KINESCOPE HD now has a new ... AND FREE ... way for you to check out vintage television shows, current video selections and scope out future classics. We have installed a HULU player that showcases the most watched content on their site.We receive no compensation for adding this feature. Just wanted any of you who are kind enough to visit our site, to have a convenient way to access and enjoy a wide range of TV selections. The HULU player is at the very bottom of this webpage, but the content is always at top of mind and at the top of the charts.
Our three person, IT research team (pictured above,at this years KINE AWARDS BANQUET, held in the DANNY THOMAS memorial, piano-bar and detailing center, high atop the SUNOCO AM/PM MINI-MART in Wynnewood,PA:) hope you find the new feature useful and fun.Enjoy!!!!!
THE SAMMY DAVIS JR. show was the talk of network television in 1966.
Not because it was a high ticket,mid-season,LIVING COLOR,replacement show starring the multi-talented, Rat Pack Refugee, who was hailed by critics,fans and colleagues as the world's greatest entertainer.
Not because it was a lavishly mounted , musical-variety hour that would attract the most honored, provocative and popular performers on the planet, including Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, whose volatile,marital relationship made global headlines,daily.
But, because the only person who couldn't appear on the show was the star, Sammy Davis JR, himself.
He wanted to host his own series, but an agreement he made with ABC-TV prevented him from performing for the Peacock. Davis' NBC show debuted on Friday, January 7, 1966, at 8:30pm EST with the high voltage, singer, mimic, dancer, comedian at center stage. But, because he had previously taped an ABC-TV special entitled THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF CHILDREN, that would air on February 1, 1966, his ABC-TV contract precluded him from appearing on another television network for three weeks prior to airing the program.
NBC asked ABC to reconsider, given the profile and the cost of a new series. But, even the friendliest of competitors can play hardball.
He hosted his premiere broadcast, but then for the three weeks leading up to his ABC-TV appearance, an eclectic trio of famous friends each took a turn hosting the nascent series. They included Sean Connery, Jerry Lewis and , as depicted in the vintage clips,below, NBC-TV's king of late night, Johnny Carson.
When Davis returned to his series in Mid-February of 1966, rich production values, a stellar guest list and formidable promotion from NBC-TV couldn't get viewers to sample THE SAMMY DAVIS JR SHOW, now that it actually featured Davis. The creative team behind the show was headed by producer Joe Hamilton, who won awards and acclaim supervising THE GARRY MOORE SHOW & THE CAROL BURNETT SPECIALS for CBS-TV. Even an electrifying episode, staged as a one man show, displaying Davis's manifold talents couldn't draw a sufficient audience to satisfy the network's projections for ratings and revenue.
NBC aired the last episode of THE SAMMY DAVIS JR. SHOW on April 1, 1966.
He went on do a range of television, guest appearances , often playing himself,on primetime series like ABC-TV'sCHARLIES ANGELS. Davis did a legendary, star turn ,also playing himself, on CBS-TV's ALL IN THE FAMILY. He hosted the short lived NBC FOLLIES plus SAMMY & COMPANY in the 1970's, but never found complete success on the home screen.
Below , from the Dentel TV2, YOU TUBE SITE are four clips that comprise the January 14,1966 episode of THE SAMMY DAVIS JR. SHOW with guest host JOHNNY CARSON.
The monologue has the kind of rapid fire, topical references that were Carson's comedic hallmark. Guests include Diahann Carol, Joan Rivers ( from whom Carson was estranged at the time of his death), and Mickey Rooney. Venerable, NYC disc jockey William B. WIlliams , who was the first person to refer to Frank Sinatra as The Chariman Of The Board, was the series announcer.Enjoy!!!!
It was an extraordinary performance and a defining , television moment for a facile young talent who was coming in to his own, as he was coming into our homes.
Neil Patrick Harris, who starred as a pre-teen, medical prodigy on ABC-TV's Doogie House M.D. from 1989-1993 ,has done a Video trifecta, this year, having hosted the TV Land Awards, The Tony Awards and , now, the 61st Prime Time Emmy Awards.
The multi-talented, New Mexico native, has been Emmy nominated for his performance as hedonistic hipster, Barney Stinson on CBS-TV's, HOW I MET YOU MOTHER. He has also recently enriched his professional portfolio by essaying an eponymous role in the HAROLD&KUMAR films and portraying the venal, virtual villain DR.HORRIBLE on the web.
