Monday, May 15, 2023

The Hollywood Palace: Hello, Lover

May 16th is National Classic Movie Day. In honor of that day that is near and dear to our hearts, I offer my entry in the Classic Movie Blog Association Spring 2023 Big Stars on the Small Screen Blogathon. Click here for more television memories.

Anyone here old enough to remember a television show called "The Hollywood Palace"? It ran on ABC from January 1964 through February 1970. It was a variety show like so many that were popular at the time, but it had a few features that spoke to my little but growing classic movie loving heart. 

The show had a revolving door of guest hosts that served as emcees, but the most frequent host was a fella named Bing Crosby. 

Now, I probably was familiar with Bing even at a young age because he was on television quite a bit and was always selling Minute Maid Orange Juice, but I kind of liked the guy and looked forward to seeing him and hearing him most every week (please do not tell John, Paul, George & Ringo). He was warm and casual and always seemed to fit so comfortably into our living room. Bing seemed to know everyone! And it was there, at the Hollywood Palace, that I first encountered performers who apparently were big stars some time ago and were - tonight!- gracing us lowly television audience members with their glittering presence. Who were, as Lina Lamont would say,  these "shimmering glowing stars in the cinema firmament"? Thankfully, my mother was there to fill in some blanks.

The show was run as a sort of high class Vaudeville show with placards announcing each act. It was here I found out these people were movie stars:



Groucho Marx: well, he was funny. I think I'll check out one of his movies when they are shown.

Dean Martin: He made movie with Jerry Lewis? How did he stand him?

Fred MacMurray; He always seemed so nice. Little did I know he had thing for ankle bracelets.

Betty Hutton: Wowee! where can I see more of her?

Donald O'Connor: Fred who? Gene who? This guy could dance! Wait - is this the guy with the mule?

Betty Grable: My first look at a real glamour girl.

Olivia de Havilland: I needed my mother to tell me who this was. Later one of my most favorite actresses.

Ginger Rogers: Ah, more glamour. I knew she and Fred were a team, but had yet to see any of their films. 

Ann Miller: Yikes! Tap-a-palooza! Years later I caught her on film, but always remembered my first sighting.

Jane Powell: Gee, she's tiny, but has a big voice. She was treated like a star, not just another singer booked for the week.

Van Johnson: He seemed so very nice playing himself. later he just seemed so always nice in the movies.

Bette Davis: Okay - I knew who she was, but I had yet to see her in a movie. She seemed like she was trying to be nice, but really wanting to be anywhere but there.  Please check her out her singing "Single." It's kind of unforgettable.

Edward G. Robinson: Quite a dapper man. I knew him from the Warner Brothers cartoon parody and he seemed nothing like a gangster. Boy, did I have a lot to learn.

Fred Astaire: Yes, I knew Fred, but, as with Ginger, I had not yet seen any of his films. He was on the small screen as he was on the big screen: elegant, modest and wholly charming.

Bob Hope: well, of course I knew Bob Hope, but did not yet know he had made all those films with Bing Crosby. Who knew these guys were such big movie stars?

But it was this gal that really wowed me:

Alice Faye: Now, I never heard of Alice Faye, but she was on with her husband, Phil Harris. However, my mother, who seemed to know things, said that her true love was her first husband, Tony Martin.

(Later there was a show with Cyd Charisse: Awkward! Here was Cyd with her husband, Tony Martin. But, wait, wasn't he Alice Faye's true love? I watched for signs of discontent. Didn't see any.)

But back to Alice Faye. To me, she conducted herself like a true movie star. Crosby treated her as an absolute queen. Yet, she was warm and funny and lovely; just like she was, as I eventually discovered, in the movies. Of all the star performances I remember from that show, I recall her being greeted with the most warmth and affection. 

Since that time I have always adored Alice Faye. It was her genuine sincerity, naturalness and wonderful talent that made me a fan, and I am so very, very thankful to all of those 60s and  70s television variety shows that introduced me to stars I would later fall in love with. 


And while not big movie stars (yet), may I give a shout out to other frequent Hollywood Palace guests such as the great Carl Reiner and the still great Mel Brooks, the incomparable Victor Borge, and the sort of creepy Marquis Chimps? And who can forget Enzo Stuarti?

