--- 55 MINUTES --- BLACK AND WHITE ---
DVD: $9.95 / VHS: $24.95
1. ARTHUR GODFREY'S TALENT SCOUTS (1956). Sponsored by Lipton Tea and pitched by the "old teabag" himself, here's a classic live episode that features a country-western band, a violinist, and a vocalist. The audience decides who wins get your applause meters ready!
2. THE SPIKE JONES SHOW (1950). A musical half hour featuring the entire City Slickers in a western spoof: "Wild Bill Hiccup".
--- 55 MINUTES --- BLACK AND WHITE ---
1. THE WALTER WINCHELL SHOW (12/31/56). NBC's answer to Ed Sullivan features the newspaper columnist playing host to Frankie Laine, Jack Carter, Russ Tamblyn and Lisa Kirk. Sponsored by Old Gold cigarettes.
2. TEXACO STAR THEATER STARRING MILTON BERLE (1/18/49) spotlights Uncle Miltie at his best in this rare old kinescope that celebrates the coaxial cable connection to the midwest. It's live TV with all its mistakes: Berle's cue card light goes out in the middle of his monologue, and Berle blows his lines several times during a sketch. Guests are Tony Martin, Carmen Miranda, and Florence Desmond. All the original commercials are intact, pitched by Sid Stone ("Tell ya what I'm gonna do!"), and the Texaco Showmen. (Note: Due to the age of this kinescope, there is a slight skew at the top of the frame throughout portions of the program. It will not harm your viewing.)
3. PERSON-TO-PERSON (1954/58). Edward R. Murrow interviews Groucho Marx at his home in Beverly Hills and Harpo Marx at his home in Palm Springs in this rare, behind-the-scenes look at the real Marxes. A collector's item!
--- 120 MINUTES --- BLACK AND WHITE ---
1. THE BOB HOPE FRIGIDAIRE COMEDY HOUR (1950). Bob's guests on his fourth-ever TV show are Marilyn Maxwell, the Hi-Hatters, Judy Kelly, and Les Brown and his Band of Renown. Sketches are geared toward the military (lots of Hitler and Korea jokes). The live studio audience is made up of service men; Hope's closing monologue is one big piece of propaganda about America's fight for democracy!
2. FOUR STAR REVUE (1950). Hosted by Jack Carson, this comedy/variety show features Hal March, Bob Sweeney, Jack Gilford, Jane Dulo, and Billy Sands. It's a show-within-a-show, as Carson attempts to get to the studio before the entire hour alloted for the show is over. Sponsored by Motorola Television.THESE KINESCOPES ARE FROM THE COLLECTION OF CHRISTOPHER HAWLEY
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1. THE PERRY COMO SHOW (1951). The week's top tunes compressed into fifteen minutes, sung by Mr. Relaxation himself. Sponsored by Chesterfield.
2. THE FAYE EMERSON SHOW (1950). This is probably the silliest talk show ever filmed. Faye's guest is the inventor of a window ventilation system (yes, they spared no expense in those days to bring the biggest to the small screen). Then, Fred Waring (of Waring's Pennsylvanians) shows us how to make a banana split using Pepsi-Cola (the show's sponsor) with one of his Waring Blenders! All this and more in just 15 minutes. You won't believe it!
3. THE FRANKIE LAINE SHOW (1950). Here's a dynamite half hour of great music and comedy. Frankie's guests are Patti Page, Frank Fontaine, and Tommy Dorsey.ALL KINESCOPES ARE FROM THE COLLECTION OF CHRISTOPHER HAWLEY
--- 60 MINUTES --- BLACK AND WHITE ---
In early TV, the stars shined just as bright during the day, and here's a full two hours of live daytime variety programming, with music, laughs, and audience participation.
1. THE GARRY MOORE SHOW (1956). Starring Garry and his sidekick Durwood Kirby. All commercials intact.
2. ARTHUR GODFREY TIME (1956). Sit back and relax with the easy-going, downhome style of Godfrey and his friends. Also contains original commercials.
3. THE ROBERT Q. LEWIS SHOW (1956). Robert and his ensemble provide laughs and guests in this program. Also features the Ray Bloch Orchestra. With comm.