Not only did he do a protean job hosting the Emmy Awards Show, he also was one of the program producers. His energy imbued the show with a fast and funny sensibility.
KINESCOPE HD is a big fan of NPH and wanted to share his solo numbers from all three award shows with you. Enjoy!!!!!
What motivates any person to become a professional comedian?
Is it the promise of acceptance and attention for the disaffected?
The potential to exert control in the creative process for those who feel inhibited by their own inefficacy?
The allure of a million laughs than can generate millions of dollars, if you hit it big?
As comedian , actor and educator Bill Cosby started his meteoric climb in the sixties, his motivation may have been driven by the responsibility implicit in doing a job at your optimum capacity.And the money was pretty good, too.
In a rare, 1969, CBC interview with a mod-ishly tailored and Afro-coiffed Cosby, he methodically explains the blue collar work ethic, that would, over four decades take him from the projects of North Philadelphia to the pinnacle of comedy ,while earning tons of folding green.
At the time this conversation was recorded in Toronto,the affable monologist had just completed three seasons of his groundbreaking NBC-TV series , I SPY and was launching his short lived sitcom, THE BILL COSBY SHOW also on NBC-TV.
As he spoke ,he had no idea that his greatest video achievements,including, THE COSBY SHOW on NBC-TV were yet to come.
The excerpt, posted below, is from an episode of CBC'S respected interview series, TAKE 30, hosted by Paul Soles. Enjoy!!!!
In the above clip , Cosby refers to the elation and responsibility he felt during an early appearance on NBC-TV's THE JACK PAAR SHOW. Here , as a bonus clip ,is one of those striking performances.Enjoy!!!!!
Larry Gelbart was a man of many words.Words that were usually thoughtful and always funny.
He died on September 11, 2009. While it is reported to have been a peaceful and quiet passing, he leaves gales of laughter in his formidable, comic wake.
The verbal and visionary Gelbart plyed his wondrous wit in radio, television, films, books and on Broadway, during a stellar career spanning almost 65 years. By the final chapter of his life, Gelbart was the acknowledged scion of professional comedy writers.
Descendant of Polish Jews and born on February 25, 1928 in Chicago, IL. , Gelbart's father was a neighborhood barber on the Northside. Gelbart claimed that his father had a way with scissors ,but that his mother was the one with a razor sharp wit. Surprisingly,for a man of such erudition as an adult, Gelbart was not an avid reader as a child, but he claims to have been "an avid showoff."
Comedian Danny Thomas was one of his father's clients and he recruited a teen aged Gelbart as a comedy writer. The young wordsmith went on to pen jokes for Bob Hope in Hollywood and in battle zones around the globe. He did a stint on staff at the top rated DUFFY'S TAVERN radio show.
When he moved to writing for early television, he joined the vaunted team that put hilarious words in Sid Caesar's mouth (see above). Gelbart worked with Neil Simon, Mel Brooks,Mel Tolkin, Lucille Kallen, and Woody Allen on Caesar's many video ventures, including YOUR SHOW OF SHOWS,for a decade.
The affable scribe wrote and produced the acclaimed CBS-TV series M*A*S*H* with Alan Alda and the brilliant cast pictured, above.
On Broadway, he wrote the book for A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM, a 1960's hit that enjoyed a successful revival in New York a few years ago.
Gelbart's movie credits include OH, GOD and TOOTSIE.
His book,LAUGHING MATTERS, should be , in my opinion , a required text for any student of the comedic arts.
His body of work is massive and remarkable for it's humanity and insight.
I never met this man, who is renowned for his unique worldview, rapier wit and gentle manner.
Like any great writer, he speaks best for himself.
Below is an excerpt of a voluminous, 1998 interview he granted to the Archive of American Television. Like the man it profiles, it is extraordinary. Enjoy!!!
Jack Benny was a Sunday night institution on American Radio and Television for almost five decades, much of it with CBS. The gentle comedian and veteran vaudevillian, born Benny Kubelsky, may actually have invented the modern form of situation comedy, where the laughter is ignited by placing unique characters in believable, but exaggerated circumstances.
THE JACK BENNY PROGRAM was a model for so many shows to follow.
