This was a Colgate-sponsored comedy hour that featured many notable comedians and entertainers of the era as guest stars.
Original title
The Colgate Comedy Hour
Released
9/10/1950
Origin country
US
Genre
Comedy
Production companies
NBC, Colgate-Palmolive-Peet
Status
Ended
Number of seasons
6
Number of episodes
208
The Colgate Comedy Hour is an American comedy-musical variety series that aired live on the NBC network from 1950 to 1955. The show starred many notable comedians and entertainers of the era, including Eddie Cantor, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, Fred Allen, Donald O'Connor, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, Bob Hope, Jimmy Durante, Ray Bolger, Gordon MacRae, Ben Blue, Robert Paige, Tony Curtis, Burt Lancaster, Broadway dancer Wayne Lamb and Spike Jones and His City Slickers.
Eddie Cantor hosts the premiere episode of the series, joined by actor/dancer Tommy Wonder, opera soprano Yma Sumac, dancer Danny Daniels, Yiddish theatre star Joseph Buloff, Lew Hearn, Robert Gari, Jack Albertson, the ballet team of Val Buttingnol and Joy Williams, and Al Goodman and his Orchestra. The program was promoted in the NY Times as "a nostalgic review recalling the halcyon days of the New Amsterdam theater at Broadway and 42nd Street".
Hosted by Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, has Dean and Jerry alongside gorgeous Marilyn Maxwell ("The Lemon Drop Kid") and comedian Leonard Barr. Sketches include a backstage bit with Martin and Lewis goofing around in their dressing room, and another with Jerry playing a little kid who goes to the movies with grown up Dean.
Fred Allen makes his hosting debut. His guests include actors Monte Woolley and Peter Donald; Risë Stevens from the Metropolitian Opera; ballet stars Sono Osato, Hugh Laing and Zachary Solov; Tony award winner David Burns; Fred Allen's radio co-horts Kenny Delmar, Minerva Pious, Parker Fennelly; with Al Goodman and his Orchestra.
In this episode sponsored by Frigidaire, Bobby Clark makes his debut as host. His guests include actress Joan Blondell and Broadway composer Sigmund Romberg. Clark appears in a comedy sketch about TV cameras in the courtroom.
Eddie Cantor returns as host with Al Goodman and his Orchestra. Cantor does a sketch with his character 'Maxi the Taxi', and performs 'Dinah' in a production number.
Kitty Kallen; The Skylarks; Mayor Ralph Villani of Newark, N.J.; Mayor Walter Sterling of Steubenville, Ohio; and Dick Stabile and his Orchestra.
Fred Allen hosts and welcomes guests Broadway actress/singer Ella Logan; dancers Anthony, Allyn and Hodges; comedians Mort and Art Havel; and from Allen's radio program comedian (and Allen's wife) Portland Hoffa, Parker Fennelly and Peter Donald.
Vaudeville and film comedian Bobby Clark hosted this show sponsored by Frigidaire. Clark welcomes baseball announcer Mel Allen; singer/actress Frances Langford; tennis player Gussie Moran; Argentinian jugglers Atilio and Hector, The Peiro Brothers; and comedy act The Albins
Eddie Cantor hosts and is joined by his wife, Ida Cantor; his son-in law actor Robert Gari; radio comedian Charlie Cantor (no relation); dancers Fred and Sledge; Lesli Scott; Bil and Cora Baird's Marionettes; and Al Goodman and his Orchestra.
Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis return with guests singer/actress Kitty Kallen; future 'Jackie Gleason Show' co-star Joyce Randoph; comic dancer Leonard Barr; comic actor Sammy Petrillo; the dance team of De May and Moore; singers The Skylarks; and Dick Stabile and his Orchestra.
Fred Allen hosts with guests humorist/author H. Allen Smith; Tony award winning actress Sheila Bond; and Broadway performer Billy Tabbert.
A nervous-looking Bob Hope makes his debut as host in this Frigidaire-sponsored episode. His guests include: Marilyn Maxwell; country singer Jimmy Wakely; vocalists The Taylor Maids; dance troupe The High Hatters; dancer Judy Kelly; Nelson Case; and Les Brown and his Band of Renown. This show is performed before an all-military audience.
