''The Swift Show'' is an American
variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
/
game show
A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or Let's Play, demonstrative and are typically directed b ...
that aired on Thursdays at 8:30pm EST on
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
premiering April 1, 1948 and running to 1949.
Overview
The series, sponsored by the
Swift & Company
JBS USA Holdings, Inc. is an American food processing company and a wholly owned subsidiary of the multinational company JBS S.A. The subsidiary was created when JBS entered the U.S. market in 2007 with its purchase of Swift & Company. JBS speci ...
meat packing company, was mainly a 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 ...
hosted by
Lanny Ross
Lancelot Patrick Ross (January 19, 1906 – April 25, 1988)DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. was an American singer, pianist an ...
, although during its first few months, it also featured a quiz show segment. Guest stars included
Eileen Barton
Eileen Barton (November 24, 1924 – June 27, 2006) was an American singer best known for her 1950 hit song, "If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked a Cake."
Early years
Barton was born in Brooklyn, New York. Her birthdate is often given as 1 ...
,
Frank Fontaine
Frank Fontaine (April 19, 1920 – August 4, 1978) was an American stage, radio, film and television comedian, singer and actor.
Early years and personal life
Born and raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Fontaine came from a family of entertai ...
,
Max Showalter
Max Gordon Showalter (June 2, 1917 – July 30, 2000), sometimes credited as Casey Adams, was an American film, television, and stage actor, as well as a composer, pianist, and singer. He appeared on more than 1,000 television programs. One ...
, and
Susan Shaw
Susan Shaw (29 August 192927 November 1978) was an English actress.
Biography
Shaw was born Patsy Sloots in West Norwood, London. She had wanted to become a dress designer and was working as a typist at the Ministry for Information when she di ...
.
For the first five months, a quiz show segment was included. In September 1948, the show became "Lanny's penthouse with his girlfriend Eileen Barton visiting". In March 1949, the show reverted to a purely musical variety show.
IMDB entry
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Episode status
Two episodes, from May 13, 1948 and May 27, 1948, are in the collection of the UCLA Film and Television Archive
The UCLA Film & Television Archive is a visual arts organization focused on the preservation, study, and appreciation of film and television, based at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
Also a nonprofit exhibition venue, the archiv ...
, and an episode from March 31, 1949 is in the collection of the Paley Center for Media
The Paley Center for Media, formerly the Museum of Television & Radio (MT&R) and the Museum of Broadcasting, founded in 1975 by William S. Paley, is an American cultural institution in New York City, New York with a branch office in Los Angeles, ...
.
See also
* 1948-49 United States network television schedule
*''The Swift Home Service Club
''Swift Home Service Club'' is a 1947-1948 American television show, "credited with being the first sponsored daytime network TV show." Hosted by Tex McCrary and Jinx Falkenburg, it aired Monday through Friday at 1 p.m. ET.
Broadcast history
The ...
''
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Swift Show
1948 American television series debuts
1949 American television series endings
1940s American variety television series
Black-and-white American television shows
NBC original programming
English-language television shows