The 6th Emmy Awards, later referred to as the 6th Primetime Emmy Awards, were held on February 11, 1954, to honor the best in television of the year. The ceremony was hosted by Don DeFore at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, California. Don DeFore was president of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and sold this first national broadcast of the Emmy Awards to NBC. All nominations are listed, with winners in bold and series' networks are in parentheses.
The ceremony included several new categories, including Best New Program, as well as awards for Supporting Actor and Actress in a television series. This was also the first year that acting nominees were nominated for a specific television show, in the past nominees were simply nominated as individuals.
Winners and nominees Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface, and indicated with a double dagger (‡).
Programs
+ I Love Lucy (CBS) The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show (CBS) Mr. Peepers (NBC) Our Miss Brooks (CBS) Topper (CBS) The United States Steel Hour (ABC) Kraft Television Theatre (NBC) Philco-Goodyear TV Playhouse (NBC) Robert Montgomery Presents (NBC) Studio One (CBS) Omnibus (CBS) The Colgate Comedy Hour (NBC) The Jackie Gleason Show (CBS) Your Show of Shows (NBC) Toast of the Town (CBS) This Is Your Life (NBC) What's My Line? (CBS) I've Got a Secret (CBS) Two for the Money (CBS) You Bet Your Life (NBC) Dragnet (NBC) Foreign Intrigue (NBC) I Led Three Lives (NBC) Suspense (CBS) The Web (CBS) Kukla, Fran and Ollie (NBC) Big Top (CBS) Ding Dong School (NBC) Super Circus (NBC) Zoo Parade (NBC) Victory at Sea (NBC) Adventure (CBS) Life Is Worth Living (Syndication) Meet the Press (NBC) Person to Person (CBS) See It Now (CBS) Camel News Caravan (NBC) Gillette Cavalcade of Sports (NBC) NCAA Football Games (NBC) Pabst Blue Ribbon Bouts (CBS) Professional Football (DuMont) Make Room for Daddy (ABC) The United States Steel Hour (ABC) Adventure (CBS) Ding Dong School (NBC) The Loretta Young Show (NBC) Person to Person (CBS)
Acting
Lead performances + Donald O'Connor – The Colgate Comedy Hour as himself (NBC) Sid Caesar – Your Show of Shows as various characters (NBC) Wally Cox – Mr. Peepers as Robinson Peepers (NBC) Jackie Gleason – The Jackie Gleason Show as Ralph Kramden (CBS) Jack Webb – Dragnet as Sgt. Joe Friday (NBC) Eve Arden – Our Miss Brooks as Connie Brooks (CBS) Lucille Ball – I Love Lucy as Lucy Ricardo (CBS) Imogene Coca – Your Show of Shows as various characters (NBC) Dinah Shore – The Dinah Shore Show as herself (NBC) Loretta Young – The Loretta Young Show as herself (NBC)
Supporting performances + Art Carney – The Jackie Gleason Show as Ed Norton (CBS) Ben Alexander – Dragnet as Officer Frank Smith (NBC) William Frawley – I Love Lucy as Fred Mertz (CBS) Tony Randall – Mr. Peepers as Harvey Weskitt (NBC) Carl Reiner – Your Show of Shows as various characters (NBC) Vivian Vance – I Love Lucy as Ethel Mertz (CBS) Bea Benaderet – The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show as Blanche Morton (CBS) Ruth Gilbert – The Milton Berle Show as Max (NBC) Marion Lorne – Mr. Peepers as Mrs. Gurney (NBC) Audrey Meadows – The Jackie Gleason Show as Alice Kramden (CBS)
Hosting + Edward R. Murrow (CBS) Arthur Godfrey (CBS) Martha Raye (NBC) Fulton J. Sheen (Syndication) Jack Webb (NBC)
Most major nominations By network "Major" constitutes the categories listed above: Program, Acting, Directing, and Writing. Does not include the technical categories. NBC – 36 CBS – 30 ABC – 3
By program I Love Lucy (CBS) / The Jackie Gleason Show (CBS) / Mr. Peepers (NBC) / Your Show of Shows (NBC) – 4
Most major awards By network "Major" constitutes the categories listed above: Program, Acting, Directing, and Writing. Does not include the technical categories. CBS – 8 NBC – 5 ABC – 3
By program I Love Lucy (CBS) / The United States Steel Hour (ABC) – 2
Notes
References
External links Emmys.com list of 1954 Nominees & Winners