Tonight I watched “Perry Como’s Music Hall”, a DVD just released by the fine people at MPI Home Video. I compliment them effusively because this is their third Perry Como DVD, with combined sales of (guestimate on my part) 23 copies. Bless you, MPI. And bless “Dark Shadows”, which has a loyal enough fanbase to keep you in the ancient-TV-show-on-DVD business. As opposed to 50-year-old musical variety programs. Let’s have a look!
What you are going to find out in reading this is that I love the forgotten ephemera of TV. Like the little peacock animation. DVD companies that include things like this are tops with me.
As I predicted in an earlier post, MPI left out “Kraft” on the DVD box but not in the actual content.
The show opens with Perry singing “A Taste Of Honey”, which is a good way to describe Mr. C’s singing voice. Perry mentions throughout the episode that this is the first live telecast they’ve done in about four years–one wonders what caused this show to be done live–guest schedules? A botched taping session? Last minute schedule change by the network? The show is very smooth but there are a couple of shaggy moments here and there–long waits for audio cues, stagehand forgetting to point a guest star to the set, etc. Honestly, though, I’ve watched a lot of 60’s variety television that WAS pre-recorded and the same little imperfections happen. Everybody was just, to use an era-inappropriate phrase, very chill about things.
Perry’s first guest is pre-hippie George Carlin. Carlin’s discovery of his true comic voice in the late 60s was one of the best things ever to happen to stand-up. But “variety show guest” George Carlin has a lot to offer! He of course does his “Wonderful WINO” routine with Perry, including a visit from his other best-known character of this era, “Al Sleet, your hippy-dippy weatherman.” Doing his stand-up characters is a great use of Carlin; as we will see, anyone appearing on a variety show was expected to do a little bit of everything…but first, a word from Kraft!
The commercial, by the way, isn’t really a commercial. It’s a recipe! Kraft did this type of thing on lots of TV variety shows they sponsored…all announced by The Voice Of Kraft, Ed Herlihy. Here’s Herlihy playing a cameo in “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure”:
After the recipe break, it’s time for Nancy Wilson! Not Nancy Wilson of the Wilsons who make up Heart–but a very popular jazz vocalist of the day:
The thing you notice watching these musical variety shows is how hard they try to switch up the different ways songs are performed. So far we’ve had Perry with a small female chorus, Perry in a duet, and now we’re up to Perry sitting, lost in reflection, on his “Sing For Me Mr. C” stool.
And now, it’s time for the big blockbuster finale–a musical tribute to income tax! No…really. It’s a substantial medley of money songs such as “Pennies From Heaven” and “The Best Things In Life Are Free.” Plus lots of what they call “special material”–songs (or new lyrics to existing songs) written expressly for the finale. And yes, everybody gets into the act:
When this show aired in April 1967, “Perry Como’s Kraft Music Hall” was a monthly series…but not for long. Perry retired from regularly scheduled TV at the end of the ’66-’67 TV season. “Kraft Music Hall”, which was a regular presence on radio starting in 1933 and television in 1958, finally left TV in 1971.
“Perry Como’s Kraft Music Hall” has been brought to you live in color by…”
As the credits begin to roll, the (one assumes recorded) voice of Ed McMahon reminds us that Jimmy Dean is tonight’s guest host on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson”, with guests Chet Atkins, Floyd Cramer, and other surprise country bumpkins. “What will happen? Who will drop in? Your guess is as good as mine!” Well, okay, Ed. (Jimmy Dean was actually a very popular pick to sit in for Johnny in the 60s.)
I can’t say enough good things about MPI’s variety television releases. Rarely edited, always generous with bonus features, always good about leaving in the ephemera. The Perry Como Renaissance continues unabated!