Network: DuMont Format: Variety (originally a game show) Worth seeing?: Yes Any offensive moments or segments?: Not in the episode I saw
This was originally a game show hosted by Jimmy Blaine. After a short time, it switched to a variety show format hosted by Kyle MacDonnell. Confused? Good. Same thing happened with a show called "On Your Way" and those weren't the only times format-switching happened on early television.
The episode I viewed (from December 1, 1950) is in very bad condition, with at least 4 minutes of the episode missing from the print, along with the live commercials. Opening titles and some of the closing titles are also missing from the episode.
A 2nd episode, from October 20 1950, also survives.
The episode I viewed (of the variety format) is pretty good. The setting is a night-club. Other DuMont shows to use a similar setting included the well-preserved "The Morey Amsterdam Show" and the completely lost "Café de Paris").
The fragmented episode starts off with a Ballerina said to be from Austria, who does lots of spinning and stuff. This is followed by host Kyle MacDonnell singing a quick song. Character actor Roscoe Karns pops up, holding a gun, dressed up like a detective, and shoots an off-camera person. He is actually promoting a series called "Inside Detective", which later changed title to "Rocky King, Dectective". Great crime series, fairly well-preserved for a DuMont series. A male singer then sings two songs, including "That Old Black Magic", which is followed by a violin duo performing "Hot Canary". This itself is followed by a more standard violin performance. The final segment consists of Kyle singing "I'm In the Mood for Love".
The production values are basic (most obviously during the performance of "That Old Black Magic", done using a single static close-up of the singer), but this is enjoyable, entertaining early television. It's on the Internet Archive website if you want to check it out.
This was originally a game show hosted by Jimmy Blaine. After a short time, it switched to a variety show format hosted by Kyle MacDonnell. Confused? Good. Same thing happened with a show called "On Your Way" and those weren't the only times format-switching happened on early television.
The episode I viewed (from December 1, 1950) is in very bad condition, with at least 4 minutes of the episode missing from the print, along with the live commercials. Opening titles and some of the closing titles are also missing from the episode.
A 2nd episode, from October 20 1950, also survives.
The episode I viewed (of the variety format) is pretty good. The setting is a night-club. Other DuMont shows to use a similar setting included the well-preserved "The Morey Amsterdam Show" and the completely lost "Café de Paris").
The fragmented episode starts off with a Ballerina said to be from Austria, who does lots of spinning and stuff. This is followed by host Kyle MacDonnell singing a quick song. Character actor Roscoe Karns pops up, holding a gun, dressed up like a detective, and shoots an off-camera person. He is actually promoting a series called "Inside Detective", which later changed title to "Rocky King, Dectective". Great crime series, fairly well-preserved for a DuMont series. A male singer then sings two songs, including "That Old Black Magic", which is followed by a violin duo performing "Hot Canary". This itself is followed by a more standard violin performance. The final segment consists of Kyle singing "I'm In the Mood for Love".
The production values are basic (most obviously during the performance of "That Old Black Magic", done using a single static close-up of the singer), but this is enjoyable, entertaining early television. It's on the Internet Archive website if you want to check it out.
