April 17, 1967…50 Years Ago, “The Joey Bishop Show” Debuted
On April 17, 2017
- TV History
Here is the story I wrote for the Archive Of American Television site…home of the Emmy TV Legends video collection and histories. Enjoy and share! It’s quite an interesting story! -Bobby Ellerbee
I really loved those G.E. Color cameras. The Dick cavett Show used them as well.
Kevin T. Doherty. Jack Paar had much to do with Joey’s television career. He was a frequent guest on Jack’s Tonight Show and substituted for Jack. When Johnny Carson returned from his strike against NBC, Joey had Jack on as his guest. The critics said Jack stole the show!
Bishop’s show moved WTVT’s “Shock Theatre” off the Friday, 11:30pm time slot. Viewers loved “Shock Armstrong,” the program’s horror-host, and protested the Bishop situation resulting in Shock returning to the air on Friday nights.
Son of a gun…
WTVT was the CBS station in Tampa–what did the ABC affiliate run late nights?
That was before Kimmel.
Maybe it would have done better as “Live with Regis and Joey B.” My least favorite of ABC’s early attempts at late night programming – after Les Crane and Dick Cavett. If Nielsen had reported demos, maybe one of them would have thrived.
But we cut the first fifteen minues to run “God Speaks Today.” So we ran an audio-only recording of the show with a slide. And the viewers all pissed and moaned. But it’s broadcasting profits. You go into business to make a profit…Pride, Kapoor, etc.
And Johnny Carson was on strike
Mr. Ellerbee always hits it out of the park.
I recall in Peter Bogdanovich’s early fascinating film Targets, to illustrate how boring and crabbed the serial killer-sniper’s family was, Bogdanovich showed them sitting in a lackluster living room watching on a flimsy TV the Joey Bishop talk show. I thought, how perfect that image is.
Bruce R Morgan Your mother appears very very briefly in the 1968 clip.
Can you give a link to the exact clip ? And thanks for letting me know .Cheers Bruce R Morgan.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMAKJsD4LhE#action=share
I recall reading a book about the Tonight Show some years ago, where I saw this. Apparently, on the night Joey Bishop’s ABC latenight show premiered, someone from Carson’s Tonight sent a funeral wreath to the studio at ABC, right before tape-time. Back then & in subsequent years, Carson easily vanquished all comers.
Cool show. I’d forgotten about that show, popular in our house. It’s on one of the free channels. Google it; it’s right up there with Newhart.
This was his talk show, up against Carson. Not one of his sitcoms.
Dear God, those half-centuries go by fast!
I remember his show as much as I remember Chevy Chase’s and I only remember Chevy’s thanks to Goldie Hawn.
I think his career died long before he did.
Even earlier…his sitcom, featuring Abby Dalton….One of my earliest TV crushes. 🙂
He humiliated young Regis Philbin, his on air sidekick. “Shut up, Regis.” again & again. Sad. 🙁
I never understood his appeal at all.
Neither did Robert Wuhl in “Good Morning, Vietnam.”
Helen Grace Birdsall-Baia
Bishop was truly one of the most difficult individals to be around. As he aged he bcame an absolute miserable, angry man. Sad.
I can’t remember an individual less suited for a late night chat show. Oh, right, Jerry Lewis.
funny just wached special on him on reelz about his kife and will