Colgate Comedy Hour 1950. The real FIRST episode aired 9/10/50

[@lonniebishop9062]

Even though this program has been edited for the reason mentioned in the description, it's still vintage, REAL vintage TV at it's best. Thanks for another great post.

[@franksantore2810]

A bit of Colgate Comedy Hour trivia: Ray Morgan, the announcer on the 1st show. was a CBS and NBC staff announcer based out of D.C. He was primarily a sportscaster. He was the main commentator on WWE wrestling. When he wanted more money, the promoter--Vince McMahon, Sr-- replaced Morgan with his son--Vince McMahon, Jr.

[@fromthesidelines]

According to George Burns, in "All My Best Friends" [and he KNEW Eddie Cantor pretty well]: *"Cantor was never a big television star because, just like {Georgie} Jessel, he wouldn't change his act. His frst comedy special {his first "COLGATE" telecast} in 1950 was a big hit because people wanted to see him. And on that show he did his stage act, he sang all his old songs, 'Ain't She Sweet', 'Ma- He's Making Eyes At Me', 'Bye Bye Blackbird', 'Makin' Whoopee!', 'Waitin' for the Robert E. Lee' and, of course, 'Ida', as the camera showed a close-up of {his wife} Ida sitting in the audience. And he danced around the stage and waved his arms and jumped into the air, he even did some of his material in blackface. It was a great show, but it had taken him forty years to prepare for it. After that, he had two weeks [actually, he returned a month later, on October 8th] to get ready for his next show. Maybe 'Bye Bye Blackbird' is a nice song for the first six weeks, but after that you wish the blackbirds would leave already. Eddie just didn't trust new material."*

[@franksantore2810]

Barry I. Graumann, that is a very salient point that George Burns made. I largely watch the CCH because I am a big Dean and Jerry fan. I'll go back and watch more Cantor CCH's to see if Eddie sings " Bye Bye Blackbird" for the 8,625th time!

[@CarlDuke]

The skit in the tailor shop was a routine Eddie had done years earlier in one of his films.

[@OofusTwillip]

The jingles for Halo Shampoo and Ajax Cleanser were written by Joe Rines. One of his distant relatives does re-enactments of old radio shows with me.

[@fromthesidelines]

He married Portland Hoffa about three years after Fred passed on.

[@franksantore2810]

@@fromthesidelines not only did Portland celebrate a silver wedding anniversary with Fred, she also celebrated one with Joe Rines.

[@milkcanfan97]

Thank you for the upload! I've been curious of the CCH because of the episodes starring jerry lewis and dean martin, so it's interesting to see how the show started and its former hosts.

[@fromthesidelines]

At the same hour, on Ed Sullivan's "TOAST OF THE TOWN" on CBS, his guests were Frankie Laine, Patti Page, Victor Borge, the vaudeville team of Joe Smith & Charlie Dale, and the creator/writer/artist of "Dick Tracy", Chester Gould. Cantor had the lion's share of viewers that evening.

[@musicom67]

40:00 - Jack Albertson never would imagine he'd become this character some 24 years later in his own show as "The Man"... He never talked about minstrel shows though with Chico...😵

[@johnhourigan6049]

A couple of mildly risqué lines during the “We’re Having A Baby” sketch that somehow got past Standards and Practices in this 1950 broadcast

[@MoviecraftInc]

That's part of the fun watching live TV. Thanks for pointing that out.

[@quantumshock6620]

Unfortunately, censoring ugly history is the equivalent of pretending that it never existed. It is important that future generations understand the society in which this was made. What you should have done instead was to include a warning (with a timestamp of the offending segment) - explaining the context behind the racist imagery and giving viewers the chance to skip it.

[@holden190]

Which is why I wont subscribe and watch his censored prigramming.?im a big boy and can make my own decisions!

[@chriscaffee4227]

Bottom line: Everyone should be able to choose what is seen on THEIR KZbin channel. Someone commented that everyone should be able to make up their own mind about what they watch. The more important issue is that ultimately the owner of the KZbin channel is responsible for it’s content and has to live with whatever fallout might come from it. I’m just thankful someone has access to this great history and is posting it in whatever form they are comfortable presenting. Thank you for these great videos!!

[@holden190]

Its insulting. Just let the damn thing play! People can fast forward if they like, but I won’t watch any program on any channel where a woke KZbinr decides what society should see with content he didn't even make!!

