Stage Show (TV series)
| Stage Show | |
|---|---|
multi-camera | |
| Running time | 60 minutes and 30 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBS TV |
| Release | July 3, 1954 – September 18, 1956 |
Stage Show is a popular music variety series broadcast in the United States on the CBS Television Network and originally hosted on alternate weeks by big band leaders and brothers Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey. Produced by Jackie Gleason, it included the first national television appearances by rock music icon Elvis Presley.
The series began as a one-hour show on July 3, 1954, as a summer replacement for The Jackie Gleason Show.[citation needed] In late 1955 it debuted from 8–8:30 p.m. ET, on Saturdays[1] in the time slot prior to The Honeymooners, his own series.
In 1956,
Famed jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker died in 1955 while watching the show on television.
Elvis Presley appearances
Elvis Presley made his network television debut on Stage Show. He was introduced by Cleveland, Ohio disc jockey Bill Randle on the January 28, 1956, broadcast performing "Shake, Rattle and Roll", "Flip, Flop and Fly" and "I Got a Woman". He made five more appearances during the next eight weeks:
- February 4: "Baby Let's Play House" and "Tutti Frutti"
- February 11: "Blue Suede Shoes" and "Heartbreak Hotel"
- February 18: "Tutti Frutti" and "I Was The One"
- March 17: "Blue Suede Shoes" and "Heartbreak Hotel"
- March 24: "Money Honey" and "Heartbreak Hotel"
These shows were preserved on kinescope films. Complete songs and segments have been released within various Elvis Presley documentaries and home video compilations.
References
- ^ "TV Drama Roles for Miss Colbert". The New York Times. February 3, 1955. p. 33. ProQuest 113215950. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
- Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (1992), ISBN 0-345-37792-3.
- McNeil, Alex (1996), Total Television, Penguin Books, ISBN 0-14-024916-8.
External links
The following public domain episodes can be viewed on the Internet Archive: