Long before The Coneheads
When Lorne Michaels used the live television sketch formula invented two decades earlier by
Ernie Kovacs and introduced the world to Saturday Night Live, The Coneheads, The Lubinersm
The Bees, Roseanne Rosanadana, et al Akroyd, Belucci, Curtain, Newman, Radner, s generation
that had been accustomed to "taped before a live audience" wowed at the spontaneous vivacity
of live broadcast television. The generation before grew up on live television comedy shows,
especially when the four then existing networks (ABC, CBS, DuMont, NBC) went at it show
against show on Saturday night.
COMMENT ON & DISCUSS
The filmed Lucy tied up Monday night ratings, Uncle Miltie competed only with a sermon and two so/so
anthologies, and Sullivan owned Sunday night. But ah, so different Saturday night...Jackie Gleason,
George Gobel, Ken Murray. Steve Allen, Sid Cesar, Morton Downey, Liberace, Vincent Lopez,
and "Your Hit Parade" beamed live from the four networks every Saturday night.
Sid Cesar and Imogene Coca (seen together on another Oldies Television channel)
were a Saturday night fave with Carl Reiner and Howie Morris, leading into four singers,
Rossell Arms, Dorothy Collins, Snooky Lansen (yes that Snooky Lansen)
would try and warble the week's top ten songs on "Your Hit Parade" (got rough when Rock & Roll
hit the scene, imagine straight shooter Dorothy Palmer trying to sing Lloyd Price's :"Stagger Lee."
No, Saturday Night Live television in the 50's didn't go on til the wee hours of the morning, most stations,
even those in New York and LA, went off the air at midnight with "The Star Spangled Banner" and
a waving flag, Steve Allen would change that with NBC's "The Tonight Show" in 1957.
THE SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE BEFORE SNL
Post comments about your favorite Golden Age TV Shows and the stars
and the founding fathers of Rock & Roll and Rhythm & Blues
Read other comments and join the talkfest in the free chat room
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Carlson International ECG NY USA
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