Shower of Stars (also known as Chrysler Shower of Stars) is an American anthology variety television series broadcast live in the United States from 1954 to 1958 by CBS. The series was broadcast in color which was a departure from the usual CBS programming practices of the 1950s.
Overview Shower of Stars is typically composed of musical comedy revues with an occasional straight play. It was shown on approximately a monthly basis during its run (1954-1958), and was designed to contrast with the heavy dramatic content of the program with which it shared its timeslot, Climax! Both programs were sponsored by Chrysler Corporation, and both were hosted by William Lundigan. The Chrysler car commercials were often on film, but a few early episodes have the cars in the studio for live broadcast.
Famous entertainers of the era who appeared multiple times on Shower of Stars included Jack Benny, Bob Crosby, Betty Grable, Van Johnson, Shirley MacLaine, Fredric March, Frankie Laine, Ethel Merman, Basil Rathbone, Red Skelton, Mario Lanza, Ed Wynn and Liberace.
March and Rathbone starred as Ebenezer Scrooge and Jacob Marley, respectively, in a 1954 filmed (not live) musical adaptation of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, with songs by Bernard Herrmann and Maxwell Anderson. This was the first musical version of the story to be televised, and the first in color. Rathbone would go on to play Scrooge himself, in another TV musical adaptation of the story, the 1956 version of The Stingiest Man in Town. (Rathbone would again play Scrooge in a 1958 non-musical British half-hour television version of the story, with Fredric March as narrator.) This filmed episode was produced at Desilu Studios and re-ran at Christmas time for all four years the show was on the air, giving the cast & crew time off for the holiday.
The most frequently-appearing artist, however, was Jack Benny, who joined the show as a regular in its second season, he appeared in one role or another in a majority of the program's broadcasts until the end. In episodes he was not scheduled Jack often made joke cameo appearances saying he thought he was in that episode.
Awards and nominations Year Result Award Category Recipient Episode1955 Nominated Emmy Award Best Scoring of a Dramatic or Variety Program Gordon Jenkins Nominated Emmy Award Best Original Music Composed for TV Bernard Herrmann "A Christmas Carol" Nominated Emmy Award Best Individual Program of the Year "A Christmas Carol" Nominated Emmy Award Best Art Direction of a Live Show Robert Tyler Lee Nominated Emmy Award Best Actor in a Single Performance Fredric March "A Christmas Carol" Won Emmy Award Best Art Direction of a Filmed Show Ralph Berger & Albert M. Pyke "A Christmas Carol" 1956 Nominated Emmy Award Best Variety Series
Episode status Air date / episodeTITLEHostGuest StarCo- StarsDVDSecond DVD9/30/54. 1.1Premier “The Lanza Story”William LundiganMario LanzaFred Clark / Betty Grable / Harry JamesNostalgia MerchantVHS Amvest Video10/28/54. 1.2Lend An EarWilliam LundiganEdgar BergenCharlie McCarthy / Mario Lanza / Sheree NorthNostalgia MerchantLovin’ The Classics11/18/54. 1.3Entertainment On WheelsWilliam LundiganBetty GrableHarry James / Groucho Marx / Danny ThomasNostalgia MerchantLovin’ The Classics12/23/54. 1.4A Christmas CarolWilliam LundiganFredric MarchBasil Rathbone / Bob Sweeney / Bonnie FranklinPassport VideoTimeless Media1/20/55. 1.5Show StoppersWilliam LundiganEthel MermanRed Skelton / Bobby Van / Peter Lind Hayes2/17/55. 1.6That’s LifeAnna Maria AlberghettiShirley MacLaineJohnny Ray / Larry Storch / Paul SandNostalgia MerchantLovin’ The Classics3/17/55. 