| The Gordon MacRae Show | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Musical variety |
| Written by | Sheila MacRae |
| Directed by | Irv Lambrecht |
| Presented by | Gordon MacRae |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | March 5 – August 27, 1956 |
The Gordon MacRae Show is an American musical television program that was broadcast on NBC March 5, 1956 - August 27, 1956. [1]
Gordon MacRae was the host for the show, which was set in a replica of the den in MacRae's home in Hollywood. Episodes featured MacRae's singing, while the Cheerleaders quartet provided vocal backup, and Van Alexander's orchestra provided instrumental music. Phil Harris was the guest on the premiere episode. [2] Guests on other episodes included June Hutton [3] and Jan Clayton. [4]
Irv Lambrecht produced and directed the series. [2] Sheila MacRae was the writer. [5] Lever Brothers was the sponsor, promoting Lifebuoy, Lux, and Pepsodent. [6] A projection technique enabled a picture window in the rear of MacRae's den to display any desired setting, [2] so that scenes appropriate to an episode's songs were shown. [7] The Gordon MacRae Show originated live from Hollywood [8] and was broadcast on Mondays from 7:30 to 7:45 p.m. Eastern Time "to fill the remainder of the half hour in which NBC aired its network news". [7] The show's competition included The Adventures of Robin Hood on CBS and Twilight Theater (and later Bold Journey ) on ABC. [5] It replaced The Tony Martin Show [9] and was replaced by The Golden Touch of Frankie Carle. [10]
Variety called the premiere episode of The Gordon MacRae Show "all very orthodox and very pleasant" with compliments for MacRae's singing and the show's "tasteful setting". [6] The review found fault with the number of commercials (an "overload of plugs in a 15-minute session"). [6]
Motion Picture Daily described that first episode as "Pleasant, diverting and well-handled." [8] The review complimented MacRae's voice and personality and said, "this new quarter-hour of informal melody bids fair to be a must in many homes, not only for the teenagers, but for all sides of the family." [8]
Broadcasting complimented MacRae's songs and his "incredibly relaxed" manner and said that the show's format "looks like it will wear well". [11]
The year 1956 in television involved some significant events. Below is a list of television-related events during 1956.
Albert Gordon MacRae was an American actor, singer, and television and radio host. He appeared in the film versions of two Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals, Oklahoma! (1955) and Carousel (1956), and played the leading man opposite Doris Day in On Moonlight Bay (1951) and sequel By The Light of the Silvery Moon (1953).
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Star Time is an American variety series that aired on the DuMont Television Network from September 5, 1950, to February 27, 1951, and starred singer-actress Frances Langford. It was broadcast from 10 to 11 p.m. on Tuesdays.
The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre is an American anthology series that aired live on NBC Mondays at 8 pm EST from September 27, 1948 to June 26, 1950. The program presented both news headlines and live dramatic performances of either original plays or works adapted for television from the stage. Sometimes the show was referred to as Chevrolet on Broadway or The Broadway Playhouse; particularly when the program was presenting an adapted stage work from New York City's theatre scene.
TV Reader's Digest is a 30-minute American television anthology drama series, which aired on ABC from January 17, 1955, to July 9, 1956. Its theme music was "Polonaise" from Act III of Eugene Onegin.
Ford Festival, also known as The James Melton Show, is an hour-long television show, sponsored by Ford Motor Company, hosted by James Melton, and broadcast on NBC Television beginning on April 5, 1951. The final show was aired June 26, 1952. This show was replaced by another Ford-sponsored NBC show, Ford Television Theatre, from October 1952 to September 1956.
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Hollywood Opening Night is an American anthology television program that was broadcast on CBS in 1951-1952 and on NBC in 1952-1953. The NBC version was the first dramatic anthology presented live from the West Coast. Episodes were 30 minutes long.
Mohawk Showroom is an American musical television program that debuted on NBC on May 2, 1949 and ended on November 23, 1951. It was sponsored by Mohawk Carpet Mills Inc. In 1951, the program was one of several NBC-TV shows selected to be shown to United States military personnel overseas via kinescope recordings. The same title was also used for a similar radio program in 1951.
The Peter Lind Hayes Show is the title of two American television shows and one American radio program. One TV show was a situation comedy broadcast in prime time on NBC in 1950-1951. The other was a daytime variety program on ABC in 1958-1959. The radio program was a weekly variety show on CBS in 1954-1955.
Guy Lombardo's Diamond Jubilee is an American musical television program that was broadcast on CBS from March 20, 1956, until June 19, 1956.
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