FReeper Canteen ~ Favorite Comedians, The 1950's ~ 27 NOV 2007

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[laurenmarlowe]

 

 

 

 

The FReeper Canteen Presents

~Favorite Comedians~

The 1950's, The TV Sitcom Is Born

Welcome to the FReeper Canteen! It's great to have you with us!!
Thank you to all of our Troops, Veterans, and their families for allowing us to entertain you!

The 50's decade was known for many things: post-war affluence and increased choice of leisure time activities, conformity, middle-class values, the rise of modern jazz, the rise of 'fast food' restaurants and drive-ins (Jack in the Box - founded in 1951; McDonalds - first franchised in 1955 in Des Plaines, IL; and A&W Root Beer Company - formed in 1950, although it had already established over 450 drive-ins throughout the country).

 Also, a baby boom, the all-electric home as the ideal, the advent of television and TV dinners, abstract art, the first credit card (Diners Club, in 1951), the rise of drive-in theaters to a peak number in the late 50's with over 4,000 outdoor screens, and a youth reaction to middle-aged cinema. Older viewers were prone to stay at home and watch television (about 10.5 million US homes had a TV set in 1950).

By the 1950s the television industry had become a serious competition for the movie industry. Despite the technological limitations of the TV medium at the time, more and more people chose to stay home to watch the television.  Several comedic forms that had previously been a staple of movie theaters transitioned to the TV. Both the short subject and the cartoon now appeared on the TV rather than in the theater, and the "B" movie also found its outlet on the television.

As TV became filled with family-oriented comedies, the 1950's saw a trend toward more adult social situations. Only the Walt Disney studios continued to steadily release family comedy movies. The release of comedy films also went into a decline during this decade. In 1947 almost one in five films had been comedic in nature, but by 1954 this was down to ten percent. Here are a few comedians that made films in the 1950's.

Pa (Franklin Kettle) (Percy Kilbride) was a gentle but slow-speaking, slow-thinking and lazy man in the "Ma And Pa Kettle" movies. His only talents appeared to be avoiding work and winning contests. Ma (Phoebe Kettle) (Marjorie Main) was larger, raucous, more ambitious and smarter than Pa, but not by much, and could easily be fooled. She was content with her role as mother to a small army of children on the Kettle's ramshackle farm. (Later in the series the Kettles moved into a modern home that Pa won.)

Much of the humor came from the preposterous situations the Kettles found themselves in, such as Pa being mistaken for a wealthy industrialist or being jailed after he accidentally set a series of events in motion that resulted in race horses at the fair eating feed laced with concrete.

Ma And Pa Kettle - Pa Does Math

"Some Like It Hot" tells the story of two struggling musicians, Joe and Jerry (Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon), who are on the run from a Chicago gang after witnessing the Saint Valentine's Day massacre of 1929. Spats Columbo (Raft), the gangster in charge, orders the execution of Jerry and Joe. They escape in the confusion and decide to leave town, but the only out-of-town job they can find is in an all-girl band.

The two disguise themselves as women and call themselves Josephine and Geraldine (later Jerry changes it to Daphne). They join the band and go to Florida by train. Joe and Jerry both fall for "Sugar Kane" Kowalczyk (Marilyn Monroe), the band's sexy Polish-American vocalist and ukulele player, and fight for her affection while maintaining their disguises.

"Some Like It Hot" also stars the beloved comedian Joe E. Brown.  Likable and gregarious, Joe traveled many thousands of miles visiting G.I.s in far sections of the globe during World War II, and in 1953,  became the first President of PONY League Baseball and Softball. He later traveled additional thousands of miles telling the story of PONY League hoping to interest adults in organizing baseball programs for young people.

Jack Lemmon & Tony Curtis in "Some Like It Hot"

Nothing short of a mirth quake, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis romped onto stages, into radios, televisions, and movies, grasping a joyous, adoring public by farce. Together for 10 years, they were one of the most successful comedy team ever.

