13th Primetime Emmy Awards

1961 American television programming awards February 2025 July 2026 13th Primetime Emmy Awards May 16, 1961 Moulin Rogue Nightclub, Los Angeles, California Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Dick Powell NBC Hallmark Hall of Fame: "Macbeth" (5) Hallmark Hall of Fame (5) Outstanding Program Achievement in the Field of Humor The Jack Benny Show Outstanding Program Achievement in the Field of Drama Hallmark Hall of Fame: "Macbeth" Outstanding Program Achievement in the Field of Variety Astaire Time Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Children's Programming Young People's Concerts The Program of the Year Hallmark Hall of Fame: "Macbeth" 12th Primetime Emmy Awards 14th The 13th Emmy Awards, later referred to as the 13th Primetime Emmy Awards, were held on May 16, 1961, to honor the best in television of the year. It was hosted by Joey Bishop and Dick Powell. All nominations are listed, with winners in bold and series' networks are in parentheses. The top show of the night was the NBC anthology Hallmark Hall of Fame for their production of Macbeth. It won in all its nominated categories, tying the record (since broken) of five major wins. A milestone was set by The Flintstones, it became the first ever animated show to be nominated in one of the main series categories (comedy or drama). It would be the only animated show to accomplish this feat until 2009, when Family Guy was included in the expanded comedy field. Winners and nominees Winners and nominees are listed below.Emmys.com list of 1961 Nominees & Winners Programs + Programs #EEDD82 Outstanding Program Achievement in the Field of Humor The Jack Benny Show (CBS) The Andy Griffith Show (CBS) The Bob Hope Show (NBC) Candid Camera (CBS) The Flintstones (ABC) #EEDD82 Outstanding Program Achievement in the Field of Drama Hallmark Hall of Fame: "Macbeth" (NBC) Naked City (ABC) Sacco-Vanzetti Story (NBC) The Twilight Zone (CBS) The Untouchables (ABC) #EEDD82 Outstanding Program Achievement in the Field of Variety Astaire Time (NBC) Belafonte New York (CBS) The Garry Moore Show (CBS) An Hour with Danny Kaye (CBS) The Jack Paar Tonight Show (NBC) #EEDD82 Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Children's Programming Young People's Concerts: Aaron Copland Birthday Party (CBS) Captain Kangaroo (CBS) The Huckleberry Hound Show (Syndicated) The Shari Lewis Show (NBC) Shirley Temple Theatre (NBC) #EEDD82 Outstanding Program Achievement in the Field of Public Service The Twentieth Century (CBS) CBS Reports (CBS) NBC White Paper (NBC) Project XX (NBC) Winston Churchill: The Valiant Years (ABC) #EEDD82 The Program of the Year Hallmark Hall of Fame: "Macbeth" (NBC) 1960 Presidential Nominating Conventions (NBC) Astaire Time (NBC) An Hour with Danny Kaye (CBS) Sacco-Vanzetti Story (NBC) Acting Lead performances + Acting #EEDD82 Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Series (Lead) Raymond Burr as Perry Mason in Perry Mason (CBS) Jackie Cooper as Lt. Chick Hennesey in Hennesey (CBS) Robert Stack as Eliot Ness in The Untouchables (ABC) #EEDD82 Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Series (Lead) Barbara Stanwyck as herself in The Barbara Stanwyck Show (NBC) Donna Reed as Donna Stone in The Donna Reed Show (ABC) Loretta Young as herself in The Loretta Young Show (NBC) Supporting performances #EEDD82 Outstanding Performance in a Supporting Role by an Actor or Actress in a Series Don Knotts as Deputy Barney Fife in The Andy Griffith Show (CBS) Abby Dalton as Lt. Martha Hale in Hennesey (CBS) Barbara Hale