I would bet it’s because they were still filming with black and white TVs in mind, so some of the lighting choices reflect how it will look in black and white. Example.
Eye lights were common back in the day because film stocks were extremely slow (needed a lot of light to expose properly). It’s always important to ensure eyes are well lit, since they’re so important for expression, even if it’s a bit overdone here.
I would bet it’s because they were still filming with black and white TVs in mind, so some of the lighting choices reflect how it will look in black and white. Example.
Still I find the lighting unnatural (personally), so there must have been some special reason to do it.
Eye lights were common back in the day because film stocks were extremely slow (needed a lot of light to expose properly). It’s always important to ensure eyes are well lit, since they’re so important for expression, even if it’s a bit overdone here.