The programme goes back continuously to the 1940's. It's very well known in the UK. Unfortunately they only have occasional fragments for the early programmes, but for instance I just found clips from the Dave Brubeck and Alfred Hitchcock episodes, from 1959:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p009y7kb

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p009y7js

Hitchcock mentions his upcoming production, a 'rather gentle horror picture' called Psycho!