Dinah Shore was a mainstay of Sunday night in the late 1950s, and this example (now being shown on the Jewish Life Network, who knew Dinah was Jewish?) of her hourly show is a fascinating time capsule of its day. The highlight is the harmonic singing of Dinah, who really was a top vocal artist of the 40s and 50s, with her guest, the peerless Ella Fitzgerald, musical heaven. Also kind of cool to see comic actor Tony Randall dancing with one of the greatest ballerinas of the 20th century, Alexandra Danilova (they had appeared the year before in the Broadway musical "Oh, Captain!).
Somehow a whole bunch of the Dinah Shore Chevy Show kinescopes have now landed on the Jewish Life Network, and you would be amazed at some of the guest stars from the past (all gone now, but remember these shows are more than 50 years old). These shows were hour-long variety shows, not unlike Ed Sullivan, but with the singing (and sometimes dancing and skit-playing comic) Dinah very firmly as the genial center. Vera-Ellen, Peggy Lee, Van Johnson, Betty Grable, Louis Jourdan (still alive at 93), Craig Stevens, you name it, if you were a 50s film or TV performer, you made it onto Dinah's roster. And not to forget the granddaddy of all TV choreographers, Tony Charmoli and his smiling, full-out dancers, doing their thing week after week.
One of the most interesting episodes was a summer replacement for Dinah (yes, shows used to run as new episodes for 39, count em, 39 weeks, and then either be replaced for the summer, or ultimately rerun, as they are now for 30 weeks)) which starred the singing trio of Janet Blair, Edie Adams and John Raitt, a first-rate group of performers.
All in all, prehistoric TV, and a blast from the past!
Somehow a whole bunch of the Dinah Shore Chevy Show kinescopes have now landed on the Jewish Life Network, and you would be amazed at some of the guest stars from the past (all gone now, but remember these shows are more than 50 years old). These shows were hour-long variety shows, not unlike Ed Sullivan, but with the singing (and sometimes dancing and skit-playing comic) Dinah very firmly as the genial center. Vera-Ellen, Peggy Lee, Van Johnson, Betty Grable, Louis Jourdan (still alive at 93), Craig Stevens, you name it, if you were a 50s film or TV performer, you made it onto Dinah's roster. And not to forget the granddaddy of all TV choreographers, Tony Charmoli and his smiling, full-out dancers, doing their thing week after week.
One of the most interesting episodes was a summer replacement for Dinah (yes, shows used to run as new episodes for 39, count em, 39 weeks, and then either be replaced for the summer, or ultimately rerun, as they are now for 30 weeks)) which starred the singing trio of Janet Blair, Edie Adams and John Raitt, a first-rate group of performers.
All in all, prehistoric TV, and a blast from the past!
