Life is Worth Living
Watch here
Given his recent beatification, this month’s television recommendation must be Blessed Fulton J. Sheen’s Life Is Worth Living. It is sometimes difficult to appreciate just how popular this show was in its heyday. During its five-year run from 1952 to 1957, Life Is Worth Living attracted weekly audiences of around 30 million. That was almost one in five Americans.
Watch here
Given his recent beatification, this month’s television recommendation must be Blessed Fulton J. Sheen’s Life Is Worth Living. It is sometimes difficult to appreciate just how popular this show was in its heyday. During its five-year run from 1952 to 1957, Life Is Worth Living attracted weekly audiences of around 30 million. That was almost one in five Americans.
In 1953, Bishop Sheen received the Primetime Emmy Award for Most Outstanding Personality for his work on the show, beating out notable nominees including Lucille Ball, Edward R. Murrow, and Jimmy Durante. In his acceptance speech, he famously thanked his “four writers — Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.”
For all the acclaim, the format of Life Is Worth Living is quite simple: Bishop Sheen stands at a chalkboard and talks directly to the viewer at home. No notes. No teleprompter. Just wit, clarity, and warmth as he addresses questions of timeless relevance to the human condition: Why do we suffer? What is true love or freedom? What exactly makes life worth living?
This is why Blessed Fulton Sheen is still relevant today and why Life Is Worth Living is still so very watchable.