4. HOUSE PARTY (1965). An abbreviated version of Art Linkletter's popular show, with guest Lucille Ball.
--- 100 MINUTES --- BLACK AND WHITE ---
1. DINNER WITH THE PRESIDENT (NOVEMBER 23, 1953), celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Anti-Defamation League, join Walter Cronkite, Ethel Merman, Lucy and Desi, Eddie Fisher, Rex Harrison, President Dwight D. Eisenhower and many more for this black tie affair featuring lots of music and comedy!
2. THE PERRY COMO SHOW (1959). Here's an hour of great entertainment with Perry and his guests Rosemary Clooney, Nat King Cole, Gail Davis (TV's "Annie Oakley"), and Rin Tin Tin. Lots of great entertainment, with all the original Kraft commercials.
--- 120 MINUTES --- BLACK AND WHITE ---
1. THE ED WYNN SHOW (1/7/50) Sponsored by Camel Cigarettes, Ed's guests are Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, nearly two years BEFORE the premiere of "I Love Lucy", and in their first network TV appearance. Desi sings "Straw Hat Song" and Lucy does a pantomime with Ed. Another collector's item!
2. THE EASTER TELEPARADE OF STARS (1955). Jack Benny hosts this actual live, 30-minute program to raise money for Easter Seals. Performing artists include Liberace, Don Wilson, Shirley MacLaine, Van Johnson, Anne Jeffreys and Robert Sterling, and more.
3. THE SPIKE JONES SHOW (1956). Join Spike and the Band that Plays for Fun in a 30-minute show packed with wild music and great comedy. Sponsored by L&M Cigarettes.
4. THE JIMMY DURANTE SHOW (1954). 30 minutes of song and comedy from one of the greatest legends in show business. Contains original Old Gold commercials. "Good night Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are!"
--- 120 MINUTES --- BLACK AND WHITE ---
1. BULOVA WATCH TIME (5/15/51). Here's a rare kinescope of Frank Sinatra's first TV series, on the air while he was still a teen idol (listen to the screaming girls in the audience). Frank's guest is Dagmar. Lots of comedy and dancing, but mostly lots of singing, as only "ol' blue eyes" knows how.
2. THE EDSEL SHOW (1957). Who would've thought America's auto flop would sponsor a show starring Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Rosemary Clooney, and Louis Armstrong! Need we say more? This is TV as it was and never will be again. All commercials are included.
**BONUS **BONUS **BONUS **BONUS **BONUS
3. THE HONEYMOONERS (1952). This is a kinescope recorded BEFORE any of the shows in syndication were done. It stars The Great One: Jackie Gleason, of course, as a thinner Ralph Kramden, Art Carney as Ed Norton, and Pert Kelton playing the part of Alice.
--- 115 MINUTES --- BLACK AND WHITE ---
1. THE COLGATE COMEDY HOUR (1951), hosted by Jack Carson, with guests Robert Alda, Betty Garrett, and Hal March. Things get off to a roaring start when Carson picks a fight with the stage hands. Comedy includes a musical bet between Alda and Carson, Carson's feeble attempt at magic, and a funny bedroom sketch.
2. THE COLGATE COMEDY HOUR (1954), with host Eddie Cantor and guests Frank Sinatra, and Eddie Fisher. Complete with Ajax, Halo and Palmolive commercials. Cantor does his famous "Maxie the Taxi" character. Sinatra does a popular song medley, and the cast spoofs western movies, Jewish-style.
--- 115 MINUTES --- BLACK AND WHITE ---
1. THE JOHNNY CARSON SHOW (1956). Here's Johnny Carson's first network TV show, with guest Rudy Vallee. Lots of comedy in the typical Carson style. Complete with Jello commercials.
2. THE JACK BENNY PROGRAM (1958). Another live Benny kinescope, this one has guest Audrey Meadows. A spoof of "The Honeymooners" is performed, with Jack playing Ralph Kramden, and Dennis Day playing Ed Norton. A classic!
3. THE JACK BENNY PROGRAM (1958). A live kinescope program. Jack's guest is Ernie Kovacs, as the show takes a hard look at prisons. Complete with Lucky Strike commercials; this episode won an Emmy.
