JACKIE GLEASON SHOW, THE: CHRISTMAS SPECIAL WITH THE POOR SOUL (TV)

Summary

One in this comedy/variety series hosted by Jackie Gleason. After an opening dance number by the June Taylor Dancers, Art Carney introduces this special Christmas edition in which the Poor Soul dreams his way into a land of pantomimed fairy tales. Highlights include: the Poor Soul has no one to spend Christmas Eve with until his fairy godmother appears and takes him to Christmas Land of Fairy Tales; the first storybook characters he meets are Goldilocks and the Three Bears, who involve the Poor Soul in their dance routine; the Poor Soul also helps Little Bo Peep find her sheep and gives a hand to some knights who are battling a fire-breathing dragon which is chasing a princess; he encounters Alice and some other characters from "Alice in Wonderland," who are having a tea party; he watches the Old Woman in the Shoe and her large family dance; later he is entertained by some court jesters and meets Old King Cole; when he proudly opens a present, wooden soldiers march out of the box; the Poor Soul wakes up back on the street and realizes that this whole adventure was just a dream -- or was it?; and to close the program, Gleason introduces the cast and choreographer June Taylor. Includes commercials. (This is a black-and-white telecast of a color program.)

(Series title varies; "The Jackie Gleason Show" from 1952-1961 and 1966-1970; "Jackie Gleason and His American Scene Magazine" from 1962-1966. "The Honeymooners" spin-off replaced the variety series 1955-1956.)

Details

• NETWORK: CBS
• DATE: December 24, 1966 Saturday 7:30 PM
• RUNNING TIME: 0:58:29
• COLOR/B&W: B&W copy of a color telecast
• CATALOG ID: T:11926
• GENRE: Comedy/Variety
• SUBJECT HEADING: Christmas; Comedy; Dance; Fairy Tales
• SERIES RUN: CBS - TV series, 1952-1970
• COMMERCIALS:
  • TV - Commercials - Adorn hair spray
  • TV - Commercials - Benson & Hedges cigarettes
  • TV - Commercials - Contac cold medicine
  • TV - Commercials - Crisco cooking oil
  • TV - Commercials - Deep Magic moisture cream
  • TV - Commercials - El Producto Flagship Cigars
  • TV - Commercials - Purina Cat Chow food
  • TV - Commercials - Scope mouthwash

CREDITS

• Jack Philbin … Executive Producer
• Sammy Spear … Conductor
• June Taylor … Choreographer
• Sammy Spear Orchestra, The … Orchestra
• June Taylor Dancers, The … Dance Company
• Jackie Gleason … Host
• Johnny Olsen … Announcer
• Art Carney … Cast, Ed Norton
• Sheila MacRae … Cast, Alice Kramden
• Jane Kean … Cast, Trixie Norton
• Lanita Kent … Cast, Herself / Glea Girl
• Carlos Bas … Cast
• Andrea Duda … Cast
• Jami Henderson … Cast