I feel for Vivan Vance not only having a difficult personal life along with appearances with a individual who she dislike puts the meaning behind having a bad week. Vance deserves each Emmy she won for her wonderful performances.
Wow, what a great find. I'm surprised Vivian Vance accepted to play Bill Frawley's wife in this given their animosity on "I Love Lucy". From what I've read and heard, Vivian had a hard enough time working with Frawley on ILL and she refused to do a Mertz spin-off because of the idea of working with Frawley.
I was thinking that EXACT same thing! She would pull over on the way to the studio and vomit.. Poor lady.. Paired with someone who literally makes you ill, Lucy could be a "domineering Bitch" (in VV's own words) but she got along great with Desi!
This being taped (at CBS, yet!) in the middle of the ILL series run, it's possible she was talked into it by Desi (and whomever at the network) that it would be good PR for the studio and show. Oh, and don't forget some good ole dough re mi!
Well, 2 things here. One, both Vance and Frawley were professionals. All of us have worked with people we may have had animosity towards but as professionals we get past it. Two, the hatred they allegedly felt towards each other may well have been exaggerated. That's been suggested by some on the show. Likely they certainly didn't care for each other, but hatred and loathing might be a stretch. She did turn down the spin-off but it's a fact that by then Vance resented the Ethal Mertz character and may wall have simply wanted to move on to other things. When Lucy prevailed on her in 1962 to do the Lucy Show, she was firm in her condition that she not be like the frumpy Ethel which Desi easily agree to.
They may have hated each other but the world will always Love Frawley and Vance. They'll always be linked together till the end of time. Thanks God for the Mertzes.
CLIMAX was , the dramatic anthology , dramatic series airing every three of four weeks . SHOWER OF STARS was the variety show airing every fourth week . Both for Chrysler Corporation
Just a little trivia related to this program @2:19 Appearing as the bartender in the scene is Jack Albertson, probably best known to most these days in the role of Grandpa Joe, in 1971's, "Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory". @11:52 Appearing as an opera singer is Thurl Ravenscroft, best known as the voice of Tony the Tiger and singer of the holiday classic, "You're a Mean One, Mister Grinch".
This show was broadcast live and in color. Too bad they didn't do color kinescopes so we'd be able to see it as originally broadcast. But this is the next best thing.
They played so beautifully together on TV. Perhaps that mutual "edge" of contempt they felt for each other actually helped their performances; who knows?
I wonder if there is a film on the drama mentioned for the following week with Miss Jeff Donnell " as the girl in the story" .I cant imagine her lifting that heavy sandstone by herself !
CBS had their own color television system that was not compatible with black and white reception. They would have to simulcast for black and white, or rebroadcast the black and white Kinescope. The occasional color broadcasts and Paley's resistance was due to having to pay a license to RCA for compatible color/black and white telecasts. The annual showings of THE WIZARD OF OZ was one of those occasions.
The cost of producing in color was more than three times the cost of black and white. Most homes in the 1950s had a black and white television since color ones cost over $2500 which is better than 20 times higher in today's dollars. It was new technology back then and only vert wealthy families could have one.
Compared to NBC- no, Paul. CBS concentrated on telecasting occasional color specials [including this one], several "one-shots" of established series {"WHAT'S MY LINE?", 'THE JACK BENNY PROGRAM", "THE GEORGE BURNS AND GRACIE ALLEN SHOW"}" and one or two weekly series in color [including "THE RED SKELTON SHOW" in the 1957-'58 season]. By 1959, CBS declared a "moratorium" on color telecasting (due to Bill Paley's rivalry with RCA/NBC's David Sarnoff), rarely showing ANY color programs until 1965.
