The Steve Allen Plymouth Show - 16 November 1959

Starring Jack Kerouac, William Bendix, Frankie Laine and Pam Garner.
William Bendix plays the father in a sitcom scene set in three different ways, once without canned laughs, then with, and then played extra violently. "The Allen Report to the Nation" topic is the common cold. As the Question Man, Steve blows a line. Jack Kerouac reads a few lines from his book, "On The Road". Steve and Don do a skit/ad about a man who packs his empty bags in his 1960 Plymouth and never goes anywhere.

[@robertmongerthe9025]

I started fixing tvs and radios in the 1960s-before any of the things had actual circuit boards. Watching this has brought back a lot of memories and made me realize how primitive our technology was. The tape machine this was recorded on was the size of a small car and took two people to run. The cameras were huge things that would get too hot to touch after an hours use. The electricity they used for the whole production could power a small town. As for the production and writing seeming a bit rough around the edges keep in mind no one had ever done this before-they were writing the rules as they went along.

[@hebneh]

And the videotape they were recording on was huge as well: 2 inches in width, on a weighty metal reel, but the maximum recording time was merely one hour.

[@kellycoleman715]

My dad loved this show as well as Ernie Kovaks and ‘Your Show of Shows’. All of the silly comedy shows. I think they helped bring healing to the generation of men who fought in WW2.

[@AndrewHeller-jn7dx]

*Kovacs;...

[@Qboro66]

Steve Allen killing it on piano, and the Les Brown and his Band of Renown were flexing 💪 on all of the musical numbers...

[@chrisclarkvideos1969]

Wow! Open feel color video tape from 1959? Early green screen? Jack Kerouak? Don Knotts? Steve Allen? This is gold! Thank you!

[@GeorgeCrosley]

Kerouac.

[@chrisclarkvideos1969]

Unfortunately Jack at the end was so drunk he couldn't spell his own name either! The Kerouac LPs with Steve Allen are great except in the liner notes it mentioned that Jack felt that Steve and the others on the recording dates were kind of cold to him. @@GeorgeCrosley

[@AndrewHeller-jn7dx]

*Open-Reel,... YES, this is a, rare example, of: Early Usage/Partially Experimental-Partially Prototypal, Commercial, Open-Reel, Large Industrial Deck, Large Reel, ->Very Broad Width Tape, Broadcast Quality, Televisors; &, Broadcasters Intended Purposes Only, Color Video Tape, which in initial iterations, yes, had decidely greenish cast hues; &, those are some primary reasons why it received limited purposing; plus then current equipment was not practical as a portable commercial technology. There were workarounds for the color skewings; tone shiftings; &, somewhat inhibiting, slightly fuzzy resolution shortfalls; but;...it was in general, the equal of almost anything from its' day; &, in that era, w/: film stock still in such prevalent usage; the urgency for overcoming its' drawbacks may have seemed less critical than it was soon to become. At that time, many on both sides of the television, producers; &, consumers, were still quite contented with B&W media; &, there were also less color tv sets in homes, so that also reduced perceived needs to deal w/: the drawbacks of this version of color videotape. As you may also be able to see, recording tv in this format, at that time; still required much hot lighting; &, still turned out a somewhat dimmed set of images; w/: fair amount of resident glare. Nothing critical was problematical here; but, much ground was still to made in construction of consistent, performance, production quality; certainly if one wanted archival preservation; however, that was not deemed economical for quite some time, still to pass later on. Of course, all of this, was swept aside; overcome; &, bypassed; in nearly all regards, in time;...a passage of necessary elapsed time, then; but, now time long since gone by.

[@LAURABOHDAN]

Sophisticated understanding and use of the medium. Steve worked hard to ENTERTAIN the audience and respected their wisdom. Such a shame to think all this talent is gone. Love Laura

[@AndrewHeller-jn7dx]

​ @GeorgeCrosley Yes, ->Exactly!

[@DemocraticVisions]

Unusually creative, fun, unpredictable and memorable. Bravo!

[@jeffdawson2786]

A cavalcade of stars and creativity.

[@dekelanson5280]

This is great. Old shows like this are a time capsule. What an era. It's neat seeing Pat Harrington 16 years before he played Schneider.

[@AndrewHeller-jn7dx]

*"Dwayne Schneider"; the Superintendent, in, the 1975-1984 >CBS TV, 9 Season, Norma Lear produced, Sitcom: "One Day At A Time", w/: Bonnie Franklin; Valerie Bertinelli; MacKenzie Phillips; Pat Harrington; Shelley Fabares: Nanette Fabray; Lee Grant; Ron Rifkin; ETC.

