Colgate Comedy Hour: Louis Prima, Keely Smith, Sam Butera and the Witnesses (26 June 1955) 

My dad playing with Prima when I was only three years old in Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada. My pop (Dick Johnson) went on to play with the Leon Kelner Orchestra and Dukes of Dixieland in his later years from late 1959-1980

Keely Smith was the perfect foil for Prima. That deadpan aloof look was money. One of the top acts in Vegas when Vegas was still cool....Aloha

Sam Butera played with a fire like no other!! The fluidity, emotion and command of his horn are stellar. Keely’s voice is so beautiful and smooth. I wish I could go back and see these shows live.

Louis was truly one of a kind. Sam Butera should’ve been a huge star

One of the great acts of American music! Great energy and emotion with almost zero technology. That was a combination of raw talent, personality, and having the right people together. Just awesome performances!

You surely can’t get too much of Louis, Sam, Kelly and this whole band of happy swingers 🎺🎷🥁❤

Keely Smith was one cool chick.

Rest in peace 🙏 Keely Smith 9 March 1928 ~ 16 December 2017⚘

I haven't seen or heard Louie and Keely in years. Glad I found them on You tube. One of the best acts ever.

Keely Smith sooo underrated… !!

One comment said he could of been a huge star . He was a huge star.

I love his fabulous, unfettered, fun-loving sounds. If I could take just one trip in a time machine, I'd pop back to 50s USA and see one of his live shows.

About 40 years ago I went to a pub - The Bramley - on Christmas Day in Notting Hill London......the LP of 'The Wildest' was playing and I was hooked on Loius & Keely's music from that day until now.......think I have every song they recorded as well as books and videos.....There is just no one these days to compare with these two people.

If I could go back in time to see something, it would be Prima's act in Vegas.

Anything with Keely Smith !!

I have taken this band into my heart. Just amazin talent. Keely is a star.

there is no entertainment today close to as good as what we just watched!

I SAW KEELEY SMITH SMILE! ...and it was well worth the wait! 🤔😱😁👍!

Man I love this. He makes me laugh out loud. There great together

Keely was a doll , and what a voice ! Sam Butera was awesome as well . THIS was entertainment .

What a joy to watch Louis, so full of life!

Such a powerhouse band... so tight from playing show after show and always with incredible energy and enthusiasm.. it must have been awesome playing with Louie and Sam.

AMAZING!!! I'm still in the middle of this and I just have to say thank you. Ive seen just about every act of Louis And Keely on youtube and when theres a new post it really means a lot.

They were hilarious, A great act together!

I can just see my Aunt Pauline listen to this & dancing around the kitchen while making sauce!

Rest in peace 🙏 Louis Prima 7 December 1910 ~ 24 August 1978🙏

Awesome! Anything Prima is outstanding. Thank you for sharing!

A big thankyou for this, Alan! I was performing during those years, and I know how much the jazz minded musicians of the day liked these guys, especially Sam. Notice how Louis gets into "Saints" while the people are still applauding "Can't Help Lovin' That Man of Mine"? Pace was a big thing back then, and Louis was the king of pace!

An Absolutely Pioneering musical GENIUS - and his ensemble(s) who Definitely should be considered as a True Father of rock & roll. PERIOD! 💯❤🤌

Where on earth did you dig these little beauties up from? Each of them is worth their weight in gold!!!

Seven years old then. My parents would never let me watch Louis and Keely. But i was able to sneak peaks and listen on the AM Radio. Glad they left me alone at home

true talent in a time when you couldnt rely on autotune or taped performances to do a show!

To have seen them live in a small concert hall or night club in Las Vegas . . . how wonderful that must have been!

Amazing musician and performers!! Such a great Energy on stage!!👏👏💫💫

What a gem!!!! Thank you for sharing!! They were amazing performers!

Just found your channel! Right on! 🎶🎺🎶🎷🎶

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!

when talents meet

So happy to find new material about Louis!! The Greatest

Aww they're so amazing 👏 Absolute genius 😍 ❤

I really enjoyed seeing this video of this rare footage of Louie Prima as I always enjoy seeing anything with Louie Prima. Thank you for posting this here Alan Smithee.

Oh my word! Never seen this before. You've made my day!

GREG H This is a miracle to find and see. They were in a class all their own and this clip shows it all! Thanks for finding and making this available..

Thee greatest!

I wish I could see this live

He was so smooth.

“Can’t help loving that man of mine” is from “Showboat”. Written by Jerome Kern.

This is King Louie of The Judge Book. I love it!

never be another Louis

The best....!

Keely was the original Carol Burnett. So talented and funny.

esto es una joya!!! Thank you for sharing!!!!!!

The only clip I've seen with the original line-up!

Wow, just brilliant. As a small kid c1970 loved the music in the Jungle Book movie, by early 80s discovered Prima and Butera for their rocknroll stuff, by 90s discovered Louis and the wondrous Keely - so wish I'd seen them perform live. In 2000 danced to Sam Butera at the Rhythm Riot weekender in the UK, wow. Many thanks for posting this great clip.

Fantastici.......

THE GREATEST!! PLEASE NEVER STOP POSTING!!

Cool man cool

I enjoyed watching this video. I just recently discovered this group they are fantastic!

Great stuff! Thanks for the upload.

Never disappointed here. Dude was a treasure.

This might be the coolest posting on the internet. Thanks

I have underestimated the enormous amount they Sam and the band

Thanks for posting this, Alan. I also enjoy all of those films you've directed.

