September 2, 1950 (1950-09-02) – February 24, 1951 (1951-02-24)
Star Time is an American variety series that aired on the DuMont Television Network from September 5, 1950,[1] to February 27, 1951,[2] and starred singer-actress Frances Langford. It was broadcast from 10 to 11 p.m. on Tuesdays.[3]
Broadcast history
The hour-long comedy-variety show spotlighted several regulars and guest performers. One feature of each telecast was a lengthy skit, written and directed by Philip Rapp, with Langford and Lew Parker performing as The Bickersons, a quarrelsome married couple that migrated from radio as a distinctively-unhappy sitcom man and wife.[4]
With Langford as a singer, music was an integral component of the series's early episodes. The premier telecast spotlighted The Harmonicats, a trio of versatile harmonica players who had achieved great prominence in the 1940s. But the program soon settled on a regular slot called Club Goodman[citation needed] featuring the Benny Goodman Sextet—with Goodman and Teddy Wilson among others.[5]
With Wilson's weekly appearances, Star Time became one of the first sponsored national TV series to offer an African-American performer as a cast regular.[citation needed]
Star Time was an adaptation of the earlier radio series Drene Time, which had aired from 1946 to 1947.[citation needed]
In November 1950 Charlie Cantor, John Conte, and Reginald Gardiner joined the cast of Star Time while Goodman, the four-singer chorus, and three dancers. were dropped. The change gave the program more emphasis on comedy and less on music.[6] Others who were featured on the show included Ted Steele and Buddy Rogers.[7]
The J. Fred and Leslie W. MacDonald Collection of the Library of Congress contains five half-hour segments of Star Time, including the first half-hour of the premiere telecast which featured The Harmonicats; plus an opening half-hour of another show; and three closing half-hour segments highlighting the Benny Goodman Sextet as well as The Bickersons skits.
Production
Star Time originated from the Ambassador Playhouse[8] via WABD,[1] with Food Stores Corporation as its sponsor.[3] DuMont had recently bought the theater and renovated it for use in TV productions.[8]George Forrest and Robert Wright produced and directed the show.[5] Writers included Phil Rapp.[4]
Critical response
A review of the premiere episode in The New York Times said, "Star Time has a little of everything, but not too much of it enjoyed any particular style or freshness."[9] Critic Jack Gould commented that original songs on the show "were on the trite side both lyrically and melodically"[9] He complimented Langford's performance and noted that Goodman and Parker should have had more to do on the show. The review concluded by saying, "Mark down Star Time as a show with promise which remains to be realized."[9]
Joe Czida's review in the trade publication Billboard began by saying that The Bickersons segment should be a program of its own, noting that it is "so far superior to the rest of the package," citing Rapp's writing as being "basically responsible for the bit's wow qualities."[4] The review said that the rest of the show "is a good, average variety hour", less lavish than those on CBS and NBC because of DuMont's more economical budgeting.[4] Czida complimented the production as a whole and praised the singing of Langford and the dancing of Lee.[4]
Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows, Third edition (New York: Ballantine Books, 1964) ISBN0-345-31864-1
References
^ ab"Futures". Ross Reports on Television including The Television Index. August 20, 1950. p. 2. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
^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. 785. ISBN0-14-02-4916-8.
^ ab"Last Week's Arrivals". Ross Reports on Television including The Television Index. September 10, 1950. p. 4. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