One more thing (no, not Columbo):

While not my selection, I'm going to sneak this one in:

Candid Camera with Buster Keaton. His performance as a man at a lunch counter was unforgettably funny and had hosts Allen Funt and Durward Kirby laughing out loud. Oh Buster, it took me a while get get from Candid Camera to Beach Blanket Bingo to your great films, but, as with Alice Faye, it was love at first sight.

Just as movies gave us records of great stage performers that we would never otherwise be able to see, television, that much maligned medium back in the day, let us kids see what a great movie star looked like.


19 comments:

Karen said...

What a fun post! I loved reading your impressions of all of the stars, Marsha. That clip of Bette Davis singing was something else (and that's putting it mildly). I much prefer her renditions of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane and They're Either Too Young or Too Old. Do you know if the Hollywood Palace episodes are streaming anywhere? I've never seen it and I'd like to! Thank you for participating in the blogathon and sharing this interesting show!

-- Karen

The Lady Eve said...

To be truthful, at the time the show was on I was only really interested in the pop and rock bands that occasionally performed. Like the Rolling Stones. Also, I'd been watching classic movies on TV since childhood, so I was pretty familiar with the who the hosts and guests were by then. What a jump back in time it was to read about all those stars and the hi-jinks that were the essence of the show. Fun stuff.

carygrantwonteatyou.com said...

Love this post, especially your rundown of first impressions. Ankle bracelet!:)

FlickChick said...

Thanks so much<Karen - and for hosting this blogathon. So much fun!

FlickChick said...

Lady Eve - I was torn - I was all about the Beatles (and the Kinks), but I had only my mom to share my interest in the old time stars.

FlickChick said...

carygrantwon'teatyou - yes, seeing kindly Fred MacMurray from My Three Sons are a baddie was quite a shock.

P.M.Bryant said...

Enjoyed this thoroughly. I only know this show due to seeking out Fred Astaire dancing appearances after he quit making film musicals, and perhaps some Ginger Rogers stuff as well. I should look up more!

FlickChick said...

P.M. Bryant - thanks so much. Those variety shows were just so much fun. Sadly, the available videos ar not of the bet quality, so it's hard to find a really good one.

Jess said...

I'd never heard of this show before but it sounds fun. Loved reading all your first impressions. I feel like I learned about Olivia de Havilland in a roundabout way, too, and she quickly became a fave once I managed to see more of her movies!

Jess at Box Office Poisons

FlickChick said...

Hi Jess. Thanks for stopping by. Those variety shows were indeed a lot of fun. We didn't have the choices we have now, but maybe that's what made things so special.

Rick29 said...

Both of my parents were Bing Crosby fans, so The Hollywood Palace was a Saturday night routine in our home. I think he hosted more shows than anyone else, but you never knew who would be the evening's master of ceremonies (unless you read TV Guide). I truly enjoyed reading your comments about all the celebrities you "met" for the first time on The Hollywood Palace. The guests were certainly eclectic, ranging from The Berosini Chimps to Tony Bennett to The Rolling Stones! Plus, for young guys like me, there was Raquel Welch--who was a "billboard girl" on the show.

Jacqueline T. Lynch said...

I loved this show, and miss the variety genre in the glamor days. I really enjoyed your childhood impressions. Great post!

FlickChick said...

Hi Rick. Yes - it sure was a mix of the old and the new. We were lucky to be able to have those evenings.

FlickChick said...

Thank you for stopping by, Jacqueline. The glamour is what is really missing these days. Ugh - I sund like my parents!

Citizen Screen said...

I was looking forward to visiting you for just this for over a week!! You just never disappoint. Something about A Person in the Dark that guarantees a smile on my face.

What fun memories. I came to this country in 1974 so I did not see The Hollywood Palace during its run, but I have caught many episodes online since and absolutely adore it. But then, we are made for this stuff. I have to look up the Alice Faye episode though. I enjoyed how you described it.

Thank you for this.

Aurora

Lê said...

What a fun trip down memory lane! I had never heard of Hollywood Palace, but it's the kind of show I'd watch if I was alive at the time. The Bette Davis clip is a gem, even thoguh she's not much of a singer.
Thanks for the kind comment!
Kisses!
Le

FlickChick said...

Aurora - thanks so much. You always encourage me to keep blogging.

FlickChick said...

Le - I still love you even though you had to remind me you were not alive at the time this aired!

The Classic Movie Muse said...

Love your post, Marsha :) This Hollywood Palace show sounds like an absolute dream. Thanks for bringing it to my awareness. I enjoyed the clips and will be on the lookout for more!