[@spiritofwoodstock6520]

Any Colgate Comedy Hour shows that include Carmen Miranda?

[@MoviecraftInc]

Sorry on that one...we do not..😢

[@franksantore2810]

It would have helped if the closing segment where Eddie thanks the audience had not been edited out before the closing credits roll.

[@fromthesidelines]

I believe Eddie thanked his audience- and the viewers- for their enthusiastic reception for his first national TV appearance.....and his cast, his family, his barber, his dentist, the good people at Colgate-Palmolive-Peet, IDA! and his five daughters, Jolson, Jack Benny, George & Gracie, Benny Rubin, Jennie Grossinger and her family......and maybe Georgie Jessel for tuning in. Of course, he reminded everyone that Martin & Lewis would make their first appearance on the "COMEDY HOUR" the following week...... *and then they cut him off.* 😉

[@franksantore2810]

@@fromthesidelines Mr TV Trivia, if you say it, then it happened! I could see Eddie doing that, plus mentioning what Ida was going to serve him for supper that evening! Yet he was never subject to being cut off as much as Fred Allen was.

[@MoviecraftInc]

The show concluded with blackface performances after Jack Albertson danced the "soft shoe", and Eddie remained in blackface in the closing segment, so it could not be included.

[@fromthesidelines]

Well, I think I exaggerated a little, but performers *could* be cut off during their closing remarks if they went on too long- especially if they were on a LIVE program, and close attention was paid to the "clock on the wall" during the last three minutes or so.

[@fromthesidelines]

Thanks, Frank. ☺

[@pgh45rpms]

Eddie was 58 -- and full of pep -- when this aired

[@Lampshade51]

Yes. Unfortunately, "live" TV was a little too much for him, and he had a heart attack in the fall of 1952. He stayed on TV here and there after that, but never with the same intensity as before.

[@Yesterday5656]

I disagree with your edits and I am NOT a racist. If Amos and Andy can be posted all over you tube with relative impunity, you should not be afraid of posting a FULL episode of the first Colgate Comedy Hour

[@milkcanfan97]

It's not a matter of fear, but a matter of respect to black people. Shouldn't everyone have the chance to enjoy old media without racism being thrown in their face? Other users have commented you can find the clip of the closing credits somewhere in youtube too, so maybe you can look for it too if you're so inclined to look for racist entretainment. It is not up to you to say wether you are racist or not, either, that's for others to judge. Namely, people affected by it.

[@jamesfisher3424]

I agree -- the blackface stuff is terrible, but this is history and it should be seen in its entirety. Viewers need to be able to make up their own minds about it. No one in their right mind would want o bring back blackface, but it existed and people should know about it. Don't decide for others what they can watch.

[@michaelabrams7345]

Blackface was terrible and will never be repeated. But films that had "Blackface" routines in the 30s and 40s are always shown complete. Usually with a disclaimer warning you of it if you don't want to see it. That's what should have been done with this historic show. Agreed that "Blackface" is bad. But so is censorship.

[@terrencemoss4914]

@@milkcanfan97 I appreciate the sensitivity regarding the blackface. It's bad enough to find out they were broadcasting blackface in the first place even in these early days when that shit was already falling out of favor. I don't need to see it. I don't want to see it. I'm triggered enough at the very thought of it coupled with the fact that no Black people were involved in any decisions with regard to blackface -- which I imagine would have been nixed in the third place had then been involved in the second place.

[@holden190]

I suggest you do what I do. That is, don't subscribe to his channel and don't watch any shows on a channel that censors content Ill find the unedited version

[@holden190]

Why did you edit it? Thats ridiculous. Its an early TV classic and people have to put on their big boy pants and not be so sensitive!

[@mindyhousel4251]

yea we need the full version with the blackface performances and why did moviecraft edit this this is just ridiculous

[@Yesterday5656]

What had been The Comedy Hour sponsored by Frigidaire

[@michaelabrams7345]

Early on Frigidaire was the sponsor for one week every month instead of Colgate. That show was hosted by Bob Hope. I believe lasted about a year or so.

[@tedrobinson372]

Agreed blackface minstelsy is not acceptable today. However editing it out pretending it did not exist is wrong. Unfortunately we live in an era of revisionist history.

[@holden190]

I agree! In contemporary society you are correct, but by cutting out things that you find offensive, you're berating a popular form if entertainment that deserves to be studied. Do u think UCLA archives cuts anything, the answer is NO!!!!