A Tribute To…”Your Show Of Shows”, Part 1 of 2

On February 25, 1950, “Your Show Of Shows” debuted On NBC, as part of a two-and-a-half-hour block that was called “Saturday Night Review.” YSOS is the great grandaddy of “Saturday Night Live”.

The first hour, was “The Jack Carter Show,” a comedy and variety affair airing at 8 Eastern live from WMAQ in Chicago. Below is a rare photo from Carter’s show with him and a new comedy team you may have heard of…Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis.

At 9, ninety minutes of fun on YSOS hit the air and was followed at 10:30 by “Your Hit Parade”. Jack Carter’s show was replaced the next year by “The All Star Review.” This two and a half hour block was the first time NBC VP Pat Weaver’s “participating sponsor” plan was used, which gave us the now famous phrase; “Brought to you in part by _____,”

The show debuted from NBC’s first theater converted to television, The International at 5 Columbus Circle. In Part 2, you will see rare photos from inside the International, you probably have never seen, till now.

YSOS was actually a carryover from a 1949 show that had been so popular, it was canceled!?!? What? It’s true!

“The Admiral Broadway Revue” was the start of one of television’s greatest early comedy teams…Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca, with the great Max Liebman producing. The show had great ratings but unbelievably, Admiral (who “owned” the show) ended it in May of ’49. It seems that the show generated sales of Admiral TV sets that were far beyond their capacity to manufacture them. Admiral had to either end the show, or build a new plant.

Since they owned the show, it could not continue with another sponsor, and they would not sell it. Such were the sponsorship problems of the early days of television. Soon after this, NBC Vice President Pat Weaver would solve this problem by having the network own the shows and sell spots to sponsors. He is the man that brought magazine style ad sales to radio and television, which spread the cost of production among several advertisers.

On February 25, 1950, three of The International’s brightest years started with the debut of “Your Show Of Shows,” The fourth year of YSOS, would come from NBC’s Center Theater, and below is a rare printed program, given to the live audience members…this is thought to be the only television show that ever did this.

Caesar and Coca had a cast of writers that have become the “who’s who” of comedy including Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Neil Simon, Mel Tolkin, Larry Gelbart and more.

Below is a classic clip from the show, it is The Haircuts song parody “You Are So Rare” sketch. Enjoy and share! -Bobby Ellerbee

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