Fashions on Parade

Last updated
Fashions on Parade
Also known asTelevision Fashions
Fashion Parade
Genre Fashion
Presented by Adelaide Hawley Cumming
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
Production
Camera setup Multi-camera
Running time25 minutes
Original release
Network DuMont (1948-1949)
ABC (1949)
ReleaseNovember 4, 1948 (1948-11-04) –
June 29, 1949 (1949-06-29)

Fashions on Parade is an American fashion-themed television series that aired on the DuMont Television Network from November 4, 1948, to April 24, 1949, and on ABC from April 27, 1949, to June 29, 1949. The show was hosted by Adelaide Hawley. [1]

Contents

Overview

Fashions on Parade, "a half-hour fashion program with a variety formula" [2] was one of the first television programs to focus on fashions. [1] Each episode had models from the Conover agency as characters in a story that demonstrated "how good clothes and accessories contribute to daily living." [3] Hawley narrated fashion segments, with Vincent Lopez playing the piano. The show also had a "wandering fantasy mannequin". [4] On ABC, Bob Douglas and June Forrest provided music and the team of Russell and Aura performing interpretive dances. [2]

The show was also broadcast under the titles Television Fashions and Fashion Parade. [1]

Episode status

Two episodes of the program (June 8, 1949, and a second 1949 episode) are held in the J. Fred MacDonald collection at the Library of Congress.[ citation needed ]

Production

Charles Caplin and Leon Roth produced the program. [1] Raymond Nelson was the director, [5] and Elinor Lenz was the writer. [6] The Dumont version was initially sponsored by several department stores [3] but by December 1948 it was sponsored by Procter & Gamble; [7] Lord & Taylor was the sponsor on ABC. [2]

Hawley's work included selecting clothes and accessories for each week's episode from a wholesale market. In that role she sometimes had to convince salespeople that items might not look as good on TV as they did when seen in person. She did her narration from a booth in the studio, wearing headphones to hear the director while she watched a TV set to be sure that viewers were seeing what she was describing. [5]

On Dumont, Fashions on Parade was broadcast on Fridays from 8 to 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time and "was top rated for 44 weeks". [8] On ABC it was seen on Wednesdays from 9 to 9:30 p.m. E. T. [8]

A mystery-model contest in 1949 promoted the show, its sponsors, and the United Service Organizations (USO). "Who Is Miss Terry?" had six masked models walking on different parts of Fifth Avenue in New York City near stores that supplied merchandise shown on the program. The goal of the contest was "identifying Miss Terry, a well-known personality, by clues seen — but not heard — on the television show." [9] People entered the contest by submitting slogans on the topic "Why Everyone Should Support the U. S. O." Mail from the contest was sent to the USO for its use, and entrants could win prizes. [9] Those who submitted the three best slogans each week won merchandise worth $50. Correct identification of Miss Terry won the entrant "a complete wardrobe valued at $3,500." [10]

Critical response

Sponsor magazine wrote that the fashions on the show were "telecast beautifully" each week. It added, "The TV wedding of style and its upkeep is a natural for all concerned." [3]

The trade publication Variety wrote in April 1948, "DuMont (WABD) has come up with a fashion show that makes sense." [11] It complimented Hawley's work and the overall camerawork and production, but it added that the wandering mannequin and the dancers were "needless and useless". [11] In July 1948, after Procter & Gamble became the sponsor, a Variety review pointed out problems in continuity and in integration of commercials. It said that continuity was needed to "not only tie the show into a coherent and cohesive pattern but give it snap, fluidity, and specific character." [12] It noted that the commercials themselves were appealing, but that changes such as the sudden shift from falling snow in a commercial to "a scene of bright sunshine and summer attire" needed to be improved. [12] When the show premiered on ABC, a review in Variety said that it lacked interest, focusing too much on fashion, and that the musical part of the program was not good enough to maintain viewers' interest. It said that the episode had "the flimsiest of story lines" and that the concept seemed to be more that of a printed publication than that of live video. [13]

See also

Bibliography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DuMont Television Network</span> American television network (1942–1956)

The DuMont Television Network was one of America's pioneer commercial television networks, rivaling NBC and CBS for the distinction of being first overall in the United States. It was owned by Allen B. DuMont Laboratories, a television equipment and television set manufacturer, and began operation on April 13, 1940.

Mary Kay and Johnny is an American situation comedy starring real-life married couple Mary Kay and Johnny Stearns. It was the first sitcom broadcast on a television network in the United States. Mary Kay and Johnny initially aired live on the DuMont Television Network before moving to CBS and then NBC.

Court of Current Issues is a nontraditional court show featuring public-affairs debates. The program aired on the DuMont Television Network from February 9, 1948, through June 26, 1951. Originally a half-hour in length, it expanded to 60 minutes in 1949.