Louis must have listened to Louis Armstrong, Louis Jordan and Dizzy Gillespie to 'create' his style. And that Sam Butera could play!!!

They were on fire

A fabulous talent I was to young to appreciate. Elvis squashed that era. Rock and Roll was more alluring to a ten year old.

The Robin Hood song here is a hidden gem. I know I've heard it before in a more straightforward manner... can't recall by whom but it's a very nicely constructed bluesy pop tune with cool Robin Hood lyrics.

These guys invented rock and roll.

Guess how sonny and Cher got their act from

That man was THE CAT

Omg they were having so much fun!!! Where the heck did you find this gold?!

there was only one Louis prima!

"If you don't like my Ajax honey, don't foam my cleanser."- 6:55

Opposite them on CBS was Ed Sullivan's "Seventh Anniversary Show" on "TOAST OF THE TOWN". Celebrating with him were Bob Hope (and the kids who played Eddie Foy's children in "The Seven Little Foys"), Pearl Bailey, Will Jordan [the best known Sullivan impressionist], Joe Smith & Charlie Dale {the vaudeville team famous for their "Dr. Kronkheit" sketch}, Joe Howard (composer and performer), and the Port Chester, New York High School Band.

❤ Cool Cats I remember hung this when I was little

Луи Прима-великий и легендарный джазмен, всех времен и народов!!!

So funny Keeley trying to get to the Mike and Louie pulls her away

That's right.

Keely Smith is quite animated here as opposed to later years.

Louis Prima is the father of my oldest friend Alan Gerstel

The wildest.

Prima looked like . . . Jack Webb. That was an interesting decade.

I dunno If it was an act but I fell Louis was a bit rough with Keely and made her shy and in the background You tell me, but I love them both!

I never heard of Prima but I had heard his songs but though it was Louis Armstrong. I’m dumb I guess.

They didn't go with deadpan keely until later.

Hot!!

🫡KING LOUIE

Louis, Keely, Sam and the Witnesses were cool before the term was invented. I really liked this with Keely smiling and grooving along. That deadpan thing didn't appeal to me at all. I know it was Louis' idea, but with his music how could anyone sit still and not smile?

King Louie of the Jungle book corrections

Oops contributions Sam and the band

Van Morrison sent me here.

Awkward moment at 2:53

Sorry. I was too distracted by the musical performance

Like I have soooo so underestimated our maS

Louie. Big talent. Big jerk.

Sonny & Cher prototypes

Il *Belìce* è un fiume siciliano che ebbe ai greci il nome di un Dio, *Ὕψας **_pronuncia (Húpsās)*, dagli arabi, durante la dominazione saracena, il nome di *al-Qārib _(il vicino)_* e dagli *Arbëreshë di Sicilia* il nome di *Honi* perché nasce nella *Piana degli albanesi* e dagli *italiani* una pronuncia sbagliata di cui il Dio del fiume se ne amareggiò. Durante il terremoto della valle del Belìce del 1968 _(370 morti di cui 10 soccorritori, 1.000 feriti e 90.000 sfollati)_ i giornalisti della RAI commisero un arbitrio: *_spostarono la cadenza dalla seconda sillaba alla prima per cui il Belìce divenne il Bèlice._* *E questo fosse niente.* In questa valle vi è *Salaparuta, il luogo più importante nella storia del Jazz. Se Salaparuta non fosse esistita, mai esistita, se i *salitani* non avessero mai fatto parte del genere umano non avremmo avuto *Nick La Rocca* nato a New Orleans (figlio di Girolamo di di Salaparuta e Vita De Nina) che nel 1918 sostituì la parola jass in jazz nel nome della sua formazione, che divenne così il primo a farsi riconoscere con il nome jazz: *Original Dixieland Jazz Band*. La Rocca, da molti, è considerato un pioniere del jazz classico, uno dei primi interpreti in assoluto. La sua arte influenzò tutto quello che venne dopo. *E questo fosse niente.* Non avremmo avuto *Louis Prima*, nato a New Orleans, ma nipote di Luigi Di Prima emigrato da Salaparuta nella seconda metà dell’Ottocento. Louis Prima era molto orgoglioso delle sue origini, e ad ogni esibizione non mancava di far sapere al pubblico che era italo-americano e di New Orleans. Nel suo modo di cantare e di suonare erano evidenti molte influenze dell’Italia Meridionale: la teatralità dei gesti della sceneggiata o dell’opera dei pupi, l’arte scenica e le feste popolari del sud. Iniziava i concerti sempre con: *_“My name is Louis Prima, I'm from New Orleans e song’Italiano”_* Dal pubblico rispondeva sempre uno - non si sa se era lo stesso di sempre a New Yor, a Los Angeles, a Miami - *_“Uè, paisà”_* Lui scoppiava a ridere e iniziava con *Keely Smith* o con *Sam Butera* al sax un duetto, una macchietta. *E a volte per una pronuncia sbagliata noi roviniamo tutto: Belìce, Belìce non Bèlice.*

So

Cancel Culture of today would be ruthlessly criticizing these musicians for supposedly appropriating African-American music and culture with their singing, instrument playing and showmanship. A bunch of nonsense. American music is an almagamation of a litany of musical traditions dating back to the founding of America and before as well the Native Americans and all the other people to have come to call America their homeland...whether it be African Americans or Latinos or the people of the Appalachian Mountains. This unique tapestry of people and their musical traditions have contributed to forge our American identity....an identity that music and other traditions has helped forge into our American culture.

She really couldn't stand his ass