Ford Star Jubilee

Last updated
Ford Star Jubilee
Judy Garland Ford Star Jubilee 1955.JPG
Judy Garland rehearsing for the program's premiere, September 24, 1955.
Genre Anthology
Written by Maxwell Anderson
Herbert Baker
Jim Bishop
Robert Buckner
Carroll Carroll
Noël Coward
Paul Gregory
Ben Hecht
John Hersey
Jean Holloway
Charles MacArthur
John Cherry Monks, Jr.
Denis Sanders
Terry Sanders
Franklin J. Schaffner
John Tackaberry
Herman Wouk
Directed bySeymour Berns
Noël Coward
Frederick de Cordova
Paul Harrison
Delbert Mann
James Neilson
Ralph Nelson
Paul Nickell
Franklin J. Schaffner
Jerome Shaw
ComposerFrank Denning
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes12
Production
Executive producer Richard Lewine
ProducersRobert Alton
Paul Gregory
Lance Hamilton
Sidney Luft
Ken Murray
Jack Rayal
Charles Russell
Arthur Schwartz
Running time90 mins. (approx)
Original release
Network CBS
ReleaseSeptember 24, 1955 (1955-09-24) –
November 3, 1956 (1956-11-03)

Ford Star Jubilee is an American anthology series that originally aired monthly on Saturday nights on CBS at 9:30 P.M., E.S.T. from September 24, 1955, to November 3, 1956, [1] (With a summer hiatus). The series was approximately 90 minutes long, broadcast in black-and-white and color, and was typically telecast live. Ford Star Jubilee was sponsored by the Ford Motor Company. [2]

Contents

Format

Ford Star Jubilee routinely featured major stars, such as Judy Garland, Betty Grable, Debbie Reynolds, Shirley Jones, Orson Welles, Julie Andrews (at the time that she was preparing for her starring role in My Fair Lady on Broadway), Louis Armstrong, Bing Crosby, Gordon MacRae, Lillian Gish, Charles Laughton, Jack Lemmon, Raymond Massey, Lauren Bacall, Claudette Colbert, Noël Coward, Nat 'King' Cole, Mary Martin, Eddie Fisher, Ella Fitzgerald, and Red Skelton.

Instead of the usual live performance staged especially for Ford Star Jubilee, the final episode on November 3, 1956 was a special, two-hour presentation of the 1939 MGM theatrical Technicolor film The Wizard of Oz , hosted by Bert Lahr, 10-year-old Liza Minnelli and young Oz expert Justin Schiller. This marked the first time that the film had ever been shown on television, and the only time that one of the film's actual actors (Lahr) as well as one of the children of the film's star (Judy Garland) hosted it. The broadcast was a ratings smash with a Nielsen rating of 33.9 and an audience share of 53%. [3] In contrast, the presentation of "This Happy Breed" had a rating of 13.6. [4]

Another rare instance of Ford Star Jubilee presenting a filmed, rather than live, program was their 1956 musical version of Maxwell Anderson's High Tor , starring Bing Crosby and Julie Andrews. Music was by Arthur Schwartz, composer of such scores as those for The Band Wagon and Revenge with Music . Crosby, according to sources, had insisted the production be filmed rather than presented live, because he did not feel comfortable acting in a live television musical play. [5] Although it was filmed in color, the musical version of High Tor has never been released on VHS or DVD.

Executives at Ford and their counterparts at CBS sometimes had "major differences on the type of shows most suitable for 'Jubilee'." [6] The series ended when they were unable to agree on what would be presented on Dec. 1, 1956, making The Wizard of Oz the last episode. [6]

Robert McNamara, who was president of Ford Motor Company at the time, was concerned about overall low ratings for the program, writing that they had "lowered the productivity of Ford Star Jubilee to a point where it is difficult to defend on a budgetary basis". [4] He added, "a half-hour of prime time on CBS, correctly programmed, would serve our advertising objectives better than Ford Star Jubilee over the long pull." [4] After Ford Star Jubilee ended, the company became a co-sponsor of Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre . [4]

