SHOWER OF STARS {VAN JOHNSON, ZSA ZSA GABOR, PATTY McCORMACK, GOGI GRANT, HERMIONE GINGOLD} (TV)
Summary
One in this series of irregularly scheduled live music/variety programs. This program, hosted by Bill Lundigan, features master of ceremonies Jack Benny and guest stars Hermione Gingold, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Gogi Grant, Van Johnson and Patty McCormack. The program begins as Lundigan takes the stage and introduces Benny, who discusses the guests and then receives a bouquet of flowers for Gabor, delivered by two bickering workmen, played by Mel Blanc and Charlie Cantor. Gingold then joins Benny and talks grandly about her career, including her fondness for Shakespeare, though she is displeased that the flowers are for Gabor, and when Gabor comes out, they engage in some good-natured banter and Benny reprimands them for "getting all the laughs." Grant then sings "I Can't Give You Anything But Love, Baby," and Lundigan outlines the features of the latest Chrysler model automobile. Next, Benny introduces Johnson and they chat about the nerve-wracking process of receiving awards, though they cannot speak from experience, and are then joined by young McCormack, star of the horror film "The Bad Seed." Benny then talks to Grant about her performances in Las Vegas, and she sings "A Toujours."
Benny discovers McCormack, parodying her villainous "Bad Seed" character, backstage with Johnson, having tied him up and drawn on a mustache, but they end up performing "Thank Heaven For Little Girls" together. He then summons Gingold to keep an eye on the girl, and she tells her a fairytale to keep her occupied, the story of Little Red Riding Hood. Gabor portrays Red's mother, who is enmeshed in a romance with a hunter, Johnson, after the mysterious death of her husband. Benny portrays the Big Bad Wolf, and encounters Red Riding Hood in the forest, then following her to her grandmother's house. Gingold portrays the rambunctious granny, who is not fooled by the wolf's attempts to impersonate Red and runs away. When Red comes, the wolf tries to eat her, but when her mother and the hunter arrive, they find that Red has subdued the beast and tied him up again. Following this is a short clip from the upcoming "Climax!" film "The Great World and Timothy Colt," and Benny closes the show by thanking his guests onstage one at a time. Also, Lundigan performs several in-studio commercials for various Chrysler automobiles. Includes commercials.
Details
- NETWORK: CBS
- DATE: March 20, 1958 8:30 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:59:41
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:25377
- GENRE: Comedy/Variety
- SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy/Variety; Music
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV series, 1954-1958
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV - Commercials - Chrysler automobiles
- TV - PSA - Better Mental Health services
- TV - PSA - Easter Seals charity
- TV - Promos - "Climax!: The Great World and Timothy Colt"
- TV - Promos - "On the Take"
- TV - Promos - "The Right Hand Man"
- TV - Promos - "The Volcano Seat"
CREDITS
- Ralph Nelson … Producer, Director
- John F. Meyers … Associate Producer
- Sam Perrin … Writer
- George Balzer … Writer
- Hal Goldman … Writer
- Al Gordon … Writer
- Hugh Wedlock … Writer
- Howard Snyder … Writer
- Glenn Turnbull … Choreographer
- Bill Lundigan … Host
- Jack Benny … Master of Ceremonies
- Art Gilmore … Announcer
- Hermione Gingold … Guest
- Zsa Zsa Gabor … Guest
- Gogi Grant … Guest
- Van Johnson … Guest
- Patty McCormack … Guest
- Mel Blanc … Guest
- Charlie Cantor … Guest