A cheerful wave of the deacon’s stole to Doc Mac, who reminds us that today marks a little milestone in broadcast history, when Fulton Sheen made his TV debut.

The good doctor quotes one writer who described the archbishop’s appeal thusly:

He was elegant, elevated, relaxed, often very funny. Only Jack Benny could top Sheen’s ability to back a punch line—gazing calmly at the camera the entire time. The shows had a precise formula. Sheen, wearing his bishop’s cross, crimson cape and skullcap, would stride into a parlorlike studio, pause, tell a funny story, and then pose the problem for the evening: Are we more neurotic today? How to deal with the rat race? With temptation? With teenagers? What is the nature of love? The meaning of intimacy?… He pulled it off without a hint of sectarianism. The philosophy was very Catholic, but few people would have noticed, and Sheen never mentioned the Church or Catholic doctrine. All at the same time, he managed to be religious, undogmatic, humane and unthreatening. Week after week, the performances were simply brilliant.

Lest we forget, the cause for Fulton Sheen’s canonization has been introduced at the Vatican. You can find out more at this website.

Meantime, check out this delightful clip below: Fulton Sheen (dressed down for the occasion) making a memorable appearance on “What’s My Line?” (And note what happens at the end, when one of the panelists kisses his ring!)