Production

The series's executive producer was Jack Rayel. [7] Arthur Schwartz was a producer. [8] Directors of episodes included Paul Harris, [9] Paul Nickell [8] and Franklin Schaffner. [10]

Critical response

"I Hear America Singing"

Critic Jack Gould, writing in The New York Times , praised Reynolds's "vitality and youthful charm" in "I Hear America Singing", and he complimented the singing of Cole and the dance numbers led by Bobby Van. [11] In contrast, he wrote that Fisher "seemed just a shade lonesome and forlorn", Fitzgerald's singing was backed by a too-loud orchestra, and one of Skelton's skits was "not very funny", while andother had an ending that was "in truly abominable taste." [11]

"Blithe Spirit"

After "Blithe Spirit" was broadcast, Time magazine said, "Viewers last week were treated to the raciest—and most profane—language that has ever been heard on TV." [12] The review said that Coward "acted with silky efficiency" and noted Mildred Natwick's "comic zest" in a supporting role. [12] However, it said that Colbert and Lauren Bacall looked better than they acted, adding that Bacall "seemed uneasy when reciting the litany of her infidelities". [12] Overall, the review said, "The show itself was one of the highlights of a drama-studded week." [12]

"A Bell for Adano"

Gould said that the decision to present a musical version of "A Bell for Adano" was "an unfortunate error in judgment." [8] Four musical selections that were inserted into the play "merely compromised and diluted it", he said. [8] He also questioned the reduction of Joppolo's part and the expansion of Tina's part that resulted from the addition of musical components, while "Sergeant Borth was reduced practically to a walk-on and the townspeople of Adano to mere gesticulating caricatures of Italians." [8]

"You're the Top"

Time described the show's tribute to Cole Porter's work as "breezy, beautiful" and "radiant". [13] It commended the episode's choreography and singled out Dorothy Dandridge's "You Do Something to Me" and Dolores Gray's and George Sanders's performance of "Let's Do It" as the top numbers on the program. [13]

Episodes

No.TitleOriginal air date
1"The Judy Garland Special"September 24, 1955 (1955-09-24) [10]
2"Together With Music"October 22, 1955 (1955-10-22)
3"The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial"November 19, 1955 (1955-11-19) [10]
4"I Hear America Singing"December 17, 1955 (1955-12-17)
5"Blithe Spirit"January 14, 1956 (1956-01-14) [10]
6"The Day Lincoln Was Shot"February 11, 1956 (1956-02-11) [10]
7"High Tor"March 10, 1956 (1956-03-10) [10]
8"Twentieth Century"April 7, 1956 (1956-04-07) [10]
9"This Happy Breed"May 5, 1956 (1956-05-05) [10]
10"A Bell For Adano"June 2, 1956 (1956-06-02)
11"You're the Top"October 6, 1956 (1956-10-06)
12"The Wizard of Oz"November 3, 1956 (1956-11-03) [10]

Awards and nominations

YearAwardResultCategoryRecipient
1956 Primetime Emmy Award Nominated Best Variety Series
-
Best Single Program of the Year
-
Best Musical ContributionMary Martin and Noël Coward (For the song "Camarata" in the episode "Together with Music")
Best Actor - Single Performance Barry Sullivan (For the role of Defense Attorney Greenwald in "The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial" episode)
WonBest Television AdaptationPaul Gregory and Franklin J. Schaffner (For "The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial" episode) [14]
Best Director - Live SeriesFranklin J. Schaffner (For "The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial" episode) [14]
Best Actor - Single Performance Lloyd Nolan (For the role of Capt. Queeg in "The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial" episode) [14]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franklin J. Schaffner</span> American director

Franklin James Schaffner was an American film, television, and stage director. He won the Academy Award for Best Director for Patton (1970), and is known for the films Planet of the Apes (1968), Nicholas and Alexandra (1971), Papillon (1973), and The Boys from Brazil (1978). He served as president of the Directors Guild of America between 1987 and 1989.

