Wednesday, April 13, 2011

We Bring A Program

In Fort Worth, Texas, television station WBAP-TV (We Bring A Program) went on the air around 1948, and before much time had elapsed our family owned a television set. We didn’t have an indoor toilet or hot and cold running water, but we had a television set.
I’m so glad my Dad had his priorities straight.

Since I seem to be lost in the fifties lately, here are some vintage clips of a few sketches from Your Show of Shows, that wonderful program with Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca, Carl Reiner (the creator of The Dick Van Dyke Show and co-creator (along with his wife, Estelle, the
Older Woman Customer in When Harry Met Sally who uttered the line, “I’ll have what she’s having,”) of Meathead Michael Stivic actor/director Rob Reiner), Howard Morris (who later played Ernest T. Bass on The Andy Griffith Show and whom I saw onstage with Patrice Munsel in Naughty Marietta at the State Fair Musicals in Dallas one year; I also saw Kay Armen as Bloody Mary in South Pacific, but that is another post), and, yes, even an opera singer, Marguerite Piazza. Your Show of Shows lasted from 1950 until 1954.

“This Is Your Story” (10:56) (a spoof of This Is Your Life)

“The 1812 Overture” (1:11)

“The Clock” (7:11)

“The 3 Haircuts” (5:33)

If you’re not old enough to remember this loony gang that came into our homes every Saturday night for 90 minutes, you missed a lot of happy times.

4 comments:

  1. did you remember a show a little later with gizell mckensie and snookie lansen, it became my favorite of all shows at that time<><>hit parade

    ReplyDelete
  2. Putz, I do indeed [remember], in fact I posted about Your Hit Parade over two years ago, right here.

    I also remember that Bea Benaderet played the mother of the three girls in Petticoat Junction after she played the next-door neighbor of George Burns and Gracie Allen on their show, but, like your comment, that doesn't have anything to do with this post either.

    This post wasn't supposed to be a trip down memory lane, it was supposed to evoke comments about Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca, Carl Reiner, Howard Morris, and Your Show of Shows.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I've watched and enjoyed hours and hours of Caeser/Reiner(and their zany cohorts') antics. Those were the days when TV comedians amused and entertained us. Most of today's TV comedy(?) programs are unfit to watch.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Pat, much of what is everyday fare on television these days would have, in my yute, gotten my mouth washed out with soap or my bottom smacked.

    The world has changed, but not for the better. I suppose every "older generation" has thought this since time immemorial.

    ReplyDelete

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