The Red Buttons Show premiered on the CBS television network on October 14, 1952,[1] and ran for two years on that network, then moved to NBC for the final 1954–55 season.
| The Red Buttons Show | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Variety show Sitcom |
| Created by | Marlo Lewis |
| Developed by | CBS |
| Directed by | Burt Shevelove |
| Starring | Red Buttons |
| Theme music composer | Elliot Lawrence |
| Composer | Mitch Miller |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Marlo Lewis |
| Producer | Al Span |
| Running time | 30 min. |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBS |
| Release | October 14, 1952 – 1955 |
The series finished #11 for the 1952–1953 season in the Nielsen ratings and #12 in 1953–1954.[2]
Format
editThe CBS run of the series featured monologues, dance numbers, and sketches with Red and the other series regulars. The characters played by Red included the boxer Rocky Buttons, the Kupke Kid, the Sad Sack, and Keeglefarven. When the series was canceled by CBS, it moved to NBC which at first kept it as a variety show. When the ratings remained low, the program was overhauled and turned into a sitcom with Red playing himself as a TV comic. Phyllis Kirk played his wife, Bobby Sherwood played the director of Red's program and Paul Lynde played the network's vice president.[3]
CBS regulars
edit- Red Buttons
- Dorothy Jolliffe
- Pat Carroll
- Beverly Dennis
- Allan Walker
- Joe Silver
- Betty Ann Grave
NBC regulars
edit- Red Buttons
- Phyllis Kirk
- Paul Lynde as Mr. Standish
- Bobby Sherwood
- Nelson Case, announcer[4]
Production
editBill Davenport and Johnny Green were writers for the NBC version.[5] It was sponsored by Pontiac.[6]
References
edit- ^ "This Week (Cont'd)". Ross Reports. October 12, 1952. p. 2. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
- ^ "TV Ratings: United States". The Fifties Web. Archived from the original on July 30, 2012. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
- ^ The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present. Ballantine Books. 2003. ISBN 0-345-45542-8.
- ^ Alicoate, Jack, Ed. (1955). The 1955 Radio and Television Yearbook. Radio Daily Corp. P. 1173.
- ^ "Other Network Changes & Additions". Ross Reports on Television including The Television Index. January 31, 1955. p. 1. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
- ^ "Buttons Mulling '55-'56 Status". Variety. March 16, 1955. p. 27. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
External links
edit- The Red Buttons Show at IMDb
- The Red Buttons Show at Classic TV & Movie Hits
- The Red Buttons Show theme song lyrics at Classic Themes
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