This is an original study of Hollywood film stars and 1950s television.The interplay between television and film in the 1950s transformed television production and programming, affected the careers of countless film actors, and challenged the Hollywood star system. In this groundbreaking study, Christine Becker asks why certain film stars, like Ronald Reagan and Ida Lupino, crossed over to television in this period while others did not, why some succeeded in the new medium and others failed, and how the presence of film stars shaped the nature of certain television genres. The book includes an appendix of established film stars and the TV shows they appeared on.