Variety Shows of Early Television

Something that I regret I could not witness was the popularity and prevalence of variety shows in early television. I like the whole style of the of the variety show; bringing masses of celebrities and talents to the shows and the living rooms of the viewers. Even though they were celebrities, while on the variety shows they became like everyone else. They performed but it was often much more lighthearted. They had fun and enjoyed working on these shows. They would gather in sets made up like living rooms often having several of the top talents coming together for an hour of fun and entertainment.

I also like how there was indeed variety in these shows. On the shows comedians, actors and musical performers were blended making an experience unique for that episode. There were so many of these shows hosted by Ed Sullivan, Dean Martin, Johnny Cash, Danny Thomas and many more. Carol Burnett had a great show with excellent regulars like Tim Conway giving laid back and sometimes spontaneous comedy and musical performances.

Dean Martin may have been the king of variety shows with the Martin and Lewis Comedy Hour, the Dean Martin Variety Show and his celebrity roasts.

Another important element of variety television was the introduction to new and arriving talent (especially in the case of the Ed Sullivan Show). Looking at today’s television we really have nothing equal to it. The closest would be the late night sketch comedy shows like Saturday Night Live.

Have a look and see what I mean:

The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show
Phil Harris on the Dean Martin Variety Show (you might recognize him as the voice of Baloo on The Jungle Book)
Bob Dylan on the Johnny Cash Show
Louis Armstrong on the Dean Martin Variety Show
Johnathan Winters on the Dean Martin Variety Show