A chance commingling, the kinetic duo exploded into fame, upping the ante on the term "overnight sensations." They were the Beatles AND Elvis of comedy, conquering stage, TV, and movies with ease and electricity, but friendship turned to feud, then the split. While the 16 films (in seven years) failed to fully harvest the team's manic, improvisational frenzy, they remain funny, breezy, and iconic.

Dean Martin And Jerry Lewis in "That's Amore"

With their birth in the 1950’s, situation comedies mean just what their name suggests. In the beginning, the basic recipe for the perfect sitcom was this: Take one nuclear family, stir in the funny antics of the children or neighbors, and add in a minor problem, which usually could be solved within the half hour. Simmer between commercials. Voila! Comedy and a new lesson learned every week. Wait another week and the characters are back to where they were the week before, only faced with a different, traditionally comical situation.

"Leave It to Beaver" is an iconic American television situation comedy about an idealized American family of the 1950s. The show is built around young Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver (Jerry Mathers) and the trouble he gets himself into while navigating his way through an often-incomprehensible, sometimes-illogical world. When he was a baby, his older brother Wallace "Wally" (Tony Dow) mispronounced "Theodore" as "Tweedor". Their firm-but-loving parents, Ward (Hugh Beaumont) and June Cleaver (Barbara Billingsley), felt "Beaver" sounded better.

Conversely, Mathers has said that the real reason for the name "Beaver" is that one of the show’s writers, Joe Connelly, had a shipmate named "The Beaver" in World War II. And, from that, came the family's name, "Cleaver."

Leave It To Beaver - "Beaver And Henry"

On its face, "Make Room for Daddy" (The Danny Thomas Show) doesn't sound like much of a series, especially for one that ran for 12 years, mostly because so much of what it introduced became standard to the sitcom genre. But it was actually more than a sitcom - it was a creative and business flashpoint in television history. Make Room for Daddy was a sincere effort at depicting family life on television, with rivalries between siblings, strains between husbands and wives, school woes, budget worries, and other little tribulations.

Danny Thomas in "Make Room For Daddy"

"Father Knows Best", the successful series about the life of an American family in the 1950s, starred Robert Young and Jane Wyatt as Jim and Margaret Anderson, with Elinor Donahue, Billy Gray, and Lauren Chapin as their children, Betty, Bud, and Kathy. The series lasted from 1954-1960 and produced 203 episodes.

The brainchild of series star Robert Young, who played insurance salesman Jim Anderson, and producer Eugene B. Rodney, Father Knows Best first debuted as a radio sitcom in 1949. In the audio version the title of the show ended with a question mark, suggesting that father's role as family leader and arbiter was dubious. The partner's production company, Rodney-Young Enterprises, transplanted the series to television in 1954--without the questioning marker--where it ran until 1963.

Father Knows Best - Bud And The Bongos

"The Phil Silvers Show", a half-hour comedy series, first ran from September 1955 to September 1959. Frequently, unforeseen obstacles to Sgt. Bilko's strategies arise out of a misunderstanding between the principal characters.

Much of the program's humor derives from Sgt. Bilko's incomplete knowledge of a situation--the audience watches as he unwittingly makes matters worse for himself, before realizing his error and having to employ his quick thinking in order to make amends. Sharp dialogue and tightly woven plot lines (involving absurd, but believable, situations), combined with a heavy emphasis on visual comedy, made The Phil Silvers Show one of the most popular and critically-acclaimed sitcoms of the 1950s.

Phil Silvers in "Doberman's Sister" - Part 1

Phil Silvers in "Doberman's Sister" - Part 2

Phil Silvers in "Doberman's Sister" - Part 3

Despite its relatively brief run, "The Honeymooners" is considered one of the premier examples of American television comedy. It has been referenced in numerous homages and parodies, and has inspired successful television comedies such as The Flintstones and The King of Queens.

"The Honeymooners" made its debut on October 5, 1951, as a six-minute sketch. Castmember Art Carney made a brief appearance as a police officer who gets hit with a pie Ralph had thrown out the window. The Kramdens' financial struggles mirrored those of Gleason's early life in Brooklyn, and he took pains to duplicate on set the interior of the apartment where he grew up (right down to his boyhood address of 328 Chauncey Street).