[@dekelanson5280]

@@AndrewHeller-jn7dx Actually, it was Dwayne Schneider, but I get your point. John Schneider played Bo Duke on the Dukes of Hazzard.

[@AndrewHeller-jn7dx]

​@dekelanson5280 Those characters did have a first; &, last name. My 1rst point which I strongly suspect differed from yours, is that: when referred to by only 1 of those 2 names, they become dehumanized. &, My 2nd point is that: I placed the first name "John" there, simply to hold my writing place, in the text; as I continued composing my comment; without impeding my creative flow, by having to get all errors 100% correct before I could continue to go on writing. Also, since I do always go back into the whole text, from top to bottom; &, fix my own mistakes, this allows more creativity; &, avoids more lazy, more sloppy, styles like just calling someone by only one, of their two names. You on the other hand, focused on my temporary bookmarking error; but, did nothing to edit; ->&, change: ->your own error, to a corrected version; like this: "Dwayne Schneider"!!

[@KennethSloan]

Jack Kerouac? Wow! This is incredible!

[@sandaglad]

This is delightful. Never heard of singer Pam Garner, but she was GOOD! The male dancer in the intro is quite a feast for the eyes - and how we miss not only the incomparable genius of Steve Allen, but Louie Nye! Thanks for sharing.

[@cojaysea]

I remember the color peacock but didn’t realize they had color as early as 59 . Damn that segment with Jack Kerouac reading his book and Steve doing that bluesy piano thing , so cool.

[@Grundig305]

Loved Steve Allen. Dayton Allen, Don Knotts,, Louis Nye, Tom Poston etc.

[@Grundig305]

Pat Harrington Jr. introducing skit. Pretty young

[@costernocht]

Those beautiful Plymouths!

[@over50andfantabulous59]

So underrated. Great show.

[@toonist123]

I have never seen such a clean color video recording from this time period! Audio is super-clean, too! Based on strictly the quality of this recording, I would have pegged the broadcast early-'70s, but the content makes it undeniably late-50s! Thanks so much for posting this gem!!

[@johnmitchelljr]

Never a show packed with so much talent, thanks very much. Creativity at its best.

[@ARichardP]

I wasn’t even born when this aired and it was in color. I was on the way though. Amazing. Loved Steve Allen.

[@JP-nk4sv]

Amazing stuff. Allen was a genius and his cast of characters was insanely funny. Thank you for posting.

[@tommunyon2874]

We had our first, black and white TV by then, but were years away from our first color set.

[@drpoundsign]

We got ours in 1964

[@marmaly]

That opening montage was very impressive, technically. Seems to be green screen, but I'm not sure how they managed to get the dancer on the piano at the end. It wasn't perfect, but I give them credit for their ambition. Especially to do this live.

[@cadaverdog1424]

The dancer was a very young Michael Jackson! Fabulous!

[@Klaatu-ij9uz]

Plymouth stabilizer fins??!! You would have to drive about 900 miles per hour for them to be effective! 🙃

[@WAL_DC-6B]

Chrysler products from the late 1950s-early 60s were notorious for rusting out before their time. This is probably the main reason why you seldom see these cars at vintage cruise nights or car shows today.

[@johanvangelderen6715]

This was the last year of the high fin cars. They were becoming dated. So let's advertise them as a special desirable feature !

[@blackhorse2947]

I remember as a kid watching this show……… great talent and funny

[@efreutel]

Genuinely hilarious! Who knew 1959 tv could be so good!

[@zorrpop]

A real Gem !

[@Chowringhee]

Top, top, top notch! Thanks!

[@marmaly]

The answer man sketch is Carson's Carnac. Even Johnny stole from Steve.

[@wmbrown6]

In 1956 Ernie Kovacs had Mr. Question Man. And Kovacs, from 1956-57, alternated as "Tonight" host with Mr. Allen.

[@essessessesq]

Johnny also ''borrowed'' Steve's "sleezy late night TV commercial spokesman'' ....Johnny even named that character "Art Fern" in tribute to Steve's silly question to people on his show of "how's your fern?"

[@douglasdavis1612]

Wow Jack Kerouac.

[@jpe9412]

Min 44.44

[@hebneh]

My sister’s best friend’s family in 1960 had a color TV - very few people did then - and my sister specifically praised the NBC peacock seen here at the very beginning as being “pretty”.

[@jmen4ever257]

Despite color sets being on the market for about six years, only about 2% if even that, of households back then had one.