The year 1957 in television involved some significant events. Below is a list of television-related events during 1957.

The year 1956 in television involved some significant events. Below is a list of television-related events during 1956.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lauren Bacall</span> American actress (1924–2014)

Betty Joan Perske, professionally known as Lauren Bacall, was an American actress. She was named the 20th-greatest female star of classic Hollywood cinema by the American Film Institute and received an Academy Honorary Award in 2009 in recognition of her contribution to the Golden Age of motion pictures. She was known for her alluring, sultry presence and her distinctive, husky voice. Bacall was one of the last surviving major stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victor Young</span> American composer and conductor (1899–1956)

Albert Victor Young was an American composer, arranger, violinist and conductor.

<i>High Tor</i> (play) 1936 play by Maxwell Anderson

High Tor is a 1936 play by Maxwell Anderson. It received the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play of the 1936–37 season. Twenty years after the original production, Anderson adapted it into a television musical with Arthur Schwartz.

The Edsel Show is an hour-long television special broadcast live on CBS in the United States on October 13, 1957, intended to promote Ford Motor Company's new Edsel cars. It was a milestone in the long career of entertainer Bing Crosby and is notable as the first CBS entertainment program to be recorded on videotape for rebroadcast in the western part of the country following a live performance for the east coast. Crosby arranged for this ‘live’ program to be ‘produced’ by his alma mater Gonzaga University in order that the profits could go to them in a tax efficient way. The program won the Look Magazine TV Award for ‘Best Musical Show’ and was nominated for an Emmy as the “Best Single Program of the Year”.

<i>The Alcoa Hour</i> American TV dramatic anthology series (1955–1957)

The Alcoa Hour is an American anthology television series that was aired live on NBC from October 16, 1955, to September 22, 1957.

<i>Ford Theatre</i> Television and radio series

Ford Theatre, spelled Ford Theater for the original radio version and known, in full, as The Ford Television Theatre for the TV version, is a radio and television anthology series broadcast in the United States in the 1940s and 1950s. At various times the television series appeared on all three major television networks, while the radio version was broadcast on two separate networks and on two separate coasts. Ford Theatre was named for its sponsor, the Ford Motor Company, which had an earlier success with its concert music series, The Ford Sunday Evening Hour (1934–42).

<i>The Wizard of Oz</i> on television Broadcasts of the film

The Wizard of Oz, produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), was first released in theatres on August 15, 1939. The film was then re-released nationwide in 1949, and once more in 1955. The Wizard of Oz was broadcast on television for the first time on Saturday, November 3, 1956. The film was shown as the last instalment of the CBS anthology series Ford Star Jubilee. Since that telecast, The Wizard of Oz has been shown by CBS, NBC, The WB, and several of Ted Turner's national cable channels. The film has never been licensed to any local affiliate broadcast TV station. From 1959 to 1991, the showing of The Wizard of Oz was an annual tradition on American commercial network television. During these years, the film was always shown as a television special.

<i>Producers Showcase</i> American TV anthology series

Producers' Showcase is an American anthology television series that was telecast live during the 1950s in compatible color by NBC. With top talent, the 90-minute episodes, covering a wide variety of genres, aired under the title every fourth Monday at 8 pm ET for three seasons, beginning October 18, 1954. The final episode, the last of 37, was broadcast May 27, 1957.

Tonight on Broadway is a weekly television show that ran from 1948 to 1949 on the CBS Television network. It premiered locally in New York City on April 6, 1948, and became a network show on April 20, 1948.

<i>Startime</i> (American TV series) American anthology TV series (1959–1960)

Startime is an anthology show of drama, comedy, and variety, and was one of the first American television shows broadcast in color. The program was aired Tuesday nights in the United States on the NBC network in the 1959–60 season.

Steve Randall is an American detective television series starring Melvyn Douglas. The series' 13 episodes were initially seen in syndication during the summer of 1952, before being picked up and rerun by the DuMont Television Network from November 7, 1952, to January 30, 1953. CBS subsequently ran 9 of the same 13 episodes again from June 16, 1953, to August 11, 1953.