as Della Street in Perry Mason (CBS) #EEDD82 Outstanding Performance in a Supporting Role by an Actor or Actress in a Single Program Roddy McDowall as Philip Hamilton in Equitable's American Heritage (NBC) Charles Bronson as Soldier Conlon in General Electric Theater (CBS): "Memory in White" Peter Falk as Sydney Jarmon in The Law and Mr. Jones (ABC): "Cold Turkey" Single performances #EEDD82 Outstanding Single Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role Maurice Evans as Macbeth in Hallmark Hall of Fame: "Macbeth" (NBC) Cliff Robertson as Charlie Gordon in The United States Steel Hour (CBS): "The Two Worlds of Charlie Gordon" Ed Wynn as himself in Desilu Playhouse (CBS): "The Man in the Funny Suit" #EEDD82 Outstanding Single Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role Judith Anderson as Lady Macbeth in Hallmark Hall of Fame: "Macbeth" (NBC) Ingrid Bergman as Clare Lester in Twenty-Four Hours in a Woman's Life (CBS) Elizabeth Montgomery as Rusty Heller in The Untouchables (ABC): "The Rusty Heller Story" Directing + Directing #EEDD82 Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy The Danny Thomas Show (CBS) – Sheldon Leonard The Bob Hope Show (NBC) – Jack Shea and Dick McDonough My Three Sons (ABC) – Peter Tewksbury #EEDD82 Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Drama Hallmark Hall of Fame (NBC): "Macbeth" – George Schaefer Desilu Playhouse (CBS): "The Man in the Funny Suit" – Ralph Nelson Sacco-Vanzetti Story (NBC) – Sidney Lumet Writing + Writing #EEDD82 Outstanding Writing Achievement in Comedy The Red Skelton Show (CBS) – Sherwood Schwartz, Dave O'Brien, Al Schwartz, Martin Ragaway and Red Skelton The Danny Thomas Show (CBS) – Charles Stewart and Jack Elinson Hennesey (CBS) – Richard Baer #EEDD82 Outstanding Writing Achievement in Drama The Twilight Zone (CBS) – Rod Serling The DuPont Show of the Month (CBS): "The Lincoln Murder Case" – Dale Wasserman Sacco-Vanzetti Story (NBC) – Reginald Rose #EEDD82 Outstanding Writing Achievement in the Documentary Field Winston Churchill: The Valiant Years (ABC) – Victor Wolfson CBS Reports (CBS): "Harvest of Shame" – Fred W. Friendly, David Lowe and Edward R. Murrow NBC White Paper (NBC): "The U-2 Affair" – Arthur Barron and Al Wasserman Most major nominations +Networks with multiple major nominations"Major" constitutes the categories listed above: Program, Acting, Directing, and Writing. Does not include the technical categories. Network Number ofNominations CBS 29 NBC 24 ABC 9 +Programs with multiple major nominations Program Category Network Number ofNominations Hallmark Hall of Fame: "Macbeth" Drama NBC 5 Sacco-Vanzetti Story 4 Hennesey Comedy CBS 3 The Untouchables Drama ABC The Andy Griffith Show Comedy CBS 2 Astaire Time Variety NBC The Bob Hope Show Comedy CBS Reports Documentary/Public Affairs CBS The Danny Thomas Show Comedy Desilu Playhouse Drama An Hour with Danny Kaye Variety NBC White Paper Documentary/Public Affairs NBC Perry Mason Drama CBS The Twilight Zone Winston Churchill: The Valiant Years Documentary/Public Affairs ABC Most major awards +Networks with multiple major awards"Major" constitutes the categories listed above: Program, Acting, Directing, and Writing. Does not include the technical categories. Network Number ofAwards CBS 8 NBC +Programs with multiple major awards Program Category Network Number ofAwards Hallmark Hall of Fame: "Macbeth" Drama NBC 5 Notes "note" References External links Emmys.com list of 1961 Nominees & Winners 0000223/1961 013 Emmy Awards Primetime Emmy Awards Primetime Emmy Primetime Emmy Awards