--- 85 MINUTES --- BLACK AND WHITE ---
1. THE CAVALCADE OF STARS (1951), with host Jackie Gleason, and guests Art Carney and Georgia Gibbs. Gleason does his famous "Reginald Van Gleason" character, and teams with Carney for the classic "assembly line" sketch (which has a few glitches within it).
2. THE MILTON BERLE HOUR (11/29/55), without Milton! Yes, Uncle Miltie got sick at the last minute, so Jan Murray substitutes for him. A clip from a past program with Tallulah Bankhead and Frank Sinatra is shown, and "live" entertainment features Vic Damone, Ben Blue, and several Murray monologues. Complete with commercials; this is interesting because it was probably one of the only shows Berle missed in the history of the series.
--- 120 MINUTES --- BLACK AND WHITE ---
1. THE RED SKELTON SHOW (2/21/58). Here's an extremely rare kinescope starring one of the all-time masters of pantomime in this hilarious half hour. Guests are Mary Beth Hughes, Franklin Pangborn, and Jackie Coogan. Sponsored by Pet Milk.
2. THE DENNIS DAY SHOW (1953). A musical comedy program starring Jack Benny's favorite kid, in a dual role as himself, and as his favorite great uncle, who claims he's seeing a leprechaun (played by Billy Barty).
3. THE ED WYNN SHOW (1950). Ed's guests are the Three Stooges Larry, Moe, and Shemp, who wreak havoc on the set throughout the program. William Frawley appears in a commercial.
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THE ED WYNN SHOW (1949). Ed's guest is Victor Moore, in a rare live TV appearance. As touching as it is funny, Ed pays his respects to the classic vaudevillian. Complete with Speidel watch commercials.
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An interesting 60-minute program produced by the March of Dimes called THE SCENE STEALERS (1960). Its premise is simple: two vagabonds (Buster Keaton and Ed Wynn) sneak onto a movie lot trying to convince stars to raise money for charity (it's almost like a telethon). Performers include Lorne Greene, Dan Blocker, Jimmy Durante, Fabian, James Garner, Rosemary Clooney, Jack Lemmon, Dorothy Provine, Ralph Edwards and more!
--- 60 MINUTES --- BLACK AND WHITE ---
1. THE COLGATE SUMMER COMEDY HOUR, live from Hollywood, with Sammy Davis, Jr. and the Will Maston Trio, Connie Russell, the Gaylords, comic Jay Lawrence, and Don Wilson. Highlights: the Gaylords sing their latest hit, Connie does a few numbers, Sammy does impressions, plus lots more!
2. THE COLGATE COMEDY HOUR (5/17/54), starring your musical co-hosts Rhonda Fleming and Gordon MacRae, live from March Air Force Base in California. This program salutes Armed Forces Week , and features a special guest appearance by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Also: a jet fighter will travel straight and level at the speed of sound from Arizona, to arrive at the base about 30 minutes into the program...can he do it? With live TV, you just never know!
--- 110 MINUTES --- BLACK AND WHITE ---
1. THE COLGATE COMEDY HOUR (1954), with host Eddie Fisher and guests Peggy Lee, Louis Armstrong and Rocky Marciano, live from the Hollywood Bowl.
2. STRICTLY FOR LAFFS (1961). This was a pilot for a projected series. Dave Barry hosts as TV's top comics share jokes and stories. Appearing: Mel Blanc, Moe Howard, Rose Marie, Alan Reed, Ken Murray, Sid Melton, and many others.
3. BULOVA WATCH TIME (1958) with Frank Sinatra, Pat Suzuki and Natalie Wood. Complete with original commercials, live from Hollywood!
--- 110 MINUTES --- BLACK AND WHITE ---
1. THE SUMMER CHEVY SHOW, with Janet Blair, Edie Adams and Rowan & Martin. While Dinah Shore was on hiatus, Chevrolet sponsored 55-minute summer variety programs. In this first show, Janet sings several numbers, and Rowan & Martin do a comedy bit about current music. Also: A Dear Abby satire and a spoof of movie premieres. Complete with all original 1958 Chevrolet commercials.