The Honeymooners in "The Man From Space" Part 1

The Honeymooners in "The Man From Space" Part 2

The Honeymooners in "The Man From Space" Part 3

"I Love Lucy" is a television situation comedy, starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance and William Frawley. The series originally ran from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, (181 episodes, including the "lost" Christmas episode and original pilot). Then, the show introduced three more seasons, running from 1957 to 1960, known as The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour. In 2002, it was ranked #2 on TV Guide's top-50 greatest shows, behind Seinfeld and ahead of The Honeymooners. In 2007, it was placed on Time magazine's unranked list of the 100 best TV shows.

I Love Lucy was the most-watched show in the United States in four of its six seasons, and was the first to end its run at the top of the ratings (to be matched only by The Andy Griffith Show and Seinfeld), although it did not have a formal series finale episode. Episodes of I Love Lucy are still syndicated in dozens of languages across the world.

I Love Lucy - "Vitameatavegamin"

I Love Lucy - "Bitter Grapes"

I Love Lucy - "Pioneer Women"

 

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God Bless You All ~ Today, Tomorrow and Always

 

 

 

[Squantos]

Pride that brings tears is powerful my friend.

With all due respect and gratitude........ Your families loss is our families loss Sir.

God Bless men like your son and their families who support them in their mission to keep these United States Safe.

[Seadog Bytes]

It's been here too.

Best Wishes for a Quick Recovery!

[JFoxbear]

Thanks much for your words of wisdom and your concern.MSSgt. Squantos:
Times like this... I’m wishing we could organize some sort of
Old Folks Brigade. I know ther’ed be no recruiting problem, Aye ?

[JFoxbear]

Thanks for your response and all your efforts here on FR and elsewhere. You are a great American !

[Kathy in Alaska]

The thanks goes to you and your family and mostly to John. Without you, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do. Thank You!!

[Squantos]

Agree.......100% !

You stay Safe.... I am off to get some Zzzzzzzz’s.

Nite !

[SunkenCiv]

That could have ruined someone’s day. ;’)

[tongue-tied]

Hi LUV! It never did rain today like they promised, but got cold in the past few hours and clouds are now here. Maybe a rain/snow mix??? Oh, so very excited here! LOL

[NRA1995]

A win IS a win, yes. Gotta admit, looking at the field that night, I’d have been planting my feet a little gingerly as well, regardless of which team I’m playing for. Can you imagine trying to kick straight in that muck? That said, I’m hoping Roethlisberger gets better pass protection against the Bengals.

[NRA1995]

That’s about how it is the Monday after a Ravens (oops, Buzzards) game.

[hiredhand]

As long as we have breath, we will honor men like your son in thought and deed...so help us God!

[JFoxbear]

Thanks much for your words sir. It truly means alot

[BluesDuke]

Two very glaring omissions on your lead list: Our Miss Brooks and Your Show of Shows.

[archy]

As long as we have breath, we will honor men like your son in thought and deed...so help us God!

Concur, and bookmarked and posted to calender. Had I known about this just a bit sooner, I'd have passed it on to our mayor. Since we've so far suffered no local losses despite one tour in Iraq by our local NG unit and several dozen young troops deployed variously, we've been noting the losses of those who've fallen alongside them without regard as to their previous home locales.

Hizonner was not reelected in our most recent trip to the polls, but I strongly suspect his replacement will continue the practice.

[archy]

Two very glaring omissions on your lead list: Our Miss Brooks and Your Show of Shows.

Agreed, and the list of many of the performers on several of the variety programs of the period is really lengthy.

But I've got one particular favorite, who though better known as a singer than comedienne, was also good for a variety show comedy skit on occasion, and turned up on Red Skelton's show a couple of times.

Teresa Brewer passed away about a year ago.

[BluesDuke]

I should also have mentioned the best variety show of the decade, and it wasn't on television: it was Tallulah Bankhead's The Big Show (NBC radio, 1950-52), with Fred Allen as her most frequent guest (I could be wrong but Groucho Marx ran a close second)and the nonpareil Goodman Ace as her head writer, and a lineup that's a who's who of the absolute best in the business, music, comedy, stage, screen, you name it . . .

