''Stairway to Stardom'' is a

public-access television Public-access television is traditionally a form of non-commercial mass media where the general public can create content television programming which is narrowcast through cable television specialty channels. Public-access television was creat ...

series that aired in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

from 1979 to the early 1990s. It was described by

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

as "an amateur talent show many see as a low-rent precursor to ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...

''. Taped "in what appeared to be a freshly carpeted Staten Island basement," the host Frank Masi would bring on amateur singers, dancers, actresses, and comedians to perform. Describing the show,

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...

's "Found Footage" segment claimed that "without exaggeration, it was one of the greatest shows ever to be on television." Clips and full shows have appeared on the web and gained a cult following. The disco-style opening theme song was performed by Steve Luisi and All The King's Men and written by their keyboard player, Ben Stiefel. A 2017 play performed at the

HERE Arts Center HERE Arts Center is a New York City off-off-Broadway presenting house, founded in 1993. Their location includes two stages specializing in hybrid performance, dance, theater, multi-media and puppetry in addition to art exhibition space and a cafe ...

was based on the series.

References

External links

*
YouTube channel with full episodes and clips

"The Low-Rent Appeal of 'Stairway to Stardom'"

segment American public access television shows 1970s American variety television series 1980s American variety television series 1990s American variety television series English-language television shows {{US-tv-prog-stub