Community hub
Recent from talks
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
The Jackie Gleason Show
The Jackie Gleason Show is a series of American network television shows that starred Jackie Gleason, which ran from 1952 to 1970, in various forms.
Gleason's first variety series, which aired on the DuMont Television Network under the title Cavalcade of Stars, first aired June 4, 1949. The show's first host was comedian Jack Carter, who was followed by Jerry Lester. Lester moved to NBC in June 1950 to host the late-night show Broadway Open House, a precursor to "The Tonight Show", and Gleason—who had made his mark filling in for William Bendix as the title character on the first television incarnation of The Life of Riley sitcom—stepped into Cavalcade on July 15, 1950 and became an immediate sensation.
The show was broadcast live in front of a theater audience, and offered the same kind of vaudevillian entertainment common to early television revues. Gleason's guests included New York-based performers of stage and screen, including Bert Wheeler, Smith and Dale, Patricia Morison, and Vivian Blaine. Production values were modest, owing to DuMont's humble facilities and a thrifty sponsor (Quality Drugs, representing most of the nation's drug stores).
In 1952, CBS president William S. Paley offered Gleason a considerably higher salary to move to that network. The series was retitled The Jackie Gleason Show and premiered on CBS Television on September 20, 1952. In 1953, CBS' own orchestral accordionist John Serry Sr. made a cameo appearance.
While much of DuMont's programming archive was destroyed after they ceased broadcasting, a surprising number of Cavalcade of Stars episodes survive, including several episodes at the UCLA Film and Television Archive. Additionally, at least 14 Gleason episodes survive at the Paley Center for Media.
In his book The Forgotten Network, author David Weinstein mentions an unusual aspect of the DuMont network. He notes that while Drug Store Productions was technically the sponsor, they in turn sold the commercial air time to various companies and products. Weinstein notes this as an early example of U.S. network television moving away from the single-sponsor system typical of the early 1950s. He quotes former DuMont executive Ted Bergmann describing the DuMont version as featuring six commercial breaks during the hour, with each break comprising a single one-minute commercial.
The show typically opened with a monologue from Gleason, followed by sketch comedy involving Gleason and a number of regular performers (including Art Carney) and a musical interlude featuring the June Taylor Dancers. (Taylor later became Gleason's sister-in-law; he married her sister Marilyn in 1975.)
Gleason portrayed a number of recurring characters, including:
Hub AI
The Jackie Gleason Show AI simulator
(@The Jackie Gleason Show_simulator)
The Jackie Gleason Show
The Jackie Gleason Show is a series of American network television shows that starred Jackie Gleason, which ran from 1952 to 1970, in various forms.
Gleason's first variety series, which aired on the DuMont Television Network under the title Cavalcade of Stars, first aired June 4, 1949. The show's first host was comedian Jack Carter, who was followed by Jerry Lester. Lester moved to NBC in June 1950 to host the late-night show Broadway Open House, a precursor to "The Tonight Show", and Gleason—who had made his mark filling in for William Bendix as the title character on the first television incarnation of The Life of Riley sitcom—stepped into Cavalcade on July 15, 1950 and became an immediate sensation.
The show was broadcast live in front of a theater audience, and offered the same kind of vaudevillian entertainment common to early television revues. Gleason's guests included New York-based performers of stage and screen, including Bert Wheeler, Smith and Dale, Patricia Morison, and Vivian Blaine. Production values were modest, owing to DuMont's humble facilities and a thrifty sponsor (Quality Drugs, representing most of the nation's drug stores).
In 1952, CBS president William S. Paley offered Gleason a considerably higher salary to move to that network. The series was retitled The Jackie Gleason Show and premiered on CBS Television on September 20, 1952. In 1953, CBS' own orchestral accordionist John Serry Sr. made a cameo appearance.
While much of DuMont's programming archive was destroyed after they ceased broadcasting, a surprising number of Cavalcade of Stars episodes survive, including several episodes at the UCLA Film and Television Archive. Additionally, at least 14 Gleason episodes survive at the Paley Center for Media.
In his book The Forgotten Network, author David Weinstein mentions an unusual aspect of the DuMont network. He notes that while Drug Store Productions was technically the sponsor, they in turn sold the commercial air time to various companies and products. Weinstein notes this as an early example of U.S. network television moving away from the single-sponsor system typical of the early 1950s. He quotes former DuMont executive Ted Bergmann describing the DuMont version as featuring six commercial breaks during the hour, with each break comprising a single one-minute commercial.
The show typically opened with a monologue from Gleason, followed by sketch comedy involving Gleason and a number of regular performers (including Art Carney) and a musical interlude featuring the June Taylor Dancers. (Taylor later became Gleason's sister-in-law; he married her sister Marilyn in 1975.)
Gleason portrayed a number of recurring characters, including: