''Starparade'' was a
West German music television programme, which aired on
ZDF
ZDF (, short for Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen; ; "Second German Television") is a German public-service television broadcaster based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. It is run as an independent nonprofit institution, which was founded by all fe ...
from March 14, 1968, to June 5, 1980, and was hosted by , along with
James Last and
his orchestra who founded his world-wide success on the show.
History
''Starparade'' was an elaborate music show which was filmed in different venues across Germany. Each show was broadcast for approximately 90 minutes and showcased music and short interviews with the artists. The inclusion of international acts, and acts more local to Germany, reflected the international reach of the programme that was sold to various broadcasters outside of Germany. Initially, ''Starparade'' was scheduled for Saturday night, but was later moved to Thursday. The series was initially due to be filmed in colour, but the first 13 episodes were transmitted in black and white. These black and white recordings, with the exception of the first episode, have been lost and are no longer in the ZDF archive.
Choice of music
''Starparade'', true to its name, featured popular, sometimes internationally famous acts, who would usually sing multiple songs. It featured domestic stars like
Heino alongside international artists such as
Johnny Cash
John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...
,
Boney M.
Boney M. was a German-Caribbean vocal group that specialized in disco and funk created by German record producer Frank Farian, who was the group's primary songwriter. Originally based in West Germany, the four original members of the group's o ...
,
Neil Diamond
Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling musicians of all time. He has had ten No. 1 singles on the Hot 100 and Adul ...
and
ABBA. Alongside this, the
James Last Orchestra
The James Last Orchestra was a German/multinational big-band orchestra. The orchestra was established in 1964 as a studio orchestra, led by jazz musician Hans Last. The orchestra started touring in 1968 and has been very popular worldwide. From 1 ...
played
instrumentals, at times even
classical music
Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...
. Every show also featured the official television ballet ensemble, which performed at least two dances, such that every show began with the opening music by the James Last Orchestra and a dance.
Episode 14 (30 September 1971) featured
Max Greger and his orchestra.
Special edition
During the 1975
International Broadcasting Exhibition, a consumer electronics fair held annually in Berlin, digital technology made it possible to exhibit the show on a wall of TV screens, with each screen contributing a part to the complete picture.
Scottish Television
In 1979
Scottish Television acquired the UK rights to the series. STV repackaged ''Star Parade'', removing the German compere and adding new English continuity. Each episode was 60 minutes long. They were screened from 1979 to 1985 by each of the 15
ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
companies.
2013 re-broadcasts
On 19 August 2013, the
ZDFkultur channel in Germany started to re-broadcast the ''Starparade'' series and started with episode 14, featuring Max Greger instead of James Last.
Episodes broadcast on ZDF
References
*Online archive of the Vienna ''
Arbeiter-Zeitung'' and the ''
Hamburger Abendblatt'', closing the original programming
External links
* {{IMDb title, tt0476114, Starparade, (1968–1980)
"''Starparade''" fernsehserien.de (in German)
German music television series
ZDF original programming
1968 German television series debuts
1960s German television series
1970s German television series
1980s British television series
1980 German television series endings
German-language television shows
Scottish television shows
Television series by STV Studios