<i>The DuPont Show of the Week</i> American TV anthology series (1961–1964)

The DuPont Show of the Week is an American television anthology drama series that aired on NBC from September 17, 1961 to September 6, 1964. During its time on the air, the program "was NBC's late Sunday evening 'class' showcase".

<i>High Tor</i> (album) 1956 soundtrack album by Bing Crosby

High Tor is a soundtrack album featuring Bing Crosby, Julie Andrews and Everett Sloane. It was primarily taken from the soundtrack of the Ford Star Jubilee TV film aired on March 10, 1956 by CBS. A musical adaptation of Maxwell Anderson’s play of the same name, the soundtrack album was released in 1956 by Decca Records, and the album was later issued on CD by Stage Door Records in 2017.

<i>The Ford 50th Anniversary Show</i> 1953 television special

The Ford 50th Anniversary Show, also known as The American Road, was a two-hour television special that was broadcast live on June 15, 1953, from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. Ford Motor Company purchased two hours of prime time from both NBC and CBS for an entertainment extravaganza celebrating the company's 50th anniversary. The program was presented without commercial interruption.

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.

Inside U.S.A. With Chevrolet is an American television revue-style variety program that was broadcast on CBS September 29, 1949 - March 16, 1950. The program was not related to the book with that title or the Broadway revue of the same title.

Guy Lombardo's Diamond Jubilee is an American musical television program that was broadcast on CBS from March 20, 1956, until June 19, 1956.

References

  1. ↑ Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (June 24, 2009). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present. Random House Publishing Group. p. 491. ISBN   978-0-307-48320-1 . Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  2. ↑ Godbout, Oscar (April 30, 1956). "'Jubilee' TV show renewed by Ford" . The New York Times. p. 37. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Hit Movies on U.S. TV Since 1961". Variety . January 24, 1990. p. 160.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Baughman, James L. (March 26, 2007). Same Time, Same Station: Creating American Television, 1948–1961. Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 142–143. ISBN   978-0-8018-7933-3 . Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  5. ↑ Other reasons it was filmed: "High Tor will not be telecast live, the usual form for a large-scale show. It will be produced as a color film, which will permit later theatrical exhibition overseas and this will bring additional revenue to its originators." Oscar Godbout, "Hollywood Notes", The New York Times, September 4, 1955, p. X9. It was actually shot in black and white. "Christmas Can Stay — Radio and TV Are for It", The Washington Post, December 11, 1955, p. J3.
  6. 1 2 Adams, Val (October 23, 1956). "'Ford Star' show may leave video: C.B.S. and Sponsor Have Not Agreed on Program to Follow 'Wizard of Oz' Nov. 3" . The New York Times. p. 67. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
  7. ↑ "TV Debut Oct. 6 for Cole Porter" . The New York Times. July 16, 1956. p. 43. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Gould, Jack (June 4, 1956). "TV: 'A Bell for Adano': Music Added to Hersey Story on 'Ford Star Jubilee' Is Found Distracting" . The New York Times. p. 53. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
  9. ↑ Hawes, William (December 26, 2001). Filmed Television Drama, 1952-1958. McFarland. p. 26. ISBN   978-0-7864-1132-0 . Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 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. 296. ISBN   0-14-02-4916-8.
  11. 1 2 Gould, Jack (December 19, 1955). "'Ford Star Jubilee' Is Seen on Channel 2: American History Presented in Song and Story" . nnyt. p. 49.
  12. 1 2 3 4 "Radio: The Week in Review". Time. January 23, 1956. Archived from the original on March 16, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  13. 1 2 "Radio: The Week in Review". Time. October 15, 1956. Archived from the original on March 16, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  14. 1 2 3 Franks, Don (December 3, 2014). Entertainment Awards: A Music, Cinema, Theatre and Broadcasting Guide, 1928 through 2003, 3d ed. McFarland. p. 381. ISBN   978-1-4766-0806-8 . Retrieved March 16, 2023.
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.