2. THE SUMMER CHEVY SHOW, again with Janet Blair, Edie Adams and Rowan & Martin; also complete with 1958 Chevy commercials. Comedy includes a Punch and Judy spoof, and a Rowan & Martin routine about memory.
--- 110 MINUTES --- BLACK AND WHITE ---
1. THE DINAH SHORE CHEVY SHOW (1957), with Dinah and her guests Art Carney, Betty Hutton, Boris Karloff, and the Skylarks. Dinah belts out several numbers, and performs a musical duet with Betty spotlighting music through the decades. Comedy includes Dinah trying to talk Carney into hosting her show during the summer, but settling for Karloff instead. We then get to see a sample "The Shiverolet Show" with Boris and his All-Ghoul Orchestra!
2. YOUR HIT PARADE (10/17/53). We were lucky enough to uncover another classic edition of the popular musical show of the 1950s, featuring the week's top seven tunes with Snooky Lanson, Giselle Mackenzie, Dorothy Collins, and Russell Arms.
3. THE RED SKELTON SHOW (1958) with Red's guest Nancy Walker. The show spoofs beauty parlors, and is complete with commercials.
--- 110 MINUTES --- BLACK AND WHITE ---
1. THE CAVALCADE OF STARS (6/3/50). Host Jerry Lester (in the pre-Gleason days) presents the Dumont network variety show's first anniversary presentation. On hand are Paul Winchell and Jerry Mahoney, and actor John Garfield. Lots of comedy and music, along with the original Druggists of America commercials, and that rare Dumont network I.D.
2. THE DINAH SHORE CHEVY SHOW (1957), starring Dinah in another great hour of entertainment, along with her guests Dean Martin, Joey Bishop and Hugh O'Brien. Dinah and Hugh do a western duet, and Joey Bishop wants to skip comedy and just dance. Meanwhile, Dino sings a couple of songs, then teams up with Dinah for more great music!
--- 115 MINUTES --- BLACK AND WHITE ---
1. THE DINAH SHORE CHEVY SHOW (1958). Another great hour of vintage TV entertainment starring Dinah and her guests Jimmy Durante and actor Rosanno Brazzi. Dinah again sings her heart out in several songs, while Jimmy tries to show her that he can be a serious singer (with comical results). Rosanno teaches Dinah to speak Italian, and Dinah demonstrates an interesting new medium: Roll-a-Vision, which brings TV right into your living room. This show is complete with original commercials, however the pre-print material is fuzzy, not up to our usual quality.
2. THE ROSEMARY CLOONEY SHOW (1956). Here's Rosey in her own half hour musical-variety show, with her guests the Hi-Los (singing/dancing act) and Tony Curtis. Of course, there's lots of singing and dancing, and the comedy segment features Tony doing impressions and teaching Rosey some magic tricks.
3. THE ROSEMARY CLOONEY SHOW (1956). Another great half hour of music and comedy with Rosey and her guests Buster Keaton and once again, the Hi-Los. Comedy includes Buster as a policeman chasing a burglar in a silent routine.
--- 115 MINUTES --- BLACK AND WHITE ---
1. THE CAVALCADE OF STARS (1950). Another early TV variety program from the Dumont network. Host Jerry Lester introduces Circus Day on the show, and comedy sketches and music revolve around that theme. Original commercials and Dumont network I.D. are included. Quality is good!
2. THE JIMMY DURANTE SPECIAL (12/6/59). This 60-minute special salutes Broadway in the 1950s, and is complete with original Schaefer Pen commercials. Join JImmy and his guests Ray Bolger, Jane Powell, Jimmie Rodgers, and Eddie Hodges for some really great entertainment!
--- 120 MINUTES --- BLACK AND WHITE ---
1. THE GEORGE GOBEL SHOW (10/2/54). Here's Lonesome George's very first TV show. We get to meet George's wife, Spooky Old Alice. Fred MacMurray is also on hand as the guest star. The premise of the show is similiar to Jack Benny's. Complete with commercials.
2. THE PAT BOONE CHEVY SHOWROOM (2/13/58). The guy with the high button shoes stars in his own show in this half hour of music and variety. Pat's guest is Jimmy Dean.
