FINALLY! I’ve Found It & Why I Was Looking For It…
FINALLY! I’ve Found It & Why I Was Looking For It.
It took me forever, but I’ve finally found out the exact dates on Jackie Gleason’s move to Miami. In 1957, Gleason took a break from doing a weekly series but on September 29, 1962 he returned to CBS with ‘Jackie Gleason’s American Scene Magazine’. Like in the old days, the show aired Saturday nights at 7:30 EST. The last show from New York was on May 23, 1964. The first Miami show was on September 26, 1964. One reason I’ve been wanting to know this has to do with The Beatles and Ed Sullivan, who’s live show was less than 24 hours away on the same stage. I have seen a few mentions of a 1:30 Beatles rehearsal at Studio 50 on Saturday, February 8, 1964, but if Gleason’s show was still being done at 50, like his first CBS run, that would be impossible. Gleason’s show was live (episode 16, season 2), and not a rerun. 1:30 would have been smack dab in the middle of the camera rehearsals. I know these Gleason shows were taped, but I think they were live to tape and not a playback of a show done at say 5:30 that day. As I mentioned in the Correction post below, I’ll be taking to long time production secretary of the Sullivan show this afternoon and hope to answer some of these questions. Stay tuned!
This is a picture I found in my grandfather’s possessions. My grandfather was the stage manager for the Ed Sullivan show for decades. His name is Eddie Brinkmann. I believe this picture was from the Gleason show in Miami. It is an old polaroid in terrible shape, but you can surely see it is Jackie Gleason.
Boy, I remember this show. Watched it every week (’cause my father loved it too).
Graduated high school on that stage. Maybe that why I do this for a living
Gleason always closed the Florida shows with “Miami Beach audiences are the greatest audiences in the world!”
This was a BIG DEAL for both Miami Beach and Florida in those days! Newsweek reported that Gleason brought $9 million in extra tourist money because of thios show.