Miss Patti Page was the "singing rage" in 1950's America.
Celebrated for her hit recording of THE TENNESSEE WALTZ, Patti Page was sweet as a mint julep on a sultry, summer day, with a pert crown of blond hair and an incandescent smile.
Patti Page had a husky singing voice that was tinged with honey.
Aquiline and approachable , she wasn't "the girl the next door," but she was the kindly, inviting, suburban neighbor that folks adored.
Combine those characteristics with a high octane vocal power and you can see why the venerable Oldsmobile Division of General Motors sponsored her CBS-TV series, THE BIG RECORD.
The monochrome, musical variety hour was mounted as direct competition to NBC's long-tenured YOUR HIT PARADE, which had been presenting the USA's favorite tunes since it debuted on radio in the 1930's. While YOUR HIT PARADE gauged the popularity of a song by tracking sales of records and sheet music plus radio airplay, THE BIG RECORD wanted to strike a more contemporary chord. It focused on hit, 45 RPM singles from a wide range of artists.
The Wednesday night songfest ( airing at 8PM EST) lasted only one year on the Tiffany Network, in the 1957-58 Television Season. Oldsmobile gave Patti Page a lift to ABC for another year of THE OLDSMOBILE SHOW STARRING PATTI PAGE.
One footnote : Video Visionary Gary Smith, who would, with producing partner Dwight Hemion, go on to create some of the most amazing and memorable variety programming in television history, served as scenic designer for THE BIG RECORD. Enjoy!!!!
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