The Entertainers
| The Entertainers | |
|---|---|
 Newhart and Burnett with a photo of Valente, 1964. | |
| Genre | Variety show |
| Written by |
Vincent Bogert Sydney Zelinka Tony Webster Philip Green Treva Silverman David Panich Arnie Rosen Coleman Jacoby |
| Starring | Carol Burnett, Bob Newhart, and Caterina Valente[1] |
| Country of origin | USA |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 26 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Bob Banner |
| Producer(s) | Joe Hamilton |
| Running time | 60 minutes[1] |
| Production company(s) | Bob Banner Associates, in association with the CBS Television Network |
| Distributor | CBS |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Picture format | black and white videotape |
| Audio format | mono |
| Original release | September 25, 1964[1] – March 27, 1965[2] |
The Entertainers was a one-hour American variety show which aired on CBS from September 25, 1964 through March 27, 1965.
Produced by Joe Hamilton, the series featured three hosts; Hamilton's then-wife Carol Burnett, Bob Newhart, and Caterina Valente[2]. In order to serve as a regular host, it was necessary for Burnett to leave her role in the Broadway musical Fade Out - Fade In[3], and was summarily sued by the show's producers for breach of contact.[4]
Broadcast weekly from New York, where it was taped Friday evenings at CBS Studio 50 (now the Ed Sullivan Theater), the variety show format was typical of the period. It contained a mix of comedy sketches, musical numbers performed by a regular group of series' artists and having one or two guest stars (such as Boris Karloff, Phil Silvers, and Chita Rivera) who hosted, alongside Burnett and Valente each week. Initially airing Friday night at 8:30pm ET/PT, but after not doing well in the ratings, the show was moved in January 1965, to Saturday's at 9:00pm ET/PT, and the format was slightly altered, with Newhart and a few of the series' regulars leaving the cast, and Burnett and Valente taking co-hosting positions for the remainder of the series' run.[2]
Repertory company
The repertory company included:[2]
- Art Buchwald
- Ruth Buzzi (joined in 1965)[5]
- Don Crichton
- John Davidson[6]
- Dom DeLuise
- Tessie O'Shea
- The Ernie Flatt Dancers
- The Peter Gennaro Dancers
- The Harry Zimmerman Orchestra
Notable episodes
- 25 September, 1964: The show premiered on CBS the same week The Cara Williams Show, The Munsters, The Baileys of Balboa, Gomer Pyle-U.S.M.C., The Reporter, Gilligan's Island, Mr. Broadway, and My Living Doll debuted on the network.
- 13 November, 1964: The show abandoned its usual format to present a full-hour documentary about the Beatles' American tour.[2] The Entertainers had premiered the same week the Beatles film A Hard Day's Night opened in theatres.[1]
- 11 December, 1964: Thelma Ritter joined series regulars Newhart, Valente, and Dom DeLuise.[7]
- 25 December, 1964: Burnett, Valente, Buchwald and Newhart performed in a Christmas special.[8]
- 16 January, 1965: Burnett and Valente co-hosted, with Boris Karloff and Chita Rivera as guest stars. The kinescope copy of this episode, is the most viewed episode outside of its original broadcast, being widely circulated amongst collectors.
References
- 1 2 3 4 Television, Records, Cinema, and Books (Friday, September 25, 1964) from Time magazine
- 1 2 3 4 5 Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (1988). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows 1946 - Present. Ballantine Books. p. 238. ISBN 0-345-35610-1.
- ↑ Fade Out - Fade In from the Internet Broadway Database
- ↑ Carol Burnett from All Movie Guide via The New York Times
- ↑ Ruth Buzzi from All Movie Guide via The New York Times
- ↑ Song-&-Glance Man (Friday, July 9, 1965) from Time magazine
- ↑ Theater, Television, Records, Cinema, and Books (Friday, December 11, 1964) from Time magazine
- ↑ Theater, Television, Records, Cinema, and Books (Friday, December 25, 1964) from Time magazine