Television: Emmys for '56

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The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences trundled a star-heavy cargo of TV folk into the nation's living rooms last week for its ninth annual paean to itself. Traditionally, the Emmy ceremony has been little more than a gigantic promotion stunt disguised as a spectacular, with self-conscious emphasis on quantity over quality; this year the awards committees pared the categories down from last year's 41 to 29. Still there was a striking imbalance. Caesar's Hour, which may be dropped by NBC at season's end, won five of the awards. Free-lancing Nanette Fabray was again named Best Comedienne for her work on the Caesar show, even though she had not appeared on it for nine months. Other principal winners:

Best Single Show: Requiem for a

Heavyweight

Best Actor (Single Performance): Jack

Palance for Requiem

Best Actress: Claire Trevor for Dodsworth

Best Comedian: Sid Caesar

Best Male Personality: Perry Como

Best Female Personality: Dinah Shore

Best News Commentator: Edward R.

Murrow

Best New Series: Playhouse 90

Best Half-Hour Series: Phil Silvers Show

Best Hour Series: Caesar's Hour

Best Public Service Series: See It Now

Best News Coverage: CBS's year-end report, Year of Crisis

Best Playwrights: Rod (Requiem for a

Heavyweight) Serling, James P. (Fog Closing In) Cavanagh

Best Musical Contribution: Leonard Bernstein

Best Director: Ralph Nelson for Requiem

Best Continuing Actor: Robert Young for Father Knows Best

Best Continuing Actress: Loretta Young for the Loretta Young Show