NBC’s ‘All Star Review’: 1950-1953

This show began as ‘The Four Star Review’ and later became ‘The Martha Raye Show’. When it started, this weekly variety show was hosted on a rotating basis by Jimmy Durante, Ed Wynn, Jack Carter and newcomer Danny Thomas, thus the “four star” name. In 1951, other hosts were added including Tallulah Bankhead, George Jessel, Jackie Gleason and Martha Raye and was renamed “all star”. The one hour show cost a whopping $60,000 per episode and originated in the Center Theater in NYC which seated 3,500 people. In late ’52, the west coast was connected to east coast and production rotated weekly between NYC and Los Angeles. In the last couple of years of the show, Raye, with the help of Nat Hiken and later Norman Lear became a bigger part of the show and it morphed into ‘The Martha Raye Show’ and ran from ’54-’56. Below is a shot from the New York rehearsal with Raye as host.

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