3. THE MARTHA RAYE COMEDY HOUR (5/3/56). 60 minutes of comedy and music with Martha and her guests Edward G. Robinson and Cesar Romero. Comedy revolves around Robinson's attempt to convince people that he's a nice guy, not a gangster.
--- 115 MINUTES --- BLACK AND WHITE ---
1. TEXACO STAR THEATER STARRING MILTON BERLE (3/22/49). Uncle Miltie is back with guests Ethel Merman and Keye Luke in this early kinescope, complete with Texaco ads. Comedy includes Merman and Berle out for a joy ride and getting stuck on the road, and Keye Luke shows Miltie what his show would be like if it orginated from the far east.
2. THE PAUL WINCHELL-JERRY MAHONEY SHOW (12/20/53). Another live show, this one featuring the great ventriloquist and his dummies. This is a special Christmas show and is complete with original commercials.
--- 90 MINUTES --- BLACK AND WHITE ---
1. CLUB OASIS (1957). Here's a terrific hour of music and comedy starring Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, and Danny Thomas. Danny and Frank make fun of Dean while he sings, and Dean introduces Frank to an all-girl football team. Complete with commercials.
2. FRANKIE LAINE TIME (1956). A rare hour of entertainment starring Frankie and his guests Ella Fitzgerald and the Four Lads. Complete with commercials.
--- 120 MINUTES --- BLACK AND WHITE ---
1. EDDIE FISHER COKE TIME (1953/54/56). We present four 15-minute programs featuring Eddie in his prime. All shows are complete with commercials, and two feature guests Dihann Carroll (in one of her first TV appearances) and Florence Henderson.
2. THE PERRY COMO SHOW (10/13/54). The top tunes of the week sung by the master himself. Also on hand: Peggy Lee. Complete with commercials.
3. THE TONY MARTIN SHOW (1954). A 15-minute show featuring Tony and his unique style of singing, also complete with commercials.
4. THE FREDDY MARTIN SHOW (1951). Rounding out this musical edition of TV Variety, we offer a rare kinescope featuring Freddy's big band sound. Singing with the band is a very young Merv Griffin!
--- 120 MINUTES --- BLACK AND WHITE ---
1. STARS IN THE EYE (11/15/52). Jack Benny hosts a star-studded extravaganza celebrating the opening of the network's west coast facility. This live kinescope also features Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, George Burns, Gracie Allen, Eve Arden, Gale Gordon, Tim Moore, Spencer Williams, Alvin Childress, and many more!
2. SHOWER OF STARS (11/1/56). Once again, Jack Benny hosts a great hour of comedy and music. His guests are Nanette Fabray, Johnnie Ray, and William Lundigen; with commercials.
--- 120 MINUTES --- BLACK AND WHITE ---
1. THE TIMEX SHOW, with Frank, Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop,Nancy Sinatra, and special guest Elvis Presley. The gang welcomes Elvis back from the army. A classic show, complete with original commercials.
2. THE TIMEX SHOW, with Frank, Peter Lawford, Ella Fitzgerald, Hermoine Gingold, and Juliet Prowse. Another great show, done live from Palm Springs, California, complete with commercials.
--- 120 MINUTES --- BLACK AND WHITE ---
1. THE TIMEX SHOW, with Frank, Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, and Mitzi Gaynor. Another spectacular hour of music, complete with original commercials.
2. THE TIMEX SHOW, with Frank, Lena Horne, Mary Costa, Juliet Prowse, and special guest star Eleanor Roosevelt. Also complete with commercials.
--- 120 MINUTES --- BLACK AND WHITE ---
1. FRANKIE LAINE TIME (9/5/56). Frankie's back with another hour of great music and comedy. His guests are singer Johnnie Ray and comedian Gene Baylos. Commercials intact.
2. THE GEORGE GOBEL SHOW (2/5/55). 30 more minutes of hilarious comedy starring George and his guest Jeffrey Hunter (the original captain in "Star Trek"). Commercials intact.
3. TED MACK'S AMATEUR HOUR (1952). Here's a real RARE find: an original kinescope of the classic talent show of the 1940s and 1950s. Ted takes us via film to Korea, and the competitors this week are members of our armed forces!