[@hebneh]

@@jmen4ever257 The color television situation was circular - there weren't a lot of color shows through the '50s, being pretty much exclusively on NBC which was owned by RCA Victor, the major color TV manufacturer, so why buy a really expensive color television? And then, why should networks produce color shows when there were so few color TVs on which people could see them that way? And why should individual stations invest in the very pricey color broadcasting equipment if not many people were ever going to see anything in color?

[@schallrd1]

What a great year 1959. Take ma back!

[@oldcop18]

This was one of my favorite shows growing up.

[@gns423]

Those opening skits are definitely take-offs of Ernie Kovacs.

[@melokc7257]

Great show

[@h0ll0wm9n]

Videotape and cameras and electronics were THIS good in the late 50s! And the audio quality is high fidelity mono.

[@stewartteaze9328]

Jack Kerouac is Great... he doesn't skip a "beat" while reading... let's you get a better feel for how to interpret his "streams of consciousness".

[@lawrenceharris8919]

The special effect at the piano was achieved via "Chroma-Key" which was invented at NBC Burbank. It was first used in "The Invisible Man" episode of "Matinee Theater" which was broadcast live in the summer of 1957. Another early time it was used at NBC Burbank was on "The George Nobel Show" in the fall of 1957. There are at least two other applications from 1959 that are widely available. The first is the Easter episode of "The Dinah Shore Chevy Show," which features Dinah dancing with the Easter Bunny . The second is "The Two Beries" skit from a Milton Berle special. It was probably broadcast in the fall. Today's "green-screen" is a descendant of "Chroma-Key."

[@eriksmith6873]

Here's what I am wondering -- Is this a surviving color videotape? Or is it a color kinescope? Watching this gives me goosebumps, because this is what watching color TV was really like, back in the day. Notice how the picture seems blurrier than on a black-and-white set? See how none of the colors seem right, or even stable? Does the picture seem oversaturated and undetailed? Does it have a little too much green? This is what color TV really looked like in the 1960s! I'm an eyewitness. I remember.

[@Qboro66]

I'm going to go with video tape on this one... Unlike a kinescope, the image is not flickering in 24 fps like a film but smooth like video, and the audio is of high quality being 63+ yrs ago.

[@glennso47]

I don’t know if kinescope programs were ever in color.

[@marksmith4828]

It's videotape. And the flaws you see are typical in the cameras being used: RCA TK41. Stable they were not. But about all that was available at the time. In a few years, Norelco (yes the shaver people) would introduce their PC60 television camera using the new plumbicon pickup tubes. CBS went with these and they blew away the RCA TK41 cameras being used at NBC....but RCA and NBC were co-owned so they stuck with the 41s. It would take years for NBC/RCA to catch up in picture quality.

[@bobcarp1239]

That's exactly a week before I was born...

[@mikedrown2721]

I turned 13 years old in 1959😊

[@riconui5227]

So whatever happened to stabilizing fins? Has their loss been the cause of more accidents since fins disappeared? What a great vid of one of the truly greats; Steve Allen. I grew up on this stuff. Excellent.

[@DanielWright-np3fq]

That's about all you will get of Kerouac. Notoriously publicity-shy he did the show as a personal favor to Steve. Steve dug him so much, he wanted to expose his work to the world. Like Steve said, "it's a kick." God Bless Steve Allen.

[@zekeonstormpeak4186]

I didn’t see a color TV until 1967 when I was 7. I remember it was at a neighbors house, and the show was Gilligans Island.

[@garyfrancis6193]

Wow color Tv from 1959 Where can I get one of those solid 1960 Plymouths?

[@drpoundsign]

See my comment above about THOSE.

[@curtpeterson7386]

Another thing about TV a couple generations ago-- the commercials were live or filmed within the show. If that Plymouth pictured at the 53:00 mark was still around today, it would be worth a small fortune. Good show from Steve and his gang.

[@jasonpaulelder]

Hey, it's Vikki "The Back" Dougan at 36:09 - 37:56 ! She modeled for a Life Magazine feature in 1957, along with other publications earning her the nickname through the low cut gowns which accentuated her figure, which - in my opinion, and countless others, was work of art.

[@dancelli714]

I saw this show at that time unless Kerouac was on Steve's show twice ? I have a collection of Allen's shows. I'm very nostalgia, so it's EXTRA fun for me. Jazz Piano and comedy. I had a Kerouac L P with Zoot Simms & Al Cohn. I had read ON THE ROAD & DARMA BUMS by Kerouac years ago. Kerouac died at 47 I believe ?

