''The Fred Waring Show'' is an American television musical

variety show Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical theatre, musical performances, sketch comedy, magic (illusion), magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is ...

that ran from April 17, 1949 to May 30, 1954 on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...

. The show was hosted by

Fred Waring Fredrick Malcolm Waring Sr. (June 9, 1900 – July 29, 1984) was an American musician, bandleader, and radio and television personality, sometimes referred to as "America's Singing Master" and "The Man Who Taught America How to Sing". He was also ...

and featured his choral group "

The Pennsylvanians Waring's Pennsylvanians was a dance band that was founded at Penn State University by Fred Waring. First named the Collegians, the group was formed in 1918 at Pennsylvania State University, Penn State by the brothers Fred and Tom Waring and thei ...

Synopsis

Sponsored by General Electric, the series aired every Sunday night at 9 p.m. after ''

The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television program, television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in Septembe ...

'', excluding the summer months. It was initially 60 minutes in length, but its time slot was cut to 30 minutes beginning in January 1952. During the 1954 season, the show alternated on Sunday nights with ''

General Electric Theater ''General Electric Theater'' was an American anthology series hosted by Ronald Reagan that was broadcast on CBS radio and television. The series was sponsored by General Electric's Department of Public Relations. Radio After an audition show ...

''. Focusing on currently popular music and standard tunes, the show included performances by his orchestra and large chorus, as well as dancing and sketches. The show's theme was "

Sleep Sleep is a sedentary state of mind and body. It is characterized by altered consciousness, relatively inhibited sensory activity, reduced muscle activity and reduced interactions with surroundings. It is distinguished from wakefulness by a de ...

", which was composed by

Earl Burtnett Earl Burtnett (February 7, 1896 – January 2, 1936) was an American bandleader, songwriter and pianist who was popular in the 1920s and 1930s. Life and career Burtnett was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He attended Pennsylvania State Col ...

and Adam Geibel.

Bob Banner Robert James Banner Jr. (August 15, 1921 – June 15, 2011) was an American producer, writer and director. From 1967 to 1972 he co-produced ''The Carol Burnett Show''. Life and career Banner was a native of Ennis, Texas, and credited his hom ...

was the producer and director. In 1957, ''The Fred Waring Show'' made a brief return to television as a summer replacement daytime series in the time slot usually occupied by ''

The Garry Moore Show ''The Garry Moore Show'' is the name for several separate American variety series on the CBS television network in the 1950s and 1960s. Hosted by experienced radio performer Garry Moore, the series helped launch the careers of many comedic talent ...

''. This version originated from a resort operated by Waring at

Shawnee on Delaware, Pennsylvania Shawnee on Delaware is an unincorporated community on the Delaware River, part of Smithfield Township in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is situated just south of the foothills of the Pocono Mountains, southwest of the Shawnee Mo ...

. A review of the program in the trade publication ''

Broadcasting Broadcasting is the distribution (business), distribution of sound, audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic medium (communication), mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum (radio ...

'' described the program as featuring "friendly banter with his crew, plus renditions of old-time favorite songs and ballads by the chorus and vocalists."

Conflict over control

Producing the early Waring show caused conflicts between Waring and network officials over whether he should adapt performances to fit the new medium or whether TV should adapt its procedures to accommodate Waring's group's performances. Murray Forman wrote in his book, ''One Night on TV Is Worth Weeks at the Paramount: Popular Music on Early Television'', "Fred Waring wrestled with CBS executives for direct input in the production and performances on his program ... seeking to assert greater autonomy and control over the show's musical performances."

References

External links

* 1949 American television series debuts 1954 American television series endings 1940s American variety television series 1950s American variety television series Black-and-white American television shows CBS original programming English-language television shows General Electric sponsorships {{US-music-tv-prog-stub