643:) had been done five years later, they may have changed their minds, because they did a lot of the same kind of humor we did later... Any time a performer dies in the process of doing a television series or a Broadway show, it's a difficult proposition how to proceed in good taste. With Fred Allen, this was in the mid-1950s and while he was never as successful in television, he had been an icon in radio... This may have been the first time, or at least one of the first times, a performer in television died while in the midst of doing a regular show. A comedian named Don Hornsby was supposed to do NBC's first late-night show, but he died two weeks before the show went on the air, so the audience had not yet seen him. But Fred Allen was one of the great humorists in the history of entertainment to that time, and the nation was still in shock because people had just seen him the previous Sunday night.
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NBC had tried unsuccessfully to do late night television with the comedian Jerry Lester and with Morey
Amsterdam in the early 1950s, but that did not go over well with the viewers. I'm not certain the quality of the show had anything to do with it. At that point in time, you still had a limited
639:
number of television sets and television had still not come to a lot of the medium-sized cities around the country. I think you had a lot of people in the network executive suites who were convinced 11 o'clock was just too late for people to stay up and watch television. If that original show (
554:
was given no script and told, "You just sit there and act dumb. Your name is Dagmar." With her new name, she sat on a stool with a sign around her neck saying "Girl Singer," did breathing exercises, and soon performed as a reader of poems and plays, while Lester made occasional jokes about her
133:
555:"hidden talents." Her appearances created a sensation, leading to much press coverage and a salary increase from $ 75 to $ 1,250. Lester was now in the peculiar position of being the second banana on his own show, and he asked NBC to put him on another program. Lester left
424:
who appeared
October 31, 1950 (an audio recording exists of his appearance on the show), and there were also audience participation bits, such as having women from the audience join the female cast members in modeling fur coats. Lester's fondness for
705:
with Jerry Lester. Jerry Lester and Milton DeLugg and the orchestra. Milton played the accordion. Ray Malone was a tap dancer. Dagmar was the sex bombshell who, I guess she could pass for a singer, I don't know, uh, and Jerry Lester. Funny.
364:, from which he died on the day he was to host his first show, May 22, 1950. Hornsby's sudden demise forced NBC to postpone the show and rush to find new hosts on short notice. For the first few weeks, there were different hosts including
416:), running through standard nightclub comedy routines and introducing the show's vocal group, the Mello Larks. Lester's signature bit was to twist his eyeglasses at a 45-degree angle on his face. The show had occasional guests, including
404:) and his manic personality had received on a recent appearance on NBC and offered Lester the hosting position almost immediately. Lester initially hosted the Tuesday, Thursday and Friday episodes of
710:. And that one really got my attention. 'Cause that was mixed, planned and unplanned, slapstick and verbal and that was just, you know, for me was, that fed me. I never missed
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No episodes from
Amsterdam's hosting run exist. A limited number of episodes from Lester's run have survived and are archived at the
621:) made her the first major female star of television. She continued making guest appearances during the late 1950s with Jack Paar on
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from May 29, 1950, to August 24, 1951, airing weeknights from 11pm to midnight. One of the pioneering TV creations of NBC president
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The
Comedians: Drunks, Thieves, Scoundrels and the History of American Comedy, Nesteroff, Kliph, Grove Press, 2015, pg. 128
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was under much more pressure, and it was a continuing challenge to come up with fresh material on a nightly basis. Starlet
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Broadway Open House: “Just Call Me ‘Bean Bag’!” The first late-night show ever was insane. Why have we never heard of it?
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recorded
December 17, 2007. Carlin prefaced the description of the show with other variety shows of the time, including
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Vic McLeod, Paul Munro, Ray Buffum and Jac Hein were among the producers. Hein, Munro and Joseph C. Cavalier directed.
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Network variety shows were broadcast weekly, with the production staff having one week to create each new episode.
