The Kate Smith Show
| The Kate Smith Show | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Variety |
| Starring | Harry Simeone Chorale |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | ca. 25 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Greg Garrison |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Picture format | Black and white |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original release | January 25 – July 18, 1960 |
The Kate Smith Show is a half-hour variety program which aired on CBS television from January 25 to July 18, 1960. The program features singer Kate Smith and the Harry Simeone Chorale.
A Virginia native who dropped out of nursing school to pursue a singing career, Smith was a radio personality from 1930 to 1951. From 1950 to 1954, she hosted an afternoon weekday program on NBC television. The program was co-produced by Barry Wood and Smith's long-time manager, Ted Collins, formerly an officer of Columbia Records. One of the segments called "Cracker Barrel" is an interview of her guests. The program also features segments entitled "The House in the Garden", "America Sings," and "Ethel and Albert," a domestic comedy strip.
In the 1951-1952 season, Smith hosted The Kate Smith Evening Hour on NBC, produced by Greg Garrison, later of The Dean Martin Show. This program aired on Wednesday evenings at 8 p.m. Eastern opposite CBS's Arthur Godfrey and Friends.
In 1956, Ted Collins sustained a critical heart attack. Smith cancelled all engagements and determined to leave television permanently. She spent months either in the hospital or at home praying for Collins' recovery. Collins was married, and Smith was single; there was no romantic connection between the two.
More than a year after his recovery, Smith and Collins launched The Kate Smith Show on CBS, with the theme song "When the Moon Comes over the Mountain", first adopted in 1931 on radio, rather than Smith's better known rendition of "God Bless America" by the composer, Irving Berlin, which she began singing in 1938. The early evening time slot, her previous absence from the limelight, and the growing popularity of rock and roll netted low ratings. Despite otherwise good reviews, the show was cancelled after nearly six months on the air. Collins died in 1964. Thereafter, Smith worked sporadically in making personal appearances.
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