--- 115 MINUTES --- BLACK AND WHITE ---
1. THE ALAN YOUNG SHOW (1951). Long before "Mr. Ed", Young hosted his own variety show, and here's a rare episode from that series. Sketches include Alan meeting a frustrated clerk (Franklin Pangborn) in a dept. store. With orig. comm.
2. THE BUSTER KEATON SHOW (1950). This is a RARE RARE RARE live kinescope from local Los Angeles TV, complete with car commercials. Buster really gets a workout at a gym!
3. CANDID CAMERA (1953). Join Allen Funt and classic moments from the previous 2 seasons, including a man who was caught twice, and the famous talking mailbox!
4. THE TEXACO SHOW (1955), live from Vegas with Jimmy Durante, George Raft, Peter Lawford, and Johnnie Ray. Complete with commercials.
--- 115 MINUTES --- BLACK AND WHITE ---
THE BIG RECORD (1957). Patti Page hosts this hour show, CBS's version of "Your Hit Parade". The stars that made the tunes hits perform them. Included: Johnnie Ray, Errol Garner, and Georgia Gibbs. Complete with original commercials.
--- 60 MINUTES --- BLACK AND WHITE ---
1. THE BUICK-BERLE SHOW (12/29/54). Another unusual hour for UncleMiltie because he doesn't exactly appear in the flesh. Arnold Stang hosts the show while Milton is on vacation, but Uncle Miltie leaves behind a talking cardboard cutout of himself to oversee everything. Guests are Dolores Gray, Paul Winchell, and Smith and Dale. Complete with commercials.
2. THE SID CAESAR SPECIAL (5/5/60). Caesar spoofs TV shows in this hilarious hour with guests Charlton Heston, Audrey Meadows, Howard Morris, and Chita Rivera. Sketches include take-offs of "Divorce Court", and "Omnibus".
--- 110 MINUTES --- BLACK AND WHITE ---
1. ARTHUR MURRAY'S DANCE PARTY (2/15/54). Arthur and Kathryn Murray are the hosts for 15 minutes of music and dance, complete with commercials, and special guest Johnnie Ray.
2. THE PERRY COMO SHOW (1955), with guest host Julius La Rosa. Here are three 15-minute programs from Perry's early series. La Rosa fills in for the vacationing Como with lots of songs and guest stars including Joni James, and Les Paul and Mary Ford. Complete with commercials.
3. THE COLGATE COMEDY HOUR (1951), with host Eddie Cantor. Eddie presents a "new talent" show with acrobats, comics, a very young Joel Gray, Eddie Fisher, and William Warfield. (Note: There is a slight skew during parts of the program.)
--- 110 MINUTES --- BLACK AND WHITE ---
1. THE COLGATE COMEDY HOUR (1951), starring Eddie Cantor and his guest Cesar Romero. Comedy includes Cantor trying to have a meeting with Romero, only to have Cesar constantly be interrupted by pretty girls.
2. SHOWER OF STARS (1955), complete with Chrysler car commercials. Tony Martin, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley star in a 60-minute musical comedy in which an opera singer falls in love with a baseball player. Frawley's the team manager, and Vivian Vance plays his wife (naturally)!
--- 110 MINUTES --- BLACK AND WHITE ---
1. FORD STAR JUBILEE (10/22/55). Here's a full 90 minutes of music and comedy with Mary Martin and Noel Coward, and is complete with 1956 Ford car commercials, network I.D., and even a local station I.D. (something we've never seen on a network kinescope)!
2. BULOVA WATCH TIME (1958), starring Frank Sinatra, and complete with original commercials. Frank welcomes Ethel Merman as his guest. Comedy includes an interview with a happily (?) married couple.
--- 120 MINUTES --- BLACK AND WHITE ---
1. THE PERRY COMO SHOW (1955). Three more 15-min. shows with Julius La Rosa subbing for Perry. Guests are Mindy Carson, Pee Wee King, and Jaye P. Morgan. All shows are complete with original commercials.
2. DODGE PRESENTS LAWRENCE WELK (1955). Here's the original pilot test film that Dodge made to get Welk, then just a local TV personality, onto a network. Complete with 1956 Dodge commercials. Rare!