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previewed the next day's programming. For a short time, Dagmar was given a weekly late-night show entitled
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that would follow. One week before he was to begin hosting, the 26-year-old
Hornsby suddenly contracted
352:(so named because he yelled "Creesh" often). Hornsby had been brought into the variety show business by
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in May 1951, and Dagmar carried on as host. On July 16, 1951, she was featured on the front cover of
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Lester was retained as a rotating host for a new early prime-time variety show the next season,
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334:, it demonstrated the potential for late-night programming and led to the later development of
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with his crew of sidekicks (including some of the earliest TV appearances of brassy
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until
Amsterdam exited the show, leaving Lester the sole host. Lester performed
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Total
Television: a Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present
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538:. Years later, Paar said "He didn't invent programs, but wrote great memos."
473:. The show's opening theme music was "The Beanbag Song" by DeLugg, Lester and
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was performed before a live studio audience, in the manner of a stage show.
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and late night television and where it got its start. Everybody mentions
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George Carlin
Interview Part 1 of 7 - TelevisionAcademy.com/Interviews
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902:. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Event occurs at 20:23
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for Dagmar to foil were factors in the show being short-lived.
356:, whose topical humor would serve as the basis for most of the
580:. NBC filled the late-night time slot for the next year with
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801:"Jerry Lester, Early TV Host And Comedian, Is Dead at 85"
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697:, which is the proper place to begin the genealogy of
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The show was originally planned to be hosted by comic
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Encyclopedia of
Television Shows, 1925 through 2010
526:. There are those who dispute Weaver's credit for
46:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
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522:, which eventually took to the network in 1954 as
661:was an early influence on the comedy stylings of
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853:Watching TV: Four Decades of American Television
149:photographed her for the July 16, 1951 issue of
665:who spoke of the show in an interview with the
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500:were the writers. The program was developed by
689:and nobody mentions this when they talk about
481:", which became a hit for both Lester and for
849:Castleman, Harry; Walter J. Podrazik (1982).
964:1950s American late-night television series
131:
979:Black-and-white American television shows
106:Learn how and when to remove this message
969:1950s American variety television series
514:in the 1930s. After the 15-month run of
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959:1951 American television series endings
954:1950 American television series debuts
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433:on the series. The sponsors included
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896:George Carlin (December 17, 2007).
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857:. New York: McGraw-Hill. pp.
118:1950 American TV series or program
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326:series. It was telecast live on
753:. McFarland & Company, Inc.
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31:needs additional citations for
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366:Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis
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420:, who appeared May 1950 and
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55:"Broadway Open House"
786:Spencer, Sharlotte.
672:The Ed Sullivan Show
350:Don "Creesh" Hornsby
215:Production locations
40:improve this article
925:Broadway Open House
712:Broadway Open House
708:Broadway Open House
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606:Colgate Comedy Hour
601:Broadway Open House
582:Mary Kay's Nightcap
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516:Broadway Open House
469:, Andy Roberts and
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885:. 23 October 2017.
883:"Dagmar's Canteen"
667:Television Academy
530:, including hosts
479:Orange Colored Sky
397:Cavalcade of Stars
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238:Production company
147:Alfred Eisenstaedt
759:978-0-7864-6477-7
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266:May 29, 1950
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181:Presented by
165:Variety show
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96:October 2009
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38:Please help
33:verification
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811:February 5,
695:Steve Allen
648:Steve Allen
532:Steve Allen
520:Steve Allen
467:Jane Harvey
431:running gag
418:Lenny Bruce
374:Robert Alda
220:NBC Studios
218:Studio 6H,
187:(1950–1951)
948:Categories
906:2020-01-18
737:References
574:Fred Allen
506:Fred Allen
498:Cal Howard
490:Stan Burns
455:Ray Malone
439:Blatz Beer
388:Pat Weaver
332:Pat Weaver
280:1951-08-24
270:1950-05-29
233:60 minutes
210:Production
171:Created by
66:newspapers
761:. P. 138.
654:Reception
536:Jack Paar
429:became a
427:bean bags
717:—
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410:sketches
354:Bob Hope
288:Related
278: (
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263:Release
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192:(1950)
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197:(1951)
195:Dagmar
139:Dagmar
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859:63–72
362:polio
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