Eddie Cantor hosts and welcomes guests jazz pianist Joe Bushkin; actor Jack Albertson; co-star of the TV series 'Mama', Dick Van Patten; actress Connie Sawyer; acrobats The Amadis; June Keegan; and dancers Les Zoris.
Comic dancers Paul and Grace (The Hartmans) star in this adaptation of their just-ended Broadway review, 'Tickets, Please!" Joining them are cast members from the show: Jack Albertson, Tommy Wonder, Dorothy Jarnac, Patricia Bright, Bill Norvas, Mildred Hughes, Warde Donovan, The Upstarts.
Fred Allen makes his final appearance as host. His guests include: comic Doc Rockwell; opera singer Eileen Farrell; The Christianis acrobat act; and from Allen's radio show Kenny Delmar, Minerva Pious, Peter Donald, and Parker Fennelly. Music is provided by Al Goodman and his orchestra.
Bob Hope hosts this episode, sponsored by Frigidaire. His guests include: His guests include: opera star Lily Pons; Elanor Roosevelt; Bob Cummings; harpist Robert Maxwell; New York Mayor Vincent Impellitteri; the Boys' Choir from the Cathedral of St. John the Divine; and Charles Sandford and his Orchestra.
Danny Thomas, Ed Wynn and Sigmund Romberg.
Abbott and Costello's first time as hosts. Several comedy routines including their classic: "Who's On First".
Joan Bennett; Fred Allen; Pat O'Brien; Kukla, Fran & Ollie; The Mello-Larks the cast of Broadway Open House: Dagmar; David Street; Jack Adrian; Milton DeLugg; and Wayne Howell.
Julie Wilson; Willie, West and McGinty; The Maxwells; Miriam Wakefield; Bobby Lane and Claire; Jack Mann; Dick Dana; and Tom Jones and his Orchestra.
Lee Fairfax, Basil O'Connor, Dave Powell, Joe Marks, and Estelle Sloan.
Polly Bergen, Mary Ann Niles, Bob Fosse, and Dick Stabile and his Orchestra. Note: Martin & Lewis had not hosted in nearly three months only because they were off in Hollywood making a movie.
The City Slickers, George Rock, Sir Frederick Gas, Freddy and Dick Morgan, Bill King, The Wayne Marlin Trio, Lois Ray, Gale Robbins, and Laverne Pearson Note: There was also a cameo appearance by the Today Show's Dave Garroway and a look at a very young announcer, Mike Wallace.
Basil Rathbone, Sarah Churchill, Walter Abel, Nelson Case, Mary Boland, Fran Warren, and Danny Scholl.
Lena Horne, Jack Albertson, Charlie Cantor, Bil and Cora Baird Marionettes, Landre and Verna, Phil Kramer, Marcia Walter, Chris Barbery, and Al Goodman and his Orchestra.
Milton Berle, The Andrews Sisters, and Leonard Sues.
Lon Chaney Jr.; Sid Fields; Jarmila Novotna; Jesse, James & Carnell; Milton Frome; Ann Thomas; Gregg Sherwood; and Al Goodman and his Orchestra.
Rex Harrison, Wally Cox, Nelson Case, Jean Sablon, Valerie Bettis.
Jimmy Durante, Eddie Jackson, and Al Goodman and his Orchestra.
Eddie Fisher, Joel Grey, William Warfield, Evelyn Gould, Gehrig and Weismuller, Tony and Eddy, and Michell Auclair.
Rex Harrison, Frank Sinatra, Eddie Cantor, Ed Wynn, Jimmy Durante, Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca, Lilli Palmer, Janis Paige, Arthur Treacher, Frank "Sugar Chile" Robinson, Tex and Jinx McCrary, Faye Emerson, Ken Murray, and Toots Shor.