3. DICK SINCLAIR'S POLKA PARADE (1957). Speaking of local TV, here's one from Los Angeles, in fact one that's similiar to Welk's. 30 minutes of music, dancing, and singing, complete with commercials pitched by game show host Tom Kennedy!
--- 105 MINUTES --- BLACK AND WHITE ---
1. 4-STAR REVUE (1951), with Jimmy Durante, Fred Allen, and Eddie Cantor. Here's a great hour - they don't make 'em like this anymore! Lots of comedy, lots of music, and lots of original commercials. Even Abe Vigoda gets into the act! A live kinescope - watch during the cabin sketch as Durante tries to get his line out - there was no going back then!
2. THE COLGATE COMEDY HOUR (1954), with your skating host, Sonia Henie. Other performers include Keefe Brasselle and Gene Wesson. Another great hour of music and comedy, also complete with commercials.
--- 120 MINUTES --- BLACK AND WHITE ---
1. THE MOREY AMSTERDAM SHOW (1949). A very RARE kinescope from the Dumont network featuring the human joke machine and his sidekick...Art Carney! Lots of comedy, music, and dancing in one of the first live variety programs ever!
2. THE PERRY COMO SHOW (1952). 15 minutes of music, sung by the king of relaxation himself, complete with Chesterfield cigarette commercials.
3. THE COLGATE COMEDY HOUR (2/3/52), with host Donald O’Connor and Kay Starr, Ben Blue, Frank Nelson and Sidney Miller. This is a great hour of entertainment - lots of comedy, impressions, singing and dancing, and original commercials!
4. THE DINAH SHORE SHOW (1956), complete with Chevy commercials. An episode from Dinah’s twice weekly 15-minute series live from Burbank contains popular songs of the day.
--- 115 MINUTES --- BLACK AND WHITE ---
1. THE FRED WARING SHOW (10/8/49). Here’s a rare live show with lots of great musical entertainment. The entire second half of the program recreates the famous “turn-of-the-century” minstrel shows - which is an embarrassing, very politically-incorrect exhibition today!
2. ARTHUR GODFREY’S TALENT SCOUTS (8/3/53). Godfrey is seen via remote on his farm; he was recently released from the hospital and ordered not to commute to NY, so they brought a camera to his backyard while all the talent appears live on stage. Godfrey blabs and blabs so much during the show that they run out of time and cut him off!BOTH SHOWS ARE COMPLETE WITH ORIGINAL COMMERCIALS.
--- 90 MINUTES --- BLACK AND WHITE ---
These daytime shows are just as entertaining as their prime time counterparts! ALL SHOWS ARE COMPLETE WITH ORIGINAL COMMERCIALS.
1. THE GARRY MOORE SHOW (12/7/51). An early episode of Garry’s live morning show. Durwood Kirby and Garry clown around and answer mail. 2. THE BETTY WHITE SHOW (11/29/54). It’s Wish Day, and Betty helps a 10-year-old orphan girl’s wishes come true. With Frank De Vol.
3. THE BOB CROSBY SHOW (6/2/55). Bob and his sidekick Jack Narz bring you 15 minutes of great music and comedy, live from Hollywood!
4. THE JIMMY DEAN SHOW (5/9/59). Jimmy’s guest is Snooky Lanson in this 30-minute program. Jack Clark is co-host. A bit of unrehearsed ranting occurs halfway through the show. Jimmy finds out earlier in the day that his show is being cancelled, so he takes the opportunity to complain about the network brass and actually BEGS viewers to send in soap wrappers to help save the show...it didn’t help - the show was gone two months later.
--- 90 MINUTES --- BLACK AND WHITE ---
1. THE COLGATE COMEDY HOUR (1/20/52). Host Eddie Cantor goes back to college in this 60-minute program, complete with commercials. His guests are Robert Clary, Shirley Mitchell, and Doris Singleton.
2. ALL STAR REVUE (1952), starring Bob Hope and guest star Fred MacMurray, live from the Presidio in San Francisco. This remote broadcast is filled with technical goofs, and performing bloopers. Comedy (besides the goofs) includes Bob and Fred playing typical San Francisco residents, and Alcatraz prisoners. Complete with original commercials.
