Pioneers of Television Variety (Season 1, Episode 3)
TV Episode | 55 min | Documentary, History

Pioneers of Television

Variety (Season 1, Episode 3)

TV Episode | 55 min | Documentary, History

Variety shows were the mainstay of early American TV with stars such as Milton Berle, Red Skelton and Sid Caesar dominating the airwaves. Ed Sullivan was a mainstay of television with his Sunday night show presenting everything from ...See moreVariety shows were the mainstay of early American TV with stars such as Milton Berle, Red Skelton and Sid Caesar dominating the airwaves. Ed Sullivan was a mainstay of television with his Sunday night show presenting everything from acrobats to stand-up comedians to scenes from Broadway plays. Arthur Godfrey at one point had two hit TV shows on the air and his folksy charm seemed to be just what America wanted at the time. His firing of popular singer Julius LaRosa on live TV changed the public's perception of him. Singers hosting their own variety show became popular with Pat Boone, and Andy Williams both hosting very popular shows. Perry Como was so popular that his show trounced The Honeymoonersin the ratings and six years later did the same against The Dick Van Dyke Show. Sid Caesar's _"Your Show of Shows" (1950)_ made sketch comedy a staple of the variety hour, something that carried on for several decades with show like _"The Carol Burnett Show" (1967)_. Variety shows didn't avoid controversial issues. _"The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" (1967) never hesitated to comment on the major issues of the day and was canceled due to political pressure. Variety shows also played a important role in providing opportunity to African-America artists with Pat Boone booking Harry Belafonte over his sponsors objections. When it was unable to find a sponsor for a show hosted by Nat 'King' Cole, NBC paid for it themselves. By the 1970's it all came together when comedian Flip Wilson hosted one of the most popular shows on American TV. Written by garykmcd See less

Contacts

+ Add

Become a member to see contact information for Variety.

Cast	+ Add Cast
56 cast members

Name	Known for
Lucille Ball Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	I Love Lucy (1951)
Jack Benny Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	The Jack Benny Program (1950)
Milton Berle Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963)
Pat Boone Self Self See fewer	Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959)
Carol Burnett Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	The Carol Burnett Show (1967)
George Burns Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Oh, God! (1977)
Ruth Buzzi Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1967)
Sid Caesar Self Self See fewer	Grease (1978)
Dick Cavett Self Self See fewer	Forrest Gump (1994)
Imogene Coca Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Vacation (1983)
Nat 'King' Cole Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	The Nat King Cole Show (1956)
Perry Como Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall (1948)
Tim Conway Self Self See fewer	The Carol Burnett Show (1967)
Mary Jane Croft Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Our Miss Brooks (1952)
Phyllis Diller Self Self See fewer	A Bug's Life (1998)
Dick Elliott Bartender (archive footage) Bartender (archive footage) See fewer	Christmas in Connecticut (1945)
Arthur Godfrey Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	The Glass Bottom Boat (1966)
Andy Griffith Self Self See fewer	The Andy Griffith Show (1960)
Arsenio Hall Self Self See fewer	Coming to America (1988)
Pat Harrington Jr. Self Self See fewer	One Day at a Time (1975)
Goldie Hawn Self Self See fewer	Private Benjamin (1980)
Florence Henderson Self Self See fewer	The Brady Bunch (1969)
Telma Hopkins Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Half & Half (2002)
Arte Johnson Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1967)
Julius LaRosa Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	The Godfather Part III (1990)
Vicki Lawrence Self Self See fewer	The Carol Burnett Show (1967)
Art Linkletter Self Self See fewer	Champagne for Caesar (1950)
Peter Marshall Self Self See fewer	The Hollywood Squares (Daytime) (1965)
Dick Martin Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1967)
Howard Morris Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	The Andy Griffith Show (1960)
Jim Nabors Self Self See fewer	Gomer Pyle: USMC (1964)
Joe Namath Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	C.C. & Company (1970)
Tony Orlando Self Self See fewer	That's My Boy (2012)
Jack Paar Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Walk Softly, Stranger (1950)
Pat Paulsen Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (1967)
Elvis Presley Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962)
Carl Reiner Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961)
Mickey Rooney Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963)
Dan Rowan Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1967)
Harlan Saperstein Narrator Narrator See fewer	Biography (1987)
George Schlatter Self Self See fewer	Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1967)
Dinah Shore Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	The Dinah Shore Chevy Show (1956)
Frank Sinatra Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	From Here to Eternity (1953)
Red Skelton Self / Sheriff Deadeye / Cauliflower McPugg Self / Sheriff Deadeye / Cauliflower McPugg See fewer	The Red Skelton Hour (1951)
Dick Smothers Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Casino (1995)
Tom Smothers Self Self See fewer	The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (1967)
Jerry Stiller Self Self See fewer	The Heartbreak Kid (2007)
Alan Sues Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1967)
Ed Sullivan Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Bye Bye Birdie (1963)
Lily Tomlin Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Nashville (1975)
Dick Van Dyke Self Self See fewer	Mary Poppins (1964)
Betty White Self Self See fewer	The Proposal (I) (2009)
Andy Williams Self Self See fewer	Nobody (I) (2021)
Flip Wilson Self / Geraldine Jones (archive footage) Self / Geraldine Jones (archive footage) See fewer	Flip (1970)
Joyce Vincent Wilson Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Witches' Brew (1980)
Jonathan Winters Self Self See fewer	It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963)