Before Johnny Carson ascended to become show business royalty, as host of THE TONIGHT SHOW on NBC-TV, and before he was a princely portender for the Jack Paar's, late night throne, the easy-going, young, Nebraska native hosted a low budget, high energy ,daytime game show , called DO YOU TRUST YOUR WIFE? on the ,then-struggling, ABC-TV network.
An engaging combination of quiz , stunts and comedy , the 30 minute, B&W show, which was originally hosted by the legendary ventriloquist Edgar Bergen, along with his shellacked sidekicks, Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd, had a 14 month, prime time run on CBS-TV, during the mid-1950's.
Executives at ABC-TV, desperate to enhance its spartan daytime schedule, rescued the show. They hired another castaway from the Tiffany network, mischievous comedian Johnny Carson, whose variety program had just been cancelled, to host.
The move from prime time to daytime tested Carson's fiber as a performer and may have tarnished his showbiz persona.In those times, the move from night to day was viewed as a free-fall from TV grace.
And while announcer Bill Nimmo is featured in the episode we've posted below, it was during Carson's five year run as host and resident laugh maker of this show, which was later rechristened WHO DO YOU TRUST?, that he first met, hired and worked with his longtime comedic foil, the late Ed McMahon.
As he scored laughs interviewing an eclectic array of eccentric contestants and doing daring comic demonstrations, Carson gained recognition as a skilled master of ceremonies and as a versatile host.
The show grew a larger audience as viewers discovered Carson's wit and charm.
DO YOU TRUST YOUR WIFE? became a steady and successful component of the ABC-TV's burgeoning, youth oriented, afternoon line-up.Adjacent shows on the schedule included AMERICAN BANDSTAND, broadcast LIVE from Philadelphia's WFIL-TV, with Dick Clark and THE MICKEY MOUSE CLUB, shot on film at Walt Disney's Burbank lot.
In 1962, as Jack Paar left his late night, NBC-TV time slot for a Friday evening variety show on the THE PEACOCK NETWORK, NBC executives recruited Carson and sidekick Ed McMahon to take over THE TONIGHT SHOW.
They were a fixture of NBC's late night line-up for 30 years.
Here, from the HWY61MEDIA, you tube site, are four clips that constitute one episode of DO YOU TRUST YOUR WIFE? with Johnny Carson.Enjoy!!!!!
PART ONE
PART TWO
PART THREE
PART FOUR
BONUS CLIP
Here, from the HOLLYWOODCLASSICS 7, YOU TUBE site is an excerpt of the 1956, CBS-TV, prime time edition of DO YOU TRUST YOUR WIFE with Edgar Bergen.Enjoy!!!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment