On this day in 1956, The Nat King Cole Show debuted on NBC

After an extremely successful early career, Cole’s popularity enabled him to become the first African-American man to host a network variety program. The show originally ran for 15 minutes before being extended to half an hour.

The Nat King Cole Show had a high production value and support from some big entertainers like Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, Peggy Lee, Jane Russel and Harry Belafonte. Cole himself had performed on many TV shows leading up to the release of his own show and so had a strong idea of how to perform and host a variety show. In fact he and his managers had been lobbying for a show for several years before NBC offered him the job.

The Nat King Cole show ran for a year, coming to a close in December of 1957. Unfortunately, the bigotry and racism of the time made it extremely difficult for Cole to gain the necessary support from corporate sponsors and so the show had to end. After the show ended Nat King Cole famously spoke on the reason for the shows end, saying that “Madison Avenue is afraid of the dark”.