Murphy's Law Of 50's Live Television Mr. DuMont, we have a problem! By 1957, major market network affiliate TV
stations had expanded their broadcast day to signing on at 5AM rather than 5PM
and signing off past midnight, usually showing a late night movie after the 11P<
news. The ailing DuMont network, despite having commodity shows such as
Alan Freed's, Bishop Sheen, Kate Smith, Captain Video, among others, were
losing daytime TV hosts. Bert Parks, Johnny Olson, et al, who taped afternoon
shows at WABD (which became WNEW and now WNYW) in New York, were being lured by rival network
affiliates WCBS, WNBC and WABC.
JOIN THE BOBBY DARIN DISCUSSION THREAD!
The boom was dropping on Freed and DuMont, hungry for sponsor money, made an
agreement with Proctor & Gamble's ad agency to produce and air live a
teen age beauty pageant to promote April Showers shampoo targeting the
high school bopper set.
Straight from Splish Splash & Queen Of The Hop came a brash wannabe
TV show host Bobby Darin. To date, Darin's TV experience had been limited to
lip synching ...I was takin' a bath on bandstand shows like Freed's and Dick Clark's.
"No rehearsal, just wing it." Well, maybe Johnny Carson (who was hosting
daytime game shows back then) could, but Darin's attempt at impromptu television
ended up the disaster you saw here.
Don't be mad at OTV for running the clip. Sure, we love Bobby.
In his defense, he was given short notice to fill,
for one week, in for the 5-6PM hosting void
left by the station's (WNEW-TV channel 5 NYC)
suddenly firing Alan Freed (Eventually, Richard Hayes became
the host of the weekday teen music show). It was the first time
Bobby Darin ever hosted a television show, live no less. The
director, Vern Diamond, himself a greenhorn let go by competing
station ch. 9, wasn't much help. When a New York ad agency
got the bright idea of a teen beauty pageant (USA Network's
"Dance Party" mimicked this appeal in the 80's), it was
quickly thrown together at the Metromedia Studios with girls
who danced on the show suddenly became beauty contestants
(eeny, meeny, miny mo...you, you and you). Most
likely, Bobby, who presumed he'd just be announcing intros to records the kids
danced to, was suddenly faced with the "April Showers: hair
spray gimmick. A lessor talent might have just quit.
But the shark has pretty teeth, dear. Gifted Bobby Darin, polished by the time Mack The Knife
hit number one on the national charts, had better success with a prime time variety
show on both NBC and a special on CBS..
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