‘I’ve Got A Secret’…Backstage Video #1, 1957

This is the first of several backstage videos from IGAS that I’ll be posting here this week. It opens on the empty stage of CBS Studio 59 which is also known as The Mansfield Theater at 256 West 47th Street.

By the 2:00 mark, the stage will be completely set for the show…actually, the did it in :17 seconds. One surprise to me is that Gary Moore’s desk is on the left side of the stage…I had always thought he was on the right and the panel on the left.

As you’ll see on this Fifth Anniversary show, they have quite a talented crew, as many of them will perform for us. Cameraman Lee Tanner is, to me, the best dancer, but there is quite a range of talent here which makes for a better crew.

I was going to add the detailed drawings and specs of Studio 59 that I have from the 1961 CBS Studio Book, but when the show moved to Studio 52 in 1960, CBS gave up the lease. They had used the studio from 1950 till 1960. In September 12, 1960 it became The Brooks Atkinson Theatre and is still in use as legitimate theater. Enjoy and share! -Bobby Ellerbee

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Pah5FDfcjA

(1) Eddie Mendelson, studio supervisor: “I auditioned Bing Crosby and told him he couldn’t sing (1924).” (2) Harvey Vincent, usher, sings a duet of “You’re J…

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