--- 120 MINUTES --- BLACK AND WHITE ---
1. ALL STAR REVUE (3/1/52) with hosts Olson and Johnson. Did TV kill the vaudeville stars? You decide, as the comedy team brings some of their best routines to the small screen. Sketches include O&J as inept detectives, trying to avoid paying rent in a boarding house, and invading a fashion show. All original commercials are included.
2. ALL STAR REVUE (5/10/52) starring Danny Thomas and guests Eleanor Powell and June Havoc. Danny does monologues from his nightclub act, and appears in a sketch that shows what would happen if we had a woman president (politically incorrect today). Another sketch has Danny’s wife thinking everyone she sees is a movie star. Some original commercials are included.
--- 120 MINUTES --- BLACK AND WHITE ---
1. THE ED WYNN SHOW (1/14/50). Ed’s guests are singer Olga San Juan and Howard Duff. Sketches include Ed hosting a cooking show, and a murder mystery that spoofs Duff’s Sam Spade radio character.
2. THE ALAN YOUNG SHOW (4/18/50). Alan’s guests are singer Monica Lewis and William Frawley. In a sketch, Frawley plays the father of Alan’s girlfriend, and nothing Alan does can please him. RARE BONUS FOOTAGE ONLY ON THE DVD: Careful listeners will notice a lot of background noise while Alan and Monica Lewis are bantering on stage. It was decided after the show that a retake would be shot and then physically edited into the kinescopes played to the eastern and midwestern cities that didn’t receive the program when it was telecast live on the west coast. The DVD contains this unique retake as bonus footage; it is NOT included on the VHS release.
3. CHESTERFIELD SOUND OFF WITH FRED ALLEN (1/6/52). Fred Allen’s career on television was less than spectacular. Somehow his humor did not transfer well from radio. Nevertheless, here is an episode of one of the first programs he hosted - a variety show with guest Dave Garroway, who does an extended plug (as part of a sketch) for his new “Today” show premiering the following week. True to the title of the program, the final segment allows members of the audience to “sound off” on current events, but the show runs out of time before Fred can even finish introducing the panelists!
4. THE RED BUTTONS SHOW (6/1/53). Red welcomes singer Eartha Kitt to his weekly variety program, and then spoofs western movies. In a sketch, Red’s girlfriend thinks he prefers baseball to her. Pat Carroll also appears.ALL SHOWS CONTAIN ORIGINAL COMMERCIALS, EXCEPT THE ALAN YOUNG SHOW, WHICH IS NETWORK-SUSTAINED.
--- DVD: 125 MINUTES / VHS: 120 MINUTES --- BLACK AND WHITE ---
1. THE ED WYNN SHOW (2/25/50). Ed’s guests are Elsa Lanchester and Reginald Gardiner. This is a very rare kinescope, as it is a “studio version”, meaning it is a live feed from the set without any filmed commercial insertions (the cameras focus on the stage instead). Also, the program runs more than 31 minutes in length! Since Wynn’s show was the first to originate live from the west coast, this gave the producers a chance to actually “edit” the kinescope before it played for the majority of the rest of the country, as well as do “retakes” if necessary (see below). Comedy includes a laundry mat sketch and a spoof of British movies.
2. THE FRANKIE LAINE SHOW (1954). Frankie and Connie Haines star in this filmed program. There’s lots of music, dancing, and singing, as well as an acrobatic act in this half hour program.
3. THE MILTON BERLE SHOW (5/8/56). Milton’s guests in this hilarious hour are Mickey Rooney and Peggy King, as well as regulars Arnold Stang and Ruth Gilbert. Milton seeks the help of a psychiatrist when he feels his show demands too much of him. The doctor suggests he hire an understudy to take the pressure off, and Mickey Rooney wants the job. Complete with original commercials.
BONUS FOOTAGE ON THE DVD ONLY: Not only does Ed Wynn’s show above run two minutes long, but after the program, the producers had Ed do a few retakes on an intro in which he left out a sentence or two. We proudly present these “pick-ups” that feature Ed talking to the crew between takes and trying to get the intro right so it can be spliced into the shows being sent back east. NOT PART OF THE VHS RELEASE.
--- DVD: 120 MINUTES / VHS: 115 MINUTES --- BLACK AND WHITE ---
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