''For Your Pleasure'' is an American variety television program that was broadcast on NBC from April 15, 1948, until September 10, 1949.

First run

Kyle MacDonnell Ruth Kyle MacDonnell (c. 1922 - September 28, 2004) was an American model, singer, and actress. She was featured as a "Television Ingenue" on the front page of ''Life'' magazine's May 31, 1948, issue. Early years The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Geor ...

starred in the 15-minute unsponsored program, which also featured the Norman Paris Trio, an instrumental combo. They were supplemented by dancing duos (Jack and Jill, April until June 1948, and Blaire and Deane, June until September 1948). The format had MacDonnell in a nightclub visiting with patrons and singing one or two songs. MacDonnell's starring role (her first on television) resulted from an NBC executive's seeing her perform on Broadway in the revue ''

Make Mine Manhattan ''Make Mine Manhattan'' is a 1948 Broadway revue with music by Richard Lewine, lyrics by Hassard Short, and sketches by Arnold Horwitt and produced by Joseph Hyman. Production ''Make Mine Manhattan'' premiered on Broadway at the Broadhurst Thea ...

'', which opened in January 1948. John Royal, who was the network's vice-president of new developments, decided that he wanted to audition MacDonnell for TV. Thus, on an evening in 1947, NBC's New York station went on the air early so that Royal could watch an audition of MacDonnell on TV from his home, after which the station resumed transmitting a test pattern. Satisfied by the audition, Royal decided to hire her. A review of the April 15, 1948, episode in the trade publication ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' praised MacDonnell's personality and performance but found the dancing of Jack and Jill and the comedy of Dan Henry less commendable.

''Girl About Town''

Securing a sponsor resulted in changes in title, format and personnel in the fall of 1948. The Bates Fabric Company, which manufactured bed linens, agreed to advertise on ''Girl About Town''. When the show debuted on September 8, 1948, MacDonnell and the Norman Paris Trio remained from the original cast, with

Johnny Downs John Morey Downs (October 10, 1913 – June 6, 1994) was an American child actor, singer, and dancer. He began his career as a child actor, most notably playing Johnny in the ''Our Gang'' short series from 1923 to 1926. He remained active ...

added as MacDonnell's

press agent In marketing, publicity is the public visibility or awareness for any product, service, person or organization (company, charity, etc.). It may also refer to the movement of information from its source to the general public, often (but not always) ...

. The locale moved from a night club set to sites around New York City where MacDonnell purportedly performed. Live performances from a set in a New York studio supplemented 16 mm film of landmarks around the city.

Earl Wrightson Earl Wrightson (January 1, 1916 – March 7, 1993) was an American singer and actor best known for musical theatre, concerts and television performances. His regular singing partner was the soprano Lois Hunt. Early life and career Wrightson was ...

replaced Downs by October. After six months, the program's title was changed to ''Around the Town''. On June 11, 1949, it ended and ''For Your Pleasure'' resumed.

Second run

After ''Girl About Town'' ended, MacDonnell returned in a 30-minute version of ''For Your Pleasure'', minus dancers. Earl Shelton and his orchestra provided music. After two months, NBC canceled the program, putting the 15-minute programs ''Chicago Jazz and Stud's Place'' in the time slot.

References

{{Reflist 1948 American television series debuts 1949 American television series endings American live television series Black-and-white American television shows English-language television shows NBC original programming