Tony Martin hosts this installment. His guests include: comedian Fred Allen; actress Celeste Holm; ballet star Kathryn Lee; jazz clarinetist Peanuts Hucko; Broadway performer Joe Silver; character actor Richard Loo; actress Lynn Loring; comedians Art & Mort Havel; and Al Goodman and his Orchestra. Martin's songs include 'If', 'You', and 'For Every Man There's a Woman'. In comedy, Fred Allen portrays Chinese detective One Long Pan.
Eddie Cantor hosts this weeks show. His guests include: actress Anne Jeffreys; Robert Gari; Charlie Cantor; dancers Gehrig and Weismuller, Hal Loman and Joan Field. Cantor performs a 'Maxi the Taxi' sketch, and joins Jeffreys for a comic bit from 'Taming of the Shrew'.
Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis host this telecast from Chicago. Their guests include: singer Helen O'Connell; dance team Bob Fosse & Mary Ann Niles; Ladd Lyon; announcer Mike Wallace; and Dick Stabile and his Orchestra. Martin's songs include 'I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now.'
Phil Silvers hosts this week's edition. His guest list includes: Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis; singer Vivian Blaine; comic Joey Faye; and Al Goodman and his Orchestra. Blaine and Silvers duet on 'When You And I Were Young Maggie Blues', and so she does 'What Is This Thing Called Love?'
Beatrice Lillie hosts this episode sponsored by Frigidaire. Her guests include: singer Dick Haymes; comic actor Wally Cox; actor Victor Moore; singer/actor Harold Lang; and Broadway star Helen Gallagher. Music includes 'Without a Song' and 'Bye Bye Blackbird' from Haymes.
Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis host this week's show. Their guests include: singer Jane Morgan; the dance team of Bob Fosse & Mary Ann Niles; a cameo by Eddie Cantor; and Dick Stabile and his Orchestra.
Eddie Cantor hosts this week's show. His guests include: a teen-aged Joel Grey; big band vocalist Connie Haines; Charlie Cantor; Herbert Coleman; Monsieur Crayone; TV actor Joe Silver; Lou Wills Jr.; and a cameo from active Army member Eddie Fisher. Cantor performs another 'Maxi the Taxi' sketch.
Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis host this week's episode. Their guests include: The DeMarco Sisters; comedian/singer Sonny King; actor Tommy Farrell; Rosette Shaw; comic actor and 'Colgate' writer Danny Arnold; The Johnny Conrad Dancers; cameo by Tony Curtis; and Dick Stabile and his Orchestra. Dean's songs include 'Isle of Capri' and 'Too Young' The DeMarco Sisters perform 'I'm Late.'
Jackie Gleason, starring on DuMont's 'Cavalcade of Stars', hosts this episode sponsored by Frigidaire. His guests include: Fred Allen; Vivian Blaine and actress Joan Carroll.
Eddie Cantor is the host and welcomes guests including: 'Mr. Television' Milton Berle; comics Jack E. Leonard and Phil Foster, bombshell Dagmar; Junie Keegan; and Ida Cantor. Also, appearances by Cantor's daughter Marilyn and Berle's daughter Vicki. Cantor performs another 'Maxi the Taxi' comedy sketch with Foster. Also, there's a musical salute to songwriter Irving Berlin.
Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis host this first season closer. Their guests include: singer Janis Paige; comic and show writer Danny Arnold; The Johnny Conrad Dancers; cameos by Tony Martin and Joe Louis; and Dick Stabile and his Orchestra. Music includes Paige doing 'Those Old Phonograph Records'.
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello host with guests actors Errol Flynn and Bruce Cabot, actress Rhonda Fleming, A C stalwarts Sid Fields and Joe Kirk, The Pied Pipers, Al Goodman and his Orchestra, and a cameo by George Raft. On the way to work on Fleming's ranch, the boys encounter berserk Flynn doing the classic "Niagra Falls" routine ("Slowly I turn, step by step..."). Lou attempts to milk a cow, and he and Bud get the giggles, start ad libbing, and start spitting milk at each other. Sheriff Lou battles bad guy Flynn in a saloon. Rhonda Fleming performs "Don't Blame Me" and "I'm in Love With a Wonderful Guy."
