''Air Time ‘57'' (or simply ''Air Time'') is a live musical variety series that aired briefly on
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting
* Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...
. It was hosted by singer and radio star
Vaughn Monroe
Vaughn Wilton Monroe (October 7, 1911 – May 21, 1973) was an American baritone singer, trumpeter and big band leader who was most popular in the 1940s and 1950s. He has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for recording and another f ...
. Scheduled opposite shows that were more solidly established, the program lasted little more than three months.
Background
Monroe had previously hosted two other network television shows: the one-season ''The Vaughn Monroe Show'' in 1950 (also known as ''Camel Caravan'' and based on the radio show of the same name) and ''The Vaughn Monroe Show'' in 1954 and 1955 (a 15-minute summer replacement series for ''
The Dinah Shore Show
''The Dinah Shore Show'' is an American television variety show that was broadcast by NBC from November 27, 1951, to July 18,1957, sponsored by General Motors' Chevrolet division. It aired from 7:30 to 7:45 Eastern Time on Tuesday and Thursday ...
''). ''Air Time'' was an attempt to continue to capitalize on Monroe's successful singing career.
Allen Stanley was the producer, and Hal Davis was the director. The show was presented by the
U.S. Air Force Reserve
The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of commis ...
.
Cast
Jazz trumpeter
Bobby Hackett
Robert Leo Hackett (January 31, 1915 – June 7, 1976) was a versatile American jazz musician who played swing music, Dixieland jazz and mood music, now called easy listening, on trumpet, cornet, and guitar. He played Swing with the bands ...
and the
Elliot Lawrence
Elliot Lawrence Broza (February 14, 1925 – July 2, 2021), known professionally as Elliot Lawrence, was an American jazz pianist and bandleader.
Son of the broadcaster Stan Lee Broza, Lawrence led his first dance band at age 20, but he playe ...
Orchestra were regulars on the show. One or more guest stars also appeared each week.
Playhouse 90
''Playhouse 90'' is an American television anthology drama series that aired on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 134 episodes. The show was produced at CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California. Since live anthology drama series of t ...
on CBS and
Lux Video Theatre
''Lux Video Theatre'' is an American television anthology series that was produced from 1950 until 1957. The series presented both comedy and drama in original teleplays, as well as abridged adaptations of films and plays.
Overview
The ''Lux Vi ...
on NBC.Hyatt, Wesley (2003). ''Short-Lived Television Series, 1948-1978''. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc.