Hollywood-based KTLA-TV Channel 5 in Los Angeles, was the first commercially licensed television station west of the Mississippi. It first aired a 30-minute variety show from the Paramount TV theatre starring Bob Hope , Dorothy Lamour, William Bendix and Jerry Colonna. It was estimated that 322 television receivers were in use in Los Angeles at the time.

                                  The KTLA studios in 1949

Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In was a sketch comedy television program which ran for 140 episodes to May 14, 1973. It was hosted by comedians Dan Rowan and Dick Martin and was broadcast over NBC-TV. It originally aired as a one-time special on September 9, 1967 and was such a success that it was brought back as a series, replacing The Man From U.N.C.L.E.. on Mondays at 8 pm (EST).

The title, Laugh-In, came out of events of the 1960s hippie culture, such as "love-ins" or "be-ins."