebox Jury was an hour-long television series hosted by disc jockey Peter Potter[1] which aired in the 1953-54 season on the American Broadcasting Company. It was thereafter syndicated in 1959.[2]
The program actually began in 1948 in Los Angeles, California on the CBS station KNXT-TV, since KCBS.[3] Five years later, Jukebox Jury went national for one season. The show has been compared to a radio program replete with commercial endorsements and movie previews.[3]
The jury on the program consisted of six usually young lesser-known film stars or minor recording artists who judged the latest releases from the record companies. Among the "jurors" were Barry Sullivan, Maureen O'Sullivan, and Jane Powell. Mike Connors, long before Tightrope and Mannix, appeared on an early KNXT episode under the name "Touch" Connors.[3] Once the program was added to the network schedule, many who appeared as jurors to yell "Hit" or "Miss" at each song selection were already or later well-known entertainers, having included: Steve Allen, Walter Brennan (four years before The Real McCoys), Lloyd Bridges, Ann B. Davis (prior to The Bob Cummings Show), Elinor Donahue (a year before the premiere of Father Knows Best), Zsa Zsa Gabor, Dean Martin, Steve McQueen (five years before Wanted: Dead or Alive), Jayne Meadows, Johnny Mercer, Sal Mineo, Leslie Nielsen, Debbie Reynolds, Mamie Van Doren, Robert Wagner, and Natalie Wood.[4] Dick Clark used this listen-and-comment technique from persons in his audience on a reduced scale with his later long-running Philadelphia-based ABC series, American Bandstand.
Jukebox Jury aired at 9:30pm on Sundays, preceding Billy Graham's Hour of Decision spiritual program.[5] The program was somewhat similar to NBC's half-hour Judge for Yourself, which aired that same season, starring Fred Allen and Dennis James.[6]