1.7BurlesqueJack BennyJoan BlondellDan Dailey / James Gleason / Jack Oakie4/14/55. 1.8Ethel’s Show StoppersWilliam LundiganEthel MermanPeter Lind Hayes / Mary Healy / Red Skelton5/12/55. 1.9High PitchWilliam LundiganWilliam FrawleyVivian Vance / Tony Martin / Jack AlbertsonNostalgia MerchantLovin’ The Classics6/9/55. 1.10All-Star Line-upWilliam LundiganEdgar BergenCharlie McCarthy / Shirley MacLaine / Ethel Merman10/6/55. 2.1Time Out For GingerJack BennyEdward Everett HortonMary Wicks / Larry Keating / Ronnie BurnsNostalgia MerchantLovin’ The Classics11/3/55. 2.2The Auto ShowWilliam LundiganJack BennyGracie Allen / Joe Besser / Gary Crosby12/15/55. 2.3Gold RecordsRed SkeltonJack BennyRochester / Andrews Sisters / Frankie LaineLovin’ The Classics1/19/56. 2.4The Life of Jack BennyWilliam LundiganJack BennyGeorge Burns / Shirley MacLaine / Quentin Reynolds2/16/56. 2.5More Gold RecordsRed SkeltonJack BennyRochester / Andrews Sisters / Frankie LaineNostalgia MerchantLovin’ The Classics3/15/56. 2.6The Flattering WorldJack BennyElsa Lanchester / Peggy Lee / Fredric March4/12/56. 2.7BombshellsWilliam LundiganJoe E. BrownJane Russell / Rhonda Fleming / Frankie LaineNostalgia MerchantLovin’ The Classics5/10/56. 2.8The DancersWilliam LundiganJack BennyGeorge Burns / Mary Costa / Bob Crosby10/4/57. 3.1(Unknown show)11/1/56. 3.250s MusicWilliam LundiganJack BennyRory Calboun / Bob Crosby / Nanette FabrayLovin’ The Classics12/13/56. 3.3A Christmas Carol (re-run)William LundiganFredric MarchBasil Rathbone / Bob Sweeney / Bonnie FranklinPassport VideoTimeless Media1/10/57. 3.4Star TimeJack BennyJayne MansfieldVincent Price / Liberace / Bob CrosbyLovin’ The Classics2/14/57. 3.5(Unknown show)3/14/57. 3.6Cloak and DaggerWilliam LundiganJack BennyHeddy Lamarr / Gale Storm / Jaques D’AmboiseReel Vault & SynergyLovin’ The Classics4/11/57. 3.7Jazz TimeJack BennyTallulah BankheadJulie London / Tommy Sands / Ed Wynn5/9/57. 3.8Skits & SketchesWilliam LundiganJack BennyMel Blanc / Van Johnson / Vincent Price10/31/57. 4.1Comedy Time: An Eastern Western / Halloween(Live election themed car commercials with special effects superimposing the announcer live)Jack BennyCarol ChanningLennon Sisters / Fred McMurray / Vincent Price (cameo, visiting from "Playhouse 90" rehearsals)Lovin’ The Classics11/28/57. 4.2(Unknown show)12/19/57. 4.3A Christmas Carol (re-run)William LundiganFredric MarchBasil Rathbone / Bob Sweeney / Bonnie FranklinPassport VideoTimeless Media1/9/58. 4.4All Star TimeJack BennyGeorge BurnsEd Wynn / Jo Stafford / Tommy Sands2/13/58. 4.5Jack Benny’s 40th BirthdayDon WilsonJack BennyMel Blanc / Dennis Day / Mary Livingston / Rochester3/20/58. 4.64.7William LundiganJack BennyMel Blanc / Zsa Zsa Gabor / Van Johnson4/17/58. 4.7Behind the ScenesWilliam (Bill) LundiganJack BennyBetty Grable / Glenn Ford / Janis PaigeLovin’ The Classics
The extant episodes of Shower of Stars have survived only in black-and-white kinescopes of the original color broadcasts, which have been lost. The Kinescopes were created to be shown to the Armed Forces on film. The episodes carry no copyright notice and are thus in the public domain in the United States. Several Public Domain VHS & DVD companies have released episodes (see the grid above). The Internet Archive holds seven episodes in its collection.All video entries of "Shower of Stars" in the Internet Archive, retrieved December 2, 2019
References
Bibliography Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present, Ninth edition (New York: Ballantine Books, 2007)
External links