He created an enduring, comic persona of a vain cheapskate who fancies himself a violin virtuoso and a verile ladies man.Off-camera,he was a considerate, family man, a protean performer and a generous colleague. Jack Benny remains, to this day, years after his passing, a beloved figure in show business history and in this country's popular culture
Johnny Carson, the acknowledged patriarch of late night television , hosted The TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JOHNNY CARSON for 30 years on NBC-TV.Born to a middle-class family in the Midwest,where he never missed THE JACK BENNY PROGRAM on NBC radio,the laconic Carson was a college grad and a naval veteran of WWII. He began his career in entertainment as a teenager, doing a magic act. Later in life, he worked as a performer and disc jockey in local radio.
By his own admission ,Jack Benny and kinetic comedian Red Skelton were Carson's professional role models.
When the reserved, thoughful performer elected to move to California in search of a career in network radio and television, he was hired to write for Skelton's show.Carson was soon given the opportunity to host his own variety show, CARSON'S CELLAR, on the local CBS Owned and Operated television station, KNX-TV ( now KCBS-TV ).
In Los Angeles, Carson met Jack Benny, who , the legend goes, became a gracious mentor and a powerful proponent of the young, inventive comedian.Soon Carson was given the rare chance to host a Summer variety show on CBS-TV.
The rest is television history.
Carson spent years hosting WHO DO YOU TRUST on ABC-TV, a game show during which he met announcer/sidekick/friend Ed McMahon.Then three decades hosting THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JOHNNY CARSON on NBC late night.
They are both gone, now. But, both have given us a legacy of laughter and joy. Thanks to advanced media technology, new generations can enjoy their creative , comedic contributions to television and radio.
Below is a rare collection of clips from a November 20, 1955 episode of THE JACK BENNY PROGRAM ON CBS-TV, in which a young Carson is the guest star and the beneficiary , in fiction as in fact,of Jack Benny's advice. The three clips below constitute the full episode. Enjoy!!!!!
Sometimes , in television and in comedy , as in mathematics, the sum of the parts is greater than the whole. That's the only way , I suspect,to account for the strange case of the 1956-1957, NBC-TV, B&W, sitcom STANLEY.
Start with a versatile and vibrant cast that is replete with comedic talent, headed by nightclub, stand-up star Buddy Hackett,the wildly expressive Paul Lynde and a young woman who would become video royalty, Carol Burnett. SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE'S Don Pardo was the announcer,who reminded us that, according to sponsor Pall Mall cigarettes, smoking is fun! Ernest Chappell was the voice of the commercials, which seem surreal from a 21st century vantage point.
Next, support the actors manifold theatrical skills with scripts from people who wrote for Sid Caesar's vaunted YOUR SHOW OF SHOWS on NBC-TV. The STANLEY writing team truly included some of the 20th century's most inventive, comedy minds.Neil Simon, Woody Allen, Danny Simon and Lucille Kallen authored scripts that infused the show with high voltage , big city, comic sensibilities.
And guiding it all was the reigning monarch of television comedy, video visionary Max Liebman. He was the network impresario who had discovered and mentored Sid Caesar, Imogene Cocoa and Carl Reiner.
His imprimatur was the hallmark of quality television.
On paper, STANLEY was a classic in the making.
On NBC-TV, Monday nights at 8:30pm, opposite CBS-TV's, Eisenhower-era equivalent of AMERICAN IDOL, the top rated, ARTHUR GODFREY'S TALENT SCOUTS, it was a one season wonder. A sitcom that never cultivated an audience that was commensurate in measure to the talents of the cast and production team. The Brooklyn born Hackett played Stanley Peck, who runs the newsstand in the lobby of New York's, fictitious, Sussex-Fenton Hotel. Carol Burnett was cast as his girlfriend and Paul Lynde was the ubiquitous voice of hotel owner, Horace Fenton.
Here is a unique opportunity to judge for yourself. The four You Tube clips below constitute one full episode of Stanley. Enjoy!!!!!
My name is Paul Gluck ( aka PAGEONE ) and while I have been working in Television for over 30 years, I have watched Television for my entire life.From the very first, monochrome images of Dave Garroway on the TODAY SHOW that I saw flickering across the screen of my parents 21",blond wood, Zenith console TV, to the vibrant video of SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL blazing across the LCD flat panel in my living room, I have always loved television. I have worked as a production assistant,a writer, an assignment editor, a producer,an executive producer, an executive editor,a news director and a station manager. My fascination with the medium , the programs we create and the people who produce that content, grows with each & every day. KINESCOPE HD is a site dedicated to classic television, creative content production and vintage performances on video. I hope you share my love of television.If you do, share your thoughts on the programs we post.Enjoy!!!!!