Teresa Brewer was a terrific singer, especially once she got past what she herself called "my ootsy-poo period" and got to serious pop and jazz. (In fact, the last recording project Duke Ellington had in his lifetime, before his illness finally took him out of action and to his reward, was a collaboration with Ms. Brewer, It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing, for Columbia Records . . . )

I lost a lot of respect for Red Skelton over the way he treated his writers. He wasn't unusual in refusing to give his writers credit, he was merely among the most flagrant and abusive about it. (His most famous character, Clem Kadiddlehopper, was a creation of one of his writers, and Skelton could never bring himself to give credit where due.) I respect the ones who did give their writers their due: Jack Benny, Fred Allen (who wrote about ninety percent of his stuff as it was, but still . . . ), Bob Hope, Henry Morgan . . .

[BluesDuke]

p.s. Teresa Brewer actually passed away just over a month ago, may she rest in peace.

[archy]

I should also have mentioned the best variety show of the decade, and it wasn't on television: it was Tallulah Bankhead's The Big Show (NBC radio, 1950-52), with Fred Allen as her most frequent guest (I could be wrong but Groucho Marx ran a close second)and the nonpareil Goodman Ace as her head writer, and a lineup that's a who's who of the absolute best in the business, music, comedy, stage, screen, you name it . . .

What an interesting TV show it might have been, maybe bringing a little improvement to the vast wasteland, some of which is better appeciated with hindsight, and much of which fading memory has thankfully obscured.

Teresa Brewer was a terrific singer, especially once she got past what she herself called "my ootsy-poo period" and got to serious pop and jazz. (In fact, the last recording project Duke Ellington had in his lifetime, before his illness finally took him out of action and to his reward, was a collaboration with Ms. Brewer, It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing, for Columbia Records . . . )

Just so. She left some 600 recorded songs as a part of her legacy, and some of her Dixieland work is among the best in the genre.

I lost a lot of respect for Red Skelton over the way he treated his writers. He wasn't unusual in refusing to give his writers credit, he was merely among the most flagrant and abusive about it. (His most famous character, Clem Kadiddlehopper, was a creation of one of his writers, and Skelton could never bring himself to give credit where due.) I respect the ones who did give their writers their due: Jack Benny, Fred Allen (who wrote about ninety percent of his stuff as it was, but still . . . ), Bob Hope, Henry Morgan . . .

I now reside in and plied my trade as a newspaperman in the town in which Red Skelton grew up, and an interview with him was one of my first assignments for a crusty old editor who had expected me to fail. There are a couple of darker stories about him from his Travelin' Show days, however, that are not repeated by his pals at the local Chamber of Commerce and such. Accordingly, the local junior college has named their new performing arts center after him...after a donation/infusion of cash from the Widow Skelton. But Red was nevertheless a talented and prolific composer, as well as a great comic.

[BluesDuke]

What an interesting TV show [The Big Show] might have been . . .

Funny you should say that. Jack Gould, the critic for The New York Times, said in his review of the show's premiere that it was "good enough to make one wish he could have seen it."

Since it sounds as though you've never heard it, here's the premiere edition of The Big Show. The cast: Fred Allen, Mindy Carson (pop singer of the day), Jimmy Durante, Jose Ferrer, Portland Hoffa, Frankie Laine, Paul Lukas, Ethel Merman, Russell Nipe, Danny Thomas, Meredith Willson (who was also the show's musical director), and, of course, Dame Tallulah. Not to mention Fred Allen (who appears in the show's final third) first delivering the anti-television crack most associated with him (often attributed, erroneously, to Ernie Kovacs) . . .

[archy]

Since it sounds as though you've never heard it, here's the premiere edition of The Big Show.

'Preciate it! Though I took the usual Radio-TV courses in journalism school, and my uncle taught radio advertising, giving me access to swell archive files of old shows on which Coca-Cola and Texico commercials aired, I'd not heard it before. Thanks again!