Thursday, February 14, 2008

Internat'l Showtime screen logo (From Dick Flint)


Internat'l Showtime screen logo, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

International Showtime ran on NBC Fridays at 7:30 pm from 1961-65.
The hour-long show presented European circuses, magic, aqua and ice
shows all taped abroad and hosted by Don Ameche who would introduce
each act from the seats with his souvenir program in hand.

For most of those years it ran opposite CBS's Rawhide. The late Joe
Cates was producer but was joined in 1962 by his brother Gilbert (who
did some of the Academy Award shows in the 1990s). Gil Cates also
produced and directed the film Rings Around the World in 1967 which
was in essence a color version of the TV show with Don Ameche and was
later issued as a video. Ameche also had a live touring show of
circus acts he hosted that played parks and other venues during some
of the years of the TV broadcast but I don't recall that it was very
successful.

Circus Schumann was frequently seen from its famed Copenhagen circus
building as was the Togni show from Italy and I also remember seeing
the magician Kalanag (a full magic show in a tent, if I recall
correctly), the pickpocket Borra, and the animal trainer Taras Bulba
discussed a few months ago on the blog. It helped broaden my circus
interests considerably for it focused on what the performers did with
Ameche providing interesting introductory commentary about the act.
Plus, it was on Fridays nights when I didn't have to worry about
getting my schoolwork done! It was also my introduction to the
rhythmic applause now heard on some shows here; it seemed that the
further East in Europe they went to tape a show, the more you
encountered the synchronized clapping.
Dick Flint
Baltimore

Posted by Buckles at 2/14/2008 06:19:00 AM

13 comments:

Mike Naughton said...

Dick Flint,

Thanks for the memory! The frappe is on me, pick your flavor.

When I was a kid I thought INTERNATIONAL SHOWTIME was the best thing on television.

Here I am today with 800 channels available via cable and if INTERNATIONAL SHOWTIME were on today, it would still be the best thing on television.

Try the strawberry.

14 February, 2008 09:16
Anonymous said...

I believe this program is where we got the first look at young Gebel-Williams doing the teeterboard. Am I right about this??

14 February, 2008 09:24
Mike Naughton said...

I'm about 12 seconds short of being 5 minutes in the business when the following occurs...

Mid 1970's, Don Francisco (Frank Mijares/Pan American Circus) books a mini-circus into a mall in New Jersey. Amongst the lineup are Ken and Vesta Austin, "The Grimaldis", who I saw on International Showtime many years earlier.

They arrive with a big, blue Chevy Suburban and a shiny Airstream. We are sharing a vacant store with convention type pipe-and-drape as room seperators for dressing rooms.

I'm announcing the show, Ken and Vesta are presenting two acts, the Musical Comedy and the Plate Spinning. This European-type plate spinning act does not rely on "breaking of the plates" as its driving force; they spin plates on rods and spin plates on the table. The idea is NOT to break plates.

The cast leaves the stage towards the dressing room and throughout the week the standard KEN AND VESTA after show chit-chat from the stage to the dressing room was, "Lovely audience...yes, dear lovely and a Thursday at that...oh yes quite right...wouldn't mind a week of those...let's hope tonight they're just as good..." Lovely English accents and the politest of manners.

UNTIL TODAY, during the plate spinning act a plate goes flying and crashes and BOOM. Ken and Vesta don't miss a beat and continue as if nothing is wrong. End of show, the cast retreats to the dressing room and Ken and Vesta DONT SAY A WORD TO EACH OTHER. Into the vacant store, into the draped dressing rooms and the Vesta says sternly to Ken, "Well, there's another 35 cents down the drain."

14 February, 2008 09:53
Raffaele De Ritis said...

Thanks for the interesting piece, Mr.Flint.
The Cates brothers I think were the best TV producer ever to treat the circus. "Rings around the world" is the best filming of circus acts I ever saw.
The only problem is that, both in the movie and in the tv series, they completely changed the music of the acts.
I've known Joe Cates when for a couple of year he filmed Monte Carlo festival. He was a nice man, a true circus lover and a great professional.
Many circus artists remember those experiences with pleasure.
The magic act you remember is probably not Kalanag but Chefalo.
Paulina Schumann told me of the good memories of the filming in Copenhagen with, the Cates brothers and Ameche.
The complete series of Intl. Showtime is at the UCLA Library where it can be viewed.
But do some collector have tapes of that series, or it possible to buy it somewhere? I will be VERY interested in exchange material with that.

14 February, 2008 10:36
Anonymous said...

UCLA has 13 episodes, 6 of which are circus and 4 are magic, and they can bee seen by appointment. Gilbert Cates was dean of the film, TV, and theatre school at UCLA in the '90s but whether he was the source of this collection, I do not know. The Library of Congress has the entire series but, unfortunately, they are negative kinescopes and, given their vast holdings, it will be some time before even a few episodes are converted to positives. But how fortunate that this marvelous record of so many acts has been preserved! Some broadcast records exist so it might be possible to assemble a list of shows and acts that appeared.
Mike: I was weaned on strawberry frappes at Friendly's!
Dick Flint
Baltimore

14 February, 2008 13:18
Anonymous said...

Johnny,
"Don Ameche introduces some performers from the Circus Williams, originating in Arnheim, Holland. The acts include: Oscar Sehalmann’s comedy act with dogs; the Henriettis, aerialists; a Wild West show, European style; Rouss Hoot, who leaps from a tower into a pillow; Gunther Gebel-Williams, with his trained elephants; and a comedy spot featuring members of the audience attempting trick riding"--TV guide, October 9, 1961.
Dick Flint
Baltimore

14 February, 2008 13:41
Mike Naughton said...

Dick,

I knew you'd have the scoop on the Frappes.

However, I didn't see Frappes on the BAC cookhouse menu...memo to Paul, CC to Covington.

14 February, 2008 16:55
24-HOUR-MAN said...

The ftrst videos I put on Yesterday's Towns were from that show, I'm surprised they're still on. Blogger sloughed my two clips of Sensations of 1945 today.

14 February, 2008 22:56
24-HOUR-MAN said...

OKAY, Dick, & Mike, what is a "Tin Roof"????

14 February, 2008 22:59
Mike Naughton said...

Dick, I've got this one covered, just enjoy the frappe and let's hope a piece of the strawberry doesn't get stuck in the straw.

Mr. Man, or "24", a tin roof is the chocolate topping that hardens over a scoop of ice cream.

Us New York teenagers who patronized CARVEL would often request a "Twist with a Dip". Cone, vanilla/choclate dipped in chocolate that hardened.

Speaking of a "Twist with a Dip", did I ever tell you about my prom date...

15 February, 2008 01:59
24-HOUR-MAN said...

mike:
I can't believe I got you, a "Tin Roof" was a cocolate sundae with "real" ice cream, topped with peanuts.
What was a "Purple Cow"?

15 February, 2008 09:13
Mike Naughton said...

Bill, I answered that question at 2 in the morning when most other people are SEEING purple cows.

15 February, 2008 09:59
Dick Flint said...

I recently learned that Gil Cates died last Nov 1 (2011). Well-known for revamping the Academy Awards ceremony, in commenting on that experience he revealed another fondness: "I've always been a fan of the circus, and this [the Academy Awards] is the greatest circus."
Dick Flint
Baltimore

09 July, 2012 13:21

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