Trivia

For its final broadcast, on November 3, 1956, Ford Star Jubilee abandoned its usual format of presenting live shows, and lengthened its time slot to two hours, in order to broadcast The Wizard of Oz (1939). The first television showing of that movie, and the first theatrical movie to be broadcast in its entirety on CBS. This was not a special television adaptation of the movie. The broadcast was hosted by Bert Lahr, who played the Cowardly Lion in the movie, by Justin Schiller, a thirteen-year-old Oz book collector, and by a very young Liza Minnelli, daughter of Judy Garland.

Ford Star Jubilee was a live, ninety-minute, color spectacular, that aired once a month on Saturday nights at 9:00 p.m., on CBS for, basically, one season. Sponsored by the Ford Motor Company, the shows featured top of the line talent in front of, and behind, the camera. The shows were done live from CBS' New York studio #72, located at Broadway and 81st street, or at the CBS Television City Color Studios stage 43 in Hollywood, California. The "Ford Star Jubilee" program-series was nominated for a 1956 EMMY for Best Variety Series. Noël Coward and Mary Martin were nominated in the performer EMMY category for "Together with Music". In spite of the talent, and cost involved, the specials did not receive high enough ratings to satisfy Ford and CBS, especially CBS, who had to pre-empt Gunsmoke (1955) every time it aired. The series did not have reruns during the 1956 summer, since the format was live and unrecorded (on videotape) except as a kinescope black and white film archive copy. The Ford Star Jubilee monthly specials shut down, until resuming two show specials in the fall of 1956. CBS pulled the plug. The last of the "Ford Star Jubilee" series show was the first television airing of the classic film The Wizard of Oz (1939), with Bert Lahr (age sixty-one, 1895-1967), an original cast member, Judy Garland's daughter Liza Minnelli (age ten, born March 12, 1946) as the program hosts with a child Oz book collector Justin Schiller. This marked the only time on television that an actor or actress, who played a leading role in the original film, as well as one of the children of an actor or actress, who starred in it, hosted this type of television series presentation. The "Ford Star Jubilee" television Special series format was cancelled by Bill Paley, the Ford Motor Company, and CBS. This type of special became the anthology series Playhouse 90 (1956).

Between December 1954 through March 1955, William S. Paley, founder of Columbia Broadcasting System Radio and Television Network, negotiated to inaugurate a new CBS series, a spectacular color television live special program to counter National Broadcasting Company Color Television network's live "Producers' Showcase" series. The new age of exploration dramatically transformed network television programming and viewing. NBC had inaugurated their live televised-color-program-series on October 18, 1954, a dramatic color broadcast production of Noël Coward's play "Tonight at 8:30" starring Ginger Rogers, electronically transmitted from NBC Television's New York City studio. Both the NBC and CBS networks scheduled their ninety-minute color specials once a month. During the early 1950s, not all of NBC's television product was broadcast in color, NBC becoming a full color network in the late 1950s. Noël Coward's New York agent, Joe Glaser, met with William "Bill" Paley during the winter and spring 1955. Paley was in early preparations and scheduling programs for the CBS anthology series "Ford Star Jubilee" monthly specials. Noël Coward was offered to star and direct three of these ninety-minute CBS Spectacular Specials. Noël Coward's managers Lance Hamilton and Charles Russell negotiated with Bill Paley and CBS-New York, to pay Noël's television production company four hundred fifty thousand dollars to produce the three specials. Noël's American television appearance was scheduled after Noël's Las Vegas Desert Inn (June 3 to July 4, 1955) cabaret concert appearance. Noël's first CBS commitment would coincide with the CBS inaugural new "Ford Star Jubilee" special live color television series. The premiere "Ford Star Jubilee" special featured first: (#1.#1) "The Judy Garland Show" broadcast in color Saturday night, September 24, from CBS' Hollywood Television City - Studio 43, in California. The second: (#1.ep#2) "Together with Music" starring Noël Coward and Mary Martin was a color broadcast the next month on Saturday night, October 22, from CBS' New York City - Studio 72, Broadway and 81st Street. Only one special was filmed in Hollywood with Bing Crosby. He would not perform live in front of a television audience. The musical adaptation of the stage play "High Tor" (March 10, 1956 - #1.ep#7) was filmed at Desilu Studios-Hollywood, broadcast as a series special. At its core, broadcast network quality entertainment is an essential part of the communications job to continue to produce the best content the networks possibly deliver at the end of every day. Television wise, it simply comes down to the best content.

As producer on the "Ford Star Jubilee" specials, Richard Lewine's only involvement with the specials was as the Vice President of CBS Television Network, under William S. Paley from 1952-1961.