''Variety Time'' is a 1948 American variety film directed by

Hal Yates Hal Yates (July 26, 1899 – August 1, 1969) was an American screenwriter and film director. He wrote for 96 films between 1924 and 1953. He also directed 88 films between 1926 and 1953. He started his career in entertainment in a vaudevi ...

. The film is a compilation of musical numbers from various RKO features and comedy footage from RKO short subjects. Future ''

Tonight Show ''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. The show has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2009 and 2010� ...

'' host

Jack Paar Jack Harold Paar (May 1, 1918 – January 27, 2004) was an American talk show host, author, radio and television comedian, and film actor. He was the second host of ''The Tonight Show'' from 1957 to 1962. ''Time'' magazine's obituary of Paar repo ...

appears as master of ceremonies, offering comic monologues, introducing the assorted clips, and playing straight man for

Hans Conried Hans Georg Conried Jr. (April 15, 1917 – January 5, 1982) was an American actor and comedian. He was known for providing the voices of George Darling and Captain Hook in Walt Disney's ''Peter Pan'' (1953), Snidely Whiplash in Jay Ward's ''Dudle ...

in a dialect-comedy sketch. The previously filmed sequences include comedy stars

Leon Errol Leon Errol (born Leonce Errol Sims, July 3, 1881 – October 12, 1951) was an Australian-American comedian and actor in the United States, popular in the first half of the 20th century for his appearances in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in film ...

and

Edgar Kennedy Edgar Livingston Kennedy (April 26, 1890 – November 9, 1948) was an American comedic character actor who appeared in at least 500 films during the silent and sound eras. Professionally, he was known as "Slow Burn", owing to his ability to por ...

, a ''Flicker Flashbacks'' silent-movie revival, and musical numbers with dance act Jesse and James (in an out-take from the 1944 musical ''Show Business''); Lynn, Royce and Vanya in a specialty from ''Seven Days Leave'',

Frankie Carle Frankie Carle (born Francis Nunzio Carlone, March 25, 1903 – March 7, 2001) was an American pianist and bandleader. As a very popular bandleader in the 1940s and 1950s, Carle was nicknamed "The Wizard of the Keyboard". "Sunrise Serenade" was Ca ...

and his orchestra in a clip from ''Riverboat Rhythm'', and Miguelito Valdes in a scene from ''Pan-Americana''. The film was inexpensively produced (only $51,000 for the entire feature) and showed a profit of $132,000,Richard B, Jewell with Vernon Harbin, ''The RKO Story'', Arlington House, London, 1982, . prompting RKO to compile three more "clip shows," '' Make Mine Laughs'' (1949), ''

Footlight Varieties ''Footlight Varieties'' is the third of four titles in the RKO series of variety films, combining previously filmed shorts with new musical numbers, plus monologues by master of ceremonies Jack Paar. The new footage was directed by Hal Yates and ...

'' (1951), and ''Merry Mirthquakes'' (1953).

References

{{reflist RKO Pictures films American black-and-white films 1948 musical films 1948 films American musical films 1940s American films 1940s English-language films