[@Klaatu-ij9uz]

Those were the days when automobiles were "Automobiles"!! I can still name each brand, year and model.🚘

[@nealgordon3712]

Long before Laugh- In, SNL and a few other comical shows was this one.

[@afathersdevotions]

Keep in mind that you likely are not looking at the first generation tape but rather a copy of a copy. The originals even in 1959 were quite good.

[@howardlevin2753]

As with vcr's years later, it must have taken more money to be the first on the block with a color tv.

[@carl77242]

I love watching this show every time it comes on 😅😊

[@AndrewHeller-jn7dx]

It doesn't anymore; &, hasn't for ->MANY years!

[@joycejean-baptiste4355]

Wow, the dancer on the piano top looks so real in front of Mr. Allen. What technology they had even back then. My mom called it 'trick cameras,' when I asked her. LoL!

[@rizmid]

At mark @41:26 the tracking on the video becomes unstable otherwise that's one hell of a sexy smooth jazzy number! A fan and an admirer from Pakistan

[@ms-vv2gg]

Jack Kerouac is played by Ben Gazzara. Genuis.

[@tommoore8726]

Allen's show would have been regarded as "eccentric" and a bit outside of the mainstream at that time considering the artists, acts and entertainers on the program along with the overall style of the program. Frankie Laine was different.

[@AndrewHeller-jn7dx]

Not so much, actually; that sensibility was, in part; just Steve's sense of humor. Those judgements are mostly only current era perceptions; but, at the time; his values were fairly common; albeit, they aren't, as much in vogue, now.

[@tommoore8726]

@@AndrewHeller-jn7dx I don't know. I see a lot of Ernie Kovacs like production in Allen's show. Whereas, Ed Sullivain and his show was decidedly mainstream. As an aside, my father was a big fan of Frankie Laine.

[@AndrewHeller-jn7dx]

@tommoore8726 Yes, quite true, they were cross-influencers of each other; yet, both were prevalent popular hits at the time; supporting my points. Also, Note: *Sullivan; Not: "Sullivain"!!.

[@pinedelgado4743]

Love that "razzie" at the very end!!! LOL!!! :) :) :)

[@jeffpiegari4942]

Do you have anything more like like this?

[@drakewauters2109]

WOW!!

[@ladavidson9269]

Loving the peacock 😊

[@JJJBRICE]

If this show was really from Nov 1959 we know where Don Knotts would be the next year . And not with his old mentor Steverino .

[@deepdrag8131]

Frankie Laine finally got his big career break in 1974 when he got to sing the Title Song from “Blazing Saddles” - one of the truly breathtaking performances in American popular music.

[@Grundig305]

You joking? He was popular at least 20 years before that. High noon, anybody?

[@deepdrag8131]

@@Grundig305 You’re not honestly trying to compare High Noon with Blazing Saddles are you?

[@Grundig305]

@@deepdrag8131 what are you talking about? You must be like younger than 40. Frankie Laines height of popularity was in the 40s and 50s. He actually got his “big break” in 1937 when he replaced Perry Como as a singer in a big band. Blazing Saddles was a parody of high noon. Mel Brooks brought him back as a nostalgia act for people who remembered high noon. What does high noon vs. blazing saddles have to with When Frankie Laine was popular?

[@jeffearle8172]

@@deepdrag8131now you must be kidding!

[@deepdrag8131]

@@jeffearle8172 Tee Hee! Of COURSE I was kidding.

[@torgman]

Can someone name the song Steve is playing after the opening sequence during the skits?

[@nyclion13]

Steve was a composer of many songs. It’s likely his own piece and, perhaps, created on the spot.

[@torgman]

@@nyclion13 I've heard another version of this song on an AOR radio station eons ago. I forgot the name of the band that played it but it was on harmonica and guitar and there was some scatting on it, too. I've been trying to find it for years.

[@nyclion13]

@@torgman wish I could help. Sorry.

[@Cynthia-ue6sc]

Wow, what technology they had even back then

[@ChrisDragotta]

That's Entertainment.

[@MichaelSemer]

Hilarious Plymouth ads. They pushed "solid for '60" because they'd gained a rep for lousy build quality over the past few years, even though Chrysler-Plymouth styling had been a hit. Fins as stabilizers to help handling? Seriously?

[@richardrice8076]

Funny I thought Plymouth had fins because everyone else had them🤔. Stabilizers?

