The Arrow Show

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The Arrow Show is an American television variety series that was broadcast on NBC November 24, 1948 - May 19, 1949. It was also known as The Phil Silvers Arrow Show and Arrow Comedy Theatre. [1] The sponsor was Arrow Shirts. [2]

Contents

Overview

Phil Silvers was the host from the premiere through March 1949; Hank Ladd succeeded him for the duration of the series. In addition to weekly guest stars, the show had "a rotating stable of 'regulars'", with Jack Gilford being the only regular who was there for the program's full run. [1] Other regulars included Joey Faye, Jack Diamond, Danny Dayton, and the Harry Mack Triplets. [3] Ray Bloch's orchestra provided music, and Dan Seymour was the announcer. [4] Guest stars on the program included Georgia Gibbs, [5] Peter Lorre, [6] and Rudy Vallee [5]

Production

The producers were Rod Erickson [7] and Dave Levy. Wes McKee was the director. The program originated from WNBT. [4] Competition included American Minstrels of 1949 on ABC, Operation Success on DuMont, and Kobbs Korner on CBS. [8] Hooperatings of regularly scheduled sponsored TV programs in New York had The Arrow Show in the top 10 in January 1949 (eighth with a rating of 35.6) [9] and February 1949 (ninth, 32.1). [10]

Critical response

A review of the premiere episode in the trade publication Billboard called the show "the first good comedy show of its kind in video", and added that it avoided routines that many comedians had transferred from vaudeville to TV. [11] The review complimented Silvers's sketches. [11]

A subsequent Billboard review after Silvers's departure commented, "... the strong personality of Silvers was missed as an integrating force." [12] The review suggested that Gilford's performance might merit expanding his role, and it complimented the singing of Janet Blair. It noted, "This show still is in the molding stage" and suggested that addition of blackouts and sketches might be beneficial. [12]

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References

  1. 1 2 Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (1999). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present (7th ed.). New York: The Ballentine Publishing Group. p. 55. ISBN   0-345-42923-0.
  2. ↑ "NBC Arrow Show Gets It in Neck". Billboard. May 21, 1949. p. 11. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
  3. ↑ "NBC". Ross Reports. March 4, 1949. p. 3. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
  4. 1 2 "Comedy-Variety (Continued)". Ross Reports. April 8, 1949. p. 5. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
  5. 1 2 "Vallee to Sub for Silvers". The Buffalo News. February 10, 1949. p. 13. Retrieved January 20, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "Radio and Television; ' America's Town Meeting Air' Planning Tour of World's Capitals This Summer" . The New York Times. March 16, 1949. p. 54. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
  7. ↑ 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. 57. ISBN   0-14-02-4916-8.
  8. ↑ Hyatt, Wesley (October 6, 2015). Short-Lived Television Series, 1948-1978: Thirty Years of More Than 1,000 Flops. McFarland. p. 7. ISBN   978-1-4766-0515-9 . Retrieved January 19, 2025.
  9. ↑ "Berle Show Tops". Broadcasting. January 31, 1949. p. 44. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
  10. ↑ "'Star Theatre': Texaco TV Show Tops Again". Broadcasting. March 14, 1949. p. 38. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
  11. 1 2 Franken, Jerry (December 4, 1948). "The Phil Silvers Arrow Show". Billboard. p. 10. Retrieved January 20, 2025.
  12. 1 2 Chase, Sam (April 23, 1949). "Arrow Show". Billboard. p. 11. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
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