"[1] Hour Glass was broadcast only on WNBT (now WNBC) in New York City from May 9, 1946, through November of that year, when distribution to NBC affiliates in Philadelphia and Schenectady began.
Described as "the first [television] hour-long musical variety show",[3] Hour Glass was sponsored by Standard Brands, promoting Chase and Sanborn coffee and Tenderleaf Tea.
Such famous names as Doodles Weaver, Bert Lahr, Dennis Day, Anton Reiter, Jerry Colonna, Peggy Lee and Joe Besser appeared on the program.
The first show was hosted by Evelyn Eaton (daughter of one of The Seven Little Eatons); Life surmised that NBC was adapting to a paradigm shift and making better use of the visual medium by hiring an attractive woman as master of ceremonies, as opposed to the more authoritative voices of men who typically commanded radio variety shows of the era.
[5] The Columbia History of American Television attributed the program's short life to its cost and the lack of market penetration for television at the time, saying, "Standard Brands invested $200,000 in this series over its ten-month tenure at a time when that level of investment just couldn't be supported and sustained, leading to the Hour Glass's abbreviated run.