Special Free Introduced Screening and Reception

Christmas with the King Family

Sunday, December 20, 2009
1:30 pm PT

Nearly fifty members of TV’s King Family—the multigenerational family of performers featuring the swing era vocal greats the King Sisters, guitar legend Alvino Rey, the King Cousins, and the King Kids, stars of two television variety series and their own musical specials throughout the 1960s and '70s—reunited on December 20, 2009, at the Paley Center in LA for a special screening of their new public television special, Christmas with the King Family.
 
The event became a tribute to family matriarch, Yvonne King, who had passed away on December 13, just one month shy of her 90th birthday. “Vonnie,” as she was affectionately known to family, friends, and fans, was the driving force behind the Grammy-nominated King Sisters' successful transition to the King Family, which in their heyday were christened "America’s First Family of Song.”
 
In the early '60s she conceived and produced a benefit concert featuring her sisters and nearly three dozen members of her family, including brothers, husbands, wives, aunts, uncles, and children. It was the debut of the King Family, and it led to an appearance on The Hollywood Palace in 1964. Strong fan response, in turn, led to a special, The Family Is King, and later to two King Family Show, variety series between 1965 and 1969, seventeen headlining television specials including Easter with the King Family and The King Family in San Francisco, concert tours, best-selling albums, and appearances on nearly all the top variety showcases of the era where they shared the stage with entertainment greats, including Dean Martin, George Burns, Milton Berle, and Phyllis Diller.
 
Yvonne broke ground behind the camera as well, serving as a producer on each of the family’s television specials and series in addition to also hosting and performing with her singing sisters, whose hits included “Imagination," ”Mairsy Doates,” and “Nighty Night.”
 
Following the screening, the sold-out audience was treated to a special bonus tribute clip, Vonnie's solo performance of “Plain Ol’ Me” from the family’s 1969 special, Backstage with the King Family. A sterling musical moment in which the star extolls of the simple pleasures of life while removing her stage makeup following a perfomance only to finish the number clad in white fur and dark sunglasses, exiting with a wink to the line, “just being plain ol’ me.”
 
Next, former King Kid and current celebrated voice actor, Cam Clarke (son of King Sister Alyce and actor Robert Clarke) took to the stage to introduce his aunt, Marilyn King, who mesmerized the audience with her heartfelt solo rendition of “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.” The entire King Family took to the stage for a rousing rendition of the Al Burt holiday favorite “Caroling, Caroling” and a poignant, beautifully realized version of their theme song, “Love at Home.” Not a dry eye was left in the house.
 
Those in attendance at the family reunion included: King Cousins Lex de Azevedo, the award-winning composer-arranger for series including The Sonny & Cher Show and The Jacksons; Ray Driggs; Tom Thomas; Xan Albright (who just released her own King Family Cookbook); Tina Cole, who also played “Katie Douglas” on the classic series My Three Sons; her sister, singer Cathy Cole Green; and their cousin Carolyn Cameron, who along with cousin Candy Conkling Brand formed the highly regarded '60s and '70s vocal group the Four King Cousins.
 
Capping off the festivities, the City of Beverly Hills issued a proclamation honoring the King Family’s nearly five decades of contributions to popular entertainment. A fitting tribute to the enduring legacy of these musical greats.

Here's the trailer for the Christmas with the King Family PBS special:

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