In one sketch, Abbott and Costello are offered a job on Cabot's dude ranch. On the way, they encounter Flynn, with whom they do the old "Niagara Falls" sketch. In another western bit, the boys have a run-in with bad guy Flynn. Rhonda Fleming performs "Don't Blame Me" and "I'm in Love With a Wonderful Guy".
Features songs "You Belong To Me" and "Hominy Grits"
Lizabeth Scott, Gisele macKenzie, The Four Pipers, Les dassie, Dudley Dickerson, Milt Bronson, Bobby Barber, Sid Fields and Al Goodman and his Orchestra
Abbott & Costello present a comedy/variety Christmas Special, including their routines, singing, dancing, and acrobats.
Victor Borge, Gisele MacKenzie, Grace Hartman, Allan Jones, Sid Fields, Harry Lang, The Four Pipers, Bobby Barber, R. J. Otis and Abner, The Hollywood Stunt Group
Hoagy Carmichael, Teresa Brewer, The Four Pipers, The Amin Brothers, Sid Fields, Michael Ross, Jack Lomas, Sherry Morland, Evelynne D'Smith, Sid Marion, Bobby Barber and Al Goodman and his Orchestra
Skits: Burt plays an escaped lunatick. Songs: "Great To Be Home", "You're The Right One", "That's Amore", "There's No Tomorrow"
Highlights include a take-off on TV westerns where all the characters speak in voice-overs and a salute to the songs of Harold Arlen.
Gene Wesson hosts with guests Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, skater Sonja Henie, comic/singer Keefe Brasselle, with Carolyn Jones, Joyce Jameson, Michael Ross, Will J. White, Jud Conlon Singers, Norman Abbott, Glen Stangle, and announcer Hal Sawyer. Wesson and Brasselle perform dueling impressions, a sketch depicts a mob-run coffee shop, and Abbott and Costello encounter the Frankenstein Monster and the Gill Man in the Universal Studios' prop room.
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello welcome guests including: Jane Russell; Rhonda Fleming; A&C stalwarts Connie Haines, Bobby Barber and Mike Ross; actress Beryl Davis; actors Tony Martinez, Nestor Paiva, Frank Richards, Benny Rubin, Jim Hayward and Ken Mayer; Jack Shea; Baby Mistin; Donna Kaye; announcer Hal Sawyer; and Al Goodman and his Orchestra. In comedy highlights, the boys are flat broke in a bording house in the Latin American country of Bolamania. They rehearse a magic trick, hoping to get a job at a nightclub. Then Lou gets the great idea of impersonating the El Presidente! Also, take offs on Liberace and You Bet Your Life.
One in this comedy/variety series with rotating hosts. The comedy team of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello star in this live episode. Highlights include the following: Bud and Lou get fired from their jobs at a department store after attempting to sell nylons; Abbott and his friends sucker Costello out of his pay, but Lou gets his revenge; Hoagy Carmichael sings and is visited by child actor Ricky Vera; Costello and Vera try to tell each other the tale of Little Red Riding Hood and crack each other up in the process; Abbott cons Costello out of his money, but Vera gets the last laugh; Peggy Lee sings "Johnny Guitar," "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered," and the "Halo Shampoo" song; Costello gets appliances with meters and has to pay a quarter every time he uses one, prompting a lot of mayhem as he attempts to try each one out; the Sauter-Finegan Orchestra plays "Midnight Sleigh Ride" and "Holiday"; and Costello attempts to dance with a woman who is almost twice his height.
Skits: Jerry serves spaghetti at Dean's diner. Dean and Vera adopt Jerry. Songs: "Longface", "Without a word of warning", "Mambo Italiano", "Every street's a boulevard"
Abbott and Costello hosted NBC's Colgate Comedy Hour. In a live comedy sketch, devised to promote Universal's newest monster, America witnessed the brief but memorable meeting of Abbott and Costello and the Creature from the Black Lagoon.
Broadway Director George Abbott introduces scenes from two of his hit musicals, "Damn Yankees" and "The Pajama Game," in this tribute to songwriters Richard Adler and Jerry Ross.
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