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Post by I Love Melvin on Jul 23, 2024 23:31:37 GMT
I'm going to say this qualifies for the variety show thread because, before The Honeymooners became a stand-alone show in 1955, it was a recurring sketch on Jackie Gleason's variety show. (You can see how impermanent the set is.) This clip from that era, 1952, came to my attention recently and it's too good not to share. Ed Norton brings home a young trumpeter, eleven years old to be exact, and it's Frankie Avalon.
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Post by I Love Melvin on Jul 29, 2024 21:05:44 GMT
Kay Starr was associated with the 1950's variety show Club Oasis, so I'm going to assume that's the source of this clip featuring Judy Holliday, Janet Blair and a very game Tyrone Power, who had appeared in musical movies, for instance as a musician and bandleader in Alexander's Ragtime Band (1938), but had escaped actually having to sing. So it's fun to see him give it a go. And that's not even mentioning Judy Holliday.
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Post by I Love Melvin on Aug 8, 2024 14:59:38 GMT
Raquel Welch wasn't generally thought of as a musical performer, though she headlined in Vegas in the 70's and did Broadway in the 80's (Woman of the Year) and 90's (Victor/Victoria), but she seemed to really relish it and it was a way for her career to outlast her sexpot image. I like this number from The Cher Show in 1975, with its loose approximation of an old Hollywood musical number. Tatum O'Neal's there too; Cher liked to get everyone into the act and often got non-performers to do just that.
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Post by christine on Aug 9, 2024 6:29:18 GMT
Raquel Welch appeared on the Dean Martin Variety show a couple of times I Love Melvin. As you said, she seems to be having a good time during this musical number with Jimmy Stewart in 1968! - Kind of like a reunion of the BANDOLERO! cast - LOL.
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Post by BunnyWhit on Aug 9, 2024 15:44:10 GMT
The Flip Wilson Show (1970-1974)
I must confess that I'd forgotten just how clever and talented Flip Wilson was until I watched a few of his shows recently. What a talent!
In the season 1, episode 1 show, David Frost guest stars. He and Flip do a great skit based on planning a travel schedule based on the in-flight films of various airlines. I couldn't find it clipped out alone, but if you get the opportunity to watch the episode, do. The skit comes early in the show, and you won't regret taking the few minutes.
This is also the first episode in which Geraldine Jones makes an appearance. It's wonderful. Even David Frost seems to be mesmerized by Flip's talent.
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Post by I Love Melvin on Aug 11, 2024 14:10:36 GMT
Something which can definitely be said about Bob Hope was that he had clever writers, and guests on his various variety shows also reaped the benefits. I'm sure Lana Turner appreciated the opportunity to do a little image adjustment after a very public scandal and she carried it off much better than I might have expected, since she didn't have a history of musical performances and her comedy roles were spotty up to that point. Good job, Lana.
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Post by I Love Melvin on Aug 18, 2024 23:08:41 GMT
Jimmy Durante had a popular variety series in the mid-1950's and that's the source of this comedy bit featuring Jimmy and John Wayne. I wouldn't call Wayne humor-impaired, but his humor was more on the wry side and I think he struggled with delivery sometimes. I'm betting Jimmy was someone he knew would take care of him and with whom he could be comfortable. Nothing great here, but a rare chance to see John Wayne in this context.
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Post by I Love Melvin on Aug 31, 2024 23:18:15 GMT
I guess it should be no surprise that the lovely woman should have a lovely voice, but it's not something we saw her do much in movies. I'm not sure of the year here, but Perry was great at making people comfortable, which I'm sure encouraged them to sign up. He had a knack for getting people who weren't generally considered singers, like Maureen O'Hara, to make the trek to his show. She kept up the practice and sang on television from time to time afterward.
EDIT: Oops. You'll have to click the link to watch it on YouTube, I guess so they can make us watch ads.
Later edit: For anyone who didn't want to make the trek, here's Maureen O'Hara singing for John Wayne at his televised AFI tribute.
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Post by I Love Melvin on Sept 4, 2024 13:01:16 GMT
This is a different side of Mary Martin than we usually got to see, that of an expert physical comedian, in this skit about the vagaries of women's fashion over the decades. It was staged by Jerome Robbins for a 1953 TV variety special, The Ford 50th Anniversary Show, in which she costarred with Ethel Merman. It's amazing to me what she did with just a simple shift and a few props (and a very animated face). I know it may not align with current attitudes entirely, but I got a good chuckle out of it.
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Post by NoShear on Sept 4, 2024 13:37:37 GMT
This is a different side of Mary Martin than we usually got to see, that of an expert physical comedian, in this skit about the vagaries of women's fashion over the decades. It was staged by Jerome Robbins for a 1953 TV variety special, The Ford 50th Anniversary Show, in which she costarred with Ethel Merman. It's amazing to me what she did with just a simple shift and a few props (and a very animated face). I know it may not align with current attitudes entirely, but I got a good chuckle out of it. I'm assuming BunnyWhit's going to really appreciate this skit, I Love Melvin... I was eyeing that cloche even before Mary Martin got around to it.  |
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Post by BunnyWhit on Sept 4, 2024 18:04:57 GMT
This is a different side of Mary Martin than we usually got to see, that of an expert physical comedian, in this skit about the vagaries of women's fashion over the decades. It was staged by Jerome Robbins for a 1953 TV variety special, The Ford 50th Anniversary Show, in which she costarred with Ethel Merman. It's amazing to me what she did with just a simple shift and a few props (and a very animated face). I know it may not align with current attitudes entirely, but I got a good chuckle out of it. |
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Post by I Love Melvin on Sept 5, 2024 21:53:44 GMT
Danny Kaye had a variety series on CBS 1963-1967, so I'm assuming that's the source of this number. Danny we know could sing and dance and it's not much of a stretch to picture Hayley Mills doing it, but John Mills? I love it. They all seem to be having a good time, especially when Danny seems to be messing with Hayley.
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Post by kims on Sept 5, 2024 23:34:38 GMT
Been a long time since I saw the Peter O'Toole film from TCM festival. He was a student at one of the national performing arts schools. Maybe they had dance classes? And Mills attended the school? Mills certainly showed himself well.
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Post by dianedebuda on Sept 6, 2024 17:39:05 GMT
Danny we know could sing and dance and it's not much of a stretch to picture Hayley Mills doing it, but John Mills? I love it. |
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Post by I Love Melvin on Sept 6, 2024 22:55:13 GMT
Been a long time since I saw the Peter O'Toole film from TCM festival. He was a student at one of the national performing arts schools. Maybe they had dance classes? And Mills attended the school? Mills certainly showed himself well. I wouldn't have thought of that, but I think you may be right about how theater training is approached in England. They're probably coached in everything they may be called upon to do on stage, which would include singing and dancing. A lot of the American studio stars said they learned it all too, so the studio could cast them in anything. |
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