Gillette Cavalcade of Sports
| Gillette Cavalcade of Sports | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | 'Cavalcade of Sports (1942–1946; as radio program) |
| Genre | Sports anthology series |
| Presented by |
Bob Stanton Ray Forrest Jimmy Powers |
| Theme music composer | Mahlon Merrick |
| Opening theme | "Look Sharp/Be Sharp March" |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 14 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Bill Garden Jack Mills |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 120 minutes |
| Production company(s) | NBC Sports |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Picture format | 480i (SDTV) |
| Original release | November 8, 1946 – June 24, 1960 |
The Gillette Cavalcade of Sports is an American radio-turned-television program that ran from 1942 to 1960. The program included broadcasts of a variety of sports, although it is primarily remembered by many for its focus on boxing matches.
The Cavalcade of Sports officially began on radio in 1942 as the Gillette Company grouped various existing sports sponsorships under one banner. The sponsorships had begun three years earlier, according to an article on the Gillette Company in Vol. 68 of the International Directory of Company Histories. In 1939, Gillette president Joseph Spang purchased the sponsorship rights to the World Series on behalf of Gillette for $100,000. A special promotion of Gillette razors and blueblades sold four times better than company estimates, resulting in the company seeking out additional sponsorships for sporting events.
The Gillette stable of radio sports programs spanned several different networks (including the NBC Red Network, CBS Radio Network and the Mutual Broadcasting System) and grew to include not only ongoing sponsorship deals with Major League Baseball for the World Series and All-Star Game, but the annual Kentucky Derby horse race and the Cotton Bowl Classic and Orange Bowl in college football. In his book about Gillette's history Cutting Edge, author Gordon McKibben wrote, "most males in the 1940s and 1950s did not have to be told that the Cavalcade of Sports meant Gillette was sponsoring another ball game or horse race".
The diversified field of sporting events continued onto television, reportedly including at least two golfing tournaments as well as college football's Blue–Gray Classic and (beginning in 1958) the Rose Bowl game. As late as 1988, the Cavalcade of Sports banner was used in connection with Gillette's sponsorship of the NHL's Stanley Cup Playoffs. Internationally, the Gillette World Sports program continues the concept to the present day in many international regions from Ireland to Africa to Asia.
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