Ringling’s 1965 TV Special was taped in Seattle and aired on NBC in the fall. (Taping the show so late in the season might have been due to a contractual SNAFU. 1966’s TV Special, hosted by Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, was taped early on in Greensboro, N.C. and aired around Easter time while the show was appearing in Madison Square Garden.) The 1965 Special was hosted by Ed Wynn (seen here vying with Lou Jacobs to see who is the bigger scene stealer.) A black & white kinescope (a recording of a television program made by filming the picture from a video monitor) was made of this broadcast and still survives. (Too bad it wasn’t done in color!) At one time, someone was selling DVD copies of it on eBay and maybe still is. It preserves for posterity some of the greatest circus acts of all time (as well as the music Merle Evans used to accompany those acts.) The following frame enlargements are taken from that kinescope. Many of you are sure to have comments to share about the people and acts that are shown here, and these will appreciated by the rest of us. |
Friday, July 05, 2013
1965 RBBB TV Special #1 (From Eric Beheim)
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Ed Wynn’s long show business career included vaudeville, the Ziegfeld Follies, radio, television and motion pictures. (I once read that he was offered, and turned down, the role of the Wizard in 1939 film THE WIZARD OF OZ after W.C. Fields had turned it down.) Over the years, he did quite a bit of movie work for Walt Disney. One of his best-remembered screen roles is in Disney’s 1964 smash hit MARY POPPINS where, as eccentric Uncle Albert, he floats around just beneath the ceiling while singing "I Love to Laugh." (His well-received appearance in MARY POPPINS might have been the reason he was hired to host the TV special.) He passed away less than a year later, working right up to the end.
I seem to recall that the CFA held its 1965 convention in Seattle while Ringling was appearing there, so some of you might have been on hand when this TV Special was taped.
Allen B DuMont was 1 of TVs early
pioneers & created WABD TV channel
5 in NY using his initials but in
memory of Ed Wynn when he died the
call letters were changed to WNEW
which remained until it was bought
by FOX & renamed WNYW (as current)
I believe that in 65 the entire
TGSOE traveled on 17 railroad cars
Nowadays each train has about 60
It was in that "old" Garden (#3)
that Victor Gaona introduced me to
Trolle Rhodin & which gave me the
opportunity to become involved in
what was TGSOE for many years
Just had a call from Phipps Hakes
to let me know that she has a copy
of that DVD Eric & that she keeps
Bobby's Web Site going in tribute
to his memory so if any folks are
interested they should get in touch
She's in the book under Bobby Hakes
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