[@DanielWright-np3fq]

I came from that era and I'm not kidding you; they just looked good. We loved cars with fins and the manufacturers delivered. We just thought they looked "space age" and futuristic.

[@pressureworks]

Any reason to sell something.

[@donb782]

I had a 1960 Plymouth Fury. Tail Fins were the hot deal in the day

[@johnreitz5676]

"Stabilizers" were history on Plymouths by 1961.

[@richardrice8076]

Fins, not stabilizers, were all but gone by '63.

[@davidlong1786]

That explanation about the fins on the Plymouth is quite the BS lmao.

[@bessied.5694]

So did Ernie Kovacs steal from these guys, or vice versa?

[@Bopalena]

My 4th birthday!

[@jpe9412]

Jack Kerouac minute 44.44.

[@robertewalt7789]

Color TV in 1959??

[@marmaly]

Started in 57.

[@kentdean3882]

Actually went on the air in 1954

[@markxxx21]

Some shows were filmed in color but not shown in color.

[@pressureworks]

30:53 distant explosion ???

[@UncleDavesKitchen]

Vikki Dougan is still alive, 94 years old

[@johnreitz5676]

Vickie Duggan...where are you?

[@BJBear36]

Vikki Dougan is now 94 and lives in Beverly Hills.

[@richlevy]

Great show📺 Did Mr. Koreac say sh##ing ztars? Did i hear right?👈🎙️

[@paulafranceschi]

I just ordered the second book.

[@massagetherapyforinjuriesf8197]

I was born in Arica CHILE on 10. 9. 1959…. I love these programs

[@johncasciello4123]

Never can understand when showing CAR COMMERCIALS they NEVER SHOW DETAILS OF THAT CAR==INTERIOR*ENGINE*TRUNK AREA*DASH PANELS* instead they throw in all unusable JUNK!!!! Maybe theres a reason???NOTE==Teenage son with BENDIX is maybe GABRIEL DELL of EAST SIDE KIDS!!!!!

[@OofusTwillip]

The opening piano bit looks suspiciously like a complete ripoff of Ernie Kovacs' material. No wonder Ernie accused Steve's show of stealing his material!

[@Michael-s9r5y]

Smock! Smock!

[@stan.rarick8556]

I don't remember this Prime-time? show, but my dad would stay up for his late night shows and I've seen many on KZbin and they are all much more freewheeling and creative than this. Too much control by networks and sponsors, methinks

[@drpoundsign]

I'm a Doctor, but that Plymouth commercial with the "Stabilizer" fins is even More BS than the football-watching Quack! Those fins didn't "Stabilize" Anything. They were just Eye Candy. And, despite how solid those old lead sleds looked-they were Death Traps, compared to modern cars. Few even had lap, let alone three-point, safety belts. There were NO collapsible steering columns, let alone airbags. Most cars had drum brakes, paired to bias-ply (instead of radial tires. And, there were also no front or rear crumple zones. Cars had Also become gas-guzzlers by that time. In the Sixties, both the luxury and muscle cars burned up a LOT of fuel (but, had no catalytic converters yet.) The Oil shocks of 1973 and '79 caused Severe Losses to The Big Three for that reason, and almost Doomed Chrysler-Plymouth. Honda and Toyota had fuel-sipping compact cars, and Volkswagen had some efficient (though polluting) Diesel models. Iacocca (while Far from Perfect) came to the Rescue with this K-Car line and Minivan (although the UAW kept hemorrhaging jobs.)

[@brandonquinto4852]

They're all metal and simple enough that, if well-maintained, they can last actually forever though. Modern cars are built to be disposable and deliberately hard to work on at home... I'd rather take a little safe driving over perfidious consumerism

[@theresbob8878]

Amazingly fast paced, I remember the show well but could never stand the "progressive jazz" sounds of the time.

[@cadaverdog1424]

I believe that was a young Michael Jackson dancing the opening sequence?! Amazing! Wonderful! This is sheer magic!❤

[@toonist123]

Hah, not Michael Jackson. He was a little over a year old when this show aired.

[@AndrewHeller-jn7dx]

Truly a foolish comment as that is mathematically IMPOSSIBLE!!!!!!.

[@jrnumex9286]

ok in color 1960? not ok, 33'05 domestic violence and gets a laugh. ok, dancers hip and great for '60.

[@robvig60]

It was a different era, yeah that’s it.

[@JP-nk4sv]

Must be under 35. Sorry about that.

[@markxxx21]

This is the best version of Rocks and Gravel, that Frankie Lane ever did. Much better than his record.