FIRESIDE THEATRE

On the air from 1949 to 1958, Fireside Theater was another popular anthology show. Drawing content based on stories or written by freelance writers like Rod Serling, the production may have been a bit on the inexpensive side. But still the show proved to be a hit for NBC, remained in the top 10 shows for most of its run and has the distinction of being the first successful filmed series on American TV, predating the other filmed show pioneer I Love Lucy by two years.