<i>The Wendy Barrie Show</i> American TV series or program

The Wendy Barrie Show is an American talk show hosted by Wendy Barrie, which aired from November 10, 1948, to September 27, 1950.

Champagne and Orchids is an American variety show broadcast on the now defunct DuMont Television Network. The network series ran from September 6, 1948, to January 10, 1949. Champagne and Orchids was a variety show hosted by Adrienne Meyerberg, billed simply as 'Adrienne', who sang in English, French, and Spanish.

Crawford Mystery Theatre is an American television program broadcast on the DuMont Television Network Thursdays at 9:30pm ET beginning on September 6, 1951. The series was also seen in first-run syndication. The series ran from 1951 to 1952.

And Everything Nice is an American fashion-theme television program broadcast on the now defunct DuMont Television Network. The series ran from 1949 to 1950. The program was hosted by Maxine Barrat, who appeared as herself in MGM's 1943 film Thousands Cheer.

Down You Go is an American television game show originally broadcast on the DuMont Television Network. The Emmy Award-nominated series ran from 1951 to 1956 as a prime time series primarily hosted by Dr. Bergen Evans. The program aired in eleven different timeslots during its five-year run.

Bowling Headliners was television's first nationally broadcast bowling show. It aired on ABC from December 26, 1948, to October 30, 1949, and on DuMont from November 13, 1949, to April 9, 1950.

<i>Okay, Mother</i> American TV series or program

Okay, Mother is an American daytime variety/game show which originally aired on WABD in New York City in 1948.

<i>Man Against Crime</i> American TV detective series

Man Against Crime starring Ralph Bellamy, one of the first television programs about private eyes, ran on CBS, the DuMont Television Network and NBC from October 7, 1949, to June 27, 1954, and was briefly revived, starring Frank Lovejoy, during 1956. The show was created by Lawrence Klee and was broadcast live until 1952. The series was one of the few television programs ever to have been simulcast on more than one network: the program aired on both NBC and DuMont during the 1953–54 television season.

Front Row Center is the title of two American television programs with different formats that were broadcast on different networks.

Fishing and Hunting Club is a DuMont Television Network program that was aired on Fridays at 9 pm ET from September 30, 1949, to March 31, 1950. On January 20, 1950, the name of the show changed to Sports for All.

<i>The Alan Dale Show</i> American TV series or program

The Alan Dale Show is an early American television program which ran on the DuMont Television Network in 1948, and then on CBS Television from 1950-1951.

Café de Paris was an American musical variety show broadcast on the DuMont Television Network. The 15-minute program ran on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from January 17. 1949, to March 4, 1949.

Elder Michaux is a religious TV show that aired on the DuMont Television Network, hosted by evangelist Lightfoot Solomon Michaux.

Gruen Playhouse is an American dramatic anthology series that was known as Gruen Guild Playhouse when it debuted on ABC on September 27, 1951. "Guild" was dropped from the title when it was shown on the DuMont Television Network from January 17, 1952, until July 3, 1952.

<i>Picture This</i> (American TV program) American TV series or program

Picture This was an American television program that was broadcast on NBC and hosted by Wendy Barrie. In this 10-minute program, which ran Wednesdays from 8:20pm to 8:30pm ET, guest cartoonists drew cartoons to illustrate jokes or stories submitted by the studio audience. The first episode aired November 17, 1948 and the final episode February 9, 1949.

The Needle Shop was an early American television program which aired on the DuMont Television Network in a 15-minute timeslot on weekday afternoons. The program was broadcast from New York City television station WABD from November 1948 to December 1949.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 279. ISBN   0-14-02-4916-8.
  2. 1 2 3 "Radio and Television: Stations Schedule Wide Coverage of Easter Services for Air and Video Audiences" . The New York Times. April 16, 1949. p. 26. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 "P & G buys a fashion show". Sponsor. December 1948. pp. 29–31. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  4. ↑ Cassidy, Marsha F. (April 20, 2009). What Women Watched: Daytime Television in the 1950s. University of Texas Press. ISBN   978-0-292-78272-3 . Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  5. 1 2 "Women of Fashion". Radio and Television Mirror. August 1948. p. 48. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  6. ↑ "Dumont". Ross Reports. March 4, 1949. p. 16. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  7. ↑ "Snowfakery". Billboard. August 7, 1948. p. 7. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  8. 1 2 "Independent Producer Profile". Ross Reports. April 22, 1949. p. 4. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  9. 1 2 "Pulchritudinous Promotion". Broadcasting. February 14, 1949. p. 89. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  10. ↑ "Coast to Coast in Television". Radio and Television Mirror. March 1949. p. 94. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  11. 1 2 "Inside Television". Variety. April 14, 1948. p. 26. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  12. 1 2 "Television Fashions on Parade". Variety. July 28, 1948. p. 86. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  13. ↑ "Fashions on Parade". Variety. May 4, 1949. p. 30. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.