User Reviews

Yay to Bud and C. C. Robbins. Nay to the comics playing union workers and host Jack Carson's card trick, and huge applause for Broadway and film actors Robert Alda and Betty Garrett. The show starts off okay with an alleged circus act that goes haywire when Carson gets involved, and sadly he's one of the weaker hosts I've seen on any of these classic TV variety shows. Alda, then a big hit in "Guys and Dolls" on Broadway, shows off his talents with a song in Italian, while Betty's vivaciousness is a lot of fun. This came at a time in her career where movie work was hard to get because of the red scare which blacklisted her husband Larry Parks. The Robbins do a great nostalgic dance to "The Varsity Drag", and Carson gets forgiven for his "Melancholy Baby", done without his knowledge with an acrobatic act behind him. It's a mixed bag that had me grateful for fast forward during weaker moments.