Seventy-Five years ago, on February 12, 1950, Eleanor Roosevelt made her debut as host of the television program “Today with Mrs. Roosevelt” on the NBC network.
By 1950 Eleanor Roosevelt had made great use of different media during her lifetime, such as radio, newspapers, and magazines – most notably her syndicated newspaper column, “My Day.” With the dawn of the television era, she stepped into that technology without hesitation. Her very first appearance on television was as a commentator during an NBC broadcast on V-E Day (May 8, 1945).
Shown here is a draft, with handwritten corrections, of her remarks and questions for the guests on the first episode of “Today with Mrs. Roosevelt.” Discussion topics for the opening program focused primarily on the hydrogen bomb and the future of atomic energy. Her guests included J. Robert Oppenheimer, and a special appearance by Dr. Albert Einstein (this would be his first appearance on a television program).
“Today with Mrs. Roosevelt” would not be her last program – others included “Mrs. Roosevelt Meets the Public” and culminated with “Prospects of Mankind” – a show that ran until near the end of her life in 1962. She also made multiple guest appearances on other programs such as “Meet the Press” and “Face the Nation,” as well as appearing in a commercial or two, and the television game show “What’s My Line?”
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