Kraft Music Hall, The


The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Presents

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About

From Wikipedia:

Kraft Music Hall was an umbrella title for several television series aired by NBC in the United States from the 1950s to the 1970s in the musical variety genre, sponsored by Kraft Foods, the producers of a well-known line of cheeses and related dairy products. Their commercials were usually announced by "The Voice of Kraft", Ed Herlihy.

The original Kraft Music Hall was a radio series aired from 1933 to 1949. It was one of the most popular programs of its type, particularly during the period (1936–1946) when it was hosted by Bing Crosby. However, unlike similar programs, it did not make the transition directly to network television; Kraft's early ventures into that field entailed the sponsorship of a famed series of dramas, initially broadcast live, under the title Kraft Television Theatre.

By 1958, Kraft was prepared to revive the Music Hall for television. The first host was "Mr. Television", Milton Berle, who had become television's first superstar by hosting an earlier NBC program, the Texaco Star Theater. An alternate summer host in the program's early period was Englishman Dave King. The program achieved its greatest success while being hosted by Perry Como beginning in 1959.

In 1966, the program was a summer replacement for The Andy Williams Show, known as the Kraft Summer Music Hall, with singer John Davidson as the host. Comedian George Carlin was a featured regular.

Beginning in 1963, Kraft Music Hall specials hosted by Como were presented about once a month, through 1967. During the 1963-64 and 1964-65 television seasons, Kraft Suspense Theatre (co-produced by Como's "Roncom Films") was broadcast in the same time slot during the remaining weeks.

In the fall of 1967, the Kraft Music Hall returned as a weekly series, but without Perry Como who abruptly ended his association with Kraft Foods after the 1966-67 season. A policy of guest hosts was implemented, employing some of the leading figures in the U.S. entertainment industry at the time, including Rock Hudson, Lorne Greene, George Burns, Dinah Shore and Woody Allen. In 1968, the practice of regular hosts was reinstated, with programs starring, in succession, country singer Eddy Arnold, John Davidson (again) and Ed McMahon. Arnold's programs all featured an appearance by comedian/impressionist John Byner.

Other leading performers who appeared on the Kraft Music Hall on a reasonably frequent basis were Don Rickles, Alan King, Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, Mitzi Gaynor, Bobby Darin, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, Wayne Newton, Johnny Cash and Simon & Garfunkel.

Highlights
Ron Clark on writing for Kraft Music Hall
03:29
Lucie Arnaz on appearing on Kraft Music Hall
04:36
Charles Lisanby on designing sets on The Kraft Music Hall
02:45
Stewart MacGregory on working with Perry Como on The Kraft Music Hall
01:30
Mitzi Gaynor on appearing on the 1967 Christmas episode of The Kraft Music Hall
01:37
Who talked about this show

Lucie Arnaz

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Lucie Arnaz on appearing on Kraft Music Hall
04:36

Sam Bobrick

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Sam Bobrick on the legacy of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, and on his decision to leave the show to write for The Kraft Music Hall
06:00
Sam Bobrick on a typical workweek on The Kraft Music Hall, and on the guest stars of the show, including Groucho Marx
05:59

Cyd Charisse

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Cyd Charisse on appearing on The Kraft Music Hall
02:11

Ron Clark

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Ron Clark on writing for Kraft Music Hall
03:29

Mitzi Gaynor

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Mitzi Gaynor on appearing on the 1967 Christmas episode of The Kraft Music Hall
01:37

Mary Lynn Gottfried

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Mary Lynn Gottfried on leaving The Ed Sullivan Show for Kraft Music Hall
04:29

Dwight Hemion

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Dwight Hemion on producing and directing The Kraft Music Hall
04:25
Dwight Hemion on the logistics and the camera equipment of shooting The Kraft Music Hall and other specials
04:58
Dwight Hemion and Gary Smith on forming their partnership at Perry Como's The Kraft Music Hall
05:20
Dwight Hemion and Gary Smith on forming their partnership at Perry Como's The Kraft Music Hall
05:20

Hal Kanter

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Hal Kanter on writing for Kraft Music Hall featuring Milton Berle
06:54

William Klages

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William Klages on lighting The Kraft Music Hall
00:57

Charles Lisanby

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Charles Lisanby on designing sets on The Kraft Music Hall
02:45
Charles Lisanby on moving to NBC to work on The Kraft Music Hall
Charles Lisanby on a set photo from The Kraft Music Hall featuring Johnny Cash
00:20
Charles Lisanby on a set photo from The Kraft Music Hall featuring his trademark use of small lights
00:15
Charles Lisanby on a photo of the impromptu winter wonderland set created for The Kraft Music Hall
00:11

Stewart MacGregory

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Stewart MacGregory on working with Perry Como on The Kraft Music Hall
01:30
Stewart MacGregory on going to work for The Kraft Music Hall with Perry Como and traveling to Dallas to film the day after John F. Kennedy was shot
10:17

Tony Mottola

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Tony Mottola on a photo of a rehearsal for The Kraft Music Hall
00:36

Marty Pasetta

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Marty Pasetta on directing Jimmy Durante Presents The Lennon Sisters and Kraft Music Hall with Don Ho
03:31

Carroll Pratt

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Carroll Pratt on providing laugh track for Kraft Music Hall, The Steve Allen Show, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, The Odd Couple, and The Partridge Family
05:50

Gary Smith

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Gary Smith on working on Perry Como's The Kraft Music Hall
01:43
Gary Smith on working with his partner Dwight Hemion on Perry Como's The Kraft Music Hall
05:51
Gary Smith on working with Perry Como on The Kraft Music Hall
04:11
Gary Smith on starting his production company with Dwight Hemion, and on Yorkshire Productions producing the later years of The Kraft Music Hall with stars like Alan King
06:18
Gary Smith on his duties as producer of The Kraft Music Hall, and on his working relationship with partner Dwight Hemion
03:42

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