''The Ed Wynn Show'' is an American

variety show Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical performances, sketch comedy, magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is normally introduced by a comp� ...

originally broadcast from September 22, 1949 to July 4, 1950, on the

CBS Television Network CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

. Comedian and former vaudevillian

Ed Wynn Isaiah Edwin Leopold (November 9, 1886 – June 19, 1966), better known as Ed Wynn, was an American actor and comedian. He began his career in vaudeville in 1903 and was known for his ''Perfect Fool'' comedy character, his pioneering radio show ...

was the star of the program's 39 episodes, which were the first shows broadcast live from Hollywood, and transmitted via

kinescope Kinescope , shortened to kine , also known as telerecording in Britain, is a recording of a television program on motion picture film directly through a lens focused on the screen of a video monitor. The process was pioneered during the 1940s ...

to New York. The show included the commercial television debuts of

Robert Clary Robert Clary (born Robert Max Widerman; March 1, 1926 – November 16, 2022) was a French actor who was mainly active in the United States. He is best known for his role as Corporal Louis LeBeau on the television sitcom ''Hogan's Heroes'' (196 ...

Dinah Shore Dinah Shore (born Frances Rose Shore; February 29, 1916 – February 24, 1994) was an American singer, actress, television personality, and the chart-topping female vocalist of the 1940s. She rose to prominence as a recording artist during the ...

The Three Stooges The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short-subject films by Columbia Pictures. Their hallmark styles were physical, farce, and slapstick comedy. Six total ...

Hattie McDaniel Hattie McDaniel (June 10, 1893 – October 26, 1952) was an African-American actress, singer-songwriter, and comedian. For her role as Mammy in ''Gone with the Wind'' (1939), she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, becoming the f ...

Buster Keaton Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966) was an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. He is best known for his silent films during the 1920s, in which he performed physical comedy and inventive stunts. He frequently ...

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 ...

Lucille Ball Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedian, producer, and studio executive. She was recognized by ''Time (magazine), Time'' in 2020 as one of the most influential women of the 20th century for h ...

and

Desi Arnaz Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III (March 2, 1917 – December 2, 1986), known as Desi Arnaz, was a Cuban-American actor, musician, producer, and bandleader. He played Ricky Ricardo on the American television sitcom ''I Love Lucy'', in whi ...

Production

''The Ed Wynn Show'' premiered on September 22, 1949 on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

. The series starred

(1886–1966), a well-established comedian of stage, vaudeville, film and radio. The series consisted of vaudeville-like skits and music performed by the days' popular artists. Speidel wrist watches was the show's original sponsor. Speidel was soon replaced as sponsor by

Camel A camel (from and () from Ancient Semitic: ''gāmāl'') is an even-toed ungulate in the genus ''Camelus'' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. Camels have long been domesticated and, as livestock, they provid ...

cigarettes. Under the sponsorship of Camel, the series was known as ''The Camel Comedy Caravan''. ''The Ed Wynn Show'' achieved several "firsts" during its short run. It was the first television series to originate from Hollywood. The series was broadcast live from

KTTV KTTV (channel 11) is a television station in Los Angeles, California, United States, serving as the West Coast of the United States, West Coast flagship (broadcasting), flagship station of the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox network. It is owned a ...

in Los Angeles and using the kinescope film process, the films were sent to New York and transmitted on the CBS Eastern and Midwestern stations a week later. ''The Ed Wynn Show'' was also one of the first television series to use the kinescope process in an effort to preserve episodes for later distribution. Sometimes after the live broadcast was finished, some re-takes were kinescoped and edited into the film to improve the east coast version. The series was known for its list of prominent guest stars every week. Some notable guest stars included Eddie "Rochester" Anderson,

Frances Langford Julia Frances Newbern-Langford (April 4, 1913 – July 11, 2005) was an American singer and actress who was popular during the Golden Age of Radio and made film and television appearances for over two decades. She was known as the "GI Nightinga ...

, The Charlivels,

Eve Arden Eve Arden (born Eunice Mary Quedens, April 30, 1908 – November 12, 1990) was an American film, radio, stage and television actress. She performed in leading and supporting roles for nearly six decades. Beginning her film career in 1929 an ...

Celeste Holm Celeste Holm (April 29, 1917 – July 15, 2012) was an American actress. Holm won an Academy Award for her performance in Elia Kazan's '' Gentleman's Agreement'' (1947), and was nominated for her roles in '' Come to the Stable'' (1949) and ''A ...

Buddy Ebsen Buddy Ebsen (born Christian Ludolf Ebsen Jr.; April 2, 1908 – July 6, 2003), also known as Frank "Buddy" Ebsen, was an American actor and dancer. One of his most famous roles was as Jed Clampett in the CBS television sitcom ''The Beverly Hillb ...

, Garry Moore, The Modernaires, Mitzi Green,

Gloria Swanson Gloria Mae Josephine Swanson (March 27, 1899April 4, 1983) was an American actress. She first achieved fame acting in dozens of silent films in the 1920s and was nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Actress, most famously for h ...

, William Frawley, Joe E. Brown,

Charles Laughton Charles Laughton (; 1 July 1899 – 15 December 1962) was a British and American actor. He was trained in London at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and first appeared professionally on the stage in 1926. In 1927, he was cast in a play wi ...

, Vera Vague,

Carmen Miranda Maria do Carmo Miranda da Cunha (9 February 1909 – 5 August 1955), known professionally as Carmen Miranda (), was a Portuguese-born Brazilian singer, dancer, and actress. Nicknamed "The Brazilian Bombshell", she was known for her signature ...

Cesar Romero César Julio Romero Jr. (February 15, 1907 – January 1, 1994) was an American actor. He was active in film, radio, and television for almost 60 years. His wide range of screen roles included Latin lover (stereotype), Latin lovers, historical ...

Peggy Lee Norma Deloris Egstrom (May 26, 1920 – January 21, 2002), known professionally as Peggy Lee, was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, and actress whose career spanned seven decades. From her beginning as a vocalist on local r ...

and

made their television debuts on ''The Ed Wynn Show''. The series ran one season, ending on July 4, 1950. The last surviving celebrity to appear on the show was

, who died on November 16, 2022. His appearance on the program on January 28, 1950 was mentioned in various news articles upon his passing.

Broadcast history

Los Angeles

KTTV, Channel 11 * 9/22/1949 - 12/15/1949 Thursdays 9:00-9:30 pm * 12/24/1949 - 2/18/1950 Saturdays 8:00-8:30 pm * 2/25/1950 - 4/22/1950 Saturdays 9:00-9:30 pm * 4/27/1950 - 6/15/1950 Thursdays 7:00-7:30 pm (Except 6/8/1950 Thursday 9:00-9:30 pm)

New York

WCBS-TV, Channel 2 * 10/6/1949 - 12/29/1949 Thursdays 9:00-9:30 pm * 1/7/1950 - 3/25/1950 Saturdays 9:00-9:30 pm * 4/4/1950 - 7/4/1950 Tuesdays 9:00-9:30 pm

Awards and nominations

Although the series was not popular with television audiences, ''The Ed Wynn Show'' did receive a

George Foster Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor what are described as the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in ...

for Outstanding Entertainment for the year 1949 and a

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...

for Best Live Show for the year 1950.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ed Wynn Show 1949 American television series debuts 1950 American television series endings 1940s American variety television series 1950s American variety television series 1940s American comedy television series 1950s American comedy television series Black-and-white American television shows CBS original programming American live television series American musical comedy television series Television shows filmed in Los Angeles Television series by Screen Gems