The Big Idea

The Big Idea is a documentary TV series that was broadcast on the DuMont Television Network. The 30-minute program, which ran from December 15, 1952, to October 22, 1953, focused on modern inventions. Overview Donn Bennett, whose production company owned the show, was the host, and Ray Wood (director of the South Jersey Manufacturers Association) was a regular panelist on the show. Panelists interviewed inventors and commented on the products that they displayed on the show. Those products included an inflatable bathing suit for women, a lighted dartboard, a self-standing golf club, a refrigerated lunch box, and a lunch box that contained a hot plate. The winning inventor in each episode was determined by applause from the studio audience. The show served as "an intermediary between success-seeking inventors, whose patented ideas need producers or funds, and manufacturers or investors". By early February 1953, manufacturers had bought five inventions demonstrated on the program, and 12 more devices were the subjects of negotiations between inventors and prospective purchasers. The Big Idea was a local program on WCAU television in Philadelphia for three years before it moved to the network. It was initially broadcast on Mondays from 9 to 9:30 p.m. Eastern Time, which put it opposite I Love Lucy on CBS. In May 1953, it was moved to 10-10:30 p.m. E.T.