''ABC's Nightlife'' is an American television talk show carried by the

American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is an American Commercial broadcasting, commercial broadcast Television broadcaster, television and radio Radio network, network that serves as the flagship property of the Disney Entertainment division ...

(ABC) from November 9, 1964, until November 12, 1965. It was an effort by ABC to compete with ''

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show was the third installment of ''The Tonight Show''. Hosted by Johnny Carson, it aired from October 1, 1962 to May 22, 1992, replacing ''T ...

'' on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

. Initially known as ''The

Les Crane Les Crane (born Lesley Stein; December 3, 1933 – July 13, 2008) was an American radio announcer, television host, and actor. A pioneer in interactive broadcasting, he is also known for his 1971 spoken-word recording of the poem ''Desiderata'' ...

Show'', the program had included Crane's exchanges with members of the audience in addition to celebrity guests. Crane's style was described as "informal, highly spontaneous, and often controversial". The show was renamed when Crane left after four months. A revised format used a rotation of stars as hosts, beginning with

Shelley Berman Sheldon Leonard Berman (February 3, 1925 – September 1, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, writer, teacher, and lecturer. He was awarded three gold records for his comedy albums and he won the first Grammy Award for a spoken comedy recor ...

. Other hosts included William B. Williams,

Nipsey Russell Julius "Nipsey" Russell (September 15, 1918 – October 2, 2005)Nipsey J. Russell, born September 15, 1918, died October 2, 2005. Social Security Administration. ''Social Security Death Index'' (Death Master File).U.S. Census, January 1, 1920, st ...

, Jimmy Cannon,

Pat Boone Patrick Charles Eugene Boone (born June 1, 1934) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, author, television personality, radio host and philanthropist. He sold nearly 50 million records, had 38 Top 40 hits, and has acted in many films. Boone ...

, and

Allan Sherman Allan Sherman (born Allan Copelon or Allan Gerald Copelon; November 30, 1924 – November 20, 1973) was an American musician, satirist, and television producer who became known as a song parodist in the early 1960s. His first album, '' M ...

. Orchestra leaders were Cy Coleman, Elliot Lawrence, and Donn Trenner. In June 1965, Crane returned as the regular host, accompanied by Russell. After the series ended, ABC would not return to the late-night television picture until '' The Joey Bishop Show'' began in April 1967.

References

{{Reflist 1960s American late-night television series 1964 American television series debuts 1965 American television series endings American Broadcasting Company late-night programming American English-language television shows American Broadcasting Company original programming

See also

References