Starting out as a live show from New York City, "Omnibus" was hosted by Alastair Cooke and featured everything from discussions about science and the arts, to original works by such playwrights as William Saroyan, interviews with celebrated people both inside and outside the arts, and featured performances by many of the most famous actors, singers, and dancers of the day.
| role | name |
|---|---|
| Self - Host | Alistair Cooke |
| Narrator (segment "Requiem") | Alistair Cooke |
| Self - commentary | Alistair Cooke |
| Self | Leonard Bernstein |
| Self (segment "Beethoven's Fifth Symphony") | Leonard Bernstein |
| Self - Conductor (segment "Messiah") | Leonard Bernstein |
| Self - Narrator | Joseph N. Welch |
| Self - Presenter (segment) | Joseph N. Welch |
| Self - Commentator (segment "The Trial of Lizzie Borden") | Joseph N. Welch |
| (segment "Drug Store, Sunday Noon") | Helen Hayes |
| (segment "Irish Linen") | Helen Hayes |
| (segment "The Twelve Pound Look") | Helen Hayes |
| Narrator | Martin Gabel |
| Narrator (segment "Lincoln Part I: The End and the Beginning") | Martin Gabel |
| Narrator (segment "Lincoln Part III: Growing Up") | Martin Gabel |
| (segment "Henry Adams") | James Daly |
| (segment "My Heart's in the Highlands") | James Daly |
| (segment) | James Daly |
| Ann Rutledge (segment "Lincoln Part I: The End and the Beginning") | Joanne Woodward |
| Ann Rutledge (segment "Lincoln Part III: Growing Up") | Joanne Woodward |
| Ann Rutledge (segment "Lincoln Part IV: New Salem") | Joanne Woodward |
| (segment "The Sea of Winslow Homer") | Burgess Meredith |
| (segment "The Virtuous Island") | Burgess Meredith |
| Avon Horsley Jr. (segment "A Christmas Tie") | Burgess Meredith |
| Abraham Lincoln (segment "Lincoln Part I: The End and the Beginning") | Royal Dano |
| Abraham Lincoln (segment "Lincoln Part III: Growing Up") | Royal Dano |
| Abraham Lincoln (segment "Lincoln Part IV: New Salem") | Royal Dano |
| Tom Lincoln (segment "Lincoln Part I: The End and the Beginning") | Crahan Denton |
| Tom Lincoln (segment "Lincoln Part III: Growing Up") | Crahan Denton |
| Tom Lincoln (segment "Lincoln Part IV: New Salem") | Crahan Denton |
