Ford Festival : Guest stars, Critical response Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ford Festival

American TV series or program

Ford Festival
Also known as	The James Melton Show
Genre	Variety
Presented by	James Melton
Theme music composer	Lewis Allan David Broekman
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	65
Production
Executive producers	Charles Friedman Albert McCleery
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	60 minutes
Original release
Network	NBC Television
Release	5 April 1951 (1951-04-05) – 26 June 1952 (1952-06-26)

Ford Festival, also known as The James Melton Show, is an hour-long television show, sponsored by Ford Motor Company, hosted by James Melton, and broadcast on NBC Television beginning on April 5, 1951. The final show was aired June 26, 1952.^[1] This show was replaced by another Ford-sponsored NBC show, Ford Television Theatre, from October 1952 to September 1956.^[2]

The initial premise of the program was that each episode had a plot that tied together performances by Melton and other performers, including singer Dorothy Warenskjold, comedienne Vera Vague, and comedic singers the Wiere Brothers. Effective June 7, 1951, the format changed to a traditional revue. The Wiere Brothers were dropped, and Billy Barty joined the group.^[3]

The show aired:

April 5, 1951 – December 27, 1951, Thursdays 9:00-10:00 p.m. ET^[3]
January 3, 1952 – June 26, 1952, Thursdays 9:30-10:30 p.m. ET^[3]

Guest stars

Guest stars on the program included

Carl Ballantine^[4]
Sarah Churchill^[4]
Rosemary Clooney^[5]
Peter Lorre.^[6]
Diana Lynn^[7]
Jan Murray^[7]
ZaSu Pitts^[8]

Critical response

Jack Gould, in a review of the premiere episode in The New York Times, wrote Melton performed well as a singer, but "he was at a rather decided disadvantage" when he had to narrate, deliver commercials, and perform other than singing.^[9] Gould described the format as "extraordinarily pedestrian", pointing out flaws in the script and in production interludes. He added that direction of the episode seemed suited more to stage than to TV.^[9]

References

^ McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 296. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
^ Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (2007). "Ford Theatre". The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present (9 ed.). New York: Random House Publishing. p. 491. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
^ ^a ^b ^c Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (2007). "Ford Festival". The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present (9 ed.). New York: Random House Publishing. p. 490. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
^ ^a ^b "Thursday August 30". Ross Reports. August 24, 1951. p. 9. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
^ Crossland, Ken; Macfarlane, Malcolm (August 29, 2013). Late Life Jazz: The Life and Career of Rosemary Clooney. Oxford University Press USA. p. 228. ISBN 978-0-19-979857-5. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
^ Youngkin, Stephen (September 30, 2005). The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre. University Press of Kentucky. p. 487. ISBN 978-0-8131-7185-2. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
^ ^a ^b "Thursday September 27 (Cont'd)". Ross Reports. September 23, 1951. p. 7. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
^ "Thursday September 6". Ross Reports. August 31, 1951. p. 11. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
^ ^a ^b Gould, Jack (April 6, 1951). "Television in Review: James Melton Unveils His Own Video Program, 'Ford Festival,' Hour-Long Show, on Channel 9". The New York Times. p. 32. Retrieved July 23, 2024.