The Red Buttons Show

Red Buttons is a man of many talents. He started as a stand-up comic. "The Red Buttons Show" was in a thirty-minute time slot just before the popular "Life Of Riley" on Friday nights on NBC, the only network we could get in the early 50's, because we only received one channel. Red is a funny man, but this show when aired at 7:00 pm Central Time, was directed more at the youngsters, though billed as family entertainment. Red would hop around on stage with folded hands, distorting his facial features, and chanting his "Ho-Ho Song." From time to time he would stop and blurt out, "Strange Things Are Happening," leading into a funny story or joke. I've read that Red's show was on another network before coming to NBC for its final year. I vaguely remember that the show changed to my dislike around mid-season to become more of a situation comedy. Red's show spotlighted other newcomers like himself, such as Paul Lynde and Pat Carroll.