The Ed Wynn Show

The Ed Wynn Show
Also known asThe Camel Comedy Caravan
GenreComedy
Variety
Created byRalph Levy
Written byHy Faber
Hal Kanter
Seaman Jacobs
Leo Solomon
Vin Bogert
Directed byRalph Levy
StarringEd Wynn
Narrated byBob LeMond
Theme music composerLud Gluskin
ComposerLud Gluskin
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes39
Production
ProducerHarlan Thompson
Production locationsHollywood, California
Running time30 minutes
Original release
NetworkCBS
KTTV (Los Angeles)
WCBS-TV (New York)
ReleaseSeptember 22, 1949 (1949-09-22) –
July 4, 1950 (1950-07-04)

The Ed Wynn Show is an American variety show originally broadcast from September 22, 1949 to July 4, 1950, on the CBS Television Network. Comedian and former vaudevillian Ed Wynn was the star of the program's 39 episodes, which were the first shows broadcast live from Hollywood,[1] and transmitted via kinescope to New York.

The show included the commercial television debuts of Robert Clary, Dinah Shore, The Three Stooges, Hattie McDaniel, Buster Keaton, Leon Errol, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.

Production

The Ed Wynn Show premiered on September 22, 1949 on CBS. The series starred Ed Wynn (1886–1966), a well-established comedian of stage, vaudeville, film and radio. The series consisted of vaudeville-like skits and music performed by the days' popular artists. Speidel wrist watches was the show's original sponsor. Speidel was soon replaced as sponsor by Camel cigarettes. Under the sponsorship of Camel, the series was known as The Camel Comedy Caravan.[2]

The Ed Wynn Show achieved several "firsts" during its short run. It was the first television series to originate from Hollywood. The series was broadcast live from KTTV in Los Angeles and using the kinescope film process, the films were sent to New York and transmitted on the CBS Eastern and Midwestern stations a week later.[3] The Ed Wynn Show was also one of the first television series to use the kinescope process in an effort to preserve episodes for later distribution. Sometimes after the live broadcast was finished, some re-takes were kinescoped and edited into the film to improve the east coast version.

The series was known for its list of prominent guest stars every week. Some notable guest stars included Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, Frances Langford, The Charlivels, Eve Arden, Celeste Holm, Hattie McDaniel, Buddy Ebsen, Garry Moore, The Modernaires, Mitzi Green, Robert Clary, Gloria Swanson, William Frawley, Joe E. Brown, Charles Laughton, Vera Vague, Carmen Miranda, Cesar Romero, Peggy Lee, Buster Keaton,[4] Dinah Shore, The Three Stooges,[5] Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz[6] made their television debuts on The Ed Wynn Show.

The series ran one season, ending on July 4, 1950.

The last surviving celebrity to appear on the show was Robert Clary, who died on November 16, 2022. His appearance on the program on January 28, 1950 was mentioned in various news articles upon his passing.

Broadcast history

Los Angeles

KTTV, Channel 11

  • 9/22/1949 - 12/15/1949 Thursdays 9:00-9:30 pm
  • 12/24/1949 - 2/18/1950 Saturdays 8:00-8:30 pm
  • 2/25/1950 - 4/22/1950 Saturdays 9:00-9:30 pm
  • 4/27/1950 - 6/15/1950 Thursdays 7:00-7:30 pm

(Except 6/8/1950 Thursday 9:00-9:30 pm)

New York

WCBS-TV, Channel 2

  • 10/6/1949 - 12/29/1949 Thursdays 9:00-9:30 pm
  • 1/7/1950 - 3/25/1950 Saturdays 9:00-9:30 pm
  • 4/4/1950 - 7/4/1950 Tuesdays 9:00-9:30 pm

Awards and nominations

Although the series was not popular with television audiences, The Ed Wynn Show did receive a George Foster Peabody Award for Outstanding Entertainment for the year 1949[7] and a Primetime Emmy Award for Best Live Show for the year 1950.

Year Award Category Result
1949 George Foster Peabody Award Outstanding Entertainment Won
1950 Primetime Emmy Award Best Live Show Won

References

  1. ^ "The Ed Wynn Show 1949-1950". Jim Davidson. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
  2. ^ Terrace, Vincent (2008). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010, 2d ed. McFarland. p. 297. ISBN 978-0-7864-8641-0. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  3. ^ Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (2009). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present. Random House Publishing. p. 410. ISBN 978-0-3074-8320-1. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  4. ^ Meade, Marion, Buster Keaton: Cut to the Chase (1995) HarperCollins p. 225
  5. ^ Lenburg, Jeff, with Maurer, Joan Howard, and Lenburg, Greg, The Three Stooges Scrapbook (2012), Citadel Press p. 179
  6. ^ Jones, Gerard (1993). Honey, I'm Home!: Sitcoms: Selling The American Dream. MacMillan. p. 63. ISBN 978-0-3120-8810-1. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  7. ^ "The Ed Wynn Show Winner 1949 - CBS Television". Peabody. Retrieved December 29, 2015.